#NEW ORLEANS GROUP TOURS

[greatadventuretours]

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[pinkiepiebones]

Gosh I love how the Longlegs fandom is pouring over and dissecting screencaps for little nuggets to add to their headcanon piles. We in the Renfield fandom see you, we feel you. 💖

[brutal-out-here]

My need to do everything myself because I’m worried someone else will mess something up will be eating me alive for the next week 🙃 As in with the ticket situation I want to be the one on my phone sitting in the queue but I’ll be doing stuff at that time for college and my parents have to see the ticket prices before they decide to get any. So I’ll have to rely on my mom doing everything while she’s at work, which also means I have to explain how it all works to her 🙃

[ghouldump]

Trick or Treat | Lestat de Lioncourt x Reader

ෆ sneaking into the supposedly empty townhouse, you are met by a surprise

literally something fun and random since we’re officially in spooky season 😆🎃

“what are you supposed to be?” the random girl asked, as you stood in the mirror, applying the burgundy lipstick.

“a vampire,” you said, sitting the stick down to reach and tighten your corset.

“could've had me fooled, i thought you were a hooker,” she cackled, while you frowned.

“and you are?”

“poision ivy-

“are you sure though, because it’s giving fiona in shrek forever after,” you said, the rest of your friends laughing, while she frowned, storming out of the crowded bathroom.

“bitch,” you mumbled, watching the door as she walked away.

you had allowed your friends to drag you to the nightclub, the prices were half off for those with costumes, which is why you dressed up to begin with. you loved to party, but not tonight, not when you intended on binge-watching all of your favorite halloween movies you'd seen too many times to count.

“i’ll be back, i need some air,” you mumbled, leaving the restroom before any of your friends could stop you.

stepping outside, you sighed, it was refreshing to be out of the humid building. the wind blowing in the night sky, as the tourist crowded the french quarters. you didn’t see the hype, everything was always overpriced — but your friends insisted, claiming all of the potential hook ups would be in the club tonight.

“y/n, are you okay?” kasey, a close friend, came out of the club, her eyebrows slightly raised.

“i’m fine, i’m just not feeling it, i think i’ll catch an uber home,” you said.

“i can bring you-

“no, i don’t want to ruin tonight, i’ll text you when i’m home, you have fun,” you told her, hugging her as she nodded.

“see you later,” she said, going back into the building.

opening the app on your phone, you were about to type in your address, when the voice caught your attention.

“this is the house of the famous rockstar, lestat de lioncourt, he claims to be a vampire,” the tour guide said excitedly, as you slowly approached the group.

“do you think it’s true?”

“well, new orleans has always been a strange place, so we can’t be sure — but he could have a potential ancestor who’s name was also lestat, who moved here, from france,” the guide explained, making you look at the large townhouse.

you were just now hearing about this. you had seen the rockstar a few times in the media, but you had no idea he lived in new orleans. there was too much history from all over the city, to be fascinated by one individual, who could have been a vampire.

pretending to be on your phone, you waited until the group moved along before you slipped past the fence, and went to the door. twisting the knob, you were surprised to find the door unlocked. were they not afraid people would sneak into this house?

shutting the door behind yourself, you turned on your phone’s flashlight, and walking through the house. first, the living room, vintage, yet timeless, each piece of furniture, costly in price. thousands of books, most you hadn’t even heard of, your fingers lightly dragged across them. moving upstairs, you stopped at the first door, twisting the knob, but realized, it was locked.

going to the second door, you entered the master bedroom, eyeing the king-sized bed in the middle of the room, you walked from corner to corner, touching any and everything, when you accidentally triggered a lever — opening a hidden room. seeing a singular coffin, you gasped.

the rumors seemed to likely be true, you couldn’t wait to get home and text the group chat about this. turning to leave, you jumped back, as your flashlight was pointed at the blonde man, who stood around six feet, with peculiar blue eyes.

“oh my goodness, you scared the hell out of me,” you said, making him grin. his expression was sending chills down your spine.

“it isn’t nice to enter someone’s home without their permission,” he said, as you stared into his eyes, it dawned on you, that this was the rockstar…who is a vampire.

“i am so sorry, i wasn’t thinking, but i really need to get going-” you went to move around him, when he moved in front of you, the lights turning on. he hadn't even touched the switch, and yet the room had lit up in an instant.

“i can’t just let you leave, not after what you’ve seen,” he said, smiling as you backed away.

“i won’t tell anyone, i don’t know why i-

“shh, shh, you’re so afraid,” he said, his smiling growing, as he reached to touch your pounding heart.

“please don’t hurt me,” you shut your eyes, turning your head.

“trick or treat”

“excuse me?” you opened your eyes, facing him.

“trick or treat, let’s determine if you deserve to leave so freely,” he tilted his head.

“treat,” you gulped, as he grinned, his fangs showing.

“are you supposed to be a vampire?” he asked suddenly, chuckling.

“y-yes” he was the first person to get it right all night, in the first guess.

“i mean, i see it, but it’s a bit stereotypical, don’t you think,” he said, crossing his arms, as he examined the costume.

“where did you get it?” he reached, tracing the fabric.

“spirit…halloween,” you said, as he rolled his eyes.

“that explains why it feels so cheap,” he said before he was back staring at you.

“please don’t kill me”

“you’re an eccentric human, your thoughts are so complex, i think i’ll keep you around,” he said, moving closer. your thoughts were like a storm, conflicting, while intriguing.

“mister-

“don’t worry, chèrie, you are destined for a treat unlike any other,” he said, pulling you closer, his fangs sinking into your neck.

“is it still ringing? i can try calling her,” kasey stressed, a few hours into the morning, she realized you never texted her. the sun was now setting, and they were scrambling to get in contact with you.

meanwhile, in the luxurious townhouse, hidden in the secret room — lestat laid in his coffin. your phone lay on the counter, ringing for the millionth time, but you didn’t hear it. straddling his lap, there was a light thumping from the shifting of the coffin. your moans filled the walls, as lestat traced up your pretty skin, now covered with the beauty marks of his fangs.

coming down from the euphoric state, you leaned down, kissing his soft lips. moaning, you giggled as he kissed from your lips, onto your neck, before his fangs were back in your neck. your eyes rolled back, moaning at the feeling. while it hurt, the first few times, there was only pleasure now.

pulling away, you stared into lestat’s eyes, kissing his lips, tasting the iron from your blood. you couldn't help but admire the amount of control lestat had over himself.

“will you turn me into a vampire?” you asked him, as his hand went to your neck, tracing down to your shoulder.

“do you want to be a vampire?” he asked, as his hand moved back up, laying against your cheek, as you nodded.

“when i was younger, i used to pretend to be one,” you admitted.

“prove yourself to me, and we can discuss the possibility,” he said, as you pecked his lips once more, nodding in understanding.

“can i have your autograph, my friend are probably losing their minds, and i need a really good reason why i haven't reached out,” you told him, your nails trailing down his chest.

“of course, but i expect to see you back tomorrow night,” he said matter of factly, holding your hand, as you carefully stood.

going to your phone, your eyes widened at the number of calls and messages. “oh my-i don't think that will be enough, they’ll probably hate me after this,” you stressed, flenching, as he ended up behind you in a matter of seconds.

“tell them you were busy, stuck in a game of trick or treat,” he winked, as you nodded, beginning to get dressed. grabbing a marker, he signed your cleavage and sent you on your way, fully expecting you back in the next few hours.

god, you loved halloween.

i can't decide if i prefer a happy ending, or angst, like ughh

[cemeteryspider]

Ballet on the Bayou ~ Pt. 1

Alastor x Ballerina! Reader

Summary: In life Alastor meets someone who piques his interest, and just so happens to be a performer just like him.

Word Count: 1023

Next

Ballet on the Bayou Masterlist

Today was just another day, touring around with your professional dance group in the United States. You allowed yourself to slump in your seat as you tuned out of your fellow ballerina's gossip and stories.

Your "friends" were all sickly skinny girls with muscle tone many could only dream of. Every dancer had an eerily similar quality to them that exuded wealth and status. Leather purses and kitten heels were all things that they could easily afford. If someone got something new every single girl would have it in the next week.

All of them except you. You allowed your ragged suitcase and purse to carry you around everywhere. Your wallet holding a small amount of cash, that you were allowed from your paycheck. Instead your worn flats would walk the streets of every new town and city alone.

Louisiana was a different tone than you and the girls were used to, melodic jazz could be heard coming from different sources. The group became very curious once the train came to a stop in New Orleans.

All of the girls got out holding hands and their arms full of their belongings. Leaving you behind in the train car to gather your things alone.

Make-up cases, costume bags, regular suitcases. Anything you would think a ballerina would need, they surely had it.

You stayed toward the back, and allowed the others a taste of the city. You were a small town girl and were given a chance for success after a particularly good audition in which renowned choreographers were watching.

Soon you were signed with one of the most elite dance groups in the continental United States. Unfortunately, many of the other girls came from very wealthy families. Though never explicitly stated you could feel it in Louise’s pointed looks. The way that the girls would fall into hushed whispers whenever you would enter. At first it made you cry yourself to sleep ay night, but now you understood that you couldn't simply force them to like you.

Luckily this gave you much time alone to read your books and visit towns you never would have dreamed of visiting. This is where your story begins.

"Ow!" Your shoulder was wretched forward as Louise pushed her way past you to the non-leads dressing room.

Louise glided by, her gaze cold as ice. 'Watch where you're going,' she sneered, her words slicing through the air like a well-practiced pirouette.

Keeping your head down you entered your private dressing room already had your costumes in it.

After preparing the dressing rooms for your series of performances that week, the dancers were free to roam the city while props and orchestra set up. Rehearsal would be held that night and the following morning in preparation.

While the other girls went to bustling clubs, bars, and restaurants you had decided to walk around for a little while. Maybe find something beneath the surface. You let the different sights and sounds carry you through the city. The warmth of the blazing sun covered you in warmth that you didn't feel on the train.

Soon you had strayed far from the path and eventually lost your way. Any attempts to go back to the dance hall are foiled by your lack of direction. Then you bumped into a tall, slender man who smiled down at you.

"I'm so sorry sir, I'm trying to read this map, but it seems every turn I take I get more and more lost"

With a slight chuckle, "Well dear where are you trying to go"

A small sigh escaped your throat, and you explained to him that you must get back to the Dance Hall by 6 o'clock that night, but desperately wanted to get a feel for the local culture before then.

His smile brightened and he started to lead you around showing sights that surely wouldn't be found on any tour. You allowed your eagerness to take the forefront of your mind and your anxiety slip toward the back.

You allowed your arm to slip around his. He showed you historic sights which piqued your curiosity. Beautiful art and artists that waited in stores and on the street for buyers. Finally you landed at what he called his favorite speakeasy.

"Why I haven't even got your name sir" You spoke up after the dimly lit brick room enveloped you.

"My apologies dear, my name is Alastor, Alastor Altruist. You may be?"

"Oh dear, my name is Y/n. Pleasure to meet you, Alastor"

"Trust me dear, the pleasure is all mine"

The smooth jazz notes, clinking of glasses, and low hum of conversation made you feel right at home.

~~~

As the day wore on and a drink or two later, Alastor paid for your meal and drinks and politely walked you back to the Dance Hall, making it back with much time to spare.

"Thank you for today, I must say this is the most excitement I've had in a while" You smiled and squeezed the arm that was intertwined with yours.

"This has been quite a pleasurable experience for me as well, Dear"

As you approached the door, an idea popped into your head.

"Wait right here, I have something for you as a thanks"

Alastor watched as you gracefully ascended the stairs into the old building and disappeared within the doors. He almost thought you had gone without saying good-bye, but after a few minutes of waiting you returned holding two rectangular stubs in your hands.

A little out of breath you handed the two tickets to him, "Here's two tickets for the show tomorrow, just incase your free"

His shocked face turned into a smile and took your hand in his, "I shall look forward to it, Cher"

With a chaste kiss to your knuckles he left leaving you a little heartbroken to see him leave. He turned back around and you blew him a kiss, which he dutifully caught from the air and mimed putting in his pocket.

~~~

When Alastor returned home his elderly mother was cooking his favorite, jambalaya.

"Mother, tomorrow we are going to see a ballet"

[ladykailitha]

Around the World Part 4

Hello! And we're back with this lovely story and we have finally made it out of Utah.

In this we have an encounter of the voodoo kind, Robin wins over two teenaged boys, and Chrissy realizes she hadn't been doing her job as cover for the boys very well.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3  

~

They continued their little haunted tour. Kooky curio shops, haunted mind shafts, Big Foot sighting locations, Moth Man hunted in Chicago as well as the OG in Virginia. They stayed at spooky inns and visited weird museums. They went to the French Quarter in New Orleans and had their fortunes read by a Voodoo priest. And even went on a river tour to see alligators.

The fortune teller’s shop was amazing. Everything they hoped they would get from a quirky little shop in the French Quarter. They didn’t care that it was probably mostly for show and tourists.

The shopkeeper was a thin, black man with tattoos all over his body. He had dark brown eyes that were almost the same color as the pupil, but they had a merry glint tot them Eddie was instantly charmed by.

“Welcome to my shop,” he purred when they first entered. “What can I get you fine folks? A good luck charm for the long haired gentleman? A love potion for the pretty lady? A curse for the red-head? Or maybe even your fortunes told...” And while Steve wasn’t referenced in the last pitch, he looked straight at him when he said it.

“Does the curse need to be for anyone in particular,” Chrissy asked, “or can I have one on standby for the next time a man calls me ‘little lady’?”

The shopkeeper chuckled. “Must have a bit of the person in question to curse them, I’m afraid, but can I interest you in an antique hat pin? It’s what ladies used to do in the old times to deter such men.”

“Sold!” Chrissy laughed. “Show me what you’ve got.”

And he did had three or four beautiful long and sharp hatpins. She picked the one with the emerald and sterling silver pin. She probably paid more than she should have, but she really didn’t care, it was beautiful.

Robin pointed to the painted rat skull behind him. “How much for that?”

“The pretty lady has a discerning eye.” He pulled the skull off the shelf and showed it to her.

She picked it up and turned it around. “I’ll buy it,” she said firmly.

He smiled at her and wrung her up, too.

“And what about you two fine gentlemen?” he asked Steve and Eddie. “What can a humble shopkeeper do for you?”

“Actually,” Eddie said with a grin, “could do all our fortunes?”

The shopkeeper smiled. “But of course, I’ll even throw in a nice group special for you all buying something from me first. $35 for all of you, payment first please.”

Steve smirked. He had a pretty good idea that tourists would come in ask for their fortune, get pissed off at the results and refuse to pay.

“We’ll start with the very pretty lady,” he said after grabbing a medium sized velvet bag. He emptied the bag out of the counter that had raised sides to prevent the pieces from tumbling to the floor. There were small bones, coins, and gem stones that now littered the surface.

“Love is in the cards for you, pretty lady,” he said with a grin. “You know where to find it, just reach out and grab it. It’s okay to be different person to different people, but trust those you love with you true self and sky is your limit.”

Robin blushed and murmured her thank yous. He looked up at Eddie next. He pushed all the items back into the bag and gave it a good shake, concentrating on Eddie as he poured out the bag once again.

“This trip you are on is more about self-discovery then you want to let on,” the shopkeeper said slyly. “You want to appear cool and collected all the time, but you don’t have to be. There is nothing wrong with being you. Be the child you never got to be.”

Eddie blushed and ducked his head. He wished he could shove a locket of hair in front of his face, but he had learned early on in his career that his best disguise was pulling his hair out of his face. And of course he steered clear of metal chains, black denim, and leather jackets.

He then turned to Chrissy after dumping out the bag a third time. “You are strong and powerful. A good friend and a better boss. But you spend too much time on the job. You’re worried that either it will have burned down without you or worked too well in your absence and won’t need you anymore. Learn to let go and be the better friend. Also your love life will flourish too.”

Then he turned to Steve. He cocked his head to the side and looked him a few moments before he shook out the bag for a final time. He leaned over what Steve thought was just an comprehensible mess. He looked back up at Steve warily and then kind of leaned back.

“You are one very complicated fellow,” the shopkeeper said giving Steve the side eye. “Your soul is split in two, but it’s a clean split. You like having two lives. You like the comfort and security of being yourself and someone else.” He pointed to Eddie. “This one could learn a thing or two about being himself from you, it’s that clean.”

He touched a bone and cocked his head the other direction. “One day you will see that to truly be happy you must reunite the two pieces, but for now, enjoy the split.”

Steve smirked. “I plan on it.”

The shopkeeper watched him for a moment before turning back to his fortune. “What you seek from this journey is closer than you think and not what you thought it would be. You thought it was about being free, but you are already free. This journey is about learning.”

“Anything else?” Steve asked. “I seem to be getting a longer reading than my friends.”

“Because these three are but shallow ponds compared to you,” the shopkeeper said wryly. “Everyone else is an easy read. But also they fit together. It’s like sticking your hand in a bag expecting all rubies and pulling out a diamond and three rubies. They weigh the same, but they are not worth the same.”

He started putting the detritus back in the bag. “The thing that is most interesting, is that your friends here would agree with me that you are the diamond. But you would not.”

Steve’s jaw dropped and he tilted his head forward in shock. “Come again?”

“You think of yourself a dross,” the shopkeeper said with a smirk. “You think that given the chance everyone you know would pick someone else, someone better if they came along. You think they’re settling. For shame.”

Steve’s lip began to quiver.

“Shame on you for thinking so little of the people you love,” the shopkeeper admonished. He turned around and rummaged around for something. He turned around and held out a small flannel bag. “There are many names for this, but the one you would recognize is a mojo bag. Keep it in your right pocket and every time you feel like you don’t deserve them, reach into your pocket and it will remind you of the opposite.”

Steve took it bashfully as Eddie leapt forward to talk about some of the weirder aspects of the shop, like the chicken feet and what all the bones were for, to give Steve a moment to compose himself.

Steve looked down at the bag in his hand, thumb rubbing over the soft material. Even if he didn’t believe he was worth keeping, what right did have to think that his friends were horrible people? Because he knew they weren’t.

So if they weren’t bad people, then maybe they did want to hang out with him for him, not in spite of him.

He pulled out his wallet and grabbed a twenty, shoving it into the tip jar. The shopkeeper noticed, but just smiled and shook his head. The advice had been for free, but he would take that tip in good faith.

When they left, their prizes in hand, Steve felt a strange wind send a shiver down his spine. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at the shop behind them. But it was gone. All that was there was a ramshackle building that looked on the verge of falling apart.

But there in the doorway the thin shopkeeper stood. But gone were the vestiges of the Voodoo priest. He wore a smart suit and top hat.

He tipped the hat at Steve with a jaunty wink and then he was gone and so was the strange wind.

“Hey, Steve,” Robin called, “you coming?”

Steve shook off the strange feeling and hurried to catch up with his friends. “Keep you’re shorts on, I’m coming!”

~

If it was was wild, crazy, or just plain silly like the giant clothespin by Claes Oldenburg in Philly while they were there in Pennsylvania for the HH Holmes gravemarker in Yeadon.

They were just having a blast running through the country having fun and doing silly things. Steve was documenting it all on social media, always making sure to tag a place after they left so fans would leave Eddie alone.

The strangest place they found a fan of Eddie’s was definitely the Lizzy Borden B&B.

Eddie had come out of his hotel room and hadn’t had a chance to pull on the hat when a couple of teenagers walked past grumbling about how obsessed their mom was with this true crime bullshit.

And Eddie. Dear Eddie just couldn’t keep his mouth shut. It was out of his mouth before he could even register the words. “Don’t knock true crime, I think it’s cool.”

Now these teenagers whirled around all set to tear into this adult who dared to call them out on their bullshit when they stopped dead cold in their tracks. Their eyes went wide and their mouths dropped.

“Eddie Munson?” the younger of the two boys cried. “Of Corroded Coffin? There is no way!”

Eddie quickly put on his sunglasses and trucker hat. He pressed a finger to his lips and winked. “I’m on vacation.”

The two boys shared an incredulous look.

“There is no way you would choose this place,” the first one said. “It’s lame.”

“The murder of an entire family is lame?” Eddie asked with a smirk. “What are the kids into these days.”

“Yeah,” the younger one said, “but it happened ages ago. Who cares now?”

“Ooh, ooh!” Robin said, having just exited her room. “I do! It’s really super fascinating.” And then she launched into this great big rambling speech about the different theories and who it could have been if it really wasn’t Lizzy like she proclaimed.

She led the two boys like a pied piper all the way to the breakfast nook where she continued to yap at them, waving her arms and talking at a speed Eddie wasn’t a hundred percent sure he could follow.

“They should pay her for that,” Steve said with a huff of laughter as he sat down next to Eddie at the table. “She could take anything ‘boring’ and make it the most interesting thing in the world. It’s how we survived retail together, if I’m honest.”

“She’s cute when she gets animated like that,” Chrissy said dreamily.

“Down, Chrissy,” Eddie warned. “You’re supposed to Steve’s beard for this trip not drooling over Lezzy the Lesbian over there.”

Chrissy sighed, but reined in her longing looks. “How goes the trip for you two, by the way? Is it as hard as you thought it would be? I told Vickie I would keep her updated on how things are going in case she needed to get ahead of something.”

Steve and Eddie shared a look. “It’s actually harder than we thought it would be,” Steve admitted.

“I thought it would be easier with smaller hotels and bed and breakfasts,” Eddie agreed. “But smaller means more intimate in ways we didn’t anticipate.”

“Ooh...” Chrissy grimaced. “It’s harder to get busy when the walls are thinner and the minds more closed off, huh?”

They both nodded.

“Once we get to the British Isles and the rest of Europe, it’ll be easier,” she promised taking Steve’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “They’re more about privacy over there and the walls tend to be stone, and thicker by design.”

Steve let out a shuddering breath. Just two more days and the weight of being seen in America would be soon behind them.

The boys came over with Robin and got pictures with Eddie and then happily skipped back to their parents, excitedly chittering away about meeting Eddie Munson of Corroded Coffin in backwoods Massachusetts.

Eddie smiled as he watched. It was definitely the strangest fan interaction he’s had. Where he became almost an afterthought in the wake of Rambling Robin and her obsession with true crime.

Steve gave his leg a squeeze under the table and they shared a fond smile.

Robin and Chrissy exchanged a look of their own. They couldn’t imagine being that deep in the closet and how much that must have had to hurt.

They silently vowed that they would be better at making sure their besties got more alone time on their European leg of their journey. Because that’s what this trip was for after all.

~

Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Tag List: CLOSED

1- @mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence

3- @goodolefashionedloverboi @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @irregular-child @blondie1006

4- @yikes-a-bee @bookworm0690 @anne-bennett-cosplayer @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten

5- @genderless-spoon @y4r3luv @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt

6- @disrespectedgoatman @dawners @thespaceantwhowrites @tinyplanet95 @garden-of-gay

7- @iamthehybrid @croatoan-like-its-hot @papergrenade @cryptid-system @counting-dollars-counting-stars

8- @ravenfrog @w1ll0wtr33 @child-of-cthulhu @kultiras @dreamercec

9- @machete-inventory-manager @useless-nb-bisexual @stripey82 @dotdot-wierdlife @kal-ology

10- @sadisticaltarts @urkadop @chameleonhair @clockworkballerina

[musings-from-an-elder-goth]

Lisa Frankenstein Filming Locations

“It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another.” ― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

As promised, here are some of the filming locations for Lisa Frankenstein. As I just saw Kathryn Newton at Spooky Empire in Orlando this past weekend, I decided to stalk filming locations for some of her cooler movies. Or you can just watch the video I made, which covers all the locations but it goes into much less detail:

I found most of the locations on my own, but then received a location list from a person on the film's production team which confirmed the ones I'd already found and gave me the ones I was missing. Big thank you to that person!

***Spoilers below***

We'll start with Lisa's home which is located at 2552 Cypress Lawn Dr, Marrero, LA 70072. The shed in the back yard for the tanning booth is really part of the property, & can just be seen from the street (circled in red in second image).

Now, if you go there, remember, THIS IS PRIVATE PROPERTY. Perfectly fine to admire it from the street, but do not trespass, do not knock on the door, do not ask for a tour, & do not ask if Lisa is home. Please. Now, if the folks living there say 'Hey' & invite you in when they see you in the street taking selfies with the house, that's another thing entirely - but otherwise, low profile it.

Although they filmed a little bit inside the real house, at least for the scenes where Creature first arrives, most of the house interiors were filmed on a sound stage which I know thanks to Zelda Williams posting this photo:

And that sound stage is The University of New Orleans Nims Center Studio located at 800 - 824 Distributors Row in New Orleans. I know this because of this picture from a behind the scenes video showing the entire cast & crew taking a group photo with two distinct architectural features circled. The next image is a Google street view of the same location with those features also circled.

Per the locations list, the party house Lisa & Taffy go to early in the film is located at 12565 Patterson Rd, New Orleans, LA 70131, which I've confirmed via location detail on Google maps:

And the high school is Belle Chase high school at 8346 LA-23, Belle Chase, LA 70037, which I've also confirmed via architectural detail:

The exteriors for Bachelor's Grove Cemetery & the woods around it, the wooded paths, & the bench scenes all take place in Brechtel Park, which is located in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans.

The park offers roads for driving scenes as well as thick woodland with vines & dense ground cover for the cemetery set - which, sadly, was entirely fake. Below is the exact location of Bachelor's Grove.

Bachelor's Grove is located at GPS coordinates 29.9100534 -90.0124431. The easiest way to get there is to take an asphalt sidewalk that you'll find about 100 feet to the right of the entrance. That sidewalk will take you around the north edge of the park and then turn left (south) where you will look for the 2nd marked trail. Follow that trailfor about 50 feet and you'll find a second marked tree, which I call the Twisted Tree, and you're in Bachelor's Grove.

Moving along, the scene at 1:17:37 in the film where Creature goes to retrieve Janet's (Lisa's step-mom's) car and kills the mean old man who is harassing the kid who can't start a lawn mower, was filmed at the south dead end of Dede Street in Marrero, LA at GPS 29.855776, -90.093451.

Rather pleased with myself for finding that one - not easy.

Creature then returns to just outside Bachelor's Grove, which again was filmed in Brechtel Park, with precise location circled in the third image.

Lisa & Taffy arrive there & Lisa psychs herself up to go into the cemetery to kill Creature at GPS 29.906104, -90.009096

This is still in Brechtel Park, they just moved the cars about 30 feet to the west & spun the camera around - the dead giveaways are those posts along the road & the two small hills in the background.

Lisa then runs down a wide, woodland path.

This photo of one of Brechtel Park's wide, wooded paths is the same path, located at GPS 29.908912, -90.011958.

And here's that spot circled below:

When Dale, Lisa's dad (played by Joe Chrest, who also plays the Wheeler's dad on Stranger Things), & Taffy visit Lisa's grave at the end, they are standing in the southern section of Carrollton Cemetery in New Orleans, at GPS 29.947097, -90.121813.

The reason they used this location is because Carrollton is one of the few New Orleans cemeteries that has a large section where all the graves are below ground, as this movie is supposed to be taking place near Chicago.

As for how I know they used this specific location, I have a wine bottle shaped tombstone to thank for that. In the below image, we see that odd tombstone from the front.

And here we see it from the back, as I wasn't able to get a clear image of it from the same perspective of the above image:

Also rather proud of that find.

And the final scene on the bench is also in Brechtel Park at the location circled on the map, GPS 29.909290, -90.010784.

So the only significant filming location I can't find is Michael's red brick colonial, but whatever. Found Michael's house, too!

Anyway, here's to hoping we all find that special someone who was reanimated just for us. 🦇🖤🦇

creaturesfromelsewhere 5-23-2024

[madhatterbri]

Grateful | K.M.

Summary: Kol admits he is grateful for you.

Author's Note: Another Thanksgiving story from my prompts found here.

What are you grateful for?

You must have been asked this dozens of times since the beginning of November. This question was mostly asked by your customers. A tour guide in New Orleans was a pretty popular gig especially with everyone coming for the holidays. Each answer was always different per group. Your job, your school, and your family were the three most common answers. You couldn't exactly tell them you what you were really grateful for.

Kol Mikaelson leaned against the wall on the balcony outside. A cue stick kept tightly in his hand as he watched you. The two of you were in a competitive pool game. You were winning by a long shot.

"I am leaving you in the dust, Kol. Never picked up playing pool in your thousand years of existence?" You teased while leaving two balls left to shoot in the pocket. He smiled and moved to hit the cue ball.

"Who is saying that I am not letting you win? I am a gentleman after all," he smiled and hit the striped balls.

"Is that the game we are playing at, Mikaelson?" You asked. He pouted hitting another ball into the pocket.

"Last names again, darling. I love the way you say my first name. What can I do to make you say it again?"

"Play me fairly," you demanded. "I am going to beat you one day fair and square," you insisted. Long gone were the days you used to use your magic to try and best him.

"As you wish,"

As expected he was able to manipulate the balls easily into various pockets. He was even able to call the right pocket for the 8 ball. Kol smiled at your defeat.

"What are you grateful for?" You asked as you sat on the pool table. You rolled the cue stick away from you. He placed his stick on the table and placed his hands at the sides of your thighs.

"This little witch. I'm afraid she has me under some sort of spell," he answered truthfully. Your cheeks blushed as you looked at him. His brown eyes stared into yours.

"And what sort of spell is that, Kol?" You asked softly.

"The absolute worst I'm afraid. I think about her nonstop. When I'm sleeping all I dream about is her. Is there a way to fix that?" He asked. He placed his forehead to yours. His hands moved to your sides.

You didn't think you could blush anymore. The room felt like an oven. Your heart pounded loudly in your ears. His breath tickled your skin. This was finally happening.

"Afraid not but I can help remedy the situation," you responded. You leaned in and kissed his lips.

[zot3-flopped]

Two months prior to its release, would-be doyens of Swift’s Tortured Poets Department have taken its barbed track listing very literally, leading to intense, often nefarious speculation regarding Swift’s six-year relationship with the British actor Joe Alwyn, which seemingly ended in early 2023.

The album’s title, revealed onstage at the Grammy awards, was quickly linked to a December, 2022 interview with Alwyn and Paul Mescal in which they revealed that Andrew Scott started their group chat, the Tortured Man Club. (“It hasn’t had much use recently,” Alwyn said: you wonder if it’s undergone a recent revival.) Swift revealed the leading track list a day later: My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys, So Long, London, I Can Do It With a Broken Heart, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, to name a few, sending fans wild with speculation.

Swift, obviously, has every right to sing about her relationships however she wants to (no apologies to Eamonn Holmes). But in the absence of any music, some fans have spread baseless, dangerous and even libellous allegations about Alwyn’s conduct (which, for obvious reasons, I can’t repeat).

Last month, a brief fan-shot video of them dining in a New Orleans restaurant in December, 2022 was recirculated online with AI-doctored audio that made it sound as though Alwyn is saying “you don’t get to tell me about sad,” a line printed on the back of one of the new album’s four physical editions.

When Swift recently told a crowd that she was “lonely” when writing her 2020 album Folklore – some of which was co-written with Alwyn during the pandemic, a lonely time for most – fans took that as further confirmation of their theories. A live medley of three songs that all appear to reference cheating threw petrol on the fire.

Swift could make this stop. She is no stranger to airing her displeasure with the likes of Ticketmaster, Scooter Braun, Spotify and Apple Music, and, occasionally, politicians. Before she released Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) last year, she gave a veiled speech at one Eras tour date effectively asking fans not to go after John Mayer, whom she dated when she was 19 and he was 32 and is understood to be the subject of that album’s Dear John.

“I am not putting this album out so you should feel the need to defend me on the internet against someone you think I wrote a song about 14m years ago when I was 19,” she said in Minneapolis.

But for whatever reason – and obviously, no member of the public has any idea what transpired between her and Alwyn so far – this time she has opted to stay quiet.

Establishing a baseline for conduct is neither commercially risky nor unprecedented: just last week, Ariana Grande said, after the release of her post-divorce album Eternal Sunshine: “Anyone that is sending hateful messages to the people in my life based on your interpretation of this album is not supporting me and is absolutely doing the polar opposite of what I would ever encourage”.

It feels like the endgame of a cat-and-mouse act that’s gone too far. Swift’s gestures towards meaning have led every single thing she does to be considered a kind of marketing, a clue to be solved. It leaves a superstar who’s usually hot on her messaging open to misinterpretation: hints about her personal life are turned by some fans into witch-hunts for anyone perceived to have wronged her; her current silence on politics allows politicians to invoke her name, from the New South Wales police commissioner quoting Swift’s anti-haters lines while defending police to Joe Biden joking that the matter of her apparently much sought-after endorsement is “classified” on Late Night With Seth Meyers.

When Swift made a blandly neutral handwritten post encouraging US citizens to register to vote on Super Tuesday, some fans speculated that her unusual left-leaning handwriting was the real indication of her loyalties – suggesting they’re so starved of substance that they’re reading into empty messages because of this dynamic she has established. (The more likely explanation is the insane way she holds a pen.)

For Swift to only direct fans as to her wishes when it suits her, it weakens her status as a truth-teller. If the comparisons with Dickinson mean anything, she might remember that nothing in the world has as much power as a word feels like the endgame of a cat-and-mouse act that’s gone too far.

[wornouteggman]

X-Men go to Disneyland for the First Time

first post! tag along for more delusions, asks are always open -alex

Cyclops

not just the group dad or the paranoid leader but a secret, third, worse thing

this guy has a stomachache the whole day you can't convince me otherwise

has carrots in his backpack?! and trail mix?!

yeah laugh it up until you're standing in a disney line for 45 minutes and you start getting peckish- oh nowww you want to appreciate him

please do not put him on that stupid Pinocchio boat ride he will puke

gave everyone a map at the beginning of the day and is exceptionally stressed that he's the only one with one at the end of the day

Jean

half of her job is making sure Scott doesn't walk into a pole and the other half is making sure no one gets lost

SHE MAKES SURE EVERYONE HAS A "it's my first time" PIN

all the people around her is overwhelming- not just in a powers way but in a general sensory overload way

likes the classic stuff, loves the snow white ride

she's not too invested in things like disney but she likes doing the touristy stuff upfront (they're popular for a reason right?) which is why she's the first to buy a set of mickey(minnie?) ears

her favorite part of the day is watching the fireworks with Scott, letting herself get almost misty-eyed as she listens to the swell of music, Scott's arms wrapped around her securely

Storm

certified churro enjoyer

weirdly enough loves the dumbo ride?

"Ororo. You can literally fly why do we have to go on th-" "Party of six please"

get her ass away from star tours, she will have a panic attack

the one who pulls up games to play during wait times. she is comically bad at charades

likes the parade!! makes sure to have nice seats on the sidewalk to watch it happen!

a part of her inner child is healed going around disney enjoying the day with her weird mutant family

Rogue

she does a little dance in her seat at the end of the haunted mansion ride with all the partying ghosts (she gets excited to see which ghost is hitchhiking with her) (she loudly whispers the entire intro to the haunted mansion word for word to gambit every time they go on it

her and jean are the only ones to get mickey ears, Rogue going for one of the dessert-related ones (I'm going to project a little bit and say she gets the churro ears)

takes photos with every single character she sees

silly photos with gambit in front of the disney castle

incredibly cranky when it comes to long lines!! her and scott teaming up and eating trail mix from his bag from boredom (Scott picks out the m&ms and gives them to her while he eats all the nuts and granola)

Gambit

HIS FAVORITE RIDE IS INDIANA JONES IDCIDC

okay him and Rogue would have way more fun in california adventure but I fucked myself over and wrote Disneyland so now I have to suffer the consequences of my actions

he's sooo pretentious about the quality of the beignets

competitive teacup ride, him and rogue are teacup spinners

he really likes Batuu and the star wars stuff in general, I can see him liking the ronto wraps

HATES the millennium falcon ride if he's not the pilot. will skulk.

#stealfromcorporations

a little sizeable pang of homesickness in the chest as he walks through the New Orleans Square, which is specifically modelled after the french quarter

Logan

free him from this hell

"oh but he secretly enjoys-" no he doesn't.

barely made it past security, as the... you know... adamantium fused to his bones make the sensors go off

jean steps in and says he's got several joint replacements. it's humiliating (for him)

I get the vibe that he's scared of the peter pan ride when you're in the ship "flying"

bristles like a cat tbh

once he's sat at the hungry bear restaurant chowing down on a burger he calms down a little

complains about the california heat incessantly

would rather die than admit that a part of him looks at the families on the carousel and gets deeply sad❗️

[cosmicseafoam]

Randy Moore on the Sunken Teeth Co live part2

part 1 about the drop here

These wont be super in order as I'm gonna try to group them

Dividers by @wrathofrats

He's in the middle of making a record so new music soon-ish

It's not a new band, he says this is a "Randy record"

It's being produced by his friend Henry Chadwick

They'll be in the studio this weekend to record more stuff

.

Someone said "I hope you're taking care of the Mothman enamel pin I gave you" and he said he transferred it from his jacket to a pin board in his room to keep it safe so he doesn't lose it

"Do you still have the Sunken Teeth Bracelet I gave you at the SLC show?" he said "Yes I do! Anything that anybody has ever given me, I still have and I cherish cherish cherish everything that people take the time to hand me and make. 🙏🏻 I'm very appreciative. You guys are awesome"

He was fucking around a bit with a delay to make voice effects and said "I'm just trying to add some production value, y'know, just a little something, know what I'm saying?"

At one point he did something with the delay pedal and then said "never mind that was dumb and I've embarrassed myself"

He's excited to see the new Nosferatu

He doesn't have a dog but wishes he did

He's from the Bay Area

He drinks sparkling water

He's been watching The Sopranos for the first time (he's on s6)

He hasn't seen Twin Peaks

He hasn't gone to Spirit Halloween yet because he thinks he should wait for Lucy to get back from tour so they can go together

He hasn't watched Longlegs because he's "been busy doing stuff"

He's playing with Sweet Gloom in Santa Ana and San Diego on the 9th and 10th of August

He hasn't watched Over The Garden Wall

He really liked the Danzig dance scene in Abigail

If he was to get a Nightmare Before Christmas tattoo it would be of the masks that the three kids wear to represent him and his siblings

Someone said bring the 'stash back, he said "I don't think so"

He hasn't been to a Rocky Horror shadow cast and the thought scares him cause he doesn't want people to touch him while he's watching the movie

Someone asked which chipmunk he is, he said his sister Alyssa dubbed him Simon, herself Alvin, and their brother as Theodore.

He's not doing any overseas gigs any time soon

He said he's trying to recharge creatively and physically

He's an Aries

He uses the Ernie Ball regular slinky 10-46 guitar strings in the green pack

Someone asked if he plays mermaids he said "of course"

If he was a muppet he'd be "The Count. Obviously"

He has not listened to BRAT

He mains Dry Bones on Mario Cart

He likes Halloween because he thinks the weather is nicer, he likes sweater weather

He's never watched Baywatch

He gets scared of walk-through haunted houses

He is not going on the next Alkaline Trio tour

He likes Sisters Of Mercy

He has 10 or 11 guitars

He's been playing guitar since he was 11 or 12.

He takes his coffee with lots of sugar but Lucy drinks hers black which he "could never"

He doesn't know what he's gonna be for Halloween

He's not watching IWTV

He wants to visit Salem and the cemeteries in New Orleans

He has paper bats strung up on his shelf and he said "The bats keep my record collection safe. From... the sun! Idk."

He hasn't watched the new Deadpool movie

He likes The Shining

.

"I'm a real vampire, it's confirmed"

"I can fit in your pocket. I can get in there, for sure. IIIIIII can get in that pocket"

Someone asked how tall he is and between questions he said "I'm 6 feet tall", "I'm LIKE 6 feet. I don't know what I am, I haven't measured myself since I was 12 so who cares", "I'm like 6ft on a good day. People shrink, fluctuate. Who cares. Who cares about anything", "Yeah I'm like 6 feet on a good day, it's not that big of a deal. 6 feet is like NOT that tall. Maybe? I don't know", "I'm ACTUALLY 7 feet tall. Let that be the takeaway from this." and finally "I'm two bats tall."

Someone in the chat said "Basically 6ft is not 6ft, why do men lie?" and he responded "I'm sorry. I'm just- I'm just a boy"

Favourites:

Vampire movie: The Lost Boys, he later mentions it was filmed in Santa Cruz which is close to where he lives and he hangs out at the bridge sometimes

Beatles song right now is "I'm looking through you"

Chappell Roan song: Red Wine Supernova

BoyGenius song: "probably Satanist" but he really likes the first EP a lot

The Strokes song: either The Adults Are Talking or Last Nite

Cryptid: Mothman

Newer horror movie: Nope by Jordan Peele

Tattoo of his: ballerina on a tightrope or the crocodile underneath her

He owns a first pressing of Goddammit by Alkaline Trio and it's his favourite record of all time

Someone asked him to rate the 1990s ninja turtle movie out of 100 and he said "It's probably 100, it's maybe my favourite movie"

He can't pick between Creature Of The Black Lagoon and Dracula, they're his two favourites from the Universal monsters

Dogs or cats? "Dogs"

Metallica album: Master Of Puppets

Misfits song: Night Of The Living Dead or "Astro Zombies is always a favourite" and he did specify Danzig Misfits

Spirit World song: ULCER

Dracula: Bela Lugosi

System Of A Down song: Toxicity

Guitar model: Fender Jaguar

Dead Kennedys song: Kill The Poor. He said Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables is his favourite DK record.

He likes MCR, his fav album is Three Cheers and fav song is I'm Not Okay

Fall Out Boy song: Dance Dance

Fav song EVER: Sleepwalk by Santo & Johnny

Animal: Bats. No specifics, he said "I like 'em all!"

Alkaline Trio song from the new album: Shake With Me

Halloween candy: the pumpkin reeses cups

Concert: He saw Green Day do a secret show at Gilman Street which is a really small DIY venue

Thing about touring: he likes to see the friends he's made over the years cause he doesn't get to see them often

White Claw: Raspberry. He doesn't like Black Cherry so he gives those to Lucy

Cemetery he's visited: Hollywood Forever

AFI song: Fall Children

Zombie Film: Night Of The Living Dead

Horror movie actor: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee

Pokemon: he's a Charmander guy

Place to travel: "My bed. I love sleeping"

Food: Pizza. He said he's a pineapple on pizza guy.

Liv was in the chat and ask for a toy shelf tour

Pee-wee Dracula painted by Matt Skiba, given to Randy as a gift

He has a Green Day tour poster from when Dog Party (his gf Lucy’s band) opened for them and he said “super proud of Lucy, she’s the best”

Funkos: Rivers Cuomo, Dracula (which the lady at walgreens didn't charge him for), and Twenty One pilots but he's trying to get rid of his funko pops

He’s trying not to collect things anymore

Kiss Alive figures

Ozzy bark at the moon werewolf eating a mini brand ball taco

Ninja turtles 1990 movie figures

Fake ninja turtles ice cream

Alkaline trio Campbell soup cans from the my shame is true record

Metallica figurine setup

He thinks he has about 500 records on his shelf

Someone asked for a tattoo tour and he said "that would take too long" but he did show off his arm and speed run through some of them.

tooth

flower

moth

birds

crystal ball

rose through a heart

ballerina + crocodile

bats

skeleton

panther

scorpion

His first tattoo was a mermaid on an anchor on his upper arm. Her tail is "seafoam green" which he said is his favourite colour.

Most of his tattoos are in a traditional style, but he said he's "got some crazier ones" on his leg.

Ones he didn't specifically mention but that I've seen from photos:

a broken arrow

an astronaut lady

bats on his collarbones

portrait of a lady on the back of his arm

a few random roses scattered around

a large flower on his elbow

(what looks like) a rose inside a diamond with a straight razor underneath

(what looks like) a mummy/wrapped sarcophogus

Legs:

dagger and rose

Elvis TCB lightning bolt

a small flower with a smiley face in the center

creature from the black lagoon

[greatadventuretours]

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[mrhyde-mrseek]

Updated altar tour!!!

Hades & Persephone

They share an altar! Not much has changed since i last posted a picture of it except that i added a bracelet, but to recap, they’ve got:

A raven and skull Halloween decoration

A bracelet i made with Hades in mind and hung around the raven’s neck

Red Crowley-ish sunglasses

A candle holder from the thrift store

A stone snake figurine thing

A geode(?)/sparkly rock

A bat plushie (named Marcel the Mycelium Bat by my friend)

A bracelet i made for Persephone and put on the bat

Persephone’s offering bowl, a flowerpot with a crow(?) feather and a (now dead) flower

Vials of fake herbs (another Halloween decoration)

A poison apple spellbook Halloween decoration

A Hadestown magnet

A little red candle

Hades’ offering bowl, a thrifted metal bowl apparently made in 1978 (that’s the date carved on it at least) with crystals, coins, rocks, a key, a silver Beetlejuice bracelet, a button shaped like a cat eye, and a letter in it

Dionysus

Not much has changed since i last showed y’all Dionysus’s altar, but they’ve got:

A satyr statue i made in an art class

A painting with colors i associate with them

A nonbinary flag-colored heart charm

Two pinecones

A big bead with eerily similar colors to the lesbian flag

A bracelet

A gold paper heart a member of my high school a cappella group made me

Two amethyst crystals

My pronoun pin

A purple candle

Athena

Athena’s hasn’t changed much either, but it’s got:

My kindle

My vintage-looking desk light

Its offering bowl, a flower pot shaped like a statue head, with a crow feather, a little turkey feather, a massive turkey tail feather, and a Good Omens pen

A fall-scented candle

A Kamala Harris magnet from The Female Power Project

Two little plastic trophies

A few blue stones

A puzzle

An offering of iced tea & lemonade that Athena didn’t really like but didn’t want me to take it off its altar and still doesn’t (i tried it and it’s really sweet but like in a bad way so i can see why it doesn’t like it lol)

Hermes

Hermes’s altar has some new additions! I mainly got then because i wanna bring something from each altar with me to college that i won’t lose, and since candles aren’t allowed i got him something else, so now he has:

His candle (which I’m still obsessed with)

A wax doll my dad got me from a Voodoo practitioner’s shop on a business trip to New Orleans

A feather

A Newsies keychain

A marble

A tiny rubber duck figurine

Dice

What i think is Dalmatian Jasper but I could be wrong??

A couple more shiny rocks

A bracelet

A couple coins

A brand new statue (which is what I’m bringing to college)!!! It came with what I’m guessing is a little baby Hermes but I don’t really know, and a caduceus that I just realized he can hold

Artemis

Artemis’s hasn’t changed much either, except for a few added trinkets, so right now she has:

A candle

An animal skull-shaped fish tank decoration i got from my friend’s yard sale (coincidentally the same friend who named Marcel the Mycelium Bat)

A silver ring from prom

A few rocks

A little crystal, i think it’s amethyst??

A Totoro figurine

A crescent moon selenite offering bowl

An acorn

A mug inspired by her I made junior year of high school with a crow feather in it

A gold crescent moon charm

Apollo

I haven’t shown Apollo’s altar yet because he’s relatively new to the group of deities i work with/worship! He’s got:

A tall ass candle

A wolf plushie

A rainbow… thing, it’s too big to be a bracelet but too small to be a necklace so it’s his now

A gold plastic coin thing

A fake lavender-looking flower

A glass bauble charm filled with yellow glitter

My tarot cards

An award i got senior year from the music program (I scribbled out my name on the photo)

An HRC water bottle that’s kinda hidden behind the award

A couple rocks

A yellow plastic gummy bear

A squishy yellow unicorn fidget toy

A plastic toy milkshake (he thought it was funny)

Aphrodite

Aphrodite has a couple additions to her altar, too! We’ve got:

A drawing I made for her

A pretty little teal rock

Two shells

A tiny pink candle

A piece of a plastic crown from my high school’s production of Mean Girls last year, I have no idea how i ended up with it but here we are

A thing of blush (rarely used, i thought she might appreciate it more)

Coconut and pear-scented chapstick

A shell kinda shaped like a bowl with a pearly charm, two pink paper stars, and a tiny rose charm in it

Her offering bowl, a teacup, saucer, and spoon shaped like a flower, leaf, and ladybug respectively that was a graduation present from a friend!! While they’re not quite Aphrodite’s style, she still likes them on her altar because they were a symbol of platonic love!!

A bracelet in her offering bowl

[ereardon]

Friends Don't || Chapter 3

Summary: Bob Floyd has been your best friend for almost a decade, ever since he quietly agreed to tutor you in college. The two of you have spent years chasing each other around the globe – Bob as a WSO, you as a travel blogger. You’ve always been the anywhere-but-here girl, and he’s been your rock. But when a surprise diagnosis threatens to crumble your picture-perfect life, you’re on the first flight back to San Diego, desperate to put down roots for the first time. Will Bob finally have it in him to admit that you could be the love of his life? What will he say when he finds out the secret you’ve been skillfully hiding from him? Or worse, what if he doesn’t find out until it’s too late? 

Pairing: Robert “Bob” Floyd x OC [Reid] 

Tropes: Friends to lovers

Warnings: Cursing, angst, alcohol

WC: 2.8K

Series masterlist here; previous chapter here; next chapter here

You met Denver when Bob got stationed at Lemoore. You had still been living in New Orleans, planning your move up to San Francisco, but it was taking a while because the magazine had you doing an Asia tour: Vietnam, Laos, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Nepal. 

On your way back from Tokyo, you stopped in San Francisco to do some apartment hunting, before renting a car and driving down to Lemoore to visit Bob. 

He was still a newer member on the team; everyone but Denver had been there for years. They were a knit family, and he was the odd one out. But at least he had her. 

“You’re going to love her,” Bob said. He was teeming with excitement. Seeing him happy made you happy. You knew that he hadn’t quite fit in at Newport, his station before Lemoore. You knew that he desperately wanted to be part of a team. 

And he had found that with Denver. 

The bar was crowded. And hot. You were wearing a tiny tank top and a pair of denim shorts, not much of a going out outfit but Bob had insisted the two of you go straight to the bar so you could meet his friends. 

Bob weaved through the packed bar, his hand warm in yours, over toward one side of the curved wooden bar. You spotted the familiar khaki outfits that screamed military. Bob raised his free hand excitedly in a wave and you smiled up at him. 

“Hey guys,” he said, and a few of the khaki uniforms turned. Their eyes shamelessly rolled over you, and your hand in Bob’s, jaws going slack. 

“Floyd,” one of them, a classically attractive guy with a broad jawline, said. “Who’s the girl?” 

“Reid,” you said, sticking out one hand, keeping your left firmly in Bob’s. You shook his hand. 

“Harvard,” he said. 

You squinted. Another guy, even more ridiculously handsome, sidled up behind him. “I’m Fritz.”

You nodded. The other two were Omaha and Yale. The callsigns went in one ear and out the other. You were notoriously bad with names. 

And then you heard a small voice, like a delicate bird. “Stop drooling all over her, fuckheads. She’s way too hot for any of you.” 

All eyes turned to the right. A tiny redhead was making her way over to the group, her hands full of beer bottles. She handed one to Omaha and then another to Bob. Finally, her piercing green eyes landed on you and she smiled, holding out the remaining beer bottle. “You must be Sunny.” 

You grinned. “I am. You must be Denver.” 

“Sure hope so, otherwise I’m wearing someone else’s uniform.”

You laughed and took the beer, sipping it carefully. You watched Bob’s face light up as he spoke to the pilot. The casual way she put her hand on his forearm. How easy and light they were together. The way his eyes tracked her across the room. How she always brought him back into the conversation where he might have fallen out of it. 

For the rest of the night you snuck glances at the two of them. And for the first time you saw what Bob looked like when he was in love. 

“Hey.” Fritz approached you from your right, leaning against the wall where you had your butt pressed, staring out across the bar at Bob and Denver. 

“Hi,” you replied, taking a swig from the gin and tonic in your hand. You were tipsy, edging on drunk. 

Fritz followed your gaze. “They’re good together, don’t you think?” 

You nodded. “Yeah, they are. Never seen him like that before.” 

“Like what?” 

“So happy,” you replied. “Carefree.” The two of you watched as Bob laughed at something Denver said, her eyes sparkling as she faced him. 

“He looked pretty damn happy when he told us you were coming,” Fritz said. 

You shook your head. “Nothing like that.” 

Fritz moved slightly closer and you looked up at him with a smile. 

“Live nearby?” you asked. 

He grinned. “In fact, I do.” 

You took his hand, weaving through the crowd toward where Bob was standing near the bar next to Denver and Yale. “Bobby?” you said softly, raising a hand and pressing it to his upper arm. 

He turned around with a smile. “Hey Sunny, where’d you go?” 

You looked up at Fritz. “Just got another drink. I, uh, think we’re gonna head out. Can I call you tomorrow, get a ride back to your place?” 

He frowned. “Are you sure?” 

You felt Fritz’s hand slide into the back pocket of your jeans, fingers gripping the swell of your ass. “Yeah, I’m sure.” 

Bob looked between you and Fritz with narrowed eyes. “Sunny? Gonna ask you one more time, darlin’, are you sure?” 

You nodded then leaned up and kissed his cheek, letting your hand fall from his arm. “See you tomorrow, Bobby.” 

You let Fritz’s hand migrate to your low back, guiding you out of the bar and into the humid California night. You weren’t sure why, but it took everything you had not to turn around and take one last look at Bob before you walked out the door. 

Bob looked up at Denver with angry eyes. 

“I shouldn’t have let her go. She’s been here twelve hours, she has no idea where she is. Fritz is a goddamn stranger to her.”

“Reid can do what she wants, Floyd,” Denver said, leaning her small arm against the bar. “She’s a grown woman. Besides, Fritz is a puppy dog. You don’t have anything to worry about.” 

He shook his head. “I’m going after her.” He put his glass of seltzer down and started to walk toward the door when Denver grabbed him, yanking him back shockingly hard for such a small person. 

“Floyd! Snap out of it man. She isn’t yours.” 

“Yes, she is. She’s my responsibility, don’t you get that? I brought her here.”

Harvard shook his head. “Fuck, man, you’re down bad for her aren’t you?” 

Bob squinted his eyes. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Harvard laughed. “See, I always thought you had a thing for Denver over here. But apparently you’re just the nerd in love with the hot girl next door. And she ditched you the first chance she got.”

Bob felt like his eyes were going to pop out of his head. He lunged forward, but Denver grabbed his arm. “Come on, let’s get some air, Floyd.” 

He let her yank him out onto the back patio of the bar, anger already starting to pool in his stomach. 

“Is it because of Fritz, or is it because she left with anyone but you?”

Bob shook his head, taking a deep breath. “Please, Denver, just drop it.” 

“No. I won’t drop it. Tell me the truth. What is it about her that has you so wound up, ready to fucking combust?”

Bob sighed. “It’s just been me and Reid for a long time, OK? It’s a hard dynamic to change. That’s all, I promise.”

Her green eyes scanned his face. “You wouldn’t lie to me, would you Robert?” she asked softly, stepping closer. 

Bob raised his eyes to hers. “No, Sarah. I wouldn’t lie to you.” 

She nodded, lips pursed in a tight line. The two of them stood side by side, leaning against the railing of the patio, staring off into the distance in silence.

***

You hadn’t meant for it to happen, but somehow you ended up hosting a pizza night at the house as a way to repay the team for helping to unbox all your stuff that had finally arrived from Brooklyn, along with all of the new items you had purchased that had shown up on the doorstep, much to Bob’s dismay. 

The two of you arrived home one night to no less than twenty boxes from Crate & Barrel on the front porch. Bob turned to you with wide eyes and you gave him a small shrug across the middle console of the car, hopping out to examine the boxes. 

“Sunny,” he said, exasperated. “I said yes to redecorating. But what on Earth? Did you buy the whole store or what?” 

“Hate to break it to you, honey,” you said, opening the door and scooting the nearest box inside. “But your house? Your stuff? It’s depressing.” 

“I’m offended,” he said, following after you with a box in his arms. 

“No you’re not,” you replied. “And if you are, you’ll get over it when you see how much cute shit I got for us.” 

Bob groaned, digging in his pocket. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Calling in backup,” he said, hitting a button and lifting the phone to his ear. “Rooster? Yeah, can you and Hangman and Phoenix come over? Bring Coyote. Reid bought all this stuff and we’re never going to be able to unload it all ourselves.” He paused, nodding. “Yeah, we’ll buy you guys dinner.” 

He clicked off the phone and you laughed, already headed to your room to change into athletic clothing. “Remember that you love me!” you called from down the hall. 

“How could I ever forget?” Bob replied, shaking his head and grabbing a box cutter from the top drawer in the kitchen. 

That was how you found yourself sitting on the floor in the middle of Bob’s kitchen unwrapping a set of Estelle colored wine glasses and handing them to Phoenix, who was carefully placing them in a cabinet. 

In the living room, Rooster and Hangman were fighting over the instructions for the media center that you had ordered, while Bob was chatting with Coyote as he built a coffee table. 

You handed a blue stemless wine glass to Phoenix who took it with a smile. “So, how are you liking San Diego?” 

You shrugged. “It’s alright. I like the beach nearby.” 

“Bob said you’ve lived all over the place.” 

You nodded. “Yeah, I’ve bounced around a lot. I did New Orleans, Seattle, Austin, SF, London, Barcelona. Most recently I was in Greenpoint.” 

Phoenix put one hand on her slim hip. “Can I ask you a question?” 

“Of course.” 

“Why here, then? Sounds like you’ve lived in the best cities in the US, maybe even the world. So why the hell would you want to move to San Diego?” 

You looked out over into the living room. “It’s the only place where I can see him every day.” 

Phoenix raised an eyebrow as you stood up from the floor, dusting off your knees with your hands. “Bradshaw is gonna ask you out. Even got a blessing from Floyd.” 

You turned to her. “Bob said yes?” 

She nodded. “Wasn’t too convincing, but he said Bradshaw was free to do whatever he liked. So just keep an eye out. He’s a good guy, Rooster. You could do worse.” 

You ducked down, opening a new box to reveal a set of ivory plates. “I’m not really looking to date right now.” 

“Anyone, or does that just apply to Rooster?”

“You two gossiping about me?” Bradley appeared in your field of vision, guzzling from a water bottle on the counter. He set it down and wiped his mouth, revealing a wide grin. 

You looked at Phoenix with panic and she cleared her throat. “Was just telling Reid here that you’re a sore loser because Hangman beat you at darts last week.” 

“Fuck, it was one time!” Rooster tossed his hands up and his genuine nature made you laugh. He dropped his hands and smiled. “Listen, Reid, if you’re not busy tomorrow, I’d love to take you to dinner.” 

You hesitated. What you had told Phoenix wasn’t a lie. You moved to San Diego to spend time with Bob. It wasn’t about a new crop of potential suitors. But the way that Bradley was smiling down at you, and the broadness of his shoulders, and the air in the kitchen, all had you nodding. “Sure,” you said softly. “I’d love to.” 

Bradley smiled so wide it threatened to split his face in half. “Great. I’ll pick you up here, say seven thirty?” 

You nodded. The rest of the night was spent unpacking boxes, you and Phoenix largely sequestered to the kitchen. Hangman and Rooster finally stopped yelling at each other long enough to get the black wood and cane media console set up and you watched with a grin as all four men argued about how exactly the tv should be set up. 

At the end of the night, you swept the empty pizza boxes into a trash bag and followed everyone out into the driveway to say goodbye, dumping the trash inside the can near the garage door. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” you said lightly to Bradley and he stepped closer, kissing your cheek softly.

“See you tomorrow Reid.” 

He walked away and you heard Jake huff to himself, muttering under his breath, “What does fucking Bradshaw have that I don’t?” 

You smirked to yourself, waving to Phoenix as she got in her truck, before heading back inside. In the kitchen, Bob was wiping down the counter, placing the last beer can in the recycling. 

“Good work tonight,” you said, looking around with your hands crossed over your chest. You still had some boxes to unpack and you were lacking a dining room table, but the living room was practically brand new. 

Bob shook his head. “You didn’t have to do this, Sunny.” 

“Um, I kind of did if I didn’t want to live in a frat basement for a house.” 

“It wasn’t that bad.” “Whatever you need to tell yourself.” You slipped past him, opening the fridge and pulling out a water bottle. “Alright, I’m gonna take a shower and head to bed. Goodnight.” 

You started down the hall when Bob’s voice stopped you. “Are you really going out with Bradley tomorrow?”

You turned. Bob stood in the middle of the hallway, his hands in his pockets. There was an air around him that you couldn’t place. You nodded. “Yeah, I am. Phoenix said you told Bradley it was OK to ask me out.” 

Bob grunted, turning around and heading for the kitchen, breaking down a cardboard box in frustrated silence. 

You followed him back into the kitchen, one hand on your hip. “Bobby? Are you mad? Do you not want me to date your colleague, is that what this is about?” 

“You always do this, Reid,” he said, shaking his head. There was something unnerving about Bob calling you by your first name. It was always Sunny, honey, darlin’, sweetheart. Never Reid. 

“Do what?” 

Bob looked up. “You leave a trail of men everywhere we go, Reid. I get it. You’re the anywhere-but-here girl. But you have to realize that you can’t do that this time. This is my life you’re walking into. You’re meeting my friends, living in my house. You told me you were settling down this time. But you’re still acting like the same Reid as before.” 

“And who exactly is that?” you demanded, crossing your arms over your chest. 

Bob let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t want to do this right now.” 

“You started this,” you practically shouted. “So fucking end it, Bobby. How am I acting?”

“You’re doing what you always do!” he yelled. “You’re acting like the Reid that fucks any guy that’s halfway decent to you. And then you run away before it can become anything more than a one night stand because you’re fucking terrified of having to stay and owning up to responsibility for the first time in your life. You just steamroll over everyone and everything, have your fun and then you’re gone. And you’ve always been like that. But this time you don’t get to just flit off to Mexico or Sweden or Croatia and send me a little gift basket and act like it never happened. This time you’re fucking with the people in my life, Reid, and it will have consequences. For once can you care about someone other than yourself and look at the situation and realize that what you do impacts me, too?”

The two of you stood, frozen, in the kitchen. The tension in the air was palpable. You could count on one hand the number of fights you and Bob had gotten into over the last nine years. 

This was one of them. 

Your eyes were locked on Bob’s blue ones. You watched as his face fell. As the realization of what he had just said washed over his familiar face. 

“Sunny,” he murmured, stepping closer and you shook your head, backing away. 

“No.” You whispered it, but there was venom laced in the word. “Don’t you dare try and take that back,” you added. “Because you can’t.” 

“Honey, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it.” 

You whipped around, practically jogging down the hall toward the stairs at the front of the house. 

“Reid!” 

You climbed the stairs, two at a time, and slammed the door to your room, locking it behind you, sliding down against the back of the door onto the ground in a heap. 

You hated fighting with Bob. But this time, what you hated the most was that he was right. 

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[steveyockey]

film critic angelica jade bastién being swarmed by the beyhive (who is of course attempting to put her out of a job) over her negative review of the renaissance tour film which I think is an incredible piece of writing wholly appropriate for the time,

With “Formation” from 2016’s Lemonade, Beyoncé alchemized the aesthetics of Black radicalism. In the video, she is splayed out on a cop car in New Orleans that descends into murky waters. In her Super Bowl performance from that year, she and her dancers were decked in an all-black ensemble with raised fists meant to evoke the style of the Black Panthers without the group’s moral clarity and political conviction. When Beyoncé uses their aesthetic along with the words of Malcolm X, it behooves audiences and critics alike to hold her to a greater standard. Her apoliticism should not slide by. It should be noted that Renaissance is playing in Israel, which has led to “Break My Soul” becoming an anthem of sorts for Israelis waving their flag in screenings. Beyoncé has yet to make a statement about Palestine. But this silence is itself a statement. Perhaps she isn’t apolitical so much as an emblem of Black capitalism and wealth that seeks to maintain its stature. Renaissance: A Film demonstrates that Black joy isn’t inherently radical. In fact, without a sense of materiality, Black joy becomes directionless and easy to co-opt by the varied forces of power that are fueled by anti-Blackness. Beyoncé is an icon who has carefully maintained a sense of accessibility to anyone, anywhere, for any reason. Black musical traditions may have the potential for radicalism, but Beyoncé’s neutrality demonstrates they aren’t inherently that way. More than anything, Renaissance is a testament that Beyoncé is a brand that stands for absolutely nothing beyond its own greatness.

[youngstarfishphilosopher]

New tarot card: This time of Addison. So you know what that means, New Reverse hauntings chapter! So here's chapter two of Reverse Hauntings!

××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××

It was a rather humid summer night in New Orleans, Louisiana. Standing alone in a bar was a young man named William Gracey, who was in his twenties at the time. He was dressed rather nicely: pretty brown eyes filled with warmth, short black hair, and a mustache on his face.

He stood there, drink in hand. He hadn't bothered to take a sip of it yet. In all honesty, he was rather lost in thought at the moment.

What was he thinking about?

It didn't matter anymore once a woman's voice echoed through his mind and interrupted his thoughts.

" Excuse Me! Oh, sorry, Excuse Me!"

Looking to the right of him at the bar, he saw a beautiful woman trying to get the bartender's attention. However, it didn't appear to be working because of the large group gathered in front of her.

" Excuse me!' The woman called out once again. " Sorry, can I please . . . have a . . ."

Gracey couldn't help but feel bad for the poor woman. Walking up to her, he gently tapped her shoulder.

"Miss?" Upon hearing his voice, the woman turned around. The sight of her face made William a bit flustered. He wasn’t the best at starting a conversation; he thought the woman would have just ignored him or something like that. "I-I, uh, here. You can have mine."

" But then you wouldn't have any." The woman responded. " I couldn't possibly do that."

" No. Please, take it." William insisted, handing the small glass of alcohol in front of him. "I wasn't planning on drinking it anyway. Not in the mood really."

" Oh, alright then." The woman smiled at him as she took the drink from his hand. " Thank you, Mr…”

" Gracey," William introduced himself. He held out his hand for the woman to shake. " William Gracey."

" Elenore," Elenore responded as she shook William's hand. " Now. Tell me, Mr.Gracey. You wouldn't happen to be here with anyone tonight perhaps, would you?"

" Oh, uh, yes actually," William said, rubbing his neck. Was she flirting with him? " I'm here with a few colleagues of mine. They all wanted to go grab drinks so I decided to tag along."

"I see," Elanore says, stepping a bit closer. " And what exactly is it that you do for work Mr.Gracey?"

"Please, just call me William,” Gracey continued. “And to answer your question, I’m actually an Astrophysicist.”

“Astrophysicist. . .” Elenore pondered. “ Huh. You know from the looks of you, I never would have guessed that.”

“Really? What did you think I worked as?” William asked, rather curious.

Elenore took a good moment to look the man up and down thoroughly. This gave William a small spike of anxiety, but it immediately went away as she opened her lips. “ To be completely honest, you look like the type of person to be a history teacher.”

“ History Teacher?” William chuckled. “Why a history teacher specifically?”

“ Oh, I don’t know. Just the first thing that popped into my head.” Her smile widened as she stepped back a bit. “Okay. Now do me!”

“ Guess your job?”

“ Yeah, “ Elenore told him. “To be honest I doubt you’ll get it. It’s not the most normal job out there.”

“Uh, alright then.” William thought for a moment. “ Let’s see now . . . are you an accountant?”

“Nope,” Elenore shook her head, ”Try again.”

“Cashire?”

“Nope,” Elenore giggled. “ I told you it wasn’t the most normal job out there.”

“ Uhhh . . . Scuba . . . diver?”

Elenore shook her head as she took a sip of the drink William had given her..

“Alright, I give up.” He told her. “What is it?”

“I,” Elenore told him, “ Do ghost tours.”

“ Ghost tours,” William repeated. “You’re right. I never would have guessed that.”

“ Yes well,” Elenore “ Lots of supposed haunted houses around these parts, as well as a bunch of tourists who want to see them makes for some rather good money. Plus, I have a rather high fascination with the supposed paranormal.”

“ That makes sense,” William spoke. Suddenly he gained a small spark of confidence. “ Maybe, I could go on one of your tours sometime. I've never been on a ghost tour before, I don't think.”

“ H,. Why yes, that would be quite lovely.” Elenore agreed with warmth. “ I can even give you a discount. You know, as a ‘thank you’ for the drink.”

“ You really don’t need to-”

“Please.” She interrupted, “I insist”

“ Alright . . .”

Suddenly the sound of someone knocking on a door caught his attention. And he woke up.

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William let out a groan as he shifted awake; trying his best not to cry as he slowly sat up in his bed. He was still in the same outfit he had worn yesterday: A dress shirt, tie, and sweater vest with a nice pair of khaki pants. On his left wrist was a gold watch.

Oh, William thought in a tired daze. He rubbed his face with his hand; Did I fall asleep in my clothes again? I really need to stop doing that.

His hair was a mess from a nasty case of bedhead. And though his eyes were still filled with warmth, there was also this unwavering sadness that resonated within them. Another knock on his door signaled to him that he should probably get up and move.

Quickly composing himself, William rolled out of bed and walked over to the door. Upon opening it, he found the familiar face of mrs. Constance Hatchaway who held a letter in her hands.

“Hello Gracey,” Se spoke. Her eyes lingered on the messy, tired man in slight concern. “ Is this a bad time?”

“ No . . . No,” William responded. “It’s fine.”

“ Alright then. May I come in?” Constance asked him.

“ Oh yeah,” William responded. Stepping out of the way. “Please, come on in. What brings you here this morning if you don’t mind me asking?”

“ I’m glad you asked,” Constance said, stepping inside her friend’s home. “But first of all, how have you been?”

“ I’ve been fine really,” William lied through his teeth. He rubbed his face a bit once again. “Honestly I’m just rather tired. Had a long day at work yesterday.”

“ I see . . .”

“ Anyways, what did you come here to talk about again?” William asked, reeling them back into the original conversation.

“ Ah yes, A man by the name of Addison me to give you this,” Constance told him. She handed him the letter from her hands.” He and his son just moved into a new house and the kid is convinced the place is haunted.”

William looked down at the small letter now in his hands. It was a bland, white letter that only had his name on it and nothing else.

“ I might or might not have told them about that camera of yours at some point.” The nun continued. “ The one that could see ghosts? He was hoping you’d be willing to possibly drive up there and take a few photos to put the kid’s mind at ease. Their home is only about an hour's drive from here”

“ What?” William asked. He averted his gaze from the letter “Look, Constance, as much as I would love to help, I really can’t. I’ve got a job to do and, and all my tours are booked for this week-”

“ He’s willing to pay.” Constance interrupted. “ Twenty-five thousand dollars.”

They both stood there in silence for a moment.

“ Constance I . . .”

“ Look, all I’m saying is: Think about it. I know for a fact you hate your job now. You practically drink yourself stupid every other night and walk out mumbling about how you want to quit.” Constance interrupted once again. William looked at her wide-eyed at the realization that Constance had seen him like that- most likely multiple times.

Constance had now made her way back to his front door. “ This could be a good opportunity for you to make some good money for yourself. Plus, you get to help a person in need right? Win-win.”

“ Wait, where are you going?” William asked rather confused. She had just arrived and now she was leaving?

“ I’ve done my part as far as I can tell,” Constance answered him. “ So my job here is done. Have a good day Gracey.”

Then she left; closing the door behind her and leaving Mr.William Gracey alone to think on the offer he had just been given. Twenty-five thousand dollars. Now that was far too much money for someone in his situation to blatantly ignore without a second thought.

Also, Constance wasn’t exactly wrong, he did hate his job. And he wanted to quit, truly he did, but to do that- to throw in the towel- would be the equivalent of throwing away something his wife had loved and worked for. He couldn’t do that, not to her.

Later that night, he sat on his bed with the letter firmly in his grasp. Looking down at the letter for what felt like the longest time, he let out a breath as he hesitantly opened it.

Opening the envelope, he pulled out a small slip of paper which addressed him directly as well as basically repeated everything Constance had filled him in on so far. His eyes widened, however, he saw the last name of the man who was requesting his services: Addison Crump.

Addison Crump? As in Billionaire Crump? The guy that sold his company and no one had heard from in months; not the press, nobody? That man?

No. No it simply had to be some other man. The world is big after all and there has to be at least a few people with that name. But then again, it would make even more sense if it was; twenty-five-thousand dollars is a lot of money to give to a person just to drive up an hour and snap a few photos. But to someone like Crup, it would barely make a dent in his wealth. Either that, or the job would be something much more than he bargained for. . . Maybe it would be for the best then that it really was Addison Crump.

He re-read the contents of the letter once again. The very end of the letter read: “If you agree to this arrangement, then please come to the address provided below on Wednesday, September 4th, at 9:15 pm.

Sincerely,

Addison Crump”

“ Wednesday, ” William mumbled to himself. “Wait. That’s tomorrow isn’t it?”

Sure enough it was. He didn;t have much time to come to a decision on the matter. Thankfully though, his mind had already been sufficiently made up.

The next morning William Gracey could be found scavenging through some of the cardboard boxes which could be found scattered around his home. He knew for a fact the camera was in the home somewhere,but it had been so long now since he had last seen it; almost three years now to be exact. As he shifted through the second box next to him, he stopped for a moment when he came across a framed photo.

Lifting the photo out of the box, he gently held it in his hands; it was a photo of him and Eleanor. A photo that had been taken back in their earlier days before anything had happened to cause him misery. Back when they were peaceful, happy, blissfully unaware . . .

William’s hands began to tremble and his eyes began to swell with water which threatened to spill out. He immediately flipped the photo around and placed it to the side of him. He then let out a sniffle. Whipping the tears from his eyes, he took a few moments to compose himself before continuing.

He reached back into the cardboard box; there were some older books from his law college years he hadn’t read in a good long while. Picking a few of them up and shifting some of them to the side, he found what he was looking for- the camera. William had first created it when he and Elenore had been dating; it was a creation he had been chastised for by both higher ups in his field of work and fellow co-workers.

William picked up the camera. It felt vaguely familiar yet also foreign in his hands.Pressing the power button on the top of the machinery, it was evident that the camera needed a new set of batteries.

Sticking some new batteries into the camera, he first made sure the camera worked. Taking a quick photo the camera flashed and the photo appeared seconds later.

He left his home at 7: 57 pm.

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

William Gracey arrived at the mansion at exactly 9:08 pm. And before he stepped out of the car; even before he drove through the home's black gates, he felt a heavy weight of anxiety pressing into his chest. The feeling was unbearable; an overwhelming sensation of paranoia and helplessness seeping into his heart.

He hurriedly walked up the front steps of the mansion in an attempt to avoid anything that might be after him. But that was silly. This feeling he had was silly.

Knocking on one of the Mansion’s great doors, he heard the sounds of footsteps from getting closer. The sound of a man’s voice called from inside. It was a deep voice; a bit rough and angry “ Coming!”

As the door opened , the cold, purple light of the manor showed through as William, soon to be known as simply ‘Gracey’, found himself face to face with the infamous Addison Crump.

Even with his messier appearance than he usually dawned,Mr.Crump was still a relatively pretty man; many people thought as such that he was pretty, even despite his older age. His face was pleasant to the eye, but his expression was a mixture of tired and irritated; That was nothing new. But in those icy blue eyes that stared into Gracey’s own, Gracey could not help but notice the gleam of sadness that hid itself deep beneath those lovely irises.

“ I’m guessing you're Gracey, yes?” Addison asked. His words snapped Gracey out of the man’s gaze.

“ O-oh. Yes, that’s right.” Gracey spoke. He held his hand out for the other man to shake. “ William Gracey, at your service.”

Addison stepped out of the house and onto the front porch. He closed the door behind him as he stepped out and firmly shook Gracey’s hand. “ Addison Crump. But I'm guessing since you read my letter you already knew that.”

Wow his grip is strong, William thought as he mentally winced from the pressure that latched onto his hand; he could probably pop my hand clean off my wrist if he wanted to. “ Yes sir, that is correct. You wrote to me about that ghost problem of yours if I remember correctly.”

“ Yes that, well” Addison said. I’m going to be straight with you. This place is . . . unnerving to put it lightly. What’s about to happen once you go inside, well it will probably change your life forever. So I just need to make sure that you’re positive you're willing to do this.”

Gracey looked at Addison with a mixed feeling of pity and disbelief. It was self-evident that the mansion was strange and horrid, and he couldn’t imagine what living in something so hauntingly beautiful yet decrepit could possibly do to someone’s mental state. But . . . surely Mr.Crump doesn't really believe this place was haunted like his son did, did he?

Gracey gave Addison a Half-hearted smile. “ Of course. No need to worry about me now, I can handle a couple ‘ghosts’. ”

“ Heh. You say that now . . .” Addison mumbled under his breath. He let out a sigh. Opening the door, Addison stepped out of the way, holding it open for Gracey to walk through. “Well then, if you’re really sure, come on in.”

There was an unknown shift as Gracey took his first steps inside. Unbeknownst to the man, the strange darkness of the manor had now latched itself onto him. As he looked around, the sound of Addison shutting the door behind him.

“ No turning back now.” Addison ominously spoke to Gracey as he passed by him. Gracey quickly caught up to Addison as they now walked side by side down the hallway.

The two of them eventually stopped in front of the doorway which led into the living room Addison and his son had been staying in. Above the door frame were two small portraits of a black man and a black woman; they were both wearing clothes that resemble attire from the late 1800s to very early 1900s time period.

“ Who are they?” Gracey asked, looking up at them.

“ Don’t know. I asked around though.” Addison blatantly stated. Then his face grimaced. “ There are a lot of . . . Colorful. . . theories about this place. None of which are really all that pleasant.”

“And it’s just the two of you here?”

“ Well yes,” Addison said, his voice then getting a little lower. “After the kid’s mother-”

Just then, a small boy- Addison’s son stepped out of the tent, a book in his hands. Upon seeing the two adults he froze. He had brown hair and big brown eyes; the best way Gracey could describe him is that the boy resembled the appearance of a sad puppy dog.

“ Oh, yes. Gracey, this is my son: Alistair.” Addison suddenly interrupted his own sentence.

“ Hello there.” Gracey gave the boy a smile and waved. “ Nice to meet you.”

Alistiar didn't say anything and just gave him a small wave back. I guess the kid isn’t much of a talker.

“ Anyways, we should probably go do that thing now.” Addison suggested. He looked down to Gracey’s camera which was on a lanyard around the dark-haired man’s neck. “ Are you sure that thing works?”

“ Last time I checked yes.” Gracey stated.

“ Alright.” Addison turned his attention to his son. “ You wanna come and show Mr.Gracey what you saw?”

Alistair shook his head. He then said something Gracey couldn’t fully understand, but it was clear it meant ‘no’ in some regard. “Nem köszönöm. . .”

Addison let out a sigh. He turned his gaze back towards Gracey, “Alright then, guess I can just show you myself.”

Addison then started walking back down the hallway, jerking his head to the side; signaling Gracey to follow him. And Gracey did so.

“ Sorry about him by the way.” Addison spoke once angain. “ He’s not really a fan of meeting strangers. He just needs some time to warm up to ya.”

“ I see.” That last comment Addison made completely went over his head.

“ Anyways . . . Let’s go take photos in the dining room first. It’s right over -” Addison stopped in his tracks as the two of them stepped into the dinning room. All the chairs around the table were knocked over. Addison walked over and began to put them back in their proper places as Gracey stood there. “Oh come on, I just moved all of these back!”

“ Can you just . . .” Addison began to ask.

“ Oh yeah, sure.“ Gracey immediately answered. Picking up his camera, he snapped a few photos. There was nothing.

They traveled through different sections of the manor: the suit of armor, the head statues, he even showed the man the steps down to the basement though they didn’t go in there. And everything they saw, the photos never picked up anything. They then traveled to a splitting section of the hallway that went in three directions, and Addison once again spoke first.

“ Sometimes, I get a pain on my left side whenever I walk through this specific hallway” Addison told him. “So, just be careful when you get over there. . . .”

Carefully, Gracey did as he was told and snapped a few photos down the left hallway. Addison looked at him a bit stunned as nothing happened. “ Well it kinda only happens after midnight. Well, that’s all I needed to show you so I guess we're done here. This way please.”

Getting back to the living room, Addison gives Gracey the slip with the money in it.

“ Sorry that I couldn’t help you more with any of this . . .” Gracey apologies. Addison shakes his head.

“ No, it’s alright. But thank you.”

“ Well hey,” Gracey continues, trying to show some optimism. “ At least now you know for sure your home isn’t haunted right?”

“ Yes . . .” Addison responds. “ I believe we are done here then. You are free to go now Mr.Gracey.”

“ Alright then.”

As Addison walked William Gracey to the door and saw him off Alistiar suddenly appeared behind him. “ How long do you think it will take before he comes crawling back dad?”

Addison looked down at his son, then back out to the front yard where Gracey’s car could be seen driving off. “Eh, I’ll give it five hours: Max.”

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At 2:00pm that same night, Alistair could be found sound asleep in his tent as Addison read a book on the couch next to him. Suddenly, a rather urgent knocking could be heard coming from the front door; echoing through the halls. And though Alistiar stirred a bit from the noise, he remained asleep.

Quickly getting up, Addison headed over to the door, Already bracing for who it was, he opened the door to find a rather distressed William Gracey.

“ Ah, Mr,Gracey.” Addison says with a dull tone. “ Back again I see.”

“ S-something followed me home.” Gracey blurted out. “ A . . A ghost on a horse! It followed me home and-”

“Come on in,” Addison replied, not giving a response to his comment. “ Let's get you some sheets,yeah?”

“ Hey!” Gracey called back as he chased after the man who was being way too nonchalant about the situation. “I said, " Something FOLLOWED ME HOME!”

Addison suddenly snapped around, Grabbing him by the collar. This shut Gracey up rather well.

“ I'm gonna need you to stop yelling!” Addison quietly snapped through his teeth. “My son is asleep!”

Seeing the look of fear on Gracey’s face, Addison took a deep breath and composed himself. Slowly, he let go of Gracey’s collar. He continued in a hushed voice “ When we first moved here, I tried to leave: Got out as soon as we could. I mean, do you really think I was gonna keep my son in a HAUNTED house?!”

Gracey spoke in a quieter time now as well “ No But-”

“ No! Of course not!” Addison continued. “ But it didn’t matter where we went because the ghost wouldn’t leave us alone! Hotel after hotel, We tried everything! But these ghosts, and I’m guessing there are a lot of them . . . they’re like bed bugs: pests: no matter what you do you can never get rid of them!”

“ Well It would have been nice to have a warning of some sort!” Gracey retorted. “ You know, if you had told me that I could never go home again!”

“ I warned you! I did!’ Addison spat back. “ You told me you were good! You said you were sure! You walked through that door so don’t try to pin this on me! I gave you a clear way out and you didn’t take it!”

Both men stood there silent for a moment before Addison let out an annoyed grumble. He rubbed his hand over his face for a moment before putting it down. “ Now come on, you look tired.It’s been a rough day for all of us.”

As Addison began to walk away, Gracey suddenly blurted out . . .

“ The camera works!”

Addison stopped in his tracks, quickly turning around “ What?”

“ The camera, Crump. It works.” Gracey repeated and Addison walked back up to him.” I-I took a photo and . . “

Turning his camera back on, he lifted up to Addiosn who looked at the photo wide-eyed. There in an orange blurr of pixels was the clear silhouette of a man riding a horse. “ The picture of that man in the hallway. I think it's him.”

Oh this.

This was definitely a game changer.