#Mannequin getting clowned on

[cairavende]

Worm Arc 12 thoughts:

Brian needs to watch the Barbie movie holy shit! (I understand the story takes place in 2011 and the movie doesn't exist there)

Just like, fuck get off Taylor's back. She is playing it too safe but also being too aggressive. Moving too fast but also not being aggressive enough! AHHHHHHHH!

Seriously, nearly every time Brian showed up in this arc I was yelling at him. Dude. Just back off.

Skitter fucking just, killing thousands of rats in a few minutes is absolutely terrifying. God I love her.

Hookwolf is a dick. I can't believe everyone else went along with him and gave the Travelers and the Undersiders shitty choices like that. I mean that's not true, I can believe it I'm just mad.

I legit forgot Imp existed until Tattletale mentioned leaving her at the meeting as a spy. I love how the way her power works combined with the writing style means she just disappears for the readers as well.

Loved seeing more of the Travelers and more Noelle. Excited to learn more about her (I don't have great feelings about her long term situation though).

Jack is such a fucking POSER oh my god!

He just. He thinks he's so cool. But he's not. Fucking "this is not an exit" reference and shit.

He is Tobey Maguire Spider-Man from Spider-Man 3. Just thinks he is the coolest shit. Everyone just has to accept it cause he got fancy knife powers.

Tattletale just fucking full confidence fucking with the Nine while standing right in front of them. She clearly knew it was high risk but she took it and she got results, spoiling Jacks plan with Cheri and shit.

That said, AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! MY BABY SOMEBODY HELP MY BABY! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! (Ok she's not like, my baby, that's Taylor. But she's still my baby.)

LOOK AT MY FUCKING DAUGHTER! FUCKING LOOK AT HER! HOW MANY PEOPLE DID SHE SAVE FROM SHATTERBIRD? HUNDREDS? THOUSANDS? SHE IS AMAZING!

She fucking needs therapy though. Saves more people than anyone else could have and is mad because she didn't do enough. God damn Taylor love yourself!

Danny is fine. Besides, he had warning so any injures are basically his fault. Git gud Danny. (Ok look that's a little unfair, but he messed up pretty bad with raising my daughter so I'm allowed to be a little unfair to him I think.)

And look at my daughter again! She goes and organizes people to help the wounded. Takes charge. Gets a cool butch lady that might never show up again to help. I hope she does show up again though.

AND THEN FUCKING MANNEQUIN! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

After he showed up I said "I don't know how the fuck she's gonna do it, but my daughter is gonna kick your ass". And then like a few paragraphs later I read "I have no idea how the fuck I’m going to do it but I’m going to make you regret that." This made me both happy - fun to say something and have Taylor say almost the same thing - and worried - cause when I said I didn't know how she was going to do it I kinda hoped she had a plan.

But then she fucking does it! She kicks his ass. She steals his arm. SHE RIPS HIS HEAD OFF! GOD DAMN! THAT'S MY FUCKING KID!

I do think she should hire the buff burly guy who helped her rip Mannequin's head off. He clearly has motivation and would be loyal. And maybe I want to see him more. For reasons.

But anyway she fucking wrecks Mannequin, makes him look like he lost a fight with a paint store. Just fucking clowned on him. She is so good.

Then the next day Brian comes in and fully focuses on how stupid it was to fight Mannequin, not really praising that she won or asking if she needs medical help. God damn bud!

But I loved how a fuck ton of people were like "Oh shit she beat Mannequin! I want to work for her." She's going to be so fucking famous soon.

Interlude 1 - Jack is a poser again. Sucks to be the Merchants, can't say I'll miss them. Jack trying to sound all clever with his carrot and sticks thing, but most of what he lists for the other Nine is really obvious. And he misses some stuff as well. Poser. I could lead the Nine better than him (not that I would lead the Nine, just that if I did I would be better than Jack).

Interlude 2 - God damn this is a doozy. Shit ton of Cauldron lore. Battery backstory. Assault backstory. I made a "now kith" joke when they fought for the very first time cause I didn't realize who they were yet. It was supposed to be a joke. I did not want them to end up together. They should not be together. Legend should not have allowed Assault to be on Battery's team. He was a bit of a dick for that. So much Cauldron lore though. I can't put it all here.

[2-dsimp]

Yandere clown humiliates your mean ex and makes you laugh

[Y̾AͣN̾TͭOͦB𞀓EͤRͬ DͩAͣY̾ 5 Iͥmͫaͣg̾iͥn̾eͤ: K̾iͥl̾l̾eͤrͬ Cͨl̾oͦw𞀞n̾ f̾tͭ!]

•:•.•:•.••:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:

Cw: suggestive! Cannibalism, possessive/obsessive tendencies, Pyrok hates your ex-boyfriend and wants to eat him.

Synopsis: All you wanted was an antique doll from the antique store that was down the road from your home. But instead you get a murderous alien killer clown doll instead. With a long line of history for being known as the boogeyman who terrorized the districts of Devildom centuries ago.

•:•.•:•.••:•:•:•:•☾☼☽•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:

Thinking about a yandere Killer Clown! that was hexed by a powerful mage centuries ago for going on a killing spree. Cannibalizing the townsfolk like the neighborhood boogeyman. Within Devildom and leaving a trail of gnawed bones and flesh.

Yandere Killer Clown! Cursed to be a doll, with his alien features wiped from his face so he’d be looking like a blank faced mannequin. While his features were transferred onto the plate masks of varying expressions adorning his hip belt. To be kept under lock n key, shipped straight to an antique shop. Where he laid wasting away for centuries with only a mean grudge to his name. Until you came and bought the box out of curiosity.

Yandere Killer Clown! Who at first plays pretend when you open the box. Remaining dead in his doll form just to get a picture of who exactly his new owner was. And whether or not he should kill you and run away now that he’s been freed. There were many nights where he had his blank face jutted down at you.

Sitting on your chest as you breathed whilst his porcelain hand pressed against his mask which shifted into a ravenous expression. Razor teeth jutting out, with a long tongues slithering from the bottomless hole within the masks holes. Eyes boring into you, Always waiting for a chance of when you’d neglect him. Or forget to shine his porcelain body and dress him up in his favorite frills everyday. Any excuse to get rid of you but so far there was nothing.

Yandere Killer Clown! Who after a couple weeks, grew too comfortable being hugged and fawned over in his stay with you. He always wore his happy mask when he was in your presence. However, every time you left and came back you noticed how his mask switched from happy to angry.

The masks soulless eyes seemed to be glaring at you with intensity as if knowing whatever sin you committed to warrant the clowns wrath. Yeah he knew all about that wretched ex boyfriend you kept going on and off with. And it made his hollowed brain rattle violently with murderous and envious thoughts.

Yandere Killer Clown! Who became a touch more realer with every laugh he coaxed from you lips. Whether it be by his switch up in masks. (which always left you with whiplash from how it was even possible for him to do that.) Or from his out of context voice lines that had a morbid humorous edge with insults for your ex-boyfriend.

“Tiny pecker, Tiny pecker, Exy has a tiny pecker! Chop it off, lest it don’t grow any bigger!”

The past few days you could never find peace as strange things had started happening around you. More specifically with the clown doll, every time you went to polish him he felt colder than usual. And his edgy joints were less prominent with a softer more flexible edge. The kicker was that whenever you’d go to sleep. You’d always feel something breathing on you. But you chalked it up to an air drift from the window you cracked open.

Yandere Killer Clown! Who is garbling ancient enchantments via mask. Which enabled him to have an outlet to express himself. As his pointed claws surgically traced his signature sigil on your chest. the happy mask’s manic grin started growing eerily wider. At seeing the reddened glow of his brand on you. Which made the bond you two shared to be completely permanent.

This new status would allow him much more freedom. To battle against the croons curse which had limited his former self. However, it was incomplete, it was one sidedly done after all. So he needed you to do the same onto him.

You needed to Let him in.

Thanks to your intervention in his life there was so much he wanted to do. First thing on the list would be getting rid of that old croon’s curse on his body once and for all. The second would be eliminating that ex boyfriend of yours.

And lastly…Having you to be his brood mother to repopulate his alienkind of was also one of his goals. After all you were the perfect fit. You’ve already shown such potential in being his mate, by tending to him everyday and night. He’d be sure to return the favor tenfold keep you well fed, protected, and cherished.

All you had to do was Let. Him. Inside of you.

——————/—————

A/n: Decided to make an attempt on doing spooky yantober entry XD

Lmk if y’all would want to see more of him. 👀

Also I think I’ve finally did all the yandere alphabet letters woohoo 🎉

[ybyag-lil]

Man, I truly love all the companions in BG3 and how much you can interact with them. They don't just sit there like a mannequin when you talk to people, they actively interact with the world and participate in conversations. They have things to say about things going on in the story if you talk to them, AND will react to your other companions personal issues!

But my favorite thing? The little things you can do with them.

Like the circus? Volunteering one of your companions to help the clown, where 2 of your companions will get approval because you didn't volunteer them and the one you did volunteer will be like "pls don't do this to me"? Talking to the dryiad there and testing your bond with your love interest? Taking Karlach to her parents grave?

I fucking love that. It adds so much to your relationship with them.

Not even mentioning the fact that each companion is a unique and interesting character that isn't just a blank state for your PC to [persuade] them the whole time. There have been moments where in a tense situation I won't intervene with a companions choice and let them chose what they feel is right. And it feels so gratifying to have them make their own decisions. Like yes! After years of doing someone elses bidding, decide your own path in life.

They didn't have to do all that.

But they did, and I love it.

[daisymbin]

32. "hold my hand—just until we get there, okay?" with dk 🥺🤏🏽❤️

oh my god i can so picture this 😭 this is so him!!!

request your own: full prompt list!

check out my masterlist! // seokmin's m.list

fluff prompt #32: "hold my hand—just until we get there, okay?"

"come on, it’ll be fun!" jeonghan’s voice rang out as he gleefully dragged you and seokmin toward the entrance of the horror-themed escape room. beside you, seungkwan was already cackling, clearly enjoying the prospect of watching everyone else scream.

"fun for you, maybe," you mumbled, clutching your bag tightly as the eerie music from inside the room echoed through the hall.

"oh, don’t be so dramatic," jeonghan teased, holding the door open like a villain welcoming his victims. "besides, you’ve got seokmin to keep you safe."

you glanced at seokmin, who was looking just as nervous as you felt. "i wouldn’t count on that," he muttered, his attempt at a smile faltering.

"seokmin can’t even protect himself," seungkwan added with a laugh. "remember the carnival? the animatronic clown?"

"don’t remind me," seokmin grumbled. "that clown was a menace."

you couldn’t help but laugh despite your nerves, and seokmin caught your smile, relaxing a little. "hey," he whispered, leaning close, "we’ll stick together, okay?"

"yeah," you said softly. "okay."

the escape room was worse than you imagined—dim lighting, creepy mannequins, sudden crashes, and faint whispers that made the hairs on your neck stand on end. you stayed close to seokmin, gripping his sleeve as tightly as you dared.

"this way!" jeonghan called, his confidence annoyingly intact as he led the group deeper into the maze. "there’s a clue in here somewhere."

"or a jump scare," seungkwan muttered, smirking as he bumped into you just to hear you yelp.

"seungkwan!" you hissed, clutching seokmin’s arm even tighter.

"what? i’m just helping you prepare," he said, clearly enjoying your misery.

"you’re terrible," seokmin mumbled, placing a protective hand on your shoulder. "come on, let’s just focus on getting out of here."

by the time you reached the last room, your nerves were completely shot. the narrow corridor leading to the exit was filled with mannequins, their blank faces illuminated by a flickering light. you froze, unable to take a step forward.

"nope," you whispered, gripping seokmin’s arm. "i can’t do it. there's no way I'm going in there."

"you have to," jeonghan said, clearly amused. "it’s the only way out."

"we’re right behind you," seungkwan added, though his teasing tone didn’t help.

"you don’t understand," you muttered, feeling your chest tighten. "i can’t."

seokmin turned to you, his own fear momentarily forgotten. "hey," he said softly, his voice steady despite the tremor in his hand. "i’m scared too, but…" he hesitated, then gently took your hand in his. "hold my hand—just until we get there, okay? to the exit."

your breath hitched at the warmth of his hand around yours. you glanced up at him, his nervous smile giving you just enough courage to nod. "okay."

"we’ll do it together," he promised, squeezing your hand lightly.

with seokmin leading the way, you slowly navigated through the corridor. every flicker of the lights and creak of the floorboards made you flinch, but seokmin never let go of your hand. he even cracked a few nervous jokes, his awkward attempts at humor earning a weak laugh from you.

"you’re doing great," he said as you reached the final door. "see? not so bad."

"i hate this," you muttered, but you couldn’t deny the comfort of his presence. "but… thanks."

his ears turned pink at your words.

when you finally stepped outside into the cool night air, you let out a relieved sigh. jeonghan and seungkwan immediately started rehashing their favorite moments, laughing at how scared you and seokmin had been.

"you two were so cute in there," seungkwan teased. "holding hands like it was a date or something."

"shut up," seokmin mumbled, his face turning bright red.

"don’t be shy," jeonghan added with a smirk. "you guys make a great team."

"seriously, can we not?" seokmin grumbled, but his hand lingered near yours as if he wasn’t quite ready to let go.

"you okay?" you asked, ignoring the teasing to focus on him.

he met your gaze, his expression softening. "yeah. im just… i'm just i’m really glad i was with you."

you felt your cheeks heat up, but you managed a small smile. "me too."

jeonghan and seungkwan exchanged knowing looks before walking ahead, leaving you and seokmin behind.

"so," seokmin said after a moment, his voice quieter now. "maybe next time, we can do something less terrifying? just the two of us?"

your heart skipped a beat at the way he looked at you, his shy smile making it impossible to say no. "i’d like that."

his hand brushed against yours as you walked to the car, the warmth of it lingering long after he finally let go.

[not-the-cheese]

one sentence(ish) summaries of every magnus archive episode PART 2

(eps 61-110) thank u for the funny comments and tags on the last part i love u guys

the rest of these may take a while as i've caught up to where i am currently in the podcast but i will finish them like in a month i promise

----

61. the thrilling sequel to man does not open coffin: man DOES open coffin.

62. surely this doctor can find an easier way to scam people out of money than putting them in a little book.

63. THE DARK ATE MY BROTHER IN LAW.

64. this is possibly the plot of laura croft tomb raider

65. mmm crumchy

66. what's the opposite of an unboxing video

67. as close to a coffeeshop au as you're going to get from this podcast

68. Doctors hate him! Man REFUSES to die from tuberculosis!

69. your college's psych department has the worst idea ever.

70. reverse death note

71. not even death will stop this woman from taking the british subway

72. man doesn't want to be low key racist in his last moments before getting eaten

73. police versus the second coming of dark jesus

74. lady is haunted by an ad for coffee

75. mike crew says "uh fuck it let's just put this guy on a skyscraper forever"

76. ryan from buzzfeed unsolved breaks into a train yard and suffers consequences

77. you're not a enough of a bitch to be my real mom

78. man gets harassed by his cousin and then exorcises him

79. you know that chase scene in scooby doo with the doors

80. stupid idiot motherfucking jurgen leitner

81. i have been personally victimized by the sequel to the hungry hungry caterpillar

82. pov: elias threatens to cancel you

83. mannequin takes matters into its own hands after people don't like its pitch for a new window display

84. a hoarder put newspaper on my friend's face :(

85. hey there's maybe a little man upon these stairs?

86. man gets got by a squiggly thing in the dark.

87. plumber is so oblivious to spooky happenings around him that it possibly saves his life.

88. guys i think this guy likes to dig

89. lesbian investment banker finds a new, less evil job: arson!

90. guy who turns people's bones starts a gym where he promises not to turn your bones! (he is lying)

91. i was stalked by lightning for 10 years and i all i got were these stupid scars

92. jonah magnus is a bad friend // another day another elias slay

93. ocd is no match for purple fuzz

94. let the bodies drop gently to the floor let the bodies drop gently to the floor

95. im so sorry my brain refuses to remember what the war ones were about but i think one guy got gently kissed on the forehead so that's pretty nice.

96. diversity wins! the not-quite-human delivery men who stole your identity and business are maybe gay?

97. man gets gaslighted by an entire town about a hole

98. 🎶mister sandman bring me a dream, actually don't, please stay far from me 🎶

99. another one bites the dust

100. archival assistants face off against the general public (they lose)

101. jon finally levels up high enough to unlock an eldritch horror's tragic backstory

102. LOCAL MAN MARRIES BUG

103. peppa eats a clown and they cover her in concrete instead of congratulating her.

104. pennywise stole my brother's skin

105. it's world war z baby

106. Something Big Is In Space.

107. man is interrogated about the time he saw thomas the train roasts people alive and also sans is there

108. actor is stalked by mask who liked his monologue so much that it tells its mask friends to come watch.

109. sometimes a family is just a serial killer's daughter and that guy who maybe killed some vampires

110. yeah man those spiders be eating

Part 1 |

[r0tting-rat]

DCA PROMPTOBER 2024

Attention! This slasher!au belong to the lovely @wyervan, who gave me the okay to write a little drabble about their murderous guys bc I'm simply obsessed with them. I hope I did them justice :>

Day 27 - Stalker

Pairing: Slasher!Sun and Moon x/& GN reader Warning: Blood, violence and gore, choking, drug mention Words: 3800+ Summary: It's Halloween and someone stops by to pay you a visit <3

Whoever said that serial killers are the real monsters of this world has probably never worked a minimum wage job at a diner during Halloween. Teenagers were a fucking pain, there was nothing to say about it. Between stupid pranks and annoying messes, they seemed to try and find every possible way to make your living life hell, like you were some kind of lifeless mannequin and not a waiter.

You often had the closing shift during the weekends, along with a coworker of yours, who was as insufferable and as bothersome as some of the teenagers who’d come in during the day. Jake was a douche, there wasn’t much to say; he was immature and lazy, multiple times he had found ways to shove his workload on you and other people, his cigarette breaks lasted longer than your lunch and he would flirt with every woman under 20 that would cross the threshold of the diner. You and he often worked the closing shift together, which meant you cleaned the kitchen and the tables as Jake called his girlfriend on his flip phone while mindlessly sweeping the floor, only managing to move dust bunnies and used napkins from one place to the other.

You heard his voice loud and clear from the kitchen, complaining about some guy who owed him money, when your ears suddenly picked up something you regretted hearing.

-Stop worrying about it, there’s no risk of him telling the cops, he’d get into a lot more trouble than me,- he laughed, -He’s addicted to that shit, he wouldn’t survive a week without me.-

You had heard from a coworker that Jake sold drugs to highschoolers, but you weren’t the type to believe rumors without any proof, so you had never cared much about it. Your eyes glanced up from the grill you were cleaning to see if Jake had noticed you listening in on his private conversation, but the man was too engrossed into pretending to do his job to notice you. You didn’t want to have anything to do with Jake’s deals, you wanted to keep out of his life as much as you didn’t want him to become a part of yours.

Suddenly, someone began knocking on the glass door of the bar, making it rattle loudly and echo through the small diner. You stopped and waited, until a second, louder knock startled you. Jake wasn’t going to open, was he?

You peeked out of the kitchen, looking for your coworker, but he must have disappeared somewhere in the back because you couldn’t see him anywhere in the dining area. He had left the broom behind, of course. 

Looking outside the diner and into the dark parking lot, you saw a tall man standing right in front of the door with a weird jester costume, waiting for someone to open the door for him. He was wearing red and yellow puffy striped pants, a yellow top with red ruffles, and a weird Halloween mask over his face—a white and golden smiling sun, with a crown of golden rays all around.

As soon as the man saw you he stopped slowly swaying on the spot, freezing, and his head tilted to the side in confusion. You had expected teenagers to come and bother you so late, considering it was the 31st, but a grown ass man wearing such a stupid costume? That was simply ridiculous. You tapped the sign on your side of the glass which read “CLOSED” in bold and red letters, but that seemed to not be enough for the clown.

-We don’t do trick or treating here,- you said, speaking loud enough so he could hear you from outside, -If you want candies how about knocking at the door of a house or something?-

The man’s shoulders shook with laughter, but you didn’t hear any sound coming from him, so you simply sighed and turned back towards the kitchen. You wanted to go home, drink something warm, and do a rewatch of the Scream trilogy, nothing else. Why couldn’t that asshole do the same?

The masked man slammed his hand on the glass, making you jump and turn back around, then he pointed towards the broom laying on the floor a few feet away from you. Something clicked in your head, and you stared at him with your mouth agape.

-Wait, are you here for Jake? Are you one of his friends or something?- you asked, and after a moment of hesitation, the man nodded eagerly. You gave him a better look, noticing exactly how much taller than you he was and his lean build—he didn’t fit the depiction of Jake’s clients. Most of them were highschoolers, as far as you were aware.

-Listen, I can’t let you in, but we’re almost closed, so you just wait a couple of minutes and he’s all yours,- you told the man, who gave you a grateful nod followed by a step back into the parking lot. Despite that, that guy unnerved you deeply, he was weird and creepy, and you didn’t want to have anything to do with him.

You decided you could tell Jake to go home and leave you the rest of the work—which you would have ended up doing even if he stayed there—just so you could get rid of the masked loser outside, but when you called his name, you didn’t hear any answer. You walked in the back of the diner, checking even the kitchen to make sure he wasn’t eating any of the leftover fries, but your coworker had disappeared into thin air. 

During your search you found the staff door wide open, letting in the cold night breeze, and when you tried to close it you found that the handle wasn’t working properly anymore. Every time you pushed it closed, the door would creak open once more.

-What the fuck…?-

A sudden sound made you jump out of your skin and turn around in search of the cause, finding only the silence of the dark diner answering back. You were getting uneasy, on edge, and you couldn’t stop thinking about the weirdo right outside the door. Right as you had begun to wonder if he had found a way to get in, a hand grabbed your shoulder and you screamed.

-Jesus, fuck!- yelled Jake as you flinched away from him, -What the hell is wrong with you?!-

Your heart was beating so loud you could hear it in your chest, hammering against your sternum like a drum, but when you saw your coworker standing right behind you, you sighed and relaxed.

-You scared me!- You shoved the man away, annoyed, and he reacted by looking at you like you had gotten crazy. -Go tell your stupid friend to leave, he’s creeping me out.-

-Who are you talking about?- he asked, and you rolled your eyes.

-Sun dude, with the mask and clown outfit? Doesn’t that ring a bell? He’s waiting for you outside.-

Jake’s brown furrowed in confusion, then he pushed you away to enter back into the dining area, where you had seen the masked guy. He looked outside, walking towards the glass windows that gave a clear view of the parking lot, which revealed to be completely empty. Jake turned around to glare at you like you had set your pants on fire. 

-Did you take something? Some shrooms?- he asked, and you sighed.

-No, he probably just left. That’s his van, I’m sure, it wasn’t there an hour ago.- You pointed at a white van parked not too far from the door in the parking lot. -Do you recognize it?-

Jake shook his head, still visibly confused by your behavior, and from his stance you could tell that he was also growing tense. His hands were fidgeting and his eyes were scanning the parking lot like a police car was about to pull up and arrest him any minute, but in the end he scoffed. 

-Nah. Whatever, I’m going home,- he said, walking away from the window, -I’m not in the mood for this stuff.-

-I’m serious, there was a guy there!- you replied, but the man didn’t listen, -Also, next time close the door behind you after you go out for a smoke.-

-I haven’t smoked in 3 hours,- Jake retorted, -What are you talking about now?-

-So you didn’t open the back door?- you asked after a pause, feeling a sense of chill spread in your guts, creeping up into your lungs and blocking your airway, -But it’s…?-

The door had been broken. From the outside. Someone had gotten in, and you didn’t even hear it, neither of you did. You and Jake seemed to realize the same thing at the same time, but just as you bolted towards your bag and grabbed your phone, which you had left behind the counter, Jake ran for the main door, slamming it open in a rush. 

-Wait, don’t!- you screamed, but the man didn’t listen to you and headed to his car, which was parked in a far corner of the parking lot. Before he could take more than two steps, the white van rumbled to life, pointing its headlights at him and blinding him in the process. 

-Come back inside!- you screamed, and luckily this time Jake seemed to be willing to listen to you, because as soon as he realized he was about to get run over, he threw himself back into the diner. You grabbed him by one of his wrists and dragged him with you in the kitchen, your only safe space for now. 

The kitchen wasn’t that big; the diner you worked at was just a small local business that had just enough seats for the small population of your town, therefore, there weren’t many places to hide. 

-What the fuck is happening?!- screamed Jake in a panic, but you shushed him, beginning to type the police’s number until a humming sound made you freeze on the spot, -Why did you stop?! We need to…-

-Down!- you hissed, ducking behind one of the grills and bringing Jake down with you, right as light steps echoed in the dining area which you had just left. You listened carefully, kneeling on the cold floor of the kitchen with Jake shaking beside you, one of your hands coming up to cover his mouth. 

Your ears picked on a masculine voice singing something reminding you of a lullaby, slow and gentle, melodic and raspy at the same time. The intruder was singing without a care in the world, entering the kitchen just to stop right on the threshold, lingering on the spot. You peeked your head out from the side of the fryer, trying to get a look at the man but only managing to see a pair of black boots and blue puffy pants covered in stars before your eye was caught by the hatchet he was holding in his gloved hand. Old, rusty, and clipped in many places around the edge, the weapon looked decades old, if not more. You saw the man swinging it mindlessly around, like he was playing with it, still humming that low tune with his deep voice. 

-Someone’s hiding,- he sang, mocking, -Someone’s scared!-

Struggling to keep yourself from making a sound, you hid back behind the fryer, hoping to the heavens that Jake wasn’t about to panic and rat you both out. You sent him a warning glare, but the man was too worried about stopping his hands from trembling to even look in your direction. 

-Which little mouse will have its tail chopped off today, mh?- asked the intruder, beginning to walk slowly around the kitchen, -I heard someone has been behaving badly recently. The Sun told me someone was being naughty…-

Pots and pans were knocked down from the counters, making you flinch and cover your own mouth in fear of letting a sound slip out, and with the corner of your eye, you saw Jake begin crying. 

-Isn’t that right, Jake?- the psycho laughed, beginning to move once more, -Did the Sun lie, or are you actually misbehaving?-

You grabbed one of your coworker’s hands and began to crawl away, forcing him to come along, attempting to get on the other side before you could be seen. 

-Come out, come out, Jake, we just wanna play a game with you.- The man faked disappointment, opening any cabinet big enough to contain a human and making a mess of the kitchen around him as an attempt to drive you out of hiding. A metal lid rolled all the way in front of you, stopping right in your tracks, but being too focused on trying to understand how far the intruder was, you didn’t see it, and you hit it with one of your hands, sending it against the wall with a clang.

-Shit!- you said, standing back up, -Run!-

-There you are!- screamed the intruder, immediately running after you and Jake as you scrambled up on your feet and did everything you could to get away. 

You went back into the dining area, attempting an escape through the broken back door, but just as you turned the corner you found the sun-masked man standing in your way with a metal bat in his hands. While trying to step away from him and avoid his first swing directly aimed at your head, you tripped onto Jake, falling on him and causing both of you to ruin on the ground, hitting your head against the wall in the process. Breathing heavily, you managed to back yourself into a corner, unable to see through the heavy cloud of pain blossoming in your skull as warm liquid dripped down your neck, soaking your work uniform and making you dizzy. Your every breath was painful, your throat and mouth burned dry and your heart was beating out of your chest, deafening you entirely to the screams of your coworker being slammed against the wall beside you by the man with the hatchet. You were barely conscious, enough to distinguish the sun mask kneeling in front of you to observe you better as a crunch echoed through the diner, final in the way it made Jake’s protests and cries come to an abrupt stop.

Blood began to pool on the floor next to you, dripping down the wall where the killer’s hatchet had split open his skull, and the metallic scent hit your senses like a punch in the guts. You suddenly awakened, gasping for air like a starving man, and immediately you flinched when the sun mask leaned closer to your face. You couldn’t suppress the tears pushing out of your ducts, streaming down your face in rivers, and you hiccupped when, during your struggle to push yourself back up, you slipped on the blood with your palms and found yourself face-first in it. 

The murderer with the hatchet, who was wearing a moon-themed mask and a costume matching the other maniac, let go of Jake’s body and let it slide down the wall into a sitting position right beside you, making you scream and stumble back into your corner. 

-Please don’t kill me!- you begged, out of your mind with fear, -P-Please, please, I beg you, please d-don’t kill me, I didn’t do anything w-wrong, I didn’t…-

-Oh, we know, sweetie,- cooed the sun mask, his amused voice so sickly sweet it made you want to gag, -We believe you!- 

You couldn’t understand what was happening anymore. Were you in danger? Were they going to kill you as well? Why did they kill Jake in the first place? You were going mad and couldn’t even bring yourself to think, all you wanted to do was go home and huddle yourself into a warm nest of blankets. You wanted to wake up and find that the horrifying reality you were living in was actually nothing more than a horror film-induced nightmare. 

-We believe you, really,- the sun’s voice came down to a docile whisper as one of his gloved hands brushed against your cheek, making you whine and attempt to curl away from his touch. The gloved fingers were cold—so cold. You wanted to puke. -But I’m afraid we can’t let you go away so easily after seeing what happened here.-

His thumb brushed over your parted lips, spreading a drop of blood like it was a gloss, tinting your lips of a deep crimson color, until his finger pressed on the other side of your jaw. You looked up at the man, wide-eyed, as his other huge hand also wrapped around your throat and slowly began to crush your windpipe with his strength. 

-Too bad,- commented the moon-masked man as he began to lean closer. His entire “face”, chest and arms were covered by blood and brain matter, dark and gooey, drenching his white and black top with it, -Would have loved to play a little game with you, just to pass the time, you know? Unfortunately, we still have morals.-

-Yeah,- laughed the sun, -We don’t go for innocent people usually—not unless they give us a reason to dispose of them, of course. Nothing personal, ‘kay? No hard feelings between us?-

You were choking, flailing your hands around while trying to pry his fingers off and scratching yourself in the process, and as your face began to turn red and your vision began to get spotty, your eyes ran from a masked man to the other, hoping at least one of them would have mercy on you.

-Unless,- whispered the moon to his companion, admiring the beautiful way your unconscious body lost all its strength and fell unresponsive on the ground—still far from death, as shown by the slow rise of your chest, -Unless we let this one leave to tell the tale.-

-There’s no tale, Moon,- replied Sun, sending his friend a glare while also parting his hands from your throat. In a few seconds you were probably going to regain consciousness, so he stood up and aimed his bat at your head, -We already talked about this, leaving witnesses is out of the picture. Also, do you mind doing this for me? I already got blood on my gloves, and you know how much I hate finishing them off.-

-But think better about it!- spoke Moon, leaning against the wall, knowing that Sun was not going to give you the final blow himself, -Everyone is town is already aware there’s a pair of fuckers going around killing people, but don’t you think it would make our job much easier if people really started to fear us?-

Sun let go of the bat just to stare at his companion, speechless, like he couldn’t believe the words the other man had said. 

-No, I actually think that would make our job much more difficult,- he said, and Moon scoffed, -People will begin to think we are merciful, which could not be more far from the truth.- 

-I think it would actually show everyone in this city how things work.- Moon put down his hatchet and crossed his arms over his chest, showing Sun that he was actually completely serious. -Innocents will be allowed mercy, while rulebreakers will receive the chop-chop treatment.-

Sun sighed, running one of his gloved hands through his blonde hair in exasperation. 

-First of all, don’t call murdering people “the chop-chop treatment”, that’s weird. Second, you already killed innocents before, so what’s so different now? Third, do you actually believe people will understand?- It was clear, he still didn’t trust Moon’s plan, but Sun never listened to any plan that wasn’t his own, so that didn’t count. 

-They will, if you allow them to live and warn them,- Moon nodded towards your limp body, -Also, the other times it was an accident, okay? Not everything can always go according to plan!-

You were beginning to regain consciousness, groaning on the floor and gasping for air.

-Shit, they’re awake!- Sun said, -Kill them!-

-No, we’re leaving them behind,- insisted Moon, grabbing his friend’s wrist and pulling him away from you, -Trust me just this once, it’ll work out in our favor.- 

Sun was hesitating, looking at you, slowly waking up, then at his companion. He couldn’t figure out the best course of action, so he just groaned and let himself be dragged away. 

-Alright, just this once!- he allowed, -Consider this a treat, Moon, because it won’t happen ever again!-

The duo left through the broken back door, walking into the dark parking lot and looking around for any car or passerby in sight, while you blinked your eyes open on the bloodied floor of the diner where you were mindlessly taking orders and serving customers just a few hours prior. Your whole body was in pain, your arms felt heavy and sore, while your throat felt like it had been rubbed with sandpaper both on the inside and on the outside. You finally managed to completely open your eyes and stare at the ceiling, still not believing that you were still alive. What had convinced the two killers to spare you? Which one had mellowed the other into showing mercy? You couldn’t say, there were too many things you couldn’t explain to yourself, but as you turned your head around to look at Jake’s lifeless body next to you, your eyes came to an halt on his chest, where the moon—his killer—had left a plastic bag containing a bunch of colorful pills. For a second you felt dazed, until you understood that the two clowns were leaving a clear message. They didn’t like the idea of people selling drugs to highschoolers, and that was probably the same reason why you were left alive, unscathed except for the blossoming bruises the sun’s hands had left on your neck, red and angry against your skin. They had spared you because you hadn’t hurt anyone;  that explained the words the moon guy had told Jake in the kitchen and why you were still allowed to breathe, but it didn’t excuse the viciousness behind the duo’s actions.

The blood around you was expanding, soaking your hair and work shirt as well, and for some reason your first thought was that it felt incredibly warm, like there was some possibility that Jake was still breathing beside you, like his heart could still be pumping blood in his veins, like you could turn around and see him alive and well. Of course, that wasn’t the case.

You had been graced with life, and that night, on the unswept and bloody floor of a diner, you decided you were going to do everything in your power to keep things that way, in case the astral duo ever changed their minds and came back for you. They had spared you once, and you weren’t going to give them a reason to take that gift back.

[heartfullofleeches]

Clown Reader's biggest fans-

Interviews have never been easy- When you're on set the camera just disappear, but surrounded by all these blistering lights you feel singled out. It's different from being the center of attention and more like you're in the middle of an interrogation.

The interviewer checks through their notes. "Now, Y/n - While doing some research into your show, our team happened to notice there are three reserved seats in the crowd at all given times, but nobody ever sits in them. Who are they for?"

Your relief is palpable. At least they were starting off with simple questions. "Oh! They're for Bebe, Grinny, and Charlie."

The interviewer scans through the papers, brows raised. "Grinny?"

"They're my friends. My starting crew if that makes things easier, but they mean so much more than that. When I was began my career as a entertainer they were the ones I brought with me to help with the kids. They're a bit worn out now and a little scary to the little tikes so the producers wouldn't let them join me on the show, but it's not like I'd just leave them behind."

"Uh-huh.... Go on?"

"Bebe is the jokester of the group. She's this clown doll I got as a yard sale with stretchy arms and legs. She gives the best hugs and always knows how to make me laugh when I'm down. I still get my best material from her. Grinny is a bit of crybaby. He's a puppet with the biggest smile, but don't let that fool you. He taught me and the kids it's okay to not to not always feel happy. Charlie.... Charlie is my guardian angel. They've always watched over me and been my voice of reason. They're a mannequin I glued wings and a bunch of eyes on when I was bored. I don't know where I'd be without any of them. We've been through thick and thin, and thinner together. It"s save to say they're my biggest fans...."

You slap your hands over your mouth. "Ah! Please don't release that part. I'd hate for the kids to get jealous, haha!"

"We'll cut it out in editing. Thank you, Y/n. We'll take five to let you get some air."

"Alright." Excusing yourself from the table, you walk over to the opposite side of the stage - stepping behind the curtains leading to the dressing rooms. The door to your room is slightly ajars - large button eyes peaking from the crack.

"Bebe!" Rushing over, the large doll falls into your arms as you swig the door open. Her arms rest over your shoulders as you support her weight - sewn lips pressed to your cheek. Laughter erupts from your chest as you attempt to push her back into the room only for her to fall right back into your arms.

"I missed you too, but at least let me get through the door first. Were you eavesdropping again?" The doll doesn't answer as you scoop your arms beneath her legs and carry her inside. The camera crew had been known to move your dolls around to mess with you before so her off placement doesn't surprise you. You carry her over to the couch where Grinny laid on the pillow you always used for your naps. He never faired well without you so it was the best thing for him. Charlie was always off on their own. Bebe does get on their nerves, but you know it's because they miss you too and want to be alone with their feelings. You wheel the mannequin from beside your dresser and over to the couch as you then crawl upon in between the doll and the puppet.

"Thanks for always being here for me, guys. I owe it all to you. Please wake me up in five minutes, Charlie."

You close your eyes as you rest your head on the cushion of Bebe's soft body - a plush hand stroking through your hair as you drift off to sleep.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

I posted Amber's carousel coffee table a few weeks ago, and here's the rest of the room. Wow. Just, Wow.

Amber says, "My lady Lulu mannequin may make some folks feel uneasy, but I've always thought she's a hoot. I apologize to anyone who finds rubber faced dolls, clowns, and mannequins creepy." Where does one get stuff like this?

With and without the chandelier on.

via FB group Moody Maximalism (for every decor type)

[daphnethebanjolover]

Thoughts on IF

Also known as "Ryan Reynolds Looking Hella Fine for 1 hour 44 minutes Straight"

You gotta watch this movie. Don't ask why. Just do it.

I've always wanted to know what Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends would look like in a live-action setting, and if John Krasinski has to be the one to bring that to life, then so be it.

I will admit, I was confused at the beginning as to why Bea was at the hospital when the mom was already dead.

Before I say anything else, the soundtrack. This is why music is in movies. The music always seemed to fit both the specific scene and the whimsical mood of the film as a whole.

Also, the CGI. All of the IFs fit seamlessly into the live-action scenery without being excessively photorealistic. I mean, there's one scene where Bea walks past Blue, and he casts a shadow on her. How do they do that?

Speaking of Blue, 10/10 casting. Steve Carell has the exact type of energy needed for Blue.

John Krasinski had to have heard of Foster's. I mean, come on. There's literally a character named Blue.

Blue: I'm Blue. Me: You're purple. Bea: You're purple. Me: (hits arm on armrest from laughing too hard)

We wear suspenders in this house.

The surprise I felt when I heard Steve Carell's voice coming out of that guy was exactly the same as when I realized Billy Crystal voiced Calcifer in Howl's Moving Castle.

I like that lil' freak who looks like the Faker from Jackbox, but he's gotta stop climbing onto people.

Also, that art mannequin guy looks kinda sexy. Is that just me?

That ghost guy just spent the whole time vibin'.

The Better Be Good to Me dance number has me convinced that this would make waves on Broadway. We just need the budget for Bea to re-imagine the house.

The underwater scene after Cal gets pushed in the pool was sick. This must be why people like that one Nirvana album cover.

I had a feeling that Blossom used to be Grandma's IF just from looking at Grandma's tutu in the picture. I didn't even notice her in the background.

The scene where Bea is by her dad's bed while he's sleeping makes me think this is the type of movie that would make my mom cry.

I know that the "picture was folded the whole time" trope has been done before, but that twist actually got me while also putting together so many pieces at the same time.

Seeing Ryan Reynolds in that dorky-ass clown outfit was simultaneously the most beautiful and the most hilarious moment in the entire movie.

Overall, 9/10. That 48 on Metacritic is wack.

[hiest-4738]

WARNING SPOLIERS FOR SM 6

WARNING SPOLIERS FOR SM 6

WARNING SPOLIERS FOR SM 6

WARNING SPOLIERS FOR SM 6

WARNING SPOLIERS FOR SM 6

WARNING SPOLIERS FOR SM 6

my review of spooky month 6

i thought id like him. turns out i think hes weird

yes

HIS EYES DID THE FUCKING THING AGAIN LETS GOOOOOO

HOLY SHIT I THOUGHT THAT WAS ACTUALLY HIM FOR A MOMENT THEY HANDLED MOLOCH SO FUCKING WELL HERE

he finally gets l e g s and honestly theyre most of the same ones id hope hed have if he DID have em!

rick handled this like a champ

AAAAAAAAAAAAOPIHUTHDGHYHUJ

HE EVEN HAS THE SAME THIN SHORT LEGS AS THE CLOWN DOES

MY ROBLOX FRIEND WAS RIGHT ABOUT THIS AND I DIDNT FUCKING BELIEVE THEM HOLY SH I T

I HAD A THEORY THAT THIS WAS GONNA FUCKING FORSHADOW SOMETHING

AND LOOK WHERE THE FUCK WE ARE

hearing them cry makes me so fucking sad. they think this guy they just met just MURDERED their friend

im unsure about him being in the cult now i thought he was but then the cult fucking attacked him

EYES IS BACK EYES IS FUCKING BACK EYES LITERALLY EYES IM LOSING MY SHIT OVER HERE AND THEN EYES SHOWS UP I FEEL LIKE SCREAMING BUT ID WORRY MY SISTER SO IMMA DO IT IN TEXT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

ever since i saw that drawing of a giant spider with the mannequin i thought the spider would be related to eyes due to the bug-limbs on eyes' head matching the position and number of the legs on the spider AND LOOK AT THIS

SPOLIERS FOR THE ALT ENDING

THESE 3 ARE IN THE CULT. I SUSPECTED THAT WITH THE THEIVES BUT THEN THERES THE DEALER, HOLY SHIT

[mag200]

good day to think about sebastian skinner. guy gets called for a plumbing job out in the middle of the forest where no people live. pays double, nice. theres a factory full of mannequins there. he checks out a drain thats clogged with “dark red water” (definitely not blood and hair and fat and bits of people) while a clown tells him how much she wants to pull the skin off his body, and as hes listening to this he’s just like, huh, not my business. and he just gives her the invoice and drives away. they call him back the next day to fix another drain and hes like yeah sure i’ll come right over. he gets there and the clown leads him into the mannequin factory where they’re all cutting up human heads (which are still alive and in pain, btw) and they all turn to attack him. he runs away, aided by jude fucking perry of all people, who burns the shit out of his shoulder but lets him drive away before she burns down the entire forest and all the mannequins. and this guys just like, well, thats saturdays for you innit? legend icon behavior.

[catboyfelixer]

The Shop Down The Street | Bang Chan

Pairing: Chan x GN!Reader Summary: You've walked down this street many times before, but somehow you never noticed this vintage store until you're literally forced to look at it. They've got some really cool clothes, a huge vinyl record collection, and a cute guy working at the counter. But when you stumble upon a section of the store you shouldn't be able to see, you realize that there's more to this world (and to yourself) than you once thought. Genre: Fluff, Humor, Supernatural Notes: i dont have notes but i will say chan looks really cute in that pic

It was a gust of wind that brought you here, but it felt more like a push. A force at your back propels you forward, and you come face to face with a peculiar shop you've never seen before. "Castlebrook Vintage" the sign out front reads, and through the glass you see a wooden interior filled with racks of clothes and lined with old books on the shelves. It's strange, you walk past this area once a week; surely you would've noticed a cute vintage store here, right?

There's something in your chest pulling at you to go inside, and when you open the door, the chimes echo an intimate song that welcomes you in.

As soon as you step in, you feel the change in temperature. The cold wind is replaced a cozy warmth that is accentuated by the warm yellow lights. You are immediately greeted by an array of interesting clothes, all arranged near the entrance. An old rock song you don't recognize is playing on the speakers, and it accompanies you while you look through the vintage jeans at the front. You're alone in the store, save for a boy beside the counter hanging jackets on a rack. He's quietly singing along to the song, until the drums kick in and he starts hitting the rack with coat hangers as if they were drumsticks. He's got a cute face, and unexpectedly large biceps that are very visible under the black band t-shirt he's wearing. He notices you looking in his direction and flashes a smile, and you pretend you weren't just looking at his arms.

"Need help finding anything?"

"Uh, no! Just browsing," you say, and continue rifling through clothes in an attempt to look busy.

"Alright, if you need anything let me know," he says, and the singing continues as he gets back to work.

To save yourself the embarrassment of being caught checking out a cute guy, you walk further in the store. Long tables stand in the middle of the room, stacked with boxes of vinyl records that are neatly sorted by genre and alphabetical order. Maybe one day you'll take the time to comb through the huge variety of music, but the oddities at the back of the store are what draws your interest.

There's a glass cabinet full of interesting old dinnerware, and walls covered in paintings of ships out at sea. Shelves are full of old technology, old boomboxes and record players. You even spot an Atari with a row of games beside it, but the price of it makes you recoil. You turn around to see other things, and are startled by the life size clown mannequin in the corner you somehow missed. Strangely enough, right when you see it, you feel that same pull that drew you to the store. Beside the mannequin, there's an open door. You can see a tiny portion of the room inside, but the many colors peak your interest.

You carefully walk past the clown and peer into the room. On one side, dark wooden shelves are lined with small glass bottles filled with vibrantly colored liquids. On the other, jars of herbs sit beside crystals and other rocks. The table in the middle is crowded with candles, crystal balls and other weird props that look straight out of a Halloween movie. Bookshelves cover the back wall, and you even see cauldrons and brooms in the corner.

This store must have a lot of interesting clientele.

You enter the room to get a better look, and are immediately hit with the worst headache of your life. Every second that passes feels like it gets stronger, until you're on the floor clutching your head.

You vaguely hear someone talking, but the pain is so strong you can't make out what's being said. And then an instant later, the headache is gone.

"Are you ok?"

You look up from the floor, and see the employee from earlier.

"I... I think so?"

He extends his arm towards you, and pulls you up off the ground.

"Sorry about that," he says, "I didn't know you were gonna walk in there. If you said something earlier, I would've turned that off."

Before you can ask what he meant, he steps into the room and gestures for you to come in, which you oblige.

"So, is there anything you need? Potions are here, ingredients are there, tomes are at the back. If there's anything specific you're looking for, I can get it for you."

He looks at you as if you understand what he's talking about at all.

"What is this place?"

This time, he looks at you as if you've just said something ridiculous.

"You know... the witch room. If you can see this room, you must be a witch, right?"

"Riiiiiiight. The witch room. For witches. Ok."

He pauses for a second.

"You're not a witch, are you."

"Wouldn't that be crazy if I was?" You laugh at the thought, but he looks completely serious.

"Then how did you see this room..." he says, more to himself than to you.

"I mean... the door was open."

"You must have some latent magic in you."

"Yeah, ok sure."

"I know it sounds hard to believe," he says, "but it's the reason you felt that migraine when you walked in here. It's a protection spell. Like an anti-robbery alarm but for witches."

"Or I just get migraines sometimes."

"That would be an incredible coincidence," he says. He walks towards the glass bottles on the shelves. "If we're gonna do this, I should probably do it right." He clears his throat before continuing.

"My name is Chan, and we are witches." He grabs a glass bottle in the shape of a raindrop, pops the cork, and takes a sip of the bright blue liquid inside.

Nothing happens.

"Wait for it..." he says, while nothing continues to happen. "Why is this taking so long-" His body starts to glow blue, and he floats a few inches off the ground. He waves his hand above his head to signal no wires holding him up.

Well damn... magic is real. Or you haven't figured out the trick yet, but magic is more fun to believe.

He floats closer to you and holds out the bottle.

"Wanna try?"

"Uh... I probably shouldn't drink random liquids from strangers."

"You know my name, so I can't be a stranger," he says, before returning the bottle to its place on the shelf, "but I get it. You're missing out though!"

"You said we're witches, right? Can I do magic too?"

"Yup. But I'm guessing you never got taught the basics." He thinks for a bit, and walks towards the back. You follow him to the bookshelves, and he searches through 2-inch thick tomes covered in dust. Finally, he pulls out a thin soft-cover book called 'Magicality: Ages 1-4'. It's bright yellow and the cover has two cartoon bears wearing witch hats.

"Every witch grew up on the Magicality books," he says, handing it to you. "These two bears are my Spongebob. They even made some VHS tapes with these guys and I watched those episodes religiously."

You flip through it, and there's plenty of pictures of the bears teaching the (presumed) infant reader how to do simple and safe spells like making glitter appear, interspersed with jokes and coloring pages.

"This is really cute. Thanks, Chan."

"Read through that, maybe do a word search or two, and you'll have the basics down in no time," he says, "and then come back and I'll teach you more." He winks at you and smiles. "Stuff like this."

He reaches for your hand and opens it, palm up. He traces his fingers on your palm in a circle, and specs of golden light follow his fingers. He slowly lifts his hand and red flower petals materialize one by one, blowing away in the light breeze created by the motion of his hand.

The only way you can describe it is beautiful. Any seed of doubt in the back of your mind disappears; this is real, beautiful magic.

Carefully, the movement slows and his hand goes back down to yours, ending the display.

"Aw, don't stop there..." you say, pouting. He laughs softly.

"I could keep going, or you could come back another time and I'll teach you how to do it yourself."

"So you can sell me another book?" you ask, sarcasm in your voice.

"No, I promise it's not to sell you another book," he says, and places a hand on his heart.

This is the second time he's said he wants to see you again.

"I was gonna sell you a crystal or something, though," he adds. You roll your eyes at that.

"What days do you work?" you ask. He taps his chin, thinking a bit before answering.

"Tell you what. Why don't you text me when you've read Magicality, and I'll let you know my next work day." He pulls out his phone, and opens the 'add contact' screen. "Or you can text me if you just feel like talking."

The cute guy you somehow managed to talk to is asking for your number. He's looking at you with a sparkle in his eye, and you don't know if it's magic or anticipation. Finally, you take his phone and add your information.

"So that's your name. I've been trying to figure out how to ask without ruining the flow of the conversation."

"Oh, sorry. I can't believe I forgot to tell you my name."

"It's all good!" he says, putting his phone back in his pocket. "Before I ring you up for your book, how about I show you one last trick?"

"Really?"

"Yeah! Normal witches are so used to magic that they don't care when something cool happens. But every time I show you something, you have a look of awe on your face. It's really cute."

You hope the blood rushing to your cheeks isn't visible.

"This is my favorite potion. You're gonna be so shocked at what it does."

He walks back to the glass bottles (which you now know are potions) and picks one up shaped like a star. A deep blue liquid swirls around inside as he lifts it.

Once again, he pops off the cork and takes a sip, only this time he recoils at the taste. He looks back and reads the label, and his eyes widen.

"Oh, shit. This was the wrong-"

He doesn't even finish his sentence before collapsing to the ground, face down. The bottle doesn't shatter as it crashes to the ground, but the contents of it spill around him.

"Um."

You stand there in shock for a minute. You walk closer to gently kick his lifeless body, and sigh in relief when he snores. He's not dead, just asleep.

"I'm just gonna... go."

You take out your wallet, pull out a ten dollar bill, and place it on his head. Hopefully that covers the book.

Not sure what to do next, you walk out of the witch room and through the store to the entrance. There's no other employees working there, so with Chan dead on the floor—sorry, asleep on the floor—it's probably not a good idea to leave the store unlocked. Unfortunately, you don't have a key, so you just flip over the 'OPEN' sign to 'CLOSED' and head back home.

[otherworldlylovey-dovey]

leon with a girly s/o who puts his hair in pigtails and apply make up on his face. afterwards, treats him with some skincare?

oh my god, baby! This is a funny and endearing picture of Leon! Imagining such a serious character in a situation like this gives him a touch of humanity, so here goes your headcanon, doll.

Leon with a girly s/o who does beauty routines for him

At first, Leon might make a sarcastic comment or resist, saying something like:

"Is this really necessary?"

while his partner convinces him that a ponytail or braid would look great.

God, remember when your little brother or little cousin would start asking questions on a long trip? He's literally that in the process of combing his hair.

Wouldn't you rather have a mannequin? I feel like an experiment here.” “So saving the world isn't enough? Now I have to look pretty too, right?” “This is just what I needed after facing zombies… a ponytail.”

At least your fingers running through his scalp will relax him, he is a stressed man, since the incident in Raccoon City he can't sleep, besides it was either accept the job or be killed.

Oh, the most difficult moment will be when he starts applying makeup. He might complain that the eyeliner tickles or that the blush is "too much" for him.

“I hope you don’t get too excited about the eyeliner. I don’t want to look like a clown.”

but his partner would assure him that he is in good hands.++

“If this is permanent, I’m going to need a mirror… and therapy.”

Finally, when applying skin care products, your partner might joke around by saying something like:

“With all those missions in the rain and shine, it’s a miracle your skin survived!”

Leon, half amused and half resigned, would probably make a sarcastic but adorable comment, like

“Is this what it’s come to?”

as she or he applies a face mask or massages his face with some moisturizer.

This part will be funny because of him comments.

“I thought wrinkles came with work. Now I have to worry about moisturizing them, too?” “Is all this necessary? Because in Raccoon City, my skin was the last thing on my mind.” “Whatever you say, but if someone at the agency asks me what I’m wearing, I’m not going to say ‘hyaluronic acid.’”

Despite everything, at the end of the “treatment” he might be surprised to see that his skin feels better, maybe he would even admit that he feels good, although he would keep his attitude reserved. In the end, he would let his beloved have fun, if only because he loves to see how happy his partner is!

“Well, I must admit… it’s not that bad. But if anyone finds out, I’ll be forced to erase it from their memories.” “If this is what it means to be civilized, I think I’ll still prefer survival mode.” “Now, what’s next? Catwalk classes or ‘seductive gaze’ training?”

I imagined this, LMAO

Each comment would probably come with a resigned smile or a look of "please let this end soon," although, deep down, Leon would be enjoying the experience and the fun time together. His sarcasm would add a special touch to the situation!

Later on he might let you keep doing it just out of boredom or because he likes your fingers in him…in more ways than one (haha, sorry :( )

Maybe you are the reason for that perfect hairstyle that has survived hordes of zombies, explosions, bullets, etc. I mean, just look at it, it's been just as perfect for over 20 years!

He loves you so much that he couldn't refuse this, as long as it was in privacy.

[howlsofbloodhounds]

Oh how I've been waiting to send these all in. My time has finally come.

(Cw/tw: drinking mention, depression, suicidal ideation mention, hallucinatiom and possession mentions)

- They have a rule where none of them are allowed to drink alone (Epic scared the shit out of them one specific time, both Delta and Color have landed themselves in jail from doing dumb shit before), so if one drinks, they all drink together. If Beta gets uncomfortable, they will stop. However, them all being some form of drunk means Beta gets recording and blackmail privileges.

- They all need different ways of comfort (Epic needs physical/verbal reassurance and distractions, Color needs verbal reassurance as touch can be too much for him at times, and Delta needs physical touch and to talk about what's bothering him).

- They all speak multiple languages (since Delta and Epic's creators are both from the Philippines, I imagine they'd both speak Tagalog, Filipino and Spanish. Epic also probably knows Japanese. Color can speak Arabic since his creator is from Egypt (from what the wiki said).

- They have definitely blown something up as a group before. I will let you decide what that something will be.

- Delta has blown up a microwave before on accident (and gets clowned for it).

- They all forget to eat sometimes and need to be reminded.

- They are all banned from UNO, Monopoly, and Mario Cart. Especially Delta.

- They know about Epic's depression and help pull him out of depressive ruts when needed.

- They know how to calm Delta down and distract him if he's getting too angry.

- They know how to comfort and gently but bluntly correct Color's hyper-empathy if it's causing him too much stress.

- They all love Zorox so much and probably give him too many treats.

- They have all had some form of an identity crisis at one point or another.

- On the alignment chart: Color is lawful good, Epic is true neutral, and Delta/Beta is chaotic good.

- They are very protective of each other. If someone is talking shit, they will handle it differently; Epic will 'jokingly' threaten to shut them up, both physically and verbally. Color will correct their behavior and scold them, maybe guilt trip them a bit. Delta will probably threaten to beat the shit out of them if they don't stop.

- They all experience PTSD nightmares.

- Epic is the reason they found out Beta gets sugar rushes (and since they affect Beta, then it would probably affect Delta too? Their ADHD would probably be off the charts).

- They all drink way too much caffeine (Delta is forced to drink half-caf bc Beta goes off the fucking wall Bonkers if they get any of it).

- Due to trying to avoid sleep, Epic sometimes experiences hallucinations/delusions if he goes too many days without sleeping.

- Delta/Beta are the most chaotic obviously, therefore need to be watched over to make sure they won't do anything crazy or stupid.

- They can all be a bit dramatic at times.

- Beta has definetly tried to see if they could roast marshmallows from the heat of Color's flames before.

- Beta is the little brother of the group and is treated as such.

- They all know ASL.

- They probably know Morse Code.

- They do NOT like creepy dolls or figures. Including mannequins. Epic and Color are disturbed by them and dislike them, but Delta/Beta HATE them.

- Epic takes great joy in annoying them with brainrot slang.

- They'll just. Pick each other up sometimes. Sometimes it'll be for a reason, like if they have to put Delta/Beta in air jail, but other times it'll be just for fun.

- I'm not sure how to explain it but their ages vs. how they act goes like this: Epic is the oldest but acts the youngest, Color is the middle but acts the oldest, and Delta/Beta is the youngest but acts the middle (Beta acts their age).

- During their haunted explorations, sometimes the ghosts will attack Beta, mostly because he's another ghost but in a different way. The rest of the group protects him (usually Delta switches out with him).

- Also during their haunted explorations, Delta has gotten possessed before. It was not fun. They no longer play mirror games or do seances. His tells for possession are: eye flickering (his eyes will flicker-change colors to whatever the Soul color is of the possessing ghost), going nonverbal, sudden aggression, acting like who's possessing him (ex; if the ghost possessing him likes to hide around, Delta will suddenly run/teleport off and hide from the others. They will have to find him, and if Delta doesn't want to be found, he won't be for a while.

- If one of them (usually Delta) says something particularly unhinged, the others will gently but firmly either whack him upside the head or bonk him to correct him.

- Sometimes Delta will need to ask permission to beat the shit out of someone (usually this is directed at Cross and Killer if they do something dumb). They made their own little signs to ask so no one outside of their group would be able to understand. He is usually told no (there was one rare occasion he was allowed to rock Killer's shit, and it made his entire fucking week).

- (This is inspired by that one ask talking about how Delta would try to sacrifice himself in battle) Delta has little to no self preservation skills. Like worse than the other two. He will not think ahead to how certain actions could affect the future unless its during a fight or dire circumstances. He has had suicide issues in the past and his friends know about it (hence one of the many reasons no one's allowed to drink alone).

- (Also inspired by the same ask as above) whenever Delta tries/does stupid and/or harmful shit, his friends do not let him get away with it. They have had to drive him to the hospital on more than one occasion depending on how hurt he is. They will talk about it with him no matter how much he doesn't want them to.

- Even though he doesn't like Cross and Killer, if he notices or is told that something he's doing is bothering them, he will stop immediately. No questions asked. He may dislike them and want to fight them, but he won't disrespect or purposefully trigger them.

- Beta likes to bite on random. Delta could literally just be working and all the sudden Beta tries to bite his hand. Like a puppy. Along with that, if he feels like he's not getting enough attention, he will start bothering them or try to play-fight.

- Yk that challenge where you fill your mouth with water and then smack someone with a tortilla? They've done that challenge before.

- Beta likes bugs. And also likes to scare the others with them.

Yay more headcanons!

Although I tend to lend more towards Color being Neutral Good, according to this description;

“Neutral good is a character alignment that describes someone who acts altruistically and without regard for rules or tradition. Neutral good characters are often willing to cooperate with lawful officials, but they don't feel obligated to them.

They may also do the right thing, even if it means breaking the rules. Examples of neutral good characters include healers who treat both sides of a fight and people who feed the starving during a war.” But lawful good seems to fit pretty well too.

And I can imagine that both Epic and Color are very protective of Delta and helping when whenever he hurts himself, not only because he’s their friend and because they care about him, but because Delta is in large part the only reason they’re able to still keep going in the day to day.

Delta was very helpful and inspiring for them both. Meeting Delta when he did is the very reason Color was even able to help Killer at all, let alone keep going without also getting himself killed. And im sure Delta has managed to help and support Epic in ways he’s not been supported—wouldn’t allow himself to be—in a very long time.

And tbh cross and killer probably have a lot things to thank Delta for. Bro’s the unsung hero. (Not that Delta would ever think of himself that way. That’s all because Epic and Color so both unbelievably strong and brave in his eyes.)

And ngl I wanna know what was the occasion where delta was allowed to absolutely rock killers shit cause lords know he deserves it (coming from someone who isn’t nightmare or Chara of course.)

Now ngl im kinda curious what everyone thinks the Epic Sanses’ + Beta’s Myers Briggs personality types could be.

[anonymousewrites]

A Study of the Heart and Brain (Book 4) Chapter Twenty

Father Figure! Sherlock Holmes x Teen! Reader

Chapter Twenty: Eastern Wind

Summary: Sherlock, John, and (Y/N) go right to the source of their problems. Mycroft is displeased.

            Mycroft gasped as the film he was watching flickered. Interspersed with the images was an old family tape of him and Sherlock at the beach. He smiled lightly as he saw himself and Sherlock hugging. It fell.

            “I’m back” flashed across the screen in red. Then, the film burned, leaving a blotchy screen in front of Mycroft. He stood and walked to the door. He tried the handle, and it wouldn’t budge.

            “Mycroft,” whispered a soft voice. Footsteps ran across the floor above him, echoing into the room. The door creaked open, and Mycroft narrowed his eyes.

            He stepped out.

            Wham!

            He jumped when the door slammed closed. He looked down the hall, and the lights flickered. Carefully, Mycroft picked up his umbrella and unsheathed the sword hidden within. He walked down the dark hall, and a shadow passed by, making him pause.

            “Mycroft,” whispered the voice again, and a childlike figure stood at the end of the hall.

            Mycroft advanced on the figure, sword raised. He arrived in front of it, but it was just a mannequin. He tsked.

            “Why don’t you come out and show yourself?” he said, looking around himself. “I don’t have time for this.”

            “We have time, brother dear,” responded the child. “All the time in the world.

            A figure ran up the stairs, and Mycroft raced after them. He wasn’t fast enough, and there was no one on the floor he stopped at.

            “Mycroft,” sang the voice playfully.

            “Who are you?” demanded Mycroft.

            “You know who,” said the voice.

            Mycroft shook his head. “Impossible.”

            “Nothing’s impossible.” The lights flickered. “You of all people know that.” They laughed. “Coming to get you~ There’s an east wind coming. Coming to get you.”

            “You can’t have got out! You can’t!” said Mycroft.

            A clown leaned out of a room, and Mycroft blinked. It stepped out and looked at him. It took a sword from a suit of armor and raised it. Mycroft raised his sword. Then, he took a handkerchief, pulled the blade off his sword, and raised his gun. He pulled the trigger.

            An empty click echoed in the silence.

            “No use, Mycroft,” said the sing-song voice. “There’s no defense and nowhere to hide.”

            The clown screamed and ran at Mycroft, who gasped and ran down the stairs. He ran as fast as he could to the doors, but they were locked, keeping him trapped within. Mycroft looked around wildly. The clown was gone, but a shadow was crossing the windows. It passed to a doorway and stepped into the room.

            “Sherlock!” called Mycroft. “Help me.”

            Sherlock put two fingers in his mouth and whistled. The lights switched on. The clown and little girl figure stepped out, revealing two people that owed Sherlock favors.

            “Experiment completed,” said Sherlock. “Conclusion, I have a sister.”

            Mycroft stared at Sherlock, breathing heavily. “This was you? All of this was you?”

            “ ‘No use, Mycroft.’ ” The voice sounded again as (Y/N) stepped out beside Sherlock and waved. They had been the voice. “Conclusion two, Eurus has apparently been incarcerated from an early age in a secure institution controlled by Mycroft Holmes.”

            “Why would you do this?” Mycroft ran his hands over his face, stressed. “This pantomime? Why?!”

            “Conclusion three,” said Sherlock. “You are terrified of her.”

            “You have no idea what you’re dealing with. None at all,” said Mycroft.

            “New information.” John stepped out of another hall. “She’s out.”

            “That’s not possible,” said Mycroft.

            “It’s more than possible, she was John’s therapist,” said Sherlock.

            “And the Faith Smith who visited Sherlock,” said (Y/N).

            “Shot me during a session,” said John.

            “With a tranquilizer, fortunately,” said (Y/N).

            “Still had ten minutes to go,” tsked John.

            “Well, we’ll see about a refund,” said Sherlock. He and (Y/N) walked down so that the whole group was on the same level. He looked at the actors. “Right, you two, Wiggins has got your money by the gate, don’t spend it all in one place.” The actors gave a thumbs up and headed out. Sherlock looked at Mycroft. “Oh, I hope we didn’t spoil your enjoyment of the movie.”

            “You’re just leaving?” said Mycroft incredulously.

            “Oh, we’re not staying here,” said Sherlock. “Eurus is coming, and, uh, someone’s disabled all your security. Sleep well!”

            “(Y/N), why would he do that to me?” said Mycroft as they went to the door. “That was insane.”

            “Someone convinced us that you wouldn’t tell the truth unless you were actually wetting yourself,” said (Y/N).

            “Someone?” repeated Mycroft.

            “Probably me,” said John, walking to the door with (Y/N) as they smirked.

            “So that’s it, is it? You’re just going,” said Mycroft.

            “Well, don’t worry,” said John. “There’s a place for people like you, the desperate, the terrified, the ones with nowhere else to run.”

            “What place?” said Mycroft coldly.

            “221B Baker Street,” said (Y/N), smirking.

            “See you in the morning,” said John. “If there’s a queue, join it.”

            “For God’s sake, this is not one of your idiot cases!” spat Mycroft.

            John pointed at a window. “You might want to close that window. There’s an east wind coming.”

l

            (Y/N) leaned back on their couch, Sherlock sat in his chair, and John folded his hands in his chair. All of them looked at Mycroft, who hovered beside the client chair.

            “You have to sit in the chair,” said Mrs. Hudson from the doorway. “They won’t talk to you unless you sit in the chair. It’s the rules.”

            “I’m not a client,” said Mycroft.

            “Then get out,” said Sherlock.

            Mycroft put his hands up in exhausted defeat and sat down. He looked back at Mrs. Hudson. “She’s not gonna stay there, is she?”

            (Y/N) liked how Mrs. Hudson was the true power in this household.

            Sherlock nodded to Mrs. Hudson, and she looked at Mycroft. “Would you like a cup of tea?”

            “Thank you,” said Mycroft.

            “The kettle’s over there.” She pointed, turned around, and walked away.

            John, Sherlock, and (Y/N) all grinned.

            “So, what happens now? Are you going to make deductions?” said Mycroft condescendingly.

            “You’re gonna tell the truth, Mycroft, pure and simple,” said Mycroft.

            “Who was it that said, ‘Truth is rarely pure and never simple?’ ” said Mycroft.

            “Don’t know, don’t care,” said (Y/N).

            Sherlock looked at Mycroft. “So there were three of us. I know that now. You, me…and Eurus. A sister I can’t remember. Interesting name, Eurus. It’s Greek, isn’t it?”

            “Mm, yeah, uh, literally the god of the east wind,” said John.

            “Seems she got the best name,” said (Y/N).

            “ ‘The east wind is coming, Sherlock,’ ” said Sherlock. “You used that to scare me. Whenever there’s trouble, you say that. I say that, now. (Y/N) says it. But it goes back to you using it to scare me. A reference to my sister meant danger.”

            “No,” said Mycroft.

            “You turned my sister into a ghost story,” said Sherlock.

            “Of course I didn’t,” said Mycroft. “I monitored you.”

            “You what?” said John.

            “Memories can resurface. Wounds can reopen,” said Mycroft. “The roads we walk have demons beneath.” He looked at Sherlock. “And yours have been waiting for a very long time. I never bullied you. I used, at discrete intervals, potential trigger words to update myself as to your mental condition. I was looking after you.”

            “Why can’t I remember her?” said Sherlock.

            “This is a private matter,” said Mycroft, glancing at John. His gaze didn’t go to (Y/N) at all. They were a Holmes, and he knew Sherlock wouldn’t budge with them.

            “John stays,” said (Y/N).

            “This is family,” said Mycroft.

            “That’s why he stays,” said Sherlock fiercely.

            Mycroft leaned back.

            John cleared his throat. “So there were three Holmes kids. What was the age gap?”

            “Seven years between myself and Sherlock, one year between Sherlock and Eurus,” said Mycroft.

            “Middle child, explains a lot,” said John, looking at Sherlock. He looked at Mycroft. “So, did she have it, too?”

            “Have what?” said Mycroft.

            “The deduction thing,” said John.

            “ ‘The deduction thing.’ ” Mycroft mocked John.

            John scoffed. “Yes.”

            “More than you can know,” said Mycroft.

            “Enlighten us,” said (Y/N) sharply, tired of the vagueness.

            “You realize I’m the smart one,” said Mycroft, gesturing between himself and Sherlock.

            (Y/N) rolled their eyes. Mycroft still hadn’t put them on the board, so they were exhausted with these announcements.

            “As you never cease to announce,” said Sherlock.

            “But Eurus, she was incandescent, even then,” said Mycroft. “Our abilities were professionally assessed more than once. I was remarkable. But Eurus was described as an era-defining genius beyond Newton.”

            “Then why don’t I remember her?” said Sherlock.

            “You do remember her, in a way,” said Mycroft. “Every choice you’ve made, every path you’ve ever taken, the man you are today, is your memory of Eurus.” He looked at (Y/N). “In fact, adopting them was the greatest surprise to me. I would have thought you’d avoid intelligent children. And people. And caring. But you didn’t.”

            (Y/N) just stared back at him evenly.

            “Eurus was different from the beginning,” said Mycroft, returning to the story proper. “She knew things she should never have known as if she were somehow aware of truths beyond the normal scope.” He paused and looked back.

            “What’s wrong?” said John.

            “Sorry. The memories are disturbing,” said Mycroft.

            “What do you mean? Examples,” said Sherlock.

            “They found her with a knife once,” said Mycroft. “She seemed to be cutting herself. Mother and Father were terrified. They thought it was a suicide attempt. When I asked Eurus what she was doing, she said, ‘I wanted to see how my muscles worked.’ ”

            “Jesus,” breathed John.

            (Y/N) furrowed their brow.

            “So I asked her if she felt pain,” continued Mycroft. “And she said, ‘Which one’s pain?’ ”

            So she doesn’t feel emotions. Or doesn’t understand them. Or can’t. (Y/N) felt a bit bad for Eurus. No amount of intelligence could make up for loneliness once it set in. (Y/N) had felt that way in the children’s home they lived in before Sherlock found them. They had been smart, sure, but they had lacked someone who understood them or tried to care.

            Obviously, something had gone wrong and Eurus had become dangerous, but (Y/N) could separate disliking someone’s actions and understanding what led to them. Explanations weren’t excuses; they were facts.

            “Then what happened?” said Sherlock.

            “Musgrave,” said Mycroft. “The ancestral home where there was always honey for tea. And Sherlock played among the funny gravestones.”

            “Funny how?” said John.

            “They weren’t real. The dates were all wrong,” said Mycroft. “An architectural joke which fascinated Sherlock.”

            “Who will find me, deep down below the old beech tree, help, succor me now, the east winds blow,” murmured Sherlock as a vague memory of a song popped into his head.

            “The east winds blow,” said Mycroft with him.

            “Sixteen by six,” said Sherlock.

            “And under we go,” finished Mycroft. Sherlock furrowed his brow in confusion, and Mycroft looked at him worriedly. “You’re starting to remember.”

            “Fragments,” said Sherlock. “Redbeard.”

            “Redbeard?” said John.

            “He was my dog,” said Sherlock.

            “Eurus took Redbeard and locked him up somewhere no one could find him,” said Mycroft. “And she refused to say where he was. She’d only repeat that song. Her little ritual. We begged and begged her to tell us where he was. She said, ‘The song is the answer.’ But the song made no sense.”

            “What happened to Redbeard?” asked Sherlock.

            “We never found him,” said Mycroft. “But she started calling him ‘drowned Redbeard,’ so we made our assumptions. Sherlock was traumatized. Natural, I suppose. He was, in the early days, an emotional child. But after that he was different, as though he’d changed. Never spoke of it again. In time, he seemed to forget that Eurus had ever even existed.”

            “How could he forget? She was living in the same house,” said John.

            (Y/N) looked at Mycroft’s gaze. “Unless she wasn’t.”

            Mycroft nodded. “They took her away.”

            “Why?” said John. “You don’t lock up a child because a dog goes missing.”

            Mycroft’s gaze flicked to Sherlock before returning to look at John. (Y/N) furrowed their brow. “Quite so,” he said. “It was what happened immediately afterwards. She set fire to the house intentionally. The entire thing burned down. After that, our sister had to be taken away. She had endangered, knowingly, all our lives.”

            “Where?” said Sherlock.

            “Oh, some suitable place, or so everybody thought,” said Mycroft. “Not suitable enough, however. She died there.”

            “How?” said John.

            “She started another fire, one which she did not survive,” said Mycroft.

            “You’re lying,” said (Y/N).

            “Yes,” said Mycroft. “It is also kindness. This is the story I told our parents to spare them further pain and to account for the absence of an identifiable body.”

            “And no doubt to prevent their further interference,” said Sherlock.

            “That too, of course,” said Mycroft. “The depth of Eurus’s psychosis and the extent of her abilities couldn’t hope to be contained in any ordinary institution. Uncle Rudi took care of things.”

            “Where is she, Mycroft? Where is our sister?” said Sherlock.

            “There is a place called Sherrinford, an island,” said Mycroft. “It’s a secure and very secret installation whose sole purpose is to contain what we call ‘The Uncontainables.” The demons beneath the road, this is where we trap them. Sherrinford is more than a prison or an asylum. It is a fortress built to keep the rest of the world safe from what is inside it. Heaven may be a fantasy for the credulous and afraid. But I can give you a map reference for Hell. That’s where our sister has been since early childhood. She hasn’t left, not for a single day. Whoever you both meant, it can’t have been her.”

            Crash!

            A window shattered, and they all rose.

            “I that am lost. Oh who will find me?” sang a woman’s voice. “Deep down below the old beech tree.” A drone lifted into the air from the ground. “Help, succor me now. The east winds blow. Sixteen by six, brother, and under we go.”

            “Keep back,” said Mycroft as the drone approached. “Keep as still as you can.”

            “What is it?” said John.

            “A drone,” said (Y/N) as it floated down in the middle of the four.

            “Yeah, I can see that. What’s it carrying?” said John.

            “A type of grenade?” (Y/N) glanced at Mycroft.

            “It’s a DX-707,” said Mycroft, staring warily at it. “I’ve authorized the purchase of quite a number of these. Colloquially, it is known as the ‘patience grenade.’ ” The drone landed in the middle of them.

            “ ‘Patience?’ ” said John.

            “The motion sensor is activated,” said Mycroft. “If any of us move, the grenade will detonate.”

            “How powerful?” said Sherlock, eyes worriedly going to (Y/N), his kid.

            “It’ll certainly destroy this flat and kill anyone in it,” said Mycroft. “Assuming walls of reasonable strength, your neighbors should be safe, but as it’s landed on the floor, I am moved to wonder if the café below is open.”

            “It’s closed Sunday mornings,” said (Y/N), thankful for that at least.

            “What about Mrs. Hudson?” said John.

            They could hear her vacuuming below.

            “Going by her usual routine, I estimate she has another two minutes left,” said Sherlock.

            “She keeps her vacuum cleaner at the back of the flat,” said John.

            “So?” said Mycroft.

            “So, safer there, when she’s putting it away,” said John. “We have to move eventually. We should do it when she’s safest.”

            “When the vacuum stops, give her eight seconds to get to the back of the flat,” said (Y/N).

            “Is eight seconds enough?” said John.

            “I made a timetable of her habits, once,” said (Y/N). “I was bored. I’m glad now.”

            “What’s the trigger response time?” said Sherlock. “Once we’re mobile, how long before detonation?”

            “We have a maximum of three seconds to vacate the blast radius,” said Mycroft.

            “John and I will take the windows,” said Sherlock. “Grab (Y/N) and get down the stairs. Help Mrs. Hudson, too.”

            “Me?” said Mycroft.

            “You’re closer, and if you get out and my kid is hurt, I’ll kill you myself,” said Sherlock.

            “Understood,” said Mycroft.

            (Y/N) glanced worriedly at Sherlock, and he looked back at them firmly, telling them with his eyes to focus.

            “She’s moving to the back,” said John as the sound of the vacuum moved farther away.

            “I estimate we have a minute left. Is a phone call possible?” said Sherlock.

            “Phone call?” said Mycroft.

            “John has a daughter. He may wish to say goodbye. My child is here,” said Sherlock.

            “I’m sorry, Dr. Watson, any movement will set off the grenade. I hope you understand,” said Mycroft.

            “Oscar Wilde,” said John.

            “What?” said Mycroft.

            “He said, ‘The truth is rarely pure and never simple,’ ” said John. “It’s from The Importance of Being Earnest. We did it in school.”

            “So did we, now I recall,” said Mycroft. “I was Lady Bracknell.”

            (Y/N) smiled in amusement. At least if they died there it would be with family and a smile.

            “Yeah. You were great,” said Sherlock.

            “You really think so?” said Mycroft.

            “Yes, I really do,” said Sherlock.

            “Well, it’s good to know,” said Mycroft softly. “I’ve always wondered.”

            The hum of the vacuum stopped.

            “Good luck,” said Sherlock softly as eight seconds ticked by. “I love you.” He looked at (Y/N).

            “I love you, Dad,” said (Y/N).

            “Three, two…one.”

            John and Sherlock ran for the windows. (Y/N) and Mycroft ran for the stairs, Mycroft pushing them towards it.

            Boom!

            221B exploded.

Taglist:

@stilesstilinskiforlife-blog

@im-making-an-effort

@ilse235

@schrodingers-intelligence

@awsedrftgyhujikol

@lxserthxngzzz

@forever1313

@mentallyunstablemanlover

@roo024

@ohimjustagirlidrathetnotbe

@snowy-violet

[unboxeddoll]

I didn't get too far into TMA - could you explain more of Nikola's backstory for context? I'm really curious.

Hi and yes!

General spoiler warning for season 2 and onwards, but specific spoiler warnings for episode 83 (Drawing A Blank), episode 87 (The Uncanny Valley) episode 97 (We All Ignore The Pit), episode 102 (Nesting Instinct), episode 104 (Sneak Preview), episode 119 (Stranger and Stranger), and episode 128 (Heavy Goods).

Nikola Orsinov was originally Joseph Grimaldi, a real man who pioneered the modern clown (whiteface makeup, brightly coloured and detailed clothes, playful character). By the end of his life, Joseph had fallen into poverty, alcoholism, and depression. In the story of The Magnus Archives, he sought employment with The Circus of the Other, not knowing it was an organization of the Stranger, one of the fear entities.

Gregor Orsinov, the ringmaster, then violently remade him to be a mannequin, the star dancer of the Stranger's ritual (the Unknowing)⸺ and a woman. After a nonspecific amount of time, she killed him, repurposed his body parts, and took on his role as the ringmaster.

She goes on to carry out her purpose and work to bring about the Unknowing. In addition, she begins to terrorize people, as her being a figure of a fear entity requires her to sustain it with fear.

The entirety of episode 87 (The Uncanny Valley) has her pretending to be a woman, wearing human skin and painted eyes, to deceive a man before (failing to) kill him.

She also goes on to commit acts of violence for her own benefit. Her introductory episode consists of her stealing a woman's vocal cords.

Her first appearance continues to emphasize the horror of her theft.

The one confirmed instance of her pretending to be a man was episode 104 (Sneak Preview).

She had briefly assumed her previous identity of Joseph to terrorize one main character's brother, before (successfully) killing him. Her actions in episode 104 are depicted and discussed differently from her other instances of taking on a more human appearance, such as episode 87. When she is a woman, it is an act of deceit. When she is a man, it is an act of disentombent.

I apologize if the later part of this answer strayed from explaining her origins. I believed it was necessary to outline what her backstory served as a foundation to. Her identity as Nikola is seen as a departure from her identity as Joseph; her manhood is seen as being taken away from her, and yet her womanhood is never fully granted to her. She kills the man who feminized her and takes on his flesh, and marks the rest of her existence with more violence and more theft of the body.

I also apologize for taking a while to answer; I wanted to be thorough. If there is anything more you'd like me to expand upon, do let me know!