#I have some more on Jed but it's a little confusing

[fablesrose]

Ch 5 - The Tap-Out Job

Series Rewrite Masterlist 

Pairing: Eliot Spencer x Ford!Reader

Description: The team goes to Nebraska giving the client a fighting chance, quite literally, with Eliot in the fighting ring.

Words: 3586

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I only started taking projects I knew I could finish quickly. It was a nice side income, but I wanted to be available when Nate decided on a client. In fact, in my free time or in between my own jobs, I was helping him research. Trying to find douchebags and people who were screwed over. 

“Alright, six tickets to Nebraska, coming right up!” Hardison called when the time finally came.

Nate looked at him confused, “Six? But-”

“Thank you Hardison” I cut in.

Nate turned to me, “I don’t know about that…”

“Come on Nate, it’ll be fun! She’ll be helpful,” Sophie argued.

I grimaced a bit, because I wasn’t sure how true that would be. I wanted to be, absolutely, but I wasn’t sure of the reality of it.

“At the very least she can learn something,” Parker pointed out helpfully.

I smiled and pointed at her to help emphasize her statement. 

“It can even out the girl to boy ratio,” Sophie added on.

Nate sighed, but didn’t answer.

“Uncle Nate,” I said in a sing-song voice that I only used when I wanted something from him. “Come on, I’m already too deep into this, you can’t keep me out now.”

He looked at me and sighed again, “Fine.”

We all cheered and started packing.

The day after Nate met with the client, we started the briefing of our resident bad-guy: Jed Rucker.

“He runs a homegrown mixed martial arts league here in Nebraska,” I explain, “they have a very strong wrestling tradition here, so, supposedly, there's a lot of talent.” I took it upon myself to help Hardison out with the research and background info on this guy, since if I know one thing, it’s research. 

“Wrestlers have a good base for a blended training approach,” Eliot expanded, “they can go from that to jujitsu, kick-boxing, judo.”

“Rucker promotes fights,” Parker concludes. 

“And manages fighters, taking a cut every step of the way,” Hardison adds. 

“Yeah, you know, plus he’s not above fixing bouts and the Howorths found out,” Nate said, “We’ve dealt with some lowlifes, but when I heard about this guy…”

Hardison started playing some videos of fights on the tv of the motel room.

“That was a nice takedown. Good ground-and-pound,” Eliot comments, “He’s a little sloppy in a closed guard, but it’s a solid arm bar. I mean, you can tell this guy’s a wrestler. This ain’t the UFC, but these guys got skills.”

I admired him from my seat, impressed at his knowledge about all of this stuff. He was focused on the screen, studying the fighting and techniques. It was almost like I could see the gears turning in his head about it all, just behind his clear eyes. 

“Where’d you get these?” Nate asked.

“Online,” I answered, “These are viral videos.”

“See, Rucker doesn’t have a TV deal,” Hardison explains, “It’s pretty much a bare bones operation.”

“You call this a sport?” Sophie asked with a pillow covering her face. 

“Yeah, this is a sport,” Eliot rebuffed, “These are some of the best conditioned athletes in the world. Are you kidding me? It’s about precision, technique, skill.”

“Like cockfighting?”

“It’s not a cockfight, alright? Let me show you something, Hardison. Come on,” Eliot tapped him on the shoulder causing him to stand, he then asked Parker, “Can I borrow you?” 

He then instructed Parker, reminding her what he showed her before. He positioned Parker as if it were a fight, and Hardison laughed before playing along.

“There’s three phases to an MMA,” he paused while Hardison did some footwork to warm up, “to an MMA fight, okay? One, striking.”

Parker immediately punched Hardison solidly in the face, making me flinch.

“Nice,” Eliot praised. “Next is grappling, the takedown.”

Hardison seemed to get that this was more serious than he thought as Parker flung him to the ground.

“Exactly, alright. The third one is jiu-jitsu, try to isolate a joint.”

Parker switched to twisting around Hardison.

“Good, that’s a textbook arm bar. Put some pressure on it,” Eliot instructs, “there ya go, or a choke hold.”

Parker moved to what I assumed was a chokehold on Hardison who was clearly struggling. 

“Then the guy will submit by tap out,” Eliot finished after instructing Parker a bit more. 

Hardison started trying to tap out with little success, in various different ways that made me laugh. 

“These fights are won by inches. It’s all about leverage.”

“Sophie, he has a point,” I commented, “while you may not find it entertaining, there's a lot of work, training, that goes into this. They do deserve some respect.”

Eliot nodded at me in approval.

“No TV deal, you said, huh?” Nate brought the attention back to the task at hand, “Yeah, Hardison, what are this guy’s other interests, this Rucker guy?”

I took a look behind the couch to see he was still struggling with Parker, “I’ve got it, Rotary club, he’s got a golf membership.”

“Golf, huh?” Nate asked.

“Yeah,” Sophie jumped in, “I mean, this guy’s like a 1950s sitcom character. He plays a weekly game with the local businessmen. In fact, last year, he won the club championship.”

I looked at Eliot and nodded back towards Hardison and Parker, wordlessly asking if we should help him.

He shrugged.

“Did he?” Nate asked thoughtfully, “It’s time to hit the links.”

Nate stood up and left in his dramatic way while I attempted to convince Parker to let Hardison go.

I was a little surprised when Nate said he was going to play Rucker at golf, but once Hardison explained the rigged golf balls, I couldn’t wait to watch. I tagged along with Hardison watching the game through the camera attached to Parker. Hardison even let me direct a few of Rucker’s shots into sand traps. Nate won by a landslide soon enough, and with Rucker in debt to him, the plan was set. 

Nate and Eliot left for Rucker's gym to both collect the money Nate won off of him, as well as plant Eliot in Rucker’s sights as a fighter. They told me what was likely going to happen. That they were going to sort of jump Eliot to test him out a bit. It made me nervous despite the whole crew assuring me that Eliot would be fine. 

As promised, it all went well with the fight and then Eliot setting the hook for Rucker and the idea of a TV deal with Sophie. It was only then that I allowed myself to watch the footage. While I knew that Eliot was good, I had never seen him in action before. I watched the video Parker took to upload a couple of times in amazement. His actions were smooth and calculated. I had watched fights before, but I didn’t think I had ever seen such efficiency. Rucker was right about one thing, he fought like something wanted to get out, but the amount of control he practiced… I think that could be more impressive than the skill.

“Like what you see, y/n?”

I closed my laptop with a start. Eliot had come back from the gym quicker than I had anticipated and was standing right behind me. I turned to him with a sheepish smile, “I hadn’t seen you fight before…” I looked back to my closed laptop for a moment, “suffice to say, I’m impressed.”

“What, you doubted me?” Eliot had a spark of amusement in his eye, but I moved to correct myself anyway.

“No, I mean, I knew you were good, heard you were the best even, but I guess, I never really knew what that meant.”

He cracked a cocky smile, “Oh, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet, sweetheart.” He left the room to clean up with a wink that left me blushing, more than I’d like to admit. 

The next phase of the con went off with only a slight hiccup. Rucker wanted to meet with Sophie at the concert she claimed to be producing. The crew had it figured out quicker than I thought possible. I hovered around the production booth and backstage with a clipboard and badge that Hardison got me. It gave me a bit of a thrill being somewhere I probably wasn’t supposed to be, but as I’ve learned a couple times over, confidence is key. I wandered around and spoke to some of the workers, learning some of the ins and outs of concerts and filming while listening to Sophie set up the deal with Rucker. If anyone asked who I was, I said I was an intern.

Eventually, it seemed like everything fell into place. 

“Did you get all that?” Sophie asked. 

“Got it. Great job,” Nate replied, “We should be, uh, on our way home by this time tomorrow.”

“Awesome, while it’s not bad, I want something other than this mystery meat they call chicken fried steak,” I tossed my badge and clip board on a table before I met up with everyone else. 

“Have a good time wandering?” Parker asked.

“Yeah, I’m seeing why you guys like this.”

The next morning Sophie went to the gym to get the money. It all went downhill very quickly. 

“So, where are your partners?” I heard Rucker say through the comms, “waitin’ for you to blow me off?”

“Uh, I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re…”

“Let me tell you why,” he continued, “Alex’s cousin Jimmy’s in the fight scene in South Dakota, and guess what? He’s never heard of Bill Wells.”

“Nate…” I said through comms.

“I know.”

Sophie laughed, trying to play it off, “Sweetie… I think you’re getting a little paranoid.”

“So, you think you can come to my town, huh? Us country bumpkins, right? Cause all we can do is kick ass.” He paused, “I’ll show you what us ass-kickers will do.”

“Whoa,” Sophie said as Tank started to advance on her. 

“Alright, leave her alone.” Nate and Eliot stormed into the gym.

“Look who’s here. Wells.” Rucker made Tank back off. “So where’s the rest of your crew? In the getaway car?”

I shivered in my seat in the van next to Parker and Hardison. 

“Yeah, alright. Parker, Hardison, y/n, break it down, we’re outta here. Come on.”

The three of us started to scramble putting everything away to ensure once they got out we could leave quickly. 

“Oh, you talk on a wire, huh? Pretty fancy.”

“Yeah, nothing but the best for you, Rucker.”

“Yeah, well we’re not all frauds… People do wanna see you fight. So, why don’t you take on Tank here?”

“I’ve got five seconds to kill our Monday,” Eliot responded.

The way this conversation was goin made me pause in our packing.

“No, no, no, not here, Tank,” Rucker said, “But, you know, you’re probably right. I’ve seen what you can do. But that’s the thing, you know. See, you’re favored, so I’m gonna need you to take a dive.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“Come on,” I heard Nate mutter, and it sounded like they were walking away.”

“Fine,” Rucker called, “Go back to LA or wherever. It’s a shame you won’t be here next month when Jack Howorth’s house goes on fire… Or in six weeks when Mark has a car accident. But you won’t be around for any of that.”

“I’ll do it,” Eliot responded after a moment.

“You don’t have to do anything,” Nate responded.

“He’s right Eliot,” I agreed.

“Yeah, I do,” he rebuffed, “and then you lay off the Howorths.”

“You do what you have to do and they’ll be fine” Rucker explained, making my stomach churn, “But I’m betting it all on Tank here, so it can’t look like a fix. And, uh, feel free to use the gym. We don’t want anybody to think you’re not ready.”

They came around the corner where we were waiting for him. Nate had a look on his face as if looking for answers, his hands raised.

“What?” Hardison responded, “ What was I supposed to do? It was cousin Jimmy!” 

“He’s right, we couldn’t have planned for that,” Sophie conceded.

“Look, you know what I can do? I can retask a satellite, I can get level three NSA clearance, but I can’t hack a hick!”

“Alright, it doesn’t matter,” Eliot cut in, “What do we do now?”

“We could move the Howorths?” I asked.

“No, we’re not movin’ the Howorths,” Eliot said, “This is their home, that means something to people here.”

“Yeah, we can’t babysit them forever,” Sophie added. 

“Alright, we’ve taken out bigger players than this,” Nate said, thinking out loud, “There’s gotta be someway, uh, something that we can…”

“No!” Eliot interrupted, “No. I take the dive.” He said it like it was obvious.

“Are you sure?” I asked him, concerned how this could play out. 

“Give me some time, okay?” Hardison offered, “You know what? I found some funny business in Ruckers accounts, I can move some things…”

“Forget the fact that we got beat by Barney Fife, alright? This is the right move,” Eliot insisted, “Tactically, this is the right move. You all know that.” Eliot walked off, showing there was no room for discussion.

Reluctantly, we all followed. 

It was that night when Sophie and I went to check on Eliot. He had been in the gym for hours, training, working, preparing, I wasn’t sure what he wanted to call it. It was late, the patrons long gone, the streetlamps seemed to want to go to sleep, still he was in the ring boxing an invisible figure. 

“Hey,” Sophie called, getting his attention, “Listen, you, you don’t have to do this.”

“Nate’s gonna come up with something,” I assured. 

He shook his head nonchalantly, “I’m losing a fight, not diving on a grenade. I’ll be alright.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m not talking physically,” Sophie insisted.

“I think my ego can handle it.”

“Look, you told me it’s all about control,” she continued. “About knowing that you’re never going to be the victim…”

I turned to her, listening as I hadn’t heard this conversation. 

“And that’s what keeps you going right?”

Eliot stopped and approached us, “you think I’m upset because I gotta let this guy kick my ass?”

Neither one of us answered, as we just tilted our heads, allowing him to continue. 

“I learned a long time ago, you can’t control the violence. I can take the punishment. It’s what I do,” somehow he said it with a smile. “What I need to control is not out there… It’s here,” he patted his chest, “Always.”

Sophie just smiled softly and walked away. I stood there for a moment, tracing his sweaty features with my eyes. I then reached up and grabbed a hold of his gloved hand, giving it a tight squeeze. I nodded at him with a tight smile, trying not to get emotional for him, but I wanted to convey that I understood, maybe not all of it, but as much as I could right now. I followed Sophie soon after, but I could feel his eyes on me as I left.

Too soon, the night of the fight came. The crowd was cheering, but I only felt sick. Who knows what Rucker would pull tonight. I vaguely had in the back of my head the plan, but it wasn’t helping. The crew kept me in the back, away from Rucker since he wasn’t as familiar with me, and they wanted to keep it that way. I wasn’t complaining, I didn’t want to be in the fray anyway. 

I watched as the fighting commenced, Eliot and Tank exchanging blows. Eliot sure wasn’t gonna let Tank take the win easy. It wasn’t too long however, when I noticed Eliot getting dazed. I knew it was going to happen, but it didn’t make me feel better. I watched across the ring as Nate sniffed Eliot’s water bottle, and Sophie started arguing with Rucker. Reading Sophie’s lips, I caught the gist of it, she was telling Rucker that Eliot was a different kind of fighter. He doesn’t just do it for sport, that’s how he keeps alive. 

I could even hear her in the crowd when she said, “You’ve just made him more dangerous, you’ve taken the safety off the gun!”

Then Eliot seemed to lose control, he wasn’t gonna be losing this fight. Tank tried to tap out, but Eliot wouldn’t let him. The ref had to pry him off to let him loose. 

The doctor came into the ring, checking on Tank. Eliot sat in his corner, bloody, but otherwise calmed down. I stayed back in the corner, letting them do their work as the crowd was cleared out of the gym.

Rucker stormed the ring, “What the hell just happened?”

Nate shot right back, “What the hell? You could’ve killed him.”

“You know how much you just cost me? I’m gonna make you pay!” 

Hardison had to step between the two.

“Make me pay, huh?”

“We had a deal!”

“Hey, listen to me!” the ring doctor interrupted, “Tank is dead.”

Rucker quickly changed his tune, “No, no wait, wait.”

“You killed him,” the doctor pointed at Eliot, who when I looked at him now, almost looked distraught.

“Wait a second, are you sure?” Rucker asked him. 

“There’s nothing I can do.”

“Listen, he could just be out,” he insisted. 

“I gotta call the police,” the doctor said as he pulled out his phone. 

“No police!” Rucker shouted before turning to a whisper, “Listen to me. Listen, we can work this out. Keep it in the family. I’ll make it worth your while.”

“There were hundreds of witnesses!”

“They’re gone now.”

“Plus we’ve got a dead body, what am I supposed to do about that?! And also?” he continued, “we ain’t family.”

Rucker finally seemed to back off, “alright, alright, you’re right. You call the police, and I… I’m gonna call the athletic commission.” He hurried up to his office, where I knew he wasn’t going to make that phone call. 

I sat next to Hardison once everything was settled down, waiting for confirmation from Parker about the GPS and Rucker leaving. 

Hardison opened his phone to see the GPS tracker on his screen, “Looks like he’s headed to Iowa.”

“Make the call,” Nate said. 

I immediately took out my phone to comply. 

“What’s going on?” Howorth asked as he walked in. 

“Just give me a sec,” Nate replied, “Doc, you’ve got Tank right?”

“Yeah. Oh, he’ll be fine,” the ring doctor stood, calm as could be, “should come around in a few minutes.”

“Wait, wait,” Howorth stepped up to the ring, “he’s not dead?”

“Succinylcholine,” the doc raised a syringe, “it’s a mild paralytic. It only works for a few minutes.”

“Yeah, it was just enough to scare off Rucker,” Nate explained. 

“So, so Eliot wasn’t…”

“No, no. We found the drugged water bottle before the fight, switched it out with a clean one.” Nate explained. “Rucker’s not too original when it comes to this kind of thing apparently.”

“So, Jonny, you were in on this?”

The doc nodded, “Mr. Ford and his friends came and asked me for help. I told him around here, we always stand up for our own.” He looked around, “where’s Rucker?”

“The Iowa State Police just got a tip that a fugitive is headed into their jurisdiction,” I replied.

“And I’m pretty sure crossing state lines with a bag full of cash won’t look too good,” Hardison added. 

“Especially when they find the little surprise in his trunk,” Parker laughed. I recalled how Parker went and picked up a bunch of firearms with the money Nate won off of Rucker in golf. That’s a lot of guns to find in a trunk. 

“That should hold him off until the IRS gets down here,” Nate commented. 

“The IRS?” Howorth asked.

“The money that Rucker makes from these fights,” Sophie began, “well, it’s all in cash.”

“Yeah, and he wasn’t too good about reporting that income,” Hardison finished. “You see, all we had to do was flag the government about the tax evasion.”

“Rucker won’t be coming back to town anytime soon,” I smiled at Howorth, proud of the crew and what they could accomplish. 

“He doesn’t have anything to come back for,” Sophie added, “He literally bet the whole house on Tank.”

“So all that money’s gone?” Howorth asked.

“Well, you see, not exactly,” Nate said. 

Hardison made a bunch of online bookies that Rucker placed his bets with, he explained. Meaning that they had access to the money. 

The doc examined Eliot, “you took a hell of a pounding. We should get you a CT scan. You could have internal bleeding.” 

I sat down next to Eliot, looking him over, hoping he was okay.

“You let yourself get hammered like that on purpose,” Howorth commented, handing him an ice pack, “that’s a hell of a lot of punishment to take.”

“That’s what he does,” Sophie answered. 

Eliot nodded, only making brief eye contact as he held the ice pack to his shoulder.

Once everything was settled, we were able to hand the gym over to the Howorths, encouraging them to be better for those that wanted to be in the sport, to help them. They were excited, and ready to take up the challenge. But for us, it was time to go back home, we all needed some rest I thought, one more than the others. 

Tags: @isoldeahlstrom @kniselle

[jomiddlemarch]

the better part of valor

“And this is Captain Miller,” Mary said, keeping her voice low. The man, a pallor beneath his tanned skin, dark shadows under his eyes, had taken a turn for the worse in the night, a consequence perhaps of being assigned to Dr. Hale, and she was loathe to wake him any earlier than she must. Hale would bluster about his time being valuable, but Jed was more likely to shrug and then expound upon what any decent physician could glean from a simple observation. If they had had coffee and not chicory, he might go on at some length, clearly enjoying himself while also waiting to see if the patient would rouse to the sound of his voice. If Jed sidled a bit closer in these circumstances, the hint of a smile almost concealed by his beard, the admiration in his gaze more obvious, Mary could not be held responsible or accused of any untoward behavior ill-suiting a Head Nurse.

“He ain’t. He’s Major Miller,” the young boy in the next bed piped up. 

“Indeed?” Jed said. He barely needed to pivot to take in the youngster, the beds having been pulled closer together than Mary ordinarily allowed. It meant the ward could hold a few more wounded, but she’d acquiesced primarily to assuage the boy’s combination of imperious demand and abject pleading. It happened this way sometimes, a pair or trio of soldiers came in together and it was apparent that their bond went beyond the battle or the uniform. 

“I see no evidence of such an elevated rank,” Jed added. “Perhaps you’re mistaken, a head injury can cause confusion—”

“I know what I know.” Beneath the bandages, the boy’s eyebrows drew together. Stubborn he was and though Mary was certain he’d lied about his age and very possibly about his name and sex given the binding she’d discovered under his newspaper-lined coat, she recognized the ring of truth in his expression and the flatness of his voice.

“Then you know better than the Union Army?” Jed countered. He’d taken chicory but there’d been fresh milk and Mary had poured with as lavish a hand as her New England upbringing would allow. Jed was in good spirits and was sure to regale her with a thorough medical assessment of the young private when they left the ward. 

“He got a whaddyacallit, a brevet, after what he did a month ago. Should’ve gotten a passel of them, all the Rebs he’s got, sir,” the boy said. 

“For gallantry on the field,” Jed said.

“Not gallantry,” the boy said, shaking his head as much as he could. Mary had attended to his dislocated shoulder herself, strapping him securely without disturbing the muslin tightly wound around his, or rather her, chest. “He’s the bravest man I know, the bravest man in the whole Union Army, and I wouldn’t even be here if he hadn’t—if he didn’t—”

Something, a memory most likely, had overtaken the boy and his voice had risen before he broke off, worryingly soprano, enough to draw attention to the discussion and to the smoothness of his cheeks washed free of dirt and dried blood, the slightness of his frame. Carrying a flag and a drum, he’d be taken for what he said he was, but here, in the narrow cot, the bandages around his head like the nuns’ wimples, he was in danger of discovery and his champion Major Miller slept on, unable to defend with a distraction. Someone must intervene before Jed was forced to ask questions Mary knew he would rather defer, a truth undiscovered one he needn’t act on as either Doctor or Captain Foster, could trust to her discretion.

“I’ll be sure to make of note of the Major’s rank, Private Elton,” Mary said, lingering just a little on the name the boy had given her when she’d asked, a subtle reminder of the role that had been undertaken. He’d stumbled over it, really, salvaging the near-disastrous admission by coughing, first clumsily as Mary recalled the poor acting of the man rehearsing as Juliet when Corporal Gielgud had spiked a fever and been unable to tread what passed for the hospital’s theater boards, and then with the convulsive hacking that those who’d breathed in too much smoke and dust were prone to. Ellen was most likely or Eleanor, Elizabeth more commonly shortened to Lizzie or Betsy, not the El— that had been abandoned. The people she’d left behind must fear for her greatly, unless there were none left, Elton an orphan or a poor relation the larder barely stretched to feed.

“He rode a horse gut-shot,” Elton offered. “Major Miller was shot, not the horse.”

“A helpful, though unnecessary, clarification,” Jed remarked. “Exceedingly helpful for the horse, one imagines.”

“Took out two snipers while he did it,” Elton went on, undeterred by Jed’s comment. “They would’ve killed me but he could’ve not got wounded. Belly’s bad to get hurt—” 

Jed picked up Major Miller’s wrist and after a few seconds, nodded, raising an eyebrow in that rapid assessment he was capable of, indicating he thought the man would live but that he’d have had a better chance under Jed’s hands than Hale’s. It was enough for Mary to go on with; she always found it easier to tell the truth and to lie by omission.

“I’m sure he was glad to do his duty. To keep you safe,” she said. She had half-expected another argument, that protecting Elton wasn’t Miller’s duty, that it was unreasonable to be kept safe in a battle, to have a stranger become your closest ally, but Elton stayed quiet.

“His injury isn’t terrible, though you’re correct that abdominal wounds have generally worse outcomes,” Jed said. Elton gave Jed such a glare of skeptical scrutiny it was all Mary could do to keep from chuckling. “I’ve seen worse and I’ve seen plenty,” he said, direct as he could be when it was needful.

“You ain’t the one they call the Butcher, are you?” Elton asked.

Jed choked on the laugh he couldn’t suppress despite the quelling glance Mary gave him.

“No, I haven’t been given that esteemed title. It belongs to our other surgeon, whose efforts your comrade appears to have weathered. Major Miller likely possesses a hearty constitution and an ample degree of, shall we say, fortitude?”

“He’s got grit and he’s obstinate as my Aunt Phaedra’s mule, if that’s what all your high-falutin’ words mean,” Elton said. This time, Mary permitted herself to smile.

“I’ll watch over him myself,” Mary said. “And you may send any of the orderlies for me if you are worried, I’ll come as quick as I can.”

“And now, young Elton,” Jed said, the name uttered with a sincerity that was undercut by the acute acknowledgement of his gaze, “you may rest easy, for there is no one here who is more determined to keep a man alive, even if he should wish to argue, than our Head Nurse. She should merit her own brevet, save that there is no higher post for her to ascend to, given that Lincoln’s still in the White House and the Mother Mary Veronica assures me God occupies His throne.”

[tatjana-fantasy]

(Part 5)

Let’s continue my replay of The Quarry :) Some thoughts (Chapter 8 + Chapter 9):

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 6

I can totally understand why Ryan wouldn’t want to kill Chris, who is essentially his father figure. At the same time, I do understand why Laura doesn’t see another option. I still think it’s a little extreme for her to immediately want to kill Chris, but I sadly get where she is coming from ;__;

I actually like Ryan’s and Laura’s dynamic quite a lot! More in a sibling than in a romantic way, though. :)

Okay, let’s talk about the infamous “Maybe neither.” Personally, I always thought that in the context of Laura’s question, it simply meant that Ryan likes neither more (and at least the German version translates it as “I like both”), but even if we assume that he likes neither of them … he doesn’t owe Dylan anything. Just like Emma is completely allowed to say No to Jacob without being harassed over it, Ryan is completely allowed to say No to Dylan without being harassed over it. And I say that as someone who ships them.

Speaking off Dylan, I LOVE the scene where Emma “maces” him XD

STOP LAURA STOP LAURA STOP LAURA (I lost Nick on my first playthrough because I wanted to show my trust in her T__T)

Yay, I freed Jacob :D The puzzle is still soooo confusing though. I’m kinda glad I avoided it on my first playthrough because I can’t imagine I would’ve ever pulled it off!

WTF is up with the music after Laura gets captured?? And how have I never noticed how unintentionally funny it is??

I’m surprised the dialogue between Abigail and Emma in the beginning stays the same even if she’s infected :O

I heard that Constance’s death apparently got censored in some versions of the game, so I’m happy mine isn’t among them :) She and Travis were the only Hacketts that died on my first playthrough …

Not gonna lie, Jed’s death by Laura’s hand is surprisingly brutal!

Bobby is so hilarious, I love him <3 <3 <3

I LOVE the moral dilemma of accepting Laura’s bite. On my first playthrough, I accepted Laura’s bite because I hoped that there would be another way to save Chris, but at the same time, I feared that I made the wrong choice. I really didn't want to kill him :-(

You all already know this, but: HOLY SHIT THE SCRAPYARD SCENE IS SO GOOD. The werewolf, the lights, the music! And afterwards, when Dylan begs Kaitlyn to leave him! While it sucks that he won’t be in the lodge later, this scene almost makes it worth it <3 Oh, and I got the trophy for infecting everyone, so now I just need to save them ;-)

And then, the scene with Abi and Emma. Emma’s words to Abi hurt so much T__T Her “Abi …” at the end sounded like an apology :-(

(Btw, I luckily knew what I had to do and escaped via the ladder, but I think it really sucks that going to the stairs is an automatic death sentence.)

On my first playthrough, I refused to shoot Chris during the Hackett showdown, and Ryan, Laura and Travis died. I was freaking devastated. Ryan’s death in particular left me so heartbroken that I had to stop playing for that day, only to have literal nightmares about how Dylan would react to his death. It certainly left a lasting impression on me … only to pull the rug under my feet when I saw what the actual ending of the game was :-/

I love the Hierophant flashback, but damn, I really wish the game would allow you to pick another card afterwards :-/ I think it’s pretty unfair that simply finding this card already makes it impossible to see another card’s vision …

But anyway, I still enjoyed these chapters despite some problems I have with them. :) See you next time, when I finish my replay of The Quarry!

[rainbowmoonstonestories]

(gif by periodcostumefantasylover)

Everything was dusty, gloomy, hazy. You were standing in a field of sand, infinite and dark. A desert, perhaps?

You found yourself into the unknown, you were not afraid, but definitely lost and disoriented. You could feel the wind howling around you and blowing into your face, you had to constantly push your hair away from your eyes as you attempted to move forward. You spotted the shape of something big and white taking form into the distance, unclear and foreign. And it was calling your name, silently but strongly.

And so you walked, one hand cupped on your forehead to protect yourself from the sandstorm. The brown fog began to subside, the wind died down and you could clearly see what stood in front of you more clearly now, so high and imponent, so beautifully made.

Everything was appearing a little blurry and, at first, you had quite some trouble putting it into focus. You could feel the warmth of the blazing sun rising behind you, but its comforting presence was mixed with thunders reverberating through the menacing clouds. As you stepped close to the big object, you noticed that it was a stoned barrier, the entry of something you were feeling attracted to, but that evidently you were not yet allowed to discover.

You squinted, inspecting every carving that had been masterfully created on those gates. There were complex ornaments, symmetrical sections and birds of prey on both sides, a weird alien-like mask built at the top and reflected like a mirror. But what truly captured your attention was the detail in the faces of someone imprinted into the stone, illustrating what you perceived as heartbreaking love story and distant memory. One of those faces was strangely familiar too, but your mind was all fuzzy and you could barely think straight.

You reached for one of the two doors, you felt the hardness and roughness of the stony material under your skin. You hoped to see it moving, opening at your touch, but something about that whole situation was somehow completely wrong. You stared at your fingers in utter confusion, as you suddenly counted more than you were supposed to have in one hand. It was like watching a glitchy monitor with an out of focus slide where things looked doubled and overlapped, your eyes couldn't adjust and your overall awareness had considerably started to fade.

The gates blew away, slipping between your distorted fingers in a handful of grains. The wind picked up again, swirls of sand engulfed you and dragged you into an expanse of pitch black before you woke up.

(divider by firefly-graphics)

Snippet #2 from CH3. As short as this part is, I was actually excited to add it.

Now, the distorted hand with many fingers is actually an existing thing in dreams and it is known as a Reality Check for when you start gaining awareness and becoming lucid. Most of the time, hands look off in dreams (hence the glitchy view), you can't properly read, the time on clocks might change quickly and inconsistently, you may still be able to breathe if you pinch your nose and keep your mouth shut.

The whole topic is really interesting to me and I want to explore it more in my story. When Morpheus helped Rose to locate her brother through her dreams, the text on the poster she printed to find Jed was reversed and out of place.

And here you may wonder: "How can Reader experience this dream if in the previous chapters you said she cannot dream?" Well, the Dreaming is damaged with Morpheus imprisoned, so she is bound to never remember her dreams.

But the reason why she ended up right in front of the Gates of Horn and Ivory? The answer can be found in the previous snippet. Or in Chapter 3 as soon as it's posted.

[mimisempai]

With a little help from our friends

Summary

Mix a raven, a gossipy janitor and a sprig of mistletoe and you have a conspiracy for a human and his lord of dreams to share as many kisses as possible.

or

five times when Dream and Hob kiss under the mistletoe and once when the mistletoe is not necessary...

Notes

Don't mind me, juste having some holiday fluff

On Ao3

Rating G - 1178 words

1.

The first time, it was Hob who noticed Matthew flying over them and carrying a sprig of mistletoe.

"Oh Dream, did you ask Matthew to do that?"

Dream looked up and replied, "Honestly Hob, do you think I would do that kind of thing?"

Hob eyed him suspiciously for a few seconds, then shaking his shoulders, he replied teasingly, "Well that's okay, it's not going to stop me from enjoying it."

He moved closer to Dream, grabbed his hand and kissed every knuckle before leaving a lingering kiss in the palm of the lord of dream's hand.

At Dream's surprised look, he simply replied, a teasing gleam in his eye, "Well, that was a kiss under the mistletoe, wasn't it?". 

Then he walked away innocently under Dream's confused look.

For a long moment after he left, Dream felt the pressure of Hob's lips in the palm of his hand. 

"Matthew..." 

But when he looked up, the raven was already gone. 

2.

The second time, it was Jed who noticed that Matthew had just come in through the living room window

"Uncle Dream! Uncle Hob! Look! He's got something in his beak!" 

This time it was Dream who took advantage of the situation. He put his hands on Hob's shoulders and made him lean closer. Hob already thought he was going to be kissed on the lips, but Dream took his head in his hands and tilted him a little more before pressing his lips to Hob's forehead for a lingering kiss. Hob's eyes widened in surprise but he allowed the kiss. Dream planted a second, shorter kiss on his forehead before lifting his head and saying cheekily, "Did you like that kiss under the mistletoe, Robert Gadling?" 

This time he was the one who left the room victorious and Hob who felt the burn of the kiss on his forehead all day.

3.

The third time, it was students outside Hob's school who had noticed Matthew flying over them, again carrying a sprig of mistletoe.

They were leaving the school grounds and walking hand in hand when they noticed the students whispering and pointing over their heads as they passed.

They both looked up, less and less surprised to see the cheeky raven flying over them again.

Seeing Hob's puppy dog eyes, Dream resigned himself and closed his eyes, waiting for the kiss, wherever it was going to be dropped. Suddenly, he felt a soft, warm pressure on... his cheek.

When Dream opened his eyes, he saw Hob's little smirk and if they hadn't been in public, he would have wiped that smile off his face in the most effective way he knew how. But he just glared at him before moving on, pretending to ignore that Hob was running behind him. 

However, he couldn't help but lightly touch his cheek where Hob had kissed him.

4.

The fourth time, it was when Dream arrived in the kitchen that she noticed Matthew, his mistletoe in his beak, perched on the hood right above Hob who was focused on baking Christmas cookies and hadn't noticed anything between the blender's noise and the radio playing Christmas carols at full volume.

That's all it took for Dream to do something. He walked over to Hob and put his hands on his hips.

Surprised, Hob yelped.

Dream pinned him against the counter, preventing him from turning around, then, leaning his head forward, he laid a long kiss on his lover's neck. He was acutely aware of the shiver that ran through Hob and couldn’t help smiling. 

He stepped back and whispered provocatively, "It's a tie," before pouring himself a cup of coffee and walking away as if nothing had happened. 

He took one last look behind him, satisfied to see a blushing Hob gently rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. 

5.

On the fifth time, it was Death who pointed out to them that Matthew was flying over them with his ever-present sprig of mistletoe.

The two men were feeding the pigeons in the park when she exclaimed, "Boys, look up!" 

Of course, they were no longer surprised to see the black bird flying above them. Hob was the quickest to react, leaning in toward Dream who thought he was finally going to get his real kiss, but Hob, that little rascal, lifted his lips at the last moment and placed a light kiss on Dream's nose.

Dream, frustrated, got up and walked away.

Hob turned sheepishly to Death who shook her head. "Ah no... you leave me out of your dramas." 

Hob stood up in turn and went in search of his lover.

+1

Hob found Dream in their room, sitting on their bed. He went to sit next to him and gave him a shoulder nudge.

"Hey love, you know you don't have to ask Matthew to do this for me to kiss you, right?"

Dream turned his head sharply towards him, "What? I was going to say the same thing to you!"

He and Hob looked at each other, stunned. 

"But then who?"

Hob shrugged and replied, taking Dream's hand, "Actually, I don't care, and it's true that I found it funny, but the truth is, mistletoe or not, I always want to kiss you."

He saw Dream's expression soften and it was the lord of dreams who grabbed his head and pulled Hob to him to capture his lips in a kiss that left them both breathless. 

Many kisses later, all frustration gone, they lay in each other's arms, Hob's head on Dream's chest as Dream ran his fingers through Hob's long brown hair. 

He said softly, "I still wonder what possessed Matthew to do that."

Hob chuckled softly, "Think about it, Dream, who else could have asked Matthew that but us?"

Dream realized and growled, "Mervyn, that gossipy janitor. But why?" Dream found Hob's silence strange and asked, "Hob?"

Hob kissed Dream's chest before answering, "Actually I think it was indirectly my fault, I was talking to Matthew in front of Mervyn about Christmas traditions and Matthew had told us that he often hid sprigs of mistletoe around the house to surprise his wife and over the years she too had gotten caught up in it. So I might have said something like I was wishing there was mistletoe everywhere so I could kiss you any time."

Hob, embarrassed, hid his face in Dream's neck, waiting for the scolding. But Dream started laughing. He gently tugged on Hob's hair to make him lift his head and captured his lips again in a passionate kiss. Then he said, "Idiot, I'm just like you, I always want to kiss you too."

They chuckled softly in chorus, realizing how stupid they had both been, and while they made up for lost time by exchanging many kisses, they had no idea that in the meantime Mervyn was conspiring with Matthew.

This time they were going to start this tradition in the Dreaming castle. It was time to bring together a certain winged dream and a certain bookseller.

_________

Still not beta'd

Still not my native language

Still hoping you'll enjoy this story  🥰

Still thanking you for bearing with me 😝

Dreamling Masterlist here

[alieninashoebox]

Thoughts on the new Night at the Museum!

Aight, NatM has been my comfort franchise since 2009. When I heard we were getting an animated one I was positively ecstatic. Now that it's been out for a week and I've watched it twice here are some thoughts! (Mostly positive with a few things I thought could have been better!) Things I enjoyed

I LOVED the opening sequence. The animation is absolutely gorgeous

The healthy coparenting between Erica and Larry was great to see. Their communication was great and you can really see how their dynamic has changed/improved since the first movie.

Thoroughly enjoyed Nick in this movie. To be honest, the awkward teenager who needed a confidence boost felt a lot more believable than the popular kid throwing raves in his dad's apartment from the natm 3.

The museum exhibits that were locked in the loading dock was a great way to make that part of the museum seem even creepier

Jed and Octavius were so TOUCHY this movie oh my god.

The bit where Teddy threw his sword at the oil painting and oil actually came out of the painting was pretty cool.

I love that this movie's entire theme/vibe was The Power of FriendshipTM

I think the way they incorporated Nick's love for music into how he solves the problem at the end sent a really important message. I can remember being that age and being told to put writing to the side because it was never going to serve me. I hope some kid dealing that sees this movie and is reminded to never give up on what they love.

The bisexual sticker on Nicky's laptop and the gay pride sticker on the poster in the school. I know it's now much, but even seeing the small things bring me a lot of joy.

The lions look so much like Nala and Simba from the Lion King, it felt like a nice nod to the movie.

I really like the direction the voice actor went with Teddy. I was worried that it was going to just be a Robin Williams impression, which would have just been sad but he did a great job taking the character and making it his own.

Did I already mention how touchy Jed and Octavius were?

Things that could have been better

There's a lot of confusion about when this movie takes place. I'm not sure if its before three or after. It makes more sense for it to be before 3 since the whole theme of three was "if you love it let it go," and having it take place after would completely disregard that. But I've seen some people say they think it takes place after. I just wish we had a clear timeline.

I didn't really like Laa. And that's not just this movie, I didn't like him in the third one either. This series itself is so naturally funny, it doesn't feel like it needs that type of slapstick comedy.

There were little callbacks here and there to the previous movies, but it definitely felt a little disconnected from them at the same time? Despite the fact that SEVERAL of these exhibits were in Battle of the Smithsonian(and one of them nearly died) it felt like this was the first time they were seeing Kahmunrah. There was very little to no mention of the events that happened with his character before other than "your father defeated me once, but now I'm back."

(There are a few other things, but I feel like a lot have been said already and I don't want this to get super negative)

Overall I did enjoy the movie. It's still a little jarring hearing different voices for these characters, but I expect that to change over time.

And that's all for that!

[oru-tree]

A Ghost Story post

Well, now that I've caught up I wanted to make a post about my general thoughts on it instead of making a bunch of small posts, well here it is, minor spoilers under cut but I'll try to avoid them as much as I can

A ghost story is the story of Maxine and Jack and... their world...

I actually had started reading ags a while ago, but stopped after book one was done and was like "well i'll wait until theres more to read" and uhhh without meaning to years passed but now I caught on again.

A part of me would have liked to have followed it in real time, another part of me likes having read it now how I did it, there's some things in it that Im like, I'm glad I was able to go through them in one go.

I've tried making this post multiple times, trying to write something more "meaningful" or in a better order but I just cant....

My thoughts in general are: I like the comic and had fun catching up, the start is a bit confusing imo, but it has more to do with the setting being new, and some uh... composition? flow? choices, but all of this is stuff the comic improves later on, which is something I find fun to look at when reading a webcomic, see how they change and improve.

So yeah.

My book two thoughts are:

This is were the comic "picks up" to me, and its not only because my favorite little guy (JED!) shows up, but I think by this point of the story the world is fleshed out enough that you start noticing some stuff... It also introduces Alice, whom I love...

*why* did they cut up her cake like this, messed up !

The ongoing Book 3 is really good... by this point the setting and plot have been fleshed out enough that you can go back and get so much more out of what is there, I think in a month or so I should do a re-read, because I keep noticing stuff I hadn't before, you get more context on things and its fuuun !!

The above text is sooo messed up once you get more context on what is being said, its gooood

So yeah, I can't remember what I wrote but these are some of my thoughts on AGS

So read AGS if you like stories about... Ghosts! Mysteries! Holding onto your culture <- My vocalubary is not good enough to put this into words but it touches on those themes, I specially like the last one, but you start getting a better idea about it until towards the end of book 2.

AGS is also about this....

So yeah, as a warning theres blood, infanticide, mentions of suicide, uhhh body mutilation, cartoony gore, nudity, and I think... thats it? I don't think its that strong, but yeah.

And thats it, BUT if you read this far, I have a question

Do you think its a bit gay if a man takes a cigarette out from anothers mans mouth and puts it out by burning it out with his arm?

If you want context... read the comic...

[dragonbinx]

Existential Halloween

From my Halloween series last fall and the first part of my Jed Explains the Holiday series.  Posted on Ao3 here.

Series: Legacies

Ship: BenJed

Characters: Jed Tien, Ben

“What is this?”

Jed startled, thoughts of Odysseus disappearing from his head. Midterms were coming up and for the first time, he was focused on studying. His head hurt a little and he was pretty sure he was using way too much highlighter because half the book was orange, but he was interested in his subjects and he was pretty sure he could do this. If his boyfriend didn’t distract him too much.

He looked at the thing covering his books, then up at Ben. “Um, that’s a witch hat. Why do you have a witch hat?”

“Because that’s what the woman at the store in town called it, but witches don’t wear hats. And even if they did, I thought humans didn’t know they existed so why are they trying to sell them accessories?”

Jed smirked. “Okay, I’m guessing the Wikipedia in your head doesn’t include Halloween?” Ben’s head tilted his head in confusion. “Which one’s tripping you up, Wikipedia or Halloween? Actually, you know what, never mind, I’ll just try again. Your power that lets you know things doesn’t cover holidays?”

“Oh. No, it doesn’t. It’s mostly for languages and how to perform tasks, that sort of thing. So there’s a holiday for witches and it involves this hat?” He picked up the pointed hat and turned it over dubiously. “Why does is it pointed?”

“Halloween is a mix of Celtic pagan traditions and a Christian holiday from several centuries ago, to honor the dead I think. And then history happened, traditions kept changing, and now it’s a holiday where people celebrate the funny or scary parts of what they all think are totally fake supernatural stuff. Including weird, over exaggerated takes on witches. The traditional ‘witch’ rides on a broomstick, has a pointy nose, and wears that.” He tapped the point on the hat for emphasis.

“That’s … ridiculous. Why would people think that?”

“Don’t ask me. I grew up in a pack, I only know this stuff because I went to a human school on and off before I turned. Which is probably one of the reasons I’m not good at studying. Which is why I should get back to it.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to distract you.” Ben dropped a kiss on the top of Jed’s head. “Thank you for explaining and I’ll be in the RV if you need my help.”

Jed chuckled under his breath as he watched his boyfriend walk back to the RV, turning the hat over and over in his hands. Then he turned back to his studying, thinking that was the end of it.

It was not.

*

“Why are there cats?”

Jed blinked at Ben sleepily. He’d spent the night studying and was running a little late this morning, so he was still nursing a coffee at almost eleven. Ben had already gone into town to pick up some packages they’d had sent to the local post office and apparently had questions. “What, like why did we choose to domesticate cats and not something cool like rhinos or something? No idea. But I like kinda like cats, there’s a lot of videos of them on the internet.” He was really loving having access to WiFi. It wasn’t better than magic, but it was pretty awesome.

“No, I meant for Halloween. There are so many black cats on things. And pumpkins, why are there pumpkins?”

“Oh. Um, black cats are supposed to be unlucky and they have something to do with witches, their familiars - like an animal sidekick, I guess? And pumpkins because fall and jack-o-lanterns. Crap, jack-o-lanterns - so you carve a face into a pumpkin and put a candle inside and it’s supposed to scare away ghosts and stuff. I think. Irish myth or something. That one might be true though. It sounds like a thing that might exist, some ghost carrying around a lantern. I’ll ask Professor Vardemus the next time we talk.” He shook his head and tried to get back on track. “Was that all you wanted to know?”

“I think so. Thank you.” Ben looked more lost than before he’d asked, but he left Jed to his coffee.

*

Jed was vibrating, waiting for Ben to come home. He’d been updating his student portal waiting for grades to be posted repeatedly all afternoon and they’d finally been posted half an hour ago, and he’d texted Ben immediately. He’d paced their camp a dozen times, lifted some weights, then texted Finch and Cleo the good news, and now he was sitting by the fire pit, knee jiggling, waiting for Ben to show up.

When he did arrive, it wasn’t with the hoped for attitude. He strode into camp, tossed some bags down on the table, and said, “I do not understand Halloween. What could candy possibly have to do with a holiday about honoring those you’ve lost, incorrect myths, and cats? Why are there signs everywhere telling me I should get the candy early? Are they going to run out? And why -“

He was cut off by Jed’s hand over his mouth. “Look, I usually don’t mind your endless Halloween questions. I actually think it’s kinda cute how much this is bothering you -“

“Thank you,” Ben said, muffled by Jed’s palm.

“- but I have news. So we can talk about trick-or-treating later, but right now, don’t you want to hear about my grades?”

Ben pulled Jed’s hand off of his mouth. “They posted them?”

“An A, two A minuses, one B plus and one B minus. Best grades I’ve gotten since the wolf who did my homework freshman year graduated. I kinda killed it.”

“That’s amazing, Jed!” Ben wrapped him up in a hug. “We should celebrate. Whatever you want to do.”

Jed pulled away and looked in the bags on the table. “Did you get anything that’ll go bad? Dairy, meat, anything like that?”

Ben’s brow furrowed. “No. Why?

Jed dragged Ben in by the front of his shirt and kissed him, all open mouth and sliding tongue and dirty intentions. Ben, always quick to jump on board when Jed wanted him, gave as good as he got, digging his fingers into Jed’s hair to pull him closer, the other hand slipping under his shirt to splay over his side possessively.

“Time to go in and celebrate,” Jed said hoarsely when they came up for breath, twining his fingers through Ben’s and tugging him towards the RV, laughing as Ben crowded him, banding his arms around his stomach and burying his face in Jed’s neck. It made getting inside more difficult, but Jed wasn’t complaining.

*

“Why do they laugh at monsters? Monsters aren’t a joke.”

Jed turned to Ben. They were sitting by the fire, a beer in each of their hands. He’d noticed that something was off with his boyfriend, but he’d wanted to give Ben some time and see if he’d bring it up. Apparently he was now. “Is this another Halloween thing?” Ben nodded, still looking at the fire. “It’s because they don’t believe in them. They can’t take them seriously, because they don’t think they’re real.”

Ben sighed. “I understand. It still makes me uncomfortable.”

“I get that.” Jed scooted his chair closer and pulled Ben close. Ben gratefully put his head on Jed’s shoulder, and Jed took his hands and rubbed circles on the back of it. “How about we spend Halloween by ourselves this year?”

“I thought you were excited to do human holiday traditions now that you aren’t at the school anymore?”

“And we will have a very intense Christmas, I can promise you that. But we can skip this one. Besides, it’s not like it’s our last chance or anything. We’re going to spend a lot of Halloweens together. There’s no rush.”

Ben lit up like he always did when Jed mentioned their future together. “I suppose you’re right. We can have a pumpkin, if you want,” he offered.

“Maybe.” He pressed his mouth into Ben’s hair and smiled, feeling very fond of his demigod.

“Jed?”

“Yeah?”

“I still hate the witch hat."

[jedsherman17]

Path of least resistance

Kyle loves the philosophical maxims I tell to maintain perspective in the face of challenges in the field and with customers. He says it’s because they have a calming effect that minimize the anxiety caused by [insurmountable obstacles]. I appreciate, nay, admire his naïve honesty, and how everything he does comes from the heart. The way he ‘feels’ is akin to way I ‘operate’ – that is, one by emotion and the other by logic. These little gems help us achieve a learned understanding of one another.

In a tip of the hat to Kyle, below are some of his favorites.

1.      Nothing was ever accomplished by panicking.

The Adaptability profile in Gallup strengths states that Adaptable people tend to live in the moment, take things as they come, and create the future one choice at a time. I tell Kyle we must expect the inevitable sudden requests from clients and unforeseen detours, and emphasize the importance of staying focused and productive when demands pull us in many different directions at once.

2.      It’s okay to fail safely. There’s no mistake that can’t be fixed.

3.      Do not fear your mistakes, only the inability to correct them.

These two are generally given together – one to reinforce the idea that no one is punished for taking the initiative, and the other to remind us to learn what works and do better in the future.

4.      Let’s emphasize the proper outcome, doing what’s expected isn’t that impressive.

Hotel guests expect a smooth check-in and a clean room. Landscape customers want neat turf and a weedless flower bed. Our clinic patients demand a proper diagnosis and competent treatment – all basic expectations. There is no way we win the customer by highlighting these fundamentals. Instead, it is our differentiators, the “above and beyond” and the “gold medal plays,” that impress.

5.      Take the path of least resistance.

Not to be confused with laziness or do only what is necessary, the path of least resistance offers the highest return for the lowest risk. Returns in the form of customer satisfaction, revenue dollars, and/or relationship building; while risks are energy expended, dollars spent, and time.

6.      For every argument we win, we lose that customer.

This is adapted from Carnegie, and very accurately describes why the customer is always right, even if they’re not. I don’t suggest folks dehumanize themselves for the sake of placating an objectionable situation, but it is why I emphasize the use of “here’s what I can do for you [insert name… always use their name].”

7.      People don’t want to be sold, but they will buy good feelings and solutions to problems.

Not one I use with Kyle often given his high EQ and incredible expertise. Taken from a customer service book I read years ago; it is the easiest way I found to remove fear from those who quiver at the very utterance of the word “sales.” Not everyone is afforded the training to learn the X’s and O’s of the sales playbook, but with a good attitude and decent knowledge of our service, customers will buy what we’re selling.

8.      If you want to be taken seriously, speed of response is not an option.

More for me than any customer related axiom, and “speed” is a relative term, but Kyle, bro, don’t leave me hanging on that text message.

Jed Sherman is COO of Crestpoint Companies (www.crestpointco.com), a hotel development and management firm that merged with LinGate Hospitality (www.lingatehospitality.com) where he serves as VP of Operations. He and his team manage a portfolio of 19 hotels generating 520,000+ annual room nights.

He is Founder and CEO of First Landing Lawn & Landscape (www.firstlandinglawn.com), a boutique commercial landscape and grounds maintenance company delivering quality landscaping to individual business owners and small, appreciated commercial customers.

He is also a Co-Founder and Principal of Cura Health Partners (www.curahealthpartners.com), a health care company committed to delivering high-quality, timely, and easily accessible urgent care and related services to patients through a partnership with American Family Care (www.afcurgentcare.com/west-chester-voa-oh).

Jed Sherman | LinkedIn

[kyglow]

bemused and in a state of disbelief as what he envisioned for tonight was not going rather to plan with ghostface being caught off guard most likely due to her some what plain reaction as he deemed as it wasn't effective for his audience. ghostface wanted the fear in her eyes and for her to be terrified yet she remained resilient and stern like she were laurie strode readying to face off michael myers at the end of h20. there was no panic as she was calm which caused him to be suspicious that something was not right however jed was not going to back down deciding to simply work with what he had and utilising his words of labelling her as the final girl the one who would face off against the killer in act 3. catching her mumbling words caused him to grin as she noticed revealing she was a fan of horror movies as there was no way she'd fail a test of horror questions like how the other ghostface's in the past would call up and ask. a chuckle escaped from beneath the mask in reaction to her witty response. " that's cute. it brings me joy that you're getting into the spirit of things. usually, it's always screaming or crying when i am face to face with the victim. " which was mostly true as the majority were so terrified which brought on a sense of thrill and joy when it came to killing his victims.

his eyes behind the mask were fixated on her making sure she wouldn't try and escape or try anything so sudden. his hand remained clutching onto the handle of the knife wriggling it around in front of him for dramatic effect as he pointed the pointy end of the blade in her direction. when she commented about how this version of ghostface was reinventing himself jed would find it to be a personal attack rather than a compliment yet he would remain calm in his demeanour. " is that what they say? " acting rather shocked about it as he then snickered. " i mean a franchise needs to reinvent itself to stay relevant or take drastic change for an audience. i mean look at the difference between a thing from another world and john carpenter's the thing both have the same premise but one is more memorable and favoured over the other. " purposely and intentionally taking a jab at the previous ghostface for not doing anything new to revitalise the franchise. ghostface stepped a little closer in her direction. " don't be so flattered. every ghostface or slasher needs a final girl i just decided to choose you. something about you seemed stranger than the others like you're a loner and have a darkness about you, stevie. " in truth he randomly had chosen her since the two had talked a few times causing him to develop a small crush on her but he knew that the streaming and movie business required sacrifices to be made if fame were on the table. moving in closer his eyes would then be drawn to the unusual drop of blood on her ear.

puzzled he lowered the knife and tilted his head as he was confused not knowing where the blood had came from. " yeah - - yeah a show. " his voice was inattentive and dry as he was distracted however his suspicions grew immensely that something was not right about her. gearing up to attack noticing a darkness present in her gaze he began to have doubts. ghostface would raise the knife in hand. he would then immediately move forward only to then stop and take a few steps back. " what the fuck is this!? " he exclaimed. " cut - - cut we are not doing this. " he would state only to then sigh. " you can't - - you can't just look all menacing like that. my viewers aren't going to like this." his voice filed with disdain as he was unhappy however he didn't want to kill her at this very moment. ghostface then pressed the stop button on his camera to cease recording. " something isn't right here. you're supposed to be less intimidating and less scary but you're giving me chills. " his head would be looking down as he fumbled with the camera before then lifting up his head to look in her direction. " by the way you have blood on your ear for some reason." still confused by why it was there. ghostface would treat this as if it were a film set in his mind since he was someone who didn't really view the reality of things. " look i think we should do this some other time i am not ready to cut you up or finish you off just yet and it would be so anti-climactic to go out this way in a fucking basement. " he shook his head as he would unstrap the camera off his chest. the knife however slipped out from his grasp hitting the floor while he was moving the camera as ghosface was being sloppy and careless.

stevie was typically the cautious type when it came to random noises in her home, and with a killer or killers on the loose that weren’t working with her and her friends she was on high alert. however, having gotten home from her own killing fun her adrenaline was high and her usual sense of danger was low. she’d been thankful that the gang had planned for a place to clean off and change out of their costumes so she wasn’t being caught in her get-up or with blood on her hands (although there was a small splatter she missed on the edge of her ear). heading down the stairs she hadn’t even thought to grab the pocket knife from her jeans' back pocket until it was too late and she was caught and thrown into the sofa. scampering swiftly to turn and face the male the small girls' eyes widened before looking to the knife in his hand. in a moment she should be focused on preservation and escaping her brain focused on how familiar the knife looked. “halloween two…” she mumbled to herself thinking how she’d have to tell billy about this if she managed to get away. “had plans. date night would’ve spoiled them,” the femme replied, her tone probably far calmer than his past victims. the boys and maddox were her alibis for the night but that didn’t always mean they were actually together after their kills. stevie often enjoyed revelling in the kills alone after they were all cleaned up.  the young woman stayed near the couch but stood slowly, gaze flickering between this new ghostface and the knife he held. her brow quirked as he spoke about meeting up with one of her friends, she didn’t ask who or what, sensing if this killer was anything like billy or stu they’d answer the question without being asked. and when he did there was a slight falter in her calm exterior, mindy hadn’t been on the list for her gang, she was a kind person and whilst tormenting her was part of the plan, killing her wasn’t. “so you’re the one they are saying is a creative and modern ghostface, hmm? not really sure reinvention was needed but hey that makes you an easy target to find,” the femme spoke. for those who knew stevie they knew she was studying criminology and forensic science, always interested in such things along with true crime and horror movies. something that made her useful when it came to covering the tracks at her group's murder scenes. “should i ask why i got the honour of being your final girl? seems like a not-so-easily earned honour,” she spoke with a soft purr as her hand slowly and carefully shifted to her back pocket, grabbing out her pocket knife and preparing to use it. she noted the camera on his chest, recalling billy mentioning a streaming from this other ghostface. “gotta fight, right? give your viewers a show,” she replied as her eyes gleamed with a darkness most in town never saw. “give me your best shot, ghostie.” she spoke, raising her free hand to gesture for him to make his move. 

[gothamstreetcat]

and oh my god can we scream about the new life is strange tho what did you think???

Yes yes yes, we can scream! But ONLY if you tell me your choices + what YOU thought of the game.

I'm gonna put my thoughts below the cut is what I would say if I wasn't on mobile (I don't understand why that's an option only for desktop but you do you, Tumblr)

First off, I really enjoyed the game. I did, I loved it and I thought it was as gorgeous as usual with an A+ soundtrack. I also think Alex had the best wardrobe out of anyone and I would make gifs of every one of her outfits if I didn't think it was going to be a fuckTON of work. I think the idea of empathy as a power is really neat (but IRL it’s my literal weakness 😅). However, all that being said, I feel the game has some flaws.

Like you said, I do wish the game was longer. Maybe I'm wrong because I didn't check the times for each ep. but it did seem to go by quickly. And while I appreciate being able to play the game all at once, I think it makes it more special when we have to wait for each episode + those little teaser trailers they always have. It also feel like the story was maybe a wee rushed + some things could have been fleshed out a little more -- like, Steph’s past relationship and it would have been neat if they gave a little callback to Before the Storm (since I believe that’s were Steph is from.)

Another thing is that while I understand Alex’s power I feel like they showcased the more intensity of it through the emotion: anger but not any of the others. And really, it was only the scene with Mac that affected Alex, so I think not using that idea for the other emotions was a bit of a missed opportunity. That being said, I did not take away Charlotte’s anger because I didn’t feel it was right. However, I didn’t do the same for the Police officer but I think I should have.

Moving on, while I really enjoy how full-circle the game came into it was a little confusing. Like, if Alex & Gabe’s father worked/lived in Haven Springs, wouldn’t everyone have known about it?? Therefore, would they not have known if everyone got out alive during Jed’s time working in the mine??? But anyway!!! Yeah, that was crazy and I was so bummed when not everyone sided with me at the meeting (I really don’t understand why Elenor didn’t when I had to tell Riley about her since it was the right thing to do. Everyone is the town could have helped her out and Riley could have still gone to college it wasn’t that serious 🙄) and I was so pissed Ryan didn't side with me. I get that it's his dad but the entire thing was so messed up it's crazy (makes me feel good I romance Steph. I usually don't romance people but I wanted to romance her so I did). Also, I super love Elenor-- I totally wanted her to do some body shots with Jed or Duckie! 😂

Now, don't get me wrong, there were some scenes that really got me. Obviously Gabe’s death (don't know why I didn't see that coming but wow) and also Jed shooting Alex. She was like: why are you sad Jed? And I was like: Girl! Did you not just hear him cock that gun?!?!? My jaw dropped at that. And I liked the foster home angle and everything. I think the game developers always do a good job telling stories like that.

I also really likedeverything about Haven Springs. The town, the people, the atmosphere. The closeness of everything. However, I wasn't sure if with Gabe being gone and the plot being solved if it was good for me to stay so I did leave (looking at it like a chapter is a book that's okay to close but you can always re-visit and are-read) (however, I do wish I'd stayed). I also, forgave Jed (which I imagine is SUPER unpopular) and please don't get me wrong, I think killing the entire Chen family, lying and getting away with it is fucked up, however, this is a game of empathy so forgiving him seemed like the thing to do.

[dr0wning-in-hell]

Mate pt.3 - Jed

Summary: Jed tires to gain Y/N’s trust and wants her to know that there is nothing wrong with her, Y/N think’s its all a game until she doesn’t.

Word Count: 4.6k+

Warnings: cursing, some angst, fluff

Pairing/characters: Jed x heratic!reader, Hope, Lizzie, Josie, Landon, MG, Raphael, Kaleb, Dr. Saltzman

Prompt: a/n

A/N: I honestly did not think I was going to get so much feedback on this mini series! I do apologize for how long it’s taken me to write literally anything, but I’m trying to get back into it. Also!! If anyone has any ideas for part four pls let me know! Comment it or send me a message!

new masterlist| prompt list| color prompts| ko-fi

A few days after the incident in the cafeteria Y/N began to slowly talk to the witches and vampires, but still kept her distance from the werewolves. After what happened she didn’t want to give them any ammunition against her. For whatever reason, she noticed that Jed was constantly trying to talk to her or apologize for the events that happened days prior. She really didn’t want anything to do with him or his pack considering they were just trying to pick a fight with her for no reason, but Jed really did want to apologize to her.

Y/N had a study hall, which she generally spent with the twins and Hope. She was already sitting at their usual spot in the student lounge, working on her homework and waiting for the girls. Jed just so happened to have a study hall as well, but most of his were recently trying to figure out what he was going to say to Y/N. Today was the day he decided to pull on his big boy pants and just talk to her. Taking in a deep breathe he walked over to where she was sitting and sat in the chair opposite of her. 

“I know you probably don’t want to talk to me but I want to get to know you and apologize for what my pack did the other day in the cafeteria.” Jed said quickly. Y/N looked up from her notebook, a clear ‘I’m not interested’ look plastered on her face. “Please let me make it up to you.” There was a moment of silence before she let out a sigh and nodded in agreement. Jed grinned as he stood up, clapping his hands together. “Great, uh okay, tonight around seven?” Y/N agreed and Jed finally left her alone just as the other three girls showed up. They all eyed Jed, giving him a death glare as he walked by them.

Jade let out a breathe of relief as he went to go find Landon, Kaleb and M.G. After walking around the school for a few minutes he found them in Landon’s room, all of them arguing about which Superman actor was the best. 

“Nah man, Henry Cavil as Superman was the best, he just embodied it more.” M.G argued with Landon as he shook his head at him. 

Landon let out a grunt as he leaned back against his head board. “The original Superman was the best, I don’t get why you can’t understand that.” Their stupid banter was cut short as Kaleb looked over at an awkward Jed standing in the doorway. “Uh, hey man, can we help you?” Landon said as looked just confused as his two vampire friends. 

“I need your guys’ help with setting up a date tonight to make it up to Y/N.” Jed spoked quickly, his nerves starting to get the best of him. 

Kaleb snorted as he shook his head, “And why should we help you? You’re the one that fucked up with your little crush.” Kaleb rolled his eyes.

Jed balled up his fists and clenched his jaw. “She’s not just a crush.” He said as he began to calm himself down, “She’s my mate, and I feel horrible about what happened in the cafeteria.” He said softly, sincerity was laced in his voice which told the three boys that he was serious about making it up to Y/N.

As much as the three boys didn’t like Jed for everything he had done to them and how he treated all of them, they could tell by the way he was fiddling with his hands and tapping his feet, he was nervous and really wanted everything to be perfect. 

M.G. nodded as he stood up, “I’ll help, but only because Y/N deserves to know that she has people that care about her.” Jed nodded in agreement and glanced over at the other two students. They groaned as they grumbled a ‘fine’, all three of them going along with whatever was about to happen. 

“Do you at least have any plans? You’re not just gonna get her and not having anything to do right?” Kaleb questioned as he raised an eyebrow at the werewolf. Jed stayed silent. “So not only are we helping you get this ready for Y/N, we’re helping you plan the whole thing because apparently you can’t plan something as simple as this.” 

Jed rolled his eyes, “It’s not as simple as you think. She’s my mate and I messed up with what happened the other day, she deserves to know how I feel and everything needs to be perfect.” The three boys sighed as they put their belongings to the side and made a spot for Jed in their group. Jed walked over to where they were, taking a seat on the floor and pulling a notebook out from his backpack.

The four students planned the nights events during their off period and during lunch, making sure that Jed had all of his bases covered. They had decided to go with a night time picnic, making one of Y/n’s favorite dishes but also making sure to keep a blood bag cooled in the basket. They were going to set it all up in the witches hang out spot, thinking that it would be more romantic and secluded there than anywhere else. Everything seemed good so far, they had the place, time, meals, it seemed perfect. 

That was until someone told the rest of the werewolves and they were making it their mission to sabotage the evening. 

Jed and the other three boys began putting everything together for the nights events once school was over, which was around three o’clock. MG and Landon were on decorations out in the little witch hide out while Jed and Kaleb were on meal prepping. Though Kaleb hated the boy, he did have to admit that what he was doing for Y/N was sweet and he thought it was almost honorable that he was going to such lengths to apologize to Y/N. 

Kaleb let out an awkward cough as he walked across the kitchen to grab some ingredients for his side of the meal he was making. “You know man, I think it really is nice what you’re doing for Y/N. It shows that you really care about her.” Jed was taken back a bit, surprised that such kind words came out of Kaleb’s mouth.

Instead of saying some snarky comment he replied with a simple ‘thank you’, before the two fell back into silence. 

While the boys had been preparing for the night, they had managed to rope the girls into their plans and got them to help Y/N get ready for the evening. Yes she did know that her and Jed were having dinner that evening, but she didn’t know just how far he was taking it. When Lizzie began pulling out these fancy dresses she thought the girls were really just out here trying to get her laid. It aggravated Y/N that everyone else knew what was happening but she had no clue. Being left in the dark was her least favorite thing, it meant she couldn’t prepare for things.

“Hello, earth to Y/N.” Lizzie snapped her fingers in front of the heretic’s face, causing Y/N to snap out of her daze. Her eyes locked onto Lizzie who had an annoyed expression on her face since Y/N wasn’t paying attention to what she had just asked her. 

Y/N hummed looking at her like she had been listening, tilting her head to try and make it more convincing. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” Y/N asked. 

Lizzie rolled her eyes as she held up two dresses.  One was a longer floral dress with a slit up the side, and the other was a slightly shorter floral dress as well. In Y/N’s eyes she didn’t see the difference between the two dresses, they were just clothes. Lizzie handed her the first dress since Y/N didn’t want to make a decision and told her to go put it on. Y/N did so with an annoyed groan. Did she think something spontaneous was going to come out of this? Y/N was only being nice to Jed and that’s why she accepted his offer for dinner tonight, there was nothing else to it. 

Y/N slid into the dress, sighing as she didn’t want to see what she looked like in it, she was never one to dress up and draw extra attention to herself. She got enough that being a heretic. She stepped out of the bathroom, smoothing down the sides of the dress and looking up at the three girls were gawking at the sigh in front of her.

“What? Does it not look good?” Why was she stressing over this? It’s not like this was a date or anything. “Maybe I should just put my other clothes back on.” As she went to reach for the outfit she wore earlier that day Josie stopped her by gently grabbing her wrist.

“You look amazing, Y/N. You should see for yourself.” She said as she turned her friend towards the mirror. Y/N looked up at her reflection, her own gasp almost escaping her lips. She did look good, really good in fact. The dress hugged her just right, every curve, roll, and dip of her body the dress perfected it.

Y/N could see the girls smiling behind her causing her to smile herself. She had never felt so.. happy with how she looked before, this was a first for her. The girls continued on their quest to help Y/N get ready for the rest of the evening. 

About an hour and half later, Landon came knocking on the door to see if Y/N was ready yet. Thankfully they had just finished up her hair and she was ready to go. She hugged the girls and thanked them as she walked out and followed a very speedy Landon down the stairs. He didn’t walk her all the way out to where Jed had set up their evening. 

Y/N followed the trail of fairy light along a pebbled path until she reached the witch’s hiding area. It was decorated quite nicely, even she would have to admit that the boy had put in a lot of effort to make the place look nice. Y/N’s doubts about the werewolf hadn’t completely faded as she hadn’t seen any sign of him, that was until she saw him lighting a few more candles around the edges of the small building to give it some more light.

“Looks like you’ve really out done yourself, huh?” Y/N said as she stepped under the roof. Jed quickly turned around, nearly knocking over a candle and setting the place on fire. She chuckled at his clumsiness and walked over to the table. 

Jed cleared his throat as he smoothed out his blazer. “You look amazing.” Jed’s breathe seemed to have a hard time returning to his body after his first look at the girl in front of him. Of course he thought she was beautiful anyways, but this? This was something else. Jed walked over to where Y/N was going and pulled out the chair for her to sit. She did so, mumbling a soft ‘thank you’. The werewolf walked back over to his seat and smiled awkwardly.

Yes, Jed had been on dates before, many dates to be honest, but this was his fist date with his mate. The person he’d be spending the rest of his life with if the world would to be so kind and allow that to happen. He reached into the center of the table and unveiled the nights meal, Korean beef bowls with fried dumplings. Y/N was a little shocked to say the least, Korean food was one of her favorite foods so the fact that he made her something she enjoyed was pretty unexpected. 

“Kaleb said you liked Korean food and I remember my parents teaching me how to make this so I thought it was a good idea.” Jed nervously explained as he handed one the bowls to Y/N. She took with a smile.

“It’s great thank you.” She said softly. Her hard exterior was finally starting to come down, something that rarely happened even if she was with close friends and family. Jed smiled as the two began to eat and make small talk, the two finally learning new things about the other. 

There was no doubt in Y/N’s mind that something was.. different when she talked to Jed. She felt safe, which was a new feeling for her since she had literally been hunted down and despised her whole life. She felt like she was able to talk to him about anything, though she knew she wouldn’t because of how bad of an idea it was, she still felt like she could. 

As the night went on Jed kept trying to figure out how he was going to tell Y/N that she was his mate. The one she was meant to be with forever. It’s not something to take lightly, and lord knows what a half witch, half vampire would think about this. Y/N would for sure thing Jed was playing another sick joke on her, something the pack put him up to. It was eating away at him on the insides, he just wanted to blurt it out and clear the air.

That’s kind of what happened.

Jed was about to explain everything to her, from why he was so mean to her on her first day, to the moment he invited her to eat lunch with him and the rest of his pack, to that very moment of the two teens sitting and enjoying a meal. That didn’t happen though. 

Somewhere around them there were pack members ready to pounce on their prey and ruin Jed and Y/N’s night. The girl from before, the one who had started trouble with Y/N in the first place, wanted revenge for being humiliated in front of the whole school. In the midst of her anger, she and a few other werewolves who weren’t too fond of the new girl, hatched a plan to completely ruin Jed’s wonderfully planned evening and to make his mate hate him forever. 

She nodded to her pack members as they emerged from a few bushes, all of them holding a dark colored liquid that resembled blood a little too well. As soon Y/N caught their scent she had stopped talking and narrowed her eyes at Jed. He was confused at first, and then he saw his friends. 

“Well, what do we have here?” The girl hummed. She swung the bottle around haphazardly, not having a care in a world what would happen if it splashes onto the two. 

Jed stood up in a protective type stance, his hands bawled at his sides. “What are you doing here?” Jed was pissed, that much was obvious. Y/N watched as they slowly became surrounded by the small group of wolves, all of them holding identical bottles. 

“Just came to see if you told your mate, what she is to you.” One of the other wolves sneered, “wanted to see if you told her the truth yet.” 

Y/N was beyond confused and looked at Jed with raised eyebrows, her arms crossing over her chest as she waited for a response. There was chuckling all around her as the wolves drew closer, encasing them in their circle. 

“It looks like you haven’t yet, have you?” They mused towards Jed, he looked at Y/N with a wary glance. Y/N looked at them, wondering if any of them were going to spit it out or not. They looked her dead in the eye as the opened up their bottles with a wicked grin. “He thinks you’re a nasty bloodsucker that he’s stuck with as a mate.” Without any further hesitation they doused the teens in a waterfall of the deep red liquid. It wasn’t blood, probably watered-down fake blood, but it still triggered Y/N.

Her dress, the one that wasn’t even hers to begin with, was now stained red as if she had just gone on a ripper rampage, she was just told this was all another joke and everyone basically thought of her as a monster. She couldn’t hold back anymore as her fangs released themselves and she made her way towards each of the werewolves.

The scene unfolding before Jed’s eyes could have honestly been from a horror movie with the way everything was moving. Before Jed had even realized, Y/N had put two of the werewolves on the ground in a whimpering mess. They were hurt, badly as it seemed to be. She took them out one by one, switching between her strength and then spells. She had the last wolf corned against the wall as they tried to back away from her as far as they could. Her hand wrapped around their throat, squeezing slightly as she growled at them, “You come near me again I’ll rip your hearts from your chests and use them as sacrifices, do you understand me?” Her voice was terrifying, menacing even. 

The wolf nodded as she threw him against the wall then skirted off with the rest of his pals. Y/N was never one to lose control the way she just did, but after all this torment from the wolves they needed to put into place. 

As if it was second nature, she calmed down with a few mumbled curses under her breathe before she turned to face Jed. This would not be easy to recover from. He saw her lash out, he saw what she could do and how utterly terrifying she can be. She was a monster, one that didn’t deserve a mate like Jed. 

The boy was still stuck in his original place, the blood drying to his clothes and staining them. Jed went to go move forward to Y/N, but in return she stepped back even more. She was trying to stop the tears forming in her eyes, though it seemed her body and emotions were getting the best of her. Jed looked sad, he felt sad. Why would his pack, his friends ruin this? They all go to same school, they all share the same walls of the school. Why was her being his mate so horrible to them?

Before Jed could even get a word in to Y/N they heard rapid footsteps approaching, turning their attention to the group of friends that stood behind them. Y/N turned around to look at their faces, sure that they’d all hate after how she lost her temper. 

“Oh my god,” Josie covered her mouth in shock as she looked at the scene. Though the wolves were no longer present, the blood stained clothes and tears in Y/N’s eyes said enough. 

“I’m so sorry,” Y/N whispered softly as she looked at the group, tears now falling freely down her cheeks. “They ruined the dress- I’m so so sorry. I can pay to have it cleaned, or buy a new one, I’m so sorry.” Y/N was rambling about something that didn’t even really matter, but yet she was still worried about it. 

Josie, Lizzie, and Hope walked towards Y/N as she stayed still in her place, not daring to move. “Y/N, we don’t care about the dress.” Lizzie said softly, “We wanted to make sure you’re okay.” 

At that moment she lost it, crying so hard her knees almost gave out below her. She shook her head rapidly, sobbing as loud as her chest would allow her to. “No, no I’m not okay. I don’t understand why they hate me so much, I haven’t done anything to them!” She exclaimed rather harshly. “I hate it here, I hate this.” She sobbed.

Hope looked at Jed who was still standing their quietly. The tribrid was giving him the death stare, and boy if looks could kill he’d for sure be dead. Jed was staring at his alpha, Raphael. He was begging for help, any help in fact. He didn’t like seeing his mate in pain, sobbing that she hated their school and possibly him. This was his chance to make up for what his pack had done the other day at lunch, but here they were again, his pack ruining everything for him.

Anyone with a good pair of eyes would be able to tell that Kaleb and M.G. were pissed beyond belief. Their eyes locked onto the young wolf, and if it weren’t for Raphael being there they would’ve ripped him a new one. 

Y/N turned towards Jed after a moment, her tears mixing with the dried fake blood, her mascara running down her face. “I no longer wish to be your mate.” She said in a dead tone. “I will not be treated like this, and if it is true that you are my... mate, I do not wish for this to go any farther.” She didn’t think that saying those words would have hurt as much as they did, but now she felt like she was having her crushed with a mallet over and over again. 

Jed’s heart fell to his stomach at her words. He was losing his mate, all because his stupid pack wouldn’t accept the truth. “No, no please I promise you they were lying. Not about you being my mate, that is true, but I don’t think you’re a monster. I want you as my mate, please.” Jed had managed to get within a few feet of Y/N and now she could see that he was also crying. Y/N looked down at her feet, refusing to look him in the eye.

“This was a mistake,” She mumbled towards so the ground, “it was all a mistake and I’m sorry it put you through so much trouble.” Jed’s heart was breaking, he felt like his life would end right then and there. Y/N turned back to her friends who were shocked that she had just ended with things, and more importantly that Jed was pleading for her to stay. 

Without another word Y/N began the walk back to the school, cloaking herself in the invisibility spell as she walked. The group followed, leaving Jed there in the dark to cry to himself. 

-

Days passed after that horrid night and no one had seen or heard from Jed and Y/N as the two had locked themselves in their rooms. They stayed there all day and night, only occasionally coming out to get food or shower.  

While the vampires and witches were trying to console Y/N and reassure her that she did nothing wrong and was not a monster, the werewolves were out spreading rumors about that night. She heard everything of course, between gossip and her advanced hearing, it wasn’t hard to miss

Jed wanted revenge. He was angry, pissed off beyond belief. These people were supposed to be his family, his pack, and they went out of their way to make his life a living hell so that he wouldn’t have his mate. No matter their reasons behind it, they were all probably insanely stupid anyways, he was going to get back at them for what they did and get his mate back. 

Most of the time he’d spend in his room he was hatching a plan to get back at his pack and teach them a lesson. He knew that practically all of the pack had not met their mates yet, the few that have had not gotten involved in the fighting over his mate. He’d hit them where it hurts and then go plead with Y/N to get her back. 

Meanwhile, Y/N was looking at other schools for the supernatural. She really didn’t need to be in a school for the supernatural, but she figured it’d be easier to go there then to a regular human high school. She no longer wished to be within the same walls as her mate, even if she barely knew him, having told him that she did not want to be his mate made her heart ache in ways she didn’t know were possible. 

Y/N’s music was playing softly in the background of her room as she looked at the dark web for the supernatural to find another school to go to. Any would be fine, there were a few out there, not a lot took heretics or mixed the species, but there were a few that did. Too lost in thought as she scrolled through a school in London had she missed the knock on her door. She ignored it, turning her music up a bit to drown out the person on the other side of the door, but unfortunately this person seemed very persistent. 

“Go away!” Y/N shouted to the person on the other side of the door. The knocking continued, making Y/N more agitated. She got up, slamming her laptop shut as she marched to the door and threw it open. “I said ‘go away’, do you not understand that?” She growled, her anger get the best of her and turning her eyes that vibrant purple. 

Jed stood there, mouth dry and heart racing. It took Y/N a moment to realize that it was him standing there and one her anger stopped blinding her, she shrank back a bit and stepped further behind the door. Jed was holding flowers and her favorite candy, the saddest most desperate look crossing his face as he looked at his mate. 

Slowly he held out the gifts as he stuttered out an apology, “I’m sorry for what happened the other night, I want you to know that and I want you to know that- that I don’t see you as a monster or anything like that. I see you as my mate, someone I want to be with until the day I die and I will do absolutely anything for you to understand that.” 

Y/N looked down at her slippers, the only shoes she had been wearing since that horrific night. “I- I don’t know, I don’t think this- whatever it is, would work. It’s just not in the cards for either one of us.” She mumbled as she was about to turn her back and close the door, but Jed’s foot got in the way of that. 

“Tell me you don’t feel anything, and if you don’t then I’ll leave you alone but I know you have to feel something.” His eyes were pleading for her to say that she felt something like he did, that she felt the connection but instead she shook her head and lied. 

 “I- I don’t feel anything for you. I’m sorry.” Before Jed was able to get out another word Y/N had the door closed and locked. The pain they both felt was enough to make them stop breathing for a few seconds. Both of them waited on their sides of the doors, hoping the other would continue to fight for their mating bond, but that is not what happened. 

Too much pain and heartbreak had been endured by these two teens, but there was still more to come..

[hardly-an-escape]

Yes, the revelation that her surprisingly handsome history professor-slash-thesis advisor was, apparently, the only actual person who called her maybe-a-god, previously-murderous great-uncle (or is it great-great-uncle? she isn't quite clear on the genealogical terminology) his friend had been a bit... surprising.

In fact, Rose Walker had never felt the surreal nature of her very existence quite so keenly as she had that first time she'd been at Professor Gadling's "office hours" (aka "having a pint together at the table at the New Inn that actually has a plaque with his name on it") when Dream had walked through the door.

It had been like that Spider-Man meme, honestly. Lots of confused pointing.

After things had settled down to the point where everyone understood (more or less) what was going on, it had become rather hilarious. Because of course Rose's departmentally-assigned advisor was actually an immortal man who'd been born during the Hundred Years' War. And of course the all-powerful being he'd been meeting up with for centuries was directly related to Rose's own Endless ancestor. And of course they all ended up together at the same little table in the same little pub in London, England, in the Year of Our Lord 2022.

Of course. Obviously. Why not.

Rose feels a little hysterical when she thinks about it. So, generally speaking, she tries not to think about it too much. One day at a time. Stiff upper lip and all that.

Obviously.

“You know he’s, like, totally in love with you, right?” asks Rose one afternoon.

It's spring. They’ve been going over the latest few pages of her thesis and Hob is, to his credit, fully absorbed in his student’s work. So it takes him a couple of seconds to absorb what she said.

“In love with… I’m sorry, what?!” Hob sputters slightly. “To whom are you referring, exactly?”

Rose can't help just the tiniest smirk. The little Britishisms just get to her sometimes. She tries to picture one of her old American professors saying To whom? with quite that level of mild indignance and her imagination falls short. It's frickin' charming, is what it is.

"Uncle Morpheus," she says, getting out her phone. "Obviously."

She pulls up the picture she'd snapped a few weeks back, at one of the little family picnics she's taken to hosting in the garden of the house Unity had left her in her will:

Jed at a table in the background, fully absorbed in the Lego set before him. Lyta and Daniel on a blanket in the foreground, fully absorbed in one another. And in the middleground, Hob on a bench, reading aloud from an antique-looking book, clearly animated about something. And Dream, chin propped on his fist, fully absorbed in Hob, gazing up at him as if he'd personally sprinkled the stars across the sky.

"Look at him," says Rose, shoving her phone at Hob. "I mean, come on."

Hob automatically takes the phone from her. Blunt fingers trace the zoomed-in line of Dream's chin. His own face is, frankly, the human embodiment of the heart eyes emoji.

"Does he?" he asks absently. "Does he always...?" he trails off for a long moment.

Rose watches Hob's internal gears turn with delight. Her thesis might suffer in the short term, but she has a feeling that the next family picnic is going to result in some even more interesting photo opportunities...

Rose snapping a pic of her Uncle Dream with her History Prof and the pic just manages to get the exact moment where Dream is looking at Hob like Hob hung the damn moon while Hob is obliviously reading something to him from one of the history books. She sends the pic to Dream with the caption ‘the grumpy one is soft for the sunshine one’ and Dream just leaves it on read… she sends it to Hob and he just sends back a bunch of love hearts and the pleading face emoji…

[elysianightsss]

When Dusk Begins

Part six

Warnings: fluff, little bit of neck kissing

SERIES MASTERLIST

After a crazy night, and a crazy party. Some time had passed. Larry had left the museum, a while ago leaving you to come in every night and check on everything, not that you minded. He’d been too busy lately to join you.

Ahkmen’s hands caressed yours gently, both of you sitting in the hall of ocean life, the big blue whale hanging from the ceiling flapped his tail bringing a nice breeze throughout the room. Ahk sat behind you, your head laid back on his shoulder as you sat in between his legs.

The beautiful exotic fish swam around in their tanks, it was such a good idea for a date. Ahkmen seemed so so proud of himself that he thought of the idea.

“This is so nice.” You sighed, your body aching from a long day at work. Your new job in New York was amazing, but it came with a lot of paperwork. That meant tension in your neck and back, which Ahk was more than happy to massage out for you earlier.

“Indeed it is.” His arms wrapped tighter around you. “Did you hear anything more from the board of the museum?” He asked.

“No, they barely listened to me when I tried to get them to change their minds. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more to keep your family here.” You turned your head to look at your beloved. He smiled sadly at you.

“This isn’t your fault my love. People make decisions that affect others.” He cupped your face gently bringing his lips to yours in the most wonderful way. “There isn’t anything anyone can do. The suns coming up.” He whispered pressing one last kiss to your lips before getting up and heading toward his exhibit.

The next night you entered the museum to find Larry playing tug of rope with Rexy. The big bone dinosaur flung him halfway across the room, just as Larry landed all the boxes sprung open. Everyone began climbing out of said boxes.

“Lawrence! Good to see you, lad!” Teddy, on his horse as always, bellowed at Larry with a gleeful expression.

“Yeah, you too Teddy.” Larry shook hands with the president.

“The guardian of Brooklyn has returned.” Ahkmenrah rounded the corner with a smile and hope shimmering in his eyes. He immediately spotted you, his grin widening as you got closer. Ahk wrapped his arms round you with a peck to your forehead.

“Hey Ahk. Hey, look McPhee told me what’s going on around here. I had no idea.” Larry said.

“Indeed. A lot had transpired Lawrence since your last visit. One would say that-“ a phone beeping interrupted the man on the horse. “Oh, cricket.”

“Hey! Bocephus! Little help over here!” Jed’s voice came from a small box over in the corner. Jed and Octavius climbed up onto the ledge of the box.

“Well lookey here, if it ain’t Mr. Big-in-the-Britches himself come back just in time to see us off!” Jed scoffed.

“Yeah, Jed, I heard. I don’t even know how this happened.” Another beep from Larry’s phone, he fished it out and began looking at it.

“Yeah, Yeah real mystery how this happened.” Sarcasm dripped from Jed’s voice. “Maybe the answer’s on that magic buzzing box there in your hand. You weren’t here, Gigantor! That’s how it happened! Ain’t no mystery!” Jed shouted.

“Guys it’s okay, I’ll call the board in the morning I’ve got some pull now.” Larry said.

“I already talked to the board, they wouldn’t change their minds.” You spoke up scowling at the man. Ahk pulled you in tighter.

“I’ll handle it. We’re gonna be okay here.” Larry turned back to look at the miniatures.

“We? Do you hear that? Did you hear Daydream Johnny? There ain’t been a we ever since you put us on the pay no mind list. And that’s a cold place to be, boy.” Jed glared.

“Larry what’s done is done. Even the glory of Rome had to come to an end.” Octavius chirped.

“Come with me.” Ahk whispered pulling you away from the big group discussion.

“What is it?” You asked.

“I couldn’t keep listening to that.” He spoke solemnly. His family was leaving, there was nothing you could say or do to make him feel better.

“I’m so sorry Ahk.” He sighed bringing you into his arms just as Teddy and Sacajawea riding Little Texas rounded the corner leading everyone else.

“One last stroll together?” He offered. We nodded joining Atilla in the line and began walking around.

The sad goodbye had you crying for your friends and Ahkmenrah’s family. The next night you visited the museum and Ahk didn’t wake up, nor did Teddy or any of the remaining exhibits. The tablet had gone with the others, you had been going crazy. Was the other night the last night you’d see Ahkmenrah again? You weren’t told that. You never got to say goodbye. It wasn’t until the second night, very early in the morning, that you saw him again.

You helped him out of his coffin, he looked just as confused as you did. “I don’t understand the tablet’s gone.” You said causing him to frown.

“Gone?” He questioned, your attention was caught by the sound of Atilla and the cavemen. “They’re back?” His hand grabbed yours as he began running into the main section of the museum.

“Y/N!” Atilla screamed as you got to the bottom step of the staircase. You hugged the big man, Dexter jumping on Ahkmenrah.

“What happened?” The Pharaoh inquired, and Atilla began to explain. You of course only heard gibberish but you trusted Ahk to tell you later. Indeed he did.

“Your Brother? As in the man we saw back in Egypt?” You asked.

“Yes him. He’s gone now it seems.” Ahk answered.

“Are you okay?” You cupped his cheeks.

“Never better. My family’s home.” He smiled.

——————————

Larry had sold his company and payed the museum to keep it open. It was amazingly busy, so many people as you weaved your way through the crowed. You spotted your boyfriend talking to some family’s, Dexter holding the golden tablet next to him.

“My parents gave me this tablet over 3000 years ago entrusting me with one my people’s most prized possessions.” Ahk spoke with such pride.

“Does it do anything?” A little girl asked.

“Do anything?” Ahk questioned.

“Yeah. What’s the point if it doesn’t do anything?” An older girl said with a snotty attitude.

“Tell em.” Dexter whimpered.

“Actually, it has a magical power that brings all of the exhibits to life.” Ahk spoke with a glint in his eyes and excitement in his voice.

“No really, what’s it do?” The girl answered back in a bored tone.

“Nothing it’s just for decoration.” Ahk slumped causing you to bite your lip stifling the giggling threatening to slip out.

“I knew it.” The younger girl whispered to the elder.

The only downside to this was less one on one time with Ahk, you were allowed to sneak off into the night guard office now and then but you longed to see him more often. By the time the museum closed for everyone to have their own time, you were at home asleep for work the next morning.

Tonight was an example of your one on one time. Just before the grand reopening of the newly renovated Hayden Planetarium, Ahk had pulled you aside kissing you instantly. “Hello to you too.” You panted as his lips caressed your neck gently. Gasping his name out.

“Good evening Setepa-i.” He chuckled against your skin. Before you could giggle Ahk fell to his knees with a groan. In shock you put your arms around him watching as his moment of weakness passed.

“What happened?” You rushed out worried.

“I don’t know.” You looked around to ask for help when your eyes caught the tablet.

“Ahk.” You pointed out. Helping him to his feet he moved over to the Tablet only to see part of it a blacky, dark green moss.

“What the hell.”

“I’ll tell Larry.” He was running off before you could answer. You frowned at the golden device with uncertainty. What had happened to it?

Larry and Ahk’s footsteps sounded behind you. Larry clicked his flashlight on inspecting the tablet, “have you ever seen it like this before?”

“Never.” Ahk replied. “This corrosion, it’s never happened before. It’s always been exactly the same.”

“I wonder what’s up with it.” Larry frowned.

“I have no idea. And to be honest, my father knew the secrets of the tablet better than I did. Unfortunately, he swore he’d never reveal them. He never did.” Just as Ahk finished his sentence, the corrosion spread, the pharaoh falling backwards. Larry caught him in time bringing him back to his feet.

“Are you okay?” You asked inspecting him for any form of injuries.

“I’m fine beautiful.” He pecked your forehead.

“Just take it easy out there tonight. Fifteen minutes till show time.” Larry said walking out of the exhibit like a man on a mission. “We’re gunna figure this out tomorrow.”

“All right.” Ahk agreed glancing worriedly at the tablet before following.

[homesickghoul]

Ascending Heaven chapter 3

Danny "Jed Olsen" Johnson / Reader (fem) tw everything (nsfw, gore, horror, dubious consent, torture, dead dove: no not eat, cosmic horror, suicide themes, substance abuse and addiction, hurt no comfort etc) proceed with this in mind originally published by gghouleh in AO3 2021-09-25 -> ongoing Chapter 3

You find yourself standing near a farmhouse. It’s warm, the burning midday sun shining and so, because you’ve grown used to the endless darkness, it blinds you momentarily. It’s alright, it is something new to feel at last. You can feel the ultraviolet kissing your skin gently, and a wide smile climbs onto your face. You let a choked giggle escape your chapped lips. The air feels and smells clean compared to the one at the campsite. You drop your gaze onto your hands, inspecting the dirt covering them, noticing some of your nail’s chipping and breaking. Your head is pounding, and you feel like an elderly dog warming their old bones in the sun, but still for a moment you feel like you’re home again, alive like you used to be, a human, of flesh and blood.

It must’ve been a half a minute, or even a full one, but you’re still very much processing the change of scenery when someone grabs you by the hand, interrupting your daydreams and forces you to run next to them. “Stay close, I’ll show you.” Dwight promises. He’s a good guy, and like many, you too consider him to be the leader of the group; you trust him. He’s been nothing but nice to you. “Thanks.” You stutter under your breath, confused and lightheaded. You two stop by a generator, which Dwight starts working on, not wanting to waste any time. Time is money and money is life.

“Like this, look.” He goes on and grabs a handful of different colored wires and begins to rewire them with precision. You kneel next to Dwight and try your best to copy his handiwork. “You’re doing well.” Dwight smiles, causing your cheeks to burn slightly. You try to hide behind your hair, turning your head away from the man. Gosh, you’re acting like a schoolgirl. Focus, we must focus, brothers.

“Had a great teacher.” You answer and you two laugh about it together. “It’s important to keep an eye on your surroundings. Watch out that no-one sneaks up on you.” Dwight’s tone gets serious, just as you thought you guys were having fun. “And? What happens then?” You ask, rightfully confused. No answer. “Dwight?” “Just don’t get caught, okay?” “What?” “We’ll do our best to save you.” “What?” “I’m sorry.” Is all Dwight whispers, leaving you curious, in need of more details, an explanation, anything more. The gen pops and the light above it ignites. Dwight gets up from the ground, observing his surroundings. You look up to him with big, concerned eyes – there’s a spark of fear behind them.

“Walk over to the little shack over there, saw Feng Min going in there earlier. I’ll keep him busy.” Keep what busy? Huh?

Then you see it. I t. Oh. You get up quickly, but way too delayed than you’d like to admit, noticing a strange man in the distance, getting closer and closer. Suddenly your whole being fills with pure terror. You hear a heartbeat. It’s having a rave between your ears, making a nest in your brain. For a moment, you’re frozen still and might’ve never moved a muscle if not was for Dwight who pushes you. After that you don’t need to be told twice. Instead of walking you start running as fast as you can, only once daring to look behind, then noticing Dwight run to the opposite direction with the tall, masked man on his trail. Just looking at the being, man-thing? Made you feel sick to your stomach. He’s tall, unbelievably so, muscular, and yes, might possess two legs and two hands with thumbs, but those are the only qualities that you’re able to describe as humanoid. He’s wearing a muddy, bloody white mask with a creepy, sewn smile on it. His skin is dirty, dead, flakey, spikes of metal poking out of him. Oh, and not to forget, on his hand rests a bloodied blade. It’s clear to you now: the others had left many, important things unsaid. Experiencing the crippling emotions of betrayal and anger, you finally reach the shack, seeing Feng in there fixing a generator. At the entrance, on the ground, you see a rusty thing, what, a trap? “Bear trap. Don’t step in them. That one’s safe though, it’s not activated.” Feng Min mentions just in time and motions you to come closer. “Oh.” You choke, this new information acting as the final straw to your list. You’re done, sick and tired, what else was there to know? You did know beforehand that there would be someone to chase after you four, but with beartraps and a huge fucking blade? No, no, now that would’ve been very, very nice to know. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Feng states as you begin to help her. Biting you lip, you try to control yourself so you wouldn’t snap and let frogs out of your mouth.  You’re so incredibly unwell, angry, but you try not to show it. Because maybe, just maybe, everything has a logical explanation, and all would turn out okay. No, you’re not that naïve. 

“What happens when it catches you?” You ask, keeping your eyes tight on the generator. You need answers, it’s killing you, munching on your insides. You deserve to know, and Feng Min provides. “It depends. Usually they down you, hang you on a hook after...” Feng starts and as she goes on, you get a bit too caught up on her words that you almost manage to blow up the gen and your fingers with it. “You can… take it for a few minutes…” She lowers her voice, like afraid to finish what she had started. “We’ll save you though, I promise.” “And if not?” You ask and demand, letting go of the generator, staring at Feng with piercing eyes. “Feng?” She’s fixing the gen, trying to avoid your gaze, dodging your question, while you in turn grow impatient, angrier, terrified, hear the heartbeat, the rushing blood, vision blurrier, knuckles turning white. “Feng, what happens then?” “You die…” Feng reveals with an exhale, ready to explain herself more, but you pretty much stopped listening after hearing the first part. “We’re not going to let that happen! We promised! And it’s not like you… actually…” Die? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Holding your temples and then getting up from the floor, you decide to kick the generator. It hurts your foot, and you loudly curse. This isn’t what you signed up for ­­– funny, like this is what you wanted anyway. You didn’t agree to any of this, you were forced. But so were the others; in your state you forget about it. There’s a series of unfortunate thoughts racing in your head as you escape the shack. You can hear Feng calling out to you, begging you to come back. Your steps turn into a run and your headache gets ten times worse. You’re asking to yourself why no one told you the truth earlier? Why wait? Do they want you to die, to fail, to suffer? Your so-called friends? Is it even possible, heck, legal even, to die twice? Because what kind of sick joke is this? Let it out. Good. That’s my good girl. You scream when a piercing pain slashes through your body causing agony so great that it makes your vision go completely black for seconds. When you’re able, you’re hesitant to look down where it hurts. And it’s not like you’re afraid of little blood, but this, the sight of you, makes you want to vomit. You’ve stepped into a bear trap, same kind as the one from before, those that Feng told you to not to step in. But why is it here, in the middle of nowhere? The trap before was in plain sight, but this one is hidden in some fucking grass. You hear a heartbeat again, your own you suppose. You crouch down, try to pull the traps mouth open in an attempt to free yourself from its grasp. Breathing hard, whimpering, and sobbing with every attempt as the claws only seem to bite your ankle more and more. It’s pretty clear that it’s latched onto your bone. You’re bleeding onto the rusty metal, making it slippery, harder to get out of.

Bet there’s a hidden camera somewhere and a filming crew hiding behind the brick wall on your right. Watching as you finally to lose it, your precious sanity. Then, after the climax, those greedy little piggies would crawl out of their little hiding spot with thirsty, curious eyes, laughing and snorting. They’d push your buttons a little more but then realizing that you’re gone, absolutely beyond saving, they’d slaughter you, let you out of your misery like a sick farm animal. They’d enjoy that, you know that for sure. Hang you onto that tree over there, with the other pigs, and slice your throat, watch as blood flows from your neck. Sick fucks. “Shit, shit, fuck.” You keep cursing, nothing seeming to help. You start pulling your leg out of the trap, but it only causes more damage. Nearly fainting from nausea, experiencing how your skin and flesh gets tourn open, even some bone peeks from the wound. Like that wasn’t enough, as you look around desperate for some help, you notice the horrific, masked man from earlier heading towards you. You look like a deer in headlights. Your heart sinks, skin going pale. Pulling your leg in panic like a wounded animal, not caring how much it hurt, how much damage it’s doing. Only knowing that you need to get out, need to survive, need to live. “Please, please, don’t.” You whisper, beg. Holy shit, begging for your life? A low point for you, but honestly, you don’t give a fuck anymore. You’re not dying twice. No, no, no more. Please. A blade sinks to the side of your chest, and you fall to the ground with a yelp. Your lower lip is shaking, as if you were to say something but nothing comes out. You don’t believe it; the situation you’re in, it doesn’t seem real. Where the fuck are you? Who is doing this? Why? The man, that abomination takes you by the waist and places you onto his shoulder. He starts walking and you feel seasick from the movement and the loss of blood. It doesn’t even cross your mind to wiggle, attempt to struggle, but maybe you should. He seems to be walking forever; you have enough time to wonder where he’s taking you. Then, you get reminded. A meat hook pierces your shoulder, and you can’t help but to scream in pain again. You’re grabbing the hook, trying to pull yourself up and out, trying to get away from the pain that is taking over your body. Looking down, you see something unnatural slowly creeping up, trying to reach you. You can’t breathe. You’re choking. Enough, enough, you keep repeating.

You don’t know how much time has passed, but way too much for your comfort, when you notice Dwight running up to you, grabbing you and helping you off the hook. He notices how frightened you are and so makes a choice to not wait for your consent and reaction, just quickly grabs your hand and drags you to the corner of the corn field. “I remember my first time. I know how you’re feeling.” Dwight starts, stopping by one of the plank walls. You stand there, staring at the rotting wall this, plank, empty look on your face and perhaps just stare right through it. The corner of your eye twitches, eyes dry. “I really am sorry. Promise we’ll explain all of this.” Dwight continues, now starting to patch up your wounds with some ban-aids. You stay quiet, not ready to talk about it yet. You just want to get this over with, wishing Dwight to take the hint and stay quiet. You find yourself missing the campfire. Anything over this. “There is one generator left before we can open the exit gates, you should go stand by one. Open it as soon as you can, we’ll be fine.” Dwight continues, and as he goes on, you’re starting to feel a little bad for being so angry, visibly upset. Dwight seems to understand, judging by how sweet and calm he is about it. But still, the stinging betrayal keeps nesting in your chest. You nod, perhaps as a thank you. You go stand by an exit gate like you were told to and soon enough you hear the last gen pop, remembering your simple, given job, so you pull the rusty lever and start powering up the gate. It’s taking surprisingly long. Looking behind your shoulder, in the distance you notice the others heading towards you. Feng is holding her stomach and limping, bleeding all over herself. Suddenly you’re pulling the lever harder. It makes a loud sound and pops open. The masked man is closing distance between the group and the exit gates, managing to hit Dwight’s shoulder. You yelp in distress and take a step forward. And even though you’re hurt physically, but mentally too, you feel the need to help your friends, agreeing to the tiny voice in your head screaming fuck it. You refuse to stand there and watch as the others were being chased and slaughtered by a ruthless killer. You can’t explain the feeling, it’s like you’re getting possessed by something, by someone, when suddenly against your every instinct you find yourself running towards the group, straight to the killer who had mercilessly sliced you open earlier. You run past Dwight who’s bleeding, meeting his worried eyes with your own glimmering ones, with this new shine in them letting the others know that you’d be fine. The killer swings his weapon at you, but you quickly crouch and dodge it, almost like predicting his movement. No idea what you’re doing, or how, your move surprises the other. You take the two seconds you’re given afterwards to run back to your teammates, who are waiting for you at the gate, looking real confused. You run out of the gates together, all four of you, hurt, but alive. ­––––––––––– “What was that? Wow. You gotta teach me that.” Feng starts with a wide smile on her face. She’s glowing. You stare at the group, realizing that you’re all back and standing at the campfire. No longer in pain, all injuries, and clothes magically fixed, like it had never happened. All but a bad dream. “I can’t remember the last time someone survived their first trial. That was insane.” Dwight sounds proud and taps your shoulder, proud.

“Trapper’s no match to you.” Jake laughs. They’re trying to celebrate, you realize. Make you feel better. Perhaps trying to distract you from the fact how they lied? Maybe not lied but left out some extremely critical information. And it’s very much still bothering you. “Hey, stop.” You start, stepping further away from the others, hands straightened in front of your chest, body language signaling not to come any closer. “You don’t get to celebrate. What the fuck was that?” You start, pointing your finger up when Dwight tries to open his mouth. Claudette and Kate are walking closer, but you don’t even wish to look at them in the eye. “You lied to me. No one didn’t think to mention the chopping, slicing, hooking and killing part? No one?” You make your feelings clear, and you’d like to think it’s understandable. Claudette is still walking closer. You start backing away.

“She didn’t let us.” Claudette says, stops and crosses her arms over her torso. The smiles on your teammate’s faces are long gone. The air feels instantly colder, hostile even. There is this odd feeling, like someone’s staring you from behind, following, observing in the dark. “She feeds off fear. We were not allowed to tell you. Please trust us. We mean no harm.” Dwight joins Claudette. “We are so sorry, truly.” Everyone gathers to sit by the fire. Each and every one having something to say. Everyone, together, slowly and fully explaining everything there is to know. You allow it and listen in silence. You no longer feel like crying. You’re just angry: at Her. –––––––––––––––––– You do more trials, every time doing better, getting faster, smarter, learning the different kind of killers. You grow to dislike going against Wraith and Spirit. Some trials are bad, but in balance, some are good. You get hooked, sometimes you don’t. You’d never forget about the first time She took you. You find comfort coming back to the campfire and hanging out with the others. It’s your light, the spark of hope in the dark. Sometimes, you even have… fun.

Life, if that’s what you can call it, are almost bearable. The passing days, sleepless nights. Perhaps it’s because you don’t have any other choice but obey Her. On survival mode, believing that one day you’d be free. Guess you’re that naïve after all. So, when you see him, you don’t know what to think, what to do. He sees you. You see him. He stares at you; you stare back at him. You know that it’s him behind the mask. He knows too. Your original killer. Life seems to turn upside down. You had thought that things were bad before, full heartedly believing that it couldn’t get any worse. So, living in what now felt like a lie, it didn’t even cross your mind that he could be here too. You feel stupid. Sick games.

[darkdevasofdestruction]

An Angel and A Demon ~ Pyramid Head x Reader

Update 2: My laptop restarted when I was in the middle of writing this, and trust me when I say it, I am positively pissed off, and I want to end my days, that's how bad of a day this was.

And I didn't leave the house.

That says a lot about today...

Update 1: But, without further ado, I was half-way writing this story, and I received this ask, and let me tell you...

helloooo, i absolutely adored the fanfics you wrote about kazan and danny🥺 could i request one where pyramid head is just really whipped for and in love with the survivor! reader but he doesnt know how to announce it to them so he brings her random ,,gifts" in and outside the trials and protecting her bc well, im pretty sure he cant speak so he doesnt really have any other options on how to express his feelings??

I live for it.

Bless you for sending me this, it's the reason I'm still sane right now.

I love you, baby-cakes.

Update 3: I want to kill myself so bad. Just smash my head on a wall until it explodes or sth. I was so happy with how this imagine turned out, only fuck fucking tumblr to just fucking delete EVERYTHING just as I was about to put the last gif and hit POST NOW.

--------

For the 5th time writing this :

FUCKMEDADDY - but this time - FUCKMYBRAINSOUTPLEASEIWANNADIE

Thanks.

-------

Hell - What was that place, anyway?

Some would describe it as an infinite ocean of flames and lava, where it's eternally melting-hot, and a bunch of hooved, horned, tailed red demons torture you with acid, with their red pitch forks, or boil you alive in their cauldron for soup. Or maybe you just get tortured by Stalin, who knows?

But never would have anyone thought that 'Hell' could look so...Normal. Well, normal in a very demolished, desolate, ravished way, but still...Normal, by human standards. Albeit, the never-ending loop of madness, anguish, agony and desperation of getting killed in different gruesome ways or fleeing for their lives and feeling a myriad of emotions pumping adrenaline through their veins so badly that their anxiety-meter skyrocketed to abnormal levels.

All this darkness, this hatred, this...Everything...It changed all the survivors. They became selfish, stubborn, rude, some even went as far as to sacrifice their fellow survivors in trials, just so they could survive. It was a complete mayhem that defied all kinds of reason, normality, morality or even ethics. Everyone became devoid of any laws that used to bind them to their humane sides, and now, you weren't sure if the killers were saner than the survivors or not.

But even in this abyss where you couldn't even see your hand in front of your very eyes, there was a little star - A beautiful angel radiating brightness and warmth, someone who was somehow able to guide everyone's straying souls with her benevolence.

In reality, she was merely a survivor, not the little lantern from an angler fish's head, but she treated everyone with such an untainted kindness...It was beautiful, and yet, unrequited for most parts. Everyone was still putting their own lives above all - And who could condemn them? - Perhaps their cowardice, for the girl preferred to save her fellow survivors as much as possible, even if that oftentimes assured her place on the hook, to be a sacrificial lamb for the Entity.

On the other hand, she rarely ended up on the hook - Most killers prefer to kill her themselves, instead of letting her become pray for the horrible Entity who tortured so many of them for refusing to cooperate - The Trapper, Evan MacMillan - He knew the best, with those hooks digging into his flesh, impossible to extract. He was the first to protect this girl. It wasn't much, but if he had to, he'd rather give her a swift, painless death, than seeing her without that serene, angelic smile on her face, as the Entity feeds on the last bits of her soul's beauty, the last parts of her humanity.

The other Killers were confused at the Trapper's actions, but little by little, they began to understand why this girl was so precious and special - And this domino effect hit Rin Yamaoka next, with Y/N stopping in the middle of a chase and taking off her jacket, just as Rin was about to butcher her with her katana, and she smiled, extending it to her. 'You must be cold' she said, realising that the Spirit was merely wearing a few bandages, not even her school uniform, or her kimono.

The ghost girl was shaken up by this, and told the others at the killer camp, but they just shrugged it off - Rin was a little girl who faced close to no kindness, they weren't surprised she was so taken aback by such a feat. That is, until Adiris, in a particularly terrible day, when everyone at the camp was staying away from her, as her profane censer wasn't able to cover the stench of rotting flesh - Y/N came over, taking out a small yet elegant glass bottle with pink liquid on it, spraying some on her - And now, The Plague smelled of roses and vanilla - 'You can come to me for perfume whenever you want, I always carry some with me!' she grinned at the Babylonian High Priestess, before leaving back to the survivor's camp site, leaving the ancient God symbol to stare with her mouth agape at the girl.

These words began to spread, and it was no surprise when the killers saw Susie clinging and begging her Legion friends to spare Y/N, for she was there to hug away her worries more than once, to tell her sweet words, to play with her hair and play the guitar whatever songs she wanted to hear, to get reminded of her home - She was so home sick that she freaked out, but now she was better, thanks to Y/N - 'I know you miss home, but sometimes, home is where your best friends are, and all three of them are here!' she tried to encourage the cute pink-haired girl who could only squeal and hug her new friend.

Even Ghostface wasn't exempt from falling to her charms, and they would often take silly selfies and mess around, making fun of the old horror movie tropes and doing lots of puns and pranks - So much that she even got his trust to be told about the Danny/Jed thing, and how he began his killer profession - 'You're a very talented photographer, Danny! You deserved all that recognition you got, both as a journalist, and as a killer!'

And very soon, Y/N found herself in the crushing arms of an overprotective Anna, humming her mother's lullaby together with walking through the forest, Y/N making flower crows for all the female killers at the camp site, and little by little, she somehow managed to worm her way under everyone's skins.

Y/N was the survivor with the highest survivability percentage, and maybe the Entity sometimes got pissed off, but at least she still got killed sometimes, so who cares? Well, that was soon to change as soon as a new Killer was added to this sick game - Pyramid Head, the terror of Silent Hill, as Cheryl, the new Survivor, called him - or The Executioner, as he was known now. He was ruthless, merciless, grotesque - He had his own criteria of killing, his own moral compass, ethics, conscience and understanding of the concept of life and death. Nothing that could compare to the visions of humans, clearly - Everything was gravitating around Divine Retribution and Justice, but the from the outside, he was nothing but a killing machine.

He would kill everyone and anyone that crosses his path, without fail.

Y/N felt like her fortune ended completely the second she found herself in the new, overly cramped map, with Pyramid Head as the killer - She couldn't help but run around like a spazzic meerkat, trying to find and fix as many generators as possible, without having to get face to face with the walking hazard...

Only to run past a stuck Pyramid Head.

Slowly backtracing her steps, she saw the mountain of a man with his metal pyramid stuck in the frames a low window which he tried to walk over. He was trashing like a raged bull trying to attack a matador, but it was clear he was getting nowhere with this.

"H-Hey, u-uhm...Need some help?" she asked in a soft, careful voice, almost like a meek cat trying to test the waters, but in return, he started groaning even louder from the wrath he wanted to unleash upon the whole world. "Okay, uhm...I think I saw a can of vaseline in one of the chests around. I'll go fetch it and I'll come back for you. Don't move." she said, only to then realise how horrible that sounded, considering the situation, and it only seemed to anger the killer. "...I'm sorry, ignore me, I'm an idiot." she slapped herself pretty harshly before bolting out of there trying to find the chest.

However, Y/N cursed herself for not having perfectly memorised the whole map by heart already, since she found the vaseline can after the 3rd chest, and then, it took quite a while to find the bloody window that got the killer stuck - And by the time she got there, she was dead tired. "Okay, I'm here, I found the vaseline! Let's try to get you out of here." Y/N muttered as she put her feet on the low window pane to get to his level. "If it's not too much trouble, could you please hold onto me? I can't balance myself with both hands occupied, and I'd rather not fall." she explained as she opened the vaseline can, only to shiver as she felt two big, strong hands getting a firm grip on her hips. It was almost...Endearing, were she not too busy trying to get the killer unstuck. She kept massaging the metal edge, trying to push and pull, also praying to whatever deity that existed in her human world that she had her tetanus shot done on time - Until finally, she was able to get hear a loud screech, like a pop, and the killer got unstuck, and in the process, he stumbled backwards, while Y/N fell down on her butt.

"Ouchie..." she muttered, rubbing her back and sides to take away the pain surging through her body. "Are you okay?" she asked, almost intuitively, without realising it at first, until she heart a low grunt that brought her back to reality. "O-Oh...! You have glass shards stuck in your side! And you're bleeding too! Hold up, let me help." she hurried to his side, while the killer merely stiffened, feeling her delicate, slender fingers tracing his body, while he heaved and slouched his shoulders from the repressed wrath. "It may sting a bit, and I'm really sorry, but I promise it will be better soon." her voice was so motherly and warm, which also resonated in her actions, as she gingerly took a water bottle and imbued some tissues with it, to wipe away the blood smearing down his skin as she extracted the glass shards, and then..."This is grandma's marigold ointment. It's really good, and it smells nice." she explained as she carefully smeared a thick layer of the yellow ointment on the biggest wounds, while the little ones were covered by smiley-flower patterned plasters. They were cute, and colourful, and they never failed to make her smile. "Okay, there we go, all better! I hope you'll feel better very soon!" her voice got a tiny bit more cheerful and upbeat.

It made the Killer think about a trillion things, as he stepped in front of her, towering over her like the Empire states building next to a smiling pomeranian. What was with this girl? Why did she help a killer? And why did he feel so...Warm inside? He could sense a foreign kind of luminosity, a naivite and innocence that he only witnessed in children and animals. This woman in front of him was untainted by the darkness and evil of the world.

It didn't matter how many hardships she's been through, or how much sadness she had to endure - Her soul remained as pure as any snowdrop, as the first snow of winter, as the fleece of a baby lamb who let out its first 'meeeeh' to its mamma sheep.

He couldn't allow this human to be maimed in any way - Not by the world, not by the Entity, and certainly not by him. - Screw the Entity, Pyramind Head kills by his own rules, and now, he was blessed to be faced with a human who bore no real hatred for her peers, or for the world, despite the horrible situation she was thrown into.

He didn't understand, obviously, especially as he remembered the myriad of abominations that lurked through Silent Hill, all of them created by the torment of humans - The very torment that distorted their own reality, which resulted in him needing to solve the purpose as The Executioner - Eradicating the world of all evil.

"Th-This sword is so heavy...H-How can you carry this around like that...?! Your muscles must be so strained and sore...Y-You really need a massage, I'm sure." she stuttered as she tried to lift the much taller and heavier sword from the ground, only for the brute to simply bend and pick it up with extreme ease, putting the girl to shame with her complete lack of strength. "Hehe...You're really strong. I'm embarrassed now." she chuckled softly, scratching the back of her neck.

Before she could leave or do anything else, Pyramid Head picked her up by the throat, careful not to hurt her or restrict her air intake - I mean, how else was he supposed to carry her so he wouldn't hurt her with his metal head or sword? - and it was pretty clear she didn't feel any malevolence from him, as she clinged on his forearm, trying to keep herself up, only to be dumped on top of the hatch, as the killer pointed towards it, so she would leave.

"O-Oh...! Thank you so much! You're really kind! I really appreciate this...I-I know it probably doesn't matter much to you, since you'll be doing this over and over again with all the survivors...But I really appreciate you for your kind gesture, and I appreciate you for being so nice with me. Thank you. Take care!" her dazzling smile lit the whole place up, but he couldn't talk, nor could he tell her how he should be the one thanking her for showing him that, despite the hundreds and thousands of years he had to roam the 'Earth' and execute the injust, miracles still existed.

As soon as she reached the survivor's camp, everyone cheered for her, asking how in the world could she have escaped the wrath of the butcher. "Oh, but he wasn't that bad. In fact, he's much more humane than I anticipated! I think he has a beautiful, blooming heart!" okay, she's lost it - the other survivors thought - but even so, she's always been a bit...Out of it, so who cares?

It took quite a while for the other three survivors to reach the camp, all bloody, in fact, like the new killer, who dragged himself with the same menace to the Killers' camp. "How the hell did you manage to survive?!" they yelled at her in utter shock, seeing that she got out of there unscratched. "Oh, you see...I found the hatch." she shrugged simply, not wanting to give away that the person who massacred those three was a soft one and he basically threw her down the hatch to her safety.

As she took a twig to roast a marshmallows, she noticed how Pyramid Head was standing much farther away from the rest of the killers - She knew that silent killers were bound to stay away from the more obnoxious one, remembering how Michael Myers almost killed Ghostface and The Legion at least a dozen times - But this time...He seemed kinda...Lonely? So Y/N took the matters into her own hands, roasted another marshmallow in another twig, and when it was done, she went to the killer's camp, calling out the lonely one's name - She has no idea why, but he actually followed her, pushing her further deep into the forest, until he was sure nobody was going to hear, see or interrupt them...

"Hey. You seemed pretty lonely out there...I thought you could use a friend. Thank you again for what you did at the trial...Here, this is a marshmallow. I don't think you've had many before...Cheryl told me of that horrible place you had to live in...So I hope this will make your day a bit better!" Y/N extended one of her hands towards him, so he could take the marshmallow - And a long, black tongue erupted from underneath the pyramid, snatching away the fluffy marshmallow and gulping it in one go.

What the hell was he turning into?

A towering man built of pure muscle, wrath and divine justice, with a pyramid representing the evil of humanity burdening his body, and a sword taller and heavier than the average human being constantly dragged in one of his hand...He now was a slave to a cute, innocent girl who was putting flower plasters on his minuscule wounds that would heal in a heartbeat regardless - He saved this girl who was now offering his these soft, squishy things that tasted overly sugarly, just like her upbeat and cheerful personality - If he could eat her, he was sure she would taste even sweeter than this - A sickish kind of sweet, that is.

She was indeed a beautiful angel in this tragic hell. But he didn't wait to snatch the second marshmallow either.

"Ah...! You liked it, didn't you? Well...Next time, I promise I'll give you more!" she grinned at him the same way a princess would to her chivalrous knight who saved her. The since he couldn't talk, silence took over them - It wasn't an uncomfortable one, per se, but it made it feel as if the conversation was over. "W-Well...I'll guess I'll see you around! Take care and I hope to see you again soon!" she waved cutely, trying to turn around back to her camp, only to feel a rough hand on her shoulder, turning her around and urging her to stop and wait for him and he went deep into the forest, leaving her alone and undefended by the potential malevolent forces of the forest.

When he returned, however, he stepped right in front of her, creating the perfect shade as he towered over her - Then he kneeled in front of her, so he would reach her eye sight, then he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and put a beautiful pink flower - As pink as the blush that started creeping on her face - He wanted to see her luminous face better, to highlight her dazzling smile and her glimmering eyes as the warm, silver light of the mother moon caressed her face.

Y/N felt her heart picking up the pace - It was beating so much faster than ever before - But this time, it wasn't out of fear or anything negative...It was something good. Something she never felt in her life, especially with her human acquaintances from back home. None was as chivalrous and gentle with her as this butcher of tormented souls - The bringer of justice, the merciless Executioner who was supposed to end the life of every living being that would cross his path.

It was insane how every Yin finds its Yang, even if that comes in the form of a little lamb of a small, frail girl, and a huge abomination of a brute man who knows nothing but death, bloodshed and carnage. It was truly crazy how opposites attract, and here she was, holding the killers large hands and gingerly putting them on her face, leaning into his touch - She felt safer now than ever in her life - Now, in the arms of an ancient killer.

An Angel and A Demon brought together in a perfect union.

As she leaned down, she touched the metal of the pyramid where she anticipated his forehead would be with her own forehead, and closing her eyes, she finally felt herself calming down. There was no need for words, actions spoke louder than anything, and she appreciated it...She appreciated him.

"Thank you." she whispered to him, knowing that yes, even though nobody else would hear it anyway, it was much more intimate than anything she ever experienced.

She was hooked.

Hope you liked my completely shameless pun, I couldn't stop it, especially after the pain I went through trying to write this...3 freaking times.

Yay.