#descendants crossword

[itsalwaysforyou]

i made a descendants crossword :)

[esamastation]

I've been writing some first sentences / prompts as idle writing exercise and here's the first 100. You're welcome to use any of them, if you get inspired.

-

Across the deep blue sky streaked a comet, with a purple tail trailing after it like skirts of a dress and several small companions chasing her.

Across the cell the older man farted loudly in his sleep - which was good, since for hours now John had been wondering if he'd gone and died.

Before the grand three story mansion the half a million dollar Porsche burned merrily.

Backstage, half deafened by the deep bass and the beat, Jane threw up all the whiskey she'd been drinking that night. 

"Call me when you get there," was the last words John heard from his mother, before his hometown was engulfed by a blazing inferno. 

Cloud seeding was probably a good idea, once, back when rain was still mostly water and frogs were only a ground level issue.

Dark academia was, in John's honest opinion, an oxymoron - but that didn't mean he didn't look damn good in a waist coat and ascot.

During the end of the world there were a lot of people who wasted their time looting and running - but in the end, it was the people covering under their beds who survived the longest. 

Elephants are unappreciated as hallucinations, in Jane's most expert opinion - with elephants there was rarely any doubt about whether she was hallucinating or not. 

Effervescent, John thought as he bled over his crumpled up crossword puzzle, a gaping hole in his chest, and sighed, who even uses a word like effervescent.

For all the times Jane had driven him mad with her stunts, John loved her crazy ass - he just wished she'd drawn a line before murder.

Fall descended upon the countryside like a knife - with a swift brisk breeze that brought with it a cutting frost and killed all their crops in a single night.

Grave is such an unpleasant place to wake up in. 

Gulls raced the ship to the shore, despite being easily able to outpace her - whether they were like vultures circling a dying beast or doves bringing the message of hope and safety, John welcomed their company nonetheless.

High on the church tower, a little runaway devil was miming the acts of sodomy and making rude gestures at the gathering crowd of shocked and horrified parishioners.

Hot, acrid air blew in through the vents before John shut down the car's air-conditioning - not quickly enough to block out the stench of sulfur.

Inclined to be polite, Jane let the sexy bombshell into her office, even taking a moment to appreciate the figure she made even though she wasn't that kind of detective.

In the last moments of her life before the zombie virus scrambled her brains, Jane thought about John and concluded, there's a man whose brains she'd like to eat.

Just as the bell rang for midnight, the vampire lord took out a notepad and said, "Let's start with your parents, shall we?"

Jackal puppies are kind of cute, thought the mummy, even as they attempted to unravel his binding and probably feast on his desiccated flesh.

Kitchen is a bad place to fight ninjas, John thought, completely tuning out whatever Jane was ranting about; too many knives.

Kicking the door open without looking, John read through the front page again and so completely failed to notice the fact that there were people in his house.

Leading with, "We have only twenty hours to live," might've set an awkward mood for the rest of the meeting - but it was damn effective. 

Lowering the rope feet by feet, Jane cursed her armour; it was pretty and impressive, sure, it got her all the ladies, but it also creaked with every move and the dragon was waking up.

Man's defining flaw is definitely hubris, John decided, but started the jetpack anyway.

Most of the city had already evacuated by the time Jane made it out of the basement, with torn ropes still hanging in her wrist and fury burning like an artificial sun in her chest.

Media tried to give the invaders new names, each more fantastical than the last, but the public had already made its mind - they called the aliens Kaiju right from the start.

"Now that civilisation has fallen, it's the survival of the fittest," declared her former highschool bully, before Jane racked the shotgun.

Night fell upon the office like some kind of hex, wearing on their already frayed nerves; the Deadline approached.

On her deathbed, Jane would announce a game, a treasure hunt to her great fortune - fortune which didn't even exist anymore.

Owned by the worst kinds of people, attracting the worst kind of user base, using the worst tech and implementing the worst kinds of terms and conditions… is it any kind of surprise that virtual reality went on to destroy a whole generation of people?

Parking the spaceship on top of the tallest skyscraper was probably an overkill - but it certainly got the message across.

Power cut off three days after the end - on the exact fucking moment John hooked his electric car to a charger, of course.

Quills aren't great tools for stabbing, maybe - but they hold poison very well.

"Qilin are supposed to mark the king, aren't they?!" he demands while again narrowly avoiding being stabbed by the unicorn deer from hell.

"Questions will be after the presentation," said John firmly to his captive audience, chained to their seats.

Rather than die in ignominy like the rest of her family, Jane made something of herself, digitising her mind at age of thirty and becoming a ship's AI by fifty.

Rest of the tenants were asleep when John broke out through the third floor window - and thanks to a whole lot of sleeping pills, so we're the attendants.

"Verily I say unto thee," slurred the handsome, completely shit-faced elf, "Thou truly art a harlot of the highest degree."

Venting her frustrations by throwing her smart phone across the street was a terrible idea - not only would Jane need a new phone now, but it hit a random passerby smack in the middle of the forehead and now she's going to be sued… again.

Without any damn sense at all, John falls in love on the same day he'd planned to kill his dad.

While busting up some dance moves on the battlefield isn't the best way to win a battle, sometimes it wins out an audience with a king; in unrelated news, Jane thinks she might be about to become the court jester.

"X marks the spot isn't driving directions, John - oh, shit never mind, I see it," Jane says into the phone, and gapes at the house - a true modern masterpiece if she ever saw one.

"X," the alien argues, sounding like a buzzer from a TV show, and lifts a laser gun to emphasise the point.

Yawning as he refilled his coffee cup, John didn't quite register the earthquake until he was two swallows in - moment later, the house begun falling apart

Yesterday everything was fine and Jane's world was normal, ordinary, blessedly boring even; today, she met John again.

Zero effort was spent in writing the actual article; the headline "Aliens Conquer the Moon" by itself was enough to sell the papers.

Zealous isn't how Jane would describe John, exactly; completely batshit crazy is much closer to the mark.

One thing could be said about the whole portal incident; it definitely turned a new leaf in Jane's life.

Two of the bandits had already broken into the back of the wagon - judging by the sound of it, they'd also found the gold.

Three times Jane had thrown John's clothes out of the window and into the street, and he was damn well going to make sure there wouldn't be a fourth time.

Four of Jane's students quit on a monday and another two would follow in the following week; by the end, she'd figured the problem might be her syllabus.

Five new starts lit up the night sky, which by itself was already an astronomically significant event - the fact that they were in a circle made it less significant and more ominous.

Six bullets in John's gun, each with its own target and a plan and chance to change destiny - and he missed each and every fucking time.

Seven is supposed to be the lucky number, but somehow all the worst things in Jane's life happen on the seventh - including this.

Eight coins in his pouch is a pitiful showing for a season's hard labour, except for one thing: they're each and every one of them magic.

Nine years old, John thought grimly looking over the crime scene, the blood, the body, and the unrepentant culprit - nine years old and already with blood on her hands.

"Ten outta ten," Jane breathes, her body limp and her vision full of stars, and sighs happily, "Would fly again."

Already Jane's hands were shaking, and she'd barely begun; cutting up frozen bodies was never going to be her favourite part of the job. 

Before the fire John used to love swimming, but now the scent of chlorine makes him want to cry.

Calling her boss at one in the afternoon to tell him she'd be late, Jane mused whether she should consider moving to an area with fewer reported spatial anomalies.

Deciding he'd had enough of zombie dogs in his lawn, John invested in automated machine guns - big mistake. 

Enemy drone sightings had gotten fewer and fewer in the last two days, as the fires had died down and the base laid in ashes - the plan, it seems, worked.

Figuring out she'd done enough for one day, Jane set aside her saw and hammer and went looking for a dog to play with - it shouldn't be difficult, the estate has about two hundred of them. 

Going with his gut feeling, John got a baseball bat and a trash can lid before investigating the noises coming from his basement - whether it was racoons or demons from the underworld, they wouldn't catch him unawares.

Hiding under her bed was a comfort thing Jane refused to feel ashamed for, not after it had saved her life twice. 

Including the weird kid in the game seemed to be a great idea - up to the point where John started throwing up frogs and Jane started floating during musical chairs.

Joking had been Jane's defence mechanism since she'd been young, and it usually worked, but going "Ey, how you doing?" at a serial killer was probably not the smartest plan. 

Keys rattling like a bunch of chains and his heart pounding in his chest, John peered into the darkened office and lifted his flashlight.

Lifting the well cover, Jane leaned back, fully expecting it to smell awful the way still water not disturbed in decades should - and the fact that it didn't was alarming.

Mowing the lawn on the eve of the asteroid impact might not be the most productive use of his last hours on earth, but John didn't care - even now it brought him peace.

New hires always get the worst jobs, Jane reminded herself while picking everyone's trash around the office - at least she was still being paid.

Oatmeal for breakfast, lunch and dinner got pretty boring after two months, but thank god John had even that much prepared.

Pleased with her progress so far, Jane lifted her hand and wiped John's arm - she isn't sure why he wanted the tattoo of a bunch of random letters all over his arm, but it was coming along nicely.

Quelling his rebellious stomach the best he could, John reached for the baby wipes - changing diapers is a basic fucking task for a dad, and he's going to do it, he's not going to throw up and he's going to do it. 

Rationally speaking, what she was seeing couldn't be what she was seeing - because portals to other worlds weren't real - but in her heart…

Singing as he worked, "Going down to the river,"�� John lifted another log over his shoulder - ignoring with long practice the way his coworkers gaped at him.

Trying for several different things was how Jane had gotten where she is now - ballroom dance, coding, waitressing and working at a zoo might look like they had little to do with each other, but each was a useful skill for an assassin.

Under his house there's a basement and under the basement there's dirt, and under that, well, John isn't sure, but whatever it is makes a lot of very concerning noises.

"Vacancies 0," informed the sign of a clearly long abandoned roadside motel - of course they pulled over to check it out., 

Without John at the helm, the ship wouldn't budge, the AI simply refused to respond - which is unfortunate because someone had thrown John out of the airlock about half an hour ago.

Xylitol gum and old cigarettes - there was something very nostalgic about that scent, Jane thought, as she watched the old woman push her shopping cart over the crack in the pavement and right into the ditch.

"You know you're going to have to clean that up, right?" John asked as they watched the blood dye all primary colours of the carpet in hues of red.

"Zoom!" went the kid on her tricycle as she drove right over John's foot that morning, somehow breaking two toes in the process.

The store keeper glared at John and John glared right back - between them the dragon egg rocked gently side to side.

For as long as Jane had known him, she's never seen John read - which isn't really something you notice about a person, not until they have to do the thing… and they clearly can't. 

Finding people was rarely the hardest part of starting a new adventuring party, since there were always some newcomers hanging around the tavern - bringing them all back alive though…

Deciding that he needed some professional help with his problem, John went to consult the wizard, who then pointed him to a witch… who pointed him to a sorcerer… who summoned a demon… who pointed at him and laughed.

Even before everything changed, Jane had had a bad feeling about things, like, the sky shouldn't be that colour and she didn't used to get that many static shocks and the TV didn't use to be that… purple.

John and Jane tossed a coin over who got the first go at the treasure - and of course the coin landed on its side. 

Digging for gold used to be an honourable profession for loners and lunatics - now it's all about grave robbing and tomb raiding.

There was a noise coming from outside like the world was ending, but Jane was almost done with the damn report and not about to let herself be distracted. 

The doctor looked at him sadly, the way they do when there's nothing to do and no time left, and said, "I'm sorry, there's no easy way to put this; sir, you're inflicted with stage two lycanthropy."

When she was a kid, Jane pretended she was capturing fairies and sticking them into her doll house as prisoners - when she turns twenty one, this comes back to bite her in the ass.

Finding out that he got an inheritance from some relative he didn't even know about was one thing, but finding out that he'd inherited what was clearly a haunted mansion?

Before John met Jane, his world was dull and colourless, boring from start of the week to the end - now he can just taste technicolour his world has become… which is probably not a good thing.

There's a monster in Jane's closet, tied up with Christmas lights, hanging from a coat hanger, re-thinking all the choices in his life..

Seven days after his wife left him, John reconnected with his mother and took up the family grimoire again.

For the second time in twenty four hours Jane was sitting down to talk with a dead person - which was, even in her line of work, a bit unusual.

The fact that John went from being a secret agent to a nanny might've amused his brothers - but none of them knew the absolute abominations he was taking care of, and yes, Jane, the sidearm is necessary for his work, thank you very much!

-

Modify them as you see fit, etc etc. If any strike as especially good/horrendous, please let me know!

[the-gay-rat]

Riordan-verse Prophecies

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

You shall go west, and face the god who has turned, You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned, You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.

You shall sail the iron ship with warriors of bone, You shall find what you seek and make it your own, But despair for your life entombed within stone, And fail without friends, to fly home alone

  Five shall go west to the goddess in chains, One shall be lost in the land without rain, The bane of Olympus shows the trail, Campers and Hunters combined prevail, The Titan’s curse must one withstand, And one shall perish by parent’s hand. 

You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze, The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise. You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand, The child of Athena's final stand. Destroy with a hero's final breath, And lose a love to worse than death.

A half-blood of the eldest gods shall reach sixteen against all odds and see the world in endless sleep, The hero’s soul, cursed blade shall reap, a single choice will end his days, Olympus to preserve or raise.

The heroes of Olympus 

seven heroes shall answer the call to storm or fire the world must fall an oath to keep with final breath as foes bear arms to the doors of death

Child of lightning beware the earth the giants revenge the seven shall birth forge and dove shall break the cage and death unleashed through Heras rage 

 to the north beyond the gods lies the legions crown falling from the ice the son of Neptune shall drown

wisdoms daughter walks alone the mark of Athena burns through Rome twins snuff out the angels breath who holds the key to endless death the giants bane stands gold and pale won through the pain from a woven jail 

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard 

Wrongly chosen, Wrongly slain, A hero Valhalla cannot contain. Nine days hence the sun must go east, Ere sword of summer unbinds the beast. 

The Trials of Apollo

Caves of blue. 

…Westward, burning.

Pages turning.

…Indiana.

Happiness approaches.

There was once a god named Apollo, Who plunged in a cave blue and hollow, Upon a three seater, the bronze fire-eater, Was forced death and madness to swallow 

The words that memory wrought are set to fire, Ere new moon rises o’er the devils mount, Till bodies fill the Tibet beyond count.

Yet southward must the sun now trace its course, Through the mazes dark to land of scorching death, to find the master of the swift white horse and wrest from the crossword speaker’s breath.

To westward must the lester go; Demeter’s daughter finds her ancient roots. The Cloven guide alone the way does he know, To walk the path in Thine own enemies boots

When three are known and Tiber reached alive, tis only then Apollo starts to jive 

Bronze upon gold

East meets west

Legions are redeemed 

Light the depths 

One against many

Never spirit defeat 

Ancient words spoken 

Shaking old foundations 

Destroy the tyrant 

Aid the winged 

Under golden hills

Great stallion’s foal 

Turn red tides 

Harken the trumpets

Enter strangers home 

Regain lost glory

Apollo faces death in Tarquin’s tomb unless the doorway to the soundless god is opened by (Bellona’s Daughter)

A wildcat near the spinning lights. The tomb of Tarquin with horses bright. 

To open doors two-fifty-four 

O son of Zeus the final challenge face, The tow’r of Nero two alone ascend, dislodge the beast that hast usurped thy place, The son of Hades, cavern runner’s friend, Must show the secret way unto the throne. On Nero’s own your lives now depend. A dare reveals the path that was unknown, And bears destruction; Lion, snake-entwined or else the princeps never be o’erthrown 

Apollos flesh and blood shall soon be mine, Alone he must descend into the dark, The sibyl never again to see his sign, Lest wrestle with me till se his final spark, The god dissolves, leaving not a mark 

Apollo must fall, but Apollo must rise again 

The Sun and the Star

Go forth and find the one who calls out your name, who suffers and despairs for refusing to remain; there leave some of equal value behind, or your body and soul no one will ever find.

(correct me if i got any wrong)

[uhhhitsme]

20 and 29 for Curt and / or Owen? 👀

i already did 20 for curt and owen here, and 29 for curt here. but i can definitely do 29 for owen!

-29- quirks and personal habits

chews on his bottom lip when he's stressed, but only when he's alone or with curt

technically canon but he also does that thing where he sucks in a lot of breath and then exhales it all at once when he's frustrated. i have affectionately coined it the pufferfish face

he's very expressive and physical when he's talking, waves his arms around like crazy to punctuate what he's saying

has a habit of descending into long-winded, ridiculously dramatic monologues over small things

loves to infodump. knows a bunch of random trivia that literally no one gaf about

dogears his book pages

he has a very particular pen he likes to use, and is very possesive about it (he wouldn't let curt use it at first). he's been stocking up

he's not a BAD cook, but he isn't very good at it either. his food is typically just edible---shit he can survive off of, but doesn't necessarily enjoy. no one ever taught him how to do it right, so he sort of just figured out the basics on his own and never moved on from there

unironically uses really long, pretentious, fancy words without realising that nobody fucking knows what he's saying

doesnt mind grime, but hates disorganisation (curts the opposite)

has to finish a crossword in one sitting if he starts one. if he doesnt, he spends the rest of the day grouchy

he's such a loser to me i love him

[jackhkeynes]

run "symbol"

run /rɪn/ [ʀɪn]

character, letter, the visual representation of a letter of a writing system;

symbol, glyph, any non-verbal representation which imparts information;

(historical, specifically) rune, a letter in one of the German writing systems

Etymology: originally in the last sense, descending from Old Borlish run /ryn/ "rune". This was borrowed either from Old Norse rún "secret, rune" or Old English rūn "mystery, rune". In the Middle Borlish period this word retained senses like "magic spell" and "talisman", but these became obsolete in the sixteenth century (although derivatives like runam "secretly" and runastr "sorcerer" survive to the modern day).

Jo ney a l'oc run final yembr ny scarrad yarcer. /ʒo ni a lɔk rɪn fiˈnal jɛmbr̩ ni xaˈrad jarˈdzɛr/ [ʝo ni a lɔ ʀɪn fɪˈnal ˈʝɛm.bɐ ni xɐˈʀad ʝɐːˈdzɛː] 1s fail at df=s.px letter final get-inf in-df word.game grid.shaped I can't get the last letter in this crossword.

[easeupkid]

okay hit us with the game suggestions pls i wanna know EVERYTHING!!!!

YAYYYYYYY

okay first: the crosswords that i enjoy because i am a crossword puzzle solver first and foremost

vox’s are fun and a midi size so bigger than mini but not as big as like 15x15 (standard weekday size)

i also enjoy la times crosswords and they’re not paywalled !!

caleb’s inferno is a monthly crossword that gets more difficult as you descend !

as mentioned in my og post i like scrabblegrams as a fun little daily word game :) but i also just like playing online scrabble against the computer or a friend

worldle is a fun daily geography game

relatle is a music game where you work from one musical artist to another through their similar artists on spotify

not a daily game but i like doing this grid logic puzzles

and also, and i can not stress this enough, sporcle is such a good boredom buster

[thelampisaflashlight]

Cirice

[Quincy meets Mountain and subsequently gets bullied.] Below the cut.

The abbey's library is absolutely stunning.

He'd said as much when Brother Elijah brought him there after his interview, and, even now, nearly a month into his work, Quincy finds it just as magnificent and fantastical as the first time.

However...

"20 down, 6 letters, an old English word for church..."

Although Quincy loves the library, it's not the most lively place.

Clergy come and go, and some linger to study books about this or that, Quincy isn't sure what the primary focus of their research is, but much of it involves skimming through heavy resource books that are all written in some archaic language he cannot begin to understand.

Thankfully, the spines are labeled in English, or, at the very least, Latin.

A bell tolls, signifying midday, and the assembled clergy begin closing their books, setting them off to the side, shuffling their notes and gathering their belongings to leave.

Quincy nods to them as they depart, and receives small waves and warm smiles in response.

The siblings are always very respectful and polite, to the extent that it makes him a little nervous.

Despite having left the faith years ago, Quincy had grown up Christian, and is still struggling to unlearn the more "us or them" teachings his church had beaten into his head as a child and young teenager.

It is not an easy thing to do, and his mind often swirls with negative thoughts and feelings that he tries not to let color his opinions of the people around him, but he has to try.

Quincy stretches, then stands slowly, rolling up his sleeves.

"Right, let's get to it..."

Tidying up the library requires Quincy's full attention, having not fully acquainted himself with the layout, he can easily sort the books themselves by their DDCs but...

"Why are none of these shelves labeled??"

"Mn, I believe it's because the late Papa Emeritus III found the placards too plain, and thought that they 'detracted from the aesthetics'..." Brother Elijah had told him during lunch one afternoon, "Which is... funny, considering I do not think he spent much time actually in the library... at least not to utilize the resources there."

"What was he doing then??" Quincy had questioned, "Just sitting about?"

"Ah, no..." Brother Elijah trailed off, "Well, kind of. He was fond of... roleplay so to speak."

Quincy is still not entirely sure what he meant by that.

What kind of so-called "roleplay" could you even do in a library??

He'd tried to ask Brother Elijah exactly that, but the older man waved him off, saying it was better if he didn't know.

The same day, whilst cleaning, Quincy found a desk towards the back of the library, out of view, with... decidedly nail shaped indentations on the surface, as if someone had been gripping it tightly.

He's still not sure what to do with this information, nor certain how or why he thinks it's connected to the dead guy's... roleplay.

Returning to the present, Quincy finds himself on the second floor, a single book remaining in his hands; It's old and worn, and the sticker label marking where it belongs has long since faded beyond his ability to read.

He flips it open, examining cover to cover trying to find some marker or indication of where it belongs, but everything written inside -and indeed it is written, handwritten in a brownish ink- is in an illegible cursive scrawl.

If he didn't know better, he'd think he accidentally snatched up one of the siblings' notebooks, but the book was simply too old for that to be the case.

The paper, the bindings...

It's a very old tome indeed.

Another bell tolls.

"I'll figure this out later." he tells himself, descending the staircase and depositing the book at the front desk beside his crossword puzzle, grabbing his bag and departing from the library... only to find the hallways packed with clergy members and much chatter.

Quincy hops to see over the crowd, but he can barely see passed the wall of people.

"What's going on?" he asks, tapping the shoulder of a nearby sibling.

"The ghouls have returned!" they announce excitedly, "They're finally back!"

"The what now?"

"The ghouls!"

Quincy blinks, "That... clears up absolutely nothing."

"The ghouls are high ranking members of the church." a now familiar voice explains, "They're essentially celebrities here."

Quincy tilts his head up in the crowd, making eye contact with Brother Elijah.

"So they're kind of like... the 'popular kids' here then?"

Brother Elijah chuckles, "Mn, not quite. They do have a rather large following, but that's only natural, they are musicians after all, and everyone gets at least a little excited to see their favorite ones."

Quincy hops to see over the crowd again, catching a glimpse of... well, more tops of heads, and one face towering above the assembled clergy.

He makes the briefest of eye contact with the man; He's lean and tall, with a narrow face and long brown hair, and when he locks eyes with Quincy, it may be his imagination, but there's the slightest hint of...

...Anger?

Quincy shivers, grateful, suddenly, for the wall of people between them.

He's certain the other had scowled upon seeing him.

It could just be nerves, or his mind playing tricks on him and seeing hostility where there is none, but he doesn't try to jump up to confirm ether theory.

"Are you alright?" Brother Elijah asks, peering down at him worriedly.

"Ah, just... wondering when the crowd will clear up." he says, waving off the other's concerns, "I wanted to go eat my lunch."

"If you say so." he hums, "Here, I'll clear a path. Stick close."

With that, Brother Elijah begins pushing his way through the crowd, and Quincy grabs the band around his cassock to keep them tethered together so he doesn't get lost.

It doesn't take long before they've popped free into the main corridor, taking the opposite path from the... the ghouls?

"Why are they called ghouls?" Quincy asks, letting go of Brother Elijah's belt, "Is that, like, a status thing?"

"In a sense, yes." he says, smoothing his uniform, "It's hard to explain, and I'm not entirely sure how much I can tell you about that, honestly."

"It's another one of those, 'You have to be in the know.' kind of deals, yeah?"

He nods.

"It's better if, for now, you just make yourself aware of their presence and avoid them when you can." he goes on to say, "They're not bad people, nor particularly dangerous, but they can be a bit... much."

"You forget I used to work in a bar, Brother." Quincy points out, "I've likely dealt with similar or even worse."

"Still... I think it would be better if you didn't involve yourself with them more than you have to." the other states, his brow furrowed.

He seems genuinely worried about the idea of him interacting with the ghouls, but that just makes Quincy... curious.

However.

"Mn, I probably won't see them, so it's fine." he says, "One of them, the really tall one, gave me a look and, frankly, I don't want to find out what it means."

"Ahh, that would be Mountain... He's a fairly easygoing person, but he is rather... abrasive at first."

"His name is... Mountain?"

"Yes. Actually, all of them have sort of... nicknames?"

"I se-" Quincy's stomach growls loudly, cutting himself off.

Brother Elijah smiles.

"Come on, let's get some food in you."

.

.

.

Returning to the library after lunch -mostly simple, easy to eat snacks like fruit or cheese for Quincy, and a sandwich from the kitchen for Brother Elijah- Quincy settles back behind the front desk, pulling out the book from earlier and tries to glean any new information from it that he can.

The letters seem to swirl on the pages nonsensically at first, but the longer he focuses on them, the more recognizable the shapes become.

He can tell which are meant to be lowercase 'q's, 'p's, 'g's, and 'y's now at the very least.

But none of the words are familiar to him.

He sets the book down again, taking out his crossword again.

"13 across, 7 letters, a rumbling during a storm..."

"Thunder." a low voice booms, "...do you always do puzzles while working?"

Quincy startles, almost falling out of his chair, but a long arm reaches across the desk, grabbing the back of it.

"You should be careful."

Quincy's eyes widen.

It's... It's the man from before.

It's Mountain.

"I-I... I'm sorry?"

"You need not apologize to me." the tall man sighs, "But, really, you should pay more attention to your surroundings, how could you not hear me come in?"

Quincy squirms in his seat, he feels like a little kid caught doing something wrong.

"I... I was distracted."

"Yes, by your puzzle." he states coolly, gesturing at the paper, now spread out across the floor behind the desk, dropped in his fright.

"I'm sorry." he apologizes again, "I-I... were you trying to get my attention? I'm sorry..."

Mountain frowns, righting the chair and pulling Quincy back towards the desk in one fluid motion.

Why is he so strong??

Why is he so... fucking tall??

Quincy gulps.

"I just wanted to say hello, but you seemed to be off in your own little world, so I thought I might snap you back to reality before someone more important found you goofing off on the job." he chastises, clicking his teeth for emphasis, "You haven't been here nearly long enough to get away with this sort of thing, so you have to be careful, yes?"

Quincy nods quickly, "Yes, Sir."

Mountain's face contorts more, if possible, becoming even more annoyed.

"Don't call me 'sir'."

"What... what should I call you then?" he asks, side-eyeing the massive hand still latched to the back of the chair.

"Mountain."

"Mountain... I'm..."

"Quincy Byrne." Mountain drawls, tilting his nametag upwards with a single, large finger from his free hand, "I want us to be friends, so, be careful not to get yourself into trouble, alright?"

Friends?

He-

With that, Mountain releases him, standing to his full height, and ascends the stairs to the second floor, leaving Quincy to babble uselessly.

"What."

What was that?!

Despite Mountain having righted his chair before leaving him, Quincy still bails out onto the floor with a loud crash.

"Ow..."

"...Are you alright?" Mountain calls from the upstairs railing.

"Y-Yeah, I'm great."

Quincy sits on the floor for a moment, trying to regain his composure.

What even...

Grabbing his paper from the floor, Quincy goes to stand, bumping his head on the underside of the desk.

Thud.

A loud sigh echoes through the silence of the library.

Oi.

"Be quiet down there, some of us are actually trying to get work done."

Quincy bristles, "I-"

"Shhhh-"

Did he just shush him???

Ugh...

Quincy picks up his chair and sits back down, about to toss his paper in the bin, when...

"Oh, 20 down..."

"Cirice." Mountain says from somewhere above, "And do learn to read in your head."

Quincy bites his tongue to keep from screaming.

[red1sg0n3]

COLOUR CREW INCORRECT QUOTES

my hand slipped :)

Pink: SIX MONTHS.

Rye: What’s she yelling about?

Red, Sweating: I’m sure it’s nothing

Pink: foR SIX MONTHS YOU WATCHED ME WATER A FAKE PLANT-

~

Pink, to Red: I’ve categorised your messages into three sections

Pink: ‘Messages from Red’, ‘Death Threats’, and ‘Death Threats from Red’.

~

Blue: What are you doing?

Red, surrounded by birds: Raising a family

~

Rye: I have no fears

Blue: What would you do if you woke up and Pink was taller than you?

Rye:

Rye: I have one fear.

~

Blue: Are we sure Red is getting enough sleep?

Pink: I think her eyes close when they sneeze.

~

Red: In your opinion whats the hight of stupidity?

Mochi, turning to Simp: Hey, how tall are you?

~

Red: Bitch.

Pink: Blocked.

Red: Wait unblock me I need to tell you something

Pink: …Unblocked.

Red: Bitch-

~

Rye, Bursting through the door looking panicked:

Blue: What happened?!

Rye: NOBODY DIED

Blue: WHAT KIND OF ANSWER IS THAT??

~

Mochi: Man i just wanna get laid.

Mochi: In the ground. Put me in a coffin. Let my soul descend.

Simp: Descend?

Mochi: You heard me.

~

Mochi: Some people play hard to get!

Mochi: I play hard to want.

~

Pink: You ever wish you could block people in real life?

Blue: Restraining order

Red: Murder

~

Pink: Lets play 20 questions

Rye: Alright, what’s your favourite colour?

Pink: Tomato, do you like moth people—

~

Red: Hey I had a crazy idea

Blue: Those are never comforting words coming from you.

~

Red: Did you think this through?!

Simp: Bold of you to assume I think.

~

Red: Tea no longer keeps me going so I have Pink text me ‘We need to talk’ periodically so I have enough fear and anxiety to keep me going.

~

Blue: oh please Pink! You love-slash-loathe Rye! And Rye loves-slash-loathes you back, which is pretty much one step away from matrimony!

~

Blue: We need to learn to treat eachother with respect and dignity.

Blue: So shut the fuCK UP AND LISTEN—

~

Pink: How are you even alive?

Red: Dumb luck! In that I’m lucky all of you are so dumb.

~

Rye: Hey I need help with this crossword puzzle, Need a five letter word for disappointment.

Simp: Mochi

Mochi:

Rye: …well it fits.

~

Red: Gentle reminder to not eat too much before bed!

Pink: No

Red: This was a gentle reminder, yet your words of defiance brings me devoid amounts of rage.

Rye: Technically it was only one word of defiance.

Red: I want nothing more than to uppercut you into the stratosphere.

———————————————————

ENTITY IDENTIFICATIONS

@local-angst-dispenser / @witchybluedeity / @countavaricious / @sucuretcannelle / @theitskid

PINK / BLUE / WHITE / ORANGE / PURPLE

[arctic-hands]

another day, another crossword, another moment my hatred for stanley newman descends deeper into the pits of hell

[madisonmontgomeryimagines]

brooke + a reader who’s more extroverted and openly affectionate? ^^

Initially, you had been a little worried that you'd overwhelm her, the much more reserved girl always polite when you exchanged a few words on her way into the library. While you wouldn't consider yourself rowdy, you couldn't deny that you flourished when you were around other people. You didn't know enough about the other girl to say that she was the opposite, but you worked at the library often enough to notice that Brooke generally kept to herself unless she needed help.

There was nothing wrong with that, it was meant to be a quiet and peaceful environment, but it would be a lie to say that boredom never snuck up on you and made you ache for companionship. Brooke had taken to spending hours at a time in the library anyway, it just made sense to be friendly, but you didn't want to push anything and seem weird.

A shrill shriek made you jump harder than the loud snarl of thunder did, cast into darkness by the storm. Despite yourself, you heaved an inward groan at the thought of fighting with the backup generator, and suddenly going to make sure no one was being murdered was almost appealing. Almost.

The streetlights outside were dark too, not leaving you much optimism for a speedy fix. "Hello? Is everyone okay?" You called out, fingers trailing the wall as your eyes adjusted to the darkness. You could make out a couple flashlight beams - an elderly woman using her phone to illuminate the crossword puzzle she was working away at and one of the local students making a hasty exit through the glass doors.

"Sorry," Brooke's mumble came from one of the aisles to your right, and if you stared hard enough into the shadows you could make out her frame. "I thought I saw something, trick of the lightning."

"It's okay, as long as you're not hurt or anything?" You dug around the re-shelving cart for the flashlight someone insisted on keeping there, carefully guiding the beam towards your companion while trying not to blind her.

"No, just mortified." Brooke offered a wry smile, looking very much like she'd like the ground to open up and swallow her.

"Well, I should have the lights back on in no time, but if you want to head home before the storm gets worse I can wait for your ride with you."

"No," she answered too quickly, silent steps closing the distance between the two of you. "If the power is coming back on, I still have some stuff I need to find."

"Fair enough. Give me a little bit to get it set up."

With that, you'd made your way to the door that descended to the basement, not even realizing your companion had followed you until you were already squeezing between boxes of stored books and documents to get to the beast you needed to appease. A coworker had tried to explain it once, what actually happened when you reset the generator and brought it back on, but you didn't really feel confident enough in your understanding of electricity and motors to say you understood it beyond memorizing the ritual to make it turn on.

Brooke took the flashlight gently from your grasp before you could ask her to hold it, a measure of curiosity in her gaze as she illuminated your work station.

"Thanks," you flashed her a grin, "really didn't want to have to hold it in my teeth." You were only half joking, but it was enough to earn a chuckle from her anyway.

"Does this always happen when it storms?"

"Just about," you lifted a shoulder. "The wiring is all fucked up and around here the power nearly goes out if the breeze is too strong." When you heard the great beast hum to life, you wiped your hands on your pants and stepped back, taking the flashlight back, fingers lingering when they brushed hers. "Once it gets up and running the lights will be back. Maybe I can help you find what you're looking for."

"I'd appreciate it." Her smile made your bones weak and turned your thoughts to quick glimpses of desire to spend time with her outside of work - buying her a coffee, grabbing lunch together, cooking her dinner.

Embarrassed at how smitten you were, you could only nod as you led her carefully back to the stairs, grabbing her hand gently without thinking about it as you weaved through the piles of boxes again. Above you, the lights buzzed quietly with grumblings as they glowed to life again. Without releasing your hand, Brooke gravitated to the same aisle you had found her in, leading you away to a space that almost felt tight enough to be intimate.

Finding the book that she wanted seemed rather determined to make itself a challenge for you. It hadn't been on the shelves, or in the piles at the desk, or on the carts. You knew the library had it, you could even see the title in your own handwriting in one of the inventory logs, and the last time it had been checked out was almost a year and a half ago.

"It's okay, I can try and dig around online for a copy somewhere." Brooke clearly felt guilty that her request for help was now approaching a half hour long search without results.

"Let me check one last place," you pleaded quickly, enjoying her company and not wanting to face the misery of working alone. Again you went down into the basement. The piles of boxes were helpful landmarks now, the closer they were to the back wall where the generator was, the longer they had been down there. As the person who got saddled with the unlucky job of bringing the boxes down here, you were confident in saying that only three or four boxes of nonfiction reference books came down in the time since the book Brooke wanted had last left your doors.

She sat on one of the bottom stairs as you shifted through different sizes and titles, and when you peeked at her from the corner of your eye, the smile playing on her lips threatened to make you search every last box. Mercifully, your quarry was in the second one you checked, a triumphant sound slipping from your lips as you lifted the book out of the box and extended it towards Brooke.

"You're incredible," she was on her feet in an instant, dark eyes greedily scanning the pages she was flipping through.

It felt like you were walking on air as you followed her back upstairs and urged yourself back to your nightly duties so you could close up soon. "I'll wait for you and we can leave together," she had told you in her soft voice when your paths crossed as you headed to the computer room.

You felt ready to burst out of your skin when you were finally released from the jaws of responsibility as the hour turned over and you could lock the doors with yourself outside of them.

"Let me thank you with dinner." Brooke suggested when your hand again reached for hers before you could think better of it.

"I won't complain," your voice was playful, smile audible as you pressed a kiss to her cheek.

[scruffyplayssonic]

Are the ArchieSonic comics actually an 80's/90's syndicated cartoon? Episode 59: Stranded in the ocean 

Welcome back to my look at the ArchieSonic comic series, and how it shared a lot of the same story tropes as a typical ‘80s or ‘90s syndicated cartoon! So you guys know how Sonic hates water, right? Because of that whole not-being able to swim issue? Well why don’t we look at an episode based around the stuff of Sonic’s worst nightmares?

Episode 59: Stranded in the ocean 

Okay, so to be honest this one doesn’t really count. The cover for issue #109 very much oversells the drama of the actual story, which is about the Freedom Fighters travelling to the frozen north sea in Rotor’s submarine to free his family from Eggman’s mind control. Eggman wasn’t too pleased that his enemies were meddling in his affairs again, and sent out a giant robotic electric eel to attack them.

The Freedom Fighters escaped though, and just continued on with the mission. There was no dwelling about losing their ride or being stranded or anything like that. That’s probably because this story is from (in my opinion) one of the two worst periods of the comic, at a time where it felt like they were trying to cram the comic with quantity rather than quality. The cover stories usually felt like they were being rushed to make room for all the other stuff they were jamming into the issue. So what else did they put in this issue? Well, there was a short story where Mina and Sally talked about Sonic, and Sally finally found out that Sonic hadn’t been a willing participant in the smooching session Sally had witnessed between him and Mina back in issue #99.

Honestly, this was probably the best part of this issue, especially since it was the beginning of the resolution of the stupid love triangle. There was also the ongoing drama of Ken Penders’ green Knuckles saga, because heaven forbid we have an issue without his echidnas.

No, I still refuse to explain why he is green. I don’t want to talk about it.

There was also a crossword puzzle, because that’s what people want to see in a comic book about Sonic, right? Oh, and don’t forget the answers to the Knuckles family tree puzzle from a previous issue.

A family tree that only started making sense when these answers were released, because Ken Penders had to put his precious Knuckles at the top of the tree. The descendants are supposed to be at the bottom of a family tree, you loon. 😛 So yeah, I think this era of the comic would have been a lot better if they'd tried to cram less in there and focused more on quality stories rather than jamming in as much crap as they could.

But let’s get back to the actual topic, about being stranded in the ocean. Another story that comes to mind is one I looked at last week, Waves of Change.

Technically the Freedom Fighters weren’t stranded in the ocean and could have left any time they liked, but I doubt Sonic felt that way.

The one instance I can think of where anyone was actually stranded in the ocean was a story that didn’t involve Sonic. It was Pirate Plunder Panic, which ran in Sonic Universe issues #55 - 58. Amy and Cream were sent to Blaze’s world, and teamed up with her and Marine to fight the evil Captain Metal for ownership of the last Sol Emerald.

Blaze tried to infiltrate Captain Metal’s ship and take him out single handedly, but hit a snag when Captain Metal blew up her ship, with her friends still on it.

Amy, Cream and Marine managed to escape the explosion by hiding in a crate, but were left adrift and taking on water. Things looked pretty bad for our heroines, but fortunately a pod of dolphins came along to rescue them.

I know this is a slightly shorter episode than I usually do, but those are honestly the only instances I can think of that involve Sonic and friends being stranded in the ocean. …in ArchieSonic, at least. Remember that time Sonic got stuck on a cruise ship in Sonic X though?

Hahaha, it’s funny because he’s scared of water.

Are there any other instances of being stranded in the ocean in ArchieSonic that I missed? Let me know in the comments! Next week we’ll be going from being stranded in the ocean to its opposite: stranded in the desert! See you then!

[online-games-io]

Play Free Online Games

Free Online Games have become increasingly popular as they provide gamers access to a vast range of titles with the latest features—all free of charges. That's right, there's nothing to buy or purchase. And with our free games, no downloads are required either. All you have to do is play! So, the next time you're wondering, “Where are there free games that I can play online,” look no further than Games-online.io for a big selection of classic and new games to explore. There are a variety of free games to choose from, so no matter what your favorite game is, there's sure to be an experience that will keep you entertained.

Are you a solitaire enthusiast? We're the solitaire experts – we create the suite of free solitaire games that come pre-installed on every computer with Microsoft Windows. Or are you a mahjong master? We have tons of free mahjong games that are extremely popular among players, including Mahjong Dimensions, Mahjong Candy, and the classic Mahjong Solitaire. Or are you an expert with word games and puzzles? Our suite of fun games online for free includes enough crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, word search games, and sudoku puzzle games to give you a serious mental workout! All of our games are free and unblocked, so you can enjoy playing them all day, every day. You won't find a selection of internet free games like this anywhere else!

What are the best free games online?

Here are the top (most popular) free games you can play right now:

1. Bubble Shooter

If you're looking for free, fun games to play online that require quick thinking and precision, give Bubble Shooter a try. The goal of the game is to clear out all the bubbles by lining up at least three bubbles of the same color. But beware, you're only given a set number of bubbles every round to clear everything. The game starts simple but ramps up the challenge levels quickly. To win, you must strategize where to shoot, aim carefully, and maximize the many power-ups on each level. Bubble Shooter is a fun-filled and quick game for anyone in the family to enjoy.

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Happy Wheels is an exciting and challenging game that requires skill and precision to master. In which the players need to control their characters through dangerous obstacles to reach the finish line intact.

In Happy Wheels game, players take control of a character riding unconventional vehicles and attempt to reach the finish line while encountering a multitude of obstacles. Each character can have a distinct set of wheels, such as a wheelchair or a bicycle. However, the game's challenges are far from straightforward, as players must navigate through treacherous hazards like spikes, mines, sawblades, and other deadly elements that can result in severe dismemberment of their characters.

3. Mahjong Solitaire

Mahjong Solitaire is a 3D take on the popular tile-based game. The rules are simple. You need to match up two tiles with the same symbol to eliminate them from the stack. However, you can only click on tiles that have at least their left or right side free from other tiles. So, can you match up all the tiles before time runs out?

4. Sudoku

Sudoku is a classic logic puzzle that first appeared in Japan in 1986. Its appeal lies in its simplicity: you need to place the numbers 1 to 9 without repeating digits on each row, column, and group. Because it's easy to understand, Sudoku appeals well to a myriad of ages and interests. But while it has straightforward gameplay, Sudoku is challenging, especially at greater difficulty levels. Hence, it's also fulfilled once you complete it. It's these reasons and more that make Sudoku one of the best free games around. So enjoy beating your (and your friends') best times with our free Sudoku version.

5. Spider Solitaire

Spider Solitaire is an amped-up version of one of the most popular free computer games of all time. Like the original, your goal in this game is to arrange all the cards in descending order. But with Spider Solitaire, you're working with two full decks! There are also new rules in place, such as not needing to alternate between black and red suits as in the original. But don't think for a second that Spider Solitaire is an easier game; it comes with its unique challenges. So, if you've already mastered the original, give Spider Solitaire a try. It's both a familiar and refreshingly new game at the same time!

Go play any of our free games today, and have fun!

[adawritesfanfic]

Sestina

It started with an email. "She just needs A place to stay for a few days," he wrote. To wit (I recognized her name): The girl He was obsessed with for five years just fell Into his lap. Or arms, to be polite. But why mince words? He never did. He swore

With gusto, better than a sailor--swore Now he was over her. It was her needs He'd satisfied back then, to her delight, And not his own. His savior complex wrote The script. It was in love with me he fell-- And opened our home to a pretty girl.

At thirty she was much more than a girl. Her girlish ways became her. When she swore, Vulgarity became her too. She fell Right into our routine. The house's needs, The odd chores, laundry, she took care of--wrote The shopping lists--the milk, the eggs, the light

Bulbs. It was happily mundane. No blight Descended. He had welcomed her--"Hey, girl!"-- With open arms--and then--that's all she wrote. Avuncular, if anything, he swore As he did crosswords. "What's a word for 'needs' That has ten letters?" "Requisites." He fell

Upon the newspaper with glee. I fell As well--under her spell. The mirror's light Fell on my neckline. "Here," she said. "It needs An accent." At her throat, the silver girl (She worked the clasp) danced. Then at mine. I swore A vow for life--"but this is love"--so wrote

The finger on the wall. In love, I wrote Her unsent letters, touched the pendant, fell Asleep to thoughts of her. Each night I swore-- What? There was nothing I could do. This. Light And shadow, love and torment. For a girl. And for a man, a good man. And my needs

(I wrote) were met. "Your body in the light Fulfills me." But--greedy and fell--the girl In me needs more. I feel my love a sword.

[bh-writingdump]

C@ve Sl@ve

Harpy v Trap

[1st draft]

Another frigid breeze races over the hills. It shoots across your legs, sending a shiver up your spine. You shudder, thankful at least for the jacket as you pull up the fuzzy hood. Meanwhile, the oversized rat sniffs out the area ahead for a third time.

After the first bear trap, sure, it made sense but this was getting old. All the traps were so obvious! Anyone would notice them! Plus, the crossword wasn’t even that hard.

You crouch down in your oversize jacket so it covers your legs. It made you feel like a flea market garden gnome.

“Can we move already? It’s too exposed out here.” You envision people descending from above but get nowhere sighing, you ignore the wolf’s vision of remaining on your stump. You cross from the “safe” patch of earth to the new. Thick leaf litter crunches beneath your shoes as you brush ferns aside with a stick.

A new blister pops in your shoe. You grumble, favoring your right. You get a couple feet before wolf races up to you. Banking until you tumble over. A net trap, springs up, tossing what would’ve been you far into the sky before snapping you against a thick tree branch.

So shook, you barely move when wolf picks you up by the hood, careful not to let your feet drack until you were on “safe” ground. Your dropped on the log.

You brush them off, trying to get a better look at whatever is lining the rope. “Did they seriously??? Nails? And glass. Who does that?! I’d already have been dead.”

They knock you to the ground, biting your shoulder, you cry out. In a instant, you’re begging for them to release you. They do but only once your pleading turns into a whimper. Then he lets up.

It wasn’t hard enough to do more than holes in your jacket, didn’t have to be, you’d played this game before.

You try to get up only to be knocked over again. They growl, ready to bite. You whine preemptively which seems to pacify him.

The wolf return scouting out the paths, only looking to you if they wanted you to move forward. Anytime you get shoved into the ground. They don’t even need to nip you. By the fourth time you fall on your ass on your own.

“See? No hands, boss. You shake your hands and feet in the air.

The wolf huffs, stepping to the side only to get a net snapped over their snout. It gets stuck in their teeth, making them snort and thrash widly. Even their paws can’t manage to get it off.

You burst into laughter. “Damn, who thought you’d be the next greatest catch?”

The wolf snarls at you but any bit it had was lost on improvised muzzle. “Don’t worry, bet the harpies will make a good boy out of you yet. You taunt, standing up. You send a vision of them fetching and sitting obediently for a pack of harpy treats.

Next thing you know, nothing comes. You stare back at Wolf who’s still struggling to get it off. “Ugh, really? It’s not like that hard.” As you approach, you notice there’s barbs in the rope that scowers the wolf’s face, sending little rivulets of blood down.

“Jesus, you really got your work cut out for you. Stay still.” You try to cut but they’re throwing their head so widely knocking you on your ass.

In a growly voice, you bark. “I said STAY DOWN!” You grab them by the snout hole and yank them down. It’s enough to earn a near bite. “AY! AY! HEEL!” You hold steady, waiting patiently for them like they do for you each time they clean your cunt. It takes a while of growling but eventually they drop their snout, letting you cut through the ropes.

This time, when they need you to hang back, they give you a warning growl until you sit back.

“Are you sure this is good way to this temple?” You muse to yourself. “It’s not like they covered the whole mountain with this, right?”

The wolf snorts and for a second, you wonder if they understood you but then they sneezed so yeah, maybe not. As the areas clear, you forage for food where you can. Unlike Sans, the wolf showed you how to dig for tubers, find the best berries, shuck pine nuts and the like. It takes a couple hours but you eventually find enough to call it lunch.

While searching a nearby bush for berries, your mind distracted by how a bush could have berries in spring only to be distracted by a cry from the wolf’s direction. Their foot caught in a trap. Great. You sigh, marching over to undo the steel trap with a press of your foot only to hear the snapping of branches. You look up just in time for a massive log to bow into the wolf’s side, plowing them into a tree with a sickening crack. Their body goes limp and doesn’t get up by the time you rush over.

Your heart skips a beat as you clamber over logs and around thorn bushes only to hear another crack of branches. You barely catch the log swinging toward you. Next thing you know a big blue blur slams into you, knocking the air out of you, depositing you high up on a branch. You cling to the thing, gasping, looking down as vertigo hits you being so far off the ground. You burry your face into the soft feathers… feathers.

“Of all the traps they had to set, it had to be the log pin. I told them not once, not twice that those could DUST someone. Unlike a good axe, at least they can heal from those. Whose healing if they’re dust? Nobody, that’s who!” They look down as if just now noticing you. “Oh dear, I entirely forgot to check up on you. Any breaks or scrapes?”

You stare up at them, their gigantic wingspan easily cocooning them in place against you.

“Oh no, you must be concussed! Never fear, I have a candy that will work in a pinch. Let me see…” they pick around their satchel before yanking up a sky-blue orb. “Open up!”

They shift their wings, helping you lean against the trunk. Your heart flutters as you teeter close to falling off the branch, you gasp, clutching onto them.

Next thing you know, their mouth’s pressed up against yours, so stunned, you barely have time to shove out the tart candy that bursts hitting your tongue into a sweet paste that dissolves by the time the harpy breaks the kiss.

“How do you feel?”

You blink, the pain in your feet and back gone. “I’ll cause indigestion.” You murmur. Your body too tense to raise your voice any further.

“Good to know.” They boop your forehead with theirs. “But enough of that, the Great Jay must get you to safety.”

“What? No, I’m going down.” You say while clinging to the tree trunk for dear life.

“Nonsense, your mate’s in no state to take care of you. Look at them.” Blue Jay lets you have a look down. the vertigo alone nearly makes you puke where you see Wolf chasing after a harpy, bones erupting from ground, slashing one while another wolf bites in half.

“Chartreuse!” Blue Jay darts at Wolf, clawing at his eyes until he follows Blue Jay over a nearby hill. The smaller harpy, covered in blood eyes you. You stiffen, halfway up a tree, there’s no way you’d jump and be able to make it. Much less the idea makes you think you’ll faint before you do.

 “WOLF! I’M HERE!” You cry out.

Wolf bursts back through the underbrush. Just as the harpy flies at you, bites it out of thin air, a puff of dust hangs in the air where the harpy once was. Wolf circles the tree, pushing at it, making it shake.

“Wait! Wolf! Don’t!”

Their teeth cleave straight through the tree.

It falls. The impact throws you off, rolling into a pile. “Wolf, you stupid piece of shit!”

Eyes light engorged as they growl, stalking toward you. You stomp toward him, yelling obscenities. But he doesn’t register them. Growl doesn’t even change, does he see you.

Have his eye lights ever been that wide?

You take a step back, suddenly unsure.

You try but something digs into your shoulders. You scream as your yanked off the ground. Wolf leaps into the air, their claws missing you by inches. They bite at your heels until your well above the canopy.

“Brother!” Blue Jay Shouts. You wrench your eyes shut. The vertigo enough to fill your mouth with upchuck. It’s then you feel yourself slipping.

You scream. “Don’t drop me!”

You fall, watching the canopy rush up. You drop through a layer of branches before another body slams into yours, yanking you up again, more claws digging into your shoulder blades.

“Put me down! Put me down! Please.” You cling to the harpy’s claws. “I’ll do anything! just put me down.”

“s’ okay, hun, were talking you down.” Blue Jay takes one wrist while Ham shifts to the other. Each adjustment of claws a new cut. Warmth spills over you. You try not to think about it. With your eyes closed, you can almost pretend you took a bad fall.

Distantly, you hear a wolf’s howl.

“Make it quick, bro.”

Blue Jay guides you back into the cave. Your body still feels like its flying. Your set in a pile of moss and leaves. It smells fowl like wolf’s magic. Blue Jay shoves you into it, rolling through the musk and bits of dried saliva despite your protestations. You try to shove him away.

“Don’t worry. Soon as your smelly as your mate, he’ll have no choice but to accept you back into his pack.”

His pack? Do they think Wolf is Red again?

Those deranged eyes didn’t look like the Wolf you knew. “Wait-wait, you can’t leave me here.”

“It’d be easier if we took zem.” Ham mutters.

You glare at him. “exactly!”

“Not like he’s been feeding zem.”

“Never mind! I’ll make my own way.”

“Gotta be someone’s, might as well not a psychopaths—”

“Ham! Red got hit in the head. You’d be confused if you were on instinct too.” Blue Jay sighs, “Sorry about my brother. He can be very… sensitive. I’ve known Red for quite a while and I’m 99% sure he’ll recognize you.”

“time to split, bro.” Ham eyes you almost hopefully.

You move to leave the cave, avoiding Ham and Blue only for Blue’s wing to block you. “This is the safest place for you, I promise.”

You gravity tug you to the ground. Ham nudge’s Blue to go. You can hear Wolf’s growl.

All of a sudden, the weight’s gone and Ham and Blue dart into the sky. You rush out only to see Wolf at the end of the clearing.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” You rush up the hill, up over the cave. If you’re smart about it, there’s a smaller narrower cave that Wolf won’t be able to get into. With a little luck, you’ll find a way out of this.

The crush of branches and thrash of trees comes from behind you. Your arms burn, legs coming up short too. You barely make it to the smaller caves, getting part way into one before your slammed into a nearby tree.

Not on my watch.

You stumble to your feet. Growling as deeply as you can. You stand where you are, too weak to move without falling.

Wolf pauses, growling inches from you only to knock you over.

A paw lands on your face, putting pressure down. You can’t muster more energy than a whimper.

You freeze feeling them sniff along your back, your ass, legs.

They sneeze.

What little strength you had is taken over by terror. You can’t even breathe, feeling the world going sharp and narrow and patchy.

A tongue rides along your head. you tense, ready to be eaten only for them to keep licking. You turn slightly only to get a face full of tongue. You spit and try to shield your face in the earth against the onslaught.

By the time you’re a slobbering mess, they pick you up in their jaws, carting you back before tucking you beneath them again. trying to lick your face again. you shield most of it with your arms but some gets through.

The connection between your souls flow open all of a sudden. Relief along with a dozen other emotions you can’t identify comes through. So strong fuzzy feeling in your head that you pas out.

.

.

.

[CS] Harpy v Trap [2] pg --->

[svyat0s]

The creative challenge of the day for the game #I_am_here_eternity. You have the freedom to join the game (and quit it) whenever you want. Follow your curiosity and do the tasks that spark your interest. And those that you don't like - ignore them. The reward of the game (with consistent and diligent effort (and practice) of tasks) - a richer and happier life.

477 Solve the crossword

HORIZONTALLY

1. Consecutive numbers in ascending order.

4. 2 vertically squared.

7. 27 horizontally minus one.

8. Look 30 vertically.

10. The sum of the digits is equal to the number 7 horizontally.

12. 28 horizontally multiplied by three.

14. The sum of the digits is 5.

15. Consecutive numbers in descending order.

17. See 31 horizontally.

18. 1 horizontally in a square.

19.8 horizontally multiplied by 3.

21. 31 horizontal minus 29 horizontal.

24. 14 vertical times 5.

25. 4 horizontally in reverse order.

27. Square root of 25 horizontally.

28. One digit of this number is 2 times larger than the other.

29. 27 horizontally multiplied by 4.

31. 17 horizontally multiplied by 7.

32. Consecutive numbers in ascending order.

VERTICALLY

2. 28 horizontally divided by 3.

3. See 6 vertically.

4. 23 vertical plus 28 vertical.

5. 7 horizontally multiplied by 4.

6. 3 vertically plus 8 horizontally.

9. 17 vertical minus 24 horizontal.

11. Double 27 horizontally.

13. 32 horizontally multiplied by 12 horizontally.

14. The first two digits of the number 17 are horizontal.

16. Consecutive numbers are not in order.

17. 14 horizontally in a square.

19. 21 horizontally minus 4 horizontally.

20. 28 vertical minus 14 horizontal.

22. The sum of the digits is equal to the number 14 vertically.

23.30 vertically multiplied by 5.

25. 25 horizontally minus 27 horizontally.

26. Three identical numbers.

28. Square the number.

30. 8 horizontally plus one.

#I_am_here_eternity

[sylusheart]

elevating desires ft. evervale

word count. 2,577 words

a/n. a post by @/daphnedumauriwhore stated that the fact that eli and vic were in the same hotel whilst simultaneously trying to hunt each other down was really just hilarious because they could've accidentally bumped into each other somewhere random like at the breakfast buffet or at the pool at any given moment - so i thought, hey, that really is pretty funny i wonder how that'd play out and ta-da this was born, creds to @/victorfrankingstein for the elevator idea ♡

ao3 version

victor shrugged his black trench coat on.

upon hearing a noise, a shift in the silence, mitch paused. he stopped washing the dishes and instead he twisted his head around to peer over at victor, who was fixing the collar of his trench with one hand and fetching something in his pockets with the other.

"treat syd tonight," victor ordered, placing a couple dollar bills onto the counter. "get whatever she wants."

syd, who was perched over the kitchen counter, craned her head to look up at victor. he stared back with no expression in his eyes, just pale blue. sydney knew it was code for "don't ask about it", which usually meant he wouldn't be around by the time she and mitch had dinner and were off to bed.

victor's gaze drifted over to what her hands were occupied with. observing what seemed to be a half-filled, half-forgotten crossword and a cup of hot chocolate.

dol rose from his position beside syd's feet and moved towards victor's legs. nuzzling the trims of victor's coat. victor looked down, not knowing whether to let his hand muzzle the fur on the dog's head or to shoo it away with his leg.

"where are you going?" syd spoke, asking the question victor dreaded hearing the most. her eyes strayed downward to dol, watching as the fuzzball hummed against the fabric of victor's dark clothes. the dog whined, as if it knew victor would leave again and come back at an ungodly hour. she pat her knee, causing dol to swivel his head around to search for the source of sound. he retreated from victor and decided to settle against syd's leg once again. victor straightened his cloak. pat down his slacks.

"out," victor responded, already twisting the handle of the front door. it was the usual response he gave her when she asked such things, which seemed to be quite often as of late. he could see mitch drying his hands from the corner of his eye, but didn't bother to give his former cell mate a glance.

"don't stay out too late," she said quickly, just before victor was inches away from stepping outside of the hotel room. he turned to look at her once again, offering her a ghost of a smile.

"i'll try not to," he said, before shutting the door behind him.

sydney saw through the lie.

he always smiled before he lied.

in reality, victor wasn't planning to go that far. theoretically, he would be back before midnight. but in actuality, he wasn't planning to slip back into the apartment that early. he had some business to take care of.

privately.

he wouldn't call it progress, but rather just a hunch.

a hunch that was itching victor the moment the thought came to him.

eli.

eli who was plaguing his mind day by day and torturing his sanity. eli who just kept on getting away. slipping through his fingers like cascading water.

victor kissed his teeth. the thought of eli still running around merit aggravated him to the core.

with his hands buried deep in each of his cloak's pockets he began walking towards the elevator. he usually preferred taking the stairs, no matter how many there were to descend. perhaps it was a habit. but today he was feeling a little… let's say, spontaneous.

mitch would tease victor, claiming it was because he had an internal fear of elevators - to which victor responded by grabbing a hold of mitch's nerves, turning the dial up just a little in warning.

mitch never teased victor about anything else after that.

victor entered the empty elevator, his slender fingers pressing the button which claimed to bring him down to the ground floor. the doors shut and he let himself ponder over the real reason why he avoided elevators. he first thought about how it didn't allow the operator to have much control over their transportation. it was heavily reliant on the carriage itself after ordering it to descend or ascend accordingly. complete control was something victor enjoyed having and he realised elevators stripped that from him.

he then thought about how it was so easy for an elevator to malfunction. although it's machinery wasn't as complex as most of the things found in merit, there were always articles upon articles on cases which weren't so convenient for someone like victor to experience. he had already gone several years contained in the same four walls when he was placed in solitary confinement. he couldn't bare to withstand that again.

he also thought about the change in gravity, the change in motion. the change that felt odd at first, unnerving for some, and fear-inducing to many. it was random, but he wondered what eli would think about elevators and their escalating nature. he'd probably think un-highly of them. claiming that it goes against god's will. no human should have as much control on their final destination. he'd probably execute the man who brought the idea of elevating carriages to life if they were still around today.

victor wanted to laugh at that, though he put that thought to a halt once the elevator chimed unexpectedly, opening it's doors at floor four. victor looked down at the buttons beside him to see whether he asked for the wrong floor or not. to his amusement, it was still heading down to the ground floor.

three women entered the carriage and he suddenly remembered another reason why he despised elevators so much.

people.

upon seeing victor in the carriage they paused their rather loud conversation, shuffled in, and stared at each corner of the carriage to withstand the awkward silence engulfing them. victor used his ability to create a subconscious aversion around him, the very small and very subtle amounts of pain caused the other passengers to avoid standing too close to him. they avoided making eye contact with him too.

good. that's just what he wanted.

he didn't bother asking either of the women if they were heading upwards of downwards. just clicked the elevator doors shut and proceeded his way to the ground floor.

but of course, another interruption just had to surface its way up.

the doors chimed open again. victor looked up to see that it was only floor three. he cursed himself for booking a hotel room on floor five, if he was lower down it wouldn't be such a hassle.

if he had just taken the stairs, it wouldn't of been such a hassle.

two men made their way in. only this time, the two just couldn't stop talking.

great, victor thought.

he was too out of it to bother using his power. it would be quite unnatural for him to use it in such a refined space. and so he allowed for the women to stand beside him, allowed their small frames to make physical contact with his lean one, as much as it irked him. should've wore more layers, he thought.

he tried his best to step into the far left corner of the elevator, that way he felt as though he had more control on what he could see.

"it's all over the news, man, how have you not heard about him?" asked the man wearing a dark navy three-piece. victor had easily guessed the man was speaking about eli. he restrained himself from sighing out loud. the man's olive-skinned fingers made it's way to the buttons of the elevator, just beside victor. he clicked on the last button which led to the ground floor. the man offered victor a lopsided smile, to which victor didn't return. his blond hair was too shiny and teeth too white. it almost ached to look at such a flashy man.

"i don't know, i just don't care about all that eo crap, you know?" said the other, who was shorter than the blond man but dressed more refined - according to victor's taste. he loosened the knot of his black tie slightly, fingers unbuttoning the first two buttons on his dress shirt, revealing a glimpse of chest hair.

victor noticed two of the three women stare at the man who was casually stripping his upper garments. their hawk eyes were shamelessly zoned in on the exposed flesh of man he had so naturally put on show. he noticed, finally, and then flashed the two women a cheeky smile - a smile that reminded victor of eli. it was flirty. misleading. destructive.

the women averted their gaze, and victor observed how their cheeks reddened and watched as one rubbed her hands down her skirt, straightening it out and removing the sweat beading from her clammy hands. he inwardly sighed. he never really understood the art of attraction. the human desire for sexual intimacy and whatnot.

the elevator glided down once again, surprisingly making it's way past the second floor. but that didn't last too long as the carriage came to a stop, yet again. victor looked up, containing his annoyance. his gaze fell on the sign which read: only carries four people.

he didn't have to do a headcount to know that this carriage unfortunately exceeded that limit.

the doors opened again, the words 'floor one' glowing just above. but what the doors revealed this time was certainly not something victor was expecting.

not here.

not now.

eli blinked. he hesitated a little before quickly regaining his composure. a smile slipped onto his face and victor felt as though his heart was in his mouth. he stood huddled in that far left corner of the elevator like he was frozen in time. like somehow dominic rushers' abilities were in effect right here and right now in this very elevator.

eli didn't let his smile fade. he knew the effect he had on victor and he liked it.

he liked it very much.

the women attempted to get out of the elevator, but they too seemed to be entranced by eli's presence.

"excuse me, ladies," he spoke, and victor felt his voice pierce him. he was still frozen, but that ice on him didn't seem to thaw.

it was burning him.

the women weren't even inches near him anymore, they were at the front of the carriage, yet victor still felt suffocated. still felt as though there was a noose clutched around his throat.

eli shimmied his way in, his hand curving along the shoulder of one of the women in a gentlemanly gesture as he maneuvered past her and into the carriage.

the women dispersed, victor saw one of them glance backwards at eli as they ventured onwards. but eli's eyes were fixed on victor.

the doors shut and eli just stood there. his lips still playing that smile victor hated so much. eli opened his mouth. tried to summon the right words but failed. he closed his mouth and instead shook his head. closed his eyes and laughed to himself.

victor should've taken him there. should've taken advantage of his vulnerability. should've gotten a hold of his nerves and squeezed. watched the life slip out of his eyes.

but he didn't.

couldn't.

he was still frozen.

goddamn, eli.

eli opened his eyes and exhaled. like he was relived. like seeing victor right here and in front of him in a fucking elevator was fabulous. just perfect.

eli would probably say fate brought them here to this moment.

victor would've told him that was bullshit.

eli looked at the two other men in the carriage - or what victor would like to preferably rename as a torture chamber - and took into account that the two were absolved into a conversation so deep that they didn't realise the eli ever was within arms reach.

eli cut his gaze towards victor and broke the silence between them, "well, isn't this amusing,"

"very," victor responded, dryly.

eli smiled, "i have to admit, i wasn't expec-"

"what's your opinion on elevators?"

"i'm sorry," eli said, face looking overly puzzled. "what?"

"elevators. what do you think?" victor said, impatiently.

"i think," he began, looking around the confined space for a good few seconds before narrowing his eyes on victor. "they can be quite misleading, for example, i requested for the ground floor and instead got you."

"i'm hurt," victor said, sarcastically.

"good thing you know how to numb the pain," eli mused.

victor spoke through gritted teeth, "i wonder who's fault is that?"

"i'm sorry?" eli said for a second time, only now it sounded more like an interrogative question. victor watched as eli shook his head in disbelief. he really wondered why he kept saying 'sorry', like it wasn't the most useless word in the world, like eli ever knew what it was like to be in true sorrow. "are you seriously trying to blame me for your impulsive and reckless choices? need i remind you, you killed my girlfri-"

"and that wouldn't of ever happened if you didn't decide to go investigate something so far out of your-"

"there he goes," eli spoke, his smile twisting into something evil. "blaming my thesis of all things, for his own stupidity. you are a joke, victor. "

now, victor really wished he took the fucking stairs.

"now that i think about it," eli said, his voice splitting the silence after realising that victor wasn't going to respond. "an elevator's convivence of vertical transportation can be compared to that of the path to either heaven or hell. you click one button, you desire and aim for one thing, but end up receiving the other. and why is that? clearly, it's due to the actions that were made to lead you onto this moment. there was a circumstance doomed to interrupt your path, in other words - a conclusion to your one true fate, no matter how hard you try to strive for your own destination, there is always a destination already written for you."

of course he'd say something like that.

victor scoffed in distaste. "i wanted you to say something like that."

"oh?" eli spoke with an eyebrow raised. "did the local church finally manage to make you see the light?"

victor gave him a blank stare.

"guess not," eli muttered to himself.

the elevator chimed and victor realised he missed the ground floor. eli glanced sideways to see that the two men on the carriage had already left.

the elevator was already on the highest floor, making it's way down to the bottom floor once again.

they both stood there quietly for a moment after letting their mistake sink in.

"you know, for someone who doesn't believe in god, you sure don't act like it," eli spoke, causing victor to narrow his eyes at him. urging him to elaborate.

"i know you've been on my trail like a man on pilgrimage, you are following me to no end like i'm your last prayer. your last hope."

victor scoffed, his lips tilt into a small smile, "you're not the saint you think you are, eli."

the elevator opened its doors. victor let his fingers curl, he could feel eli's nerves in his grasp. it felt as if he were holding his beating heart. he held onto it delicately, like he knew it would bleed darkness and sin if he clutched his pale fingers around it more angrily, more urgently like he had always dreamed of.

victor gave eli a final warning before he let the dark haired man step out of the elevator.

"run."

"chase me."

sylusheart © all rights reserved.