#I get why now when he found my journal that I left at his house he freaked out on me and raged at me saying I’m evil and narcissistic

[crucifixcavity]

the flashbacks are relentless

[pinescent-and-gingerbread]

˖✧ Through my eyes

✦ Pairing: Arthur Morgan x Fem!Reader ✦ Summary: Karen explains Mary and Arthur's story to you. Saddened, you're convinced you could never compete with her until the man in question proves you wrong. ✦ Warnings/Tags: Self-depreciation from both sides, kissing, comfort, fluff. Reader has been with the gang for a year. Use of Y/N. ✦ Words: 2,8k ✦ a/n: This is the answer to this ask by the lovely @crystalofmoon19. I really hope you'll like it, dear! And thank you for your support, you've been really sweet to me and my work! As always, I got carried away and wrote way too much. And as always, please reach out to me if you spot any misspellings. Also idk why I made this in Colter, guess I just feel way too hot rn and want some fresh snow + Arthur's coat is perfect for comfort. Credits. Arthur's pic is from my playthrough. Other pics are not mine found them on Pinterest.

“And in the end, she rejected his proposal, then a few months later, sent him a letter telling she was marrying some wealthier gentleman!”

Your mouth hangs open in the air. Karen’s words enter through your ears and create a nice little nest for themselves in your brain. You had no idea. No idea Arthur had been this close to being married. That their relationship had been so strong, that, according to hearsays, he had reached his lowest after their break up, drunk most part of the day, fighting the rest of the time, obnoxious to everyone, even Dutch and Hosea.

“Y/N? You’re okay, there?” Karen asked you, disappointed her big reveal had left you reactionless.

You focused your gaze back on her. Her blonde hair is softly litten up by the setting sun, her breath exhaling a puff of steam as she breathes. Colter is a cold place, and it probably felt even colder because of the morose mood of the gang. You suddenly remember you’re supposed to be shocked. You are, of course, but in a very bad way. Not in an “Oh my God, I can’t believe this Karen, so much gossip!” kind of way.

How could you ever compete with that?

“Yeah, I’m alright. God, I had no idea so much happened between them.”

“Oh, trust me, it was definitely his biggest love story. Never saw him get into someone else after her. Not even Mary-Beth! Could you believe that?”

No, you couldn’t. You weren’t sure why but every word from Karen felt like an enormous stone falling into your belly and dragging you deeper and deeper into the sea. Your silly little crush on Arthur, when you first joined the gang a year ago, had turned into a way stronger attraction. Denying it at first, you had little by little let your emotions win, cherishing every moment with him, thanking Dutch for assigning both of you to the same missions, loving the quiet evenings where he would just sit next to you around the campfire to scribble in his journal while you would do your little hobby on your own. Silent most, but enjoying each other’s company, and so, so peaceful.

More than your emotions, you even had let your imagination take the lead, dreaming about a selfish future with him, seeing it every time he would give you a smile, or laugh at one of your jokes. A happy Arthur, relieved from his obligations, enjoys life's simplest joys. A house, a garden. Maybe a dog, considering he had loved having Copper. A marriage even. And why not a child? If he would feel ready. Something in you was telling you he would be a good father.

But now, you felt like this dream was rotten, condemned.  Like a broken match. The fire, the very thing it’s designed for,  not being able to be lit. Would never be lit. A wasted potential.

You tried to continue your gossiping chat with Karen, voice light but gaze elusive as you peeled the potatoes you were supposed to prepare while discussing, tedious tasks often ended up less difficult this way when you were working with the other girls. But behind your seemingly normal smile and hollow words, a haunting thought was hanging on to you as strongly as a rock trapped in a thousand-year-old iceberg. 

Arthur never fell in love again after Mary Linton.

Night had definitely fallen on the frozen mountains. After your endless vegetables centered-chores, you had helped Mr. Pearson turning them into a decent meal, his incessant blattering about the Navy giving you some sort of distraction. During dinner and after though, once you didn’t have any goal or job left to do for the day, your conversation with Karen came back into your wandering mind, her speech playing again and again like a used gramophone record.

Never fell in love again...

Sitting at one of the corners of the big cabin you had been sleeping in for the past few days along with the girls and some other gang members which mainly served as a common space, you were looking outside by a dilapidated window. A frozen World spread out before your eyes, every inch of surface covered in snow and ice, the landscape ending up looking like it was coated with a thick strange substance —dark blue colors Queen of this gloomy, misty horizon.

Arthur had returned from a very busy hunting day with Charles. Thanks to them, meat had been added to the vegetable paradise of a meal, resulting in a better-than-usual supper. He should have felt cheerful, but his mood wouldn't lighten. 

He had spotted you from across the room, noticing the hurtful absence of your smile on these sweet lips of yours. Smile he secretly loved. Lips he secretly fancied. 

Hesitating for a long moment, debating with himself, a self-depreciative rambling turning in his head like a well-oiled motor, he had ultimately decided to join you and investigate. Something pretty important must been bothering you, because loosing your usual little grin and eating your plate all by yourself really wasn't in your habits.

Approaching you, his boots and spurs clicking and stomping before you could see him, he plants them in front of you, standing there while his eyes lock on your face.

“Miss Y/L/N? Is everythin’ okay?”

“Oh, Mr Morgan. Yeah, don’t worry. Everything is great.”

He doesn’t believe you and honestly, you wouldn’t have convinced yourself either. And Arthur is a stubborn man. A stubborn, and caring one. He leans against the cabin's old creaky walls, on the other side of the window.

“Come on, don’t lie t’me girl. Everyone noticed you’re not in your right mind.” He honestly doesn’t know about everyone, but he surely did. His words are accompanied by a small, polite smile.

“I don’t think… I don’t think you’re the right person to talk about it.”

Arthur’s entire body froze. The hands he had on his belt as always when he was comfortable, flew to his chest as he crossed his arms, his thick winter coat folding with difficulty. His encouraging smile flattened, his brows pleating in a harsh frown.

“Erm… Alright, I get it. I won’t bother you, I guess.” 

Without loosening his arms, he pushed himself from the wall, taking a step to leave you some space. You couldn’t have missed it. This change of behavior, the hurtful expression he had displayed, as if he was truly pained by your words. Disappointed, maybe even shameful to have thought he could help you at all. He was just a sad, ugly bastard, after all.

You felt like you could hear all of it from where you were, and see it in the shadow that had taken his face and the gigantic mass that seemed to have fallen on his shoulders.

No, you didn’t want this. Didn’t want him to feel like that because of you and your stupid feelings, or your own dark thoughts.

“Wait, Arthur!”

He turned around the second you talked again.

“I’m sorry it’s just…” You sigh and look at him with an uncertain expression, knowing your next words were going to be risky. “It’s about you and Mary Linton…”

His eyes turn into two literal plates, his mouth slightly opening in outer astonishment. This was really not what he had in mind. You could have been sad because of a hundred logical reasons, the death of Davey and the loss of Sean and Mac, the complete fiasco of Blackwater, the hundred of dollars lost, the terrible and tough conditions of the Grizzlies plunging everyone into an unbearable cold and a threatening famine.  Not mentioning Hosea’s alarming coughing, Dutch’s mysterious decisions, and Micah as a whole.

But you, out of all these things, were worried about Mary.

Once his eyes had grown as round as they could, they got back into an interrogative expression, the wave of surprise over.

“Wha’…?! How d’ya even know ‘bout her?”

“Karen speaks a lot when she’s bored…” You briefly explained, trying to sound detached.

Arthur rolls his eyes to the Heavens. Of course, folks talked, and you had to know about it all at some point. But this wasn’t ideal at all. He would have preferred to tell it to you himself, at a time he would have felt comfortable doing so, with his own words. He didn’t want this to change anything between the two of you.

“And erm… What exactly bothers ya?”

You open your mouth to speak, but your words are jammed. Explaining that you feel jealous of what the both of them had shared would just come down to confessing your feelings for him plain and simple. 

You felt completely stuck. 

He’s right there before your eyes, the very source of all your worries and your every joy. Looking at you with those confused blue eyes, wondering what is happening in this pretty head of yours. But the words still won’t come out.  You feel more and more powerless, and instead of a sound, your eyes take over to get something out of your body, slow and sad tears filling them like a lonely glacier fills a mountain lake on its own.

Arthur’s usual frown furrows, his wrinkles more visible, contrasted by the shadows from the warm lights of the fire. Suddenly, his internal melancholic speech shuts down, as if the view of a single tear streaming down your cheek were absolutely intolerable to him. No worries nor anxious self-restraints crosses his mind —it’s now only instinct. He sees you crying. He has to help you. This is as easy as that.

His right hand reaches to you by itself.

It feels warm but coarse. This big, big hand on the side of your face.

“Oh, Y/N. Don’t waste those pretty tears for a sour-faced idiot like me.” His thumb gently wipes the drops of sadness that had overflowed from your two delicate lakes. “Come on, les’ jus’ talk about this somewhere quiet.”

Arthur gently uses the hand he had on your cheek to wrap it around your shoulders, solid arm gently pushing you up. He then leads you through the door, other members throwing curious gazes at the both of you.

But he doesn’t care. His priority, right now, is your well-being, and some privacy to allow him to finally whisper things in your ears he should have a long time ago. Not in front of everyone. Not with the other men looking at your sparkling eyes, and listening to the change in his voice he knew would crack, his usual intimidating persona crushed into a million pieces with only the sound of your own. Or with the other girls hearing the oh-so-important words he had to say. No. You would be the only one to witness this. 

He had brought you to the barn where the horses were kept. The snow was falling lazily, a few flakes passing through the holes in the dilapidated roof. The place is enveloped in a heavy silence, as if it was muffling every sound coming from the outside.

Once Arthur had closed the big wooden doors behind you and before he could do anything else, you finally burst.

“I shouldn't cry, I’m so sorry Arthur, I just… She looked like an incredible woman, so beautiful a-and distinguished, and me well… I'm just… me.” Your eyes fell to your feet. You like everything was coming out of you all at once and you couldn't contain it anymore.

“Stop it.” 

“How could I ever mean something to you? You've been with her for so long and even proposed to her and… and never fell in love again after her and…”

“Stop it, Y/N!”

Arthur cut your blabbering panic by pulling you against him. He held you so tightly you were almost crushed by his powerful arms, but it felt so good. Like he was holding together all the little pieces of you that had cracked, melting them with his warmth and molding yourself again with it.

“Now you l’sten to me, sweetheart. I don’t want ya to say things like this ever again.”

The sudden use of the pet name soothed your heart immediately. You buried your face into the furred collar of his big winter coat, the hairs tickling your nose. There, you can feel a little bit of his bare skin, your cheek finding shelter against it.

You stopped talking.

You just wanted him to continue to. His deep voice seemed to come directly from the inside of his chest, and you could feel it vibrating before actually hearing it.

“Ya know I’m no… Am no poet or, or good with words like Dutch…” He started, visibly unsure of what he was going to say. He’s relieved he had initiated the hug, this way, with your face in there, you couldn’t see his. The worried expression it was carrying, like a burden. “But lemme tell ya just how much I care about ya. Oh, my sweet girl.” 

This is it. He tries not to but his low tone begins to tremble. It’s so strange. It feels like forever since that happened for the last time.

“Yeah, Mary has been a real’ important part of my life, I won’t lie to ya. But it was so long ago, gorgeous. So long ago.” 

He knows he won’t shed a tear. He never cries. But his hands shake. His vocal cords vibrate in a vulnerable, softer, and higher-pitched quaver. His body tenses, heart as fast as if racing with a million wild horses galloping in the Great Plains. Even if his words couldn’t explain just how much you meant to him, you could have guessed by how you were affecting his entire flesh.

“Ya know what? It’s true. Our story ended badly. I never fell in love again after her.”

You sigh, more tears wetting your face and his blue coat, this truth so hard to swallow.

“Until that morning, when I saw you brushing Boadicea’s mane; your hair all covered in hay, the brightest smile I ever had the chance to witness on that sweet face o’ yours. That day, I knew my stupid foolish heart had done it all over again.”

You let out a single chuckle mixed with tears and emotions, so relieved. Even when you felt like you were at your lowest, he succeeded at making you smile.

“Grimshaw had forced me to groom all the gang’s horses to “get used to camp’s work”. Must have looked terrible.” You remembered with a smile, details of your first encounter with Arthur flooding your mind.

“You looked like a goddamn Angel, honey. T’was like the sun was shining jus’ for ya. Jesus, I knew it was too late for me.”

You pulled back from him just a little, enough for you to look at him in the eyes, but not for him to let go of you. Now that they had found you, his hands, still slightly quivering, refused to let go, their place on your back and behind your head feeling so natural and right. Your eyes behave the same way as them but with his face. He looks so moved that you have to pinch yourself internally to make sure you’re not dreaming this whole thing; never in your life you had seen him like this.

“I love you too, Arthur.” You confessed back to him, fingers cupping his cheeks in a delicate touch.

You had to stand on your tiptoes to reach his face, but his arm helped you, your lips gently discovering themselves, brushing against each other in a soft and shy caress. Even if both your mouths were chapped by the biting cold, it was the most gentle kiss you had shared in your life, a satiny embrace that left you completely dreamy and light-headed.

The snowflakes silently swirl around the both of you, Nature the only witness of your souls melting into each other.

Opening your eyes again after this moment out of time, you're met with the happiest smile Arthur ever had on his face. He looked like and idiot in love, and you were sure you looked exactly the same.

“Please darlin’, don’t ever compare yourself to her ever again. What’s in the past stays there. And I wanna have a future with you.”

Your dreams sprang back straight from your heart to your mind. The visions you had about the both of you were more alive than ever, reinforced by his own needs shared with yours.

“You’re sweet, you’re funny, you’re so smart and stunningly gorgeous. And, you wan’ a proof?” He playfully asks you, taking his hat off his head, a thin layer of snow falling from it.

Turning it over, he carefully pull a piece of paper out, hidden between two leathered segments in the inner part of his hat. His cut and reddened fingers unfold it and he gives it to you, his big smile turning into an embarrassed and sheepish one.

It’s a sketch of you.

You’re mesmerized by the details of it, the blades of hay messily tangled in your hair, the sparkling in your eyes, the exact clothes you were wearing that day. This smile, you’re more than certain he drew it way more beautiful than it really is. Arthur even had added some lines traced from your head to the end of the paper, as if you were the Sun itself and were emitting your own light.

This was impossible this was the same person as you, her beauty was too radiant and fascinating.

But no matter what you thought about yourself, seeing his work curled your lips in the exact same way as yourself on the drawing. With snowflakes replacing the twigs, you had turned into the living recreation of it. Arthur laughed when he noticed, and realized just how much he had loved you and continued to since that morning from a year ago. He bent towards you to put a small kiss on your forehead.

“Arthur it’s… It’s beautiful.” You find it difficult to find another word, speechless once again. 

You also had no idea of how talented at drawing nor attracted to you he was. This day definitely was full of surprises. You chuckled fondly before taking a last look at your portrait and giving it back to your lover. But Arthur’s large palm wrapped around your hand.

“No, please, keep it. This way, you’ll always remember how you look through my eyes.”

More tears threaten to escape your own, even though those were a direct extract from the immeasurable happiness you were experiencing.

“And... Now that I don’t have to hide myself while sketching ya, I’m going to draw lots of new ones.”

tagging: @a-court-of-valkyries Thank you for reading all of this! Also, I didn't know this was a thing but if ever you want to be tagged in my works too, let me know! It would be my pleasure.

[thereadinggremlin]

Guarded Hearts pt 3

Summary: You find out Azriels your mate but you start getting the could shoulder from him after he returns from a mission.

Authors Note- Ok. I did it. Finally finished my first ACOTAR fanfic. I have ideas for more but if anyone has some send them my way. Anyways. Enjoy

As the shadow dissapeared and you heard Rhys’s voice you knew you were out of time. You started to grab your stuff for a quick getaway, not that you could winnow but you could fly pretty fast. Figuring he’d be there any minute you decided that leaving out the back door would give you a few minute head start. That idea was shattered as he showed up less than 30 feet away from you, for a moment you just stood there looking at him and then you shot to the skies, your stuff be damned.

You had some idea of where you were going but what you really needed was to just get away from him. Everything you were feeling was too much. Why would he send his shadows after you, he didn’t care, he made that evident in the way that he has ignored you for the last month. You had been up here for awhile before he probably even realized that you weren’t around.

You spent one spare second to look behind you and there he was hot on your heels and trying to catch up to you and then you felt a tug. You didn’t know your sheilds were down for that long unless…

You shit straight up knowing he would follow, you stopped and waited, as he appeared tou yelled to him “How long?” The hot tears pooling in your eyes.

He just stared at you, not saying anything, when you focused on the bond you felt a mix of sadness and happiness and knew that these were not your feelings.

“I will let you know when I’m ready, if you ask anyone or send your shadows after me, you will regret it.” You said as you flew away and left him there in the cold air with nothing but the feeling of betrayal and hurt coursing through the bond.

He didn’t know what to do. After you left he returned to the cabin and looked around, your books and other belongings still scattered all over the place. He started gathering all of them up to take them back home, he knew you wouldn’t return here since he found you but he did think that having them in your room at the house of wind would be better.

In your collection of books he found a notebook, it seemed like a journal or diary and it seemed you had started it just before you apparently left home. He dropped onto the couch to start reading and he closed off the bond again, he didn't want you to know he was snooping and he was too scared that if he didn’t guard himself all his feelings would go down the bond to you.

As he started to read, his heart fell into his stomach. He didn’t realize that his actions had hurt you so much, he thought he was protecting you. He didn’t want to rush you into the bond but apparently all he did was push you away.

He got halfway through the notebook when he saw one of your few entries since you arrived at the cabin

“Ive been at the cabin for a while and everyone’s left me alone, which is good, but I can’t help to think of Azriel has noticed if I left or not. Regardless of how he’s treated me recently I still love him, I can’t help but love him and right now, I don’t know if I like how I feel about it. I know he’s my mate but I can’t keep taking the heartbreak.”

He dropped the notebook. You knew. You knew and you never told him. He couldn’t get mad because he had known for a long time too. He was cursing himself from guarding the bond for so long, he could have avoided this whole thing if he just stopped to talk to you. He picked up all of your stuff and returned to the house of wind, he needed to make a plan and try to get you to forgive him.

You flew until your wings ached, the lake you always loved was quiet and serene. You always came here when you needed to think it was a secret spot only you and one other knew of. You didn’t get much time to yourself before he showed up.

“So you wanna talk about it?” Cassian drawled out.

“Is there really any point” you stated flatly “And how did you know if even be here?”

“Well I was around when Azriel was questioning Rhys and when he left I knew if he found you this would be the place you’d escape to” he gave you a small smile “I’m surprised that you beat me here honestly, I thought you forgot about this place.”

“I could never. This place is so peaceful, I just haven’t had the time to fly out” you said with a sad smile. After bad missions you and Cassian would come here to let the steam out, fight, cry, or just sit there quiet. After he found out Nesta was his mate the two of you sat here on the waters edge for hours while he just sat there and thought about her.

“You know he loves you” Cassian said taking you out of your memories. Startled you just stared at him “yeah I figured you didn’t know, he’s loved you for a long time”

“He’s my mate.”

“I know.” She looked at him, surprise cascading across her face.

“How did you know?”

“I’ve known since it snapped in place for him. I picked up on the little changes and all the glances he passed your way. Dudes whipped.”

You were baffled. Azriel felt the same and knows of the bond. So many emotions were coursing through you and your one thought was to tug on that string of warmth that you’ve felt in your chest. When you tugged on the bond, you were created with nothing but cold and darkness.

“What if I messed it all up?” You ask your friend.

“I can guarantee that you didnt. Rhys has been threatening me to come back and get that man under control because he’s acting strange and his shadows are no where to be found.” He paused as he looked at you “Leta go home, you don’t have to talk to him about everything today but at least try to slowly let him in.”

All you responded with was a nod of your head. You didn’t know what you’d do but you decided that you’ll find out once you see him in person.

The flight back to the house of wind was a quiet one, you and Cassian landed in the balcony outside of the dinning room thinking nothing much would be going on. As you both started to walk in you noticed that all your favorite flowers were delicately decorating the dinning room, it wasn’t too much but there were little touches here and there. You froze as you hear the familiar footfall of a certain shadow singer, they stopped abruptly so you know he noticed you.

Before either of you could say a thing Cassian cleared his throat “So are you just gonna stare at each other or……”

“You better leave them alone or I’m gonna beat your ass during training tomorrow” you heard Nesta yell from the hallway. A small smile graced your face as Cassian shrugged and left the two of you.

“I’m sor-“

“I’m so sorry I have been an asshole that was never my intention, I don’t want to push you away” Azriel blurted cutting you off. “I didn’t want to pressure you into anything and I wanted you to make your own decisions, you’ve turned into such a strong female that I never wanted to dim that or make you feel less because I think you deserve the world”

He was talking so fast it took a minute for your brain to catch on to what he was saying. He’s noticed everything and remembered it, and liked you more because of what you accomplished.

“Take your shield off of the bond.” You stated flatly. You needed to know if what he was saying truly matched how he felt. “Take your shield off and then we can discuss it all.”

Within an instant you felt everything; love, worry, agony, hopefulness. He truly wanted this life with you. As you looked into his eyes they matched all the feelings you were feeling down the bond.

You slowly started approaching him, staying slow as to not scare him but he still stiffened his back not knowing what you were going to do. You stood right in front of him looking up at his eyes and feeling his breath mingle with yours, you were both breathing heavy with anticipation. You leaned up and kissed him on his cheek.

“There’s a lot we need to talk about” his eyes sank a little as you spoke “but I really want to figure this out with you. Just don’t keep anything hidden from me, you know you can just talk to me.” You finished with a smile on your face.

Azriel smiled instantly at your words and before you could process it he picked you up and spun you around. As he was holding you he leaned in and kissed you. You were very surprised at the immediate affection from him but you weren’t gonna fight it because you had been dreaming of this day since you met him.

As he set you down he pulled back and was about to apologize but then he noticed the blush on your cheeks that spread to your ears. “We can talk about everything and anything you want.” He said instead

“Oh really? Then how about you tell me how it went back at the camp I grew up in when you were there to settle things.” You asked with a mischievous look in your eyes.

“Ok anything but that” Azriel responded with a chuckle, and it was the most beautiful sound you ever heard.

Maybe you two could get over this and have a beautiful life together and by the cauldron you sure hoped so.

Tag list: @crazylokonugget @kalulakunundrum @mp-littlebit @hnyclover @nickishadow139 @isa1b2h3

[athanasius-symposium-of-writings]

All I Have Is Yours

Chapter Two

Rated Explicit | Warnings: rough sex (past), semi-dubcon, norton is trying tm

tagging: @tfamidoingwithmylife

Ao3

Chapter One

A New Year's wedding is what your family is talking about currently, not that you are paying much attention to it. In the moment, as they talk about all the ceremonial stuff in the other room, the living room, Norton held all of your actual attention.

It was rocky this past month learning one another, him trying not to scare you with his mood swings but the voice sometimes gets too loud. When he sees you gazing upon him with love in your eyes when you say sweet words, or how you try to include him into this foreign lifestyle. He more than once heard the voice telling him to shut you up.

The words you say with a gentle smile or wide full smile. Everything you say replays in his head when alone.

“You look dashing, Norton.” Fixing his tie and brushing it down.

“Do you like it? I wasn’t sure if you liked sweets.” A mess from trying to bake a variety of cakes with your maid.

“Oh, and if you look there you see the lake! It gets frozen pretty quick in the winter and people ice skate on it.” You smile with endless cheer.

The madness it drives him into! The inner struggle you created within him and Norton found himself at one point losing the battle. Two weeks into the marriage, when you were explaining your father's assets, finances, and estate. Norton was one of the very few miners that could read, granted it was not on your level but he could at least read his father's journal and the posts on board for work.

The voice was too loud that day, you were— Are— too beautiful that day. God, he wishes he could blame anything but himself but in the end, he should have left the second he felt the pain in his chest and whispers becoming twisted. The voice, this darkness within him, made him believe and realize how much he wanted to fuck you like a whore. Of course, it is because this is going to be the ultimate way to get back your father, to ruin the dead fool’s sweet precious brat.

One second he turns to you, the next, you are under him on the desk.

You lay there staring up at him with wide eyes then covering your face with your hands.

“Please, be gentle.” Trembling as he crawls on the bed then up your body, “Norton.” He hates how scared you sounded on that day when the wind was howling outside and the house was warm but he felt cold. The chanting of take the brat, make them squeal, break them, Norton! Echoing in his head over and over. Norton’s hands shook, his breathing was heavy as if he had run a mile, and his body tense. There will be no point of return for both of you.

He never laid with anyone before nor have you. The moment was not as ideal as you wanted, he was rough and it hurt a lot. The moment made Norton feel like a monster as he saw you crying in pain.

That is why right now, in the smoking room, door locking, the former prospector is doing everything possible to make this experience enjoyable: for both of you.

You took initiative, you stopped him from meeting the family, you locked the door, you got on your knees, and took him into your mouth.

Norton is a mess, the sort of mess to be fighting to keep quiet while also saying how fucking hot you look like this. He didn't cum, no, he knew it would be too soon.

“Stay like that for me.” His voice rough and unfiltered desire, “God.” Slicking his hair back as he takes in the view of you partly dressed and flustered. Your makeup is ruined, he grins at the way you cannot hold his gaze. “What inspired this, my treasure?”

“...” You shrugged.

“Sit.” Standing up and moving around to stand behind you, “Legs over the armrests.” You do so. Norton wants you completely exposed.

There you are in nothing but your smalls completely on display for his eyes only. You kissed him back eagerly, his lips kissing your lips then your forehead as he kneels in front of you.

“You don't have to.” Shy.

“I do. I want to.” Assertive, yet gentle.

Slipping off your underwear, he can see how wet you are. A hint of pride in his smirk as he barely touched you, of course, the man before you blew him was grinding his leg between yours. Touching everywhere, marking every place he could reach, whispering in your ear how naughty of a thing you are.

“Ah—!” Sensitive as all Norton did was trace the outer lip of your cunt. “Hmm!” Cover your mouth with both hands.

Next time he is going to tie your hands behind your back. For now, he thinks it is cute how though married to you, you keep your voice down because family is nearby. A part of him wants it to be clearly announced how well fucked you are daily. Because you are his and just one taste of you is not enough.

Your legs squeezing and locked behind his head, your heads pulling forward as Norton, the hum of approval he makes has you telling him not to stop. He devours you like you are his last meal, one he does not care how messy his face and hair are after this. There will be pride in knowing how his disheveled appearance happened.

“Oh, there, please!” His fingers assist and find something that has you seeing stars. “Ah, Norton, Norton, my love!”

This time is a lot better, when his eyes land on your face it is not contorted in pain but the bliss you deserved and are owed the first time. He was apologetic after, he did anything and everything he could to try to fix his mistake. Even when you told him you understood, giving him mercy where he felt he needed penance.

“One more for me, (Name).”

One more, one more became two more and you struggled to keep your voice down.

When he finally sank his cock into your heat, Norton did not move immediately. He waited with you writhing under him begging him to move. “Sh, sh, I've got you.” Kissing you sharing the taste of one another as you both explored each other's mouth.

“I need you, Norton!” Whining, “Please, please.” This torturous to have him properly only to have stopped. His hands soothing you, his sweet nothing making your pussy squeeze around him.

“You like that idea?” Teasing you when he told you his promise to fuck you in every spot in the room. “I am willing to bet you thought this a lot.” He groans as helps you grind against him. Barely any relief but it is something! “Go on, say it.” The position switched to him sitting and you on his lap, naked while he still had his pants and shoes on.

“Norton.” You can barely think! The laugh, dark and rich, you could feel it against your chest. “A… A lot.” Everyone has fantasies!

“Heh, you got it bad for me.” As if he is any better with you chipping at his walls with your damn genuine love for him.

“I love you.” Moaning too loud when you finally, God finally, can move properly. The growl from your husband hits in a way unexpected. Your hands on his shoulders as you ride him— Not that greatly but Norton makes up for it by guiding you.

Over and over, the bliss is shared and found, you kiss him over and over, and Norton marks you shamelessly.

“Inside,” Panting, “Need.”

“Damnit.” You are too good for him.

When you cum, he cums with you. Romantic and not intentional, it is far more amazing than last time. Seeing you drunk from his cock is… Inspiring.

“The pool table.”

You hum softly not paying attention until you are caught by surprise to be lifted in his arms then pinned down on the table he said. “Norton?”

“I promised to take you on every piece of furniture here, my doting love.”

Neither of you heard the knock from the maid who smiles hearing two. Though now the butler is going to have to distract your family longer…

[spicechica]

Quinten Quist x Fem Reader

(Suggested by: @wingswinger )

You and Quinten met as children, as both of your families wanted you two to get to know each other and the fact that Quintens family wanted him to be surrounded by other children. But Quinten wasn’t really the talkative type, always having his nose in a book or paper, or spending his time in the garden instead of being in school. 

His family thought you would be a good influence on him but nothing ever seemed to rarely change. You weren't the best yourself to be honest, you were always distracted by the smallest things and always liked to play near rivers and trees which would cause dirt to rub off on your clothes causing them to stain. You weren’t the brightest in school either which is why you would always go to Quinten when you found something difficult since he was the smartest person you knew. He would always scold you for your lack of knowledge and not paying attention in school, not like he ever went himself. 

When you were both younger he would take you to see his mother, telling how pretty she was and if she would ever wake up. You were really the one person he would talk to about this, as he was always so sad as a child, but through the years he had just gotten used to it and had visited regularly, watching as her skin and hair slowly began to turn white. 

But now you two were both 16. You were constantly staring back at your watch as you waited for Quinten outside the front gate of his large house. You both had agreed to walk each other to your class, or at least Max told you to make sure he goes to his classes. He had missed a lot lately, which had caused for concern from the headmaster, and Max had been forcing him to go. 

You huff as you check your watch again, knowing if you left now you wouldn't be able to make it to the first period. You goan as you toss your bag over the fence, carefully hopping over since the gate was closed. As your feet land on the ground, you hear the familiar sound of a bike chain rustling through the rocks. Quinten, trying to make an escape from Max. 

“Quinten!” You stop in front of him, causing his bike to brake, sending dirt through the air. “You said we were going to class together.” “Well, i changed my mind,” He replied, riding around you in circles. “You're going to get expelled if you keep missing classes. Max has already told your father.” Quinten just chuckled in response. “Would you stop riding that thing and just sit still for a moment.” He stops his bike and rolls his eyes. 

“Now, what's wrong?” You asked. “Nothing, why do you think something's wrong.” “Well, you’ve missed a bunch of lessons, you try to ignore everyone around you, and you’ve been spending most of your time in that dusty attic of yours. Now I think that’s alarm for concern.” 

He sighs. “Alright. I’ve been having these…dreams.” “Dreams?” You raise a brow. “Yes. Everynight, it’s the same. A place with an inside but no outside.” He pulls out a book from his bag. “Daddy gave me this, and look…” He points at a strange photo, almost resembling the same ones he’s drawn in his journal. 

“Now I talked to him, and I thought I could go to school and live with him and study there, like he said when I was younger. But he said he’d think about it.” Your face slowly turns into a frown. “You mean…you’d move.” “Well, yeah. But we could still see each other…even write.” “Yeah, but knowing you you’ll forget.” You cross your arm like a child and stomp your foot. 

He chuckles as he slowly moves his bike next to you. “It’s not official…yet. But, I think I would remember my one friend who has been there for me,” He smirks. “Now, if your still up for it…how about i ride you to school.” You give him a side glance from behind, catching that smug smirk on his face. You sigh in response. “Fine.” 

You climb on the back of his bike, standing on the two bars on the sides of his back tire, balancing yourself on his shoulders. The bike slowly begins to move as he balances both of yours weight, following the trail through the large overhead trees. 

You feel the light breeze hit your face as your hair flows behind you. Luckily you were wearing leggings underneath your skirt or everyone would have gotten a peak of your rear end. You giggle as he begins to pick up the pace a little, holding tighter onto his neck. He laughs as well. 

It was nice for the both of you to spend time together like this. When you both were younger it took some time for you both to get used to each other or even talk. But after a while you both would always be found together playing in the garden or upstairs in the attic where Quinten would spend most of his time. 

Both of your parents would even joke how two looked cute together, like a couple. But that was silly, you and Quinten were just friends, he would never like someone like you…right? You slowly bend over, your face in front of his upside down, smiling. You then noticed a light red tint forming on his cheeks, causing him to awkwardly chuckle. “You alright, your face is turning red.” “Oh, uh, yeah I'm fine…just a little hot.” Hot? It was cool enough to wear a light jacket, and the breeze from the bike ride was already making you a little chilly 

That was strange. It was rare for Quinten to get flustered like that. Is there something wrong with him? Or is it someone? 

(Part 2?)

[mirkwoodshewolf]

No following; Planet of the apes fanfic Chap. 5

*Author's note*

And here we go with the start of even more family drama happening with the Rodman family. And we are also getting closer to ending ROTPOTA story line, the next chapter will be the last one for the first book before going into book two which takes place during DAWN. So get ready for that and be on the lookout for that. Until then continue to enjoy my lovely readers.

Taglist:

@plethora-of-things

@waddles03

@jd-johndeacon-or-jackdaniels

@gay-and-ready-to-cry

@queen-paladin

@psychosupernatural

____________________________________________________

Life went on as expected.  I graduated high school, got my diploma and performed my last show with the Community center.  But even though life outside the Rodman house was normal, on the inside there was a dark cloud constantly hovering over us.

My grandpa’s health was rapidly deteriorating day by day.  Now he hardly ever moved, nor did he speak.  All he did was just lay in bed or sit on it if Will wanted him to at least be out of bed.  Will had thrown himself not only into his work but also trying to find a way to bring Caesar back home.  Caroline’s tried to be there for Will but truthfully what could she do to help?  

As for me, well—there are days when I just spend most of my time in Caesar’s room, preserving all of this things just the way they were.  I’d look at all the old drawings he did when he was just a young chimp, the models he’s built and puzzles he’s completed.  I’d even play some of his favorite movie soundtracks he’d come to love thanks to me.

Even though Uncle Will and Caroline said to me that we’d be allowed visitation rights to Caesar, we just had to call in advance before we could.  And it couldn’t be more than one visit a month.  That alone wasn’t good enough for me, I’d be leaving by mid-August and then who knows what could happen to him by then.

He could be put down, sent to an even worse facility, I don’t know.  I began doing some research on the San Bruno facility and as I expected there wasn’t much to go by.  Nothing but the smoke and mirrors of them providing ‘enrichment and quality integration with other chimps’.  I then went into my contacts and called up one of my friends who once worked for the school yearbook.

“Hey Doe, listen do you still have that camera I gave you for your birthday last year? Oh nothing’s wrong I just need to borrow it for a little bit, is that alright? Great, thanks. Yeah, yeah that’ll work. Okay see yah tomorrow. Bye girl, and thanks again. Kiss, kiss.” I hung up and turned to an old photo that Will made for Caesar.

It was the two of us together on his 3rd birthday just after I had performed E.T’s flight for him.  My violin bow in hand with Caesar and I leaning against the other and him holding my violin carefully in his.

“I promised I’d never let anything happen to you, and I failed you little brother. But I’m not gonna fail you again.” My plan forming carefully in my head.

The next day I met my friend Dorinda at her aunt’s cat café and she gave me the camera I had given her for her 17th birthday.  A 4K megapixel digital camera.  Doe was always into photography which is why all her pictures were the best ones in the school yearbook.  And like me, she’s getting a scholarship all the way in New York for Journalism with a focus in principle photography.

I promised to bring the camera back before she left for New York in two weeks to start moving into her new apartment her dad had found for her (her parents had gotten divorced during our sophomore year).  I then rode on my motorbike towards San Bruno’s primate shelter.

Once I got there, I was careful not to drive up to the gate, instead I found an old abandoned building that was fairly close to the shelter and snuck inside of it.  I climbed up the stairs until I reached a good window that happened to look down at the sanctuary.

I turned on the camera and looked through the lens screen and saw the full 4k HD picture of the San Bruno Primate shelter.  I hit the zoom button and low and behold I managed to actually see the security building and saw two men.  One was a blonde haired boy who could’ve been ten years older than me, or maybe around my uncle’s age.  And the other one was a dark-haired man about the same age, maybe a few years older than the blonde haired boy.

“What I wouldn’t give to have some audio recording gear right about now.” I muttered to myself as I slowly look around the security building.

After a few minutes of nothing but seeing the two of them arguing, or more like the blonde one bullying the dark-haired man, I soon heard the sounds of a car pulling up.  Without hesitation, the gates opened up and the car pulled in.  I was beginning to think this could be another employers car or even the manager who runs the shelter, but the second I heard the frantic honks and faint sounds of cheering, I knew this wasn’t the case.

Soon enough two girls and another boy came out of the car and were waving around bottles of beer.  I smirked and began snapping the pictures of them.  The blonde boy coming out and greeting whom I assumed were his friends, and him letting them inside the shelter.  I also made sure to get good pictures of the beer his buddy brought.  Smirking I looked down at the camera and said.

“Gotcha.” I raced out of the building and headed back towards my bike. Quick as I could, I drove off to the closest Walmart and went over to the tech department to get the photos developed.  After waiting about 20-25 minutes, the clerk handed me the photos and I thanked him before heading out.

I packed up everything I was going to need tomorrow when I heard a knock at my door.  I jumped slightly but relaxed once I saw that it was uncle Will.

“I just got off the phone with the sanctuary, your visitation tomorrow has been approved.”

“Thanks Will.” I said.

“Now you sure you don’t need me to come with you. I know that things have been—delicate for you lately since Caesar was……”

“I’ll be fine uncle Will. Who knows, maybe seeing him and knowing that he’s alright will put me at ease.”

“You know I’m doing everything I can to get him back, right?”

“I know you are. Believe me, I know.” I walked up to him and embraced him.  “You’ve always tried to be so strong. It’s okay to need help.” I heard him sniffle before he separated from me and he said.

“You might wanna get some sleep. They told me they’re expecting you at 10am sharp.” Without another word, he left my room and I let out a deep sigh.  I got into bed and soon fell asleep after setting my alarm.

Bright and early the next morning, I got up, got dressed, had my breakfast and took off towards the San Bruno primate shelter before the summer morning traffic could hit.  This time I came straight to the gate and after showing my electronic approval to the dark-haired employer, he let me in and escorted me inside.

“What’s your name?” I asked him.

“Pardon?” he asked nervously.

“I asked you for your name.” I asked him again.

“R-Rodney.” He replied.

“Pleasure to meet you Rodney, I’m Lin. Lin Rodman.” I extended out my hand as we came into the office and he hesitantly took my hand before we shook on it.

“Alright Rodney piss off and get back to work!” snapped the blonde-haired man.  Rodney flinched and raced off further down the sanctuary corridor.  “So, my father tells me you’re here for the new guy? Been nothing but trouble that one.”

“All apes are intelligent beings if you take the time to know them in a calm, collective manner.” I told him.  He rolled his eyes and groaned.

“Oh don’t tell me you’re one of those people. The ones that are always protesting for animal rights and their free speech. Please they’re animals! They don’t know the difference between food and their own shit.” I narrowed my eyes at him and said as I came around and sat down at one of the chairs.

“And just who are you to say something like that?”

“Are you kidding me? Kid, I’m Dodge Landon. And I know better than these stupid monkeys.”

“Apes. Monkeys have tails, apes don’t.”

“Whatever. Let’s just get this over with.” He trudged out of the main office and I followed right behind him to another room where a large cage with only a small slot stood.  “Wait over there.” He ordered me as he pointed at a bench before continuing onward.  I sat down at it and waited for a bit.

Soon I heard the sound of footsteps coming from the roof and hopping down in the cage was Cesar.  The second we saw one another, Caesar hooted happily and I came over to him taking his hand in mine.

“Hey, hey there Caesar.” He reached up and gently touched where the bruise from Hunsiker’s punch was at as he signed to me.

‘Still hurt bad?’

“It’s fine, see? Bruise is gone now. I’m okay bud, I’m okay.” The second I saw Dodge come into the room I stood up and asked him. “I’d like to know that he’s being well taken care of here and that no harm has come to him.”

“He’s fine. If he gets picked on, that’s his problem, not ours.” Dodge shrugged nonchalantly.

“So you wouldn’t care if a court order of animal abuse came onto this sanctuary?”

“Truthfully I could care less about what happens to this place. My father’s the one who really runs it, he just forces me to work here.”

“Huh.” I hummed.  “Now according to your website, you say you provide an ‘enriching environment’ is that correct?”

“Yeah, so what?”

“So what is that exactly? Just out of curiosity.”

“You know you’re asking a lot of questions that shouldn’t be asked.”

“Well now hold on a second, I’m merely just making conversation here. I’d like to know that the temporary home that Caesar is in is giving him everything he needs. He’s not like other chimps you know.”

“Please. He’s just another dumb animal who thinks he’s special. And you’re a nosy little girl whose sticking her nose where it don’t belong!” Caesar lowly growled but I held my hand out in front of him to calm him down.

“I suppose I am. But before you do anything, I’d like to show you something.” I went over to my pack and pulled out the folder and held it out to him.  He snatched the folder and opened it up to reveal the fully developed 4k pictures of him and his friends together with beer in hand and him sneaking them inside the sanctuary through the backdoor.

“How’d you get these pictures?” he hissed at me.

“How I got them doesn’t matter, what matters is what are you going to do with them.”

“You really think you’re so smart, huh? Well I’ll show you!” he then proceeded to rip up the pictures to shreds. “There, now you have no evidence.”

“Don’t I?” I then pulled out the thumb drive I had put the pictures on before getting them developed.  “Now I know you said you could care less what happens to this place, but what happens if—I don’t know say….the public finds out about this? If the courts decided this place was unreliable to house unwanted apes. After all in this day in age, it’s the public opinion that rules all, right? Even if the courts don’t do anything, the people will. And that would be such a headache for you, now wouldn’t it? Unless……we come to a little deal.”

Dodge looked at me with both seething anger but also a hint of fear.

“You blackmailing me?” he asked.

“Yes.” I replied after a moment of silence.  I gave him an unsettling wide smile, softly chuckling while and a crazy look to my eye to let him know I meant business.

“What do you want?” I turned towards Caesar and said as I took his hand in mine.

“I should like to come at least twice a week, no further visitor approval. And I shall provide the apes true enrichment. Give you less work to do.”

“And just how do you expect over 100 apes are going to listen to you.”

“Music doth soothes the savage beast, isn’t that how the quote goes? In that folder you’ll also see my resume of performing with the San Fransico community center orchestra. You give me at least an hour to entertain the apes with true enrichment, and no one ever need know your dirty little secret. Not even your own father.”

I could see Dodge going over my proposition in his head, he took a deep breath in before exhaling sharply.

“And you swear you won’t go back on your deal and release those photos online?”

“You keep your end of the bargain, and I shall keep mine.” Dodge glared at me but he soon said.

“Deal. In fact you can start now, these animals have been going mad for hours.” As he turned away I turned to Caesar and muttered.

“Got it, Malfoy.” Caesar let out a laugh as I snickered which made Dodge stop and slowly turn to us.

“What did you call me?”

“Nothing, nothing not a thing, Draco Malfoy.” I told him before muttering the name under my breath again.  “I’ll see you on the other side Caesar.” He nodded and proceeded back up the cage and I heard his footsteps trail off.

“Move it.” Dodge lowly sneered as he gestured for me to move.  I was then taken to the back room where I feared all the apes were actually living was revealed.

Tightly condensed cages with only room for them to pace a foot between and only a small bunk-like bed for them to sit on if they didn’t want to sit at the floor of their cages.  All the chimps were going insane in their cages, beating on them, hotting and chattering hysterically.

“Sweet Jesus it’s worse than I thought.” I muttered.

“Oi! If you don’t mind, get on with your silly fiddle music.” Dodge impatiently snapped.

“It’s a violin, not a fiddle.” I set my case down and took out my violin.

“Uhh Dodge? Wh-why is she back here?” Rodney asked nervously.

“Oh don’t worry Rodney, I’m here to give you boys a bit of extra help.” I gave him a wink as I walked down the ramps tuning my violin to make sure it was good and ready.  As I came to the pathway between the cages, the apes began to settle down as they all looked to me.   

I then proceeded to play the very song I played at my last performance with the community center.  Celtic woman’s ‘Granuaile’s Dance’.  The second I started with the first few notes and dancing about like a doe in springtime, the apes all went silent as they watched me.

I’d dance in front of some of their cages, spinning on the balls of my feet while continuously playing.  Some came up to their cages with an entranced look that Caesar always had whenever I’d play for him.  Others began softly hooting happily as I’d do another spin for them before running down the corridors.

I made sure to give every ape the same attention as I played in each row and ran down the long, winding corridor.  Twirling, jumping, skipping, and racing down as I played my violin.  By the end of it all, I had raced back towards the main entrance of the corridor and when I finished, I heard some claps from the apes while the rest of them hooted and chattered in their way as an applause. I even heard some claps from above as I saw Rodney clapping but then he stopped when Dodge glared at him.

“Now if you gentlemen don’t mind, I’ve got about 57 minutes left of this concert and I think the apes would appreciate it if they weren’t being monitored like common criminals.” Dodge turned away scoffing under his breath.

“Whatever.”

“J-just be sure to not get too close to the cages.” Rodney advised me.  I nodded and he left to go back into the infirmary office.  I took a deep breath in and proceeded to do several more compositions until my hour was almost up.  For the remainder of the five minutes I had left, I sat in front of Caesar’s cage.

“So you think the others enjoyed having true enrichment?”

‘Yes. Maurice especially loved it.’ Caesar signed.

“Who’s Maurice?” Caesar then pointed over to the only Orangutan in the sanctuary.  Maurice looked at me with eyes that held the same level of intelligence as Caesar and he began to sign.

‘You play beautifully.’ I gasped softly and signed to him.

‘You know sign language?’

‘Circus orangutan.’ Maurice signed to me.  I looked at him sympathetically and signed back to him.

‘I’m so sorry.’

‘No need for apologizes.’ I turned back to Caesar and he signed to me.

‘When can I go home?’ I sighed solemnly.

“Believe me brother, if it were up to me I’d bust you out of here right now. But only Will can get you out of here, I have no legal right to do that. I’m sorry.” Caesar huffed lowly as he looked away from me.  “I’m really sorry Caesar, the only thing I can do is come twice a week and provide you with some semblance of home thanks to my deal with the owner’s son.” He didn’t look back at me.  “I’ll see you in two days.” I packed up my violin and headed out the door.

“Finally finished?” Dodge sneered.

“Be thankful I took an hour of your miserable life of having to deal with these intelligent creatures. And remember our deal, if I hear you mentioning this to your father, the pictures get posted on my Instagram.” I walked out the door, got on my bike and headed back to the house.

Along with providing music for the apes, I also performed for grandpa in hopes of getting some recognition back into his eyes.  But all he gives any of us is the thousand-yard stare.

Sometimes I wonder if there is such a thing as ‘out of body experience’, that way grandpa could really see just how much his health has affected all of us.  Like cancer, the worst thing about Alzheimer’s disease is not what it does to the person it’s affecting, but the people around them.

Four weeks later and I had just finished my current concert I had given the apes at San Bruno primate sanctuary.  And as usual, I try to make the last few minutes be the one on one time with Caesar and I.  Lately, however, I’ve noticed how he’s grown to be more distant.  He hardly ever signs back to me, only giving me the occasional nod or one worded sign.  I sat by his cage and said to him.

“I don’t know what happened after the last time Will and Caroline came to see you a week ago, but surely it can’t be worth all this brooding and misery.” He didn’t turn back to face me.  “Please Caesar, you’re really starting to worry me. You can hardly look at me anymore. Are you—ashamed of me being here now?” he remained on his bunk bed, his back turned to me.

My heart cracked as I let out a soft scoff.

“Alright, I can take a hint.” I packed up my violin and told him. “Just know that all these years together wasn’t a game to me, nor a lie. You were like the little brother I never had, but if you don’t want me in your life anymore, I’ll respect your decision. I’ll remember you though, after all—I remember everyone who leaves.” A tear slid down my face as I raced out of the sanctuary and rode back home.

I stayed in my room the rest of the day and into the night.  Looking through the old scrapbook I had made of Caesar and myself throughout the years.  All of his best drawings, pictures of us together, things we collected during our time in the redwoods.  My throat clenched tightly and my heart sunk to my stomach.

I grabbed an old suitcase and with all the memorabilia I had that reminded me of Caesar, I placed them in the suitcase before zipping it up and placing a lock on the suitcase and locked it up.  I then slid the suitcase under my bed before collapsing onto my bed burying my face into my pillow as tears once again fell down my face.

And just when I thought I didn’t have anymore tears to shed, I woke the next morning to check on grandpa when I saw him and uncle Will together.  Grandpa’s body pale as his white sheets and lying still like a statue.  Will turned to me with tears in his eyes and he shook his head at me.

My body went numb—I didn’t feel myself collapse to my knees but I did take notice of how the world looked bigger while I felt smaller.  I must’ve let out some heart-breaking wail because uncle Will came and held me in his arms while Caroline came rushing in and I saw her checking on grandpa, but there wasn’t anything she could do.  There wasn’t anything anyone could do.

My grandpa, Charles Rodman, was dead.

We had the funeral a week later.  I didn’t even hear the automatic speech that the officiant had to say about my grandpa, all I could hear was muffled voices while I watched brokenly as my grandfather’s casket was lowered into the earth.

After the service, I was back in my room fiddling with some of grandpa’s old sheet music.  I don’t know why but now that he’s gone I feel—empty.  Like all the music I once had inside of me, the passion I once had for it, it was completely gone.  I tossed the sheet music aside and I heard a knock at my door.

“Knock, knock, may I come in?” I heard Caroline’s voice ask softly.  I let out a small grunt allowing her inside my room.  She sat down beside me and asked me, “How are you holding up Lin?”

“Was it worth it?” I croaked out for the first time after being silent for a whole week.

“What?”

“Was it worth pulling it off? His death? Would it have—hurt less if he had passed on five years ago? Or would we still be in this much pain, knowing that he didn’t have to have that fleeting second chance.”

“I know there’s nothing I can say that’ll bring him back, or change what happened. But you should at least take comfort in the fact that—he’s no longer suffering anymore. And he’ll always be with you, as long as you remember the things he taught you.” I moved my eyes towards my violin and I suddenly had a distain for it.

“LIN!!” Will’s voice cried out after hearing the front door slam shut.  Thunderous footsteps came up and he soon entered my room, a pissed off look across his face.

“Will, hold on now’s not the—”

“No Caroline this is between me and her.” Will snapped.  Caroline stood up and walked over to my uncle, holding his arm.

“Choose your next words carefully. She’s in a fragile state right now.” She then left closing the door behind her.

“The month you’d disappear twice a week for, tell me exactly where’d you go off to? And don’t lie to me.” I looked up at him.

“Visiting the community center to—”

“I SAID DON’T LIE TO ME LIN!!” he said slamming his hand on my dresser.  “I know Lin. I know you’ve been sneaking out to see Caesar by blackmailing the owner’s son. He told me, ‘tell that little brat of yours I don’t care about the photos. Now both of you aren’t my problem anymore’.”

“You already know, what’s the point in me telling you?”

“Don’t turn this around! Why would you do something so incredibly stupid!? If it had gotten out by the time the court date came around that you trespassed on private property, blackmailed their staff, and illegally saw Caesar, we’d never get him back! You never think these things through!”

“What like you did?! When you gave grandpa that drug? Or not telling Caesar who he really was? Or even just now by paying off Mr. Landon just to break Caesar out!” I snapped as I stood up from my bed and got into his face.  “Yeah, I saw the envelope full of money before we left for the service for grandpa. You’re not as slick as you think you are uncle.”

“Well as you can see it didn’t work. Caesar wouldn’t leave with me.”

“Good.” I went to walk away but he roughly grabbed my arm and snapped.

“What now all of a sudden you don’t care about him anymore? You’d always call him your brother ape now you’re acting like you don’t even know him!”

“Because I’ve learned to accept what he wanted. Something that you clearly can’t seem to grasp, and I don’t just mean for Caesar.” He let go of my arm and said.

“You got to be with your grandfather longer than you would’ve…”

“And then his disease came back! Ten times worse than it was before! You didn’t think that would happen!?”

“It’s not my fault that you turned your back for one second for him to get into Hunsiker’s car allowing Caesar to be taken away from us!” silence immediately rang through my room.

My fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles turned white and my nails dug deep into my palms.  I shook with rage as uncle Will suddenly realize what he had said.

“Lin, I—”

“No! No this is great! It’s great that you finally spoke the truth after all this time! I’m happy to know that Caesar being taken away was all my fault! So I’m sorry if I made things harder on you but in less than a month from now you…won’t even have to deal with me!” I stormed out of my room as well as out of the house.

I didn’t even bother grabbing my bike, I just ran as fast and as hard as I could down the street.  I don’t know where I ended up and I didn’t care, all I knew was that I couldn’t stay in that house.

[novashelby]

I think you need to go easy on people having a very natural curiosity and speculating on personal lives. We literally do it in casual, everyday settings (ie office life, school, hobby groups, etc). I understand your disdain and protective attitude towards your muse, but it’s not taking into account that a vast majority of readers on Tumblr have very real mental health challenges—myself included, where spending time lusting and being curious about a wildly attractive and mesmerizing actor and character plays a big role in distraction, dopamine release, curiosity about human behavior, deciphering cues, etc. Even his coworkers are intrigued and nosy about his personal life. While this is no excuse for poor behavior, it may shine light that fighting this urge of gossip is a lot harder than you think when the fan fiction, media and the way human minds work all come together to leave big impressions.

The message is heard loud and clear. Calling it sick and implying it’s some twisted, abnormal, unconscionable behavior is just not in line with reality. Yes, gossip can do real harm, but please try for a softer tone and realize many of the writings produced on here only add fuel to the fire of lust/dreaming/wanting to feel closer to the subject. Your message will be much better accepted.

This was actually meant for @cillmequick, apparently, but I am going to answer it.

Firstly, my overall objective was: we are too invested in their personal lives. Their personal lives should be off limits. We should love and admire their work, but allow them to clock out like everyone else.

Personally, I don't give a fuck about CILLIAN MURPHY. What I mean by that, I don't care about his marriage, I don't care about his work out routine, don't care about his family life, I don't care about what he does in his free time, I don't give a fuck if he got a hair cut, I don't give two flying shits if he got a tattoo. He's allowed to enjoy those things without me up in his ass. I care about him in regards to his work and what he says about his work.

Quite honestly, I could walk out of my house right now and see him, and not spazz out. Why? Because we are all human and share this planet. I'd do a wave, say hi, and allow him to live his life.

People are too much. I'm sorry you found my language harsh, but that is life. Personally, I couldn't write a RPF because it's just too much for me. I love his CHARACTERS. RPF is fine, I get it. People know it's fake. But it's more of just everything else that comes with it; gossip, harmful speculations, slander, degrading, harassing a human. I'm not going to come at someone for enjoying Cillian fics. Do your thing. Just do it respectfully.

What I am annoyed with is people up in business that they don't belong in, and grabbing information and being harmful with it.

And truly, I am sorry if you were hurt by my words. I understand people are going to be nosy...that's just being human. It's more how you do it and what you do with the information you have, sort of thing.

And I'm sorry you are struggling with mental health issues. Though, if you are relying on a celebrity for a daily dopamine hit, I really would suggest finding other outlets. I'm not trying to be rude, I'm being serious. Famous people cannot adhere to your expectations and one day, he may do something you really hate, and then you're left without. They can't and aren't your image of what you want them to be. So, I really suggest finding another outlet; hiking, walking, painting, drawing, journaling, writing, yoga, and so on. Exercise is a really good dopamine boost...even if it's just a little stretching. I say this as someone who struggles with GAD, CTSD, PTSD, Panic Disorder, and depression.

Please take care and I didn't mean to be harmful with my words. I just wish people understood personal space a little more. Have possibly a little more dignity and respect, I guess. Sorry, I may sound all jumbled. I have been sick.

Kisses.

[heroesfixated]

50/50 Heroes - The Mysterious Symbol

There's one more mystery scattered throughout the episodes I have yet to discuss: the mysterious eye-question mark symbol.

Episode 12B - The Invisibles

This is the first episode that we officially see this symbol appear on a book that J.C. is reading.

From this book, he has discovered a map leading to a secret room in the library, marked by the symbol, as well as having it on the door's handle. He calls the room a "lost time chamber", however, his description of it being a "fun room to escape the teachers" is only based on a legend.

Upon opening the door, the room appears to be empty and long abandoned.

That is, until Lenny discovered a secret switch, revealing the actual hidden room. It's interesting to point out, that we never get to see what's inside, not even a peek, leaving us with only Mo and Sam's reactions, as they remain the only people (including Lenny) to have seen the inside of this room.

As of right now, I have no idea what this room could be, or what secrets may lie in there. Their reactions don't indicate it being anything dark or mysterious, but either way, I am certain this room will come back to play a major role in season 2.

However, this is not the only episode we get to see that green book...

Episode 25A - Sam Plays With Time

In this episode, when Sam and Mo time travel 10 years back and search their grandmother's house for some information on how to get back to their timeline, Sam is seen checking this book before being interrupted by Mo and closing it.

This prompts a question (assuming there is only one copy of this mysterious book/journal): how did it end up in J.C's hands in the present time, if it used to be in Wanda's possession? The only thing J.C. says is that he "found" it, which doesn't explain anything.

And in true Gravity Falls fashion, let's not forget the question of all time: who's the author of the journal?

However, the journal and the room are not the only times we see this symbol. Interestingly enough, several adults in the show seem to have/know about this symbol as well.

Episode 13B - A Sizable Problem

For example, the symbol appears on Peter Witherspoon's (Amber's father) ID card, which we can see when Sam is calling Mo from his pocket.

Episode 16A - A Dazzling Future

We can also see it on the janitor's ID card in this episode when he announces that he is quitting the job.

Episode 22B - Good Old Mo

It was also seen drawn by Mr. Brick. Even tho his conscience has been turned into a baby by Mo's half-power, he still seems to know about the symbol and purposefully draw it on the door.

How and why do the adults know about it? Perhaps it's not a symbol representing one single person, but instead it's a group of people, which some adult characters we know belong to?

That's not all, though, as we still have a few more random appearances of the symbol to go through.

Episode 15A - Dramedy My Friend

Kevin, the town's first police dog, has this symbol on his collar in both the big picture and his statue.

Episode 25B - Who Took the Fly Swatter

Moreover, J.C. and Amber's detective board has two pieces of paper with the symbol, one is seemingly some kind of document or note.

And in that same episode, when J.C. is talking about his ancestors, the very first one is shown with the symbol on the beetles.

Episode 26 - Swatteroo the Sublime

And this collection wouldn't be complete without the mysterious person's hand. The symbol on it could be a drawing, a tattoo, a mark left after some magic, or even possibly a scar, like the one Gruncle Stan from Gravity Falls had burned onto his back.

How does all of this connect, what does it imply, and what does that symbol mean? It is seen in many almost random places and it's hard for me to pinpoint any correlation between these moments to come up with one fully explained theory. Hopefully, this mystery will also be explored and explained when or if season 2 comes.

[reanbowful]

“something on my face?”

if you catch them staring at you

(donald, ben, jake, gerard, wolf, teddy, jimmy)

donald na / na baekjin

“Donald Na.”

Winning an award was more or less nothing short of an average Tuesday for Donald.

He walked over to the podium but almost stopped in his tracks when another name was called out.

“This year, we have two gold medalist due to both participants achieving the same perfect score.”

You walked over to the podium with confident steps, a bright smile plastered on your face.

Donald hadn’t realized that he had actually stopped in his tracks when you glanced back at him from the top of the podium.

Exchanging glances with the teacher in front of you, you gestured for him to come up.

One awkward moment later, the two of you received your awards. Donald not taking his eyes off of you for longer than he has to bow.

“Hey.”

You turned towards him, clutching the award tight in your hand.

“Next time, only one of us will receive the award.”

“Well, if it’s not me it’s you right?”

As you left the school grounds, Donald smiled to himself. He might just found a new playmate.

ben park / park humin

Now we all know that Ben ain’t slick.

It will be at a school festival at your school that promotes free food if you can finish them in under 60 seconds.

Ben who saw the ad while walking back home was safe to say intrigued.

He would take Alex or Gerard to accompany him there.

He finished the entire pizza in one bite, 20 seconds no problem. Impressing everyone in the booth, including you.

“That was amazing! Did you like the pizza?”

Now here’s where he gets.. distracted. He just kind of gasped when you came up to him and loses his train of thoughts for a second.

Pretty.

“Pretty.. GOOD! P-pretty good! I like the pizza pretty good. Yea.. it was- uh it was good.”

Alex and Gerard are probably teasing him all the way back from your school. But it doesn’t matter though, since he gets to have your number (you were the person in charge of that booth).

jake ji / ji hakho

You guys are reading manga together in the empty school library after school.

Well you guys promised to do your homework but Jake got distracted while going through the racks of journals he should have been looking at. Instead he checked out the manga racks that just got stocked up.

So that’s how you ended up ditching your school works.

While you were getting to the interesting bit of the chapter you were reading, you let out a small giggle of excitement. Tucking a strand of your hair behind your ears to see the words more clearly.

Through the corner of his eyes, Jake’s eyes darted towards you. Not forgetting to cover half of his face with the manga tho.

He never noticed that you looked so.. cute?

He failed to notice that he has been staring at you, when you finally looked up at him, still chuckling from the passage you read.

“Huh? Why are you looking at me?”

I feel like he would probably dodge the question and make a joke out of the whole situation.

“Ah? Oh. I was just wondering what was so funny! HAHA!”

That was what he said.

Inside he’s probably like: dammitdammitdammitdammit

gerard jin / jin gayool

He’s probably my favorite out of this whole entire prompt.

You guys are hanging out at his house, him playing a guitar lazily while you play with your phone on his bed.

Throughout your relationship you guys have developed a comfort in just being in each other’s presence. Sharing the silence when no words are needed.

As he plays a tune, you bobbed your head along. He watched you with a bit of an amusement, matching your tapping feet to his guitar strum.

Eventually, he let out a small chuckle which makes you shift your gaze from your phone towards him.

You gave him a suspicious narrowed eyes which made both him and you chuckle even more.

“What are you scheming?”

Gerard is one of the most chill dude out there. He will probably be quite suave about it.

“Nothing- Sorry babe, I’m usually good at that.”

wolf keum / keum seongje

Ngl I’m sticking to my Wolf x second year reader agenda xixi

Anyways, the two of you are in your classroom where he agreed to meet you after class to talk about some school organisational stuff Wolf could hardly care about.

Why should he give a single shit towards whether or not Ganghak gets a better promotion? He could care less if the entire building went down in flames overnight.

So just know that he’s doing this for you. And that you’re SO damn lucky he likes you.

“I was thinking maybe we could do a two days bazaar. Since three is way too long. And for the stands I have a list of venues we can contact-“

See, he honestly isn’t even paying any attention to what you were saying. No, no he was staring at your lips.

Wolf might not be weak, but you really surprise him with how low he could go sometimes.

“-lf. Wolf.”

Your voice brought his attention back to your eyes where your brows had scrunched a bit and you were leaning more towards the table, exposing a bit of skin.

“Sorry, noona. I was just thinking about something.”

Well let’s just say it’s better you don’t know the image that’s playing in his head.

teddy jin / jin taeoh

Ah yes, the certified tsundere.

While walking home from school, you, Teddy and, Rowan came across a stray cat on top of a chair.

The thing is, it was sitting on the chair—like a human. (this is something I have seen with my own two eyes)

You found that interesting as hell so you took out your phone and started to snap a few pics.

The cat seems to take an interest in you and leaned it’s body forward. Pawing at your hand.

“Aww. Look at you, you’re so adorable!”

Entranced by the cat’s cute antics, Rowan would try to pet the feline without prior knowledge whatsoever on handling one.

Dude literally would smack his hand on the poor thing’s face.

Teddy grimaced. While you immediately take the cat into your arms before Rowan could seriously injure it.

“Why the hell are you so rough with him?! Are you a kid? Hmm it was uncomfortable wasn’t it, kitten? Yes it is? Bad Rowan bad!”

Giggling as you pretend to let the kitten hit Rowan, you scratched the bottom of the cat’s chin.

Teddy watched the way you handled the small kitten with such gentleness. Boy was whipped instantly.

I bet his type is definitely someone who cares a lot about animals.

Noticing his gaze on you, you turned. Scheming for a way to tease him. (he seems fun to tease ngl)

“Hm? Kitty, look at Teddy-oppa. He’s staring at youu~”

Man choked on his spit :)

“O-oppa?! Where did you even- Ugh. Forget it. And for your information I wasn’t staring at you! I was just spacing out goddammit!”

“But Teddy, she never said you were staring at her.”

RIP Rowan.

jimmy bae / bae jihoon

Jimmy is a very prideful individual, so don’t expect much from him. (or can you?)

To be honest you can kind of see this coming.

Jimmy had to service his broken phone’s lcd, Jack needed to pick up some toiletries, and you wanted to check out your favourite bakery’s new release menus.

It was mutual interest that got all three of you going to the same mall. So you went there together after school.

The three of you had an argument on where to go first as you all think that your stuff is the most important.

You argued that the bakery usually has a long line and you don’t want to miss out after coming so far for it.

Jack was cool with everything, but Jimmy is Jimmy.

Eventually, you decided to part ways after deciding that it’s pointless to waste your breath arguing with the personification of pride.

And just as you thought, there was a long long line in front of the bakery already. There’s just no way you’re gonna get those cakes now.

Begrudgingly you went back to find the boys when Jimmy showed up in front of you with a white paper bag.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop worrying already? Just follow my instructions and shit will work out for you.”

It was the bakery’s newest menus. Each and every single one of their newest flavours.

“You- You.. where did you get these..?”

He preordered those cakes for you babe. (bet you didn’t expect that!)

“Look, do you want it or not?”

Taking the paper bag from his hand, you hugged them to your chest as you squealed happily.

And Jimmy, he tried his best to suppress the smile that’s curling on his lips at the thought that he was the one making you that happy. (well it was the cakes but whatever he was the one that got them)

Well, once you face him back, that smile is gone. Replaced with a scowl instead.

“Alright shut your yapping. Let’s go find Jack.”

[crushculture03]

Back Home

Masterlist

The three had finally arrived in South Dakota, and once they finally pulled into Bobby's property, Val immediately jumped out of the car, excited to see her father. The brothers just look at eachother and laugh, finding her excitement cute.

Val hastily knocks on the door, she hadn't been back home in months and missed her dad. In true Bobby fashion, he opened the door with his pistol out in front of him, "Val '' he whispers and lowers his gun. He pulls his daughter into a tight hug, "Hey dad, I missed you'' she whispers as she hugs him back. "Not that I don't want you to be here but why are you here?" her dad asks, as they both pull away from the hug, before she can respond Bobby looks behind her, spotting the Winchester brothers, "And what are these idjits doing here? '' he says, his voice raising slightly.

"Well it's a long story but basically John Winchester is apparently missing and Deans is trying to find him and they need your help" she explains, "And why in the hell would i ever care about finding that asshole after what he did'' Bobby says, clearly upset. "Look Bobby, I know what he did but he's my dad and I'm worried" Dean steps in, Bobby rolls his eyes and motions for them to come inside.

"Now tell me what did this dumbass get into this time '' Bobby asks as he sits in his chair, "Well he went on a hunt and we haven't heard from him in a week '' Dean fills him in. "Ok well you have any idea where he might be?" he asks, "No but we have his journal, maybe it will lead us to him, we know he's on the search for the demon that killed our mom" Sam finally speaks up. "Fine, give me the damn journal and I'll see what I can do '' Bobby gives in and snatches the journal from sam. "Now leave me alone, why won't you, so I can focus on this? '' the older man says, causing the three to get up. ''Not you Val, we need to talk '' her father says, causing her to sit back down. "Look darling you gotta be careful with these boys, you remember what happened last time you got close to them, especially sam '' he says, causing Vals heart to drop.

How could she ever forget the day where everything went to shit, the day her dad and John became enemies instead of friends. "I know dad, I'm being careful, I didn't even know who he was when I saw him at a halloween party, it wasn't till he recognized my last name that all the memories I blocked out came back" she says as she nervously plays with her hands.

"Sweetheart, is there something you're not telling me?" he asks, moving from his chair to the couch to be next to her. "The night Sam and I reunited, I found Chris cheating on me" she mumbles, she was ashamed to tell her father the news. Bobby doesn't say anything at first, just pulls his only daughter into a hug, "What an ass, wish I was in California so I could kick his ass' ' he says, Val sobs in her fathers arms as the memories from that night come back to her. "It'll be ok sweetie I promise, he's just a boy you'll find someone better, you're amazing and smart, i'm not sure how you're even my daughter at times because you're such a smarty pants'' he teases, making Val chuckle before pulling away from him.

"You know you gave me the same speech when Sam left and I was heartbroken" she chuckles sadly, wiping any loose tears away, "Hey it's a good speech and still stays true to today" he defends, giving her a small smile. "Now go make sure those idjits aren't damaging my house while I look for their father's asshole ," Bobby says, Valerie nods and gives her dad one last hug before going to find the boys.

"You okay Val?" Sam asks as she rounds the corner into the kitchen, she jumped slightly at his sudden presences "You scared me sammy" she chuckles and walks to the sink to get some water. "Sorry Vallie" he chuckles, "but seriously is everything ok? You look like you've been crying" sam says, walking over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "Yeah just stuff about Chris and just the past, this place brings back memories, especially from the summer of '99" she says, they both blush when the mention of that summer comes up.

"You remember any of that summer?" Sam asks, analyzing her face as she thinks, "Bits and pieces, how we first met came back to me when we were driving here but some of the other stuff is a little foggy". "I'm the same way, maybe being here and being around each other more will refresh our memories" he says, giving her a soft smile. "Wanna go out to the tree house? Remember I took you there on the first day you got here" she says, "Of course" he responds. She grabs his hand and just like she did all those years ago, drags him to the rundown tree house.

The two sit down in the same bean bag chair, only one survived all the years of being out in the elements. Val put her legs on sams lap, "Hey I'm not your leg rest" he giggles, "Sorry sammy but it's a tight squeeze" she chuckles. "I missed this you know" she says, laying her head on his shoulder, her actions cause sam to flush, "I missed it too, I can't believe we were on the same campus for almost 4 years and never once ran into each other" he chuckles as he leans his head on hers and tracing shapes with his fingers on her legs, something he used when they were teens. "It's crazy to me, I mean we were so close and then we forgot about each other, it's insane to me" she says, "something just came back to me" he mumbles and lifts his head off of hers, the suddenness caused her to look up at him. "What is it?" she asks, "You and I had our first kiss together in this tree house" he mumbles, his cheeks flushing at the memory, he remembers being so nervous on that day, he had the biggest crush on her at the time. She smiles as she begins to remember the memory...

Summer of 1999

It had been a month since John dropped the boys off at Bobbys and in the past four weeks Sam and Val had become very close, the two had started to develop a crush on eachother, but no one but Dean noticed it.

The day they had their first kiss together, was one of the hottest days of the summer, so the two decided to go to their place, the tree house. They sat across from each other, having light conversation about some stupid topic, when suddenly Val brought up the topic "Sam can I ask you something kinda personal?" she asks, as she plays with her chipped nails. "Of course, you know you can ask me anything, Valley girl" he says, taking her hands in his, trying to stop her nervous tick, "Well have you ever...ever kissed anyone?" she whispers, blushing heavily. He chuckles softly, a blush also paints his face, "I haven't, no girl has ever wanted to do that with me, dean gets all the girls' ' he responds. "Would you maybe wanna get it out of the way, like um kiss me?" she stutters, her heart beating out of her chest. "Vallie are you asking me to kiss you? '' he can't help the grin that forms on his face, "Yeah" she mumbles, looking down on the floor.

Sam moves closer to her and places his hand on her cheek, causing her to look up at him, he slowly leans closer to her, Val leans in to, her eyes fluttering shut. Sam closes the gap between them, softly placing a kiss on her lips, his heart beating out of his chest and the butterflies in his stomach going crazy. The same goes for Val, she couldn't believe this was happening, she was scared he was just going to laugh her off but it was the complete opposite. Sam was the first boy she had ever had any kind of feelings for and the fact he's her first kiss, was just mindblowing to her. Sam slowly pulled away and smiled, "I hope that was ok" he whispers, "It was perfect, could we um do it again" she whispers. Sam smiles and cups her face, pulling her in once more and kissing her.

Present time

"I do remember, I remember being so nervous at the time" she responds, "I was the same way" he says. In that moment both realized they'd do anything to recreate that moment that happened all those years ago.

[wackulart]

Reader meets Elsewhere Philip. Reader offers to carry Philip's satchel for him. Carrying style is across the chest like Philip has it in the ep. Reader shuffles through the satchel on the way, sees the journal, the Collector's disc, and his jagged knife.

you guys..... how did you know i wanted to write a bit of spooky philip...?

[rubs my hands together like an evil little fly]

(also im sorry if its not what you meant but im assuming that reader is from the deadwardian era-)

Content Warning; he does grab you at one point but nothing farther than that

Philip Wittebane x Reader

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

When you had agreed to house a traveler you had no clue it would have led to all of this.

First off, you didn't know you were housing a human. It wasn't that it bothered you but you were concerned if you could provide for what a human might need compared to a demon.

What if you didn't have the right food, the right temperature or the right.. bed sheets?

You didn't know anything about humans.

Yet you seemed to be able to make due once you had sat down and spoken about it. From what he had told you, you were able to figure out how to take care of a human.

What you weren't prepared for was taking care of a human like him.

Secondly, the reason you had decided to do this was because you had needed help in taking care of your business. You were one person and you had been getting far too much work to keep up. So you posted letters all around the town and waited for someone to come and take your deal.

The deal was that someone could stay at your home while you provided a bed to sleep and food to eat under the conditions that they would help you with transporting goods and organizing in the store.

Philip Wittebane, that was the name of the human who had picked up your ad and had been living with you for a little less than two months now.

When he first moved in he had told you that he had been struggling with finding a place to stay and you told him that you were more than happy to provide. Within the first two weeks, you were starting to understand why he struggled with keeping a place.

In the nicest way possible? He was insufferable.

Despite the fact that you had been letting him live with you, he had made it clear he wanted to interact as little as possible with you. He would leave the house early and avoid you when he got back, walking past you like you weren't even there.

The only time you were able to finally get a few words out of him was during dinner or when he helped with work.

It was progress and it did work.

A month in and you two had begun to get along, he would eat breakfast with you, ask if you wanted to join him while he went out and even called you friend a few times. Needless to say, things were improving.

Towards the end of the second month, Philip said he had to travel far and he wouldn't be back. He had been telling you about how he was searching for his brother and that once they had found each other that they would need to leave. You didn't understand why but you didn't try to change his mind.

Before he left you had prepared him with food, a shovel and a kiss on the cheek.

He took it all and left with a thank you.

A few weeks went by and while you had still missed him, you had begun to get back into your routine of things. Before you could even try and reconsider a new roommate however, he had come right back.

You had been in your kitchen talking to someone about them moving in when a loud knock had sounded on your door. There was a twinge of paranoia as you asked the demon to give you a minute when you went to answer the door.

There he was shaking like a leaf, eyes wide, his nose broken and his hair was a complete mess. You took him inside and ushered the other demon out with an apology. No matter what you tried you couldn't get a word out of him, so you stopped trying and did your best to comfort him. You gave him a hot drink and put a blanket over his shoulders. You couldn't do much but sit with him until it got late and asked him if he wanted to rest in his room.

Philip took a deep breath and looked up at you. "..Yes."

He stood up and slowly walked to his room, he couldn't imagine telling you of his adventure.

Finding his brother, killing him, digging him up, meeting those two insufferable witches, finding the Collector and moving on to the next step of his plan.

You were good to him and his goal was righteous but how could he be sure a demon would understand?

Alas, you were none the wiser as you picked up his satchel from the kitchen and pulled it over your shoulder to bring it to him. You put away your cups and folded the blanket that Philip left on the chair before you went to head in and check on him.

The sound of glass clinking made you pause, you didn't want to embark on his privacy but you thought it might reveal to you why he had been so distraught.

You looked down into the bag and noticed familiar things, you saw his pens, his ink bottles and the journal he had carried around with him. Then you saw two things that you hadn't seen before, a round glass plate with a moon encrusted on it and a knife.

Surely you should have stopped looking but now you had more questions than you did answers, so you took out his journal and turned to the most recent page.

You sped through the words, skimming the logs about his morning and focused in on a strange sentence.

What in the world was a Grimwalker?

Before you could flip the page you heard your name spoken with a tone that made you jump and look up at Philip, who had been standing at the doorway of his room. His eyes moved from your face to your hands where you had been holding his journal.

"I-" Before a word could come out of your mouth, Philip ran up to you and grabbed your wrists, forcing you to drop the journal.

You tried to explain yourself but all words died in your throat at the dangerous look in Philip's eyes. Now you were the one shaking as you didn't know what to expect.

It was almost like you didn't recognize the man in front of you.

"What were you doing?" He spoke barely above a whisper.

With all of the fear that had been running through your body when you had tried to speak all, that had come out had been a frightful whimper.

That seemed to change something in Philip's mind as his grip loosened and he sighed. He seemed to shift back into a calmer look of exhaustion opposed to the murderous one you had just seen in his eyes.

He brought your wrist to his lips and kissed it. "..Forgive me."

You weren't completely off guard yet, but you were at least sure he wasn't going to do anything brash. Your eyes didn't leave his face for an instant yet your shoulders relaxed slightly.

"I didn't mean to frighten you." Philip mumbled as he let go of you and moved to pick up his things. "It has been a.. less than favourable few weeks since I have left."

Maybe you could understand that and you were looking through his things.

You took the satchel off of your shoulder and held it out for him as he put his journal back into it. He pulled it onto his own shoulder and took a deep breath.

Not sure of how to continue you on, you mumbled to him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to- I just wanted to understand how to make you feel better."

Philip watched you intently, searching your face for something you weren't sure of until he lifted his hand and held your face. Your face grew warm as you both just sat there for a moment, only to be broken by his hand moving to your shoulder.

"We should rest." He told you.

You nodded and bowed your head before going to your room. When you passed by Philip took your hand and your head snapped back to him, still a little on edge from before.

He looked worn out. "May you stay with me? Just for tonight."

A small smile pulled on your face and you both headed to his room, passing out next to one other. Though you had fallen asleep first, not conscious Philip playing with your hair in your sleep.

He hoped that perhaps there could be a spot in his future for you

[uramilf]

The Record Shop - Chapter Two

Warnings: Mentions of smut, smoking weed, alcohol, angst

A/N: Hey, longer chapter this time! Lots happens. Hope you guys enjoy!!

*Penny’s POV* 

      I woke up in Matty’s bed the morning after the party at around 6am. The sun was just coming up, a few rays creeping in through the gaps in the blinds and falling on his face as he slept, illuminating his perfect cheekbones, his fluttering eyelids, his adorably soft hair. Everything about this boy was perfect, I realised, so why did I feel like I had screwed up last night? Matty stirred, and for a moment I thought he was waking up, but he just tightened his arm around my waist and nuzzled his face into my chest, still breathing deeply. Shit. This was going to make leaving a lot harder, both physically and emotionally.         As carefully as I could, I released myself from his grasp and climbed out of bed, gathering up my clothes from the party and putting them back on, leaving Matty’s borrowed t-shirt discarded on the floor. I hadn’t properly looked around Matty’s flat last night, so I was only realising now how nice it was, how well it matched him. The walls were a light grey that reminded me of the smoke he breathed into my mouth the night before. The floor was wood, light brown and cold to the touch. The entire flat seemed to be lined with books. A few I had heard of, most I hadn’t. As I made my way to his kitchen and living area, I recognised a copy of “On the Road” on a clear glass coffee table, alongside several half-smoked joints and an empty wine bottle. There was a beaten-up black leather sofa against the wall which looked older than Matty himself, which had a dark red throw blanket draped over it, along with some very flat cushions. Looking through into his kitchen, I noticed the same photo I had seen in George’s house the night before hanging on the wall. The windowsill was lined with various others, photos of Matty and his family, photos of George and Ross and Adam, a photo of Charli and Carly in bridesmaid dresses at someone’s wedding. A black leather journal lay on the kitchen island, and for a moment I considered looking inside, but I knew I needed to leave before Matty woke up.

      I grabbed my handbag from the front door and let myself out. As soon as the door closed behind me, I realised I should have left a note, telling him that it wasn’t anything he had done, but that I wasn’t in a position to potentially ruin a good thing so quickly. The night before had been a mistake, and I knew that now. I never should have gone home with him; I really liked him and I knew I couldn’t be just friends with him, but I wasn’t ready for another relationship so quickly. I shook off all thoughts of Matty and started walking in the direction of the tube station.

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*Matty’s POV*

       The front door closed with a bang, forcing me to open my eyes and look around. The sun was streaming harshly into my bedroom, making me blink. My bed was cold and my heart sank when I realised why. Penny was gone. Maybe if I got up now I could catch her, after all I was sure it was her leaving that woke me up. I checked the clock. 6.15am. Okay. Maybe she had to get home to get ready for work, or maybe she had something planned for her morning. She must have been busy, she had just moved so she probably had a lot going on. But no logical explanation made me feel better. Don’t be stupid, Matty, I told myself. If she was going to work she would have woken you up and told you. She doesn’t like you, mate. She was just drunk last night. That’s all it was, a drunk mistake. 

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*Penny’s POV* 

       I didn’t speak to Matty, or anyone for that matter, for over a week. He had texted me, saying “I had fun last night” but I had ignored him. I didn’t have time to think about him; I had so many clients at work and so much still to do in the flat. But whatever free time I did have, I found my thoughts drifting back to the beautiful boy from the record shop. His lips, the way they moved against mine and pressed into my neck. His eyes, the way he gazed at me in the car and looked up at me through his eyelashes from between my thighs. His arms, the way he had picked me up like I weighed nothing and held me close as he slept. I hadn’t felt this way in a long time. I missed him. I wanted to feel those arms around my waist again, feel those lips brush against me as they passed smoke into my mouth, feel those eyes burning into me with pure passion as he spoke. 

      As fate would have it, when I was leaving work exactly a week and three days after our encounter, Matty came running out of the record shop when I passed. I had managed to avoid him seeing me leave work for an entire week, but not this time. “Penny! Wait!” I turned around to meet his eyes. They weren’t lighting up like they did the week before. Before I had seen the stars in his eyes, now they were empty. “Where have you been, Pen?” “Working,” I replied shortly. “Oh. I just… I guess I just missed you. You left me on Sunday morning. Thought we had something special, y’know?” My heart fluttered at this but I pushed the feeling aside, knowing I couldn’t let him win me over. “We were high, Matty,” I said awkwardly. “Everyone seems special when you’re high. Last week was a mistake.” His face fell and I felt overcome with guilt. I wanted to hug him, hold him close like he had done with me and tell him it was ok. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t let myself get into a situation with a boy I barely knew. “Please Penny,” Matty pleaded with sad brown eyes. “Life’s short. Have some fun with me, Pen. No strings attached.”  I contemplated for a moment. Could I really make this work so soon after Alex? Matty seemed eager to try. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy to let me down. “Okay. Fine. But I need to know you’re not gonna be a dick.” Matty grinned from ear to ear, taking my hand in his. “You have my word, Penny. Listen, I need to get back to work but I promise I’ll text you, ok darling?” I nodded and we said our goodbyes, and I went home with my heart full at his promise of contacting me.

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

      Matty, of course, fulfilled his promises and texted me that night. I ran to the phone as soon as I heard it, almost ashamed of myself for how excited I was to hear from him. 

Matty Record Shop: Hey love, party at my flat on Friday night. You coming?

Penny: Sure

Matty Record Shop: Ok cool. Not sure if you remember how to get to my house we were pretty drunk lol. I’ll send G to pick you up on his way

       Although it was two days until the party, I had run upstairs to pick an outfit, cheeks flushing as I remembered my last encounter in Matty’s flat. How would I stand there and talk to all his friends remembering what he had done to me in  his bedroom? I felt as though he had put a spell on me, one that wouldn’t let me stop thinking about him. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was thinking about me too.

      He had been thinking of me, of course, and facetimed me that evening. I had been getting ready for bed, wearing nothing but a pair of  black lacy underwear and a white t-shirt that was tight across my chest. When my phone rang, I answered it and sat down on the bed, resting the phone against a cushion which gave Matty a reasonably good view of what I was wearing. I would have been self-conscious but I knew it was nothing he hadn’t seen before and, at the end of the day, I suppose I wanted him to go to bed thinking about me in my underwear. For fucks sake, Penny, I scolded myself. What have you become?”

     “Holy shit, darling. You look gorgeous.”  “Hello to you too, Matty.” I rolled my eyes. “What are you calling me for?” “Because last weekend you turned my boring little life around and then left me all alone. I reckon it’s time you made up for that.” I laughed and blushed slightly at the idea of him missing me. “Right. Well, I have to work early in the morning, so unless you have something important to tell me, I’m going to bed.” “I could always come round to your flat and keep you company, right babe?” “No you could not! calm down, you’ll see me on Friday night.” “Not soon enough. I demand you come see me when you finish work tomorrow.” “Fine,” I groaned, though secretly I was thrilled that he wanted to see me so badly. “Then I demand you buy me a coffee.” “Oh, absolutely.”

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      Of course I had gone by the record shop after work on Thursday. As soon as George had seen me he had come running and swept me into a hug, exclaiming about how much he had missed me. Matty followed him into the front of the shop and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “If you’ll excuse me, George, I have a pretty girl to buy a coffee for.” That made me grin, and I in turn put my arm around Matty’s waist as he was too tall for me to reach his shoulder. We walked to a coffee shop on the next street over from where we both worked. We ordered a cappuccino each and talked as we drank, Matty wiping some foam from my lips with his thumb and playfully swiping it onto my nose. My heart felt lighter after spending time with him, realising that maybe I could handle spending time with someone like this. Matty took my hand in his when we got out into the busy street. “Wouldn’t want anything to happen to my best girl, right?” “We met a week ago, Matty, and I bet you’ve got girls lined up waiting for a chance with you. I couldn’t possibly be your best girl.” “That’s where you’re wrong, Pen. You’re not like other girls I’ve been with.” “In what sense?” “In the sense that you’re not boring. And you’re not self-obsessed. And you’re not afraid to smoke a bit of weed. Most importantly, you know what you want from life and you go for it.” “Hmm. What about me says ‘not afraid to go for what she wants in life’?” “The part of you that moved here all by yourself to build your own life. That’s why I like you, Penny.” “I’m sorry I left you on Sunday morning,” I said in a small voice. “It’s ok, love,” he replied softly. “My bed was freezing without you though.”

       We had arrived back to my flat. Matty asked me if he could kiss me goodbye, which of course I had no problem with. Feeling his lips against mine again was perfection. It didn’t feel like we were supposed to be friends with benefits. Alex never made me feel like this. Matty was right, we did have something special.

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         Friday came and I was once again trying to transform into some magically sexy version of myself. I wore a light blue dress and white heels this time, my hair in soft waves around my face. My makeup was light and sparkly and I felt a bit like a princess. I just hoped Matty would see me the way I was seeing myself. George beeped the horn from outside my building and I ran outside to meet him. Charli was in the passenger seat, her hair left in its beautiful natural curls this time. She was in a pink crop-top and tight black skirt, and she had definitely had a few too many at predrinks. As soon as I got into the back of the car she was thrusting a bottle of vodka into my hand, saying “Catch up, bitch!”

      By the time we arrived at Matty’s I was already a little drunk, and my heart was beating too fast to be natural or healthy. I told this to Charli, who said “You’re just excited to see Matty, babes, God knows you’re gonna fuck him again tonight.” “I never even fucked him the last time! He just ate me out,” I whisper-shouted. George heard and laughed while Charli let out a whoop of excitement and shouted “That’s our girl!”

        On entering Matty’s flat, I saw the rest of the familiar faces around the kitchen island. Carly hugged me and complimented my outfit, Adam gave me a small wave and Ross, of course, nearly knocked me over with the force by which he threw his big arm around my shoulders.  “Anyone seen Matty?” I asked while pouring a glass of wine for myself. “Living room,” Ross replied, pointing through the door. When I arrived in the doorway, I spotted him immediately. That hair, sitting perfectly. The jeans with the rips in the knees. His arm tattoos on display. And of course, the pretty girl balanced on his lap, his arm around her waist to keep her upright in her drunken state. The way it had been on my waist on George’s balcony. I felt a little upset, but brushed it off as her being a friend who had drank too much already. Heading back to the kitchen, I caught sight of myself in the hall mirror. You look good, Penny. He likes you. You’re not like the other girls he’s been with.

         “Back already?” Ross had exclaimed. “Yeah, he was chatting to someone so I think I’ll go back in a bit.” Adam was using his bartending skills already, his arms flexing as he twirled around a bottle of tequila from a height. The only one who really seemed impressed was Carly, the boys sniggering and muttering “It’s just shots, mate!” Charli grabbed two and placed one in my hand, linking her arm around mine as we drank them. We repeated the action several times, me finally catching up to her level of drunkness. I had forgotten all about Matty, even though everything around me was evidence that I was in his flat. Ross lit up a joint for me and I stuck it between my lips as I wandered off to find the bathroom. 

       When I opened the right door eventually, the sight hit me like a big red double-decker bus. Matty with his jeans down, the pretty girl from before on her knees. The sound of his moans filled my ears as I stood there in shock, the sound of her gagging slightly absolutely repulsing me to my core.  “Yes, baby, right there, fuck, I’m gonna cum soon if you keep doing th-” Matty stopped as his eyes met mine. “Jesus Christ, Penny! I didn’t know you were there, love.” He moved away from the girl and yanked his jeans up, attempting to follow me, but he was too late. I was out the door and hailing a taxi before it had even registered to him that I was upset.

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        On Saturday afternoon I had gotten to work to see that Charli had an appointment in the salon. Naturally I asked my boss if I could take the booking, and she said yes, “As long as Miss Aitchison doesn’t mind not having her normal stylist.”  “No, I don’t think she will,” I smiled, and I was right. (Charli nearly screamed with joy when I said I was doing her haircut.)

        “You left early last night, babe,” she commented as I worked on her layers. “Yeah. Promise you won’t tell the boys if I tell you why?” “Of course not, hun. Oh no, Matty was a total cock to you, wasn’t he?” “Kind of, yeah. He made this whole thing about me being “special” all week and literally begged me to give him a chance, and then I walked in on him getting sucked off by some slag in the bathroom last night. He wanted me at his party so badly, but he didn’t even see me until I caught him in the act.” “Shit, honey, he’s such a dick! He was so excited about you coming to his party as well, would barely shut up about it when I saw him on Thursday night. I wonder what changed.”  “Maybe I’m overreacting a bit. It’s not like he’s my  boyfriend or anything, and he did use the term ‘no strings attached’. And that girl wasn’t even a slag, she was pretty and she looked quite nice actually.” “You’re not overreacting, he made a big deal about wanting to spend time with you, and then he blew it. No pun intended,” she added, making me groan. “And it doesn’t matter if that girl looked nice,” Charli continued. “She’s a total fucking weirdo for sucking a guy’s dick without locking the door.” We laughed together as I finished up her haircut. 

      Before Charli left, she turned to me with a serious look on her face, “Penny, honey, I don’t care what’s going on with you and our Matty, I will want to be your mate either way, ok? Will you go for a drink with me tonight and we can get to know each other better?” I agreed immediately and we set up a plan to meet at the bar where Adam worked. I was excited to spend more time alone with Charli, all I needed was a couple of new friends to make life in Manchester ideal, and it seemed like I was well on my way to having a few very good ones.

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          By eleven o’clock that night, Adam seemed to have mixed us every drink under the sun. Charli and I were way past our sensible intake of alcohol, and we decided to call it quits and head back to my flat. She tumbled into my bed in her cocktail dress and sighed deeply. “Your flat is so nice. I sometimes wish I didn’t live with a boy, they’re so messy. And Matty practically lives with us too, and he’s even worse.”  I fell into the bed beside her, also in my dress that I had worn to the bar.  “Do you think we should’ve taken our makeup of?” “Yeah, absolutely. We’ll hate ourselves in the morning.”

 “Hey, Char?” “Yeah Pen?” “I really like Matty. Like I don’t want him to be no strings attached. I want tons of strings” “Go get him then, Pennylicious.” “What, right now?” “No, hoe. Some other time. Now go to sleep. I can already feel the hangover brewing. Fuck Adam Hann for being such a damn good bartender.” “Night, Char.” “Night, Pen.”

[secrets-of-everwich]

05-1 Interesting Coincidence

[Click]

[Electronic hum underlies the recording]

{Callie}

Hello, this is Callie Hewitt recording on the 11th October 2021! I’ve been looking for more interesting disappearances, and I’ve found one that may work!

Bartholemew Greene, Cassia Greene (neé Florence), and their children, around a year after the disappearance of the Florences, were the second major disappearances. They were set to inherit Everwich Manor from the Florences, and had only just moved in, when they also disappeared. This was what sparked the rumours that Everwich Manor was haunted, and it was left empty for years, but that’s a story for another time.

Cassia was Henry’s younger sister, and as their parents had died of old age a decade before, the Manor went to her husband. Technically it should have gone to her, but this was the Georgian era and so [sarcastically] obviously the women couldn’t inherit property! That would be absolutely stupid! [normally] Ugh, that’s one part I hate about the Georgian era. Anyway. You’re probably thinking right now ‘But Callie, what about Charles? The body was never found?’. Charles had been missing for a month when the other Florences died, and nobody really seemed to care about either the Florences, or just Charles specifically to look for him, so the house went to the Greenes. Obviously nowadays it doesn’t matter, since there’s no chance Charles is alive, so…

Anyway, the story. Cassia and her children, Ed-

[A knock on the door]

Yes?

[Door opens, sounds of someone walking in]

{Voice} Hi, uh, Asher gave a… Statement, I guess? For your little investigation podcast, I mean. I think I have something you’d be interested in?

{Callie} Oh, Rin! Yes, come in, sit down, actually I’ve been meaning to ask you about something too. Related to the podcast.

{Rin}

Right. Ok then.

{Callie} But, go on?

{Rin}

So, I was just with my grandfather, and he gave me this journal. It has some information on Everwich. Em won’t answer her texts, and X is about to go to work. Ash said he’d get bored, but you’d want to know.

{Callie} Oh my gosh, you came to the right place, yes! It’s your grandfather I was meaning to ask you about, he was involved in an almost disappearance ages ago, so I wanted to hear his statement firsthand, but if you have this, that can also work!

{Rin}

I see what Ash meant that you were obsessed with this. God this is embarrassing. Here

[Pages rustling]

{Callie}

Wait- ‘Jill and Harvey have been acting oddly today.’ … ‘I know why now’ Rin, this is it! This is the missing piece!

[Rustling]

{Rin} Stop hugging me. I barely know you.

{Callie} Sorry…

[More rustling]

{Rin}

… Right. Well. There was… Something else. I did read the journal before coming here, and…

[A pause]

Something’s wrong with Em. Oh, sorry, Emilia. I think it’s related to what’s written in there.

{Callie} Go on?

{Rin}

Well, it started about a week ago. First of October. Em missed school. Before you ask, no that’s not normal, yes that’s why I was worried. She never misses school, not even if she’s sick, she’s too worried about missing up. Believe me, we’ve had to force her to stay home before. So, when she just… Didn’t turn up, I thought that was weird. She’s my best friend, it’s the sort of thing you’d notice, right?

[A pause]

{Callie} Keep going, I swear I won’t judge if that’s what you’re worried about.

{Rin} God, you’re desperate for any little bits of information, aren’t you?

[Sigh]

Well, we called her. I mean, I called her. Ash and X weren’t worried – it was a Chemistry test that day. Asher was more worried about his score. He’s awful at sciences, so Em normally tutors him a bit to get their confidence up, but cause she wasn’t there, Xavier ended up doing it. This was during form time. She said she was ill. Nothing seemed wrong with her, but… I had a bad feeling. I just brushed it off as stress, cause it just so happened that day, both Jamie and Tyler- It doesn’t matter. I tried to talk to Aiden about Em- Oh wait, do you know Aiden?

{Callie} No? Wait- Is he that guy in Xavier’s rugby team?

{Rin}

Yeah, Em’s twin brother. So I tried to talk to him about her, but he said he didn’t know, and didn’t care, he had a big match.

{Callie}

Yeah, Xavier was at that match.

{Rin}

God, I can’t believe I’m talking to you about this, this is so stupid. Em was probably just sick, and finally learnt that we’d force her to go back home.

{Callie} Was there more or was it just that?

[A pause]

{Rin}

Yeah. We went to your haunted house, as you know, you were literally there-

{Callie} Good to get it on tape, though!

{Rin}

Hm. So, we went there, you showed us around. Em seemed pale. And yeah, she’s white, but like. Paler than normal. Her hair too, but I just kinda assumed it was a trick of the light. But over the next week, she kept avoiding us, and we kept finding her in the girl’s bathroom working on some experiment. I say we, I don’t mean X and Ash too, I meant other girls. It was weird. She normally goes to the chemistry labs to do her fun little experiments.

{Callie}

What was she doing?

{Rin}

I don’t know, she had a test tube full of something and was trying to drop some solution of something into it. With no regard for lab safety- You know she used to be my lab partner in year 10, she’d always bug me about how bad my lab safety was. ‘No Rin, you have to put on a lab coat’, ‘Rin, stop, you should put on goggles!’, ‘Rin why are you coming in here with food. It’s for me? Put it outside!’.

[A pause]

Ok, that’s a bit mean. She did appreciate the brownie I got her. But anyway, her severe lack of it in the past week was funny. And not in a ‘ha-ha’ kind of way. So. Yeah. She’s been acting strange. And freaking Asher and Xavier won’t listen when I say something’s wrong, they’re just pinning it down to GCSEs.

[A pause]

I guess I did need to get that out. Thanks for listening.

{Callie}

Wow. So, you think it relates to-

[Pages rustling]

This?

{Rin}

That’s why I had it bookmarked.

[A pause]

Oh yeah, I tried to put my arm around Em, and she ducked out. That’s another reason I think so.

[A pause, muttering between the two]

{Callie}

I think Emilia’s in trouble. It’s definitely that. I think this is the piece I’ve been missing, and it makes sense with what I already know! What with the paler skin, odd actions, something’s definitely up. Maybe Emilia is next to disappear! It’s what happened before C-

[Overlapping]

{Rin}

I don’t care if I sound crazy, you’ve convinced me. I’m gonna go tell X and Ash, I don’t care if they’re busy. I care about Em too much to lose her.

[Footsteps, voice getting quieter]

Thanks so much, Callie, you’ve helped.

{Callie}

Wait, let me take a photo of the-

[Door slam]

-Book.

[Sigh]

Well, that was an interesting coincidence. Um. I now have a lot more information about the Secrets of Everwich. Thank you for listening! I need to go now to update my theories wall.

[Click]

[Radio static for a moment]

[Click]

{Voice}

[Recording glitches, and cuts in and out]

Drat- No, do- Go- Stop- Don’t hur- -nyone!

[Click]

[snailsandpuppy-dogtails]

Ouija? Oui Oui

Criminal Minds. Garvez 2,220 words, Clean, Ao3 This is a Halloween story that took a while... over a year, in fact. Stranded in a spooky old house on a stormy night, the team become involved in a game of Ouija, and someone is set on calling Luke out. Is it real, or is it some elaborate prank?

“Really? Rain?! It couldn’t have been an overly clear sky and sunny 75 keeping us grounded in Los Angeles?!” Penelope jiggled as she pouted, holding on to the curtain, watching the storm pelt the ground outside. 

From the kitchen entry Luke watched on, grinning at her antics. 

They weren’t really in Los Angeles, not in the city proper anyway. They were in one of the rapidly disappearing, still out of the way, not-quite booming agricultural towns. It was a town so small and remote there was no cause for lodgings, never had been. The people who came here were family and farm workers. Being here was never an accident, and it was certainly not a vacation. If you were here, there was a purpose. 

Their purpose had come to a close with an exceptionally rare “good” ending; no lives lost, all missing found. But a freak storm and the only road out washing away left the team stuck. As a result, they had graciously been put up for the night by the sheriff in the old victorian farmhouse owned by her family.

It was drafty, and creaky, and kind of creepy, but it had enough beds to sleep the whole team and all the comforts of a home, so Penelope couldn’t really complain. Still, she would have liked it better if they’d been tucked up cozy on the jet back to DC rather than stuck there. 

Sensing her discomfort, wanting to lighten things up, distract her, Luke did what he seemingly did best and reached to push for her buttons. Calling forth some of his early undermining, he goaded her from across the room, “You think perfect weather would prevent us from getting home, Garcia?” He watched her body perk, biting his cheek, smirking as she rounded. 

“Oh what, are you a Meteorologist now?” Penelope shot back, turning to face him. 

Sighing, JJ cut them off, “I’m just bummed we don’t have anything to play…it seems like it’s been a lifetime since we were all together for a game night.”

“Come on, we have Scrabble. Don’t think we can play with six people and 34 tiles?” Emily teased.  

Spencer’s head cocked considering it, “We could do teams” 

A silence fell as everyone looked around noncommittally, not interested in trying, but not wanting to offend him. 

After a minute Tara’s eyes lit up, an idea sparking. “It is a perfect night for a seance, you believers could prove us skeptics wrong….Let’s commune.”  

“We don’t have a Ouija board and none of us are mediums,” Penelope pointed out. Though she agreed some light (or heavy) messing around would take the creep factor of their current surroundings off her mind, she didn’t mind that they couldn’t play some spooky ghost game, real or fake…

“Ah! But we do have scrabble tiles! We could make one,” suggested Emily. “All we really need are the alphabet and some kind of planchette- we could use an empty glass. When my mom was working in Italy, some friends and I broke into an abandoned villa on the edge of town, we drank stolen wine and one of them made a spirit board from scraps of journal paper and an upside down wine glass; we got tipsy and tried to contact the ghost of a cat.”

Tara grinned, “Sounds settled then, unless you’re all too chicken…” 

JJ frowned thoughtfully, considering it, then agreed, “Not the kind of game I was thinking of, but why not.”  

“The anecdotal evidence gleaned from the experience could be fun,” said Spencer, “count me in.” 

Looking to Luke and Penelope, Tara questioned, “So?”  

“Yeah, no, my mother would kill me for ‘intruding on his holy plan.’ ” Luke laughed, walking past the group towards an empty arm chair. 

“Aww, I won’t tell mommy if you don’t,“ she teased back. 

“Nope. Sorry, Tar. Say what you want, but we deal with the dead too much already, I don’t plan on tempting it. I’ll sit this one out, read a book.” 

“Come on, Luke, it’s just a game.” JJ, coaxed.

“Actually, that’s still debatable,” said Spencer, “it had to be “proven” to work at the Patent Office before its patent was allowed to proceed; and today, even psychologists believe that it may offer a link between the known and the unknown.” 

“Thank you, Spencer.“ 

Penelope, who had initially been teetering on the ‘no’ side of the fence as well, suddenly had a do-daring change of heart at Luke’s insistent refusal. Looking between the two men, she smirked as if having won something and announced brightly, “Unlike scaredy-cat Luke, I’m in.” 

Luke scoffed, smiling, and shook his head, then put up both hands.“I heard you had been practicing,” wiggling his fingers, and winked at her before turning to unzip his backpack. 

Penelope glared, but said nothing, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of cluing the rest of the team in on what he was referring to. “Let’s just start.” 

The tiles clattered to the table scattering, deft hands quickly arranging them alphabetically in two arcs of 13. Everyone but Luke having taken a place kneeling around the table, Tara called out one last time, “Last chance Alveeez”

Luke, mind made up, simply held up the book he’d plucked from his bag, “I’m good, have fun.”  

For a moment everyone sat, not really sure who or how to get started. 

“What’da we ask?” 

“Well, we should start with hello, then something simple, like…Is anyone here?” suggested Emily, digging back into her memory.

As the question was stated the lights flickered and the temperature dropped, JJ glanced to Tara, a wry smile exchanging between the two, “Looks like a yes already.” 

A light nervous hum pulled from Penelope’s lips, “Jennifer Jareau, Know that if I can’t sleep tonight, you won’t be either-“ 

Emily rolled her eyes disapprovingly at the pair of instigators, “It’s just the storm, Penelope.” 

“She’s right,” agreed Spencer, “A house this old is bound to have some bad or broken wiring. It’s likely faulty and therefore more likely to get a short in inclement weather.” 

But as his words were assuaging the creeping feeling growing across her skin, all hands on the base of the glass felt the cup start to glide from letter to letter. Slowly, the cup dragged across the tiles, “H-E-Y” 

Stopping, Emily laughed, “Hey? Wouldn’t you know, A modern ghost.”

Just as smooth, “Y-O-U- B-E-T”  emerged under the flowing cup. 

Suspicious, skeptically amused looks were traded around the table. 

“Good or bad?“ “Do we know you?” toppled, one over the other.

The makeshift planchette remained still, as if whoever were in control were thinking, then whipped to L, down horizontally to U, up and over to K, then zipped backward, finishing on E. Reading it, all eyes went to the man sinking into the chair, into the book in his hands. 

“Luke?” Spencer stated, perplexed, glancing from face to face around the table. This was undoubtedly a prank. Spencer tried to read their micro-expressions, decide who it could be. Tara had been the one most insistent that Luke join, but Emily was good at covering things up, JJ was a proven good liar, but she was about as likely as Matt to pull someone in to a game they said they didn’t want to play. It obviously wasn’t Penelope unless she was really playing up the misdirection. Everyone’s fingers touched the base of the glass, so he couldn’t rely on proximity to help in deductions. 

Barely looking up from the book, Luke called, head inclined, “Look, I told you I’m not-“

Before he finished, all hands on the glass were pulled back in a repeat of the pattern, “L-U-K-E,” this time Tara called out the letters as they covered them. JJ’s mouth dropped open and her fingers briefly lifted. Emily, much like Spencer, was now discretely inspecting her friends.

Closing his book, Luke indulged them, calling over his shoulder, “Ha ha, very funny. Are you all enjoying yourselves?”

Confused, uneasy faces slowly shook their heads, denying they had been the one, “-It’s not me“ Tara insisted, “It’s not us,” repeated JJ.

Penelope, now believing it absolutely was some elaborate prank she wasn’t in on, called out sweetly, continuing, “Do you know Luke?”

“H-E-Y- B- E- A- U- T- I- F- U- L-    Y- E- S”

“Ooo, familiar and flirty,” she cooed

“Yeah, too bad he’s dead,” JJ said through a smile. 

A huff and the obvious sounds of shifting legs drifted from Luke’s direction. Emily’s brow furrowed, challenging, “Friend or foe?” She still wasn’t sure who it could be; if it was a game, or if this was real. The air in the room felt electric, she was no stranger to some unexplainable things, but Tara was right, this was a perfect opportunity for some spooky fun, something she absolutely did not put past either JJ or Tara indulging in at Luke’s expense.  

“N-O-M-A-T-C-H” was smoothly guided as a response.

“Nomatch?” Spencer said to himself, head tilting, puzzled.

“Uh, I think it’s ‘no match?’ ” JJ clarified. 

Luke had been trying to ignore them, immersing himself with the Bennet sisters training as Zombie killers (the modern YA takes on classics were a guilty pleasure), but icy air suddenly settled on his shoulder, a hand resting just so. 

That was different. 

The second the letters were read out it pulled his attention like a string tugging from his ear, the minute the words were spoken Luke’s hair stood on end. 

‘No match,’ why did that sound familiar? 

The thought was interrupted by Tara, sitting up on her knees, calling over, “Maybe it’s one of your old ranger buddies looking for a light”

In a flurry, their hands ripped back and forth, “N-O- M-A-T-C-H-  F-O-R-  P-E-N-E-L-O-P-E-  H-U-H”

As they reached the L Penelope let go, a sick shiver chasing down her spine. While she didn’t mind helping mess with Luke, she did not appriciate being included this way. 

Luke’s head snapped up from the book, his eyes catching hers from across the room.

They were fucking with him, fine, but not Penelope, not- 

The corner of his mouth twitched, he remembered exactly why those words were familiar, and seeing her look, though he knew she’d never heard him say it, knew she was looking to him for an answer. If Luke had bothered to look at the other sets of eyes on him, he would have found a similar piqued curiosity coming from around the room, evidence that, no, no one here was doing this. 

Emily cut to JJ and then across to Tara, looking for any sign that one of them might be the one pulling something, but there was no tell, faces just as surprised as her own. 

Spencer stated with a grin what he felt was the obvious joke the prankster had in mind, “It’s definitely someone very familiar with your relationship with Garcia.” 

Smiling briefly, then schooling his features, Luke glanced down, watching as the hands still on the cup moved easily, “N-O-  W-O-R-D-S-  C-O-M-M-U-N-I-C-A-T-O-R”

He didn’t want to be a part of this. He actively had chosen not to be a part of this. And yet, here he was being dragged in to it. Forced into it. It was just like Phil to put him on the spot and not drop it. Luke heated at the truth to the implied accusation. 

Phil knew. 

He’d likely known all along. And now, even dead, he was taunting him over it. 

Luke’s eyes narrowed, but his mouth quirked, and his head twisted in disbelief, slowly the word falling out on a breath, “-sorry.”  But he didn’t say it to her, he didn’t say it to anyone in the room- any body in the room anyway. 

“N-O-M-A-T-C-H” Each hand felt the tug and pull, each thinking less and less that it was another leading the message. 

His head shook, staring at the tiles, this couldn’t be happening. More importantly, he couldn’t let her know it was happening. “I know-“

“D-O-N-T- B-L-O-W- I-T” 

The glass stopped, Penelope tugged her hand away, protectively cupping it to her chest with the other. JJ looked from Emily to Tara, then from Penelope to Luke, “…You…wanna fill us in?”  

Penelope looked to JJ, Luke’s gaze cast down then flowed up and over the faces around the table. Slowly, his shoulder raised, “What? I was playing along. Just…messing around, right?”

“So -you- were joking? Even though you refused to join us? I don’t buy it-“

“Yeah, I thought you believed in this whole ghost-afterlife-supernatrual-unexplainable. I mean, you think the BAU is haunted.”  

“Okay, 1. the BAU is haunted, Rossi agrees, and 2., what? I’m supposed to accept that the one person you couldn’t con into playing was the one person with a visitor from the other side? I may believe in ghosts, but I’m not that easy.”

He was lying, of course, but none of them needed to know that. As long as he insisted he was playing along, no one could say he wasn’t. As long as it was a game, he wouldn’t have to tell Penelope why he’d lied to her about Phil, he wouldn’t have to admit why he lied to Phil about Penelope, and he wouldn’t have to think about why he didn’t want them together, even back then…

[barry-j-blupjeans]

@taznovembercelebration - remember or forget

Dying wasn't bad it was just- sudden. One moment, Magnus was leaning over the counter to talk to Julia, who was twirling a strand of hair on her finger. Steven was behind her, rolling his eyes and putting papers away from their last order. Then, an explosion sounded from further down the street, shaking the floors and sending furniture every which way. Before Magnus could even begin to get his footing back, the ceiling of Hammer and Tongs caved in with another impact and he was dead.

It took him a second to realize, even. The massive rush of vertigo left him reeling. When he looked up, he wasn't in Hammer and Tongs anymore. In fact, he didn't even seem to be in Raven's Roost. He was kneeling in the middle of a long queue, people at his left and right. There was a black velvet rope keeping them all in order.

"Magnus," somebody said. Magnus looked up to see his next-door neighbor, who offer a hand to help him up. Magnus went to take it, still unsteady on his feet, and paused halfway up. "Magnus?"

Oh.

Ohhhh, no. No, this was bad. He wasn't supposed to- he had been- Magnus fell back down, suddenly gripped with all that he had forgotten. The velvet rope came down with him. Home, his real home, on his original planar system. The mission and the Hunger. He remembered the sound of Merle's laugh- he didn't know where Merle was. Fuck, he didn't know where anyone was. Barry, Taako, Davenport, Lup- fuck had someone found Lup yet? Had Lucretia-

Lucretia.

"Magnus!"

He had walked in on her feeding her journals to Fisher. She must have found a way around the memory block, because she was smart and Magnus knew she wouldn't have done that if no one would be there as a backup. She had been planning this for a while, hadn't she? How- how many years had it been? He didn't know. That scared him, just a little. One part of his mind said that he had been in Raven's Roost the whole time and the other was remembering his mother's garden, their little house that he never managed to find on any of his jogs.

She had to have had a good reason. He couldn't- she wouldn't betray them if she didn't have a good plan. Like, Magnus wasn't a magic person, but maybe she had thought her idea could work? Maybe? From what he knew, it deffo wouldn't have, but maybe? But that begs the question of why. Why did she have to do it alone? Why couldn't she just talk to them? Why... why hadn't she trusted him? Why did she stash him away in Raven's Roost-

"Magnus, baby, look at me," there was a hand cupping his face. Magnus looked up. Julia. And next to her, Steven. "Are you okay?"

"We fucked up," he said.

"No," Julia said. "No, we didn't. It's not our fault that Kalen-"

"No," Magnus said. He felt like he was shifting through the static with each blink. Blink, he grew up with two suns and that's why he was always so cold. Blink, he and Taako and Merle were sitting around a campfire, the Light stored in Magnus's backpack. Blink, Davenport was teaching him how to drive the Starblaster. Blink, he was watching Barry and Lup perform. Blink, meeting Lucretia, annoying her to the point of friendship, the late nights they spent up together reminiscing about home, the teary look on her face as he entered the room- "Not- not you. Me. My- my family."

"You're family," Steven repeated, his eyebrows creased. There was a little bit of a crowd around them now, watching him. "Your moms?"

"No," Magnus said again. He tried to get up and another rush of dizziness went through him. Julia caught him on his way down.

"Mags, just take a deep breath-"

"Julia," he said desperately, gripping her arm. "The Relics."

"The Relics?" Julia said, sounding confused. "Oh, the- like the Phoenix Fire Gau-"

"Yes," Magnus said. "We- Julia, I made one of those."

"You're not making sense, Magnus," Julia said.

"We had to make them," Magnus said, holding her a bit tighter. "The Hun-"

"Alright," said a new voice. Magnus jerked towards the sound. From the midst of the crowd around them came a man in a full three-piece suit. He had a big book open as he came through. He spoke a little louder this time, raising a hand to catch the attention. "Everyone from Raven's Roost, we're going to form a separate line." He gestured to a space off to the right. The velvet ropes dripped away. "Let's see here-"

"I can't be dead," Magnus said. Julia turned back to him, a worried look on her face. Steven was on his tiptoes, looking over the crowd as they moved to the new line.

"I'm sorry," Julia whispered, squeezing his hand. "It's- it's really shitty-"

"I- I can't be," Magnus said. "I have to figure out what the fuck Lucret-"

"I'm so sorry for your- well, your loss, I suppose, but we do need to move lines," said the suited man, pushing Julia along. He held out a hand for Magnus and Magnus took it, stumbling slightly. "Now, once everyone is situated, I can start getting a more organized line in place-"

"I can't be dead," Magnus said to him. "My family-"

"Ooh, sorry," the man grimaced, "but that's now how it works, is it? Listen, I'm sure you've got tons of family here waiting for you already. What's your name?"

"Magnus Burnsides," Magnus said, looking past the man. "If I wanted to get back-"

"Magnus Burnsides," the suited man said. He clicked his tongue a few times, flipping through the book. Julia tugged on his hand to get him to come to the other line. "Burnsides, Burnsides... oh. Burnsides, you say?"

"Yes, but-"

"Oh, no, you won't be in that line," the man said, standing up a little straighter.

"What d'you mean he won't be in that line?" Julia said. "We're both from Raven's Roost-"

"I'm not," Magnus said at the same time the man said,

"Oh, it doesn't really matter where Mangus is from, does it?" He shook his head, using his finger to point to something in his book. He read out loud, "Magnus Burnsides, twenty deaths, no accounts of visiting the Astral Plane before today. I suppose we'd be willing to wager this death off, since you have finally decided to visit us, but the rest?" The man grimaced, though he didn't really look all that upset. "That's not just some rule we can let you off for breaking, is it?"

"Magnus has never died before," Julia said, pushing past Magnus slightly.

"Julia," Magnus said, shaking his head. "I did kinda, uh-"

"I'm sorry, but the book doesn't lie," the man said, snapping said book shut. "The rest of you, I will deal with in a second, but you, Magnus? I have been dying to get to know what your whole deal is."

"Pun-intended?" Magnus tried.

"Oh, pun definitely intended," the man said. "I'm going to have to ask you to come with me peacefully, Magnus."

"And if we say no?" Julia said, now standing in front of Magnus. Magnus caught her hand in his and squeezed.

"If he says no," the man said, grinning. The skin from his face began to drip off, vanishing into smoke at his feet, until all that was left was a skull. He tucked the book under his arm and held out his hand to summon a sharp-looking scythe. The people in line around them shuffled away to avoid getting hit. "Then I supposed I'm going to have to take him in by force."

[sirensea14]

Just a thought about Mayhem

I am now nore convinced that Mayhem isnt a clone of Holly, nor was made by the Labyrinth's power. I first thought that she was both, but then chapter 293 (i was too lazy to reread the past chapters with Mayhem in it),

"I am all the things you are, but i am so much more. I am superior."

She said so herself. Which meant she is a separate and a solid, official new character, and not an illusion like "Not-Cup"

Everybody talks about Bendy's shadow tendrils, origins, the Cupbros' souls, the Devil, King Dice, Alice Angel etc, BUT NO ONE TALKS ABOUT MAYHEM!

Dunno, i guess its bcoz there isn't much info about her and for some reason, she left an impact on the questers, especially Holly and Boris. I have developed my obsession with her and my mind is brimming with thoughts, headcanons, and theories about her. But it is always messed up by that ONE HOLE. When one adds up, a hole opens for questions.

And the Cog on her choker. It was fake right? She got it in the Labyrinth and not the house it is actually in (the observatory that CogHolly bought i recall?) i first thought that she was an illusion, but turns out not. She was last seen when Chaos fixed the Tear, and disappeared alongside him (i even drew her scowling for Chaos talking with the questers). In one chapter, i remember Bigby biting her arm and then appears again as she cried then laughed insanely. She appears to have the ability to stop time, like when Alice was having an illusion where she is forced to choose between Isaac and Bendy for the last part, the Chalice of Life, and also the time when Holly and Cuphead found a journal of Linda's father(?). And her constantly appearing on glass and windows and stuff. And her surviving in the Night Terror after it devoured her? Definitely something isn't right! Also, she once winked at us the "Audience" when she, Boris, sarah and not-cup was at the Tear, ready to brawl. She put them on costumes (sandwich on boris and chicken nugget on sarah? Or a feather duster? Dunno too lazy to go back) bro this is something only zanies have(4th wall breaking)

Definitely Zaniness!

She's a zany, like the warner bros and the people in Aesop's falls,the town where Holly was from. If she said she was Holly but much more, this pins up the fact that i alsp made ANOTHER drawing of mayhem but smug and saying"I may be Holly, but Im also not Holly" confusing right? But it meant she has all of current Holly's, memories, powers, personality. But "also not holly" meant that she is like the evil side/version of her, which we see Cog Holly, and also Mayhem wore the Cog on her neck.

WHAT DID ALL OF THAT MEAN?

It is possible that Mayhem is Holly but is fully controlled by the cog. Also note this: Chaos once appeared in Holly's black tower when Bendy and Alice went in her head to restore her back (during nightmare night) It may hint something, yes Bendy did meet Chaos just like he said. But why did he appear there? Possible That it has a connection with mayhem, i mean she is his student. And possible that he may have chosen her bcoz of Holly's potential to be a witch, being so exposed to magic, runes and knowledge. But it may also be just bcoz Chaos is quite the zany himself and only appeared there at will (he is a cosmic right? So it is no wonder he doesn't follow the rules of a book, like a zany)

And that one moment i will not forget, MAYHEM NEARLY TORE BIGBY'S SOUL AWAY. Her arm was covered in some sort of black liquid, then pierced her hand to bigby's chest to get his soul (but was unsuccessful coz something interrupted her, i dunno if it was sarah or boris) Much like how LUKAHD TORE SOULS. The same hand. And there i thought only she can do that, but guess what? No! Mayhem had it too! That black substance that covered their hands meant something with the soul. And also why did mayhem say "interesting" at the dandehog family that went or escaped(?) the tear??? WHAT DID THAT MEAN?!!?

Also, if she had the ability to rip out souls like lukahd, then it is possible she may be experimenting on souls rn. Or she had experience.

I thought Mayhem was Lukahd's creation, Like how Kaguya created black zetsu(naruto shippuden), but tho something didn't add up. Why would she create her if Lukahd had the Cercatori? Bro i still remember this, and Darius, metatron, and the angel in white cloak, theyre all involved with the Cercatori, the Cult of the Lady of Despair (i have notes:), but i will still have this in my memory tho, i have long term memory whenever it comes to lore, but not school lessons lol) So it doesn't make any sense with thinking Mayhem is Lukahd's creation so i stuck with my theory that Mayhem is Holly.

Also, why the appearance? Possibly the Cog? But tho the cog was fake so how? Glowing eyes? But when i noticed the pattern, whenever someone is controlled, or at least related to an ink machine part, their eyes become hollow. So why does mayhem have pupils? Yet has the black sclera.

And also she's a fucking cosmic, as stated by the wiki, and as a student of chaos who himself, is a cosmic. What the fuck is happening?

If she got the Cog from the Labyrinth, didnt that make her an illusion too? Since the parts portrayed there were fake. But it appears mayhem is a character. Which comes in my theory that Mayhem may be Holly from the future, but got consumed by the cog as she was with the questers on their way to the machine itself. Then went back to time by the help of Chaos, who then made her his student. Then her exam to pass being a cosmic (note, this actually like happened in the Labyrinth, as to why she was scowling. Maybe? Too lazy to go back once again) IS TO MESS UP THE QUESTERS MISSION TO GET THE INSTRUMENT. And guess what? She did! They got the Instrument yet she terrorized them.

But then, this would mean a messed up timeline of Holly. But it is also possible that Mayhem is a cosmic who took Holly's identity. I dunno. Only TAP will tell.

Told ya im brimming with thoughts, headcanons and theories about Mayhem. Welcome to the in-zanity!

Now that ive talked about mayhem, now its time for MY QUESTIONS.

When will Cuphead and Mugman use their snow-or whatever it called- Bullets? The picture that they just found with everyone--including the dead-- in it? They didn't even snap the camera! And that "Eye" what is it again? I forgot, it was some kind of person with forseight BY A LETTER that they found. WHO WAS IT? ARE THEY DEAD OR ALIVE? Is it watching them all this time?

And Reide's deal with Anzu, why did Anzu want Alice Angel? Is it revenge for Hannah? Or simply just thought of it as fun? And TAP dont u DARE send Bendy back to hell and then make Reide go with him to the surface and at the same time send Alice back to the house >:(((

What happened to Michael after Metatron took him? I feel like no one or a few talks about this. Also the potential for Metatron, Darius, the white cloaked angel and the Cercatori being the next opponents the Questers would face in getting the Chalice of Life (also the angels i wouldn't forget abt them ofc) who would be the next victim this time?

Doll - bendy

Cog - Holly

Brush - Mickey (not much interaction tho)

Instrument - Boris

Would it be Alice with the Cup?

And of course, the arson on Oddswell's house. They suspected it was Elizabeth (Alice's grandmother) who sent angel fire runes but when Jake came and checked it out, no. It wasnt. But then who did it? The Devil? King Dice? Cercatori? Or another completely unknown character who is a potential enemy?

Also i recalled just now how Boris was sent to a memory of the Instrument. And saw Elizabeth angel who he thought was Alice, but noticed she doesnt have a beauty mark. Im a bit confused of the Machine, the Legendary chalice, yen sid, and the angel-demon war's length (i mean the amount of time it had) and timeline (the sequence of events) if ya get what i mean.

Its still quite a mystery for them to exist. And this is why Inky Mystery's title fits so much bcoz its full of ridiculous mysteries that i love to ovethink about.

I NEED CUSSING ANSWERS!!!

(now ppl, what ur seeing rn is the power of vacation + boredom + overthinking + favorite story XD)

Also did i miss something? I kept all of these precious info in my head (like Holly does) but sometimes i accidentally miss something💀