#Seth McNamara

[downwiththeficness]

The Usurper-Chapter Thirty

Summary: Lilah McNamara stole things for a living. It was tedious work and often dangerous, which made it just exciting enough to keep her interested. After botching a routine job, Lilah finds herself standing amid monsters. Wholly unprepared for the horror of living under Amaru’s reign, Lilah decides to use her well honed skills to thwart the queen’s plans and prevent the end of the world.

Word Count: ~5,400

Disclaimer: I do not consent to this work being copied or posted to other sites of blogs.

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“I am so fucking mad at you right now.”

Lilah and Seth stood in the underground hallway near the cavern where the ritual was taking place. All the overhead lights that Brasa installed over the last few months were out, leaving the two of them to navigate the halls with only the flashlights on their cell phones to light the way. That, and the sounds of screams.

At regular intervals, someone would start screaming. That scream would keep coming, until it morphed into the sound of gurgling death. Sometimes it was a slow decrescendo, sometimes is was fast and cutting. Always, it was filled with a pain so absolute that death must be a mercy. With every step forward, the screams grew louder. More intense. Eventually, Lilah couldn’t let herself get any closer and her steps slowed to a stop.

“We weren’t trying to hide it from you,” Seth whispered. “And, honestly, we weren’t sure she was even still in there.”

Lilah’s mouth curled, “This would have been good information to know weeks ago.”

“Would you have done anything different?”

“Well, no,” she allowed. “But, I would have liked the choice.”

Seth rolled his eyes, “There was no choice. Richie said he saw that she was inside Amaru.”

“And, you believed him?” Lilah hated the edge in her voice, but her gut told her Richie might be engaging in a little wishful thinking—the faint hope that his bondmate was still alive and that he could get her back.

“He’s a little crazy—don’t tell him I said that—but he’s perceptive. If he says Kate is still in there, she’s still in there.”

Lilah blew out an angry breath. The fact that Richie’s bondmate was the vessel for Amaru was one more complicated variable in a sea of complicated variables. What they were doing was one step away from a suicide mission. Add on that she couldn’t actually kill Amaru and it was like forcing Lilah to take that final step.

Seth touched her shoulder, “Listen, you get Brasa out of there. I’ll handle the blood queen. She can’t stop once she’s started, right?”

“That’s what the book said,” Lilah replied dryly. “If she lets go of the staff before the door is open, it’ll release all the pent up power and everything goes boom.”

He nodded, “Good, so she’s stuck to the same spot. Won’t go running out on us.”

She returned the nod “What do we do with her once we stop the ritual?”

His smile was filled with mischief, “You leave that to me and Richie. He’s been working on something to knock the bitch out of Kate’s body for weeks.”

Of that, Lilah had no doubt. “You think it’ll work?”

A shrug, “If it doesn’t we’ll try something else. The professor’s been working on a containment spell. Its dicey, but worth a shot.”

Lilah turned her attention to the darkness ahead, “I gotta meet this professor some day.”

Seth shifted to stand next to her, “Nah, he’s a dick. A smart dick, but still a dick.”

She hummed and the hall fell into silence that was shattered by a new scream. High pitched and feminine, it went on for a short ten seconds before it, too, was cut off. They were running out of time and Amaru was already way ahead of schedule. Lilah held up the phone and took the lead again, moving along the rocky path. She made a left turn and spotted the warmth of what looked like firelight in the distance. Quickly, she tapped the icon to turn off the flashlight and gestured for Seth to do the same. Then, she pressed herself against the wall and began to close the distance between them and the opening.

Up close, the screams turned Lilah’s stomach so much that she thought she might have to wretch. A creeping pool of red rolled out from the doorway, letting her know just how grisly things would be inside. If Amaru had spilled that much blood, she had to be close to the number of sacrifices necessary to get the ritual off the ground.

Lilah shrugged off the backpack and dropped into a crouch, pulling supplies out and setting them in a neat row against the wall. In her periphery, she could see Seth doing the same. It didn’t matter if she was ready, didn’t matter that she felt queasy. It was showtime.

Their plan was simple...and a little bit reckless. Which was the point. Amaru was going to expect guns and bullets. She was going to expect knives and violence. What she wasn’t going to expect was pure idiocy wrapped up in a sophomore chemistry lesson that Lilah barely remembered. The only thing Lilah had going for her was the element of surprise and she was going to exploit the ever loving hell out of it.

One by one, Lilah uncapped and removed the safety seals on each of the bottles. Then, she put the caps back on two of them and pushed them into the back pockets of her jeans. She capped a third and slipped it into the waistband at the small of her back. The two bottles she carried in her hands, Lilah left uncapped for maximum efficiency. There wasn’t going to be time to screw around once they made their presence known.

Another scream roared so loudly that Lilah swore she could feel the entire cave tremble. It blew past her on an unseen wind while the firelight swelled to near blinding. Lilah’s shoulders rose protectively around her ears and her eyes scrunched closed. The scream was short, but it echoed all along the hallway. No human could make that sound.

“Brasa,” Lilah breathed in a broken whisper. Her feet started to carry her forward to save him and it was only her rational mind screaming at her that stopped them. They had to be smart about this. Brasa wasn’t going to benefit from her storming into the room without knowing what she would find. Lilah had to stick to the plan.

Seth was way ahead of her. He knelt near the door, getting as low as he could to the ground. Then, very slowly, he peeked around the corner. Lilah swallowed down the urge to do the same. One pair of eyes might be ignored. Two probably wouldn’t. She forced herself to stand still while Seth figured out how far Amaru was into the ritual and the best way to fuck it up.

After about a minute, he leaned away from the door and stood, “Okay. Pretty much everyone in there is dead. The bodies are stacked along the walls. God, there must be a couple dozen of them.”

“A hundred,” Lilah said, absently. “She needed a hundred sacrifices.”

“Right. A hundred. Anyways, Amaru put down the runes and she’s got the staff set up.” Here, he paused and his expression sobered, “Lilah, she...she was holding a heart. Was pouring the blood into that cup we found.”

Her jaw clenched around a wave of emotion. She’d killed him. Amaru had killed Brasa. Lilah was too late. She was far, far too late. Her body began to tremble with rage and anguish, overcoming any defense she might have. Tears welled in her eyes and she heard a soft, pained whimper come from somewhere deep in her chest.

Seth grasped her shoulders, “I know. I know this fucking sucks, but you have to pull yourself together. We have a job to do.”

Lilah nodded and sniffed. The tears were still falling, but she was determined to push through them to achieve her goal. No one else was going to die because Amaru’s power trip. Lilah was going to make damn sure of that. With a huge breath in and out of her lungs, Lilah hefted the two bottles into a better grip and gave Seth a look to convey that she was ready.

He gazed steadily into her eyes, then said, “The ground is gonna be pretty wet, don’t fall. If you fall, you give her an opportunity to kill you. I’ll take the right, you take the left. We’ll move in a circle around the room and meet at the altar. Richie is chained up against the fall wall with Javier. They both looked like they were unconscious.” He paused, “How are you with locks?”

“I’m shit at locks,” Lilah admitted. “Always have been.”

Seth took it in stride, “Alright. I’ll work on freeing Richie and Javier. You take what’s left in the duffle and pour. Keep pouring until there’s nothing left.”

She nodded along, “What do we do with Amaru? The trapped power isn’t going to last forever and she’ll let go of the staff eventually.”

One side of Seth’s mouth quirked and he held up a syringe, “I’ll take care of that.”

Lilah squinted at the brownish colored liquid, “What is that?”

“Just a little tar I cooked up before Amaru came storming into the bar.”

She blinked, “You’re going to drug her with…”

“Heroin, Lilah. Its heroin.”

“I’m going to set aside the fact that you’re cooking up heroin in the bar and remind you that you’re trying to keep Amaru alive—or, her body, anyways.”

He waved her off, “Its a low dose, but it’s enough to knock her on her ass so that we can get her somewhere safe and evict the little bitch.”

In truth, Lilah didn’t care if Kate’s body survived the encounter or not. The demon inside her had killed Brasa and that nullified any soft and cozy feelings she might have about the fact that Kate had been possessed while it happened.

“You ready?” Seth asked as he turned towards the doorway.

“Ready,” Lilah replied.

“Fuckin’ A,” he muttered under his breath and took a step forward.

Lilah followed, saying nothing. She entered the room behind Seth and, as she crossed the threshold, there was a noticeable change in the air. Every molecule was suddenly sizzling with energy that pulsed from the center of the room. The force of it slowed her step long enough for Lilah to realize just how much power was being gathered together in order to tear apart the barrier between dimensions.

Amaru was standing in the middle of the room with the staff, just like Seth said. Her eyes were closed in concentration and her mouth was moving around the ritual words. The staff was glowing a hateful orange so bright that it made even looking at it difficult. At Amaru’s feet was the cup. It overflowed with incredibly powerful blood. The same blood the was painted into a circle of runes around Amaru. Beyond, Lilah could see Brasa laying across the altar. His shirt was torn open and ritual knife was laying by his side. Lilah couldn’t see the totality of the damage from this distance, but it couldn’t be anything less than an ugly, lethal mess.

A fresh wave of despair and anger washed over her, giving Lilah the push she needed to act. She grit her teeth and moved quickly, but carefully, along the row of dead bodies. The ground had soaked up most of the blood, but her shoes were still sliding with every step. Lilah held out the bottles in her hands and turned them over so that the hydrogen peroxide poured out onto the swollen ring of red. Wet, viscous foam bubbled up in her wake. When she the first two bottles were empty, she took out the two from her back pocket and spun off the caps, pouring those out, too. As Lilah repeated the process with the one in her waistband, Amaru tore her attention from the staff and caught Lilah’s eye.

The old saying, ‘if looks could kill’ applied now more than it ever had in Lilah’s entire life. Amaru’s stare was ancient and deadly, full of impotent rage. Lilah gave it right back to her, flipping Amaru the bird with her free hand as she made the final pass to the altar. Over the dull sound of power pulsing from the staff, she could hear Amaru’s growl of displeasure.

Fuck you, too.

Lilah meant to duck behind the altar and do as Seth told her—to grab the second round of hydrogen peroxide from the bag and keep pouring. She really, really meant to do it. But, seeing Brasa’s dead body swept away all her good intentions. The pain stopped her cold, made her reach out and touch his cheek only to jerk her hand back when she felt how icy his skin was.

The opening in his chest cavity was cut with surgical precision. His ribs weren’t even broken. Blood still dripped over the side of the altar, leading the way to the bruised and disfigured muscle that used to be Brasa’s heart. It looked so human as it sat there beside his body. So human, and so dead.

She couldn’t help herself. Lilah picked up the heart and held it tenderly in her hands. Like Brasa, it was cold and lifeless. She felt new tears fall down her cheeks as she tried to figure out what to do with it. Her thumbs ran over the cool, crimson flesh, one of them catching on something hard and sharp. Confused, Lilah tugged it free and held it up to the light. It looked like bone. Or, like a calcified fossil she might find in a lake bed.

“Well, shit,” Lilah murmured, knowing exactly what it was.

She squeezed it in a tight fist and was gratified to feel the thing crumble to dust. Lilah was even further gratified to hear Amaru’s responding cry of pain. She looked up to find the blood queen bent over with both hands still on the staff. Her lips were pulled back from her teeth in a grimace, but she refused to let go. Amaru took deep breaths of air into her her lungs before her eyes lifted to lock onto Lilah’s. The shared glare ended when Lilah bared her teeth at Amaru and went to set Brasa’s heart back where it belonged.

She knew it might be an impossible wish that he could heal from this kind of wound—a mortal wound, if she’d ever seen one. Lilah knew that there was not much that she could do. That didn’t stop her from taking the knife and digging it into the meat of her forearm near the elbow. Hissing with pain, Lilah held her arm above Brasa’s body and let her blood drip down onto his heart. She kept still and watched the little stream of red roll down the sides to pool beneath until the stream dribbled to a stop.

Seth, who had already started working on the chains holding Javier and Richie captive, called out, “We gotta keep movin’, Lilah.”

Blinking back the tears and swallowing down her emotions, Lilah nodded and turned from Brasa to open the duffle at her feet. From the depths of the bag, she took out as many bottles as she could hold and went about doing what she said she was going to do. Her feet moved in a circle, carrying her around the room while she watched Amaru grow steadily more angry. As she went, the light from the staff began to dim, signaling that their half-brained plan was actually working.

Encouraged, Lilah emptied the last bottle and threw it to the side with the others. She hustled back to the duffle and kept pouring in the other direction. In all, Lilah dumped about twenty giant bottles of peroxide on the blood, destroying the life it represented. The electricity in the air began to fade. Slowly, at first, and then with gathering swiftness, until there was nothing left but a dull buzz of power.

Having gone through the supply, Lilah threw down the last bottle and moved towards the altar. Seth rose from behind it and gestured for her to help Richie and Javier. They weren’t unconscious, but they looked like they’d been hit pretty hard. Javier was walking his hands up the wall in an attempt to stand and Richie’s was barely holding his head up. Lilah pushed her hand into the duffle and pulled out the last item, a dark glass bottle filled with sloshing red wine.

There was no corkscrew to open it, so she gave it a hard tap against the stone of the altar, smiling when the top cracked in a clean line around the rim. She dropped onto her ass and used the heavy denim of her jeans to carefully pry to top off, then crawled over to Richie.

“Drink up, buddy,” Lilah ordered. Then, when he reacted too slowly, she added, “Hurry up. Your girlfriend is pretty pissed and we need you focused.”

Richie made a slurred sound that was probably the word, ‘what’, but it came out more like, ‘wyaa’. Lilah shook her head and tipped his chin up so that she could pour the wine into his mouth. He choked down the first gulp, but caught on to what she wanted pretty fast. His hand lifted to steady the angle of the bottle until he’d emptied the whole thing.

Lilah gingerly took it from him and set it to the side, “You good?”

He passed a hand over his face and gave her a thumbs up before pushing to standing. Lilah watched him carefully, ready to help if he began to fall. When Richie steadily rose to his full height, she put the broken bottle aside and got off the ground. On the way, she saw Javier moving very slowly to where Brasa lay. His expression was crumpled with grief. He extended a shaking hand and lay it atop Brasa’s forehead. Unlike Lilah, he didn’t pull away.

“Quit squirming!”

In the middle of the room, Seth was wrestling with Amaru. He had an arm around her shoulders and the needle in his free hand. Amaru was still gripping the glowing staff. The light was much dimmer, which meant they had minutes—maybe seconds—to sedate her before Amaru could turn the heavy weight of her power on them.

Lilah and Richie moved in concert around the altar. Richie to the left and Lilah to the right. They came together in the middle of the runic circle, four extra hands to hold the blood queen down. Richie grabbed her waist from behind to hold it steady while Lilah dropped down and caught both legs in a tight grip. She pushed her face into Amaru’s thigh and locked her fingers around her elbows. As Lilah adjusted her stance to lean more weight into her heels, she vowed to hold on until either Seth put Amaru down or Amaru let go of the staff and blew them all to bits.

For as little as she was, Amaru was really fucking strong. Even with all three of them—to include one preternatural being twice her size—holding on, Amaru still had enough leverage to swing back and forth in an attempt to avoid the needle.

“I said,” Seth yelled, “quit fucking squirming.”

Above, Richie drawled, “I’m kind of enjoying it, honestly.”

Lilah grimaced, “Ew, Richie.”

He laughed, completed untouched by the disgust in Lilah’s tone. Annoyed by it, Lilah shifted forward and dug her knee into the toe of his shoe. It wasn’t the most effective strike, but she thought it sent the right message when he yelped.

“Let me go, you stupid sacks of meat!” Amaru yelled, mid-squirm.

“I don’t know if you’re aware of this,” Seth grunted, “but you’re wearing a meat sack right now. That meat sack is our meat sack, and we want it back!”

Lilah hear Seth’s triumphant yell, signaling that he’d gotten the needle in. Amaru continued to struggle against their grip, calling out all kind of oaths in Xibalban. Some of them she’d read in the book, others she couldn’t even begin to interpret. The message was pretty clear: the very second Amaru was able to let go of the staff, they were all fucking dead. More than dead. Obliterated from existence.

“How long is it going to take?” Lilah asked. She might be stronger than other humans, but her arms were beginning to ache and her knees burned from holding her weight on the stone floor.

Seth made an ‘I don’t know’ sound, “Usually a minute or two.”

She leaned into a particularly strong jerk of Amaru’s legs, nearly losing her grip, “A minute or two might be too long.”

A minute or two was definitely too long. As the words tumbled out of Lilah’s mouth, the light of the staff suddenly went out. Lilah’s jaw clenched around her fear and the absolute knowledge Amaru couldn’t get free. She couldn’t be allowed to kill more people. Lilah buckled down and renewed her efforts to hold Amaru still. At least, she started to before Richie reached down and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. The movement surprised her enough that he could easily toss her a few feet away. She landed hard, forgetting to roll into the motion.

When she righted herself, Lilah scrambled to all fours and focused on her enemy. Amaru kicked Seth away with one well place blow to his stomach. He let out a loud ‘oof’ and fell back onto his hip and shoulder. He cried out with pain at the impact, holding onto his arm and wincing. Having dealt with one brother, Amaru turned her attention to the other.

Richie caught Amaru’s hands and pulled them tight across her body. He dodged the back of her head and yanked her up and off her feet, using his greater height to his advantage. Amaru screamed and flicked her legs forward and back, kicking uselessly at the air. Her attempts knocked the staff free of its post and it rolled away, also useless. Richie held her tight, even when her flailing knocked off his glasses. He simply closed his eyes and tucked his chin down and held on.

Lilah, not trusting that Richie could overpower Amaru for very long, crawled over to the staff and picked it up. She stood and held it at the ready. The metal was surprisingly cool in her hand, as if it hadn’t previously been so filled with power that it glowed. The center of gravity was heavily tilted towards the ornate tip and it forced Lilah to choke up a bit to hold it level.

Nearby, Seth got to his feet. He shook away any disorientation and started towards Amaru again. She hissed and spit in his direction before kicking out again and clipping Seth in the hip. He anticipated the strike and cushioned it with a pivot before grabbing at her ankle and tucking it into his side. Both hands grasped at her calf and held strong. Seth gave Richie a nod and braced himself to hold his position.

Richie nodded at his brother, then pushed his cheek against Amaru’s, “Kate...Kate I know you’re in there.”

Amaru was incensed, “She’s dead, you ignorant fuck. Dead! I killed her the second I took her body.”

“That’s not true,” Richie insisted, and Lilah could hear the conviction in his voice. “I saw her. She showed herself to me, told me how to save her.” He paused, lowered his voice, and added, “I have the amulet, you little bitch. Now, let go of my bondmate.”

“No!” Amaru cried as her body contorted with such enormous strength that she was able to not only dislodge Seth, but also free herself from Richie’s arms. She turned and elbowed him in the stomach before throwing a punch at his face. The impact of her fist on his nose was audible, as was the crunch of bone and cartilage.

Lilah watched all of this occur in the space of several heartbeats. It was only due to her fear and rage that she remained standing, remained ready to do whatever was necessary for this thing to end right here, right now. Her arms moved without conscious thought, lifting the staff above her head. She brought it down on Amaru as hard as she possibly could, bending her knees to drive all the way through the motion.

The bejeweled head of the staff hit Amaru in the bend of her shoulder and neck. The strike wasn’t nearly as effective as the one Amaru had just delivered to Richie, but it knocked her off balance enough for Richie to recover. Blood pouring down his face, he caught Amaru by her hair and threw her down. He gave her no time to get her legs underneath her and stand, falling upon Amaru’s body and digging his knees into her thighs. Amaru got a punch or two in before Richie captured her wrists. He balanced his weight between his hands and knees, effectively restraining Amaru to the bloody floor.

Seth moved to stand over them, “Hold her.”

“I am holding her, asshole.”

From his pocket, Seth produced another syringe. He dropped to a knee and pushed Amaru’s head to the side, quickly and efficiently giving her a second dose, “That’s enough to knock out an elephant.”

“I think a Xibalban is stronger than an elephant, brother.”

“I’ve got more,” Seth replied. “You just keep holding her.”

Lilah stepped closer to Richie and Amaru, ready to strike again, if necessary, “I thought you wanted her alive.”

“I do,” Seth said. “but, he’s right. A Xibalban is much stronger than a human. That was my mistake.”

“Big mistake to make.”

“An honest mistake to make.”

Richie looked up at the two of them, “Are you honestly going to debate this right now?”

Lilah pursed her lips, “You’re right. We’ll save that for later.”

In Richie’s distraction, Amaru made her move. She arched up and snatched his neck in her mouth, biting down. Richie hissed and his fangs dropped, contorting his whole face into a scaly visage. He wrenched his neck free, pouring blood down his shirt and onto Amaru’s chest and belly. “Save the foreplay for later, honey.”

Lilah rolled her eyes and she saw Amaru do the same. In Lilah’s periphery, she saw Seth pull out another needle, “How many of those do you have?”

He glanced at her, “Three more.”

“I’m usually not one to judge, but that is a lot of heroin.”

Seth shrugged, “I wanted to be prepared.”

She gasped in mock surprise, “A Gecko brother? Prepared? If I hadn’t seen Amaru performing the ritual, myself, that would be definite proof that the world was ending.”

“Fuck you.”

“Fuck you, too.”

Lilah looked down in time to see Amaru headbutt Richie and use her legs to throw him all the way across the room. She was suddenly on her feet and doing the same to Seth. Lilah swung the staff and caught her arm only to have Amaru grab it and pull hard. The carved metal slid through Lilah’s hands, the jewels scraping her palms. Lilah didn’t have time to determine how deep the cuts went. Amaru backhanded Lilah so hard that her vision went temporarily black. She felt her whole body fly through the air and land against unforgiving stone. Dizzy and seeing double, Lilah held her head in her hand and groaned.

Amaru stomped up to Lilah and towered over her. Lilah blinked until her vision cleared, coming face to face with Amaru’s wide, toothy smile. She lifted a closed fist, letting it hang in the air with menace long enough for Lilah to register what, exactly, was about to happen. Then, she stopped. Amaru stopped moving and her eyes unfocused. She swayed on her feet, stumbling back with a look of disbelief. Her expression relaxed and her mouth opened up in surprise. It was the first time that she ever looked like the young woman she was to Lilah.

A shadow moved behind Amaru. Seth grabbed her shoulder and put a third syringe into her body, thumb pressing steadily on the plunger. Amaru bared her teeth at him and slammed the heel of her palm into his jaw. Seth’s head snapped back and he stumbled away, the syringe falling to the floor. Amaru turned to face him in a movement that swung to far and had her hands stretching out for balance. She squeezed them into little fists and planted both feet. A low growl formed in her chest, emphasizing her displeasure.

Lilah’s head ached and nausea turned her stomach. She rose very slowly, using the stone ledge of the altar for balance. Then, she swallowed down the bile that threatened to rise and prepared to keep fighting. She circled Amaru, positioning herself equidistant from Seth and Richie. They, too, were sizing up their opponent.

Richie wiped the blood from his face and snarled. Amaru started to say something, but her words were lost when Richie lunged forward and sank his teeth into her neck. His arms trapped her in a vice that lifted Amaru until she was balancing precariously on her toes. He drank in loud gulps, sucking the blood out of Amaru until her head lolled back and her body went limp. Richie released the bite with a panting breath, eyes scanning Amaru’s face for signs that she was still conscious.

Satisfied that he’d drained all the fight out of her, Richie slowly and carefully gathered Amaru up into his arms, “We gotta go. She’s not going to be out for long.”

Seth nodded and started to follow his brother out of the cavern. He stopped and turned to Lilah, “We’re taking her back to the bar. Richie’s been working on a holding cell for her in the basement.” Then, “Are you...going to be okay?”

Lilah caught his subtle nod to the altar. She couldn’t quite look back. Not yet. “I’ll be okay. I need to...take care of him. I’ll meet you after.”

He nodded again, “Take your time.”

She watched his back until he turned the corner. With nothing else to distract her, Lilah took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder at the altar. In all the chaos, she’d forgotten Javier was there, too. He was standing over Brasa’s body and he was focused on the wound. One hand held the knife and the other was hovering in the air. He’d ripped the sleeve off his shirt at the seam and cut a long gash into his forearm. Blood poured steadily into Brasa’s chest, slowing as the wound closed.

Lilah walked forward, “Is he...do you think…?”

Javier’s gaze turned to Lilah and she saw an ancient grief in his eyes, “I don’t know. This is beyond my experience.”

Her hands were shaking and her throat closed around a sob. She took Brasa’s cold hand in both of hers, bringing it to her lips and pressing a kiss to each knuckle. The flow of blood stopped and Javier lifted the knife to cut again. For several minutes, there was only the sound of her crying in the cavern. Her tears poured out of her and onto Brasa’s chest, mixing with Javier’s blood and the viscera of Brasa’s exposed organs.

She cried until her tears ran dry. Until the ache in her head pounded against her skull and radiated down her spine. Then, Lilah sniffed and wiped her face, “I don’t think its working.”

Javier cut his arm again, “It might be.”

Lilah shook her head, “This isn’t like when he pulled his fangs. She took his heart.”

“I know, Lilah.”

“She took it and she used it.”

“I know.”

“I want her dead, Javier. I don’t care if she’s wearing someone’s body. I want her dead.”

“I know.”

Lilah wiped at her face again and made herself look at Brasa’s heart, sitting free in the cavity of his chest. Angry and sad and shocked by the sight of it, she reached down and cupped the muscle in her hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here in time. I’m so, so sorry.”

The apology brought with it a fresh wave of tears and an ache in her body that Lilah thought might never go away. She hunched over Brasa as she cried, not yet ready to let go of his heart. Next to her, Javier ran the blade over his arm yet again, and she felt hot blood pour over her hand and wrist.

She also felt something else. It was so small that Lilah almost dismissed it—a very small, very brief twitch. Her head lifted and she stared at where her hand met cold, wet muscle. There. It happened again. A small, but definitely real, twitch.

Lilah looked up at Javier, “Did you see…?”

Javier smiled, “I did. There’s still hope.”

Straightening, Lilah sniffed and fixed Javier with a steady look, “What do we do?”

His smile held, “We get him to the healing pool.”

[rosesnink]

Meet My MCs

This will be under the cut. Those with NA means that I won't be playing them, and others which books I have played but have no record of the MC's name. Some books have two different OCs who coexist due to romancing a different LI

Idea credit to @aria-ashryver

I will be updating it as I play more books

Across the Void MC- Ellectrum Ellara

Romance: Titania

FC: Katherine McNamara

All of Us: Her Story MC: Irena Collins

Romance- Theresa 'Tess'

FC- Megan Suri

All of Us: His Story MC: Lawrence 'Teddy' Heart

Romance: Brandon 'Brad'

FC- Álvaro Rico

Along Came Treble MC- Linda Cardenal

Romance- F!Cai Kennedy

FC: TBD

Alpha MC- Arianwyn

Romance: M!Channing Lowe

FC: TBD

America's Most Elegible MC- Selene Marquez

Romance: Bianca Sandoval

FC: TBD

A Very Scandalous Proposal MC- Felicia Hunstdown

Romance: Ava Montjoy

FC: TBD

Baby Bump MC- Monsterrat Bruch

Romance: Myra Dixon

FC: TBD

Bachelorette Party MC- Phoebe

Romance: Aisha Bhatt

FC: TBD

Best Served Haute MC: Marjorie Papadupoulos

Romance: Fiona Diamondes

FC: TBD

Better Off Wed MC: NA

Romance: NA

FC: NA

Big Sky Country MC- Carmen Ortega

Romance: Juliette Mendoza

FC: TBD

The Baby's Billionaire MC- Not played

Romance: Not played

FC: NA

Bitten MC- Layla Hernández

Romance- Skyler & Alexandra

FC- TBD

Blades of Light and Shadow MC: Brienne Nagoni (f!orc!mc)

Romance: Nia Ellarious and Tyril Starfury

FC: None

Bloodbound: Cristina

Romance: Kamilah Sayeed

FC: Hunter Schaffer

Boardroom Alpha: ???

LI: ????

FC: honestly that book was so unmemorable lol

Crimes of Passion MC- Neera Rose

Romance: f!brown!Trystan Thorne

FC: Melissa Barrera

The Crown and the Flame MC- Kenna Rys and Dominic Hunter

Romance: Annelyse Adair (K) and Rose Blake (D)

FC: Adelaide Kane and Bradley James

A Courtesan of Rome MCs- Aphrodite and Lavinia of the Cautani

Romance: Sabina (A) and Marc Antony (L)

FC- Kerry Condon (A) and Hanna Mangen Lawrence (L)

The Cursed Heart MC- Nymeria

Romance: f!brown!Kieran

FC: TBD

The Deadliest Game MC- Kayla Marquez

Romance: Farah Sabri

FC: TBD

Desire and Decorum MC- Celestine Walker

Romance: Ernest Sinclaire

FC: Vittoria Puccini

Dirty Little Secrets MC- Blair Gray

Romance: f!white!Charlotte King

FC: TBD

Distant Shores MC- Joan Beauchamp

Romance: Charlotte 'Charlie' Smith

FC: Kristen Stewart

Do No Harm MC: Esther Capello

LI: Dom Coine

FC: NA

The Duchess Affair MC- Wren Bedford

Romance: f!brown!Nat Pippin

FC: Arsema Thomas

The Elementalists MC- Ariadna Williams

Romance: Shreya Mistry and Aster D'Yew

FC: Lily Collins

Endless Summer MC- Taylor

Romance: Quinn Kelly

FC: Madelyn Cline

Filthy Rich MC- TBD

Romance- TBD

FC- TBD

First Comes Love MC- Not played

Romance: TBD

FC: TBD

Foreign Affairs MC- Elisabeth Kennedy

Romance: f!brown! Blaine Hayes (formerly Ayna Seth)

FC: Shay Mitchell

The Freshman/Sophomore/Junior/Senior MC- Vanessa Lewis

Romance: Rebecca Davenport

FC: Margaret Qualley

Getaway Girls MC- Abigail Thompson

Romance: F!White! Jordan Parker

FC: TBD

The Ghost of Us MC- TBD

Romance- TBD

FC- TBD

Guarded MC: NA

Romance: NA

FC: NA

Guinevere MC- Guinevere of Carmelide

Romance: f!white! Artura Pendragon

FC: Beste Kokdemir

The Haunting of Braidwood Manor MC- NA

Romance: Eleanor Waverly

FC: TBD

Hearts on Fire MC- TBD

Romance- TBD

FC- TBD

The Heist: Monaco MC- Elle Jackson

Romance: Sonia Alves

FC: Abelle Sinclair

Hero MC- ?????

Romance: Eva/Minuet

FC: TBD

High School Story Prime- Gala Moschen

Romance: Julian Castillo

FC: Linda Cardellini

High School Story MC- Elisa Connor

Romance: Emma Hawkins

FC: Talia Ryder

High School Story: Class Act MC- Halley Buchaneer

Romance: Skye Crandall

FC: Hanna van der Westhuysen

The Holiday Bakeoff: ????

LI: Who cares

FC: Nah

Home for the Holidays MC: Tanya Joy

Romance: Wyatt Hart

FC: TBD

Hot Couture MC- Therese Ward

Romance: Hazel Ngyuen

FC: TBD

Hot Shot MC: Mina Tremaine

Romance: f!black!Casey Jameson

FC: TBD

Immortal Desires MC- Penelope 'Penny' Winthrope

Romance: Cassie Harlow and Gabriela Adalhard

FC: Anya Taylor Joy

Inheritance MC: Sasha Cavalier Vitale

LI: Trey Tribideaxu and Gia

FC: TBD

Into The Woods MC: EWWWWWWWW

LI: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWW

FC: NO. JUST NO.

Knock Knock MC- TBD

Romance- TBD

FC- TBD

It Lives Anthology

It Lives in the Woods MC- Tallulah Dawkins & Yun Faye

Romance: Stacy Green (T) and Lucas Thomas (F)

FC: Sophie Thatcher (T) and Havana Rose Liu (F)

It Lives Beneath MC- Rose Vance

Romance: Danni Asturias

FC: Emily Rudd

It Lives Within MC- Corvina Blackwood

Romance: Amalia de León

FC: Nicola Coughlan

Kindred MC- Amaryllis Woodstock

Romance: Marion and Fang Ziyi (aka Rainier and Kaine)

FC: Suki Waterhouse

Kiss of Death MC- Lana Roschelle

Romance: Victoria Flint, Faith Skelly (ex-girlfriend)

FC: TBD

Laws of Attraction MC- Ruth Ocasio

Romance: Lina Reyes

FC: TBD

LoveHacks MC- Tonya Ice

Romance: Ben Park

FC: Kelsey Merritt

Main Character Energy MC: IDR LMAO

LI: I don't think it has one....

FC: TBD

Make That Date! MC- NA

Romance- NA

FC- NA

Most Wanted MCs- Samantha Massey and Dave Reyes

Romance: Each other

FC: TBD

Mother of the Year MC- Alicia Day

Romance: Eiko Matsunaga

FC: Sofía Vergara

Ms. Match MC- Not played

Romance: TBD

FC: TBD

Murder at Homecoming MC- Valentine Aileen Stone

Romance: Stevie Sun

FC: TBD

My Fake Valentine MC: IDR lmao who cares

LI: Idk lmao

FC: ???

My Two First Loves MC- Sandra González

Romance: Ava

FC: TBD

The Nanny Affair MC- Will never play, ew

Romance: Double ew

FC: NA

Nightbound MC- Nathalie

Romance: Vera Reinmonenq

FC: TBD

The One MC: NA

LI: NA

FC: NA

Open Heart MC- Jordyn Heart

Romance: Aurora Emery

FC: Hayal Koseoglu

Our Summer Crush MC: Who caaaaaaaares

LI: Idk but they ugly

FC: nope.

Terrorfest MC- Charlie Mendez

Romance- Lucky Alvarez

FC- TBD

Passport to Romance MC- Thalia

Romance: Marisa Pires

FC: TBD

The Phantom Agent MC- Alys Jackson

Romance: F!Indian!Samara Grey

FC: TBD

Platinum MC- Crystal Rosales

Romance: Avery Wilshere

FC: Lucy Boynton

Plus One MC- TBD

Romance- TBD

FC- TBD

The Princess Swap MC- Gabrielle Hastings and Cassandra Julivert

Romance: f!white! Princess Clarke (G) and f!black! Devin Wright (C)

FC: Meagan Rath

The Promise of Forever MC: Avantika

LI: Rishi

FC: TBD

Queen B MC- Reina Hughes

Romance: Zoey Wade

FC: TBD

Red Carpet Diaries MC- Kiara Clark

Romance: Victoria Fontaine

FC: Kang Kyung Min

Ride or Die: A Bad Boy Romance MC- Cheryl Addams

Romance: Mona

FC: Bridget Satterlee

Rising Tides MC- Not played

Romance: TBD

FC: TBD

Roommates With Benefit- Nina Berauregard

Romance: F!Drew Young

FC: TBD

Rivals With Benefits MC- Annabeth Bontemps

Romance- F!Riley Coine

FC- TBD

The Royal Masquerade MC- Lady Grace Everhart and Queen Olive Aster

Romance: f!hispanic!Kayden Vescovi and Fabian Rys (husband) (O) and f!white!Hunter Fierro (G)

FC: Freida Pinto (O) Emmanuelle Chriqui (G)

The Royal Romance MC- Eclipsa Ice and Primrose St. Claire

Romance: Lady Hana Lee (E) King Liam Rys (P)

FC: Jessica Alba (E) Ellie Bamber (P)

Rules of Engagement MC- Louise Han

Romance: Prince Leo Rys

FC: Kristin Kreuk

Save the Date MC- Chloe James

Romance: Lindsay

FC: TBD

The Shadow MC- TBD

Romance - TBD

FC- TBD

Ship of Dreams MC- Helene Foredale

Romance: f!white!Theodora Carter

FC: Jessica Brown Findlay

Shipwrecked MC- NA

Romance: TBD

FC: TBD

Slow Burn MC- Not played

Romance: TBD

FC: TBD

The Spy I Married: IDR lol

LI: what's her face

FC: NA

Sunkissed MC-NA

Romance: Eliana

FC: NA

Surrender MC- EWWWWWW

Romance: EEEEEEEEEWWWWWWW

FC: No.

The Unexpected Heiress MC- Claire Hayes

Romance: Dowager Duchess Gemma Montjoy

FC: Kate Winslet

Untameable MC- Fernanda Ruiz

Romance: Kit Jackson

FC: TBD

Unbrindled MC- Belén Beltrán

Romance: Mandy and Ryder

FC: TBD

Veil of Secrets MC- May Sorel Arrieta

Romance: Kate O'Malley

FC: Dilara Aksuyek

Villainous Valentine MCs- Not available

Romance- NA

FC- NA

Wake the Dead MC- Kerina Fyreheart

Romance: Shannon Fox

FC: Lindsay Morgen

With Every Heartbeat MC- Elsie Clarence

Romance: f!hispanic!Dakota Winchester and Lennox

FC: Madison Beer

Witness: A Bodyguard Romance MC- Ugh

Romance: Uuuuuuuuugh

FC: Uhh pass

Wolf Bride MC- Triple ew

Romance: Quadruple ew

FC: HARD PASS

Years Apart MC- Estibaliz

Romance- F!Carter Dawson

FC- TBD

[palmviewfm]

mw counterparts?

this  list  got  a  little  bit  longer  than  anticipated.  as  there's  soooooo  many  counterparts  to  consider  choosing  from  !  so,  i  put  it  under  a  read  more  for  you  !

counterparts:  monica  geller, ross geller, joey  tribbiani,  chandler bing, janice litman, mike hannigan, ursula buffay, aria  montgomery,  emily  fields,  spencer  hastings,  mona  vanderwaal,  alison  dilaurentis,  caleb  rivers,  maya  st  germain,  toby  cavanaugh,  betty  cooper,  veronica  lodge,  cheryl  blossom,  archie  andrews,  reggie  mantle,  toni  topaz,  tabitha  tate,  quinn  fabray,  rachel  berry,  brittany  pierce,  olivia  baker,  layla  keating,  jordan  baker,  jaymee, spencer  james,  lucas  scott,  peyton  sawyer, brooke  davis,  quinn  james,  julian  baker,  anna taggaro, rachel  gatina,  blair  waldorf,  serena  van  der  woodsen,  dan  humphrey,  nate  archibald,  callie  adams  foster,  mariana  foster,  buffy  summers,  willow  rosenberg,  tara mclay, kendra young, faith  lehane,  cordelia  chase,  heather  mcnamara,  marissa  cooper,  summer  roberts,  seth  cohen,  angel, anya jenkins, ryan  atwood,  taylor  townsend,  elena  gilbert,  caroline  forbes,  bonnie  bennett,  stefan  salvatore, anna zhu, enzo  st  john,  sandy  olson,  betty  rizzo,  frenchy,  danny  zuko,  marty, jan, sonny,  jackie  burkhart,  donna  pinciotti,  eric  forman,  laurie  forman,  belly  conklin,  sloane  peterson,  ferris  bueller,  duckie  dale,  bianca  stratford,  kat  stratford,  patrick  verona,  mia thermopolis, sabrina spellman, harvey kinkle, libby chessler, barbie  roberts,  ken  carson,  jenna  rink,  allie  hamilton,  noah  calhoun,  brandon  walsh,  david  silver,  brenda  walsh,  kelly  taylor,  donna  martin,  conrad  fisher,  jeremiah  fisher,  steven  cokin,  taylor  jewel,  sarah  cameron,  jj  maybank,  john  b  routledge,  kiara  carerra,  pope  heywood,  cleo, topper  thornton,  prue  halliwell,  paige  matthews,  piper  halliwell,  phoebe  halliwell,  meredith  grey,  arizona  robbins,  jackson  avery,  callie  torres,  april  kepner,  derek  shephard,  alex  karev,  cristina  yang,  lizzie  stevens,  callie  torres,  jo  wilson,  addison  montgomery,  lexi  grey,  atticus  lincoln,  nancy  drew,  lucy  grey,  sam  montgomery,  austin  ames,  jen  lindley,  pacey  witter,  dawson  leery,  katherine  pierce,  rebekah  mikaelson,  hayley  marshall,  tatum  riley,  sidney  prescott,  casey  becker,  tara  carpenter,  samantha  carpenter,  beca  mitchell,  chloe  beale,  jessica  day,  winston schmidt, cece  parekh, laney  boggs,  dewey  riley,  gale  weathers,  georgina  sparks,  elle  woods,  francesca  bridgerton,  daphne  bridgerton,  penelope  featherington,  sookie  stackhouse,  karen  smith,  regina  george,  gretchen  weiners,  janis  ian,  cady  heron,  aaron  samuels,  dj  tanner,  stephanie  tanner,  marcia  brady,  cindy  brady,  greg  brady,  carrie  bradshaw,  cher  horowitz,  kirby  reed,  jim  halpert,  michael  scott,  kelly  kapoor,  pam  beesly,  peter  parker,  mary  jane  watson,  analise  keating,  olivia  pope,  tony  stonem,  effy  stonem,  joey  donner,  john  bender,  allison  argent,  scott  mccall,  lydia  martin,  olive  penderghast,  maggie  greene,  marty  mcfly,  bella  swan,  alice  cullen,  charlie  swan,  emmett  cullen,  jacob  black,  carlisle  cullen,  esme  cullen,  jane  volturi,  morticia  addams,  donna  and  sophie  sheridan,  lorraine  banes,  jennifer  parker,  sam  winchester,  luke  danes,  dean  forester,  tristan  dugray,  lane  kim,  paris  geller,  logan  huntzberger,  jeanie  bueller,  simon  basset,  kate  sharma,  colin  bridgerton,  shiv  roy,  gerri  kellman,  roman  roy,  olivia  benson,  clary  fray,  isabelle  lightwood,  jace  herondale,  simon  lewis,  daphne  blake,  shaggy  rogers,  velma  dinkley,  fred  jones,  cinderella, ariel, tiana, jasmine, tom  wambsgans,  kendall  roy,  greg  hirsch,  lestat  de  lioncourt,  louis  de  point  du  lac,  and  claudia  !

[movies-to-add-to-your-tbw]

Title: The DUFF

Rating: PG-13

Director: Ari Sandel

Cast: Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne, Skyler Samuels, Bianca A. Santos, Romany Malco, Ken Jeong, Chris Wylde, Allison Janney, Seth Meriwether, Rebecca Weil, Brian Dewar McNamara, Benjamin Davis, Lai-Ling Bernstein, Nick Eversman, Erick Chavarria

Release year: 2015

Genres: comedy, romance

Blurb: Bianca's universe turns upside down when she learns that her high school refers to her as a DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend). Hoping to erase that label, she enlists the help of a charming jock and her favourite teacher. Together, they'll face the school's mean girl and remind everyone that we are all someone's DUFF...and that's totally fine.

[tinseltownevents]

ROOM ASSIGNMENTS

24-hour front desk

Laundry service

Fitness center

​24-hour room service

Room Information

IF YOUR CELEBRITY IS MISSING FROM THIS LIST, MESSAGE US ASAP!

CELEBRITIES THAT ARE IDLE OR ON HIATUS WERE NOT INCLUDED.

LUXURY SUITES

ROOM 201 - 1 KING

SADIE SINK

DYLAN O'BRIEN

ROOM 202 - 1 KING

LEIGHTON MEESTER

ADAM BRODY

ROOM 203 - 2 QUEEN

MEGAN FOX

PEDRO PASCAL

ROOM 204 - 2 QUEEN

JACK HUGHES

JESPER BRATT

ROOM 205 - 1 KING

NICHOLAS GALITZINE

TAYLOR ZAKHAR PEREZ

ROOM 206 - 2 QUEEN

FREYA ALLAN

ALEKSANDER BARKOV

ROOM 207 - 2 QUEEN

JENNA ORTEGA

ANDREW GARFIELD

ROOM 208 - 1 KING

ABIGAIL COWEN

RUDY PANKOW

ROOM 209 - 1 KING

MADELYN CLINE

CHASE STOKES

ROOM 210 - 1 KING

SOPHIE THATECHER

MIKKO RANTANEN

ROOM 211 - 2 QUEEN

ARIANA GRANDE

COLSON BAKER

ROOM 212 - 2 QUEEN

BILLE LOURD

BENSON BOONE

ROOM 213 - 2 QUEEN

HAILEE STEINFELD

MICHAEL B JORDAN

ROOM 214 - 2 QUEEN

ANTHONY MACKIE

JACK QUAID

ROOM 215 - 2 QUEEN

MILLIE BOBBY BROWN

THOMAS DOHERTY

ROOM 216 - 2 QUEEN

Open

CHRIS HEMSWORTH

TERRACE SUITES

ROOM 301 - 1 KING

MARGOT ROBBIE

CHACE CRAWFORD

ROOM 302 - 1 KING

DIANNA AGRON

JOE KEERY

ROOM 303 - 1 KING

DAISY EDGAR JONES

SEBASTIAN STAN

ROOM 304 - 1 KING

BECKY LYNCH

SETH ROLLINS

ROOM 304 - 1 KING

BEN PLATT

JEREMY ALLEN WHITE

ROOM 305 - 2 QUEEN

MARCELLO HERNANDEZ

QUINN HUGHES

ROOM 306 - 1 KING

TAYLOR SWIFT

ANDY BIERSACK

ROOM 307 - 1 KING

RACHEL MCADAMS

AARON TAYLOR JOHNSON

ROOM 308 - 2 QUEEN

RILEY KEOUGH

JAKE GYLLENHAAL

ROOM 309 - 1 KING

SAMARA WEAVING

RYAN GOSLING

ROOM 310 - 2 QUEEN

GIGI HADID

HARRY STYLES

ROOM 311 - 1 KING

KELLI BURGLUND

DREW STARKEY

ROOM 312 - 1 KING

ANNA KENDRICK

ROBERT PATTENSON

ROOM 313 - 1 KING

HAYLEY WILLIAMS

TAYLOR YORK

ROOM 314 - 2 QUEEN

LILY-ROSE DEPP

EVAN PETERS

ROOM 315 - 2 QUEEN

ALEXANDRA DADDARIO

SAM CLAFLIN

SIGNATURE SUITES

ROOM 401 - 1 KING

KATE MCKINNON

KATHRYN HAHN

ROOM 402 - 1 KING

SYDNEY SWEENEY

GLEN POWELL

ROOM 403 - 1 KING

KAT MCNAMARA

TYLER SEGUIN

ROOM 404 - 1 KING

SABRINA CARPENTER

CONNOR MCDAVID

ROOM 405 - 1 KING

CARA DELEVINGNE

CARI FLETCHER

HALSEY

ROOM 406 - 2 QUEEN

MADISON BEER

PATRICK MAHOMES

ROOM 407 - 2 QUEEN

FLORENCE PUGH

MADISON BAILEY

ROOM 408 - 2 QUEEN

SELENA GOMEZ

NICHOLAS HOULT

ROOM 409 - 2 QUEEN

DOVE CAMERON

JACOB ELORDI

ROOM 410 - 1 KING

JONATHAN BAILEY

JONATHAN GROFF

ROOM 411 - 2 QUEEN

KELSEA BALLERINI

JENSEN ACKLES

ROOM 412 - 1 KING

ANYA TAYLOR JOY

PAUL MESCAL

ROOM 413 - 1 KING

KAIA GERBER

LEON DRAISAITL

ROOM 414 - 1 KING

SUKI WATERHOUSE

MATTHEW TKACHUK

ROOM 415 - 2 QUEEN

MAIKA MONROE

BILL SKARSGARD

ROOM 416 - 3 QUEEN

JENNIFER LAWRENCE

MIKEY MADISON

ZOEY DEUTCH

[hollywoodfamerp]

WELCOME TO THE NASHVILLE OPRYLAND HOTEL! 

Experience the energy and excitement of Nashville, Tennessee – the Music City. On the banks of the Cumberland River, this landmark hotel is just a short drive or riverboat cruise from downtown Nashville’s historic attractions and nightlife. 2 of the city’s most popular attractions - the world-famous Grand Ole Opry and General Jackson Showboat – are conveniently located next door to the resort. Inside lies an extraordinary selection of dining, shopping, live entertainment and recreation options that provide the perfect destination. You'll be amazed at the 9-acres of indoor gardens, cascading waterfalls and indoor river with its very own Delta River flatboats. Discover Gaylord Opryland and make memories. You won't believe what they have under one roof!

UNDER THE CUT, YOU’LL FIND THE LIST OF ROOMMATES!

Due to an issue with the booking system at the hotel, it seems the roommates have all been mixed up. Was it the hotel? Or those pesky gossip blog hosts looking for drama? Guess we will never know... enjoy your stay, partners! 

PLEASE LIKE THIS NOTICE WHEN YOU HAVE READ IT AND SO THAT YOU CAN KEEP TRACK OF THE LIST UPDATES!

Pamela Martinez (Bayley) - Kelsea Ballerini Joshua Hong - Lili Reinhart Ariana Grande - Bill Skarsgård Mark Lee - Sabrina Carpenter Tom Holland - Zendaya Coleman Wong Yukhei (Lucas Wong) - Margot Robbie Timothée Chalamet - Lupita Nyong'o Kim Hongjoong - Beyonce Knowles Austin Butler - Vanessa Hudgens Chace Crawford - Elizabeth Olsen Alex Torres (Quackity) - Maia Mitchell Jung Wooyoung - Sarah Drew Tyler Hoechlin - Lucy Hale Louis Tomlinson - Jenna Ortega Natalia Dyer - Joe Keery Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul (Ten) - Maika Monroe Kim Mingyu - Sarah Paulson Jeon Jungkook - Blake Lively Lee Donghyuck (Haechan) -  Kim Jongin (Kai) Harry Styles - Taylor Swift Anya Taylor-Joy - Elizabeth Gillies Selena Gomez - Gigi Hadid Chris Evans - Tessa Thompson Choi San - Kim Ahyoung (Yura) Min Yoongi - Samantha Gibb Stephen Amell - Emily Bett Rickards Lee Sunmi - Kang Seulgi Colby Lopez (Seth Rollins) - Emily Osment Zoey Deutch - Florence Pugh Christian Yu - Brittany Baker (Britt Baker) Pedro Pascal - Jennifer Morrison Byun Baekhyun - Shay Mitchell Demi Lovato - Dua Lipa Hwang Hyunjin - Diamanté Quiava Valentin Harper (Saweetie) Nick Robinson - Maya Hawke Bruno Mars - Maura Higgins Leati Joseph Anoa'i (Roman Reigns) - Madelaine Petsch Brett Tucker - Demi Bennett (Rhea Ripley) Kim Namjoon - Camila Morrone Lee Taeyong - Camila Mendes Andy Biersack - Mazz Murray Dylan O'Brien - Adelaide Kane Harry Kane - Meghann Fahy Renee Paquette (Renee Young) - Sarah Hyland Jackson Wang - Emma Stone Geoff Wigington - Sana Minatozaki Otto Wood - Anna Kendrick Sebastian Stan - Jessica Chastain Sam Claflin - Ashley Elizabeth Fliehr (Charlotte Flair) Gareth Southgate - Jessica Lange Tyler Alvarez - Cate Blanchett Lee Felix - Kim Minjeong (Winter) Zac Efron - Perrie Edwards Ross Lynch - Yoo Jimin (Karina) Carrie Underwood - Lee Taemin Jonathan Good (Jon Moxley) - Zoe Kravitz Gong Jichul (Gong Yoo) - Dylan Sprouse Myoi Mina - Molly-Mae Hauge Choi Soobin - Sydney Sweeney Mason Mount - Brittany Snow Joe Burrow - Julianna Margulies Kim Jungwoo - Kim Jisoo Choi Minho - Rachel Weisz Akanishi Jin -  Colin O’Donoghue Lee Minho (Lee Know) - Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (Megan Thee Stallion) Xiao Dejun (Xiaojun) - Kaia Gerber Awsten Knight - Madelyn Cline Park Seonghwa - Hailee Steinfeld Miley Cyrus - Chris Hemsworth Mercedes Justine Varnado (Sasha Banks) -   Rebecca Quin (Becky Lynch)   Bella Poarch - Ana De Armas Yoo Siah (YooA) - Lauren Jauregui Jensen Ackles - Katherine McNamara Grace Van Dien - Christopher Bang (Bang Chan) Lily James - Jung Yoonoh (Jaehyun) Wong Kunhang (Hendery) - James Lafferty Kim Taehyung - Halle Bailey

[sassyfrassboss]

I think it says something when you have a platoon of producers, good number of notable guests, yet you still flop and essentially get fired before even thinking about another season of the podcast. This confirms too that Spotify massaged the numbers, her squad as well tried to manipulate the number of plays per episode too. Also cements the fact that employees are in a revolving door, and she must be difficult to work with.

Notice how they always make a huge deal when they hire someone but only comment on someone leaving when the press finds out.

They have lost more staff in the 5 years they have been married than most corporations.

Here is a list of who worked on the Serena Williams episode which I am counting 23 people.

Archewell Audio’s Executive Producers are Rebecca Sananès and Ben Browning

Gimlet’s Executive Producer is Katelyn Bogucki. Executive Editor is Andrea B. Scott.

The show’s producers are: Itxy Quintanilla and Kayla Lattimore with help from Noor Gill

Associate producer is Farrah Safari with help from Lesley Gwam

Senior Producer is Cristina Toshiko Quinn

Senior engineers are Haley Shaw and Catherine Anderson with help from Jack Mason and

Raymond Rodriguez.

Music supervisor is Liz Fulton

Technical director is Zac Schmidt with help from Seth Richardson

Fact-checking by Nicole Pasulka

Booking by Rima Morris and Whitney-Gayle Benta

Spotify Studio’s Executive Producers are Dawn Ostroff, Julie McNamara and Courtney Reimer

Special thanks to the entire team who helped to make this happen, including the team at

Archewell, and Kevin Manley, Abbie Ruzicka and Paige Hymson

[sapphiredhearts-a]

hello! this is not meant to be a bother, but i was wondering if you happened to have a list of fcs for your muses or if you’d be willing to type one out? again very much not trying to be a bother or anything just honestly curious and would like to know!

hi friend !! not a bother at all !! almost all of my fcs are different from canon so it's probably hard to keep up ! I have a lot of muses so I'll add it under the cut ! I've been away from tumblr for a long time so if you see something that isn't super accurate please don't hesitate to let me know !! I relied real heavily on rph resources & tried to google search as much as possible but I know it's not always the best & I wanna stay true to what I can !! also pls forgive the non-formatting the list is long & I am literally copy & pasting this . ( also also if anyone's name is misspelled it's literally because I wrote this as I went & not intentional - some of them may also be abbreviated I can't remember if I went back & fixed it )

twilight

jacob black - blair redford

isbaella swan - maia mitchell

edward cullen - christopher briney

emmett cullen - adam dimarco

esme cullen - sadie sink

serena ( hybrid ) - dove cameron

sam uley - marlon teixeira

seth clearwater - booboo stewart

paul lahote - alex meraz

the hunger games

katniss everdeen - devery jacobs

peeta mellark - froy gutierrez

lucy gray - rachel zegler

finnick odair - gavin casalegno

annie cresta - lola tung

vampire academy/ bloodlines

adrian ivashkov - thomas doherty

sydney sage - sydney sweeney

eddie castile - josh hutcherson

charmed

piper halliwell - zendaya

phoebe halliwell - whitney peak

leo wyatt - jacob elordi

cole turner - michael trevino

one tree hill

brooke davis - olivia rodrigo

nathan scott - tyler posey

haley james - alba baptista

julian baker - douglas booth

peyton sawyer - penelope mitchell

f.r.i.e.n.d.s.

monica gellar - lana condor

chandler bing - dylan o'brien

joey tribbiani - rege jean page

phoebe buffay - lili reinhart

gg

blair waldorf - leighton meester

nate archibald - chace crawford

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[novemberdrift]

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 *updated*

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[downwiththeficness]

The Usurper-Chapter Twenty Seven

Summary: Lilah McNamara stole things for a living. It was tedious work and often dangerous, which made it just exciting enough to keep her interested. After botching a routine job, Lilah finds herself standing amid monsters. Wholly unprepared for the horror of living under Amaru’s reign, Lilah decides to use her well honed skills to thwart the queen’s plans and prevent the end of the world.

Word Count: ~4,800

Disclaimer: I do not consent to this work being copied or posted to other sites of blogs.

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The church was as she remembered it. Brick building. Lots of stairs. Big steeple reaching towards the sky. Lilah slouched in the back seat of Seth’s car, hoping that no one would recognize her. The brothers were less worried. Richie’s arm hung out the passenger side window, cigarette held between two fingers while Seth leaned his seat back and stared at the church.

The night was clear and cool. Lilah could feel a gentle breeze coming in from the open window. It carried with it the smell of earth and nicotine. The street was mostly empty, save for a pair of lovers walking side by side in a lazy stroll. Their steps brought the women in and out of the streetlights above, illuminating the adoring upturned gaze of the shorter of the two. She grinned at her partner while holding onto their arm, trusting them to lead her safely along. The taller woman’s expression was half hidden by the wide brim of a hat, but Lilah thought she could see an answering smile on her face. The sight of them sauntering past the car was wonderfully incongruous.

Lilah tapped the screen of her phone. Brasa hadn’t responded to her comments about the hotels. She read her message again, just in case she’d been too critical. No. No, she hadn’t. While the all inclusive resort was enticing, she didn’t think they needed that many amenities. It was just going to be a few days filled with really, really good sex. No need for a personal concierge or unlimited access to a spa. All Lilah required was a hot shower and a comfortable place to lay down. She kept imagining waking up in a really nice bed, eating something other than gas station food or the greasy offerings from the bar. She imagined lazy naps on sunny balconies. And Brasa. She thought a lot about Brasa. The first time they were intimate, Lilah was too overwhelmed by the venom to really appreciate what was happening. In the dream they shared, she got to feel every touch of his hand. Every kiss was potent. Lilah could still remember how it felt to have him inside her, demanding that she promise to see him. A promise she was keen to fulfill as soon as possible.

“What’s our window?”

Lilah blinked back to attention, “Uh, the morning services won’t start for a few hours.”

Seth looked over his shoulder at her, “That’s a wide window.”

She hummed, “For a job that’s going to take two minutes, tops.”

“If its still where you stashed it.”

Lilah shot him a baleful glance, “In all the months I cased that place, they never once cleaned under the stage. Its still there.”

Seth and Richie were silent. Lilah looked from one to the other, waiting for some kind of response. When one wasn’t forthcoming, she settled deeper into the seat and looked at her phone. Still no message. Lilah resisted the urge to send another text. Brasa was as busy as she was and she should really be focusing on the job. The faster she got it over with, the faster she could take her little vacation.

Eager to get started, Lilah tucked her phone away and sat forward, “Should we go in?”

Seth shook his head, “Not yet. There’s a lot of traffic right now.”

“Its two in the morning.” Lilah replied easily. “There’s no one outside.”

“So? People are leaving the bars right about now,” Seth shot back. “We’ll wait.”

Richie flicked his cigarette away, “Be patient. You still got the keys?”

She nodded, “I do.”

Her hand rested on the clutch containing Antonio’s key ring and various other items she’d picked up. It would be nothing to walk right up to the church doors and unlock them. Then, head down the aisle and snag that staff from beneath the stage. Lilah was fairly confident that this would be the shortest, and easiest, job she’d ever pulled. The easiest job with the highest stakes.

The project of finding all the relics Amaru needed to open the door was almost finished. They were now in possession of the book, the cup, and would be in possession of the staff very soon. All that was left was the knife. Lilah had no idea where it had gone. There was no documentation in either of the books about who had it last or if it had been stolen or sold. There wasn’t even a picture, just a crude drawing of a small blade with a jeweled hilt. She did some searching in a few reliable archives, but came up short where the location was concerned. The silver lining was, if Lilah couldn’t find the knife, it was unlikely that Amaru could find it, either. Besides, three out of four wasn’t a bad outcome. Especially since all four relics were needed to complete the ritual.

Leaning against the door, Lilah stared out of the window. Down the road was her old apartment. She could just barely see the building from where they were parked. Her rental car was still sitting in the lot. Months had gone by and no one had touched it. She was surprised by that. When they were done with getting the staff, she was going to run over there and get some of her stuff from the trunk. Lilah wanted her laptop and her favorite pair of jeans back.

Time passed slowly, until dawn was not more than forty five minutes away. Lilah leaned forward and reminded Seth that his brother wasn’t going to do too hot in sunlight, which seemed to spur him into action. She stepped out of the car behind Richie, who tossed yet another cigarette to the ground. The three of them walked across the street and into the parking lot at a measured pace. Lilah cast furtive glances all around, noting that the three of them were alone in the silence of the night. As far as she was concerned, this was as good as they could expect for privacy.

Lilah climbed the stairs ahead of Richie and behind Seth. Both of them had their hands tucked into the material of their jackets and the knowledge that they were armed was a comfort. She stuck the key into the deadbolt. It turned with a soft ‘click’. Lilah let out a breath, relieved that they hadn’t changed the locks in her absence.

Inside, it was just as dark as it was outside. The room was draped in shadows and the occasional slash of color from the stained glass. Nothing had changed, not even the faintly musty smell of the cushioned pews. Lilah hesitated only a moment to ensure the sanctuary was, indeed, empty. Then, she walked right up the center aisle towards the stage. There, she knelt and reached into the darkness beneath.

It was right where she left it. Lilah grasped the cool metal of the staff and held it up to the limited light. She felt the knot of anxiety she hadn’t even known was there loosen. Three relics down. One to go.

Richie walked up to her, “That it?”

Lilah stood, “Yep.”

“Good. That’s good.”

Seth moved closer, “You never told us who paid you to steal it in the first place.”

“I did,” came a voice from near the door.

Three heads swiveled around to find six or seven men blocking their exit. Flashlights lit the aisle atop semi automatic rifles that were pointed right at them. In the middle stood a middle aged man in a very expensive suit. His soft gray hair was swept away from his brow in a way that was meant to look careless, but couldn’t be accomplished without pomade, a round brush, and a hair dryer.

“Who the fuck are you?” Seth asked. His voice was much more polite than his words and he’d taken a step towards the men to put himself between them and his brother.

Lilah didn’t have to ask the question. She recognized the voice. She also didn’t have to ask what he was doing here. Mr. Pickerelle must have been watching the little town the whole time, waiting for Lilah to come back for her prize. She shifted the staff to hide it behind her thigh, as if that would do any good. Fear wandered around in her body, pumping adrenaline into her system. She widened her stance, not sure how this was going to play out. In her back pocket, her phone rang. Lilah ignored it. Whatever it was, it would wait until she wasn’t in mortal danger.

“I am Mr. Pickerelle. Who are you?”

“Seth Gecko. Nice to meet you. What do you want?”

Mr. Pickerelle moved in the shadow of his men. The lights above the sanctuary flickered on, illuminating the danger of the situation. It wasn’t six or seven men. It was closer to fifteen. All armed. All pointing their guns in their direction. Lilah’s heart kicked up a notch while her phone rang again. She kept ignoring it. There was no way in hell she was going to move an inch right now.

“All I want,” Mr. Pickerelle said amiably. “is your partner over there. You give me Ms. McNamara and our business if finished.”

Seth turned to look at her, “What’d you do to piss him off?”

She shrugged, “I walked out on the job.”

“Walked out?”

“Was dragged out,” Lilah amended. “by Brasa.”

“Ah. Not your fault, then.”

“Not really. And, I did call Mr. Pickerelle to let him know I couldn’t deliver.”

“Very professional of you.”

“If you say so.”

“I do say so.”

“If you are finished,” Mr. Pickerelle interrupted. He waited for Seth to pay attention to him, then said, “Hand her over. You walk free.”

Seth’s chin dropped, “If we don’t?”

Lilah recognized the look on his face. Half challenge, half anger. Seth was raring for a fight and the odds against them didn’t matter. She stepped back and over so that she was half hidden by the pew. The wood wouldn’t last very long, but Lilah thought she could duck down for cover and scuttle out the back door fairly easily. From there, she would have to cross the courtyard to climb the wall into the alley behind the church and haul ass as far and fast as she could. All of that was predicated on not getting shot.

Where are you?

The words drifted through her mind softly at first. A rush of warmth came along with them. Heat suffused her temples, running along the sides of her head to the base of her neck. When the question was repeated, it was with much more force. Brasa’s voice demanded an answer. Her phone rang a third time. Lilah’s hand twitched to answer it. She squeezed her fingers into her fist to keep herself to reaching for her pocket. While Seth had Mr. Pickerelle distracted, Lilah focused on the image of Brasa and showed him a mental picture of where she was. The church, the church, the church.

I am coming.

Lilah sucked in a relieved gasp. The heat lifted from her neck, leaving her with only Brasa’s promise. She didn’t know how long it would take, but she was absolutely sure that Brasa would be there soon. Very soon. Even now, she could feel him moving with inhuman speed, closing the distance. Her attention returned to the room and Mr. Pickerelle’s smug face. He had no idea what was coming for him.

“If you don’t,” he said. “I’ll fill this whole room with lead and leave you to bleed out.”

For the first time, Richie spoke, “You’re assuming we won’t kill you first.”

Mr. Pickerelle laughed, “You know, I’ve heard of you—the Gecko brothers. I’ve heard you’re ballsy men. I’m so glad the rumors are true.” His expression sobered, “Don’t let your ballsy nature get you killed, gentlemen. I assure you, she isn’t worth it.”

Seth took a step forward, “I think you’re underestimating us. And her.”

“Couldn’t have said it better, brother,” Richie chimed in. She couldn’t see his face, but Lilah knew he was wearing that shit eating grin he wore whenever he knew he had the upper hand.

Lilah let a small smile cross her lips. As new as their partnership was, and as rocky as it had been, she was gratified to hear that Seth actually liked her. Richie, too. For once, Lilah wasn’t going to be forced to act alone in order to protect herself.

“You can’t honestly be willing to die for her,” Mr. Pickerelle asserted. “Just so we’re clear, that is exactly what is going to happen if you don’t hand her over.”

“Oh, you were clear,” Richie said. He was moving steadily closer and there was a dangerous cant to his shoulders.

Mr. Pickerelle nodded. “Alright. You know the terms. What is your answer?”

Seth rolled his eyes, “The fuck do you think?”

“Well,” Mr. Pickerelle sighed, “I guess I can’t fault you for loyalty. No matter how ill placed.” He turned to walk out of the sanctuary, “Good bye gentleman.” His hand lifted in her direction, “Lilah.”

The room was quiet as Mr. Pickerelle walked away with a few of his guards. Lilah readied herself to dive beneath the pews. It didn’t matter that there weren’t quite so many people pointing guns at them. They were still outnumbered. Why hadn’t she brought the pistol Seth gave her? She’d left it laying beneath her bed along with the cash she took from the casino job.

“How many can you get to?” Seth asked in a conversational tone.

“About three. Maybe four.” Richie was still moving towards the gunmen.

“Still leaves six or seven to me.”

Richie tossed his brother a look, “You’re complaining?”

A shrug, “Its just a little uneven.”

One of the guards stepped forward, gun raised. He was probably in his mid forties and he held his weapon like he knew what to do with it. The others followed him at a distance, most of them baby faced and hesitant. That would work in their favor. Lilah spared them half a second of empathy. None of them were going to make it out of this room alive. They might get in a few good shots, but Richie was going to be so much fast and so much deadlier.

“Listen,” the guard said, “I don’t want to have to do this. Just give us the woman and walk away.”

Seth glared at him, “I think we already said no.”

“I will kill you. Don’t make the mistake of thinking I won’t. You can still walk away.”

“So can you,” Seth retorted angrily. “Lower your weapons and head out. We’ll forget this ever happened.”

“I can’t do t—“

His head was rolling on the floor before Lilah even registered that Richie moved. She stared at it in wide eyed horror while a scream slowly built up in her throat. The noise of it was overshadowed by bullets being fired by the guards that remained. Richie zipped right along the line of them and, true to his word, ripped the throats out of the first four in succession. Seth had his gun out and covered him with the occasional shot, but it didn’t look like Richie really needed it. He was just too fast.

Lilah watched all of this from what felt like an ocean of distance. People were killing and dying in front of her and she was just standing there. At least, she was just standing there until a bullet whizzed by and clipped her in the side. Her knees gave out and she felt to the carpet with a cry. The pain was so sharp that tears welled up in her eyes, temporarily blurring her vision.

She’d never been shot before. Kicked and tackled and punched, sure. But, not shot. It hurt more than she expected it to. Like someone holding a white hot poker against her skin. Leaning into the pain only seemed to make it worse. She rotated slowly on her hip and tugged up the material of her shirt. The wound wasn’t very deep, but it fucking hurt. It was also bleeding heavily. Blood that looked too red soaked her shirt and fell down into the waistband of her jeans. Lilah clamped a hand over it to stem the flow while she struggled to get her legs beneath her. By the time she peeked out from the top of the pew, the room had gone silent. Only two people were left standing.

“Someone will have heard that,” Richie announced.

Seth wiped his brow, “Yeah. We should jet. Lilah?”

“Over here,” she called out. “I’m hit.”

With a loud oath, Seth hustled over to her, “Where?”

“Side,” Lilah answered. “Its a flesh wound, but I’m losing a lot of blood.”

Seth checked the wound, “That’s gonna leave a nasty scar. Let’s get you outside. I’ve got a first aid kit in the trunk.”

“¿Hola?”

Lilah froze, “Oh no.”

Standing at the door was Señora Abascal. The little old woman held her purse in front of her while she studied the many bodies littering the floor. Richie, who was still standing in the aisle, turned and grinned, “Go home, ma’am. This isn’t for you.”

Bless her, Señora Abascal held her ground, “No. You kill?”

He nodded, “I kill.”

Another round of screams filtered in from the parking lot. In her pain, Lilah could not feel how close Brasa had come. She didn’t have a single doubt as to what was happening to Mr. Pickerelle and the rest of his men. The screams continued for a long minute, followed by the sound of an engine roaring away.

Señora Abascal stared into the darkness, pacing slowly backwards. She nearly tripped over a fallen body before grabbing the end of a pew and righting herself. Lilah could see that her thin, frail fram was shaking, but the woman stood tall. She was proud of her. The scene outside the church was guaranteed to scar her for life, but the Gecko brothers weren’t the only people in the room that were ballsy.

Dizzy and a little bit nauseous, Lilah let her weight fall until she sat on the floor. Her entire side and the carpet beneath her were soaked in blood. She looked at the gash again with a pained wince. It was going to take more than a few stitches to close it up. She could feel how cold and clammy her skin was becoming and she knew she needed to get to a hospital.

Seth leaned over from where he was crouched beside her and said, “You’re late.”

Brasa’s voice was so very, very welcome, “Where is she?”

“Here,” Seth replied in a low voice. “She’s been, uh, shot. A little.”

The air moved and Brasa was suddenly kneeling next to Lilah. His expression was all concern as he touched her face. The cool leather was a balm against her cheek. Lilah leaned into his palm, “I’m okay.”

“You’re not,” he muttered. “But, you will be.”

In a smooth, practiced movement, Brasa shrugged off his heavy coat. He was wearing a navy sweater beneath that accentuated the strength of his body. Lilah very much wanted to press into that body for comfort, but the sweater looked pretty expensive and she was covered in blood.

Brasa pushed up his sleeve and took a knife from his pocket, “You’re not going to argue with me.”

Knowing what he meant, Lilah simply nodded, “No argument here.”

“Good. Drink.”

As his forearm lifted towards her mouth, Lilah heard Seth scoff above them. She looked up at him to find that he was walking away. There wasn’t much time to think about his reaction. Brasa’s blood was pouring into her mouth. Hot and sweet. Lilah whined as she drank deeply, her hands holding his arm to her lips. Like most things where Brasa was concerned, his blood sent little frissons of pleasure all over. The pain in her side waned to a dull ache and her nausea faded away. It was better than any painkiller she’d ever taken.

Brasa pulled his arm away. Lilah reluctantly let him. She ran a hand over her mouth to catch a few errant drops and sucked them from her fingers. Brasa’s hand at the back of her head tightened and he groaned low. Lilah caught his eyes. In them, there was concern for her well being. Behind that, however, was a fire that she recognized. One that she shared.

“We gotta go!” Seth yelled. “Police’ll be here soon.”

Lilah tried to stand, wincing all the way. Brasa let her try once, twice, three times, before he leaned down and scooped her up into a bridal carry. Lilah hissed when the movement pulled on her wound, earning a soft apology from Brasa. He cradled her against his chest and moved carefully down the aisle. Even with the support of Brasa’s blood, Lilah struggled to withhold the little whimpers of pain.

Seth and Richie were standing next to each other. Both of them were watching Brasa as he moved closer. Too tired to provide any kind of explanation to them, Lilah laid her head on Brasa’s shoulder and tried to relax. Every step he took sent sharp pain into her side. She gripped his sweater and breathed through it.

“You need to get her to a hospital,” Seth asserted firmly. Beside him, Richie lit a cigarette and nodded in agreement.

Brasa paused, “I’ll take care of her.”

“You better.” Seth crossed his arms and stepped aside, leaving a path open to the door.

Señora Abascal was still there, sitting in the pew, watching the whole thing. She had taken a seat and Lilah saw her rosary beads hanging from one hand. As Brasa walked closer, she crossed herself. Lilah thought she could hear an Our Father come whispering from her lips.

Brasa slowed his step as he went by, “Señora...go home. Forget this.”

She said nothing and crossed herself again. Lilah didn’t know what the old woman might be thinking. Likely, she was as shell shocked and bewildered at Lilah had been the night Brasa first revealed himself to her. She hoped that Señora Abascal would go home, find some sleep, and wake up in the sunlight thinking this was all a bad dream.

The trip down the steps was so excruciating that Lilah barely noticed the bodies strewn across the pavement. Every movement pulled on the gash in her side until it overcame the power of Brasa’s blood. She bit down on a cry of pain, “We have to stop. I can’t. It hurts too much.”

Brasa stopped, “I have to carry you somewhere to heal.”

“I know you didn’t bring a car,” she wheezed. “and you can’t run with me. I won’t make it.” Lilah breathed deep, “Put me down.”

“Lilah…”

“Put me down. I have keys to a car parked at my apartment. Silver sedan. Go get it. Bring it here. Take me somewhere in that.”

He hesitated, but eventually put her down. Lilah handed him the keys and waved him off. While she waited for him to come back, Lilah leaned her weight on her elbows and listened to the footsteps walking down the steps towards her. Richie and Seth appeared on either side of her.

“You gonna be okay?” Richie asked between drags on the stick in his hand.

“I think so,” she answered. “Gonna hurt for a bit.”

Seth started walking down the steps again. “You call us if you need anything. Don’t forget, we still have another job to do.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she drawled. Then, to Richie, “Sun’s coming up. You need to get underground.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he mocked, but he followed his brother, anyways.

Brasa returned with her car, pulling it so close to the stairs that she thought he might drive it straight up to her. Between one heartbeat and the next, he was lifting her into his arms. He set her gingerly into the passenger’s seat and closed the door. Through the front windshield, Lilah saw Seth and Richie in their own car, watching. They waited until Brasa dropped into the driver’s seat before the engine turned over and the car sped away. Lilah sent them an affectionate wave.

The drive into the desert was a blur of slowly growing sunlight. Lilah went in and out of consciousness, holding her side all the way. It wasn’t until Brasa put the car in park that she realized where he’d taken her. The massive boulder looked much the same—totally and indescribably nondescript.

Brasa opened the passenger’s side door and reached for her. Lilah held up a hand, telling him that she could do it. He looked doubtful, but let her try. She managed to get herself to standing, but had to lean against the car when her head began to swim. Brasa, having reached the end of his patience, picked her up again and carried her to the hidden door. She rolled her eyes when he opened it with one hand, thinking that he was showing off even when she was injured. Inside, there was a significant change.

“You put an elevator in.”

“I did.”

“Did it take two weeks?”

Brasa smiled, “A little longer than that.”

The doors opened and he stepped inside. They closed again and the carriage hummed as it began to descend. They opened to a dark, familiar hall. Brasa stepped out in to the darkness and turned left. In the home he was making for them, Lilah noticed more changes. Lighting had been installed and the rough walls were now smooth. There were more rooms now, hidden behind dark holes in the rock. Brasa moved swiftly down a tunnel on the far wall. He took a turn and entered a room that Lilah recognized from one of their shared dreams. A large room with a bed that should have been, but wasn’t, lit by candles.

Instead of placing her on the bed, Brasa took another turn into an adjacent room. He set her on the counter and reached over to turn on the light. Lilah passed a hand over her face and looked around blearily. “How did you get plumbing down here?”

Brasa shot her a confused look, “That’s your question?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“We had plumbing before.”

“Oh. Right. Forget I said anything. Blame it on the blood loss.”

He shook his head, “Let me look at it.”

Lilah lifted an arm so that he could pull her shirt up, “Its not that bad.”

“Its a gunshot wound,” Brasa said. “It doesn’t have to be bad to kill you.”

He wasn’t wrong. It definitely could have been worse, especially given the number of bullets that were flying around the sanctuary at the time. Lilah could have ended out with her brains splattered all over the carpet.

“Lucky for me that you’re here to make me feel better.”

Brasa’s expression didn’t change as he examined the gash, “You’re healing already.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

“You haven’t had an infusion of my blood in a while. I wasn’t certain how long it would take to close.”

Lilah touched his arm, “I know. Thank you for being there.”

He met her eyes briefly, then grabbed the hem of her shirt, “Up.”

She let him undress her down to her underwear and bra. Then, she let him use a soft cloth to clean away the blood. His touch was gentle, but persistent. Not a drop of red missed his notice. When he was done, he helped her down from the counter and walked with her back into the bedroom.

“Can I get something to wear?” Lilah asked. “I don’t want to get blood all over if the wound hasn’t fully closed.”

Brasa nodded solemnly and brought her a t shirt from the dresser against the wall. She took it and pulled it carefully over her body. The pain from the stretch on her side was less than it had been an hour or so before—further evidence of the power of Brasa’s blood. Once she had the shirt on, Lilah performed the age-old magic trick of taking off her bra through the sleeve, tossing it onto the pile of bloody clothing on the bathroom floor. She did the same with her underwear. When she returned her attention to Brasa, he was holding back a grin.

Lilah cocked her head to the side, “What?”

The grin began to pull harder at his lips, “You were naked underneath me days ago and you’re suddenly shy?”

She paused, “Uh. Yeah. I guess. Its a habit.”

“You’ve been undressing in front of other people lately?”

Lilah sensed the danger in his words, “No. Not lately, at least.”

Brasa walked forward and curled a finger under her chin, “Just me, from now on. Yes?”

Her agreeable nod was interrupted by a yawn. He chuckled lightly and leaned down to kiss her lightly. A hand at her back led her to the bed and Lilah climbed into the sheets. It didn’t matter that the sun was shining through the skylight above. She’d been up all night and she was too tired to care. Lilah curled up and fell into a much need sleep.

[carpediem-celebrpg]

The following characters haven't met the activity requirement in 3+ weeks. If you feel like you are on this list by mistake please let us know. If you need a hiatus please submit the hiatus form. Anyone who still doesn't meet activity requirements (or contacted us about a hiatus) in one week will be removed from the group.

Blake Lively ( @blakeelively )

Danneel Harris ( @dan33lharris )

Dianna Agron ( @disladyagronsky )

Katherine McNamara ( @katmac1995 ) [no posts yet]

Kathryn Newton ( @kitxkatnewton )

Mariska Hargity ( @mariskahargitvy )

Renee Rapp ( @mjxreneerapp )

Selena Gomez ( @gmzsels ) [no posts yet]

Sophie Thatcher ( @sosophiethatcher ) [no posts yet]

Sydney Sweeney ( @sweeneysydz ) [no posts yet]

Glen Powell ( @glen--powell )

Keegan Allen ( @keegsterallenr )

Kendall Schmidt ( @kendallisshit )

Sebastian Stan ( @sbastianstvn )

Seth MacFarlane ( @sethmacfarlanecd )

Travis Kelce ( @travkelces )

Tyler Hoechlin ( @hoechlikeheck )

[laf-outloud]

kat.mcnamara Happiest of birthdays to the one and only @bradleyjames . Thank you for being one of the kindest, funniest, most insightful friends, most devious mafia players, and the best damn trash thief a gal could ask for. Hope you have a day as exuberant and lovely as you! x

Did I go into today expecting a Merlin/WIndy/Mafia mashup? No. Am I absolutely loving it? Yes! Happy Birthday, Bradley James!

[arcimboldisworld]

Die Walküre - Bühnen Bern 19.02.2023

Die Walküre - Bühnen Bern 19.02.2023 #RichardWagner #EwelinaMarciniak #NicholasCarter #Tetralogie #BühnenBern #DieWalküre #DerRingdesNibelungen #operalover #rezension

Der Berner “Ring des Nibelungen” geht in die zweite Runde, “Die Walküre” hatte Premiere und ein Besuch lohnt sich – Regisseurin EWELINA MARCINIAK und musikalischer Leiter/Co-Operndirektor NICHOLAS CARTER bieten dem Publikum fünf Stunden sehens- und hörenswertes Musiktheater… (more…) “”

[vivis-crazy-world]

Well, first we have Sam and Sal, the main duo of my current side project G.H.O.S.T.

Sam is the ghost of a bellhop who, just a day before his seventeenth birthday, got hit by a car and unfortunately passed away. He's a very smart kid, loves to chat with people, and tries to act like he never died. That wish came true when Sal tossed him a book to read and he learned he could gain a physical form at will. Sal went on to introduce him to the rest of the G.H.O.S.T. crew including Mira, Octavius, Seth, Sandra, and Soren. He's a pretty chill dude, a tad shy and a bit of a people pleaser, but he's always there for the crew, and the crew is there for him.

Quote: "You know how ghosts get when people go into their homes... like when you first met me."

Sal is a very smart but dumb gal. She's around sixteen and goes on all manner of adventures with Sam and the G.H.O.S.T. crew. The first adventure I'm writing for them is one involving a supposedly haunted hotel. She's used to the paranormal, but that's kinda her version of normal. I mean, what else is normal when your dad got attacked by a shadow egg, your mom got attacked by another demon, and your neighbors to the East are possessed? Besides, her family never seems to be able to escape the paranormal, so why not embrace it?

Quote: "If you put your hand any closer to my face, I can and will lick it." In response to a ghost reaching towards her face. The ghost was quick to retract their hand.

Sandra's a very lively gal. She hardly has much of a schedule, but she's somehow almost always on time. She and most of the crew except for Soren and Oct are night owls, often staying up till sunrise. She somehow manages to get the cooking done perfectly fine by just tossing together a concoction of who knows what and a perfectly innocent ingredient like chicken or corn. She learns by doing, and that's how she met the crew!

Quote: "I mean, I just keep throwing random things together, and it keeps working!"

Seth is a very quiet and kind young man who has a gift in seeing what is to come. He usually specializes in the tech part of things with Oct and Mira, often helping from behind a screen thanks to his fear and curiosity towards the paranormal. If and when he does go on trips, it's usually to places he knows the layout of by the back of his hand. In those places, he basically becomes not only tech support, but also the map and danger detector. He once had three siblings, all of whom have since passed on, but he knows their spirits are out there.

Quote: "Calm down, I've got this handled."

Mira is the animal expert of the crew, often getting critters to help with SAPs(Search for, Assess, help Pass over). She's smart, and, much like her height, has a short temper when it comes to rude comments. She always knows how to get the crew to laugh, sometimes even making a ghost accidentally reveal where they are because of their laughter. She also loved to draw, write, play video games, and animate in her free time.

Quote: "Let's just say that we had another god-lin incident."

Soren is a very brave kid, often venturing into the more dangerous locales without a second thought- except for being prepared for anything. They aren't stupid, y'know... while they do love risks, they know their limits and are ready to push some limits, but not others. They're a part time writer for the paper, and use that free time after school and work to help out with the G.H.O.S.T. project.

Quote: "I'm not dumb, Cassidy, I'm not gonna stick my hand into a hole in the wall because you said so."

Octavius is a very quick reflexed and flexible dude who loves to play games that test his skills and speed. He loves to play darts as a hobby, and usually gets a bull's eye, constantly challenging his dad to a round of air hockey anytime there's a free table when he's home(his dad's a traveling technician for a company in town).

Quote: "C'mon, let's play a round, pops!"

Screw it, I'm tired and don't want to do anything

Tell me about your ocs

[ladyk23]

Blogtober Part 2

For the second part of my version of Blogtober, the 11 blogs I'm showcasing are some comparison blogs, some book reviews and some short stories:

https://ladyksmusings.wordpress.com/2019/05/15/them-there-hills-have-eyes/

https://ladyksmusings.wordpress.com/2021/02/08/potential-murderer/

https://ladyksmusings.wordpress.com/2019/06/30/ill-be-gone-in-the-dark-by-michelle-mcnamara-book-review/

https://ladyksmusings.wordpress.com/2019/04/26/the-pet-sematarys/

https://ladyksmusings.wordpress.com/2020/10/31/the-ghost-in-the-stall/

https://ladyksmusings.wordpress.com/2019/02/02/pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies-by-seth-grahame-smith-and-jane-austen-book-review-2/

https://ladyksmusings.wordpress.com/2019/07/09/hes-not-a-good-guy-anymore/

https://ladyksmusings.wordpress.com/2021/02/11/the-old-owners-tape/

https://ladyksmusings.wordpress.com/2019/12/15/frankenstein-by-mary-shelley-book-review/

https://ladyksmusings.wordpress.com/2019/12/31/dracula-by-bram-stoker-book-review/

https://ladyksmusings.wordpress.com/2020/01/06/dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde-by-robert-louis-stevenson-book-review/

Again, I hope you found something here to amuse you but if not, there are 10 more to come!