el-lugar-de-los-sentimientos

[satindregs]

Merlin s05e13 spoilers

“But here’s what no one says—when it’s your child, a part of you, a very tiny but nonetheless unignorable part of you, also feels relief. Because finally, the moment you have been expecting, been dreading, been preparing yourself for since the day you became a parent, has come.

Ah, you tell yourself, it’s arrived. Here it is.

And after that, you have nothing to fear again.”

So that quote is from Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life. It’s kinda self-explanatory, but I left out some context soo…

A father is talking abt mourning a kid and when they die you feel some relief bc the day you’ve dreaded since before they were born has finally come and it isn’t gonna happen twice (to the same kid lol.)

Now that we’re all on the same page, I just wanna mention something.

Merthur.

All throughout the show Merlin is told time and time again what he’s destined to do and how they’re counting on him to keep Arthur’s little butt on the throne and bring magic back to the land. Then surprise, surprise, the Once and Future King dies.

And yk obviously Merlin is… distraught. but do yall think j a tiny, tiny part of him just… relaxed?

Ik u have to make some jumps for this hc (?? ig?) to work but this is my post and i’ll do what i want. also ya they’re not father and son so… get to jumping

[sun-kissy]

chocolate-coated hearts | r.l.

୨ৎ series masterlist

barista!remus x shy!reader

summary: you go to a new cafe to order donuts for your friend, immediately enamoured with the barista

tw: nothing? reader takes literature as a major, also kind of has social anxiety

a/n: might make this a series! i’ve got a few ideas <3

An anxious sigh escapes you as you stand idly outside the cafe, peering inside through the mosaicked windows. It was jam-packed, people pushing past each other and snake-like queues forming throughout the space. You wriggle your phone out of your coat pocket and glance at the message that your friend, Madison, had sent in a half hour ago.

hey gorgeous!! mind picking up a few donuts for me at Beanie’s before you come over? a few of the pbj ones, and some chocolate ones too. thanks xx

She was expecting, and you went by whenever you could to help her out after her asshole of a boyfriend left.

Normally, you wouldn’t bother. You hated crowded places, and Beanie’s was the definition of crowded – an old-style cafe which had blown up overnight because of its scrumptious donuts and vintage aesthetic. But who were you to deny the cravings of the woman bearing your goddaughter?

You take a deep breath and push the creaky wooden door open, cringing at how the bell rang and signalled the whole cafe to your presence. But no one so much as looked up, busy trying to buy or sell food, or find a table.

You push your way through the sea of people, joining the queue in front of the counter. It was long, you noted, and would probably take another fifteen minutes or so until it was your turn to place an order. You fish out your crumpled book from your bag and turn it to the page you had stopped on yesterday. It was the second classic of the term – Pride and Prejudice. Taking literature as a major meant you spent more time reading than anything else, but you weren’t complaining.

As you read, you scribbled down plot points to take note of and quotes which meant something worth writing about. Your eyes stayed glued to the page, trying to work out hidden meanings and flowery language. Once you were back home, you’d have to compile all your analysis onto that worksheet Professor Ragnarsson had given out, write the 10-page long review, and then –

“Hey! Shut the damn book and order, will you?”

Your heart jumps in your chest at the sudden harsh tone. You close your book and whip your head around to see a middle-aged man glaring at you before peering down at his watch. “There’s a long queue, and we don’t have all day.”

The heat rushes to your cheeks as you open your mouth to apologise – but before you can say anything, you hear an oddly soothing voice from behind you. “Hey, don’t be a jerk. She didn’t know the counter was open.”

You glance back towards the counter, and you swear your heart stopped beating for a second. Angelic was an understatement to describe the man standing in front of you, tall and lanky and absolutely fucking beautiful.

His chestnut brown hair perfectly framed his pale face, eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as he glanced at the rude customer behind you. There were pinkish scars tracing from above his eyebrows to right below his lips, but they looked golden under the orange light – he looked like some kind of heavenly being.

When his eyes dart back to you, his expression instantly softened, lips tilting upwards in a smile. You thought you would melt into a puddle right there and then just by gazing into his warm, honeyed eyes. “Hi, gorgeous. What can I get you?”

You blink, your mouth involuntarily falling open slightly. Gorgeous? Was he talking to you? Maybe he was referring to the man behind you.

His smile widens, and that does absolutely nothing to calm the feeling of your heart bouncing around in your stomach. “It’s okay if you can’t choose just yet, I know the number of options can be…” he chuckles, “overwhelming. Take all the time you need to decide.”

Oh my god, you thought. His laugh sounded musical, like the tender feeling of being enveloped in a warm embrace. You’d put it on a record player and play it on loop for hours if you could.

“Hurry the fuck up –”

“One more word from you and you won’t be getting your coffee today, buddy,” the godly-looking barista snapped in a slightly louder tone at the man behind you, face contorted in irritation.

You hear silent cursing behind you, a twinge of embarrassment turning you red. You quickly glance back up. “Sorry, hi, hello. I’ll um… I…” the words were on the tip of your tongue, but seemed to dissolve when he glanced at you with those agonisingly pretty eyes and kind smile.

Snap out of it, you internally curse as you open your mouth again. “I’ll get three peanut butter-jelly donuts, and four chocolate donuts.”

“Okay. Which chocolate ones?” he asks, tapping his tongs against the display dome with stacks of donuts. There really were a lot of options – chocolate sprinkles, belgian chocolate, chocolate glazed, double chocolate – your mind seemed to freeze up for a second. Which one would Madison want?

You quickly look behind you, seeing the man’s face twisted up in what looked like rage. It seemed to be taking him all his willpower not to lash out at you, and the customers behind him didn’t look much far off.

You turn back to the counter, eyes wide with panic as you feel the blood rush to your head. You had never been good at this; thinking and choosing on the spot. That’s why Subway was always a no-go for you, that’s why Madison had specifically told you what to get her – just that she hadn’t been specific enough. “I… I’m not sure. I think, um…”

“Hey, take it easy,” you look back up to see Remus giving you a reassuring smile, a slight hint of concern on his face. Your despair must have been embarrassingly evident, then. “It’s alright if you can’t choose. Do you want me to pick for you?”

You ought to have been humiliated, the way you immediately nodded and gave in to his offer. But he just gave you an easy smile and nodded, picking up one of each type and placing them in the box.

“Thank you,” you mumble sheepishly as you move to the payment counter, fishing in your bag for a wad of notes.

“Of course,” he grins, and it was so bright you thought it could probably light up the whole cafe. “That’ll be $15.90.”

As he waits for you to pay, he takes a quick look down and begins to brush crumbs off his apron. You look up at the wrong moment, eyes immediately fixing on the curves of his biceps visible through his T-shirt, and his slender fingers.

He glances back up at you, catching a glimpse of your flustered look and instantly smirking. You look away abashedly, counting the money and handing it to him.

The brush of your fingers against his calloused palm sent a jolting shock through you as you quickly pull back, not missing the way his smile widened as he cashed the money into the register.

“Thanks for visiting, sweetheart. Hope to see you again soon.”

You don’t reply, afraid you’d crumble into a blushing, gooey mess. Flashing him a brief, nervous smile, you pick up the box of donuts before turning around and heading straight for the exit. Sweetheart.

You huff as you open the door and step outside, pulling out your phone to complain to Madison all about the stupidly handsome barista at her favourite cafe. God, he really knew what he was doing.

[heliads]

Hellloooo!!! I don’t wanna add to your workload so if this just piles on, please delete it! 😅😊 I just had an idea for a newt x reader fic where they’re in an established relationship in the Glade and during a bonfire one night the boys all ask newt questions about what it’s like to date reader and how it feels and newt just answers with the upmost sweetness. Reader overhears and fluff ensues!!!!

fluff ensues has got to be one of my favorite plot descriptions. like yeah it absolutely will do that (and no worries, nothing will stop the workload from being! newt just helps make it better <3)

masterlist

Newt is aware that he is a little bit luckier than most. This is a sentiment that he never thought he’d be caught dead believing. Not in the Glade. Not in the Maze. Not anywhere in this surreal mess of a place. Yet it’s on repeat in his head on a day to day basis nonetheless, ticking off the hours like an alarm clock consisting solely of his blessings. 

Newt didn’t think he’d have that much to brag about. No memories means no history he can mention to his equally luckless friends. Still, he’s got one important victory in his life that no one else can even dream of, and that’s the fact that he’s dating Y/N. Yeah, that certainly sets him apart in the world of good things given to kids who can’t quite convince themselves they deserve them. 

Some would say that Newt is being a little dramatic. He would argue that his response is perfectly within reason. One girl has been sent up in all the months that anyone’s been in the Glade, one girl and one girl alone, and she just happened to choose him. Around here, that’s grounds for being nominated for sainthood. 

Newt isn’t going to act like he’s not just over the moon every time he thinks about the whole situation. Against all odds, Y/N fell in love with him. That’s so unreal that Newt has to pinch himself every hour on the hour just to make sure it isn’t a dream. He never tries too hard, though. Just in case. 

He didn’t have many thoughts on love before she came up. There wasn’t really time now, was there? It was just him and the scores of other stragglers making do in their bloody terrible world. You don’t spend much time lingering over potential sweethearts when the closest thing to a Romeo is Gally yelling at everyone in the Glade except his friends.

Not great dating material, to say the least. Even when Y/N came up that one month, though, he still hadn’t fallen for her from the start. He liked her, obviously, she was nice and didn’t test his patience, but he was perfectly content to keep her as a friend, just that. Great expectations have a way of letting you down. Newt’s learned that if you keep your eyes on the ground, stop looking up at the sun and stars, you’ll be able to deal with it a little easier when all your brightest aspirations go away.

He’d done that before and he planned on doing it again. Even as time passed and he realized that his heart had a funny way of speeding up whenever she was nearby, when it occurred to him that his daily routines always had a way of working in chances to see her, Newt forced himself to ignore everything. Maybe he liked the way the morning sunlight always played on Y/N’s face, maybe he could have spent hours wondering over the way her eyes sparkle when she laughs. It was nothing that he could ever commit to treasuring above anything else.

It took several rounds of self-talk and about a dozen different interventions staged by his friends for Newt to get up the courage to tell Y/N how he felt. Hell, it took at least half of those interventions for him to even admit how he felt to himself. Newt had been internalizing for so long that bringing some of those emotions to the forefront of his attention was damned near impossible. Minho, Alby, and a few others, however, were so sick of seeing him ‘mope around like a lovesick fool,’ to quote them specifically, that they were dedicated to the task of getting him in order.

It worked, too. Newt had run through what could have been a hundred speech variations in his head, all mentioning her character or her sense of humor or any one of the millions of things he liked about her best. In the end, he didn’t choose a single one. The second Newt pulled Y/N away from a crowd of their friends for ‘something he needed to say in private,’ every single whirlwind of thoughts storming through his head came to an abrupt stop. He totally blanked out. 

Newt wouldn’t even know that he managed to force any words out at all were it not for the fact that the effects of that interaction are quite obvious. Somehow, Y/N ended up returning his affections, and they’ve been doing pretty well ever since. Newt doesn’t like counting his eggs before they hatch and all that, but he’d go so far as to say that he doesn’t see it ever breaking down for quite some time, if ever. They’re alright. They’re great, and they’re happy, and in a place like this, you take that and run with it for as long as you can. Maybe it’ll ruin itself someday, but Newt plans on pushing that off to the distant future for forever and a day.

In the meantime, Newt gets to think about how lucky he is. Despite the fact that Y/N’s apparently been crushing on him for just as long as he started liking her, and despite the fact that Frypan proclaims on a daily basis that he’s never seen two shanks more alike, Newt still feels like all of this is just one great coincidence. Maybe it was never supposed to happen, but it did, and he’s going to love that and her for as long as he can.

She’s waiting for him now, he thinks. Work is over for the day, and there’s a Bonfire Night happening this evening too, courtesy of the shivering Greenie fresh out of the Box who still can’t seem to keep his shock from showing. The fool to whom this celebration is owed looks like he’s going to keel over, what from the way he keeps half doing a backbend from continually craning his neck up to stare at the Walls, but the rest of them can get drunk and fuck around and generally have a good time. 

Greenies never appreciate their Bonfire Nights enough anyway. It’s up to the rest of the Gladers to show them what it’s like to have fun. Who knows the next time they’ll be able to stop stressing over the ruins of their lives anyway? Newt’s heard half a dozen Gladers proclaim that they only live bonfire to bonfire anyway. They might as well prove it tonight.

Newt meets Y/N on the outskirts of the bonfire just as the dark starts to fall. Dusk kicks up its heels, keeping watch over the revels and hiding the sun, which can never bear to see whatever mistakes they’re going to make next. Y/N holds out a hand to him, one Newt gladly accepts.

“I can’t believe it’s been six months now since I first showed up,” she grins, gesturing towards the Box with her free hand, “Feels like just yesterday.”

Newt snorts. “Time flies when you’re having fun, huh? Trust me, the Greenie Days get faster and faster. I swear I just finished touring the last kid, and now we’ve got another one to keep pestering us with questions.”

Y/N shakes her head, considering this. “Nah, I think this one will be better. He’s too scared to speak above a whisper. If you try, you can just ignore him.”

Newt chuckles. “I’m not supposed to be bullying the Greenies. Alby says I’m meant to set a good example.”

“I saw Alby telling Minho to trip the new kid to see if he’d finally make a sound if he bit the dirt,” Y/N comments, “I don’t think kindness is really in our books.”

Newt arches a brow. “I could see that happening. Did it work?”

“No,” Y/N says, disappointed, “Kid was so scared to move a muscle that he didn’t fall at all. Just kind of stopped walking like he’d hit a wall instead of Minho’s ankle.”

Newt tries to bite back a smile. He’s only half successful. “Shame. That would have been fun to see.”

Y/N laughs. “That’s what I said. Anyways, they’re all over there, near the fire. I think the next strategy is to give the kid some of Gally’s brew in the hopes that it’ll coax something out of him other than his dinner.”

Newt shudders. “Best of luck to him.”

“And to me,” Y/N replies, “I think I’m going to get a glass of my own. See you in a second.”

Newt waves a casual hand in goodbye, watching as his girlfriend weaves through the steadily forming crowds of Gladers in an attempt to track down a drink. He takes a seat near an overturned log, staring into the fire as it disappears into sparks. Six months since Y/N appeared in the Box, so it’s been indeed.

Newt can’t decide whether that feels like a long time or not nearly long enough. Y/N’s changed him in almost every way, that much is obvious. Sometimes, in meeting someone you know will impact you forever, you almost want them to have been around for much longer. Strangers aren’t meant to become your best friends, not until you’ve known them for years and you have scores of memories to share. You want to give them decades in your mind, centuries, as a sign that they’ve been so important to you. Mere months aren’t enough. Surely it should be more.

It isn’t, and maybe that’s for the best. Newt has no memories save for when he came up his own share of months ago. All his friends are new, all his enemies still more recent. Maybe the girl he loves has only been in his life for a short time, but his recorded life is short indeed. Everything is modern. That’s just how it is.

Newt becomes aware of eyes on him and realizes that he might not be the only one reminiscing about when Y/N came up in the maze. A few Gladers have come up by Newt’s side, steadily appearing out of the gloom and smoke to stare at him.

Newt glances at them questioningly, and a few moments later the bravest of them dares to voice their collective thoughts. “What’s it like dating Y/N?” The boy asks, “you know, since she’s the only girl?”

Newt smiles to himself. “It’s great,” he says.

This clearly isn’t the response the other boy wants. “Yeah,” he repeats, “but what’s it like? It’s not like the rest of us have our own girlfriends to compare it with.”

Newt bites back a laugh. “Well,” he begins, noticing out of the corner of his eyes that the other boys draw closer to him expectantly, “it’s like having a best friend, but even better. She’s someone I can talk to at any time, but I don’t have to worry about seeming uncool or weird around her. Y/N knows exactly who I am, the good and the bad, but she’s chosen to be with me anyway. It makes you feel like you can do anything.”

The boy nods, accepting this. “Are you ever worried that she’s going to get tired of you and leave you for someone else?”

“If you’re asking me if I’m worried about competition,” Newt says slowly, “I’d say, don’t think you even have a chance. She’s my girlfriend, you bloody shank, not some object you can steal away. Anyway, obviously I’d like it if she stayed with me a while longer, but I’m not scared, no. I know that we’re happy, and that’s enough.”

The boy’s face flushes scarlet when Newt calls him out, but he seems to have made his peace with it at the end. Newt’s half expecting more questions, but all of a sudden they scatter to the corners of the celebration. A few moments later, the cause of the disturbance becomes obvious:  Y/N herself takes a seat next to him, glass in hand.

“It seems like you had a score of admirers,” she says, lips twitching up into a smile.

Newt groans. “More like your admirers, trust me. They wanted to ask about what it was like to date you. Not something I thought I’d be discussing with the Slicers-in-training, but why not?”

Y/N laughs. “Oh, I know. I have to say, though, it was very sweet. Being with me makes you feel like you can do anything?”

Newt feels his entire face heat up, and he briefly ponders launching himself into the fire to escape it. “I didn’t realize you were eavesdropping. That’s rude, you know.”

Y/N just grins. “I do apologize. It was very sweet, though. I appreciated it.”

Newt rolls his eyes, but he can’t keep a smile off of his face for long. “Does that mean you won’t leave me for some random boy who showed up a few months ago?”

“I’ll consider it,” she assures him, “like you said, though, I wouldn’t worry much. I happen to like being with you quite a bit as well.”

Newt reaches over, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull her close. Y/N leans her head on his shoulder, and they stay there for quite some time, watching the embers of the fire curl into ribbons of smoke up in the darkest reaches of the sky. The bonfire dances, their friends shout and clap and laugh all around them, and through it, they keep going. All is well.

tmr tag list: @rogueanschel, @ellobruv, @retvenkos, @neewtmas, @thatfangirl42, @hiya-its-amber, @gods-fools-heroes, @hope92100, @23victoria, @w1shes43, @ilovexavierthrope, @fadedver

[svsss-fanon-exposed]

Examining SVSSS Canon: 1/∞

SHEN YUAN'S PIDW-READING TIMELINE

One question and argument that comes up frequently in SVSSS fandom is, how long did Shen Yuan read PIDW for? Was he following it from early serialization, or did he simply binge everything toward the end?

This question isn't exactly one that is easy to answer either-- considering that there are actually various direct quotes that could be read in contradiction to one another regarding it.

Based on the information in the novel, we are left with several potential theories as to Shen Yuan's reading timeline. In this post, I will be presenting these theories, along with supporting evidence from the novel.

Theory #1: Shen Yuan picked up PIDW and binge-read it from beginning to end for the first time in 20 days before dying

This theory is directly supported with a quote:

He’d spent twenty days binging the novel from start to finish, so he had clean forgotten that whump-filled arc of pointless abuse that covered Luo Binghe’s beginnings at the sect, okay?! (7 Seas, Ch. 1)

In the original text, this line is 他可是看了二十天才看完的. Broken down, this is literally "he indeed read it (他可是看了), it took him twenty days (二十天才）to read the whole [novel] (看完的)."

*note 可是 may also be equivalent to "however" or "but" in some circumstances, but is generally used to provide emphasis.

However, depending on where one puts the emphasis and pairs syllables in the last part, there could be different interpretations. If read as 看 完的 it implies "read the entire thing," but if read as 看完 的，it implies "finished reading." I read it the first way, but I don't know if that is the "most correct," so there is some ambiguity there.

It is also implied later that PIDW was already very long and full of plot holes when he began reading it:

So, if back when he’d just opened this baffling book, this Proud Immortal Demon Way, which was so full of landmines that it was practically high art, to the point that those landmines had become its very style... He would definitely have grabbed the brick that was the entire fifty-volume set and showed them what their brains looked like when splattered across the ground. (7 Seas, Ch. 21)

Though this could be related to the final length of the novel, and the "fifty-volume set" is likely exaggeration or metaphor. In one of his forum posts, he also says:

I understand what OP is feeling. I’ve been reading this novel lately, and it’s so damn long—long and pumped full of filler... ...All my fellow readers have already roasted the setting for the last three hundred thousand words, so I won’t say more on that. (7 Seas, Ch. 26)

This part where he says he has been reading the novel lately, implies that he began not too long ago, rather than following it for years. Of course, Airplane already at this point finds his username and comments familiar:

His eyes automatically highlighted that familiar ID “Peerless Cucumber.” (7 Seas, Ch. 26)

So it could also be said that he is downplaying his dedication with that statement. He does, however, state that the other readers have roasted the setting, but doesn't mention that he himself has done so. Additionally, the "three-hundred thousand words" mentioned may refer to the comment section, not the novel itself, so there is still some ambiguity to that point.

Theory #2: Shen Yuan has been reading PIDW long-term throughout serialization

There are multiple quotes directly supporting this theory:

He could guarantee it on all the youth and frustrations he’d wasted following this twenty-million-word-plus serialization for years. (7 Seas, Ch. 6)

and

Everything that had happened before was as unto smoke. From today forth, as he walked the jianghu, he would use this ID, which had been plastered all over the comments section for years. (7 Seas, Ch. 9)

The second quote may refer to comments sections on Zhongdian literature in general, but the first one is more directly referring to PIDW. There is a slim but unlikely possibility that he referrs to the years he has spent within the PIDW universe, rather than just reading the novel. That possibility is made even less likely by the following quote:

Next, let a veteran reader of this novel, Shen Yuan, omit the countless fanservice-y details and concisely summarize the million-word epic for everyone… (7 Seas, Ch. 1)

Where it refers to him as a veteran reader of PIDW specifically (and this TL is consistent with the original implications). It's unlikely for him to be referred to as a veteran reader if he had only been reading the novel for twenty days.

As one can see, if you go by either of the above theories, there are direct conflicts and contradictions, and arguments to be made either way. This could be written off as inconsistency. However, there are two additional options and theories which can resolve those conflicts.

Theory #3: Shen Yuan had been a casual reader of PIDW for years, but rushed to finish reading it through to the end in 20 days

One possibility is that Shen Yuan had been reading PIDW casually over several years, but wasn't caught up by the time his death drew near. Shen Yuan's cause of death is a matter for another post, so I won't discuss it here, but the following quote lends some support to this reading:

“Dumbfuck author, dumbfuck novel!” With his dying breath, Shen Yuan spat this final curse. Who could have imagined that an upstanding young man like him—who had properly purchased the website’s VIP currency and read the novel’s official version—would find himself persevering before his untimely death to finish a novel so stallion, so money-grubbing and overly padded, that it left him speechless with rage? How could he not curse? (7 Seas, Ch. 1)

Here, it seems that Shen Yuan may have been aware of his upcoming death, and so he may have wanted to hurry and finish reading the novel before he died. In the original text, the phrase is: 临终之前坚持看完的, which can be broken down as "before his untimely/sudden death (临终之前), he persisted to finish reading [the novel] (坚持看完的）, though this may also be read as "he persisted in reading the entire novel," depending on how one puts emphasis in the sentence (same issue as the first quote in theory 1). 临终 means literally "near the end," but is a term for death or one's deathbed. Another way to translate 临终之前 would be "before meeting his end."

So, because he was persisting/persevering in finishing the novel (either the whole thing or just to the end), it may be that he expected his incoming death, or that he simply wished to persist in reading the novel to its end and his death still occured unexpectedly.

坚持 implies some level of urgency or steadfastness, but it may not refer to reading the novel quickly, but simply dedication to slogging through all of the bad porn and reading it to the end, rendering this theory a bit shaky.

Theory #4: Shen Yuan had been reading PIDW since early serialization, but re-read the entire thing in the 20 days before his death

This theory would resolve all potential conflicts-- making it true that he both followed PIDW's serialization for years and read the whole novel in 20 days. As to why he re-read the full novel, perhaps it was because the final chapter had been posted or was coming up, and he wished to reread from the start in preparation for that-- this could also drive him into an even greater rage about the contents of the novel and how repetitive and filler-heavy it is, as this would become more and more obvious on a binge-reread from start to end.

One weakness in this theory, though (pointed out by @verycharismaticdragon) is that if he read it twice, it would be less likely for him to completely forget details as mentioned in the first quote. Not entirely impossible-- one can still forget details even after multiple read-throughs, but just less likely to completely forget.

Theory #5: When Shen Yuan began reading PIDW, he binged all available chapters in twenty days, before following it consistently afterwards.

(theory courtesy of @verycharismaticdragon)

While this would not be particularly likely if the quote from theory 1 and the quote from theory 3 were linked together, those two quotes don't necessarily have to be linked-- it's possible that Shen Yuan would have binged the entire novel as it was at the time he found it in twenty days, then decided to continue reading as it updated, persisting and persevering because he wanted to reach the end despite the novel's trashiness, and then ended up dying.

Particularly, this makes a lot of sense in the context of the following quote:

Even though this famous Lord Cucumber spewed criticism constantly and without end in “Great Master” Airplane’s comments sections, his subscription payments and demands for updates never waned. (7 Seas, Ch. 26)

If Shen Yuan hadn't been caught up with the novel (as theory 3 would state) then it wouldn't make quite so much sense for him to be demanding updates, and if he hadn't been reading it for even a full month, there was no reason for him to make consistent subscription payments.

*******

Ultimately, which theory you choose to believe depends somewhat on the way you view canon-- whether the seemingly contradicting statements were intentional, or whether they were merely a consistency error.

These are the only theories that I can think of, but feel free to add any additional theories + support quotes and analysis if you have them!

One final note, in regards to WHEN DID SHEN YUAN START READING?

If it's true that Shen Yuan began reading PIDW earlier in serialization, how early was that point? Was he reading it from the beginning, or did he start later?

I personally believe it was later. Though he says he was following the novel for years, that could mean anywhere from two to four years since the total serialization of PIDW took place over four years:

How could someone who’d cursed “dumbfuck author, dumbfuck novel” remember ancient content from the beginning of a serialized novel that had been running for four years and covered an in-narrative span of two hundred years? (7 Seas, Ch. 1)

While it's hard to place exactly when he started reading, it seems that Shen Yuan began to read PIDW before the Immortal Alliance Conference arc, as he discusses the novel's online performance before that point:

Before this event, Proud Immortal Demon Way’s performance online had been steadfastly lukewarm. But once the Immortal Alliance Conference Arc debuted, the reviews, comments, subscriptions, and tips all soared into the heavens. It wasn’t only because from that point forward, “Great Master” Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky abandoned the last of his already minimal moral principles... there was another important “it” factor. It was, in fact, the main element that had first compelled Shen Qingqiu to follow the novel until the end. The demonic beasts! (7 Seas, Ch. 4)

It also seems that he wasn't entirely dedicated to reading the novel before then. However, he may have caught up with the serialization a bit later-- for example, if he started reading just before the conference, he would have known that it was a little-known novel before, and been able to watch the rise in popularity in real time even if he himself hadn't caught up to the conference just yet, before only deciding to dedicate to reading the full novel once he caught up to that part.

There are many possibilities and uncertainties in regards to Shen Yuan's reading timeline, but I do think there is enough information here to form decently solid theories-- so I will leave it to my readers to decide, now that the information has been presented, which ones they think are most likely and which they wish to use in their analysis.

[hunn1e-bunn1e]

Hi! Can I ask of its okay to ask/request?

If so, Could you do with Samon, from Nanbaka, with Reader, as an inmate, and has an animal companion, a literal Monkey, Kinda like Aladdin and Abu?

These two, Reader and Monkey, has closed bonds since their were little, that they understand and learning what they know each other, like climbing or understanding each others language, etc.

This monkey known for being mischievious/prankster to others and being protective & aggressive at men, who're trying to court/flirt/pervy towards Reader.

(also you can add this, if you want; monkey can kill or make 'unfortunate' accidents that even S/O and others didn't/don't know how it happens)

Gokuu Samon - Inmate Male Reader With A Mischievous Monkey Companion

🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.

Hey anon, I saw the ask you sent before this second one, but since this one is the most recent I'll use it instead of the first. Anyhow, I'm glad you sent me a Nanbaka ask, I love that anime, and Samon is one of my favorite characters, so I'll handle this ask with care. Oneshot and headconnons combined~ This ask is written in the third person because I can. The lyrics quoted in this one are from the song “Doing Time” by Lana Del Rey. —Benny🐰

                                                                                                   

🐒•♡•🐒•♡•🐒•♡•🐒•♡•🐒•♡•🐒•♡•🐒•♡•🐒

❝𝕺𝖓 𝕷𝖔𝖈𝖐𝖉𝖔𝖜𝖓, 𝕷𝖎𝖐𝖊 𝕬 𝕻𝖊𝖓𝖎𝖙𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖆𝖗𝖞- 𝕾𝖍𝖊 𝕾𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖘 𝕳𝖊𝖗 𝕷𝖔𝖛𝖎𝖓' 𝕬𝖑𝖑 𝕺𝖛𝖊𝖗, 𝕭𝖚𝖙 𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝕾𝖍𝖊 𝕲𝖊𝖙𝖘 𝕳𝖔𝖒𝖊, 𝕿𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊'𝖘 𝕹𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝕷𝖊𝖋𝖙 𝕱𝖔𝖗 𝕸𝖊~❞

. . .

🈯  It would seem that poor Inori gets the brunt of Abu's fury, the boar-like man having a small crush on the handsome new inmate much to the little monkey's chagrin. Abu put the poor guard through the ringer; stealing his hat and armband, hiding his keys from him, and throwing random objects at his head. This poor man has been reprimanded by Samon so many times now it's not even funny. Yeah, let's just say that Inori steered clear of [Name]'s cell for quite a while after that, it just wasn't worth it in his opinion. Surprisingly, the other guards had a much easier time with the little monkey; so long as they didn't linger in front of the cell for too long Abu didn't have any issues with them.

🈯  Something interesting that the monkey-like man has noticed in his time spent observing [Name], as he does with every new inmate or guard, is how he and Abu seem to be able to understand each other without issues despite the language barrier. Although, he's pretty sure that that damn monkey is secretly talking shit about him; it's making him feel insecure, okay? He also noticed how Abu seemed to act almost as an extension of [Name]; the two worked together seamlessly, perfectly in synch. [Name] could be in the cafeteria and as he goes up to get his meal, Abu would simultaneously grab him a drink, always being rewarded for his thoughtful actions.

🈯  Samon does not like Abu in the slightest; there's only room for one monkey in Nanba and that's him! Abu also has a mutual dislike for Samon, but this is mostly because the building supervisor keeps separating him from [Name] during training and the scowls he receives from the green-eyed man. Samon also has a sneaking suspicion that Abu is responsible for the fact that he keeps finding random items strewn around on the floor in front of [Name]'s cell; he even asks the inmate about it but [Name] only shrugs. The supervisor can always feel the little monkey's taunting stares whenever he passes by the cell, like the little monkey is trying to provoke him.

🈯  [Name] and Abu often end up skipping daily training and Samon is pulling his hair out in distress, just train for a little bit, it's not that bad! Usually, the supervisor finds the two inmates lounging in a tree or swinging and hanging from the branches; although he often gets a stick to the head courtesy of Abu whenever [Name] looks away. Samon just can't win with those two, no matter how many times he drags them back to the field, they disappear up a different tree just seconds later. That is the reason he separates the two during training; so that [Name] can focus on the task at hand while Inori is (bullied by) watching Abu. 

🈯  The inmates from the cell just across from [Name] and Abu's, cell 8, don't mind their new neighbors too much, mostly focusing on their own thing. However, they sometimes get pretty annoyed at how loud Abu can be and at how they skip out on training to just laze around, but the last one is just annoying to Liang. 

. . .

❝𝕺𝖓 𝕷𝖔𝖈𝖐𝖉𝖔𝖜𝖓, 𝕷𝖎𝖐𝖊 𝕬 𝕻𝖊𝖓𝖎𝖙𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖆𝖗𝖞- 𝕾𝖍𝖊 𝕾𝖕𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖘 𝕳𝖊𝖗 𝕷𝖔𝖛𝖎𝖓' 𝕬𝖑𝖑 𝕺𝖛𝖊𝖗, 𝕭𝖚𝖙 𝖂𝖍𝖊𝖓 𝕾𝖍𝖊 𝕲𝖊𝖙𝖘 𝕳𝖔𝖒𝖊, 𝕿𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊'𝖘 𝕹𝖔𝖓𝖊 𝕷𝖊𝖋𝖙 𝕱𝖔𝖗 𝕸𝖊~❞

🐒•♡•🐒•♡•🐒•♡•🐒•♡•🐒•♡•🐒•♡•🐒•♡•🐒

🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.•°•.🐇.

Wanna see similar content? Check out my Masterlist!

[pinkrose787]

You Can't Spell Apologize Without Lie

Summary: Bill comes into Ford's dream to apologize.

Ao3 Link

Ever since Bill died, Ford has slept a lot easier. No longer does he have to worry about that damn demonic triangle invading his dreams and tormenting him with threats of destroying his dimension.

That was until tonight.   

In tonight’s dream, he is in the Mystery Shack back when it was still his laboratory. It’s vivid in a way that his dreams never are. Except for whenever he dreamt about Bill.

“Hiya, Sixer! Did ya miss me? Admit it, you missed me.” A familiar perky voice comes from behind him.

Ford swivels around. Standing, or more precisely floating, before him is his triangular tormentor. Exactly the same as he was when Ford last saw him. Except for the crack that runs across his face filled with static. Likely a scar from when Stan punched Bill.

His eye has that smile to it. A smile that used to make Ford’s heart flutter with affection for his “muse”. Now, his heart pounds in fear of his manipulator. “Bill! You’re supposed to be dead!”

“But I’m not! I’m here!”

He takes a step back. A pointless action given Bill’s abilities. “Leave my mind this instant!”

Bill puts up his hands like he’s trying to soothe a panicked horse. He floats closer to Ford. “Listen, I will eventually. But I want you to hear me out first. Please.”

That gives Ford pause. In all his years of knowing Bill, never once did he say please. And there’s a genuineness in his voice. A vulnerability to it. But it could all be a trick. That’s what Bill does. He tricks and deceives to get what he wants.

Bill sighs. His eye looks at the ground. “I know you don’t trust me. And I know why. But it’s been so long. I’ve changed.”

“It’s only been 3 years. That’s barely any time to me, and almost nothing to you.”

“Where I’m at time works differently. It’s been 3 years to you and several eons to me.” He floats over to Ford. Puts his arm over his shoulder, the exact same way that he used to when Ford admired him. Likely a trick to get him to trust him. “You’re a smart guy, you get how all this relativity stuff works.”

Ford pushes Bill off of him. This time his tricks aren’t going work on him. “I don’t care where you are or how time works! I want you gone!”

“Look, I’ve spent all this time being ‘dead’,” He uses air quotes when he says dead. “in this asylum that makes Hell look like Disney World. There’s been nothing to do except reflect on my life.”

“It sounds like you’re in a place that you belong.”

“Yeah, I am.”

That’s not the answer Ford was expecting. At least, not said so sincerely. Still, he can’t forget that this is probably a trick. “So, you’re here to escape from there? That’s it, isn’t it?”

“No! No.” Bill shakes his head. “I came here to apologize.”

“You came here to apologize?” Ford heard him correctly. He knows he did. It’s impossible for him to mishear Bill in these dreams. The concept of Bill ever apologizing is so alien to him that mishearing a voice that is psychically projected into his head is more plausible.

“Yes, I did.” Bill takes off his hat. He holds it in his hands. “I realized that I messed up. Badly. You were the best thing to happen to me in a trillion years, and I didn’t see that. I was blinded by my own ambition and after destroying my dimension I was too scared to let anyone get to close. So, I told myself that you were nothing but a tool to me. A means to an end. But you weren’t. You were everything to me. You were the one person who could understand me.”

A tear forms in Bill’s eye. Combined with holding his hat in hands, he looks so vulnerable and pathetic. “I’m sorry. I really am.”

“So, you came here for forgiveness. Let me guess, this asylum place will only let you out if  get forgiveness from everyone you’ve ever wronged.” He looks Bill straight in the eye. “Well, you’re not getting it from me.” 

Bill puts his hat back on. It seems like he’s actually hurt by what Ford said? “That’s not it. They actually didn’t want me coming back here. They said it was a bad idea.”

“Well, maybe they were right. You should have never come back here.”

“I know, I just…”

“Just what? Just thought apologizing would undo everything you’ve done?” Ford’s voice starts to rise. “You manipulated me. You tortured me. You tried to kill my family. You damn near destroyed my dimension! I almost lost my brother because of you!”

“No! I…” Bill shouts.

Ford ignores him. “Do you want to know the worst thing you did?”

He looks Bill straight in his eye. Making sure that the demon is listening to his next words. “You made me fall in love with you. Even after every horrible thing you did to me, I still loved you! Even though I knew it was stupid and irrational to love someone who only wanted to hurt me, I still did!”

For once in his life, Bill Cipher doesn’t have anything to say.

“There were even parts of my brain telling me that it wasn’t that bad. That I’m being overdramatic. That being with you is better than being without you. And these thoughts tortured me for years. They haunted me on my coldest nights when I journeyed through the dimensions.”

“I’ve changed! I’m better now! I swear!” Bill cries.

“Well, I don’t care how much better you are! You could be the kindest person in all the dimensions who saves kittens from trees and I wouldn’t give a damn. Because it doesn’t matter how much you’ve changed, it still doesn’t negate all the horrible things you did!”

“I know that. But…”

“But nothing.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I thought that apologizing would help you heal. Give you closure and all that junk.”  

“You thought it would heal me. Thought it would give me closure.” Ford rolls his eyes. “Well thank you for your consideration, but I was healing fine without you. I had just gotten to the point where I’m able to see a yellow triangle without spiraling into a panic attack. But now that’s in the trash, because of you.”

Bill rubs his arm. Not looking Ford in the eyes. “I really thought it would help.” He says in a low voice. “Honest.”

“Do you want to know how I know you haven’t changed? Every single sentence is about how you feel, what you think, how what you’ve done has affected you. There hasn’t been a single time where you have acknowledged how your actions have hurt me. You haven’t even done the bare minimum of asking how I’ve been doing. Because if you did you’d know that I’ve been doing better than I ever have without you.”

“Well, you haven’t given me an opportunity to. You keep cutting me off.”

“Because every time you open your damn mouth, you manipulate me. Every. Single. Time. But I’m not going let you this time. I’m done with you and your lies.”

Bill sighs. “I’m done with all of that. I promise.”

“Goodbye, Bill. If I never see you again, I want you to know that I hate you. More than I have ever hated anyone. You ruined my life, and for that I’ll never forgive you.”

What seems to be tear forms in Bill Cipher’s eye. “I’m sorry.” His voice fades.

Ford wakes up with a jolt. He’s covered in sweat. His breathing is heavy.

He looks around. He’s no longer in the dream.

Now, he’s back in the cabin of the Stan o’ War II. Stan sleeps on the bunk below him. The sound of his snores fill the cabin. The ship creaks as the waves rock it back and forth.

There’s no chance of him falling back asleep. He doesn’t want to risk seeing Bill again. That and his heart is still pounding in his chest. Looking at his watch, it reads 3 am.

He climbs out of bed, careful not to wake Stan, and heads out onto the deck.

It isn’t much lighter out here, but at least there are the stars. Out here in the Artic, there’s no light pollution. The stars shine brilliantly. Ford can find all the different constellations without needing a map of the sky. Ursa Major, Orion, Gemini.

If there is one thing Ford missed during his travel through the dimensions it was the stars. Sure, there were countless stars in all sorts of dimensions. But none of them equated to the beauty of the ones in this one. Looking at them he’s reminded that he’s back.

He’s home.

Though the stars are a source of comfort, there’s still a deep panic within him. Bill is back. He talked to him. His adrenaline levels are the same as if he was being hunted by a polar bear. Frankly, he’d rather deal with a polar bear than Bill.

He hears the floorboards creak behind him. Seems like Stan woke up. “You’re up early. You trying to map out the stars or something?” Stan says.

“I saw Bill in my dream,” Ford says point-blank. There’s no point in hiding it. Nor does he want to. He doesn’t want to be alone in dealing with Bill anymore. Every single time he’s tried, it’s almost ruined his life.

“Are you sure? You have been having a lot dreams about Bill since Weirdmageddon.” The worry in Stan’s voice is palpable.

Ford sighs. “This dream didn’t resemble any of the others. All of those dreams are strange and disjointed. Jumping from one event to another for seemingly no reason. This was one was as clear as day.”

“So he’s back? How? I killed that little triangle jerk!” Stan exclaims.

“You did. He’s still dead, and he has a scar on his face to prove it. I think he told me that he’s in some sort of prison dimension now?” Ford sighs. “It doesn’t matter.”

“What else did he say? Because I swear if that wise guy threatened you-” Stan shakes his fist.

“No, he didn’t threaten me. In fact, he apparently came because he wanted to apologize."

“Apologize? That’s gotta be some sort of trick.”

“That’s what I thought too, but no he seemed genuinely sincere.”

“Eh, I doubt it. I know the likes of him.” Stan leans back against the railing of the boat. “Met plenty of them over the course of my life. And let me tell you their apologies are never sincere.”

Ford rests his arms on the railing. “You may be right.” He sighs. “It just doesn’t make sense to me. I keep thinking I have Bill figured out, then he pulls something like this.”

“You should take what you do know about him, that he’s a lying conniving jerk who wanted to kill you and destroy our dimension, and base your opinion on that. So, he apologized.” Stan shrugs. “That’s just words. Don’t mean nothing.”

“You’re right.”

“Course, I am. I’m always right!”

“What frustrates me is that I feel like I’ve gone backwards. Right when I thought I put everything to rest.” Ford hits the railing. “He comes back and ruins it. Now, I feel like I did before Weirdmageddon. Terrified that he’s going to come back and destroy me.”

Stan puts his arm over Ford. “Look, how bout this? Next time, he comes back, I’ll go into your dream and punch him dead again.”

“I’m not sure that’s possible.”

“Eh, I’m sure you’ll find a way with that smart guy brain of yours.” Stan starts giving ford a noogie.

Ford laughs. “Okay, okay. I’ll find a way to let you into my dreams.” He playfully pushes Stan away.

“Good. Cause there ain’t no way I’m letting that stupid little jerk come back and hurt you again. You hear?”

“Yeah, yeah.” He has a smile on his face. Most of the tension in Ford’s body is gone. Stan always was able to bring Ford back down and out of his own head when they were kids. Frankly, he doesn’t know how he managed without Stan.

But then again, he does know. He didn’t. He got swindled by a demon and became a criminal in multiple dimensions. Not a single part of Ford doubts the idea that if he had let Stan back in a lot earlier, then none of that would have happened.

There’s a moment of silence between the two of them. “Hey, Stan.”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

[iamcautiouslyoptimistic]

🦅Russell Adler Headcanons

{Author's Note} Since I'm literally obsessed with this man, I thought I'd post my headcanons for him. All of these are based off of his canon backstory and character with bits of my own speculation thrown in so nothing should be too out of left field here. I may end up posting more of my thoughts on him soon so we shall see. Hope y'all like it and I'd love to hear what you think, as well as any headcanons you guys might have! Tagging @littlemissclandestine for this since she's an Adler fan. Let me know if I did this man justice lol🤭

‼️Content Warning: swearing, suggestive themes‼️

~ ~ ~

-Badass asshole

-Takes awhile for him to soften enough to really love someone

-Flirtatious jerk when he has a crush

-Shows he cares through small actions that can be hard to notice, as well as vague, rather backhanded compliments

-Shamelessly stares from behind those glasses of his

-Thinks it’s really cute when you wear his shades but would never admit it

-Stylish with heavy 70s influence

-Probably modeled for a male fashion magazine at some point LMAO

-Definitely knows how to dance

-Seems like the type to meme a bit on British people (specifically Park lol)

-Very sarcastic, sometimes to the point that you don’t realize he’s actually joking because he's always so monotone

-Secretly loves Belgian waffles (this is a reference to that one Bruce Thomas TikTok lol)

-Has a soft spot for the Beach Boys (I mean, look at that ��bushy, bushy blonde hairdo🎶 of his)

-Since so many people have asked and teased him about it (I see y'all in the fandom and I will not accept this slander lol) -> his hair isn’t fake, it’s actually pretty soft, very bouncy, he likes styling it

-Very particular about his appearance as it is one of the few things that he can truly control

-Prefers cats over dogs

-Can get obsessive about certain things and lose himself to them (i.e. his search for Perseus) -> Mason quote: “He spent so long searching for Perseus, he didn’t notice when he lost himself.”

-Still struggles with PTSD from his time in Vietnam, which, alongside his obsession with finding Perseus, is what led to his divorce

-Carries a lot of guilt and regret that he doesn’t like to acknowledge

-Started smoking to cope with the trauma of war, now has a nicotine addiction; when he’s really stressed, he chain smokes like a chimney

-Gets restless if he doesn’t have a cigarette

-Doesn’t sleep well and when he does, he usually wakes up every few hours

-Scars - Shrapnel? Abuse? Torture? Animal attack? No one knows and he’ll never tell

-Kiss or trace those scars and he WILL melt

-Difficult for him to let his guard down

-Has a tendency to isolate himself -> Mason quote: "You were never alone, Adler. Only in your own stubborn head."

-Always wearing those damn glasses cuz STYLE but also to hide his eyes to remain as a sort of blank, emotionless slate to other people

-Absent parents who never showed him real love or support as he grew up so he struggles to do the same for others -> they were the reason he joined the army as soon as he turned 18

-When it comes to cuddling, he loves holding you against his chest and running his fingers along your arm, cheek, or through your hair; small but intimate actions like that are his favorite

-Doesn’t like to show emotions at all, even during more intimate moments; he needs some coaxing to relax in that way, which takes time

NSFW Below👇🏻 (it's really not too bad tho)

-Sit on his lap👀

-Will pin your wrists during the sexy times🫣

-EDGING & OVERSTIMULATION

-After his divorce, he's tended to view sex as more of a transaction where both parties are fulfilling needs for each other so he'd be selfish at first but as your relationship progresses, he'd become far more generous

[ganondoodle]

(idk if anyone wants to keep hearing my opinions on totk book stuff but-)

apparently it says that rauru DID have kids, multiple even, which yeah... is kinda necessary for zelda to even be connected to them so much so that sonia can SENSE a blood connection (which, even with all the excuses with magic, is just a little too far for me to suspend my disbelief bc its over, OVER, ten thousand years worth of generations that seperate her from them that one lil touch of the hand can sense that (feels more like an attempt to make you care about them or .. see them as zeldas "better" parents just bc they exchange a few nice words, i never got the feeling they were 'better' parents and its also kinda disrespectful to her actual parents, like sure rhoam wasnt the best but i wouldnt call rauru better just bc he was polite)- i could see maybe the light power of hylia or sth but since its the coolest dude that ever lived rauru now that had it which still doesnt make sense and makes me unreasonably annoyed and she can sense BOTH of their powers in her? nah) the fact theres NOTHING about them in the game itself is just so ... no way they planned any of this

i dont think theres anything they can do or say that wont make be believe they either

are making it up alla 'fix it in post' mentality trying to hastily explain stuff the game never bothers to do to try and appease fans or let it appear as if they thought about it at all

something went really REALLY wrong during development, which kinda seems likely given how the game turned out (im sorry i cannot let go, its not just the writing, the game design too and how little was changed in the map while being so damn expensive, i dont know how people dont feel scammed q_q)

given that they (allegedly) spent the last entire year of development on polish (where??? where????? huh??? like it would make it more understandable (EXCEPT for the price) if there was alot of trouble, which was also bc it got delayed and ... turned out like this, but they dont want to say it, especially given their reputation, with that quote i have heard way too many times 'a delayed game blah blah') i just??

are they just gonna go and do it like they did with kashiwa (kass)? "they uuuh where flying around the whole time ony cool sonau tech maschines, you just dont see or hear from them ooooorrr they were uuuuh out of the country at the time" (sending invitations to other continents to join their glorious kingdom ;) )

(bet they are also gonna say they did all the stuff like ... moving the shrines around (lol?) and lifting the islands up into the sky- which is still weird bc ... didnt they also say they were living in the sky before coming to the surface?? so where?? did they park all their islands on the surface and the mystery kids had the keys so they had to repark them back into the sky after they returned off camera?? xD also why are the islands so different as an environment if they where from the surface? like even the STONE up there is different- and if they were first in the sky then on the surface and the nback in the sky .. why is there not a single yellow tree or grass in the past- you cant really argue that it changed bc they were up there so long bc .. nothing else changed, the suddendly and totally always there sonau buildings are largely in prime condition, only some slightly moldy, and what we see of the glorious past looks barely any different from the present, aside from like ... some standard trees shuffled, no castle yet and that glowy uwu filter DESPITE that stupidly long time frame between it)

[theluckywizard]

Horror Literature Prompt List

I spent some time pulling crunchy quotes from respected horror authors (and a bonus philosopher) to ignite our twisted little minds this spooky season. Please enjoy! Made for @dadrunkwriting

“He couldn't get a grip on his sudden fear: it slipped through the safety bars of his mind and threaded—wormed—into the shadowy pockets where nightmares grew.” ― Nick Cutter, The Troop

"Pick a sin we can both live with, is what I ask." ― Joe Hill, Horns

“There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.” ― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

“Do you think she can see us, talking to one another now? Do you think the dead come back and watch the living?” ― Daphne Du Maurier, Rebecca

“If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” — Friedrich Nietzsche

“Am I walking away from something I should be running away from?” — Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House

“The air out here was ghostly, craving something of her. Something she would never let herself give.” ― Alma Katsu, The Deep

“Passion has little to do with euphoria and everything to do with patience. It is not about feeling good. It is about endurance. Like patience, passion comes from the same Latin root: pati. It does not mean to flow with exuberance. It means to suffer.” ― Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves

“Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we’re open, we’re red.” ― Clive Barker, Books of Blood

“What looked like morning was the beginning of an endless night.” ― William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist

“There hasn’t been a time that we weren’t dying slow. The world just learned how to make it happen faster. While we weren’t looking,” ― Kristi DeMeester

Madness is when all your nightmares have come true and you just don’t care anymore. - Simon R. Greene, For Heaven’s Eyes Only

“Stare at the dark too long and you will eventually see what isn’t there.” ― Cameron Jace, Snow White Sorrow

“The words thumped deep and low, rhythmically, like a little drum in a wooden box, beaten by unseen hands in a black room that opened doors onto another place you could not see the end of.” ― Adam Nevill, No One Gets Out Alive

“But they are only the faces of the dead. Coming into detail as we hurtle toward them. They see us, too. Fingers scratching at the ice’s rough underside, desperate to be the first to pull us down.” ― Andrew Pyper, The Damned

"Do not call up any that you cannot put down." ― H.P. Lovecraft, The case of Charles Dexter Ward

“There were always stories; people had to talk. Even if they were dying. Maybe the tongue was the last to go.” ― Kathe Koja, Bad Brains

“The light in the gallery changed subtly and he whirled and saw someone approaching him from between the exhibit cases. The individual moved with alarming speed, bent low to the floor, but straightening as he or she drew nearer. Unfolding…” ― Laird Barron, The Croning

“I think it’s good to be afraid. It means that I’m alive.” ― Paul Tremblay, A Head Full of Ghosts

“The cool breeze that ruffled her hair felt like something more than wind.” ― Bentley Little, The Influence

[marmie-noir]

Girl's Night Out

This black shirt has haunted my brain and I knew I had to have Mitch in it for one of these. TW: It's filthy. It's smut. Drinking, fingering, a milli-second of female receiving oral, Mitch Keller is bad for my health. This is not beta read, please forgive any errors and enjoy!

I blinked and Ann narrowed her eyes at me. “Girl if you blink one more time while I’m doing your liner I’m going to pin you down so I can work.” “Sorry.” I murmured, afraid to move, eyes glancing up toward the ceiling of her apartment. Ann, bless her, had declared I spent all my time with Mitch, Pops, and now Scruff. I was surrounded by men, and I needed a girls night. While I wasn’t sure if I needed one it sounded like fun and I didn’t hate the idea of being able to dress up a bit and go out with one of the only friends I had in the area. 

Mitch had smiled at me that morning over a cup of coffee, patting my ass on my way out and told me to “have fun and be a good girl.” I had gone shopping, all my tips had piled up even after forcing Mitch to let me pay half of Scruff’s medical bills, and I had been wearing the same few outfits from my suitcase so I bought a few new things. 

There was an odd moment in the store, looking at two sundresses that were super pretty, contemplating which one to get when Ann told me both. I nearly told her I didn’t want to get both, to save room in my suitcase, but stopped myself. I wasn’t living out of my suitcase anymore, I had a home. A room, a dresser, a toothbrush in a cup on the counter. So I bought both. 

I had one on now. It was short, the fabric soft against my thighs when I moved, the skirts a little loose to give it movement, the top tight in a way that complimented my figure, the straps thin over my shoulders. Or, to quote Ann, “show off your tits, girl!” God, she was something else. But the dress made me feel pretty, and really that is what mattered. And it had pockets. 

Finally the redhead stepped back, declaring I was fit to go out. I blinked a few times, my eyes feeling weird with the makeup and lashes before glancing at the mirror. My mouth fell open, surprised at who looked back at me. I looked good, like really good. Thick lashes, light eye makeup, a little blush and a pouty lip color made me look great. Paired with the way she had curled my long hair, not allowing me unusual updo, I looked like a new woman. 

“If Mitch could see you now you wouldn’t be going out, Sunshine.” She teased, winking at me and making me laugh. Before long we were leaving in the Uber she summoned, the two of us heading downtown Tulsa. 

The next few hours were a whirlwind and I think I paid for maybe one of my own drinks, hopeful cowboys buying us round after round. I was tipsy, laughing loudly as we fell into the new Uber, Ann pulling along one of the cuter men who had been trying to get her attention all night. Not that I could blame the man for trying, she looked stunning in her little dress and big hair, all bright smiles and flirty little looks. 

Not paying attention to where we were going I played on my phone, reading the last few texts from Mitch checking in. It wasn’t often, wasn’t oppressive, but he wanted to make sure we were safe and that I was having fun. 

‘I’ll come get you wherever you are if you ever wanna leave, darlin’. You just text me where and I’ll be there.’ 

It made me smile, fingers brushing over the contact photo I had assigned his contact, one of him glancing down at his guitar while playing on the couch one day. All relaxed, hat missing, blue eyes focused. Far too handsome for words, damn him. 

“Girl stop drooling over your phone, we are here!” Ann said, voice a little too loud for the enclosed space of the car as she shooed the man she’d brought along out, making me look up. The neon sign for Bred-2-Buck was bright and familiar and made me grin as I opened the door and stepped out. 

Ann beat me to it, practically kicking the door open. She was further gone than I was, that much was obvious, and I watched her throw her arms out nearly slapping her date. “Mitch Keller, I brought your girlfriend home!” She all but shouted, the patrons at the bar turning to look at the loud redhead who just made the most dramatic entrance. 

I let out a little laugh, blushing as I gently steered her towards the bar so she could sit and I could convince her to drink a little water. 

“Did you now?” Mitch called back, clearly not upset, the sound of humor obvious in his tone. “And where is said girlfriend?” Ann dramatically sighed, turning and grabbing at my shoulders before turning me to face the bar where I had been trying to coerce her to go and take a seat. I blinked, now facing Mitch, and his smile fell as his eyes met mine. I watched as those blue eyes darkened, slowly slipping further down my body taking in my outfit and my appearance, going all the way to my shoes before slowly sliding back up to meet mine. My lips parted slightly and I felt a blush spread up my chest to my cheeks, feeling a little put on the spot. 

“I did good, huh?” Ann asked, laughing and slapping my ass hard, making me jump and turn to grab her wrist with a frown, my cheeks burning hot. Mitch laughed, the few regulars who knew us as well rumbling with amusement before returning to their drinks. 

I convinced Ann onto a stool finally, reaching for a glass to pour her some water when Mitch’s hand gently grabbed at my wrist, leaning on the counter with a raised brow. “Can I get you somethin’, darlin’?” He asked, voice having an edge of a rumble to it that did horrible things to my lower stomach, warm arousal pooling slowly as he looked down at me. His hand was warm wrapped around my wrist, his thumb brushing on the inside of it, feeling my pulse jump as I looked up into his blue eyes. I cleared my throat, feeling a little flustered with his direct attention. “I just wanted to get Ann some water, Mitch.” I said quietly, eyes dropping to his lips a moment, unable to help myself. 

He smiled, his mustache lifting slightly as he did so, giving my wrist a little squeeze before releasing me. “Meet me in my office in five minutes.” He said quietly, leaning in as he did so, the warmth of him gone in a flash as he pulled back to toss Ann a grin and a glass of water. 

I kept an eye on the clock above the bar, talking to Ann who was leaning all over the man she had picked for the night. I found his name was Marcus, he worked in finance, and he really really liked Ann. Thankfully before they started sucking face the five minutes was up and I slipped away, disappearing down the hallway towards Mitch’s office. 

I opened the door and stepped in, letting out a little sigh as I did so. I liked the dress, but the shoes were uncomfortable and I missed my shorts. I was ready to be home, wanting nothing more than to wash my face and curl up on the couch as Scruff snored loudly on Pop’s lap as he gave me the rundown of the evening news. Warm hands slid around my hips and I jumped, hearing the rumble of Mitch’s chuckle behind me. I relaxed immediately, leaning back against him. One of his hands rested on my upper thigh but the other slid up the front of my body, large hand loosely wrapping around the front of my neck. His thumb pressed under my jaw, tilting my head as I felt my eyes flutter closed. “Look at you, darlin’.” He murmured, voice having an edge of gravel to it. It was a tone I was getting familiar with, it was the tone Mitch used when he wanted to do something delicious to my body. “How many drinks you pay for tonight?” 

I smiled, lips parting as his brushed against my neck, trailing up to my earlobe. It took me a moment to remember words. “Just one.” “I bet. Looking like this. Bet you had all the men stumblin over themselves, trying to get the pretty lady to even look at them.” I let out a breathy laugh, the noise pulling into a gasp as he nipped at my earlobe. “You drunk, Sunny?” “Tipsy.” I said, feeling breathless. The feel of his warm breath and the brush of his facial hair against my neck had a shiver racing down my spine, leaning back against him. He hummed in response, the sound vibrating from his chest to my back. His hand on my thigh slowly pulled my skirt up, warm fingertips brushing against my thigh, higher and higher. I shifted my weight, one of my hands lifting to grab the wrist of the hand around my throat still, the other reaching back to rest on his hip. “Mitch.” I breathed out, mind feeling a little hazy from the drinks and the sheer effect Mitch had on me. He was warm and solid and I couldn’t help but press back against him, hearing him suck in a breath against my skin. 

“How the hell are you so sweet?” He murmured, his hand on my thigh dipping between my legs, sliding into my panties without hesitation. Feeling how wet I was already he groaned, the sound making me squeeze my thighs around his hand with a whimper of my own. “I know, I’ll take care of you darlin’. Don’t worry.” His fingers were sin and he found my clit without any fumbling, something I had never experienced with another man before. Hell, most of what I felt with Mitch I’d never experienced with a man before. He had every wall crumbling, filling my head with nothing but him and the way his thick fingers stretched me just right, hooking and finding that spot inside of me that had me gasping. 

He brought his hand up, showing how wet his middle finger was, my arousal gleaming in the low light of his office. “Let me get these rings off,-” “Leave them on.” I panted, arching back against him, looking for the friction I had just lost. “I wanna feel them.”

Mitch tightened his hold on my neck, not enough to choke me but more of a reassurance that he had me. “Fucking hell, Sunny.” He groaned, his hand sinking back down to tuck under my skirt and into my panties. “I’ve got you, let me make you feel good.” He said, voice low and with that near growled tone that gave away how much he got out of this as well.

One of his booted feet gently tapped the inside of one of my feet, telling me to spread my legs a bit more. I listened, trusting him. I was rewarded by the feeling of his middle finger joining his pointer inside of me, deliciously thick fingers stretching me, the wet sound of him finger fucking me filling the space that our panting breaths didn’t. 

“You have no idea how fucking perfect you are.” He grit out, his hips pressing forward and for the first time I felt Mitch’s erection grinding against my ass. It had me moaning and his fingers tightened slightly on my throat, chuckling against my shoulder. “Shhh, baby. Don’t want everyone in the bar hearing how good I make you feel, do you?” I clenched around him, head tipping back to rest on his shoulder, my hand on his wrist tightening. “Or maybe you do, I felt that.” He curled his fingers inside of me, hitting that perfect spot that had me gasping, eyes unfocused and hazy as I stared at the old ceiling of his office. “Want everyone to know what a good girl you are for me? How good you take my fingers? How fucking sweet you are on my tongue?” “Fuckin- Mitch.” I whimpered, grinding my ass back against him. In response he ground the palm of his hand against my clit as his fingers moved faster. The combination had me seeing stars and I clung to him, thighs shaking as I gasped for breath. Nothing else mattered right now except the feeling of Mitch pressed up against me, his fingers hitting deeper than my own ever could, desperate noises pulling from my throat. “C’mon baby, give it to me. Let go. I’ve got you.” His hand around my neck gave one last gentle squeeze before dropping to circle around my middle. He made sure I was pulled back firmly against me but also half held me up, my thighs not trustworthy as he moved his fingers in a way that had to be sin with how good it was. His lips fell onto my neck, sucking and nipping at the sensitive skin where my neck met my shoulder, leaving marks I was sure. I didn’t care, he could bite me right now and I doubt I’d feel it over the pressure between my legs. I squirmed, my hands settling on his arm wrapped around my middle, nails biting at his tanned skin. “Fuck, please. I’m- I need-” “I know, baby.” Mitch answered, moving his fingers a little faster, palm grinding against my clit with a little more pressure. I came apart after that, I had no chance, my own hand covering my mouth as I cried out. I looked down the line of my body, watching his fingers moving under my skirt, the absolute filthy image of his hand in my panties was one that would be seared into my brain for the rest of my life. 

“Fuck yes, good girl Sunny. Good fucking girl.” Mitch’s deep voice vibrated against my back, his own hips grinding against my ass as if he couldn’t help himself. 

I didn’t get much of a chance to come down though, one moment I was standing with my back against his chest and the next he was depositing me on the edge of his desk. I looked up at him to catch him sucking his fingers into his mouth, blue eyes dark with lust as he looked down at me. 

“God you are fucking unfair.” I whispered, feeling overheated and cozy all at once. He chuckled, clearly having heard me, and I moved my arms down to his mouth to watch him pull his fingers out now that they were clean. Then I trailed down further, across the broad expanse of his chest in that shirt- I’d have to remember to wash that one more often because he looked far too good in it- before landing at the shiny belt buckle he always wore from his bull riding days. Right below that the denim was tented, enough that I could tell Mitch Keller was certainly not lacking but not enough for me to tell how gifted he was. I reached out to grab at his belt, working to undo it. He reacted by reaching to grab the back of my head, fingers weaving into my hair and tipping my face up so he could kiss me like he was trying to devour me. It made my fingers clumsy, and combined with my orgasm it took a few tries to get the belt undone. Finally the familiar sound of the buckle jingling sounded and I could have cheered if my lower lip wasn’t trapped between his teeth. Mitch pulled back, releasing my lip with a cocky smirk, his hand leaving my hair to rest against my collarbone. Slowly, gently, he pushed me back. I clearly looked confused because he grinned. “Trust me, darlin’.” “Fairly sure I do if the last fifteen minutes has anything to say about it.” I replied back, firecracker quick still. It earned me another grin and a shake of his head, amused. I reached up and plucked the hat from his head before my back met the cool wood of his desk, flashing him a grin as I dropped it on the chair next to the desk. Not exactly my dream spot to finally fuck the man who had haunted my every thought for awhile now but I would take it. Mitch reached under my dress and hooked his fingers in my panties, pulling them down my thighs before they were gone. I doubt I’d see those again, I hadn’t seen the ones from the night on the porch either. If the price of a killer orgasm was a pair of panties I suppose I’d survive. His hands smoothed back up my legs, hooking behind my knees and pushing my legs up, opening me up under him. “How are you so fucking pretty Sunny?” He groaned, seeing how wet I was. I blushed once more, hips shifting, feeling exposed and a little shy. Mitch’s pretty blue eyes flicked up and he shot me that grin that melted my insides, making me relax once more. As if he couldn’t help himself he leaned down, pressing a kiss to my clit before he was moving closer, pushing my dress up to my stomach. I gasped and then let out a little laugh, surprised. “Mitch!” “Couldn’t help myself.” He responded, not sounding a bit sorry. There was some shifting and to my confusion he lifted my legs up, pressing them together and hooking my ankles over one of his shoulders. I looked at him, confused. This angle would make sex kind of hard, wouldn’t it? “M’not gonna fuck you tonight, darlin’.” He said, one of his hands moving to his waist where he pushed his pants and boxers down, pulling out his hard cock. My mouth went dry seeing him for the first time, lips parting as all the words left my head for a few moments. Of fucking course he would have a pretty cock, thick but not in a scary way, long enough I knew he’d fill me so well my eyes would roll back.

I watched a bead of precum bead at the flushed head before it rolled down the length of him until he stroked himself, another chuckle leaving him. “Stop looking at me like that, m’not gonna change my mind.” 

I blinked, eyes jumping up to his face. “Why not?” I sounded whiny but I didn’t care, wanting more than anything to have Mitch sink into me until I could feel his hips pressing to my ass, needing him more than anyone else I’d ever met. Mitch Keller was a drug and I was an addict, living off his kisses and touches, always wanting more.   “Not like this, Sunny. Not while you’ve been drinkin’ all night. Not in this office.” Mitch’s face never lost that warmth of need but he did get more serious, lining himself up. Then his hips slowly pressed forward. Instead of sinking into me like I desperately wanted him to, I felt him press where my thighs were clenched together, slick with my arousal and previous orgasm. The hard length of him slid against my slit, but the best part was the blunt head of his cock gliding across my clit before he pulled back and did it again. 

“Oh.” I gasped, back arching slightly off the desk at how good it felt, the friction hitting just right. 

“Didn’t think I’d leave you hanging, did you? Can’t leave my pretty girl all needy for me. Fuck, so god damn soft.” His voice was so good, deep and grumbly, making my eyes flutter closed for a moment. One of Mitch’s arms were wrapped around my legs, making sure they were pressed together so he could fuck my thighs, but the other reached up to palm at my breast through my dress. 

Before long we were both panting, looking at one another as his hips clapped against my ass. He felt so good, everything he did felt good though, and I was whimpering and gasping under him on the desk. One of my hands wrapped around the edge of the desk while the other was gripping onto his shirt, needing an anchor as he continued to thrust against me. 

My second orgasm wasn’t far, especially with the way he kept rubbing at my clit, the image of him doing all sorts of things to me. Mitch was so handsome it hurt. His eyes were darker than I’d seen, his hair loose across his forehead, lips parted as he panted. I whined his name, my hand releasing his shirt and reaching for him. His hand left my breast to grab onto mine, lacing our fingers and reaching up to grab the edge of the desk, pinning me down. “M’close darlin’.” He said, leaning over me. The move had my knees nearly pressing to my chest but I didn’t care, focused on the slick feeling of him rutting against me, the two of us looking at each other. “Where…?” “On me.” I gasped, my free hand releasing the desk and pulling my dress further up so it sat below my breasts. That seemed to do something to him, the sound that left him a mix between a groan and a growl, his brows pulling together. His hips moved faster, my thighs pressing tighter around him as he continued to move. 

 “Fuck- Mitch.” His hand squeezed mine and I tipped over the edge again. I moaned, back arching off the hard desk. It was like someone had set a firework off in my lower stomach, the fizzy feeling racing through my limbs and making my toes curl, his name leaving me like a prayer. 

At the same time Mitch groaned, making the prettiest noise I’d ever heard as I felt something warm land on my stomach. I felt his cock pulse between my thighs with each rope of cum that landed on my stomach, making me shiver under him, panting as he came hard.

We stayed like that for a few moments, looking at one another breathless and flushed with arousal. I couldn’t believe we’d just done that, but the cooling sensation on my skin was proof if nothing else.

Mitch was the one who broke the silence, giving me that crooked smile that made my heart ache. “Let’s get you cleaned up Sunny, and then I am taking you home.” He didn’t let me go right away though, his arm loosening around my legs and instead letting them hang off to the side as he leaned down to kiss me sweetly. I sighed happily as he pulled away, feeling sleepy and warm, knowing I was absolutely going to cuddle up next to him tonight in his bed.

Read more Sunny and Mitch here

[sinfulsalutations]

Hey lovely! Popping by with that quote!

“may my heart

be the softest place you fall,

may this love

be the wildest place you run”

I am looking forward to seeing where your inspiration takes you and what clone vibes call to you!

𝕚𝕟 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕙 ⋆*･ﾟ 𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕨𝕠𝕝𝕗𝕗𝕖

➼ ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ ☆ ᴡᴏʟꜰꜰᴇ x ɢɴ!ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

➼ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ☆ ᴀɴɢꜱᴛ, ᴛᴀʟᴋ ᴏꜰ ᴛʀᴀᴜᴍᴀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀʀꜰᴀʀᴇ, ꜰᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ɪɴ ʟᴏᴠᴇ, ɪɴᴛɪᴍᴀᴄʏ, ᴍɪʟᴅ ᴍᴇɴᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ꜱᴍᴜᴛ

➼ ᴘᴏᴠ ☆ ꜱᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ

⋆ ★ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴜꜱᴇꜱ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱᴘᴏᴋᴇɴ: ꜱᴏꜰᴛ ᴡᴏʟꜰꜰᴇ.

➼ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜰɪᴄ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀɪɴꜱ ɴꜱꜰᴡ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛ 18+ ᴅɴɪ

⋆ ★ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴏɴ ᴀᴏ3 ⋆*･ﾟ ᴛᴀɢʟɪꜱᴛ ꜰᴏʀᴍ

Wolffe doesn’t trip. He’s learned and trained himself not to, avoid mistakes and failures at all costs. Gray bloodstains litter his armor, painted with the markings and his mourning of all the men he wasn’t able to save.

Master Koon insists it isn’t his fault. No one had seen such a weapon coming and it’s been a devastating loss on him too. But the wolf still won’t falter, still won’t mistake a time of respite as a time not to be alarmed. He is never safe, his brothers are never safe.

Wolffe has never wished to find a place of solace to run to.

Until he met you.

The wolf purrs in your presence. You hold him, hold onto him, and discover that he likes head scratches and he likes longing stares; likes the way you smile and look at the world with the excitement of a shiny drenched in Kamino waters. You’re gentle, you’re kind and lovely and you sit with his silence.

He remains rough in the places that matter. Your love hasn’t blinded him to the dangers of war and the battles he fights. He still leaves marks all over you, growling darkly as the wolf lays claim to what’s his. He won’t let you go, let you dissolve in his hands like his brothers, and that in its own makes him so soft during the afterglow.

The afterglow. Warm and comforting and so beautiful. Enough of a reminder that he’s no longer on that escape pod, counting the helmets of the fallen on his thigh plate. He doesn’t count with you. Doesn’t count the minutes or the hours spent entangled in bed exploring each others bodies, languidly eating dinner and talking about everything and nothing, slowly interlocking fingers while exploring the quiet areas of Coruscant. Counting creates limits. He doesn’t want limits with you.

Wolffe doesn’t trip. He struts rather than runs and does everything with the careless care only a commander so tainted with bloodshed could manage. But when he’s with you, he’ll run. He’ll run as damn fast as he can to catch up and squeeze you till you break and mold to him permanently. In the aftermath, he’s found the solace he never wished for, and has no plans to leave.

tags: @starstofillmydream @pb-jellybeans @corrieguards @ladytano420 @jediknightjana @sleepycreativewriter @shinyshayminflower @secondaryrealm @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @dukeoftheblackstar @meshlaxbunny @kimiheartblade @wolffegirlsunite @star-burned @starrylothcat @blueink-bluesoul @aconstructofamind @padawancat97 @littlemissmanga @starqueensthings @anxiouspineapple99 @freesia-writes @wings-and-beskar @clio3kantarella @secretthegriffin @idontgetanysleep @523rdrebel @dystopicjumpsuit @ladyzirkonia

[mischiefnevermanaged89-blog]

Gotta Be Somebody-part4

Angel Reyes X Reader

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Angel

My time spent with (Y/N) had been the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time. She has started to become my best friend. I could tell her everything without judgment. Our mornings were becoming routine with breakfast and morning quotes. She was the most beautiful in the mornings when I’d go to her place.

The feelings inside me that she had stirring were new to me and that scared the shit out of me. The moment I walked into her apartment and I seen her dancing around to her favorite Nickleback song, it instantly became mine. I knew I had to do something, so when she left to meet Marcus, I went to the one place I knew I’d get some answers.

“Pop! You home?”

“In here, son.”

I walked into the kitchen, kissing my hand and touching Ma’s urn on the way.

“Angel. What brings you by?”

I sighed as I sat at the table. “I got a problem, Pop, and I don’t know what to do.”

“You okay?”

I nodded. “Yeah. You remember (Y/N) Losa?”

Pop smiled. “I see.” He said smiling.

“What’s that mean?”

“Tell me what troubles you?”

“I don’t know, Pop. I’ve been with her almost every day for the last few months and it’s like I think about her every minute I’m not with her. I got these feelings and I don’t know what they are. She means everything to me. I can’t wait to see her in the mornings. I go to sleep thinking about her. Even her favorite music has become mine.”

He laughed. “You’re in love, son.”

I scoffed. “No way.”

“You’d do anything to protect her right? Do anything she’d ask of you?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Couldn’t picture your life without her anymore?”

That’s when it hit me. Pop was right. “No. I couldn’t.”

“The way you feel about her is the exact way I felt about your mother.” He chuckled. “She’d be so happy her baby had found him somebody to love. She always wanted that for you. She always knew you’d find somebody. She never worried about you like that. Always knew you’d find your way. That’s why she didn’t worry much when you were growing up. She knew one day you would be a man she could be proud of.”

It was my turn to chuckle. “(Y/N) said almost the same thing when I told her about mom and growing up. Said mom doted on EZ because she knew how he’d turn out, but never worried about me.” I looked at Pop. “She’s special, Pop.”

“I know, son. Don’t let her go. She’s brought out something in you I haven’t seen in a long time.”

My phone vibrated with a text from Bishop saying Templo. I said goodbye to Pop and headed for the clubhouse. As soon as I got there I was hit with questions.

“Prospect! Have you seen (Y/N) today?” Bishop asked.

I shook my head. “Not since I checked in on her this afternoon. Said it was her off day and she was going to stay home and clean. I just left from seeing my pops. I haven’t seen her since.”

He nodded. I went inside and started stocking beer in the fridge. Everyone started piling in not long after. (Y/N) and Alvarez were the last to arrive. She looked at me with a smile, one I returned.

“Prospect, come on. You’ll want to be in on this, too.” Alvarez waved me into Templo with them.

I was confused when he called me in, even more so when (Y/N) followed in behind. I stood to the side after everyone sat around the table. I looked to (Y/N) who looked so damn calm and collected standing at the head of the table between Alvarez and Bishop.

“Can I ask why you have my daughter and the prospect in here Padrino?” Bishops asked.

“As you all know, Galindo is having problems with the rebel group running in Mexico. They’ve come to believe it’s being led by a woman. Any transports being made have been stopped and sabotaged and everyone killed. (Y/N) and I just had a meeting with Galindo.”

She nodded and stood at the table. “Galindo explained that they wanted someone to infiltrate this group. Get on the inside, find out how they are working, where they will strike next and eventually take them out.” She looked to Bishop. “I know you run for the Galindo cartel papa. It’s only a matter of time before her group realizes this and strikes you all and I cannot let that happen.”

Bisphop went red. Everyone went red. We all knew what that meant.

“No. Hell fucking no, hija! I will not allow you to do this.” He banged his fist on the table.

“It’s been decided, papa. I accepted Galindo’s deal. In a few days time, I’ll will gain access in and earn her trust and feed intel back until the time is right.”

“And what is it you will have to do?” I spoke up, all eyes turning to me, even her (y/e/c) bore into mine.

“When the time is right, I’ll have to kill her.”

“Ah hell nah. Chica! You cannot do this! You’re not a killer. I’ve been there. Killing someone changes you. I don’t want that for you.” Coco pointed around the table. “We don’t want that for you.”

“It’s not for you to decide!” She yelled, banging her fists on the table, her actions mimicking Bishop’s. “I have decided. I’m doing this. For Primo, papa, Taza, Riz, Creep, Hank, Coco, Gilly, Angel.” She looked at each and every one of us.

“For the last twenty two years you have each been in my life, some longer than others. For twenty two years I’ve called you each my uncle or brother. I will not get a call one day that every man in my life for the last twenty two years is dead because some perra has a vendetta against their boss and took it out on them. I will not do it. Even if Galindo has made a very generous payout for me for each intel and the endgame, I’m doing it for my family.” She wiped tears from her eyes. “With or without your support, I will be doing this. Papa, I love you, so much, please, understand why Marcus and I went to Galindo and understand why I have to do this. You’re all I have and all I’ll ever need. Please?”

Bishop sighed and dropped his head. He stood and grabbed her in his arms and we could all see his shoulders shake from crying. Father and daughter held each other for a few moments. Bishop turned around to face everyone.

“Okay. It’s been decided. (Y/N) will do this. We will support her. I trust Padrino and if he says Galindo can be trusted with her and this, then I can’t argue. Nobody is to argue. We will stick to whatever plan they have for us.”

My heart sank. This woman that I just learned I love is about to throw her self into danger for her family. Why the hell am I finding myself loving her even deeper?

I watched everyone walk out and I followed behind, going to the bar to pass out beer to them. I watched (Y/N) walk outside; Bishop nodding to me to follow her. I nodded back and took a couple beers with me.

“Hey, (Y/N/N).”

She looked up at me, a small smile on her face. “Hey, A.”

I handed her the beer. “You okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“Look, I don’t know what’s going to happen with all of this, but I want you to know that as your best friend, I’m here. No matter what.”

She chuckled. “Thanks, Angel. That means a lot.”

“I’m serious. I know shits about to get serious soon. I just want you to know that when you’re out there, if you can, I’m right there. I’ll be a quick hello away. Even if you want to hear a quick good morning quote or just me to say your name. I’m here, Cariño.”

There it was. That beautiful fucking smile I lived for every damn day. She always saved that smile for me. She scooted closer to me and wrapped her arms around mine and laid her head on my shoulder and sipped her beer. I kissed the top of her head, closing my eyes, wishing this moment didn’t have to end, because I knew in a few days time, I didn’t know when I’d see her again.

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

@ravennaortiz

In the words of my 9year old daughter…

[noodyl-blasstal]

We Got Boned!

I got brainworms from @taakosleftshoe's post this morning and now we're here!

Lup's upset about Lord Artemis Sterling paying his way into a permit to acquire some human remains he definitely shouldn't be using as a jigsaw puzzle in his stupid rich people museum. But it's okay, they're gonna write a book about it.

Read below or on Ao3

-

"I've been thinking."

"About the bones?"

"About the bones."

"I don't like it…" There's a pause. "The bones that is, not the thinking."

Lup appreciates that Barry doesn't ask the usual questions the, "is this because of the… you know?" Followed by a vague gesture which she guesses is supposed to somehow encapsulate the 9 and a bit years spent cradled in her own corpse's hands as the meat sack she lived in decayed.

"I think we can do something about it."

Barry sets his book down. "I'm listening."

"We're writing a book."

"Oooh, that ticks off some of the research requirements at work too."

"See, chagirl's not just the hottest elf you ever met."

"No, you're also the smartest and the bravest and the kindest…" He says it with such fondness, eyes crinkling at the sides, the lines by his mouth falling into place as he smiles. She's glad she got to add to those laugh lines before they gave up on the whole ageing schtick.

"Damn straight."

"...and the second best chef."

Barry's ducking even as she swings herself round to grab a cushion to throw.

"So, we're writing a book." He says evenly as the first pillow bonks off his back.

"About bones." Lup says cheerfully as she flings the next one.

"In general?" Barry asks as it baps harmlessly into his unguarded ear.

"About being bones."

"Oh. Oh that's good!" Barry looks up just in time to get a face full of the squishy fire patterned pillow.

Lup decides that’s enough violence. “It is, right?”

“An autoethnography of bones. No one’s done it before.”

“They sure haven’t."

“Have you got a name?”

“Not yet, I thought maybe you might have a sugg…” Lup’s not even done by

“We got boned!” Barry’s positively gleeful.

“Taako’s going to hate it. It’s perfect.”

–

"I love the way you wove your narrative in with Hodge's theory." Barry looks so proud, she fizzes from the inside out. She found someone who’d read what she wrote, who’d appreciate it.

"Thanks! This chapter about the rituals of death juxtaposed with the time I carved your leg bone is brilliant." She loved reading Barry’s work, he always found interesting ways to guide the reader to conclusions so naturally they’d believe they thought of it.

"You're only saying that because carving a ring out of your dead husband's thigh bone is, and I quote, “fucking rad” and you're glad people are going to know about it."

Lup admires the ring on her finger. "It's also very well written. Stuff can be two things."

"Stuff can be two things." Barry nods in agreement.

Lup reaches out to touch her hand to his.

It was fun to research together again. There were opportunities at the university, sure, but this was different. This was late nights and ad hoc meals, it was falling asleep on the sofa nose in a book, mussed up Barry waking her gently and leading her to bed so they didn't wake up with bad backs. It was exciting, being on the edge of discovery again, being part of the science of it. They lived it, maybe it could make a difference. And if not, the heist would.

Shit! The heist.

"Hey Bear. Did I ever mention why I wanted to write this?"

"Education of the masses?"

"Sure. Yeah. That. But also…"

"Lup?" Barry's doing the fake frowny face, if she waits too long he'll start laughing.

"There might be a teeeeensy heist."

Barry raises his eyebrows and blinks slowly at her.

"Just a little one, honest."

Barry waits, because he's glorious, he's perfect, he's always game for good reasons crime.

"I'm in."

"You don't have questions?"

"Not really." Barry looks thoughtfully down at her, hand still idly stroking her back. "I assume you have the how and I already know the why."

"It’s just a tiny backwards Indiana Jones."

"We're gonna steal the artefacts out of the museum."

"We're save the life-challenged people from the basement."

Barry snorts at that one, exactly like she hoped he would.

"So the book was for the book launch?" Barry asks. Smart man, excellent man.

"Where else would we hold it?"

"Can't think of a better location.” Barry says, nodding.

"Taako's doing the artefact levitation, Magnus is muscle, Merle’s on healing duty, and Krav's there to ensure they're actually gentle."

"You thought of everything." Barry says, and kisses her fondly on the cheek.

–

"So, I forgot about the security." Lup announces to the table.

"Mmhm." Says Kravitz, lips already pulled tight in disapproval. "Have you considered maybe not doing a crime and writing to ask them to release the remains instead? Maybe a petitio…"

Taako drowns him out with a loud raspberry. "You're embarrassing me, Bones. If you don't wanna come it's fine, just means Magnus and I can be faster with the dead dude jigsaws." Taako winks at Lup as Kravitz's eyes widen in alarm.

"No wait, crime's good, I love crime actually. I just forgot."

"Is it even really a crime if he was only allowed to exhume the bodies from the black glass because he bought the permit for it?" Barry asks.

"Yes." Says Kravitz too fast, then winces in pain as Taako definitely kicks him in the shin. "But, er, actuall… oh fuck it. You know what, yes, it's a crime, but I think the Raven queen will approve of this one."

"I'm also slightly concerned about the legality, Dr Lup."

"Who brought the baby?" Taako rolls his eyes.

"Why you did, Sir, remember, I live at your house, you drove Mr Kravitz and I here, you made me the bag of car snacks, remember?"

"It's our house, Agnes, we've talked about this, and we also talked about being cool." Taako hisses.

Lup snorts loudly. "You don't have to be involved, Angus, it's okay."

"Thank you very much Dr Lup, but I think that I might be able to help with the security. There's only two of them, I went to check yesterday, and I think they'd both find a distressed little boy very difficult to cope with."

"The perfect role for Merle!" Magnus says brightly. "He's the right height."

"I thought I might do it, Sir." Says Angus before Merle can reply. "I have…" Angus starts to sniffle. "I have been so looking… forward to a… a chance to act… you see… but if you think Merle would… be a better choice..." Tears leak down his cheeks and he looks so utterly forlorn that Lup's halfway to scooping him into a hug when he smiles. "Acting! See! I'm perfect for the role."

"And the moral conundrum you were wrestling with mere seconds ago?" Kravitz cocks an eyebrow.

"I just thought it'd be funny if Mr Taako thought he was living with two squares, Sir." Angus smiles brightly enough to get away with it.

"So if I'm not the kid, what am I doing?" Merle asks.

"You're our medic. Anyone gets knocked down, you make sure they get up again." Lup replies.

"They're never gonna keep us down." Deadpans Lucretia.

There’s a booming “HA!” from Magnus in recognition.

"Davenport, do you need anything?" Lup already knows the answer. Davenport's already prepared, Davenport was ready for this heist before Artemis Sterling took the bones for his stupid rich person museum.

"No thank you, Lup. I have the plans, the van, and the magnetic signs are ready to go. I thought a cat salon would work well."

Perfect.

"What do we do with them once we've got them?" Lucretia asks.

Lup's got this covered. "Where would they least expect?"

"Back in the basement!" Magnus yells immediately.

"Nope."

"My greenhouse!"

Taako grimaces at the thought. "We don't know if they were over 18, there's no way they're allowed to spend time in the cesspit of sin."

Angus thrusts his hand into the air, bouncing in his seat. Lup cannot believe they raised such a nerd. He's perfect.

"Ango?"

"Where they came from, Dr Lup." He grins, proud of himself. She's proud too.

"Right! What idiot's gonna steal something and put it back where it came from?"

"These idiots!" They chant in unison.

–

The thing about being one of the saviours of the universe and having your lives pumped into everyone’s heads is that no one can dispute it when you write a book about what it’s like to die. They know about every single time already. The falling, The Sword Cupboard Incident, the going-out-in-a-blaze-of-glory, the stabbed in the back and trapped for a decade. No publisher was going to say no, especially not when they realised it wasn’t a hinky memoir - there was no point in that. Everyone already knew. What they didn’t know though, was how to be science, but Lup and Barry? They breathed it.

It turns out that when you’re the saviours of the universe it’s easy to pick where you launch your book, you’re fighting the offers off. When you’re the saviours of the universe you can even get a guided tour in advance, you can bring 5 of your closest friends, and the world’s greatest detective, and no one questions it. Lord Artemis Sterling will give you the tour himself, let you know exactly how little he thinks of the people he stole, reinforce exactly why you’re definitely not planning on stealing any of his collection - cross your heart and hope to die.

When you’re the saviours of the universe no one can tell you that you can’t wear big stompy boots with a cocktail dress for your book launch, or that a denim suit isn’t “fitting” for the occasion. Lup has checked thoroughly, actually, and it’s fitting Barry very well if she does say so herself.

When you’re the saviours of the universe people who don’t give a shit about your book will show up for the launch just to put a sight on you. Just to say they saw the lover and one of the twins, they’ll hope to see the others. They won’t, of course. Apart from Lucreita. The lonely press release writer, noting down the events of the evening for posterity.

When you’re the saviours of the universe, you can get away with a lot.

–

The sound of metal pinging against ‘the nice glassware’ sets Lup’s teeth on edge. Being adored is great and all, but couldn’t it be quieter?

Chants of “speech!” chorus around the room, so she and Barry nod at each other, he pulls the cards they prepared from his inside pocket, and they walk slowly to the podium. Angus smiles beautifically up at her as she passes, this is his cue, she already knows he’s going to shine.

“HELLO NEVERWINTER! ARE YOU READY TO ROCK AND ROLL?” Lup yells into the mic, covering the wailing sound of Angus’ performance beginning as the door swings shut behind him. The audience looks at one another, there’s a single cough.

“I said, ARE YOU READY TO ROCK AND ROLL?” Lup repeats, revelling in the sea of horrified faces in front of her. She throws in a high kick, you know, just because. It’s important to keep all eyes on them and a boring speech is not going to cut it.

“Yes!” Lucretia shouts from a distant corner of the crowd.

“I suppose we could?” Someone else says.

“Great, that’s the kind of energy we love and were hoping for.” Barry says, adopting his very best patient teacher smile.

A small “woo!” comes from somewhere in the mass of people.

“Maybe we’re ready for just the rocking no rolling, Lup?”

“Well, we can certainly show you a medium good time this evening.” Lup smiles and nods at the smattering of polite laughter. The crowd seems slightly relieved she’s turned the energy down, more fool them.

“Have any of you ever been bones?” Barry asks the crowd.

“Yes!” Lup snorts loudly at Lucretia’s interjection.

“How was it?” Lup asks.

“Bad!” Lucretia shouts back. “I was dead.”

“You sure were! And did that mean you wanted just anyone to take your bones and do all sorts of bullshit with them?”

“No!” Lucretia replies, giving Lup an encouraging thumbs up.

“No.” Repeats Barry, solemnly. “And that’s how Lup and I feel too. Every bone, you see, has a story.”

“So when we got boned, it was hard.” Lup says.

“Really hard.” Barry adds, trying very hard to keep his face straight.

Lup notices his mouth twitching and decides to go for broke. “There’s no need to boast Barold.” She whispers, nudging him. He turns a delightful shade of pink. “But what felt best…” Lup says, talking into the mic again. “... was when I was treated with respect. There’s nothing like your own brother stealing your stuff and cheesing it to make you feel like an object, not a person, even though it definitely wasn’t his fault because he couldn’t remember you.”

There’s a loud “Ha!” From a man in the front row, the person next to him elbows him hard in the ribs.

“No no, go ahead, that’s a good one, honestly. Just wait until we get to the bit where I made this.” Lup holds up her hand to show off her shiny white ring and grins wide. There’s a groan from a woman on the left. Lup hopes there’s at least one terrible first date happening here tonight.

“Bones, by their very nature, were part of a living breathing being.” Barry starts to work from the cards. He’s right, of course, they probably shouldn’t stray too far from the plan, shouldn’t front load too many of the anecdotes. “But once flesh leaves bone, we often forget the humanity of them. We don’t look at a person any more, we look at an object. An object to be taken, studied, stored, or displayed. We don’t often consider who they might have been, which grave markers we have taken them from, or whether there are families missing them.” Barry takes a moment to look out across the crowd. “When is it okay to take a body?” He asks no one and everyone all at once.

They wait.

Someone always cracks, eventually the heat of the silence will get to them and they’ll popcorn their way into an answer. It never fails in class.

Lup nods encouragingly, makes eye contact with anyone stupid enough to look up in this moment.

“After a thousand years.” Someone shouts up.

“Yes, so the historical argument is a good one. What’s the point in the militia looking at a skeleton from thousands of years ago? Why shouldn’t the remains become an artefact, each bone catalogued and recorded.”

“Yeah!”

“I’ll ask another question, what makes a person?”

There’s a longer silence.

“Who are you?” Lup asks. She loves it when people have to think about this. It’s rare they consider what the stuff of them is, beyond a name or a place or a purpose, the context of their lives.

“Lucretia!” Shouts Lucretia.

“You sure are. And who’s she? Is she books and journals and learning?” Barry asks.

“Fuck off Barry, I learned to fight! I made a second moon!”

“You did.” He says, voice softer for a moment. “But how would we demonstrate that in a museum?” He looks patiently around the room again.

“An information board?”

“What would we put on the information board?” Lup asks the room, they’re getting bolder and she’s delighting in it.

“The stuff about the moons.”

“And?”

“Her name!”; “The fighting stuff!”; “Journals on display.”

“All good suggestions, but how much of that context can we give? And how do we get it from some bones?”

“Research ‘em.” Lucretia’s beaming. Lup needs to bring her to more conferences to heckle.

“Research them!” Barry agrees, happily. “We wrote this book for multiple reasons, we wanted to share our experience because it’s important to encourage learning, but we also wanted to help people think differently.”

Angus sneaks back into the door, flaps his hands in a complex circle motion and purses his lips. Lup assumes he’s doing the bird call he practised earlier, thankfully him arriving back is all the signal she needs.

“Anyway, the main thing we want you to remember is that skeletons are people too. Thank you bye!”

Lup drops the mic.

Barry, many years deep in his conference circuits with Lup, reaches out to catch it before it fully leaves her hand. “Thank you for your time, please remember to buy your copy of “We Got Boned!: an autoethnography of death, respect, and being rad litches who can’t die.” Have a lovely evening and enjoy the canapes.”

Lup’s glad she didn’t knock the softness out of him, glad that the years apart didn’t take it either. She hopes people do buy the book, that people do care. But most of all she hopes that the people below them are currently speeding to freedom in the back of a ‘cat shampoo’ wagon.

Angus sniffles and grabs her leg. She bends to comfort him. “The mongoose have left the nest, Dr Lup, I repeat, the mongoose have left the nest.”

“The otters have built the dam?”

“Pardon?” Angus looks up at her his adorable little face scrunched up with confusion.

“Just messing with you Ango.”

“Oh. I… I knew that. Good one, Dr Lup.”

She winks at him, then scoops him up onto her hip - the next part of the plan was flawless, no one could argue with kid tears. “You ready?”

“I was born ready.” Angus replies, tears already welling in his eyes. “I was so… scared.” He wails. “I thought… I’d… never… see you… again.” The sobs are coming thick and fast.

“Oh no, don’t worry little man, you’re back now, but what have I told you about wandering off?”

“That I shouldn’t do it.” Angus says through his tears. “I’m going to be in so much trouble with Mr Taako and Mr Kravitz.”

“It’s okay, pumpkin, we don’t have to tell them.”

“I already did, I messaged them on my stone and they said I have to come home right away?”

“Right now, Angus?”

“Right now. I have to go home right now.” He wails loudly.

“Oh dear, well let’s go find Barry, I’m sure he’ll understand.”

Angus is shaking against her shoulder and Lup has no idea if it’s with laughter or the best fake-tear education Taako could give.

“Oh no, what’s wrong Angus?” Barry’s face is lined with concern as they approach him.

“I have… to… go… home.” Angus snuffles out between sobs. Lup tries to mop at his face, but soon realises he’s already soaked his hanky through. Incredible.

“Do you have a…?” She waves Angus’ handkerchief at Barry.

“Of course, oh dear, poor thing.” Barry hands over his denim pocket square. “I’m so sorry everyone, this was a fascinating discussion, but you can’t argue with that face, it seems like we’ll have to be off.”

“Surely you don’t both have to go?” A tall man with a well waxed moustache asks.

“I… miss my Grandpaaaaaaaaa.” Angus wails.

“Oh buddy, I’m so sorry. What can we do to help?” Barry asks.

“I’ll never be… able to see him… again because he’s… dead…” Angus is definitely reaching now, but thankfully everyone looks alarmed enough by the invocation of a dead grandfather that they’re not going to question it. “... but I’d like to… go home.” The sobs are thick and fast now.

“Oh Angus, of course we’ll take you home.” Lup pets his hand lovingly. “Won’t we Bear?”

Barry nods.

There’s grumblings around the circle, but no one is willing to outright tell a crying child no, especially not when Angus sobs even harder and reaches for Barry. If he’s not careful the kid’s going to give himself a nose bleed and Taako’s never going to forgive her if Angus gets hurt on her watch. Barry grimaces apologetically and takes Angus from Lup, who simply shrugs the universal ‘what can we do?’ at the group.

“Angus, you’re a genius.” Lup whispers to him as soon as they’re safely bundled in their coats and waiting outside for Barry to bring the car.

“Thank you very much Dr Lup, I thought my performance was excellent. You should have seen the guards.” He whispers back.

Lup dabs at his dry eyes with a fresh handkerchief from her pocket, just in case anyone’s watching.

–

“There’s pizza.” Taako waves his hand lazily in the direction of the kitchen. He’s strewn across Kravitz’s lap feeding him bites of cookie.

“Did you cater the heist?” Barry asks, as if he hasn’t been part of this family for years, as if he hasn’t heisted with them before.

“What are we, animals?” Lup and Taako ask together.

“Yeah, okay, I walked into that one.”

“So we’re all good?” Lup asks the room.

“We were so respectful.” Magnus shouts, appearing from the kitchen, mouth half full of pizza.

Lup glances to Kravitz, he nods subtly. That’s good enough for her.

“Everyone stashed safely?”

“I organised some plant cover to be extra safe.” Merle lounges on a beanbag there’s no way he’s getting out of without help.

“Organised or organ-ised?” Barry asks. “Wait, actually, no, I don’t want to know. Don’t tell me.”

“Too late, let me tell you about the dwarves and the ivy.” Merle crooks a finger and smiles his dirtiest old man smile.

“Pizza you say, Taako? In the kitchen?” Lup grabs Barry’s arm and pulls him out of danger.

“Thank you.” He squeezes her hand.

“No no, thank you.” She replies.

Lup hops up onto the counter, grabs a pizza slice with one hand and uses the other to pull Barry closer.

“We did it!”

“We did it.”

He kisses her, she kisses him right back. It’s only illegal if someone catches them.

“None of that on my ship.” Davenport shouts from the hallway.

Lup rolls her eyes and kisses him one more time anyway.

–

Lup huffs and throws the paper down.

“Still nothing?” Asks Barry.

“Still nothing. They didn’t even notice.” She doesn’t mean to take it personally, it’s good really. The longer that it takes for them to realise the bones are gone, the less likely it is to be linked to their event, but still, still. He cared enough to steal 12 year dead bodies from their graves, surely he wanted them for more than just the prestige? Infamy? Lup didn’t really know what the term was. Maybe he was just rich and bored and fancied trying his hand at archaeology. Either way, he hasn’t worked it out yet.

They’ve been scouring the paper for weeks, asking Krav to ask Sloane to ask Hurley if there’s anything rumbling, but there’s no word that Artemis has noticed the much emptier basement of his “museum.”

“Did I tell you that Lucretia found another family?” Lup asks.

“You did!” Despite hearing the news before, Barry sounds just as excited as she does. The relief has been palpable every time they’ve facilitated a reunion. Questions answered, a family able to care for their loved one in the proper way.

“I saw you matched another few sets of bones too.”

“Yeah, he jumbled them down there, hadn’t preserved them properly either, but I’ve been working on it. I’ve been talking to them while I work, it’s nice when they help out, makes it easier too. I’m glad they approve.”

“Who wouldn’t want you pouring over their bones? Handsome nerd paying endless attention to my body? Sign me up!”

“You can have that any time you’d like.” Barry says. He winks, corny enough to unbalance the smoothness of his words.

She loved him endlessly. Perfect, wonderful man.

[acourtofthought]

Elriels claim that Azriel is questioning his religion for Elain, but I don't really see him asking, "What if the cauldron was wrong?" as him questioning his religion FOR her. I see it more as him being mad that he hasn't been rewarded for his beliefs.

Of course, we don't know how religious Azriel actually is, but the vibes I got from him were something along the lines of, "You gave mates to my brothers but I believe in you too, so where's mine?"

I feel like Elriels want/expect Azriel to start quoting Keats, "...love is my religion. I could die for it. I could die for you..." But it just doesn't feel like that's what's he's trying to say in the bonus chapter. It feels more like he's waiting for a reward for being good, but you're not supposed to be good just because you know you'll get stuff. You're good because it's the right thing to do.

The fae believe the mother / cauldron / fate created mating bonds therefore he's questioning if there was a mistake made along the way since to him three brothers should be with three sisters, no questions asked. Was there a different way he could have said what he said? His brothers got bonds with two sisters. Bonds are given by the mother / cauldron. Why didn't he, as the third brother get the third? There's nothing in Az's personality that says, "I have dedicated my life to worship of the mother" leading us to believe it's a natural progression for him to think "so why hath she forsaken me? I am no more a believer as she has kept me from my one true love!!!" Like you said, Az doesn't seem to give off a religious vibe at this point, definitely not more so than anyone else. He's not really questioning religion at all. He's questioning a prize he thinks the Cauldron is handing out and that's not very religious type behavior. If someone is so willing to be angry at religion because they didn't receive the same good fortune as their brothers even though he has it pretty damn good, having spent the last 500 centuries surrounded by family and friends, then he needs to get his priorities straight. He needs to learn what religion is actually about. Mating bonds should not be the basis for his belief in the mother / Cauldron and them trying to prove that Az questioning why he didn't get a bond is him questioning the entire foundation his religious belief stands upon is kind of silly. As always, it's just another addition to the long list of arguments from some E/riels that make both Az and Elain look like silly, selfish characters who would rather make enemies of family, friends, and allies for their lust based forbidden romance rather than acting like two grown ass adults and communicating which would resolve 99.9% of the obstacles standing in their way (if they did in fact want a relationship).

[jaketswine]

dear stranger…

the intro

a/n: this is a multi part imagine series based on Laufey’s songs dear soulmate and beautiful stranger.. hope you all enjoy <3

600+

summary: moving to a new city has been a little isolating, but you’ve managed to pick up a self-soothing journaling routine.. filled with hopes and dreams, and maybe someone in particular…

making the move to a new city after grad school had proved to be one of the most difficult things you’d ever done.

it wasn’t that you didn’t like it here.. you loved the city, but you were now hours away from friends and family, beginning a new chapter of your life virtually alone.

you’d spent the majority of your free time so far exploring the streets, stopping by local spots you hoped would become frequented locations. lots of time at local markets, and coffee shops; always being sure to check out any bookstore you saw.

you had found solace in one location in particular. a little cafe that doubled as a used bookstore.

it reminded you of home the second you entered the store.. smelling of freshly baked cinnamon rolls just like your mom used to make on special occasions. the hustle and bustle had drawn you in as well; the constant grinding of the espresso machine, low chatter from the customers, and always a friendly face behind the counter.

they had everything you wanted.. spinning records in the store, some of the best lattes you’d come across in quite a while, and even selling locally made art and products.

on your first visit in you’d had a long chat with the owner; one of those people who seemed to know everyone.. everyone but you. they wanted to know all about you after learning you had just moved. you laid out your whole life for them, never caring to keep things to yourself hearing you speak about your struggles of feeling alone, they gifted you with a hand bound leather journal made by a friend of their’s.

weeks went by, and you only found you’re growing more attached to your journal.. writing down anything and everything that came to mind. grocery lists, quotes, even your mass amounts of dreams.

which is where you found yourself again today, head buried in your journal, favorite pen in hand, trying to remember the tasks you had wanted to accomplish.

you’d been so engrossed in your writing that you barely noticed the nudge to your shoulder. quickly raising your head, you locked eyes with what you thought had to be one of the most beautiful men you’d ever seen.

he wasn’t too tall, just enough that you had to told your head upwards to get a good look at him. he had slender features, defined cheekbones, and you noticed the slightest shadow of a dimple peeking out as he spoke.

“i’m so sorry, I hope I didn’t mess up your writing.. these damn trains shift so unexpectedly sometimes.”

realizing he had bumped into you on accident, you gave him a quick grin, promising that no harm had been done. you watched him carefully as he gave you one last apologetic smile, backing away to find a seat of his own on the crowded subway car.

you watched him as he sat, withdrawing a book from his small backpack. looking him over, you took note of how his long brown hair fell in waves over his shoulders. watching the singular pendant on his chest rise and fall, under his mostly unbuttoned maroon shirt. the tan chelsea boots he was sporting looked to be well-loved, matching nicely with the tattered chord bracelet around his wrist.

a man who loved and cherished things.. that’s exactly what he appeared to be. for the briefest moment, you envied the people in his life, the ones who knew him best. you wondered if they received the same warm smile he gave you just minutes ago. you quickly decided this train of thought was ridiculous.. he was just a beautiful stranger.

arriving at your station shortly after, you gathered your things and prepared to exit the car, giving one last look over to the man you had been intermittently staring at the whole time. you watched him as he read, waiting for the doors to open, taking in every detail of him you could.

you decided you’d be thinking about him for many days to come.. and who knew, he may even land in the dreams section of your favorite journal.

taglist: @gretnavannfleet

[burningtacozombie]

random mayans thoughts, 5x09 edition:

- Felipe, Angel and Mav were so damn sweet at the beginning. to quote Downer here, what every kid wants is for their dad to tell them they're proud. I'm happy for Angel he finally got that. but I'm beginning to think he might never find out what really happened to Luisa and instead they let him keep thinking she just took off. but who in the writers room did Clayton piss off? first Luisa, now possibly Felipe and EZ next? pops took on the invading Sons like a boss and while I've been expecting him to die for weeks, it'll still be heartbreaking if he did. which we don't know yet. Felipe took out at least 2 Sons, maybe it wasn't him in the bodybag.

- Miguel and Cristobal are just as adorable, I love them so much. now he's making a deal of his own with Devlin, full immunity for any and all information to take down Potter and she accepted. while I'm always for taking that motherfucker down, or out, I'm sure that despite Miguel getting the deal for himself and his wife, his own crimes will come back to bite him in the ass. that lady does not seem like someone who'd let one criminal get away to take down another, she wants them both.

- Emily figured out it was Luis who killed her sister, at last. and now she’s putting cameras all over the place. mama city hall clerk did a number on her telling her there are more people who know what she did.

- the Broken Saints are just moving away after what happened? to where? we don't know who 'mother' is or what they're gonna do with their president, it is her fault after all, and it feels kinda weird and unfinished to let them leave like that. amigo Elio didn't make it out of the fire, this might unleash something very Guero-like in Bottles which would be hella interesting to see. I hope both Guero and Bottles go wild in the finale, since neither of them had enough screentime this week. but after what they witnessed they probably needed a break.

- EZ is flattened with his bike because he swerved for an animal? he got beat up, could barely sit up straight and look out of his eyes but drove home without incident. but swerving on a dry, straight street does it. right. and then Wendy, is that her name?, so happened to drive by. I only know that actress from somewhere else so no SOA connection here. she did say a lot of things that made sense but it's the second to last episode and the time they spent together dragged on for too long. we do not have time for random stuff.

- Isaac needs to kick the bucket, I'm sick of this motherfucker. and these other 2 Sons definitely know Terry lied. let them all kill each other for all I care.

- same with Potter, he needs to go. I hope that when he does, he's not taking Kody down with him. not her smartest idea to align herself with him.

- not one club house scene this week? is everyone else on vacation?

generally not my favorite episode but the series finale has been confirmed to be two hours long so maybe this will be enough time to bring storylines to a satisfying end. let's wait and find out.