#along with the random short story with killer and horror

[lightyearssurrogatedaddy]

ErrInk beause I once again got bored

He had a stool and a plan.

If only Error would stop moving.

They were at Blue's house, wandering through the wide downstairs living room and circling up and around the upstairs in a sauntered, very gradual chase. He waddled after him and put the stool down, and Error immediately meandered away in humor. Back down the stairs, then clambering on the top of the couch and walking the rest of the way before hopping down, evading Ink as he tried to get in front of him, snickering, and going back up. Ink having trouble catching the legs on the steps and struggling to reach the top of the railing, then taking a moment to rest and picking up the stool again. Error acted like he was looking at something in the corner of the room when he wasn't moving, and behaved as if the reason he kept moving was because something interesting caught his attention.

Blue was watching this strange parade from the kitchen, leaning on the edge counter and out of the path. In mild amusement and confusion he smiled whenever Error stopped long enough for Ink to stand on the stool, then waltz away again with a disgruntled hiss following him. The little game had a point to begin with, and he'd get there eventually, Error would tire out or sit down, stop to talk to Blue or turn around and ask Ink what his deal was. And he had all the time in the world.

Following back up the stairs, swinging the stool to balance on his head and making careful steps up. One at a time. And reached the top in a shorter amount of time than last time. He put the stool down again, took pride in his accomplishment, and stalked on to the glitch at the end of the railing. Staring off into space. Ink snuck along the wall for comedic effect with a goofy grin, and slowly leaned over to set the stool beside him. He was gunna move in just a second, so he hopped up and got from his knees to his feet.

He waited, Error didn't move and gave a squinting glare. Going according to plan, he attempted to cup Error's face, and in response the glitch jerked away and ducked to speed-walk down to the end of the railing. Another fun failure, Ink picked up his stool and set off again. This time when Ink got to the living room, he found him cowering behind Blue in the kitchen. Inconspicuously, of course, leaning his back into the wannabe and hunched over his phone, probably typing something into the notes app.

Blue had his head resting between his thumb and pointer, exhaling laughter with a pained look on his face.

The doorway to the kitchen was small, and luckily the counter just barely reached the frame. He hammered the stool down, which Blue did not like, and clambered up grinning. Staring equal with Error he cracked his knuckles and shook them out thematically.

Error wore something between grimace and worry, and stood stock still as Ink's itty hands reached for him. He pulled him close, leaned in, and left a little kiss on his forehead. The glitch gave a whine of words and pressed the phone to his nose, heavily squinting at Ink. Then he ran away.

When Ink looked though Error's phone later, the notes app at a recent new addition.

Several exclamation marks, a whole paragraph of the laughing emoji (with the rare appearance of the middle finger emoji), and then an emoticon at the end:

"(:<"

[d-l-dare]

52 Card Horror [Prompts]

[Following 365 Horror Shorts, the challenge where I write a horror story every day for a year, I decided to give myself another challenge to further challenge myself as a writer. With 52 weeks in a year, there are 52 cards in a deck of cards. So I assigned each number and each suit with a random theme. Each prompt will be listed below if you want to follow along each week, or challenge yourself to this as well!]

Ace - Paranoia [Character loses their mind/Can't trust narrator]

Two - Food [Anything food related]

Three - Job Related [The story somehow pertains to their job]

Four - Home Alone [Someone is home alone - or are they?]

Five - Technology [Technology plays a significant role]

Six - Mystery [Unraveling a horrifying mystery]

Seven - Fake/It was all a dream [Everyone's favorite twist]

Eight - [For this one, pick 3 random words and write a story with them in it]

Nine - Unintended/Unexpected [Subverting expectations]

Ten - Relax/Vacation [Traveling, Taking a Day Off, etc.]

Jack - Wild Card [You choose!]

Queen - Funny/Camp [Be weird, be wacky, be off the wall!]

King - Existential [The scariest this is our own existence]

Suits

Spade - Monster Story [Has to feature a monster/ghost/animal as a main antagonist, or something close]

Hearts - Science Fantasy [Think time travel, dystopian future, dragons, or however you interpret science fantasy]

Clubs - Killer [Someone has to kill someone else in the story, even themselves]

Diamonds - Disaster [Nature attacks! If death occurs, it's natural causes. Basically, whatever doesn't fall in the other 3 categories]

Have Fun Writing! And if you write something with these prompts, let me know! I'd love to read it! [Might even have it reblogged!]

[yesterdanereviews]

Crawler (2009)

Film review #588

Director: Sv Bell

SYNOPSIS: A construction site hires a bulldozer, but due to a mishap, they get sent the wrong one. When strange things start happening on site and people start disappearing, it seems that, somehow, this bulldozer is at the centre of it all...

THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Crawler is a 2009 sci-fi horror film all about a killer bulldozer. The whole concept might sound absurd, or it actually might sound familiar, as the 1974 TV movie Killdozer centred around the same concept of a killer piece of construction machinery. This time, a bulldozer is hired for a construction site, but because the driver was late picking it up, it went to someone else. Desperate, the guy tries to convince the guy to rent him another one which is apparently not available for rent. The next day, the bulldozer shows up at the construction site, with the driver nowhere in sight. When a number of strange happenings occur at the site, the workers suspect, however implausibly, that the bulldozer is somehow involved. The plot works it's way up very slowly, comprising early on of scenes of dialogue between characters that fail to ingratiate themselves to viewers or stand out in any real way. It is worth remembering that the whole thing is a little tongue-in-cheek and knows it has limits, but it nevertheless plays it straight throughout. The concept of the killer dozer is unique enough (save for the aforementioned TV movie), and the film does eventually develop along lines you might not expect, but there's nothing too memorable about the story.

The strengths of the film are in the practical effects: the alien elements are fairly detailed, and the gore is pretty convincing, although it often looks like unrecognisable mush. The weaknesses of the film stretch from the monotone delivery of the lines from the acting, to the poor lighting and editing of action scenes which is composed of random short cuts that fade in and out, and disrupt any sense of flow. The bad certainly outweighs the good, and overall Crawler, while having a few good points, has little going for it either in being so-bad-its-good, or actually creating a a decent horror story. A severe lack of tension and urgency, both due to the sluggish pace of the film and the flat delivery of the actors, make it a dull and uninspiring experience.

[it-happened-once-in-a-meme]

Hi everyone! I'm new on Tumblr and would like to make a proper introduction, mainly so that my first post won't be something incredibly random 😆 Well, I don't want to get too personal with age, gender, looks, sexuality or social security numbers, so here are a few, certainly not all, of my fandoms (or rather fandoms that I would like to be a part of), in no particular order: Before I begin: it's important to note that quite often my opinion of a content is separated from my opinion of the creator. Most often I simply don't know or don't have the time to research what the creator does outside of their content so I wouldn't even know that someone else might think I support a certain opinion because I express my joy over someone's content.

So, here are some of the things I like: 😊

•The MCU (though these days there's too much content for me to watch so I just watch things with my favourite characters from the last phases)

•sometimes X-Men (mostly Cherick, one of my many ships)

•The Wizarding World (mainly Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts, but I've also read The Tales of Beedle The Bard). I still love the worldbuilding and the many characters even though I've been a bit distanced to it the last few years.

•The Umbrella Academy. I love a good soundtrack, lovable characters with family issues and awesome fight scenes. In the beginning I thought that Viktor would stay my favourite character but now there are so many others I love.

•The Picture of Dorian Gray (so far I've enjoyed the book and watched the beginning of the 1945 adaption)

•The Hunger Games universe, with the prequel not entirely read because I could only read an extract and after that I dindn't have much time to read. I like dystopias, as long as they don't lean too much towards the horror genre.

•The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I read the first book this year and am currently reading the second one. The plot just reminds me positively of: •Knives Out. The early reveal of the "killer" made this murder mystery something special along with the amazing acting & the realistic family dynamics.

•BBC Sherlock. I do like mysteries and detective stories as long as they are consistently entertaining and not just towards the end

•The Great Gatsby. I prefer the book but Baz Luhrmann's adaption has its good sides too.

•Snowwhite and the Huntsman/Winter's War: The Huntsman and the Ice Queen/hopefully 🥺 a next film (as long as it isn't just an out of character cash-grab) because these fairytale films are magical and awesome and look great and the theme of the second film-

•The Three Musketeers 2011. I haven't read the book but I'm sure it isn't supposed to be an accurate adaption anyway. Oh, how I love this film! The story, the characters, the soundtrack, the costumes *chef's kiss*! ❤

•The Selection series by Amy Ewing. I like the plot idea of the Bachelor but I prefer it to be openly "scripted" instead of being a fake reality show (I've still watched a lot of seasons though🤫).

•Eragon. The film. 2006. Just kidding, I thought a short comedy break may be needed after so many Fandoms 😊. Or is this just me being tired of writing them down? 🤭 Whoooa, no, I scrolled upwards and this is a lot! Sorry if this is too much for you reading this. 😶 Anyway, don't be sad if you actually happen to have liked this film; it's still better than a lot of others. Though I've never heard of someone who liked it. I'd be curious to know though... In any case: good luck to all Inheritance Cycle fans on the new adaption. 🍀

•The Witcher (Netflix TV series, otherwise I don't know much except for some random facts like Triss' hair color in different types of media 🤣)

•The School for Good and Evil series by Soman Chainani (who knows what the Netflix adaption will be like?). I particularly like the first three books.

•How I Met Your Mother. The way it ended made me sad but I still liked it overall.

I may also write about things that I'm not a big fan, or any fan of, but I don't need to list these here.

If you want to you can ask me about my perception, opinion, theory or maybe even explanation (maybe of something less complex 😅) about something from these Fandoms. When you do so, could you please mark spoilers, especially if you're referring to a Fandom with a lot of content? 🙏 Even if I've seen/read said content, others have maybe not and it would be a shame to spoil a part of experiencing a film/book for the first time. Perhaps I won't respond quickly: don't take this personally, I don't plan on checking tumblr regularly (hopefully I won't distract myself too much with Tumblr😮) and when I see a notification I can still be a little shy so it may take some time to formulate an answer I'm content with. 🤷

Anyway, a lovely day to everyone who's reading this🤗

[tlbodine]

A New Horror Movie Series

We were coming up on the end of Famous Horror Directors (obviously there are some directors whose filmographies we haven't completed, but I think we have now sampled just about every big name) and casting about for a new challenge.

I've been listening a lot to Random Number Generator Horror Podcast #9, hosted by Cecil Baldwin and Jeffrey Cranor (host and a cowriter respectively of WTNV) and it inspired me to do something similar.

Basically, the game is that you have two six-item lists. One for a monster/scare, and one for a style. You roll two dice to pick out what you're watching next!

So our first roll of that gave us "killer animal" and "campy" which worked out perfectly for the Alexandre Aja films.

Our next roll: "vampire" and "pure horror" (which is to say, movies genuinely trying to be scary).

I went on a quest and assembled a few potentials for the list:

The Transfiguration = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5039088/ A black teen obsessed with vampires befriends a fellow weirdo outcast. Mumblecore, seems like a spiritual successor to Let the Right One In.

Afflicted = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2309961/ Two friends on a roadtrip have a bad time when one gets attacked and starts to develop mysterious symptoms. Canadian found footage originally intended as a web series.

The Shed = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8236366/ A couple of bullied outcasts have a change of fortune when they discover a vampire squatting in a shed. They should destroy it…but what if they could make it work for them, instead? Based on a short story of the same name.

Fright Night = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089175/ Classic 1980s film. A teenager discovers his next door neighbor is a vampire and recruits a television vampire hunter to help. (In hindsight, seems like this movie was an obvious inspiration for Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires).

My Heart Can't Beat Unless You Tell It To = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11084432/ A couple of siblings have to do a series of increasingly unspeakable things to help their other sibling, who has a slight case of vampirism.

Byzantium = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1531901/ Directed by Neil Jordan (Interview with the Vampire, The Company of Wolves). A couple of lady vampires seek refuge in a British community, unspooling their historic tragic backstory as fresh tragedies follow them there.

Bliss = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9026524/ A creatively blocked artist overindulges in some substances that leave her with a newfound and insatiable bloodlust.

I think ALL of those look amazing and I hope we get a chance to watch them at some point. For this week, though, I think we're going to start off with Afflicted and My Heart Can't Beat Unless You Tell It To because they are both free on Prime. I know. Scientific, right?

Anyway, follow along on the hashtag "RNG Horror" for future reviews on this weekly film series for, well, as long as it takes for us to get bored of it!

[midrashic]

most of the "the chad fanfic can explore stories the incel published finction can only dream of" genre of posts are hugely exaggerated, or just plain false, but one kind of story i genuinely don't think you can get outside of the fan environment is the "it was canon or canon-adjacent all along" kind of fic, the kind of bait-and-switch where you go in expecting a coffee shop au & then it turns out that reality was magically warped, or one character has amnesia or has been brain-reprogrammed, or it's reincarnation, but in the plotty, finish-what-we-started kind of way instead of the schmoopy nobody-hurts kind of way. think pleasant hill from avengers standoff, or dollhouse only the audience isn't in on the trick. you think it's a james bond alternate universe where no one is a spy, but it's an alternate timeline instead and only bond's backstory has been changed, and everyone else is just undercover. you think it's a no magic historical au but actually in the climax it's revealed that the characters' actions created the magical universe of the canon you're familiar with. you think it's a high school au but it's just wanda with the reality gem.

& this could just... never happen in published fiction. sure, there are common mythologies that published fiction can reference and expect to be understood--lovecraftian horror, arthurian legend, fairy tales and folklore--but it is just absolutely inconceivable that a novel or short story could prime you to be ready for a certain kind of story and also surprise you by being a story much closer to the original than you thought. imagine a book where the twist is that a mousy librarian is reincarnated king arthur whose marketing materials don't mention arthuriana at all. or a book where the punchline is that urban fantasy is real where the reader doesn't know that going in. original fiction is such a wider field, you know that any book you pick up at random could be about anything, and paradoxically that means that you the reader demand to know more before you open a book. a book that has a cozy mystery cover that turns out to be about r-rated counterterrorism would piss you off!! a chick lit story about a bakery that changes tone drastically when the protagonist finds out all the other characters are serial killers would piss you off. you would call it a cheap twist. writing advice tells original fiction writers again and again to earn their twists, that this is not a matter of taste, that absolutely no one likes being tricked by the cover, by the description, by the writer.

but i love it. in fic, i love it. i love reading what i think is a dystopian young adult x-men au featuring charles & erik only to learn that they're government clones of the real charles & erik years in the future of canon, and that this story was canon-compliant instead of an alternate universe all along. i love reading a killing eve flower shop/tattoo parlor au, the kind of au where everyone is lighter and softer, and you don't realize until the last two chapters that villanelle is still a murderer here. a merlin high school au that seems to be like any teenage love story until merlin reveals that arthur is reincarnated, he is immortal, and merlin has been pretending to meet him, to get to know him, to be another teenage boy, and the romcom turns into an adventure story.

i think that when you already go into a story with the mindset "this story will incorporate these characters and themes and tropes, to a greater or lesser degree," that frees up the writer to do something that is not technically outside the definition of "this is a [insert fandom] fic" but still uses your expectations against you. you know nothing about a novel except what the advertising tells you, and when that's violated, you feel betrayed by the book. but a fic is always entrenched in canon, always tied to another story (that you supposedly enjoyed), and so even fics that change genres, that disrupt their premises, that trick you into thinking they're a different kind of fic, deliver on the promise.

notes:

really, if you think about it, the fanfic equivalent of this kind of plotline in original fiction would be a fic changing its fandom (the true fandom untagged) halfway through--starting out being about anne of green gables and ending up being about mission impossible.

for the record, i'm not saying that not tagging or inaccurately tagging will make a story better, or that everyone should enjoy stories that surprise them. i must imagine there are other people who also love this kind of story, though, and that's definitely part of the reason that "creator chose not to warn" exists, as a way of keeping readers safe but also recognizing that not everyone enjoys reading safely; a valid story is not one that everyone must be capable of enjoying.

[rataltouille]

BONFIRE, BONFIRE!: A COLLECTION OF FLASH FICTION + POETRY

so i’ve decided to compile all twenty [these will be split into two so that the post isn’t super long] of the writing pieces i’ve done for my random celebration into one post so that it’s easier to read / access share!! you can also find it here, all put into one work, on wattpad, because i feel nostalgic about that website and decided to just post it!!

NOTE: i know that this shouldn't need to be said, but these 20 pieces belong to me so please don’t copy/repurpose it for your writing!! i plan on using these somewhere in my own writing and either way they’re stuff i’ve written so don’t use them!!

1. cooking + destructive + purple from @andiwriteunderthemoon [also i kind of cheated with this prompt and asked my sis @dreamscanbenightmarestoo for ideas and so the base idea’s from her!!]

I didn’t mean to set my house on fire, alright?

Let me set the scene: I’m sitting in my room, watching the infomercials that blur together, and suddenly there’s a bright purple flash on the glitching screen: /grapes/. They’re shiny, plump, and oh? A recipe for fine wine? Don’t mind if I do. So I pop into my kitchen and cut the grapes, dice them up, finally using the knife after years of not cooking— /mother, are you proud of me now?/— and stick the soft, luminescent fluid into a glass bottle. Following each step of the recipe.

The recipe didn’t mention an explosion.

Destruction rained around my house like a meteor shower. The bubbles from the fluid, frisking up at contact with metal, swam across my shoes and into the living room. It touched the TV, which still flashed the recipe, which I was still cursing at. And then, you know, it burnt up. The couch scorched first, I think. So that was fun. I later realised that I’d used my reserve of petroleum, which I’d put in my kitchen cabinet, instead of vinegar. I think I’ve got to move back in with my mother again.

2. running + quiet + sky blue from @kryskakikomi [i have no idea what this is i drafted this in a fever dream state]

Summer crawled up his skin like a worm. He was seated at his dining table, crosswording his way through the sticky morning, when it struck him that the humidity was new. He’d been caught in summer before, of course, but this year was different. His parents had whisked away to their hometown, and he still didn’t understand why he wasn’t allowed to go. He loved their home— he could have been running on beach sand and waves could have cruised over his feet, and his face would reflect sky blue under palm trees. Instead he sat doodling and scratching at cement walls in a quiet that nagged at his ears, grappling his flesh like a fishing hook, reeling him in. Boredom, him sister told him, before she also left for someone’s home. What would you know? he whispered once the door latched from the outside. Maybe /she’d/ like to sit on the same wooden chair, all the pink paint worn out, and scratch out squares of empty text until the pen poked through the other hand. He scoffed. At least he knew the number of scars on the wood; he could hold that over her when his parents returned.

3. hallucinate + hazy + violet from @chloeswords [i wanted to write something dreamy and ethereal but everytime i look at your url i’m reminded of church mud and indirectly my religious trauma so here we are 🤡]

We hold the book in our arms and chant for God. We don’t know what he looks like. They say that he’s sharp, never pixelating or blurring or showing through, like a hazy image would. No, children, our family says, he will come clothed in gold and velvet— the colour a deep and rich crimson, or chartreuse. And of course, he weaves a violet into his hair. Because he is just that humble. Just that gentle. Loving.

We’ve almost understood now. Pray, clasp our palms together into a transient equinox, and pray. Maybe he will shine down on us. Maybe we will speak so loud and chant so long that our lips will chap. Maybe we’ll simply hallucinate him to salve our bones. Our family says, he will bless you. And so he will.

4. halcyon + pluviophile + beige from anon [i was yearning for cats i am a cat person i love cats]

I remember my life before I moved to London,

Those halcyon days that I spent scooping up cat litter and brushing warm fur,

Being a mother to beige and white and black little felines.

They keep better company than humans.

Now I’m a self-proclaimed businesswoman, artist, influencer, pluviophile,

Even when I’ve barely stepped foot outside during the rain,

[But it needs to be said that when it rains in London, it pours].

I think I’d like to open a cat cafe;

I’m rich enough to pull it off.

5. sing + vulnerable + olive green from @occiidens [this was actually super fun to write because it’s a break from the typically unhinged stories i gravitate towards]

You watch from the highest hill of your town, hand wrapped around the serrated wood of a red oak tree. The bark pokes into your flesh, drawing blood that shouldn’t have been taken from you. You scowl. Just another thing that lives to cause you pain.

Three storeys down is a young man, short and smiling and lovely. He has dark skin and darker hair, walking with the stride of a deer, and he’s smiling; the joy reflects onto your face, even though you can’t hear him. He wears a cotton shirt, the olive green stark against the fire-blue sky. You call out, sing his name, three times in a row.

When he finally looks up, squinting as you silhouette under the sun, the smile widens. A wave. You’re suddenly overcome with embarrassment. Your palm digs into the bark until the wound is freshly dug again, the skin supple and vulnerable. You want to wave, but your hands would look so awkward, and the blood wouldn't help. So you turn on your heel and run— why are you so awkward?— and the grass around you is brighter. This is now a tomorrow issue, you conclude. You’re still smiling.

6. dislocate + ostentatious + blood red from @oasis-of-you [this got really unhinged really fast. TW: body horror]

If you take a turn at Finn Avenue,

Rogue your way down a blood red river,

[It’s not actual blood, do not worry. The colour’s a pigment and it’s saturated enough to give you the texture, the touch, the taste of blood, but I repeat, it isn’t true blood. You might think that it’s ostentatious of us to make you cross a river like that, but you’ll understand why.]

And if can stick your fingers inside the fluid,

You’ll find a bone.

Don’t pull it out fully! Only observe.

[This is a real bone, most likely animal. We may be ominous, but we don’t hurt humans. Not yet.]

So what do you do now? You want passage into a better world.

You came here because you saw the brochure, the flyer,

Radiant Idyll, home for love, but you also saw the jutting anatomy that leads to the city. The pictures were rather clear.

Why do you look so surprised? We’ve put this on the brochure— don’t you ever read the fine print?— to avoid this exact situation. That you would cross a body, a skeleton, pooled over in a fluid that we don’t name, but it’s probably alive.

It’s watching you right now.

So what do you do now?

Hurry up, unhinge your arm, dislocate the elbow, drop it into the blood, forgive me, false blood, and pay for your passage.

Oh! Excellent; that’s record time. We do hope you enjoy your stay!

1. @noteaboy [i’ve interpreted your url as ”note, a boy”]

There’s an orange tree. It’s spring, and there’s an orange tree, and it brims with fruit and citrus perfume. Point your lens flare downwards, and note, a boy. A young man, perhaps, because he combs his hair, uptight and firm, and he wears a tie. A long suit. He doesn’t look up, because his hand holds a book. /He/ holds the book, not the hands— tenderness doesn’t translate through anatomy, I’ve taught you this before. He’s waiting for someone. There’s only the rustle of leaves. He drops the book onto the lap of the tree, crushing the apple that had fallen down. Orange, not apple. Take note better. You only have one chance to get this right.

2. @eatingjupiter [your url is so beautiful omg]

The goddess had said this before she died: you need to watch over him. He needs your sentry to survive. The goddess’ words weren’t heeded. Little baby Jupiter tottered on lava as him parents small-talked with their kingdom. Well, it must have been small talk, because nothing seemed to happen afterwards other than his mother’s face collapsing in agony, anger, annoyance. He knew not to touch them then. He’d fly off into the sun one day, but if his hands were but and charred, he wouldn’t survive even a third of the journey.

The prophecy was simple: the firstborn to the kingdom will metamorph into a celestial, purify themselves so that only stardust remains. Live in the sky forever. The astrologers were baffled; you don’t just become a star. They should have heeded the goddess.

Jupiter was sixteen when he expanded and collapsed all at once. He still lives, they say, and the astrologers /were/ right, in a way: people just don’t become stars. They become almost empty space. Nobody knows if his hands were burnt when they left earth’s orbit forever.

3. @laughtracksonata [your name gave me slight horror vibes idk why!!]

Hahaha. The Horror Movie (don’t ask me for a name, I’m not good with those), with its cymbal crashing and plastic sounds, it’s so loud and scary that it hurts, father. Please turn it off.

Father doesn't listen. I shiver on the couch. The screen flickers like radio static and reflects off our wide eyes. What kind of a home is this anyway? I don’t want to fucking listen to a laugh track or a horror VHS tape or watch the bass crescendo as the serial killer jumpscares the watcher. I don’t think that having hour pupils glued to the same blood-splattered movie, with the same recording looping in his eardrums will help him. He laughs along, sometimes. It’s scary. Father needs a new hobby.

PART TWO COMING SOON!!

anyway this got REALLY long so i’m posting the third prompt group, the one based on songs, as a second part in some time. i hope you enjoy this, and PLEASE do boost!! i spent a lot of time writing these pieces and am pretty proud of them :’)

general taglist: @lovingyou-is @guulabjamuns @andiwriteunderthemoon @coffeeandcalligraphy @melonmilk @silentlylostwriter @charles-joseph-writes @eklavvya @eowynandfaramir @bitterwitchwrites @laughtracksonata @whatwordsdidnttouch @indeliblewrites @thenataliawrites @summersguilt @illimani-gibberish @sarahkelsiwrites @writing-in-delirium @shaelinwrites @sienna-writes @chewingthescenery @jennawritesstories @chloeswords @aelenko @keira-is-writing @cherylinanika @infinitely-empty-pages @jmtwrites @august-iswriting @freedelusionbanana @beetleblue88 @mistercaleb @iwannawritepls @hanwatchingmovies @mortallynuttyqueen @idratherliveinnarnia @maisulli @thegreyboywrites @ahowlinwolf @ravens-and-rivers @oasis-of-you @yanittawrites @chazza-writes-sometimes @skyfirewrites @lovebenders @treybriggsthewriter @themidnxghtwriter @ash-karter @queen-devasena @a-procrastination-addict @gaymityblight @beyondthebracken @madmaxst26 @adielwrites @moonpixxel @hollow-knight-dnd @keep-looking-here @overlap @ashleygarciawrites @ryns-ramblings�� @wordsbynathan @novaemlynlewis​ @sophiewritingstuff​ @howdy-writes​ @occiidens​ @nsanelyawkward​ @viawrites-andacts​

[laurenhufflepuff2]

A list of fandoms I'm in (in no particular order, will probably be updated regularly. Some fandoms are more intense and some are more casual. Depending on the fandom, I could go on and on about fandom topics for HOURS. Let's get into it!)

Harry Potter, Disney, Marvel, DC comics, Miraculous Ladybug, Avatar: The Last Airbender/The Legend of Korra, Star Wars, Literature, Winx Club, Nintendo, Minecraft, Little Witch Academia, Voltron, Coraline

Details:

Harry Potter- I got into Harry Potter in 7th grade and now I am the resident expert in my family and in my friend group. I read all the books, watched all the movies (notably the British version), and I've seen the Fantastic Beasts films as well. I've also read Tales of Beedle the Bard (the Warlock's Hairy Heart was traumatizing) along with the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them textbook (plus an updated edition). I also read The Cursed Child script and while I mean no hate to anyone that liked it, I hated what it did to the canon. I am in Hufflepuff with some Ravenclaw tendencies (I took the Pottermore quiz 3 times, 2 out of 3 I got Hufflepuff, the other time was Ravenclaw). I had a pottermore account and I was so upset when it got converted to the Wizarding World page. I cosplayed Hermione in 7th grade complete with British accent and even monologued as her for a talent show (classmates and teachers would recognize me as the Hermione girl all the way through high school). I was obsessed and I still love it even if J.K. Rowling has gone off the deep end on Twitter... yeah... my favorite character is Hermione but I also relate to Luna

Disney- there's so much that goes into the Disney part of my fandom list. I'm excluding Marvel and Star Wars from this part as they were originally separate entities before Disney got the rights to them. I have seen almost every animated Disney film ever and often use random movie quotes in conversation. My favorite villain is Maleficent, my favorite princess is Ariel (followed by Belle, Rapunzel, and Anna). I relate to so many of the characters. I'm not sure who my favorite Pixar character is though (I love Violet, Sadness, Dory, and Piper (from the short)). My favorite Disney fairy is Fawn. My favorite characters overall are Ariel and Stitch. Disney is definitely on the list as one of my biggest obsessions. My favorite movies are Lilo and Stitch, the Little Mermaid, Inside Out, Alice in Wonderland (original), and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

Marvel- I mostly get my Marvel exposure through the MCU, other movies, and animated TV shows. I have difficulty reading graphic novels so most of my comic book knowledge comes from friends, posts, or wikis. My favorite characters are Spider-Man, Captain America, Peggy Carter, and Scarlet Witch. I also like Gwenpool, Deadpool, Spider-Gwen/ Ghost-Spider, Venom, Squirrel Girl, Daredevil, Mantis, Gamora, Black Widow, Iron Man, Thor, Loki, Bucky, Black Panther, and most MCU characters. Out of the X-men I really like Professor X, Wolverine, Mystique, Magneto, Nightcrawler, and Quicksilver (either version- MCU or Fox).

DC- this was the franchise I was more familiar with growing up but again, graphic novels aren't easy for me to read so most of my knowledge comes from information pages about the comics or from tv/movies. My earliest experience with DC came from the 60s Batman series, with Catwoman and Robin being my favorites. I also watched the Wonder Woman series from the 70s and a handful of CW shows, my favorite of which being the Flash and Arrow. I also managed to watch all 5 seasons of the Teen Titans Cartoon Network series from 2003. With that being said, my favorite characters are Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Flash, Batman, Nightwing/Robin (Dick Grayson), Green Arrow, Starfire, Raven, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Alfred. I also like most of the bat family, and when it comes to CW I LOVE Caitlin Snow/Killer Frost and Cisco.

Miraculous- this is one of my guilty fandoms but since this is Tumblr I'm not too worried about it. I love Marinette and I relate to her on an astoundingly deep level (minus the stalking and obsession with potential lovers, that's creepy). If I had a miraculous, I'd probably want the Ladybug one, but the Cat miraculous, fox miraculous, and snake miraculous are good too. My favorite character is Marinette/Ladybug.

Atla/Tlok- I jumped on the avatar bandwagon just when it was starting to get popular, so I managed to get through the series before the memes took over everything. Same with Tlok, although i couldn't completely avoid the spoilers for that when i started it. I've been wanting to get into the comics because of the short story comics I've read, they seem easier to read than superhero comics. My favorite characters are Aang, Katara, Ty Lee, Iroh, Korra, Jinora, Asami, Suki, Appa, Momo, Naga, and Pabu. I also like Sokka, Mai, Zuko, Lin, Kuvira, Varrick, Zhu Lee, and Azula. I feel really sorry for her and while I understand that a redemption arc would undermine the importance of her corruption arc, I still wish she could have one. I would love to be a waterbender or an airbender... maybe a waterbender raised in the air nation? Obviously, being the avatar itself would be awesome. The show has taught me a lot of great lessons and put a lot of stuff into perspective for me.

Star Wars- oh boy, talking about this one is dangerous. I've seen firsthand the horrors of the Star Wars fandom but then again no one will probably see this anyway so... I've seen all the movies and I remember watching the clone wars series with my brother when I was younger but we fell wayyy behind and it's taking us forever to get back into it. I've also seen the Mandalorian and quite enjoyed it. I like the prequels unironically, in fact, the prequels are some of my favorite movies. I especially like how they switched from lightsabers being heavy weapons to light weapons that can be used for all kinds of tricks that make for epic battles like the ones we see in Revenge of the Sith. The sequels were fun to watch but when I would analyze them along side their predecessors, I came to the conclusion that, for me, they were good to watch but did not do anything good for the rest of the franchise. My favorite characters are prequels/clone wars Obi Wan and Anakin, Padme, Ashoka, Leia, R2D2, BB-8, R4-P17, the Mandalorian (Din Djarin), and Grogu. If I had a lightsaber I'd want it to be blue, but when I was little I got a purple one like Mace Windu because it was closer to pink and I was into pink at the time. I still have that lightsaber and none of my friends have a purple one so it's one of my flexes. I feel like I wouldn't make a good jedi because of attachments being forbidden, so I'd probably become a grey jedi.

Literature- this is a broad term I use to cover all the random books and stories I liked reading and have studied. So we have Shakespeare (Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet), The Great Gatsby (bored while reading, loved to analyze), Grendel (HATED reading, loved to analyze, Grendel really needed a hug and a friend), The Crucible, Fahrenheit 451, Dark Life (+ the sequel Riptide, both are by Kat Falls good reads, sci-fi and kind of dystopian), The Once and Future King

Winx Club- I think the show is trashy but I still love watching it. I haven't been able to get through season 6 though and I hated what they did with season 8 and Fate: the Winx Saga. My favorite character is Bloom along with Stella and Flora. I prefer rai to nick. My favorite transformations are magic winx, enchantix, and harmonix. My favorite member of the Trix is Icy followed by Darcy. My favorite Pixies are Chatta and Lockette.

Nintendo- mainly Pokémon above all else, followed by Animal Crossing. I have also played (mostly as player 2 or just never beat or watched my brother play) mario games, legend of zelda, pikmin, and kirby. Games I haven't played but I just liked the characters/the lore and probably learned about through Super Smash Bros. are Fire Emblem (Lucina mostly), Metroid (Samus and baby metroid), and Kid Icarus. Pokémon is where I'm most knowledgeable but you'll most likely beat me in battle. I am however great at MarioKart and I always destroy my friends at it. Terrible at fighting games though.

Minecraft- I like playing this casually. Sure, I'll play for hours and hours on end for months, but I prefer to stay exclusively in peaceful when playing Survival mode and I don't make anything too ambitious in Creative mode. I like to write, so sometimes I'll make a rough layout of the settings of my stories in different worlds. I prefer interior design and decorating when building, and when in survival mode I focus more on mining and gathering while my brother works on ambitious building projects. I just bring him the raw materials and furnish the interior when he finishes the outside.

Little Witch Academia- this takes up a smaller portion of my fandom list because there were only 2 seasons and a couple movies and I watched the whole series years ago, but I still enjoy it. At one point I wanted to cosplay Akko, and I loved the nod at Twilight through the Nightfall series. And I especially liked the twist that Shiny Chariot was Ursula, which I suspected for some time. The blend between magic and technology was fun to see, but I was so sad that the series ended RIGHT when Akko finally showed signs of magic proficiency. Also, Shiny Chariot being the reason Akko couldn't do magic was heartbreaking.

Voltron- this takes up a much smaller portion of my fandom list mainly because I haven't even finished it. I know hardly anything about Transformers aside from the Bumblebee movie so to me I just watch it for fun. It reminds me of power rangers, star wars, and star trek, and then there's just a transformer insert. But I don't know anything about Transformers so maybe the show is more rooted in canon than I think.

Coraline- I am in a love-hate relationship with Coraline. I have watched the movie several times, I've read the book, I've watched hours of theories and analyses on youtube, I've watched behind the scenes videos by Laika, and I even wrote a script for a fan film parody. I am amazed at how original the story is and how impressive the stop motion animation is but I also have recurring nightmares from it and it scares me/creeps me out to the max. If anyone asks what my scariness limit is, it's definitely Coraline.

[fromthedeskofelizabeththird]

Smile

Scoop of the day is a writing challenge with a difference. Each fic is built from a set of (for the most part) randomly generated prompts and could be about just about anything, from breakups to smut to found family. Let’s enjoy some ice cream 🍦!

More info about the challenge here

Pairing: None, really. This fic is about Reader telling the League of Villains a story. It’s a side chapter to Bad Reputation, but there’s no mention of Reader x Dabi specifically so you can enjoy it as a standalone and imagine whatever pairing you want.

Rating: Mature 

Triggers: Blood and gore. Reader is a serial killer

Flavour(s): Cayenne

Prompt: 12, A Duel

Side Chapter: Bad Reputation

Notes: Reader-sama’s villain name and MO are inspired by an old Scots ballad about a man called Tam Lin who’s fleeing from the Fairy Queen. Every few years she pays a tithe to hell in the form of a human sacrifice and he fears he’s next.

——-

“Say, Big Sis,” said Toga, flopping down into the seat opposite you.

“What is it?”

You were sharpening your knives in one of the booths, only pausing to take a sip of your beer.

“Is it true?”

“Is what true?”

She reached out to pick up one of your blades, prodding the edge against her finger.

“You know… that you worked with Stainy on a couple of jobs.”

You set down the knife you were working on, rolling your eyes as Toga immediately set aside the blade she’d been holding to snatch it up.

You had heard these rumours before. They were inevitable. You and Stain were both villains, though had no ties to any particular group; you were both serial killers with an impressive headcount between you.

The comparisons had pissed you off to begin with. You had vastly different MOs, after all. Stain killed and grievously injured heroes, while you butchered the corrupt. Stain’s kills were opportunistic and random, whereas you tailed your targets for weeks before you killed them. Stain’s victims didn’t know he was coming until it was too late. Yours received a calling card the morning of the murder.

Now that he was in jail, you’d made peace with it. You surprised even yourself by how sad you actually were. In a lot of ways, it was like losing a colleague.

“You’re talking about the Sapporo incident,” you said, to which Toga grinned.

“It was all over the news,” she said, setting down your knife and pressing both hands to her cheeks. “I saw photos of the crime scene on the internet… so much blood…”

A year or so ago, there was a double murder in Sapporo; a murder that bore the hallmarks of two notorious killers, both of whom were known to be in the area at the time. Police detectives theorised that Hero Killer Stain and villainess Titania had joined forces, though had never been able to work out why.

You had watched the conspiracies flood the internet and laughed out loud at how wrong they were. Some claimed you were Stain’s lover; others tried to prove you were rivals and the murders a result of a duel.

You cradled your beer, chuckling to yourself at the memory.

“It’s true that we were both there that night,” you said, “but it wasn’t deliberate…”

You realised all eyes were on you. Kurogiri, who was wiping down the bar, slowed right down. Spinner and Shigaraki had been playing Mario Kart while Dabi lounged on the couch and all three of them looked your way, paying no attention to the chaos on the TV. Spinner looked especially wide eyed, though he was a Stain fanboy, so you couldn’t say you were surprised.

You supposed you were their teammate now. They might as well know the story.

“Well,” you said, leaning back in your seat. “A year ago, I was in Sapporo, tailing a mark. Anyway, it was the middle of the night and I passed a group of deadbeats who wouldn’t leave me the fuck alone…”

“Naughty, naughty,” giggled Toga.

You smirked.

———

ONE YEAR AGO

“Hey, baby, don’t be like that! Come talk to us!”

You dug your hands into your pockets and continued to walk in silence, concluding that these idiots weren’t worth your time. They’d catcalled you the moment you so much as passed them and continued to follow you for three blocks.

“Baby,” one of them called, “don’t be scared! We don’t bite.”

“Much!”

You frowned, mentally counting to ten.

These guys had no idea they were poking a rattlesnake. They were the bottom of the barrel, turning to villainy for the same reason big kids hit the smaller ones in the playground. They didn’t have a creed or any semblance of honour, just a deep seated desire to feel tougher than they were.

You turned a corner, the men behind you shrieking like hyenas as you reached a dead end.

“C’mon baby,” said the leader of the trio, “smile.”

You turned to look at them, taking in their hungry expressions as the leader pulled out a knife and ran his tongue along the metal.

You watched, bored, before activating your quirk

Your quirk was simple. You could turn people into your thralls and have them do your bidding. They would jump from tall buildings if you asked them; could commit a murder and immediately forget.

It was more than a little bit handy in situations like this.

“You there,” you said, turning to address the leader. “Kill the other two.”

The two lackeys laughed out loud, though it didn’t last long, for their friend turned to them with a vacant expression and slashed open one of their throats. He rounded on the second, bloodied knife held high and lunged closer, leaving his friend to stumble to the floor.

“Wait! Bro! Stop!” he cried out, screaming as his friend stabbed him over again in the stomach. “St-stop, please!”

You watched the blood spatter, took in the sound of the blade hitting flesh. You released your quirk when you were satisfied, watching as the light came back to your thrall’s eyes, followed shortly by recognition. He spotted one of his men bleeding from the throat, the other slumped against a set of trash cans with gashes through his middle, and turned to you, horror stricken and trembling.

“What did you do?”

You stepped forward, ready to make a snide remark, only to fall silent as a hero arrived on the scene, doubtlessly alerted by the screams.

You learned from his obituary that his hero name was Augur; a recent graduate of a hero school in the area. You got the impression that he was a good kid, which made his fate all the more tragic.

“Ma’am,” he said, eyes widening at the scene before him. You didn’t blame him, all things considered. He was a greenhorn and had wandered straight into a murder scene. “Ma’am, are you alright?”

He saw only the surface level of what had happened and on that surface level you were a beautiful woman in a dark alleyway, surrounded by bodies and a man with a knife.

Your final victim realised it at about the same moment.

“What the fuck,” he cried out, “she’s the one who… she…”

“Sir, thank goodness!” you cried out. “This guy’s crazy. I was walking with my friends and he pulled out a knife!”

“What the… you bitch, stop lying!!”

He reached to grab you by the hair and yelled as Augur made short work of restraining him, binding his arms and tossing his knife to the floor.

“What… are you doing… stop… she’ll kill you… fuck…”

He wriggled on the ground as Augur stepped closer, reaching out for your shoulder as a gesture of comfort.

“Thank you,” you said, playing your part well. “Thank you, s-“

You never got the chance to finish your sentence, for a shadow passed by you both. Augur reached up to touch his cheek, where a small cut had appeared.

Your eyes widened when you noticed the newest arrival on the scene: Stain, the hero killer. You’d heard he was in the area, though never dreamed you’d cross paths.

He raised his blade to his lips and ran his tongue over the blade, leaving Augur frozen to the spot.

The guy on the floor realised the danger moments later, screaming like a toddler as Stain advanced on Augur. You watched in fascination, so in awe that such a quirk might exist that it didn’t occur to you to feel guilty, much less intervene.

It was over in a matter of seconds; Augur the third and final person to die in the alleyway that night.

Later, people spent hours discussing the circumstances of that meeting. The leader of the trio swore blind it was a group effort- you had tricked him and his men into following you, knowing a struggle would alert heroes nearby.

You supposed the true story was rather disappointing.

You didn’t exchange a single word that night, didn’t acknowledge one other beyond a look.

Stain left as quickly as he appeared, leaving you alone with the sole survivor, who immediately tried to wriggle to his feet. You approached, deliberately slowly, only pausing to kneel down and pick the bloodied knife from the floor.

You turned it over in your hands, examining the intricate patterns on its hilt. It was beautiful, clearly expensive, and you kept hold of it as you returned to the guy on the floor, who by now was sobbing in fear.

“S-stop,” he said, pants darkening with piss, “please, I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”

He thought you were going to kill him. For a moment, so did you.

Instead you tossed a calling card at his feet and crouched down to whisper in his ear.

—-

PRESENT

“What was it?”

“What was what?”

Toga pouted, poking her fingertip with the point of your knife. You watched as its patterns caught the light; as beautiful now as the night you found it.

“The thing you whispered to him!”

You smirked, reaching up to pinch her cheeks.

“Smile.”

[reginaofdoctorwho]

weird shit that would probably have something to do with me in a horror movie

no one wanted this but i’m bored and found a bottle so you’re all getting it. yes these are all true. check the tags, if u think i’ve missed something please let me know!

there was a murder (technically, i don’t really count it as a murder) next door when i was four years old on christmas morning

the weird antique glass bottle i found half-buried in the woods in the woods yesterday with living bugs in it that made no attempt to leave it once i uncovered it

there is a local cult in the next town over. this is not the same as the local cult that was in the other town over where my mom grew up

random completed animal skeletons in the woods behind our house, i’m talking prey and predator, both laid out like in a goddamn scientific diagram. for a while there’d be ones in the middle of our yard, always the same type of animal, always just the bones and nothing else, laid out like it was posed. this has been happening for over half a decade and we have no fucking clue how, why, or who is doing it

the screaming from the woods that i’m going to assume is a fox

my sister almost dated a murderer. his niece or something is in my class

there is a house that is now part of a “local ghost tour” that belonged to my great+ grand parents during the civil war where my great+ aunt died allegedly murdered by her husband who is actually blood related to me. family history says she died of childbirth, which given that it was the 1800s... probably is true

there was an actual murderer in our family a few generations back but he married in and killed his wife and her sister. they didn’t find out about it until they read his journals after he died where it apparently told everything he did and they decided. “well, that wouldn’t look good for the family, and they’re already dead anyway” and just kept it hidden??

the fact we have my great great grandmother’s dress from probably 1890s or 1900s. even more so the fact that i fit in it. if this was fantasy horror (vampires, some immortal thing or ghost) i’d be fucking dead or cursed

fairly certain i was possessed by the ghost of a puritan as a kid

my family seems to have a curse with babies and nurses? my great uncle died when he was born because long story short, hospitals were the new hot thing, he was perfectly healthy, then a nurse dropped him and he died instantly. my sister died when she was a toddler and the hospital actively tried to delete her hospital records to cover it up and ended up getting fined by the state for it. the nurses responsible were not arrested or punished in any way.

my family all has fucked up connective tissue, in my brother it was bad enough he had to get a steel bar in his chest so it wouldn’t cave in.

the many times i have almost drowned, sometimes due to intentional actions by humans (my dad, it was my dad)

this in addition to the other fucked up shit he did before the divorce when he still lived here, including but not limited to: killing my mom’s favorite pet goat, hanging its skull in a tree, and leaving the body in the woods. not letting his kids learn how to cook. anytime someone asked him to cook he’d put as much pepper/hot sauce in as he could (even for like, scrambled eggs) and give it to the youngest person, usually a toddler. this was me at times. taking his kids out to the woods and threatening murder. taking his kids out to the woods and threatening burning. purposely locked the basement from the inside so we couldn’t get the gaping hole in the stairs leading to one of three kids rooms fixed. tearing up pictures of the kids whenever my mom did something he didn’t like. i had more here but i tried to cut it down a litttle

people have threatened to murder me before. one time a girl didn’t threaten, and actually acted like she was starting to like me, but her cousin read her diary or something and found out she was planning to commit a lot of murder, and told her parents and she got sent to a psychiatric ward for a couple weeks

my mom lived down the street from a family that got axe-murdered by one of their two sons when she was a kid. the murderer did get out on an insanity plea and is still in the area. also their neighbor’s mom “lost her mind” (how the story was told) when she had to protect their kids while her husband went over to try to protect the non murderer son when he got home from school and ran over screaming about his brother trying to kill him and had killed their parents

also she knew a girl who almost got kidnapped by this really fucked up traveling serial killer that has his own wikipedia page that is,,, lengthy. the girl had [alleged] mafia ties, and the guy ended up dying shot by police despite them being told to bring him in, which sounds kinda suspicious

long story short i’d probably be the sequel where one comes back

apparently i go to the “bad” school, which i found out in a coffee shop when i overheard two girls talking about how one’s dad went there and how horrible and dangerous it is

school fights are weird. either they don’t happen or they come freakishly close to murder. people slam heads into lockers, stomp on bones, drag people by hair along the ground. one time in my brother’s class a 4′9″ girl sent a 6′2″ football player to the hospital. there was video of a fight a couple years ago that’s still around. it was brutal, but also one of the girls fighting was taking one for the team in it and got the other kicked out

we don’t have a ceiling in all of the third floor, and the cafeteria has 2. this is not relevant in any way, but it’s important to me that you know this

also the guys kept ripping the heating vents/radiators/whatever off the walls in their bathrooms and got almost all the bathrooms locked. including the girls’ ones.

also everyone kept punching holes in the walls so on some of them it’s just,,, metal sheeting down the whole hallway

there are so many fucking shootings in the next town over. literally five years ago it was this nice place where kids would go on history tours, i did when my sister worked for that group. now there is pretty much one business that has not been held up at gunpoint, and if u look up to the serial killer bullet point, it is for v similar ties. it’s a pizza place and if u ever stop by u gotta try it

women in my family have weirdly good intuition but every couple generations we get doubtful. my great grandma didn’t want a hospital birth but decided “hey it’s the hot new thing for a reason”, my mom switched churches based on nothing but intuition and it turned out someone was a pedophile there (found out years later), i instantly could tell my friend’s boyfriend was a pos and wasn’t surprised later when he told her he’d murder and dismember me in front of her, and upon meeting him told him he was a fucking coward and couldn’t do it. he broke up with her a month later.

i was really good friends for a while with two guys that burned a building down. yes they were arrested. i was friends before and after the fire. they’re pretty nice, but this girl they used to date (at different times, they were brothers, yes it was fucking weird and uncomfortable for everyone involved except her but that’s it’s own thing) said some fucked up shit and it was the closest i ever got to starting a fight. anyway i’m still friends with both on facebook. one of them shares a lot of king of the hill memes

speaking of that fight, i 100% would’ve tried to kill her in that moment. u know that john mulaney quote like “i didn’t understand how a person could want to kill another person. then i got cheated on, and i was like ‘oh, okay.’”? that was me, but replace “cheated on” with she told me it was good my five year old sister was dead because she was a waste, and told me she hoped i’d die of covid”. it was mainly the sister thing. i couldn’t move because if i did i’d start a fight with the [way] above mentioned shit.

my family has a literal feud with a local farming family. i mean, we keep farm animals (sheep, goats, chickens), these people have that, pigs, and crops too. the feud was because their great uncle (or great grand uncle, i’m a little fuzzy on the details) published an autobiography (despite not being anyone famous/important) and in it talked about when he was friends with my grandfather and how creepy my great grandfather was (this was the one with the dead firstborn son) because he kept newspaper clippings of the Lindbergh baby’s kidnapping and murder pinned to a board on the wall of his office/basement. also because he was a child of german immigrants who wanted to fight against nazis in WW2 (how suspicious [sarcasm]). members of their family are in my grade. they charged my sister for almost half an extra pound of goods, too, which just revitalized it.

i live by corn fields. i am surrounded by cornfields. (joke one)

i was friends for a while with this girl whose baby teeth,,, didn’t really fall out completely? she was 17 the last time i saw her in person, she’s probably 19 now and judging by her facebook pictures they’re still Like That. she had a very symmetrical mouth/teeth, which made it weirder. just to clarify, she had some of her baby teeth pushed forward and up, so they kind pointed out a little? and all her adult teeth. she was literally so pretty.

a teacher who is v sexual with his female students came into my english class (he is a science teacher) to demand why i wasn’t signed up for his class. we then both became increasingly passive aggressive and he told the whole class where i live with specific directions and landmarks. the guy sitting next to me had to try to tone things down despite being obviously confused as to why it was even happening (me too buddy). he lives down the road from my sister. when my niece had her birthday party at our house i was outside setting things up and he slowed his car down and honked at me. fuckin creep

[ohgoddard]

Fist of Fire: Omega.1.8

I am above them all.

It is a strange feeling, being above someone. They look like ants, so far away. Yet I am not moving, just floating. I scan the crowds of the parade, full of people cheering and having candies thrown at them from the floats. Cramped streets, even tighter sidewalks filled to the brim with people in their summer gear. Some dressed as their favorite heroes that will be in the parade. The heat came in waves, but it didn't affect me. This high up, the air is always cool. Music was always present, among all the other cacophonous explosions of noise. The rumbling brass of the marching bands, the explosive drums of the floats, and the click-clacking of the boots of the veterans of the Power War barely eke out the cheering in the air. It has been so long since I have been among people in this way, in such big groups.

I wasn’t used to the noises again, the sounds of their voices and screaming. Of course, I heard their voices while I shut myself away. Yet, I ignored them. They were suffering at the hands of their chosen protectors, crying for help. Why would I help those who dare declare me a terrorist, a traitor?

But I do anyway. I am the only real hero.

Maybe a few of those poor souls in the crowd will see it after this. An example is always needed to show when something needs to be fixed. They were finally beginning to understand, but I went too far too quickly. The Capitol should have been much later. The establishment of a state was too ingrained in them. Removing it will take much more than just the butchering of the real traitors. It was supposed to be my real confrontation with Whirlwind. He was always on the President’s payroll, him and a few heroes at any given moment. He never showed, though. Instead, I fought nothing. The police never bothered to go in until I left. The so-called heroes in D.C did not even try to stop me. Not even a reserve guard. The networks always disregarded that fact though. It was always a focus on me, the killer and butcher. It was never that the police let me in, the heroes didn't fight me, the President flew away an hour before I showed up.

The parade isn't moving nearly as fast as I’d like it to. Whirlwind is at the end of it, along with this other speedster he’s taken under his wing the last few years. Doesn’t matter. I’ve waited this long. I can wait just a few more minutes. All I’ll need is one. Just like at D.C.

All it took was one minute.

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

Thunder preceded my arrival to Washington. Nature was on my side, as it should be. I was the oncoming storm. This was the peak of me, my movement, my actions. Across the nation, people were questioning those who supposedly protected them. This would be my magnum opus to removing the leeches of society, toppling the decaying order. From the top-down, it would be reformed in my image. A safer image. A better one. People won’t have to see their father shot on the streets. But that was all in the future. For now, I had one goal in mind.

The President left an hour ago with an Air Force escort of multiple jets, running away with his tail in between his legs. He wasn’t my target anyway. If I had wanted him dead, he’d be dead. No, the only thing in my mind as I flew through the heavy, cold rain towards the Capitol building was a list. The white marble of the building looked grey under the overcast sky, and as I landed down onto the steps of the building, thunder struck. The entire mall was empty, the Smithsonian closed, Whitehouse silently evacuated. They knew I was coming, knew that their time was limited. Yet, curiously, when I arrived there was no one there. I could feel eyes watching me though. As I scanned the city, I counted the bodies that hid behind the walls of buildings. Shaking men in women in blue, weapons hastily drawn and pointed my way. So-called heroes, standing and facing me defiantly yet refusing to take a step. Citizens clamored around the barricades, trying to catch a glimpse of the great eradicator. The police and heroes weren’t there to stop me, or to keep me from leaving. They were there to make sure no one was stupid or suicidal enough to attempt.

It's all infected. This is the only thought I have in my mind as I ascend those marble steps. They’re all infected. Not a single good soul among them. Not a single good soul within a hundred miles of me. Misguided, led astray by those who trusted them. They thought themselves above those who would put them in power. But they were wrong. And they know they’re wrong now. As I approached the doors, I could hear the desperate banging on the locked doors. Doors locked for me. Hundreds of people, left behind so that another may save their neck. A sacrifice to me in vain attempts to stop greater bloodshed. I heard cries of terror, screaming, silent acceptance in the minds of those who understood what was going to happen.

I was not there for all of them, but they didn’t know that.

I kick the doors down into the Capitol and enter alone. My sopping wet footsteps echo an empty hall as I walk towards the chambers. Carved marble and granite floors, extravagant works of architecture. A palace in any other world. Fit for those who think they’re kings. The first step in a long revolution. I put force into every step I take towards the chambers. I let the ground shake and echo, becoming louder and louder. I hear their voices grow quiet, anticipating my arrival into their room. The House would be first. And it would be public. The cameras were no doubt rolling inside, people-watching in abject horror as I tore the door off from the wall and threw it across the room. Huddled in groups under their desks, hugging each other as if the other day they weren’t at each other's throats. Pathetic. The heat builds in my eyes as I calmly walk down the aisle. It almost seems random who I select, but I choose only the most egregious offenders. Those who have passed beyond the spot of return. I pick no side, only my own. Concentrated shots of a four thousand degrees laser make short work of traitors and an inconvenience for the janitor’s vacuum. They all scream, but none dare move. None dare look away. For they think that if they defy what is happening in any way, they too will turn to dust.

I say none, but one did try. While I am mowing down his colleagues, he attempts to run for the door, thinking I'm preoccupied. To the cameras, I don’t even move. All they see is a sudden mist of red and a smear on the once pristine white walls of the House Chambers.

After my work is done, those I deemed worthy of living still cowering in fear at my feet, I face the camera.

“People of the world, listen closely. I am the first and the last of your new masters. I am the great reset. I am the great leap forward. Everything begins and ends with me. I am everywhere, I am everyone. The world shaped me into what you see now.”

Using my speed, I dart around the world. I make it seem as if I am levitating over every major city. Every capitol. My face, my helmet is seen everywhere.

“I am the Alpha. I am on top. A new order comes from me, and me alone. Do not count on your heroes. Do not count on your villains. There is only one master. One ruler.”

Fires burn across the world, ships and cars crash, planes fall from the sky. I cause them all.

“I am the Omega.”

Escaped from a mental institution, assaulted by a man I could kill if only I had not held myself back. I would have ruled the world had they just listened to me. Yet, I was caught off guard and made a plea bargain. A streak of light and I was defenseless. Another day and it was all back, but by then I had made a plan. Which all leads back to where I am right now. I stand above a parade, waiting to enact revenge on the person who made me who I am. I should thank him, honestly. Without him, I would never have cared about the world. I would have never been born. But he still needs to die. The path to him has been bloody and unnecessary. Sure, many needed to die and were dead now. But it all meant nothing if it meant he still breathed. My failure at Washington will not be repeated. The world is infected, and I am the cure. He is the disease that awoke me. I am power defined, power controlled. There stands no one beside me, no one above. There is only below.

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

And yet, here I am.

Wait. One person could have seen me. In that moment of realization, I chuckle. I was going to have to put down another upstart. A small bump in the road in my ambition. It would be a thrill, an easy warm-up for my strength. I inhale the sharp cold air. In the bright blue sky where I floated, I mentally chastised myself for not noticing sooner. That light shouldn’t have reflected and followed me the way it did on my way over. That heat was never that bad this high up. No, It had to come from another source. And as I turned to face it, I smiled.

The parade meanders, a large affair for a large city such as Boston. Yet, I feel something off. A speedster such as himself would never wait for the back. He basks in speed, he would never sit and stay on a float. He’d be here by now. There is no way he’d be late. Unless...

No... Unless he knows. But how? The hospital has not sent any news out, I have made sure of that. I had not sensed any signal leave that building, not even internal ones. No, there is no way he could have known. [i]Could I have been seen? Impossible, I flew in the stratosphere all the way here. No one could have seen me.

Bright white and red, streaks of gold, red hair. She was new. I have only barely heard of her if only through the stories Kiara’s father has told me. In her hands were two suns, harsh things to look at. Her feet were two fireballs, propelling her to stay level with me. Her look was fierce, streaks of flame dripping off her hands like molten iron. Her eyes glowed gold. Cute. A sharp scar across her face showed this wasn’t her first rodeo. It will be her last, however.

“Sunspot, is it? I will give you one chance to leave right now. You are clean. You have done nothing wrong. Your ambition is sacred, you have a life worth living. Live it somewhere else.”

She said nothing, though I could hear her heartbeat increase. I smirked under my mask.

“I only cleanse those who need cleansing. I am not here to butcher the masses. I am not here to terrorize. You are not part of my plan, they are not part of my plan. Do not become a part of it.”

Villains had their weaknesses. Heroes theirs. Everyone had their blind spots. I don’t. There is nothing better than me.

Still, she stood next to me, defiant. The sun started to glow a little brighter, which tickled something in my mind. “Omegaman, you are under arrest. Please surrender and come with me.”

Her voice, while confident in tone and steady, betrayed her uneasiness. Had it not been so cold up here, I would have no doubt seen her sweating. Her shakiness could be written off due to altitudes, but I knew better. She was scared. She had never faced someone like me.

“I don’t want to go to another funeral in Boston because of your mistakes.”

“Or what?” I finally faced her. She couldn’t have been older than 22, yet here she was trying to take me down.

“I have killed heroes ten times better than you. Thirty times more deserving. This is your last chance to leave, Sunspot.” I lower my head behind my arms as I put them up. She mirrored me, moving her arms into a boxing stance, her legs getting ready to propel her. This was inevitable, she wanted this to happen. Might as well make it fun for me, give her one more chance to leave.

She had managed to hurt me.

In a rage of fury, she roared and threw the sun at me. I opened my palm to catch it, laughing at her outrage. Yet when it reached my hand, I stopped laughing and started to scream.

What?! My hands and arms were red and black scorched marks, my brain a frenzy with synapses of pure pain.

Oh, this was going to be fun.

[queenofspades20]

Scream - 2

Here is chapter 2 of Avengers AU of Scream for @optimistic-dinosaur-nacho spooky challenge. Planning on breaking up the rest of the story into 2 chapters.

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x Y/N Weathers; Avengers x Reader

Word count: 2.3k

Warnings: suspense, inappropriate jokes, mentions of gore 

Natasha was sitting at her desk in her room, working on an essay for her English Literature class the next day. She was putting the finishing touches, when she heard a rustling from the tree outside her window. Natasha made her way over to the window and was looking out.

“Boo!” Clint, Natasha’s boyfriend, popped up.

Natasha jumped back and let out a small scream. “Jesus, Clint. What the hell?” She smacked his arm as he climbed through the window.

A knock sounded from her bedroom door. “Natasha? Is everything ok? I heard a scream”

Natasha raced to the door before her dad, Phil, could come in. She opened the door a little to put her face in the doorway. “Yeah. Sorry. I have Deep Blue Sea on and I’m at the part where the shark jumps out and eats Samuel L. Jackson. Gets me every time.”

Phil just laughed. “The actor that looks like the dean of your college?”

“Yeah. Not that we can ever say that to Fury. I don’t think he’s a fan of getting compared like that.”

“Fair enough. Well, I also wanted to say bye before tomorrow. My flight is pretty early. Don’t forget I’ll be staying at…”

“The Hilton by the airport. I got it, Dad.”

“There’s money for food by the phone downstairs.”

“Are you going to visit that violinist while you’re there?” Natasha asked her father. He had met the woman on a business trip last month. Natasha knew that before her mother died, her parents were going through a rough patch, so Natasha wanted to see her dad happy again.

Phil blushed.  “Maybe. She and I have just been chatting. I don’t know if it’ll go anywhere.”

“That’s fine, Dad. It doesn’t have to. I’m just happy to see you put yourself out there. I guess I’ll say goodnight and have a safe flight.” Natasha moved out of her room to hug Phil. He hugged her back.

“I’ll see you on Monday. Night, Nat.”

Natasha moved back into her room and closed the door. A stuffed bear popped up from the other side of the bed. “That was close,” Clint said in a silly voice.

“What are you doing here, Clint?”

Clint got up and sat on the edge of the bed. He chuckled. “I was watching Exorcist and it made me think of you, so I decided to come over.”

“A horror movie made you think of me?” Natasha crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“When we started out, we were rated R on our way to NC-17. But these days, we seem to have a PG rating.”

Natasha thought for a moment. “With what happened to my mom last year, I’m sorry I haven’t been up for more.”

Clint started shaking his head while Natasha was talking. “I know you’ve been dealing with that. I’m not bringing it up to pressure you into anything. I just, I kind of miss where we used to be.”

Natasha sighed. “I miss where we used to be too. I just need time.”

“I get it. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Now, you need to get out of here in case my dad hears you. I don’t need him kicking your butt.”

Clint climbed out of the window but leaned his face in. He puckered his lips. Natasha smiled and rolled her eyes. She moved close to him and they shared a soft kiss.

“Hey, Clint. Would you settle for a PG-13 relationship?”

“What’s a PG…” Clint started. Natasha lifted up her sleep shirt to flash him. Clint stared at her for a moment. Natasha lowered her shirt and laughed. “You’re dangerous, Nat.”

“Love you,” Natasha responded.

“I love you, too.”

After Clint left, Natasha finished her essay, shut off her laptop, and went to bed.

When Natasha approached the campus the next morning, there were dozens of police cars with their lights flashing all over the parking lot. There were reporters everywhere. “The brutal murder of Sharon Carter and Steve Rogers…” “The worst crime since the murder of Maria Coulson almost one year ago…” Natasha could hear random sentences from the reporters.

Wanda Maximoff ran up to Natasha. “Hey, did you see the post on Shieldbook last night?”

Natasha looked her best friend. “No. I had the essay for Lit to finish and just went to bed. I didn’t look at any social media last night.”

“Sharon Carter and Steve Rogers were murdered last night. Sharon’s body was hanging from a tree. The killer took a picture and posted it to Shieldbook.”

Natasha ran her hand along her face. “Oh my God. Sharon sits next to me in Lit.”

“Well, not any more. Anyways, not only was the picture posted on Shieldbook, her aunt Peggy is the one that found the bodies.”

“That poor woman.”

The girls made their way towards the front entrance to the school.

“Natasha! Natasha!” yelled a voice from about 20 feet away. Y/F/N Weathers ran up towards Natasha.

“Oh no.” Natasha hated the reporter. Y/F/N Weathers covered her mother’s murder a year ago. Weathers argued that the person charged, Bruce Banner, was innocent. She tried to argue that Natasha was a liar and was crazy. Natasha was certain that the person she saw leaving that night was Bruce. She was even able to identify the jacket, which had her mother’s blood all over it.

“Natasha, what are your thoughts on the murders that happened last night?” Y/N asked, hold a microphone towards Natasha.

“No comment.”

“Do you think they’re related to your mother’s murder?”

It took everything Natasha had in her to not punch Y/N. Wanda jumped in, “What the hell is your problem, bitch?”

Natasha grabbed her friend’s arm and led her away. “Not the time, Wan. She’s not worth it.”

“She deserve a major punch for the shit she’s put you through. You saw Bruce Banner leaving that night. And she keeps trying to drag you through the mud.”

“I know! I know! I’m not saying she doesn’t deserve it. I just don’t want more attention on me than what’s going to already be on me. Let’s just get to class.”

The girls made their way to their class. Natasha couldn’t stop staring at the seat next to her that was usually filled with Sharon. They weren’t the closest of friends, but they would often pass notes in class. As Natasha was lost in thought, an officer came into the room and passed a note to the professor.

“Natasha?” Natasha looked up at her professor. “It would appear it’s your turn.”

Natasha grabbed her bag and walked to the dean’s office.

“Who’s next?” Dean Fury asked.

“Um, Natasha Romanoff,” Deputy James Barnes said, looking at the list.

“Isn’t she the daughter of…” one of the deputies started to ask, when Natasha walked in.

“Have a seat, Ms. Romanoff-Coulson,” Dean Fury said, gesturing to the seat.

“Thanks. Hi Bucky.”

“Hi Nat. It’s Deputy Barnes today though.”

Natasha looked down at her hands. “Sorry.”

Dean Fury decided to take the lead on the questioning. “So Ms. Romanoff-Coulson, how well did you know Sharon or Steve?”

Natasha thought about it for a moment. “Sharon and I had a few classes together. I knew Steve through a few other classes. We didn’t really hang out outside of school; we just ran in different circles and were involved in different activities, so we just weren’t close.”

Bucky jotted down her answer. “Natasha, were you aware of anyone have a problem with either of them?”

“No. They were two of the nicest people. I can’t figure out why anyone would go after them.”

“Okay. Thanks. That’s all the questions I have for you,” Bucky said as he checked off something on his paper.

Natasha left the office. By that time, classes were over for the morning. She went to the courtyard by the student union, where Wanda, Clint, Wanda’s boyfriend, Thor, and Thor’s brother, Loki, were all sitting. They were discussing the murders and everything else that was going on.

“I wonder who did it,” Wanda said as she took a bite of her sandwich. “I saw that picture on Shieldbook. She was gutted. I can’t imagine how wrecked seeing that made her aunt.”

Loki leaned over Thor’s shoulder, “didn’t she turn you down for a date, Thor?”

Wanda looked at her boyfriend. “You told me you turned her down for me.”

Thor looked at his brother and then turned back to Wanda. “He’s lying, love. You know how he likes to stir up trouble.”

“How could anyone do that?” Natasha wondered aloud. Clint put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.

“I heard they found her liver in the mailbox.” Loki said with a sneer.

“Just liver alone,” Thor said with a laugh. “Get it? LIVER alone?”

Natasha jumped to her feet and stormed off. Clint looked at the brothers. “Nice going guys.”

Loki looked at him with faux innocence. “What?”

Later that afternoon, Natasha was home and clearing up before Wanda got there. She held her phone between her shoulder and ear. “You sure you don’t mind staying over?”

“Of course not,” Wanda said. “It’ll be a fun sleepover weekend. I’m going to stop by the liquor store for provisions. Anything specific you want?”

“Nah. I’m good with anything. Just try to get here before dark. These murders have everyone spooked.”

After they hung up, Natasha decided to take a short nap in her room before Wanda got there. About two hours later, she awoke with a start. She looked at her phone and saw how much time had passed. She sent a text to Wanda to see where she was. As she was walking towards downstairs, her phone went off.

Natasha answered without looking at the screen. “Wanda, when are you going to get here?”

“Hello, Natasha,” a voice said. Natasha was unable to tell if it was male or female.

“I’m sorry. I’m waiting on a friend. Who is this?”

“You tell me.”

“Well I have no idea.”

“Scary night, isn’t it? With the murders and all, it’s like something out of a scary movie, huh?”

“Loki, you’re giving yourself away. Are you calling from work? Wanda is on her way to pick some stuff up.”

“Do you like scary movies, Natasha?”

“I like that thing you’re doing with your voice, Loki. It’s sexy.”

“What’s your favorite scary movie?”

“Oh come on, you know I don’t watch that shit.”

“What’s the matter? Too scary for you?” The voice had a playful tone to it.

“No. It’s just, what’s the point? The killer is stalking some big-breasted girl who can’t act, chasing her up the stairs when she should be running out the front door. It’s insulting.”

“Are you. . . alone in the house?”

“Loki, that’s so unoriginal. I’m so disappointed in you.”

“Well, maybe that’s because I’m not Loki.”

Natasha started to look around. “So, who are you?”

“The question isn’t ‘who am I’ but rather ‘where am I’?”

“So, where are you?”

“Your front porch.”

Natasha felt her heart drop. She walked to the door. “My porch huh? Well, I call your bluff.” Natasha opened the door and walked out onto the porch. She looked around but didn’t see anyone. “So, where are you?”

“Right here.”

Natasha still couldn’t see anyone. After looking for a few moments, she held the phone back up to her ear. “Can you see me right now?”

“Uh huh.”

“Oh really? So, what am I doing right now?” Natasha stuck her finger up her nose and started to turn around. “What am I doing? Hello?” she yelled into the phone.

There was no answer from the mysterious caller.

“That’s what I thought. Tell Wanda to hurry up. Okay? Bye now.”

As Natasha went to hang up, the voice called out, “if you hang up on me, you’ll die just like your mother! Do you want to die, Natasha? Your mother sure didn’t,” the voice taunted.

“Fuck you, you asshole.” Natasha ran back into the house and locked the door, including sliding the chain into place. As she backed away from the door, the hall closet flew open and a figure dressed in a black cloak with a white face jumped out, a knife in its raised hand. The figure slammed her body against the door. As Natasha fell to the ground, she swept the attacker’s feet out from under them and they fell to the ground. She kicked them in the face and got up.

Natasha tried to open the door, but in her haste, she forgot to undo the chain. She yanked the door open but was stopped short by the chain. The attacker got up and lunged at her again. Natasha barely managed to get away and she ran up the stairs to her bedroom. The attacker was close behind her. She ran into her bedroom and slammed the door closed. She locked the door and then opened her closet door, so that if her door opened, it would block the other door from opening all the way. As she backed away, the attacker threw their body against the door. The lock gave way but the other door prevented her door from opening all the way. The attacker pushed their arm through the small opening, waving the knife around.

Natasha was glad that her dad insisted on keeping a landline for the house and she picked up the receiver to call 911. As the call was going through, the attacker disappeared from the door. All of a sudden, BAM. Clint jumped at the open window and started to climb in. Natasha ran to her boyfriend and helped him get through the window. “Oh thank God.”

“Nat, what’s going on? The door was locked and I heard screaming.”

“There’s a killer in the house. He’s in the house.”

“He’s gone, Nat. It’s okay,” Clint soothed.

As Natasha hugged Clint, a thud resounded through the room. Natasha looked down to see a cellphone on the floor. Natasha backed away from Clint.

“Nat, what’s wrong?”

Natasha opened her doors and ran down the staircase, Clint running behind her. “Nat, wait!”

Natasha opened the door and came face with the mask of her attacker. She let out a scream.

[reylsei]

|| Dusted Shadows, pt. 3, Final || (A Short Dustberry Story)

He was tired by the time he stumbled out onto the highway. He could only assume this was what the road was, anyway. On the other side there were just more trees. More dark forest. But the sun had come up now, and he could see a whole lot better. Dust turned to look at one end of the road, and then look the other way. There was a sign facing away from him, so he followed to road until he was standing in front of it. “Wismerril Valley, 13 miles” the sign read. Dust groaned and began walking along the side of the road.

The trees lining the road provided shade, so Dust wasn’t hot while he walked. Though, the place that he was at wasn’t warm at all. Next month it would start snowing. He nodded to himself and muttered things that didn’t really matter.

“Next month, next month, snow, Christmas…” Dust went on like this for some time. He could remember the first time he had spent Christmas with the others. And while they had been out in the backyard, a white blanket of snow over the ground, Dust had learned what a snowball fight was. He had a sort of sense for what it was back in his AU, but never really took part in one. He remembered Blue grabbing his wrist, excitedly saying things too fast for him to follow as he pulled him along behind a fort of snow.

He knew it would happen again this year, Blue grabbing him and pulling him along everywhere. He would probably attempt to put a headband with antlers on his skull again. And Dust would let him, of course, because he knew he didn’t even deserve to be there.

Skylar always called the other girls over, so she wouldn’t be the only female in a room of male skeletons. It would be her, Elise, Fae, Lynn, Annie, Alex, and Siliphy. As for the skeletons, there was Dust, Blue, Killer, Horror, Dream, Nightmare, Cross, Ink, Error, and Lust. Sometimes others joined, but this small group was always there no matter what.

Dust remembered the first year with the tree. That little accident with the star for the top. Lynn and Elise had been telling Horror he was too short, couldn’t reach, he was going to break it. Of course Horror broke it. It slipped from his hands, and hit the floor, sending silver-gold shards skidding across the tile. Skylar had kicked everyone out of the house until she could clean it.

Dust looked up from his muttering and flashbacks to find that the trees were more spaced out. The road seemed a little wider and he could see a faint sign with resting stops. He walked a little faster, knowing he could possibly borrow a phone from someone. His had died a while back, before he had fallen into the clearing. He could still remember those faces, the faces of the Darkened. They came from an AU that couldn’t be accessed by anyone, and spread around to different AUs at random like a virus.

They had chased him, and he had ran and randomly teleported so much he had gotten lost, and he knew he was way too far from home to teleport back.

One of the lanes of the road broke off and went in another direction. Dust followed that one. His fingers began to trace the crack on his skull again. The Darkened hadn’t done that to him. He’d done it to himself. Over-usage of his magic, that was the cause. Now the gash in his shoulder, that had been the Darkened. He could feel the dried blood and slight pain as he moved, though the injury wasn’t too deep. If it had been deep, he would be in trouble. He could have been infected. Dust couldn’t remember the name of the AU that those things came from.

He looked up to see a small gas station. Past that there was a Walmart, then another store, and another… He had managed to find a town, now he needed a phone. He stopped for a moment and stared at the gas station, not too far from the car lot. He tugged his hood down over the crack and continued forward. He wasn’t sure about how people would react to his shoulder, and he could only hope there wouldn’t be too many people inside.

Dust pushed the door open and stepped inside. He walked up to the counter, a male teenage human with a dark curly mess for hair. The guy stared at Dust with the most confused and almost terrified expression he had seen yet.

“Phone?” Dust asked, almost too quiet for the other to hear. The register had a little torn nametag that read “Dav-” with the rest torn off. “Dav” stared for a moment before turning and pushing his own phone to Dust. There was that connection Dust managed to make. This person couldn’t let him use the business phone, so he had to use his personal one. Dust nodded a little in silent thanks. He put in Skylar’s number and waited.

“Hello?” Skylar’s voice came from the other end. Dust let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. He had been afraid Skylar wouldn’t answer.

“Uh, hey Skylar. It’s me, Dust. I’m using someone else’s phone-“ He was cut off by Skylar.

“Where did you go?!” He told her he had no idea. Her question had been so loud Dav looked up with an “Oh, that’s what you have to deal with” expression.

“Where are you now?” Skylar asked him. Dust looked over at Dav. Dav held his hand out, gesturing for the phone. Dust gave it to him. He told Skylar the address. Skylar said something Dust couldn’t hear and then the call ended.

It was silent for a bit while Dust waited. Soon a small conversation started, and Dust learned that his actual name was David, not Dav. Dust refused to speak much, but he would still respond to questions. David kept looking over at his shoulder but said nothing.

Skylar came running in and practically flung herself at Dust. She immediately began scolding him for running off and making everyone else worry. He followed her out the door, but before he let it shut, he turned back to give a small wave to David. He waved back.

Dust leaned against the car window, watching trees and buildings pass by. Things began to blur as he fell asleep.

* * *

Skylar walked in and both Blue and Nightmare looked up from what they were doing. Blue had been knitting a ridiculously long scarf and Nightmare was reading. She gestured for Nightmare to follow her. He sighed in slight annoyance but stood up to follow.

Blue watched them both walk out before looking down at his scarf. It was red and purple, two odd colors that he wasn’t too sure went together. They reminded him of Dust. And speaking of Dust, he had gone missing. The others, including himself, had all gone out to look for him. When Blue and Skylar had gotten home from their shopping trip the others immediately notified them of Dust’s absence.

Blue was quietly continuing the scarf, suddenly unhappy that these colors matched Dust. Skylar and Nightmare walked in, but he didn’t look up. Skylar came up to him and lifted his skull so he was looking up at Nightmare. In one of his tentacles he held Dust. Blue jumped up and Nightmare handed the sleeping skeleton to him.

Blue sat back down on the couch, now with Dust’s skull in his lap. He had laid Dust across the couch so he could continue sleeping. He continued his knitting, only pausing to look over at the colorfully wrapped box he had done a few hours ago. A little tag hung off the side of the large purple ribbon that sat on top. It only had one word written on it, and it was “Dust.”

[writemywaytoyourheart]

Onrsa- Chapter 5: Lost and Not So Found

pairing: vampire!jungkook x female reader

genre: angst, horror, drama, romance

word count: 1.5k

warnings for this chapter: noooone yet

Enjoy~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It’s been a week since the last body was found.

If anything, the amount of time and no word from the killer has made the pit of anxiety in your stomach worse than it was a week ago. It seems almost like the murders never happened, like someone made up a scary story and all that’s left is the absence of four innocent people that you don’t even know. The air feels different and everyone can sense the emptiness that the poor victims left behind when their lives were unfairly taken.

You and Ga-In haven’t gone out at night since laundry day and going anywhere alone (even in the daytime) is breaking the unspoken rule between you two. You’re pretty sure she’s sick of you by now after being cooped up in the tiny apartment together for seven days in a row.

You drag your feet across the ground on your way through campus, a sluggishness in the air as everyone else seems to be lagging today as well. Some unspoken feeling in the air that there’s no reason to rush, but also a hint of underlying anxiety.

Something is off.

But, no one knows what it is.

You reach the cafeteria and numbly grab a tray, noting that the usual hum and buzz of casual conversation has dimmed considerably. You turn to scan the room and go over it twice, anxiety becoming a pit in your stomach when you don’t see Ga-In at your usual table.

In fact, she isn’t here at all.

You aren’t going to let yourself panic, she’s probably just being a slowpoke coming from her Biology class.

Although, she’s usually here way before you. The only other time she wasn’t was when she was sick at home with the flu.

No, don’t panic unless you have a reason to panic.

You make your way through the people that are all huddling together and whispering, but you really couldn’t care less about their stupid gossip. All you want is for Ga-In to come strutting through those cafeteria doors like the model she is, you’d feel a lot better if she did.

You sit and start unwrapping the silverware to eat your salad when some random boy plops himself down next to you and shoves his phone in your face.

“What the fu-”

“Have you heard the news?” He interrupts your exclamation of surprise and you just stare at him in confusion.

“I- what?” You have no idea who this kid is, let alone why the heck he’s talking to you right now, but when he says ‘have you heard the news’, your stomach twists for the nth time today.

This boy just continues as if it’s the most normal thing in the world, and you two have been best friends for years. “There’s a missing person case now.”

Your heart drops to your feet and your throat constricts painfully, “a- a what?” You stand up shakily even as you’re speaking. You can barely hear his response while grabbing your backpack, your head swimming and screaming at you to run and find her.

She’s fine. You saw her just this morning, you were in math class with her not even four hours ago. She can’t possibly be the one missing.

You keep repeating this mantra in your head, blocking out the kid that keeps talking about……whatever the heck it is he’s saying now. You bow to him and excuse yourself, slipping away and speed walking out of the room that’s now getting louder as people spread the word of the unfortunate soul who must’ve been the next target.

~

You step outside of the building and hold your hand up to cover your eyes from the bright sun; a few students are walking around campus, carrying book bags and chattering away without a single worry except what to eat for lunch, or that paper Mrs. Jong insists is due tomorrow, even though last week she definitely said Friday.

And you really, really don’t care. 

You run as fast as you can to the science building, flinging the door open and scaring a few students when you fly past them. Ga-In’s class is in room 502, so you hurry along the hall; eyes frantically scanning the numbers on the doors. You eventually find the right room and stop short; grabbing the handle and yanking the door open, you see a full classroom of about a hundred pairs of eyes staring at you.

Oh.

This is awkward.

The professor turns to look at you and you scurry inside to his miniature podium, “I- I’m really sorry, but I was just wondering if Kang Ga-In was still here.” The man smiles gently at you and shakes his head, “I’m sorry little lady, she left almost an hour ago after my last class.” You nod and bow, whispering a thank you and another apology for barging into his class, before you hurry out the door and close it quietly behind you.

Now what? What on earth are you supposed to do?

You try to close your eyes and keep a straight head but every time you let your mind wander, you see Ga-In dead in a ditch with two holes tainting her beautiful body and no answer as to who, how, or why.

You need to find her. You can’t just stand here.

At that thought, you take off running out of the science building and back outside where people are now swarming the sidewalks and the randomly placed grassy patches. You spin around, looking in all directions, wracking your mind for any place she might have gone. Someone across the campus grounds watches you quietly, but your mind is racing so fast you don’t even notice them. 

Where could she be?

Where could she be?

WHERE ON EARTH IS SHE?

By now you’re almost in tears.

A second later you jump about ten feet in the air when you feel a hand grab your shoulder. You fling around and position yourself as though you’re about to karate chop the heck out of the assaulter, before you see who it is.  

“y-y/n?”

“Seungwook?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” He smiles and laughs at the position you’re currently in, “what are you doing?” You sit there and blink blankly for a moment before straightening up and miming dusting your arms off, “I’m, uh, just looking for Ga-In. You haven’t seen her by any chance?”

Seungwook looks thoughtful for a moment then nods, “actually, I have. She was walking into the dance building when I passed by a couple minutes ago.” Your heart soars and you grab his hand, bowing over and over again.

“Thank you! Oh my gosh, thank you Seungwook, you’re an angel! I have to go, I’m sorry!” He laughs at your antics and watches with an amused smile when you dart away towards the building he mentioned.

You hurry into the dance building and see Ga-In through one of the windows in a dance room, she’s putting some shoes on and tying them. You throw the door open and run inside; wrapping your arms around her waist and holding on tightly.

“y/n? What’s the matter? What are you doing?” Your surprise attack knocked her a bit off balance but she managed to catch herself. The relief in you is almost suffocating, but then a tiny blossom of anger and betrayal sparks into a flame and you pull away with a scowl on your face.

“What’s the matter with you, Ga-In?? You scared me!” She looks totally confused as you cross your arms angrily in front of her. “Why- how did I scare you?” You scoff and throw your backpack in a corner of the room before turning on her again, “I thought you were kidnapped! There’s a missing person case, and you don’t show up to lunch and your professor hadn’t seen you since class ended!”

Ga-In looks guiltily at you and shrugs, “I sent you a text that said I wasn’t going to be going to lunch today. I thought you got it. I’m sorry y/n….” You huff, the anger already leaving your system at her stupid puppy dog eyes.

“Well, I never got the text. What are you even doing anyway?” She looks down shyly and shakes her head, “nothing.”

“No, no. Tell me~” You whine and pull on her sleeves, knowing when you do this it always makes her laugh. “Ok, ok! Let go of me, silly.” You smile and let go immediately, plopping yourself on the ground and waiting for her explanation.

“I needed a mirror so I could practice my….. -del -alk…”

“You what?” She mumbled the last part and you lean closer to hear her better. “I needed a mirror to practice my- my model…-walk.” Your chest warms at her confession and you hug her long legs, “Ga-In! I’m so excited for you! So, you decided to pursue it?” She nods slightly and you reach out to high-five her- which she responds to by gently tapping your outstretched hand.

What a cutie-

“Wait.”

“Hm?” You look up at her sudden question and the nerves immediately come back at her next words, “what was that about a missing person?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

a/n: y’all are in for a twist in the next chapter ;) thanks for sticking with me! I promise Kookie will show up soon, I really do. I just have to get the leading up to stuff over with

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 254: Who the Hell Is Bucky

Previously on BnHA: All Might welcomed 1-A back after the new year with a pun he’s probably been working on for the entire winter break, the poor man. Aizawa received a call :’) and drove down to Tartarus with Mic to meet up with Naomasa and Gran Torino. Nao and Gran were all “so you’ll NEVER GUESS, but we found out that Kurogiri’s quirk is apparently a FAKE QUIRK which was created from a bunch of other quirks -- AND GUESS WHICH ONE WAS THE ORIGINAL QUIRK?” and Aizawa was all (ಠ ∩ಠ), and Mic put a hand on his shoulder, and Nao was all “YEAH YOU DID GUESS, IT’S YOUR OLD DEAD PAL SHIRAKUMO, FROM CHAPTERS 59 THROUGH 65 OF VIGILANTES!” And okay, so (1) OH MY GOD, and (2) I originally thought this meant that Kurogiri is straight up a zombie!Shirakumo, but others pointed out that he might be some random other dude who just has Kumo’s quirk, among others. And like, okay. SO WHAT IS THE TRUTH.

Today on BnHA: Y’ALL HE REALLY IS A ZOMBIE!KUMO, AND NAOMASA AND GRAN BROUGHT AIZAWA AND MIC TO TALK TO HIM AND TRY TO RESTORE HIS MEMORIES SOMEHOW. Aizawa is all “this isn’t some fantasy world with happy endings, this is THE REAL WORLD WHERE MIRACLES DON’T HAPPEN!” but Gran is all “sometimes they do!” and Aizawa is like “!!” and so they sit down to chat with Kumo. Aizawa launches into a passionate speech about how great Kumo was and how he pulled him along and inspired him, and how he (Aizawa) is strict with his students now and -- get this -- FAKE-EXPELS THEM IN ORDER TO PUT THE FEAR OF GOD INTO THEM JUST ONCE LMAO, BUT IT’S BECAUSE HE CARES, and because he wants them to be great heroes and not hapless redshirts who get killed offscreen. And by the end of it he’s crying and imploring Shirakumo -- “if you’re still in there somewhere” -- to become heroes with him and Mic just like they always wanted. All of it is exactly as emotionally devastating as you would figure, btw.

you guys I have been playing hopscotch on my dash since yesterday trying to avoid spoilers about the popularity poll until I actually had time to write down my reactions! all I know is that of course Bakugou is #1 again, because this fandom always comes through lol. my other predictions are that the rest of the trio will receive lots of love again as well, and Hawks will once again be high on the list, and Aizawa too because of the Vigilantes flashbacks (at least HE BETTER), and probably the villains will get a big boost as well after their arc, Tomura in particular. and Endeavor might break the top 10 again too with the newest arc, although I can’t quite remember whether or not the poll was still going on by the time that started (ETA: actually I don’t think it was). but yeah. anyway so there’s a real possibility that most of the kids will actually be shut out of the top ranks because of these GROWN-UPS and VILLAINS stealing all their glory, smh. your time will come, kids

“more than anyone, you were a hero” oh is this chapter going to play with my feelings yet again. is this just going to happen every fucking week now. okay

HELL YEAH MY BOYS ON THE COVER

@unboundednamelessfuture, to answer your ask about whether I’m planning on watching Heroes Rising, the answer is a resounding YES, POSSIBLY EVEN MULTIPLE TIMES IN THEATERS IF I CAN SWING IT, because I’m pretty sure it’s actually just going to be All My Dreams Come True: The Movie. and yes I have seen some spoilers for it, although I’m not clear on whether or not they’re actual spoilers or just rumors. so because of that I won’t post my thoughts just yet, except to say that if it is true, see above re: All My Dreams Come True: The Movie, and also add a bunch more exclamation points at the end of the title omfg

anyway so my sons are famous now. they’re in Hollywood. good for them

AND NOW THE POLLLLLLLL YES

oh shit, I heard about “Deku & Bakugou Rising”, but is that out this week?? shit I’ll have to do a separate post if that’s the case. I’m assuming it’s more of a bonus chapter than an actual spinoff, kind of like the All Might chapter we got for the last movie. either way, to say I’m hyped would be a massive understatement, needless to say

(ETA: okay so I’ve seen Korean scanlations of this -- which I didn’t look at closely because spoilers -- but no English scans yet. so stay tuned!)

so I was wrong about the kids being shooed out of the top 10! I have never been so pleased to be wrong! so we have Kacchan at #1 (I love his face so much. ghlkhf), Deku at #2 (he beat Shouto this year! good for you!!), Shouto at #3 (wouldn’t be surprised if he and Deku were neck and neck again though), Kirishima at #4 (we stan one bright ray of sunshine), Iida at #5 (YOU DESERVE IT SO MUCH SWEETHEART. I’M SO GLAD FANDOM ISN’T SLEEPING ON THE ACTUAL BEST CHARACTER IN THE SERIES), Tomura at #6 (DID YOU NOT GET THE MEMO ABOUT WEARING A NUMBER ON YOUR OUTFIT? MAKING ME FIGURE IT OUT FROM THE PROCESS OF ELIMINATION IS A REAL BASTARD MOVE. THEY SHOULD HAVE PUT YOU AT #8 TO MATCH YOUR CURRENT NUMBER OF FINGERS YOU STUPID SEXY JERK), Aizawa at #7 (THANK YOU FANDOM, YOU’VE REDEEMED YOURSELVES FROM LAST YEAR), Ochako at #8 (I LOVE YOUUUU), Toga at #9 (LADIES!!!!!!), and Momo at #10 (YES GIRRRRRL)

I think this is the strongest showing of ladies yet in the top ten (ETA: actually no, the second poll was slightly better) and I’m all about it. also can they all please keep these costume upgrades because YES. I don’t care if Horikoshi would get sick of drawing them. THAT’S WHAT ASSISTANTS ARE FOR. KATSUKI HAS A FUCKING BULLET BANDOLIER, COME ON, YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS JUST A ONE TIME THING YOU ASSCLOWNS, THIS IS FOR THE PEOPLE

lol here’s the abridged version of the Shirakumo flashbacks, I guess. everyone was saying last week how Vigilantes was now required reading, and like, I get that everyone’s excited about the crossover, but they still have to make this comprehensible for people who only read the main series. I’m guessing we’ll get the short version here, but Vigilantes gets to provide the more in-depth story for people who want to know more about everything, which is more or less what Vigilantes’s role has been in general

anyway so here’s Kumo doing his usual Naruto impression and cheerfully dooming himself by being ceaselessly optimistic and tempting fate’s sense of irony

you sure can! just so long as that crisis doesn’t involve big, heavy rocks, or gravity. I’m sorry kiddo

“‘let’s all form an agency together.’ it happened just after he said those words.” well there you have it, the BnHA equivalent of “one week left till my retirement.” hero training should really include a mandatory course titled Death Flags: The Silent Killers. there are children’s lives at stake here

lol yeah this really is abridged

“once upon a time we all wanted to be heroes and then Shirakumo got crushed by some rocks the end.” yeah, so maybe not quite the full emotional impact of the original lol

OH SHIT SON

so it is his reanimated corpse, then! which means the potential for him somehow dramatically regaining his memories is very high. since this is a shounen manga, I’m gonna go ahead and put it at... 100%. is that too low

guys I don’t know what to do when Present Mic is making faces like this

when even the Comic Relief Guy is getting all traumatized and serious, you know it’s bad. sob who will I turn to now for comfort. Horikoshi’s really just gonna go full dark no stars here and leave me just stumbling around lost

OH IF IT ISN’T THE ORIGINAL PIECE OF SHIT HIMSELF!!

yeah it makes perfect sense actually, you bastard. you steal the bodies from the crematorium and then give the families fake ashes or something. holy shit you really will not stop until you find the lowest possible level to stoop to, and then grab a fucking shovel and start digging so as to GO DOWN EVEN LOWER. just. god everything about this is just so wrong

oh btw, now seems like a good time to bring up this ask I got last week!

anon you blew my mind, just so you know. you’re absolutely right. so that’s one mystery down! though the way that this is going, I’m not so sure I’m gonna like any of the other answers that the Noumu arc is gonna provide us sob

holy shit look at this fucking simile

dead children = leftovers. sure why not. just in case we all forgot how evil he is

and also, YEAH BUDDY THAT’S WHAT I JUST FUCKING SAID, PLEASE KEEP UP. and who even knows how many other times AFO has done this. I hope they’ve started investigating crematoriums, then. I’m just waiting for them to make some connection that leads to them finally finding out about Ujiko, but that might take a while still

(ETA: although if they actually can get Kumo to talk...)

and did he really just solemnly call Mic “DJ” because omfg. Gran, are you the comic relief. do you even know. are you even aware

oh hey look another dagger to my heart

ouch. that was cold. and... not necessarily true, though, is it? because he was kind enough to Tomura. idk, I know my villain mom has done some horrible things, but you’ll be hard pressed to get me to think of him as all bad, even so. he was the one keeping Tomura from going FULLASS MURDER MODE!! for a long time

HEY WHAT THE FUCK KIND OF COP-OUT IS THIS

well then WHY DID YOU EVEN BRING THEM IN HERE! DID THEY NOT SEEM TRAUMATIZED ENOUGH TO YOU?? “well idk they seem pretty shaken up already, but just to make sure they grasp the full repugnant horror of the situation why don’t we make them visit him face to face.” OKAY THEN YOU SADISTS

son of a bitch and speaking of twisting the knife, Horikoshi keeps showing us these increasingly wrecked glimpses of Aizawa lowkey falling apart and I can’t

at this point the shadows under his eyes have their own shadows. and god dude, I know you’re rational, but it’s really hard to watch you just outright dismiss any and all possibilities of hope just like that :(

what the fuck Gran

so you really are the one in this scene who’s trying to lift everyone’s spirits now. well all right then, just what are you alluding to

OH SNAP

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD NOUMU BACKSTORY AT LAST! jesus christ, do Nao and Gran just know everything already, and they’ve just been keeping it all to themselves for the hell of it?? how long before they casually swing by U.A. and are all “oh and by the way, the traitor is...”

ANOTHER AIZAWA FACE BUT THIS ONE IS SOFT OH GOD!!

HEY WHAT’S UP I’M GONNA CRY. SOMEONE TURN ON SOME SAD MUSIC. AND I WON’T GO, AND I WON’T SLEEP, AND I CAN’T BREATHE, UNTIL YOU’RE RESTING HERE WITH ME

AND I WON’T LEAVE, I CAN’T HIDE, I CANNOT BEEEEEEEE

hey Nao. you know what really would have helped with getting him to talk. NOT KNOCKING HIM UNCONSCIOUS. ??? move over do you need someone else to do your job for you or

-- OH THEY’RE TALKING TO HIM NOW LMAO OKAY

“go ahead and do your thing guys. don’t be afraid to make it real gay”

this would be even more dramatic if Kurogiri actually had a face. but even so... OH I AM WHAT I AM. I’LL DO WHAT I WANT. BUT IIIIIIII CAN’T HIIIIDE

oh my fucking god Aizawa is all “but what about his family?” and Naomasa is literally “if you two are unsuccessful, then...” like straight up acknowledging that the three of them were so fucking gay in high school that their odds of getting through to Kumogiri are stronger than that of his OWN FUCKING FAMILY. wow

chin up my sexy man. you got this

OH SHIT AHHHHHHH

LDSKFHL EASY THERE CHAMP, THAT’S TOO MUCH SEX TO BE CONTAINED IN A SINGLE PANEL, PLEASE TRY AND DO ME A FAVOR AND FUCKING HOLD IT TOGETHER HERE FOR THE KIDS WHO ARE READING THIS!! [frantically googles ‘can a shounen manga get you pregnant’]

so Aizawa is all “I’ll be damned if I let his family hear this sickening story” and like, I’m sure he means that in a “they don’t deserve that pain” kind of noble and principled way, but if it were my child I sure would want to know regardless. and aren’t they going to find out either way?? either you do get through to him, in which case obviously you would want the family to know “HEY, GOOD NEWS!”, or you don’t manage it and Nao has to call them anyway as we just established. but you go ahead and get all fired up then, Shouta

now there’s a panel of him staring at Kumo and Kumo is just a big shapeless blob of black smoke just sitting there lol. don’t tell me he’s still unconscious?!

oh

thank you

anyway so Aizawa, did you know that while you were off being an underground hero, Kumo was studying at Oxford to get his medical degree while bartending on nights and weekends to make ends meet. the two of you have so much to catch up about

Mic’s thinking that even with Aizawa using his quirk, the fog isn’t dissipating, so it means Kumo’s body is now made up of fog. well but then what about the metal neck thingy! huh??

and Mic’s opening his big mouth to complain that Kurogiri is far too polite and classically educated to really be their old pal, but before he can finish, Kumo is interrupting to ask about his son!!

he’s. uh. I guess you could call it “well”? maybe a little too well [marge simpson noises]

well Mic is clearly back to being the comic relief here. but Aizawa is keenly spotting those mom instincts that have remained in Kumo to this day!

yes Aizawa the core of your friend is still in there deep down!

OH MY GOD

LMAOOOO. “EMO PUNK... WHERE HAVE I HEARD THAT BEFORE -- !!” [AUDIBLY GASPS AND LOOKS DIRECTLY AT AIZAWA]

oh my lord. like, I don’t think this is actually meant to be funny, but just the fact that he immediately associates “emo” with AIZAWA FUCKING SHOUTA so strongly that it makes him go (•̪ o •̪) all knowingly has me fucking deceased right now good grief

so Kumo says he doesn’t resent his mission at all. some people like looking after emo punks, Mic. you should know

AND NOW MY FEELINGS ARE BEING TOYED WITH AGAIN!! JUST STRAIGHT UP OUT IN THE OPEN!! THIS ISN’T FAIR

heh. don’t mind me I’m just looking for some sort of emotional support to cling to here for my breakdown that’s about to happen about 0.2 seconds after Aizawa starts crying, if he indeed starts to cry. which it looks like he might. oh god I’m not ready for this at all. my hatches are not even remotely battened; my shutters are just gonna go flying right the fuck off

by the way what the fuck is up with the chairs at Tartarus. why do they look like swiss cheese

hmm, Nao and Torino are all “no reaction”, but to me it looks like there clearly is a reaction, though? he can’t even look Aizawa in the eye all of a sudden. it’s clearly getting to him. Nao seriously, do you need someone else to do your job

oh Aizawa

(ETA: Kumo really first-named Aizawa two seconds after meeting him. this man knows how to adopt his introverts.)

okay but Present Mic in a summer uniform is the most punchable version yet, SORRY I JUST HAD TO SAY IT I’M SORRY MIC I LOVE YOU. it was just gonna come bursting up out of me if I didn’t

anyway so Aizawa is gaying it up just as promised

him using his quirk is definitely making the scene more intense, but I’m not really sure why he actually is using it, since we’ve established it’s not having any effect. unless he’s trying to possibly undo some of the brainwashing somehow??

(ETA: so it occurred to me that just because his quirk isn’t dissolving Kumo’s mist body doesn’t mean that it’s not having an effect on his warp abilities. this way they can interrogate him without fear of him trying to use it and them having to knock him out again.)

so Kumo’s continuing to try and play it off all smooth while Aizawa unleashes the full force of fifteen years of pent up grief and trauma!

starting to think Aizawa never did go to therapy after that whole thing. typical U.A. “so you saw your best friend die suddenly and violently right before your eyes and subsequently suppressed it and hallucinated his voice talking to you to avoid facing that reality, huh? eh, you’ll be fine”

oh no a close-up of Aizawa that doesn’t show his face completely. this kind of thing never ends well

BECAUSE HE DOESN’T WANT THEM TO END UP LIKE YOU [sobs forever]

wait are we really going to talk about this?? omg

wait what. so do you mean to tell me he expelled them but then continued to guide them afterwards so they would have long, happy and healthy careers but more importantly would be safe omfg I’m not fucking ready for this shit

we’re cutting to U.A.’s class 2-A! Aizawa’s former class? does that mean he literally expelled EVERY SINGLE ONE of his students last year omg

so then. does every single standout characteristic of the Aizawa we know and love stem from his tragic past and his relationship with this boy then, or what? meanwhile the feelings continue to torrentially lash against my house while I huddle in the basement

I can’t fucking believe we’re actually getting a legit reveal about the “Aizawa expels all his students” gag holy shit

re-enroll!? what?? and “expel” in quotation marks?!?

ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS -- HE DID IT JUST TO SCARE THEM!? AND THEN WHAT, WERE THEY PICKED UP AFTERWARD BY THE OTHER HERO CLASSES INSTEAD? SO HE TEACHES THEM A POTENTIALLY LIFE-SAVING LESSON AND THEN GETS TO LAZE AROUND THE REST OF THE YEAR, LOL WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. THIS MAN IS A GENIUS

(ETA: and by this logic, Deku really ought to have been expelled half a dozen times by now. don’t ever try and tell me that this man doesn’t play favorites.)

so Aizawa is taking his goggles off and saying that he’s strict with his students because he wants them to live long, fulfilling lives

OH NO

SOMEHOW HORIKOSHI MADE KURO’S FACE LOOK SOFT?! I DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW, IS THERE ANYTHING HE CAN’T DO

AHHHHH

OH NO HE DID IT AHHHH THE TEARS, FUCK. WELL MY HOUSE IS FUCKING DESTROYED, I’M CLIMBING UP TO THE ROOF TO AWAIT RESCUE

wow. anyways that really did get gay as fuck at the end, didn’t it. given the meaning that those goggles have to Aizawa, can this be taken as a form of marriage proposal? no? well I’m taking it that way anyway, so. congratulations you two. I’m off to go sob into a pillow now

[thenightling]

Films and shows to get you ready for Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman

Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman is getting adapted into a series by Netflix.   Though this is a DC comics property, The Sandman is NOT like Batman, Superman, or Wonder Woman.  The Sandman is a gorgeous and surreal fantasy that only partially takes place in the human world.  A big part of it takes place in the fantasy realm known as The Dreaming. 

There is very little combat action though there is horror.   To give you an idea of what you are in for (Or if you are a Sandman fan already and want something to hold you off) here are twenty-five films and shows that share some of the traits (or atmosphere) you might find in Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman.

25.   The Raven (1963 film).  This might seem like an oddball one to list since it’s a Gothic Horror fantasy comedy from the 1960s but it gets referenced in The Sandman by Matthew imitating Peter Lorre and later Matthew compared Cain to Vincent Price.  I think it’s safe to say Matthew was a Price (or Roger Coman) fan.  

24.   Death.   Death is a short animated film from DC and was featured as bonus content for the Blu Ray of the animated movie Wonder Woman: Bloodlines. 

Though she looks younger (appearing about nineteen-years-old) Death is the older sister of Morpheus AKA Dream of The Endless, the main protagonist of The Sandman.  She was first introduced in The Sandman issue 8, The Sound of Her Wings.

23.   Stardust.

Stardust is a fantasy film based on the novel (and graphic novel) by Neil Gaiman.  Though there are liberties taken, this should give you some idea of what his fantasy writing is like.

 22.    Beetlejuice the animated series. 

If you want an idea of what The Dreaming (realm of Dreams) is like then I urge you to check out the surreal Neither (that’s not a typo) World from the Beetlejuice animated series.  The monsters that inhabit this realm are the stuff of fantasy and nightmares.  Some are living puns.  And they are ruled over by a broody Goth who makes it rain when he’s depressed and feeling melodramatic, much like a certain Dream Lord from Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman...

21.  Bonus listing:   The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.  

One major antagonist of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman is a nightmare entity known as The Corinthian who escapes into the waking world and becomes a serial killer.  Had Sandman been adapted in the mid-90s I think many would have loved a crossover with Freddy Krueger.  

20.   Return to Oz.

If by some weird chance you have never seen The Wizard of Oz or any faithful (read: Not 2010) version of Alice in Wonderland I would recommend those first.  But under the assumption you may have already seen those I would suggest watching Return to Oz.   Return to Oz features an adorable Jack-o-lantern headed character called Jack Pumpkinhead.   Jack Pumpkinhead was the loose inspiration for the grounds keeper dream entity character of Mervyn Pumpkinhead in Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman.  

19. Tales from the Crypt (TV series).

Issue 2 of The Sandman is called Imperfect Hosts because all of the characters introduced in that issue are former horror host characters from horror anthology comics.  Cain and Abel were DC’s answer to The Crypt keeper and The Vault Keeper.  For a good idea of who Cain actually is (assuming he’s in the show along with his House of Mystery) I strongly recommend checking out the TV show Tales from the Crypt.  

18.   Tales from the Cryptkeeper (animated series)

In the mid-1990s there was an animated series adaptation of Tales from the Crypt called Tales from the Cryptkeeper.  Season 2 featured the three original EC comics horror hosts of the Cryptkeeper, Vault Keeper, and the Old Witch.  These storytellers might give you an idea of who (or what) some of Morpheus’ Nightmare minion are in The Sandman.

 17.    Hocus Pcous.  

I chose to put this one here because the three witches of Hocus Pocus very much remind me of the Hecatae version of The Three-in-one from The Sandman Issue 2.   There’s also a powerful Grimoire that is a plot catalyst. 

16.   The 10th Kingdom.

The 10th Kingdom was a fantasy mini-series that aired on NBC in 2000.   It dealt with a twenty-seven-year-old young woman who discovers that her estranged mother is the evil queen in a faery tale world.   It is very much a story about stories (much like parts of The Sandman) and shows you the original dark and unvarnished versions of some classic faery tales as well as how those characters (and their descendants) carry on centuries later.

15.   Once Upon a Time (TV series.  Particularly seasons 1 through 3.)  

Much like with 10th Kingdom we have here a story about stories and those characters from classic stories trying to live in the human world with varying degrees of success.  You see how important their stories are and how carefully and intricately each tale was interwoven with each other.  (...Until around season 4 that is...)

Also it begins with a very powerful creature imprisoned and later undergoing an extremely long redemption arc and a sense of guilt tied to the death of his own son.

14.  Constantine:  City of Demons.

John Constantine appears in one issue of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman.   Issue 3.   Constantine: City of Demons gives a good crash course on who Constantine is and where he comes from.  John Constantine’s ancestor, Johanna Constantine is a recurring character in The Sandman.

13.  Justice League: Dark animated movie.   

Justice League:  Dark is the first animated movie to feature The House of Mystery.  The House of Mystery is a building whose roots are in The Dreaming in The Sandman.

12.   Constantine (2014 series).  

 In 2014 Constantine got his own live action series but it only lasted for one season. 

11.  Locke and Key.

Only recently did I learn Locke and Key will be doing an official crossover with The Sandman Universe.

 10.    Lucifer TV series.  

The TV show Lucifer is an oddball thing since it was based on a comic that is actually a spin-off of The Sandman.  The storyline that introduces us to Mazikeen, where Lucifer quits ruling Hell, opens Lux, and takes up playing Piano all come from Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman.

When Fox got the rights to Lucifer no one thought The Sandman was going to be getting an adaptation, at least not in the near future.  As a result several conversations and key pieces of dialogue that originally passed between Morpheus and Lucifer in The Sandman comics now went to Lucifer and his therapist, Linda, and his angel-brother, Amenadiel. 

Bonus: If at all possible check out the Crisis on infinite Earths event from the CW as the real Crisis on Infinite Earths (original comic event) eventually gave way to things like The Sandman.

9.   The Witches (1990) and Coraline (2009)   I couldn’t decide which one to put here so I put them both.

  The Witches is a children’s horror film based on the book by Roald Dahl. I suggest this here for its darker themes and you get a group of dangerous, child-killing witches attending a meeting at a hotel, much like The Corinthian’s Serial Killer convention in The Sandman.

Coraline is a stop motion fantasy / horror story for children and can give you some idea of what certain aspects of The Sandman are like, as it is by the same author.

8.    Pan’s Labyrinth.  

The Sandman is very much part fantasy and part Gothic horror and no director alive quite fits that criteria now better than Guillermo del Toro and possibly Tim Burton.   Pan’s Labyrinth has the surreal beauty and darkness you are likely to see in The Sandman.

7.   Doom Patrol.

Doom Patrol was the first DC show that made me have faith that yes, they CAN adapt Sandman respectfully and unafraid of the strangeness it might entail.  Doom Patrol seemed unafraid to tackle the strange, quirkiness of it’s own content.  From a talking roach, to gender-queer sentient street named Danny, Doom Patrol was not afraid to be strange.  

6.   Swam Thing (2019 TV series from DC Universe Streaming Service).

I mostly suggest this for one character in particular. Matthew Cable.  After Matthew died in The Sandman comics he chose to spend his afterlife as Morpheus’ raven.

Besides featuring a character from The Sandman Swamp Thing gives a very good Gothic atmosphere and supernatural content, giving you an idea of the sort of horror DC can do.  

6.  Justice League Action:   Trick or Threat.   And Justice League action: Supernatural adventures in Babysitting.

The episode of Justice League Action called Trick or Threat features Cain, a nightmare character from Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, as well as The House of Mystery.   This was Cain’s first appearance in media.  The version of Cain in the TV show Lucifer is nothing like his comic book counterpart.  This cartoon is the first and only faithful adaptation of the character from the comics.

The episode of Justice League Action called Supernatural Adventures in Babysitting features the Magdalene Grimoire. This is the grimoire used to summon Morpheus in Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman.  It also features John Constantine.

    5.   She-Creature:  The Mermaid Chronicles (2001 film)

This is an odd from about some humans have a captured mermaid.  The majority of the film is about her escape and revenge on her captors.  You will see something similar to that with Morpheus in the very first episode of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman.    

4.  The Company of Wolves. 

The Company of Wolves is a story about stories.  In the ontemporary world a pubescent girl sleeps during her first period. She dreams that she is Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother tells her horrific stories about werewolves.  The wolves become metaphors For puberty, masculinity, and waking sexuality.  Toward the end Rosealeen (the protagonist) becomes one of the wolves.   You get random stark reminders that this entire film is set in a dream world, and yet it’s still strangely easy to forget.

 3.   The Nightmare before Christmas.

The Nightmare before Christmas is a fantasy musical about the king of Halloween.  Though he’s adored by his subjects he longs for more.  The surreal landscape and strange creatures can be reminiscent of The Sandman.

2.   Labyrinth.

One of the earliest efforts to talk me into reading The Sandman entailed someone telling me that Morpheus was “Like a Goth Jareth.”   This effort (at the time) failed to entice me though I do love Labyrinth.   

1.   Over The Garden Wall. 

I only saw Over the Garden Wall for the first time about a year and a half ago and loved it very much.   This is a strange animated mini-series about two brothers lost in a forest called “The Unknown.”   The setting has been debated among fans as to if it’s purgatory (a place between life and death), a dream realm, or something else entirely.  I choose to believe that though it may be a place between life and Death that it’s also a part of The Dreaming, especially with so many surreal and Gothic visuals, and characters and creatures directly out of vintage seasonal cards.