#edgar bones x mrs. bones

[starchaseriseverything]

They survived the war. They all survived the war. Marlene and Dorcas were together and out of hiding, living in the same house together. Marlene and Dorcas had three kids, Artemis, the oldest, who's a girl, Aries, the middle child, who's a boy, and Jack, the youngest, who's also a boy. James was the donor for all three.

Lily and Pandora are married and have twins, Harry and Lillian Rosier, and their youngest, Lewis Rosier, who's seven years apart from the twins. James was the donor for all three yet again.

James and Regulus are married and also have three kids. Their oldest is Rose, the middle is Leo, and their youngest is Euphemia Potter. Who is named after James' mother and Leo's named after Regulus's constellation. Lily was the surrogate for all three.

Mary and Emmeline are married and only have one kid, Penelope Vance. They live in an apartment, the same one they've had since before Penelope was born. They didn't need a house since they only planned on having one. Their sperm donor was Caradoc Dearborn, a dear friend of Emmeline's.

Alice and Frank married each other and had three kids, Neville Longbottom, Juliana Longbottom, and Nicky Longbottom, who are twins. Alice and Frank tried to make it work, but they just weren't in love with each other anymore. So, when the twins were four and Neville was ten, they had a separation and went their different ways. They have partial custody, Neville, Juliana, and Nicky go to Frank's on the weekends, but they live with Alice.

Frank found Hestia Jones and married her when Neville was fourteen and the twins were eight. Frank was Hestia's first husband and wanted kids. Frank gave her two, the oldest is William, and the youngest is Alexander, Will, and Alex for short. Their two years apart, and William is ten years apart from the twins and sixteen years from Neville.

Alice married Narcissa Black, who also had a previous marriage to Lucius Malfoy and had twins, Lila and Draco Malfoy. When Narcissa left, she took the twins with her and switched their last names to Black as she did to herself. Lucius isn't allowed visitation since Narcissa has full custody. They didn't want any more kids. Five was enough for them to raise.

Sirius and Remus married fairly young but didn't have any kids until they were twenty. They named her Violet Lupin. They had another a year after Violet. They named her Hermione, and their last was five years after Hermione, Teddy. Violet and Hermione's surrogate was a friend of Mary's, who she recommended to them. Monica was very sad to tell them she couldn't carry their third child as she didn't think she could do it, so they went with Sirius's cousins, daughter, Nymphadora Tonks.

Peter and Sybill married, and they had one child and named her Cassandra after one of Sybill's ancestors. Peter didn't argue since Enid, his sister, had taken the name he wanted for his kid.

Of course, Barty and Evan married each other, but what was surprising was they had two boys, Lucas and Nicholas, only two years apart. Everyone was surprised when they announced Emma was going to be their surrogate since they didn't even think they wanted kids.

Emma had fallen in love with Amelia. They soon after married and had two kids, Olivia - the oldest - and Camilia - the youngest. The sperm donor was Regulus as he was a dear friend of both of theirs, which is why they went with him.

Edgar married a girl named Jessica and had two girls, Ava and Aria. Aria being the oldest and Ava the youngest. Ava and Aria loved their cousins, Camilia, Olivia, and Susan. They got together on the daily just to hang out.

Susan lived with Emma and Amelia as her parents died from some kind of deadly flu. Amelia and Edgar were sad for months after their brothers - Anthony's - death. Emma was the one who took care of Susan in those months that Amelia couldn't. Jessica came over when she could with Aria to help, but it just made it worse since they now had to take care of three kids when they were already exhausted. Amelia and Edgar got better and started to become theirselves again, but they never were the same people they were before Anthony's death.

Aurora had married Ophelia and later on in 1980 had a boy named Blaise. His sperm donor is unnamed as they went with a random person on the website. They decided to only have one as he also had "cousins" to play with.

Andromeda had, of course, married her boyfriend of ten years and had two girls, Nymphadora and Nina Tonks. Dora is the oldest and Nina, the youngest.

Bellatrix had married Rodolphus Lestrange and had two kids with him, Mandy and Cara Lestrange. She also had four kids with Tom Riddle, Tom, Mattheo, Aliana, and Delphini Riddle. Her last and final kid was with Charles Berkshire. She named him Lorenzo Berkshire. Tom is the oldest, Aliana and Mattheo are twins which Bellatrix had a year after Tom, Mandy was born five years after the twins, Cara was born a year after Mandy, Delphini was born a year after Cara, and Lorenzo was born nine years after Delphini. Rodolphus had tried to get her to kill her cousins and sisters, but she refused and ran away later that night with her kids. She changed her kid's names to Black as she did to hers and later on remarried Rita Skeeter.

Rita hasn't ever been married as she was in love with someone else who was already married off and had kids. When Rita found out the woman she loved had ran away, she knew exactly where to find her, with her sisters. A few years later, they married, and Rita took Bellatrix's name. They decided that having one more kid just to have one matching Rita's DNA wasn't worth it and decided to have Delphini be the youngest.

Voldemort was defeated by Dorcas, Marlene, Lily, Pandora, Regulus, and James in 1990 when they were all the Potter house. Voldemort had, of course, hit there first as he didn't succeed in killing them the first time. Marlene had answered the door first with her son, Jack, in her arms.

She ran to the sitting room where everyone was sitting and yelled Voldemort is here before grabbing her wand and firing curses at the door before going to get Artemis and Aries to make sure they were safe. James followed behind her, wand in hand, getting his kids to safety. Lily had Lewis in her arms and her wand in her other and followed behind them to get her kids.

Pandora and Dorcas ran upstairs after a big thud and burst in the nursery. James had immediately run out to find Regulus when he didn't come in after. He saw Regulus at the bottom of the stairs laying on the ground, Voldemort hovering over him wand directed at him.

He must have heard James run out because Voldemort snapped his head up to him and fired a curse. James dodgged it. He hears Marlene scream from inside the room before someone comes out of it. James whips his head back to Voldemort just as he fires a curse at Artemis.

"No!" James yelled before hugging Artemis just before the curse hit her. James fell to the ground just as Dorcas came out to grab Artemis. James screamed in pain. It was the Crucio spell.

James hears Voldemort's cynical laugh. It pierced through his body and sent a shiver down his spine. "The great James Potter is going to die from a Crucio? How pathetic. I don't think they should even call you 'great'. I mean, protecting a child? That's how you die? Pathetic, really."

It stops. James can move again. He muscles through the pain and stands up to face him. "You wouldn't protect your children? Oh, that's right. Bellatrix took them. They don't have a father."

He sneers. "Do not talk to me that way! Imperio!"

"No!" James hears Marlene yell. "That's my best friend you mother fucking asshole!" She runs out with her wand. "Crucio!"

He dodges the curse. A death eater behind him hits Marlene with the cruciatus curse. She falls to the ground screaming in pain before passing out.

That must have been what happened to Regulus.

The death eater and Voldemort walk up the steps and stop in front of the nursery. "Stay away from my kids!" Pandora yells.

Voldemort smirks. "Oh, I will." James forcibly walked into the nursery controlled by Voldemort.

Lily and Pandora start breathing heavily and put all their kids behind their back to protect them. Dorcas has a stern face with her kids behind her back. Euphemia, Rose, and Leo are standing off to the side, staring at their aunt, lying on the floor in the hall, and then turn their heads to their father, walking towards them.

"Dad?" Rose says. "What's happening? Where's Papa?"

"Kill them." Voldemort says. "Kill your children."

James's mind flicks back to him at that moment and casts his patronus. The stag finds Voldemort in his mind and kicks him out. James takes back control and spins around and points his wand at Voldemort. "How did you -"

"Never invade a man's mind and make him kill his kids. It never works out well." Pandora, Dorcas, and Lily pull out their wands and point it at Voldemort. Regulus had apparently woken up and is now standing behind them, pointing his at the death eater. Marlene is beside him, pointing it at the other death eater that was there when James turned around. "You're surrounded. You're not getting away this time."

"Crucio!" Regulus yells, sending the death eater to drop to the ground.

"Crucio!" Dorcas's was aimed at the other death eater. That one also falls to the ground in pain.

"Avada kedavra!" Lily says, sending one of the death eaters to its death. Pandora does the other.

Dorcas aims her wand behind Regulus head. "Avada Kedavra." Marlene and Regulus spin around their killing spells going off as they go down the stairs.

"You're followers will be dead soon and soon you will be, too." Voldemort tries to aparate out, but James stop him. "Crucio!"

"You're not getting away this time." Dorcas says.

"You tried to kill us when Harry and Lillian were babies." Pandora says.

"You're not going to have another chance to do that." Lily says, finishing her wife's sentence.

"Crucio!" James yells. Voldemort falls to the floor. "You might have succeeded in killing Anthony, but you left his daughter. You won't get her or anyone else. You'll be dead before that happens."

Regulus and Marlene come back up the steps. "They're all dead."

"Avada Kedavra!" James finally yells, killing Voldemort himself. Hopefully, for the final time.

[juicydangler]

for your halloween playlist consideration:

The Man with X-Ray Eyes by Bauhaus, inspired by the 1963 science fiction horror film X: The Man with the X-ray Eyes

I Was a Teenage Werewolf by The Cramps, inspired by the 1957 science fiction horror film of the same name

Lotion by the Greenskeepers, inspired by the 1991 psychological horror film The Silence of the Lambs

How Do by Sneaker Pimps, inspired by the 1973 folk horror film The Wicker Man

Nosferatu by Blue Öyster Cult, inspired by the 1922 silent horror film of the same name

Frankenstein by Rock Bottom, inspired by the 1931 horror film of the same name

Frankenstein Rock by Eddie Thomas, about taking a date to see horror movies

Nasty by The Damned, about horror movies on VHS

Bela Lugosi's Dead by Bauhaus, about legendary actor Bela Lugosi not being alive anymore

Boris the Spider by The Who, about a spider called Boris

October Funeral by The Cemetery Boys, about a funeral in October

Cemetery Gates by Pantera, about the struggle to let go when someone you love dies

Cemetery Girl by ICP, about the struggle to let go when someone you love dies

Dig Up Her Bones by the Misfits, about the struggle to let go when someone you love dies

L.I.C.H. by Ginny Di, about a lady who doesn't want to die

Party In the Graveyard by Ghost Town, about knowing you will die and having a silly little time with it

thegraveneverfeltsonice by aWannabe, about knowing you will die and lowkey looking forward to it

Spirit Got Lost by Mental As Anything, about being dead and ambivalent about it

Zombie Crew by Send More Paramedics, about being a punk rock zombie

Nobody Likes You (When You're Dead) by Zombina and the Skeletones, about the social challenges faced by a young zombie

Re: Your Brains by Jonathan Coulton, about the social challenges faced by a white collar zombie

Mad Professor by ICP, about making friends

Ur-Ur-Enkel von Frankenstein by Frank Zander, about making friends (in German)

Hex So Heavy by Bambie Thug, about revenge, and how two enemies used to be friends

Nightmare by Brainbug, spooky techno instrumental

The Dead Eyes Opened (1994 remix) by Severed Heads, inspired by reporting around the real life 1924 murder of Emily Kaye

A Forest by The Cure, about a spooky forest

The Greatest Show Unearthed by Creature Feature, about a spooky carnival

Scaretale by Nightwish, about a spooky fairy tale carnival

Bury a Friend by Billie Eilish, about the POV of the monster under the bed

Boogie Woogie Wu by ICP, about the POV of the boogie man

Sunglasses at Night by Corey Hart, not about vampires (unless sound engineers count) but really kinda sounds like it is

I.C.U. by Caligula, about vampires

Night of the Vampire by Roky Erickson and The Aliens, about vampires

Transylvanian Concubine by Rasputina, about vampires

Vampires In Love by Marvelous 3, about vampires (in love)

Danse Vampyr by Inkubus Sukkubus, about vampires (horny)

We Suck Young Blood by Radiohead, about vampires but only as a metaphor

Teeth by Lady Gaga, about sex but sounds like it could be about vampires or maybe werewolves

Bare Your Teeth by Ashbury Heights, about going feral werewolf style

The Ones by Aesthetic Perfection, about nightmare creatures stealing teeth

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by the Damned, inspired by the 1886 Gothic novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Nevermore by The Cemetery Boys, about the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe

Graveyard Picnic by Voltaire, about the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe

Mr Raven by MC Lars, based on the poem The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

Legs and Tarpaulin by Cinema Strange, inspired by the story King Pest by Edgar Allan Poe

Pet Sematary by Ramones, written during a visit to the home of Stephen King and inspired by his 1983 horror novel of the same name

Cemetery by Silverchair, about ennui

Living Dead by Marina and the Diamonds, about ennui

Living Dead by Discordia, about being a disenfranchised young person (I think)

Black No. 1 by Type O Negative, about a goth gf

Release the Bats by The Birthday Party, about a goth gf

Tombstone by Peaches, probably about sex somehow lbr it's Peaches, but sounds like it could be about a goth gf

Every Day Is Halloween by Ministry, about being a goth

I Can Tell You Shop At Hot(t) Topic by The Gothsicles, about seeing a goth

You've Been GOTH BLOCKED by Stevie Ryan, about seeing too many goths

Mephiskapheles by Mephiskapheles, about what if Satan played ska

Des Satans liebster Klingelton by Soko Friedhof, about what if Satan sold ringtones (in German)

Janet's Potato Salad by Cupcake Television, about what if Satanists held a potluck

Satan by Orbital and Kirk Hammett, not about anything just a guy yelling Satan a lot (it's a sample of Gibby Haynes of Butthole Surfers from the song Sweat Loaf but let's not get bogged down in details here)

Creep in the Cellar by Butthole Surfers, about a weird scary guy

Abwärts-Nick Nack Man Now by Frank Zander, about being a weird scary guy (in German)

Gravedigger by MXMS, about being a weird scary girl

Innsmouth by Aural Vampire, about being a weird scary girl (in Japanese)

When You're Evil by Voltaire, about being an evil guy and having a silly little time with it

Skullcrusher Mountain by Jonathan Coulton, about being an evil guy and having an unrequited crush

Frankenstein Rock by Peter Thomas (no relation), about a scary guy called Frankenstein and the creepy parties he throws (in German)

HAUNT ME by Johnny Goth, about hoping to be haunted, sexually

Ghost of a Texas Ladies' Man by Concrete Blonde, about being haunted, sexually

Ghost Story by Charming Disaster, about being haunted, sexually

One Second Ghost by The Gothsicles, about retro video gaming

Flying Saucer Boogie by Eddie Cletro, about UFO sightings

Unmarked Helicopters by Soul Coughing (from The X-Files S04E18), about UFO conspiracies

Can't Get Abducted E.T. Don't Dig Me Blues by Bruce Brown, about getting swerved by aliens

Bugs by Pearl Jam, about being overwhelmed by bugs

March of the Sinister Ducks by The Sinister Ducks, about how ducks are sinister

the entire 1998 album Hellbilly Deluxe: 13 Tales of Cadaverous Cavorting Inside the Spookshow International by Rob Zombie

literally anything other than Zombie by the Cranberries

[taylorhawkins]

All of Taylor Hawkins’ musical projects: a comprehensive list since Wikipedia is incomplete with links!

• ANYONE

- The Sylvia Sessions (recorded 1993, released 2022)

• SASS JORDAN

- Live in New York Ninety-Four (1994)

• ALANIS MORISSETTE

- Jagged Little Pill, Live (1997)

• FOO FIGHTERS

- There Is Nothing Left to Lose (1999)

- One by One (2002)

- In Your Honor (2005)

- Skin & Bones, Live (2006) [w/ video]

- Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace (2007)

- Wasting Light (2011)

- Medium Rare (2011)

- Sonic Highways (2014)

- Saint Cecilia (2015)

- Concrete and Gold (2017)

- Dee Gees (2021)

- Medicine at Midnight (2021)

• TAYLOR HAWKINS & THE COATTAIL RIDERS

- Taylor Hawkins & the Coattail Riders (2006)

- Red Light Fever (2010)

- Get the Money (2019)

• COHEED AND CAMBRIA

- Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV Vol. II: No World for Tomorrow (2007)

• THE BIRDS [Chevy Metal’s original music]

- Self-titled (2014)

• SOLO

- Kota (2016)

• NIGHTTIME BOOGIE ASSOCIATION [project with Matt Cameron]

- Long in the Tooth/The Path We’re On (2020)

• NHC [project with Dave Navarro + Chris Chaney]

- Feed the Cruel/Better Move On (2021)

- Devil That You Know/Lazy Eyes (2021)

- Intakes and Outtakes EP (2021)

• SESSION APPEARANCES & OTHERS:

- Somewhere Anywhere Everywhere - Globe Surf DVD (2007 I think) [video]

- Help Wanted - Eric Avery [tracks 1, 3, 6-8] (2008)

- Wicked In Rock - Kerry Ellis (and Brian May) [“Defying Gravity”, “I’m Not That Girl” & “No One But You”] (2010)

- Crucify the Dead - Slash & Ozzy Osbourne (2010) [Taylor credited with backing vocals]

- Tie Your Mother Down - Queen ft. Taylor Hawkins and Dave Grohl [Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Compilation] (2011)

- Sound City: Real to Reel - Dave Grohl (2013)

- Rush 2112: 40th Anniversary (2016) (“Overture” with Dave Grohl & Nick Raskulinez)

- I Refuse - Timothy B. Schmidt (2016)

- Butt Call - Derek Smalls [ft. Taylor and Phil X] (2018)

- Holy Man - Dennis Wilson demo, completed alongside Brian May and Roger Taylor (2019) [Taylor sings]

- Too Much For My Own Good - Phil X & The Drills (2019)

- We Could Have It All - P!nk (2019)

- Night Crawling - Miley Cyrus (2020)

- E-Ticket - Elton John (2021) [+ Eddie Vedder!]

- Turn Over the World - Perry Farrell (2021)

- Mend - Perry Farrell (Kind Heaven Orchestra) (2021)

- Party at the Angel Ballroom - Nancy Wilson (2021) [ft. Taylor + Duff McKagan]

- Patient Number 9 - Ozzy Osbourne (2022) [“Parasite”, “Mr. Darkness”, “God Only Knows”]

- Shame On You - Richard Marx (2022)

- Guess I’ll Go Away - Edgar Winter (2022) [Taylor sings and absolutely blows doors]

- Every Loser - Iggy Pop (2023) [Taylor credited with drums and piano on “Comments” + “The Regency”]

- Ian Hunter - Defiance Part I (2023) [Taylor is on “Angel,” “Kiss N’ Make Up,” and “This Is What I’m Here For”]

[scarfacemarston]

Things that existed: 1890′s-1914 (For fanfics, hc or rp!)

For me to reblog in the future with more. Notes: I did not include most of the cigarettes, guns and alcohol. These are mostly American brands or international brands in the U.S at the time. Lots of wars, psychological studies, economic recessions, inventions, and media published in this time. This is obviously not an exhaustive list. Spans from a bit before canon to RDR 1′s epilogue  Pre 1890′s: (Just for fun) 1883: The Monopolist (Yes, an early rendition of the board game) The game of Logic, Oscar Mayer, Pinocchio, Long John Silvers,

1884: First modern Cash Register (Imagine the gang trying to figure out how to open one of these)

1885: Dr. Pepper (the soda), first automobile

1886: Heinz Beans, Coco-Cola, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr, Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

1887: Sherlock Holmes Book 1 by Arthur Conan Doyle

1888: Vending Machine, Drinking Straw, Four Roses (Bourbon Whiskey) Kessler Whiskey, Seltzer's for upset stomach/heartburn, Mum’s Deodorant, Hunts (the brand)

1889: Lysol 1890′s: 1890: The Picture of Dorian Gray By Oscar Wilde,  Prom (The event for teens)  Matryoshka doll, The Edison Talking Doll (Yes, those creepy ass ones), Lipton Tea, Vicks, Marston’s Brewery, 

1891: Basketball, Rayon, Fig Newtons, Swiss Army Knife, Hormel, 

1892: The second bicycle boom, the “modern” clothes washer, Maxwell Coffee House, Ithaca Kitty - an early paper doll, later stuffed toy?

1893: Cream of Wheat, Juicy Fruit Gum, Johnson’s Baby, Good and Plenty, Wrigley’s Gum, popcorn maker, toaster, Diesel Engine, moving walkways, meth, Ferris wheel, The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, Sunkist Co,

1894:Corn flakes, Phonograph, Silent Films, different fonts for typewriters? Hydrogen Peroxide (The fizzy stuff that burns like hell), lobster thermidor, mousetraps, Purina animal feed, 

1895:Rugby leagues, Volleyball, Budweiser, T. Martzetii Dips, Whittaker’s Chocolate,  X-rays, 1896: Cracker Jacks, Movie theaters, Frank Merriwell’s Books (A children’s series), Del Monte canning

1897: Jell-O, Cotton Candy, Grape-Nuts (cereal), mufflers, vasectomies, Smucker’s (jelly company), Dracula by Bram Stoker,  1898: Pepsi, Palmolive (Brand), steering wheel, heroin, Walker’s Shortbread, Nabisco, War of the Worlds by H.G. Welles, 

1899: Martha white (food),  Pall mall cigarettes',  Wesson cooking oil, Lux soap, flashlights, revolving doors, first early telephone 1900′s: 1900: Wizard of Oz Book 1 released by L. Frank Baum, Chiclets, Hershey Bars, Kodak cameras, Triskets, escalators,  1901: Disposable Safety Razor, Sweethearts (The candy) the Scholastic Altitude Testing (Standardized Testing that American high schoolers take. Jack would have to take one, I think.) Necco’s candy,  The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter (All of her books then)   1902:  Neon Lamps, Teddy Bear, periscope, air conditioning, polygraph tests, Peter Pan,  The Virginian by Owen Wister - A western novel

1903: Kraft Food’s Company, Crayons

1904: Banana Split, tea bags, Ovaltine, Canada Dry, French’s (The brand),  K-Y Jelly, Discoll’s Berries,  1905: Cadbury Dairy Milk, Hebrew National Brand, popsicles, RC Cola, Planters brand, Kellogg’s Brand,  Arsène Lupin by Maurice Leblanc (Stories about a master thief) 1907: Gumball machine, rear-view mirrors, tootsie rolls, Hershey's kisses, 1908: Coffee filters, Ford Motel T engine, Hydrox cookies (Oreo’s lemony older brother), Milk-bone the biscuit (For Rufus),  Anne of Green Gables, by  L. M. Montgomery, Mr. Toad - the kid’s character, 1909: More modern lightbulbs, Pearson’s candy company, Tillamook Creamery, Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux  1910:  instant coffee, milkshake machines,  1911: Wall plugs, Nivea products, Midol (pain reliever), Crush Soda, Crisco, processed cheese, Mars brand,  1912: Edison Disc Record, Goo Goo Clusters, Oreos, LifeSavers candy, Lorna Doone Cookies, Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs 1913: Zippers, Crossword Puzzles, Camel Cigarettes, Hellman’s Food company, 

1914: Traffic Cone, Gasmask, Tinker Toys, Listerine, Salad Cream,  Heath Bar, Mary Jane Candies, Grapico Soda, Turkish Delight, Mother’s Cookies (The rainbow animal cookies with sprinkles), Chicken of the Sea, TastyKake,

Bonus: Modern Slang they would know. Sorry for the tags, but I worked hard on this and I want it to go out. Edit: Wow, thanks, guys! I didn’t expect this to gain traction. At all. Anyway, I’m a historian so feel free to send me asks about stuff like this! I will probably edit it for medical stuff. 

[darkcrowprince]

★ Characters & Fandoms ★

| I write for all characters in these fandoms unless otherwise specified! | In case of said otherwise specified, don't even mention them to me in sexual context. Ever. | I'm not entirely caught up with every work in this list, but I don't mind spoilers and I can and will write for characters I haven't gotten to yet. | All of the characters in my works are always aged up, whether it's mentioned or not. | All the fem!characters in my writing are genderbent, at least as of now.

BNHA

Favorites — Shouta Aizawa | Hizashi Yamada | Yuga Aoyama | Denki Kaminari | Kyoka Jiro | Sero Hanta | Shoto Todoroki | Shihai Kuroiro !! | Tamaki Amajiki !! | Seiji Shishikura !! | Edgeshot | Sir Nighteye | En | Hikage Shinomori | Tomura Shigaraki | Mr. Compress | Geten | Skeptic | Hari Kurono | Toya Setsuno !! | Yoichi Shigaraki Won't Write — Minoru Mineta | Enji Todoroki | All For One

One Piece

Favorites — Bartolomeo | Basil Hawkins !! | Cabaji | Cavendish | Charlotte Katakuri | Charlotte Perospero | Charlotte Raisin !! | Denjiro !! | Donquixote Doflamingo | Donquixote Rosinante | Dracule Mihawk | Fukaboshi | Gin | Heat | Iceburg | Inazuma | Izo | Kikunojo !! | Killer | Kuzan | Marco | Nico Robin | Page One !! | Pell | Penguin & Shachi | Rob Lucci !! | Sabo | Sanji | Trafalgar D. Water Law | Who's Who | X Drake | Yamato Won't Write — Catarina Devon | Charlotte Linlin | Emporio Ivankov | Gecko Moria | Kaido | Kurozumi Orochi | Magellan | Marshall D. Teach | Queen | Sakazuki | Spandam | T Bone | Vinsmoke Judge

JJBA

Favorites — Dio | Straizo !! | Kars | Noriaki Kakyoin | Steely Dan | Rohan Kishibe | Mikitaka Hazekura !! | Yukako Yamagishi | Toshikazu Hazamada | Yoshikage Kira !! | Giorno Giovanna | Bruno Bucciarati | Leone Abbacchio !! | Pannacotta Fugo | Diavolo | Squalo & Tiziano | Risotto Nero | Illuso | Prosciutto !! | Melone !! | Sorbet & Gelato | Foo Fighters | Narciso Anasui !! | Rikiel !! | Johnny Joestar | Gyro Zeppeli | Diego Brando | Wekapipo | Funny Valentine | Magenta Magenta !! | Josuke Higashikata | Jobin Higashikata !! | Yoshikage Kira | Yotsuyu Yagiyama | Aisho Dainenjiyama | Massimo Volpe Won't Write — Rudol von Stroheim | Alessi | J. Geil | Anjuro Katagiri | Pesci

HxH

Favorites — Kurapika | Hisoka Morow | Illumi Zoldyck !! | Kite !! | Palm Siberia | Shoot McMahon | Sedokan !! | Silva Zoldyck | Kalluto Zoldyck | Chrollo Lucilfer | Nobunaga Hazama | Feitan Portor !! | Pakunoda !! | Squala | Meruem | Shaiapouf !! | Tserriednich Hui Guo Rou | Hinrigh Biganduffno | Sun-bin Won't Write — Milluki Zoldyck | Benjamin Hui Guo Rou

Saint Seiya

Favorites — Hades | Shiryu | Mu !! | Saga !! | Kanon | Shaka !! | Camus | Aphrodite | Orpheus !! | Baian | Sorrento | Pharaoh Won't Write — No one here!

Demon Slayer

Favorites — Kagaya Ubuyashiki !! | Tengen Uzui | Muichiro Tokito | Obanai Iguro !! | Giyuu Tomioka | Inosuke Hashibara | Yoriichi Tsugikuni !! | Sabito | Muzan Kibutsuji | Yushiro !! | Kokushibo | Gyutaro !! | Enmu | Rui | Kyogai | Hotaru Haganezuka !! Won't Write — No one here!

Black Butler

Favorites — Sebastian Michaelis | Snake | Vincent Phantomhive !! | Grelle Sutcliff | Undertaker | Lau | Joker !! | Lawrence Bluewer | Gregory Violet !! | Edgar Redmond | Ash Landers/Angela Blanc | Drossel Keinz !! | Edward V | Pluto Won't Write — No one here!

BSD

Favorites — Jun'ichirō Tanizaki | Ranpo Edogawa | Ōgai Mori !! | Ryunosuke Akutagawa | Arthur Rimbaud | Edgar Allan Poe !! | Howard Lovecraft !! | Bram Stoker Won't Write — No one here!

Record of Ragnarok

Favorites — adam | kojiro sasaki !! | jack the ripper !! | raiden tameemon | buddha !! | qin shi huang !! | nikola tesla !! | michel nostradamus | simo hayha !! | thor !! | poseidon | shiva !! | zerofuku | hades !! | beelzebub | loki | hermes !! Won't Write — No one here!

Jujutsu Kaisen

Favorites — Satoru Gojo | Megumi Fushiguro | Toge Inumaki !! | Kokichi Muta !! | Noritoshi Kamo !! | Kento Nanami !! | Naoya Zenin | Mahito | Sukuna | Choso !! | Suguru Geto | Junpei Yoshino !! | Toji Fushiguro Won't Write — No one here!

Vampire Knight

Favorites — Hanabusa Aido | Haruka Kuran !! | Ichiru Kiryu | Kaien Cross | Kaname Kuran !! | Rido Kuran !! | Senri Shiki | Takuma Ichijo | Toga Yagari Won't Write — No one here!

Diabolik Lovers

Favorites — Shu Sakamaki | Kanato Sakamaki | Laito Sakamaki | Subaru Sakamaki | Kou Mukami | Yuma Mukami | Azusa Mukami !! | Carla Tsukinami !! | Karlheinz | Richter !! Won't Write — No one here!

Golden Kamuy

Favorites — Vasily !! | Fusatarou Oosawa !! | Hyakunosuke Ogata | Otonoshin Koito | Toshizou Hijikata | Kano Ienaga | Tokishige Usami !! | Tokushirou Tsurumi | Yasaku Edogai Won't Write — Tatsuma Ushiyama | Shiton Anehata

Haikyuu

Favorites — Tobio Kageyama !! | Tadashi Yamaguchi | Kiyoko Shimizu | Keishin Ukai | Saeko Tanaka | Kenma Kozume | Lev Haiba !! | Issei Matsukawa & Takahiro Hanamaki | Akira Kunimi | Kanji Koganegawa !! | Keiji Akaashi !! | Eita Semi | Satori Tendou !! | Tsutomu Goshiki !! | Kenjirou Shirabu | Suguru Daishou | Kiyoomi Sakusa !! | Shinsuke Kita !! | Rintarou Suna !! | Keisuke Unnan Won't Write — No one here!

Tokyo Revengers

Favorites — Manjiro "Mikey" Sano | Ken "Draken" Ryuguji | Chifuyu Matsuno | Takashi Mitsuya | Hakkai Shiba !! | Nahoya & Souta Kawata | Keisuke Baji !! | Tetta Kisaki | Shuji Hanma | Hajime Kokonoi | Taiju Shiba !! | Ran Haitani !! | Takuya Yamamoto | Naoto Tachibana Won't Write — Yasuhiro Mutou | Haruki Hayashida

OHSHC

Favorites — Kyoya Ootori | Ritsu Kasanoda | Ryouji Fujioka !! | Takashi "Mori" Morinosuka | Tamaki Suoh | Umehito Nekozawa !! | Tetsuya Sendo Won't Write — No one here!

UtaPri

Favorites — Ichinose Tokiya | Jinguji Ren | Hijirikawa Masato !! | Camus !! | Sumeragi Kira | Amakusa Shion Won't Write — No one here!

Saiki K.

Favorites — Kaidou Shun | Kuboyasu Aren | Saiki Kusuke !! | Saiki Kusuo !! | Saiko Metori | Teruhashi Makoto | Akechi Touma !! | Toritsuka Reita Won't Write — Nendou Riki | Takahashi

Nanbaka

Favorites — Jyugo !! | Uno | Liang !! | Kiji Mitsuba !! | Kenshirou Yozakura !! | Samon Gokuu | Houzuki Sanzou | Yamato Godai !! Won't Write — No one here!

Kamisama Kiss

Favorites — Akura-ou !! | Kurama Shinjirou | Mikage | Mizuki !! | Nanami Momozono | Nishiki Ryouri | Ookuninushi | Ryou Sukuna | Suirou !! | Tomoe !! Won't Write — No one here!

Genshin Impact

Favorites — Albedo | Arataki Itto | Chongyun | Diluc | Gorou | Kaedehara Kazuha | Kaeya | Razor | Rosaria | Venti | Xiangling !! | Xiao !! | Xingqiu !! | Zhongli !! | Dainsleif | Scaramouche !! Won't Write — No one here!

Pokemon

Favorites — Lance | James | Morty | Will | Wallace | Steven Stone !! | Volkner | Lucian | Cyrus | Cress | Burgh !! | Grimsley !! | N !! | Ghetsis | Ingo & Emmett | Colress | Sycamore !! | Siebold | Lysandre !! | Kukui !! | Ilima !! | Kiawe | Mina | Nanu | Molayne | Ryuki | Gladion !! | Plumeria | Guzma | Dulse | Bede | Marnie !! | Kabu !! | Allister | Piers !! | Raihan | Leon | Avery !! | Adaman !! | Melli | Volo | Arven !! | Turo | Brassius !! | Larry !! | Grusha | Rika !! | Hassel !! | Atticus !! | Salvatore | Kieran Won't Write — No one here!

Danganronpa

Favorites — Byakuya Togami | Chihiro Fujisaki | Kiyotaka Ishimaru !! | Sakura Ogami !! | Toko Fukawa | Yasuhiro Hagakure | Hajime Hinata | Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu | Gundham Tanaka !! | Kazuichi Soda | Mikan Tsumiki | Nagito Komaeda | Izuru Kamukura !! | Kiibo !! | Kokichi Oma | Korekiyo Shinguji !! | Shuichi Saihara !! Won't Write — Hifumi Yamada | Ultimate Imposter | Teruteru Hanamura

Ace Attorney:

Favorites — Miles Edgeworth !! | Godot | Klavier Gavin | Simon Blackquill !! | Nahyuta Sahdmadhi !! | Jake Marshall !! | Ron DeLite !! | Simon Keyes !! | Sherlock Holmes | Baron van Zieks Won't Write — No one here!

Fire Emblem

Favorites — Marth | Navarre !! | Wolf !! | Sedgar | Jeorge !! | Xane | Camus !! | Michalis !! | Alm | Kliff !! | Python !! | Luthier !! | Leon !! | Atlas | Deen !! | Arlen !! | Sigurd | Naoise | Alec | Midir | Edain | Ayra | Deidre | Lewyn | Claud !! | Shannah !! | Arvis !! | Eldigan !! | Travant !! | Seliph | Diarmuid | Arthur | Ares !! | Julius !! | Ronan | Shiva !! | Olwen | Salem | Perne | Troude | Deen | Shannam | Saias!! | Roy | Rutger !! | Saul | Geese | Echidna | Elffin !! | Hugh | Karel | Narcian | Galle !! | Erk !! | Rath | Lucius !! | Lowen | Canas | Legault !! | Heath | Pent | Vaida | Ephidel !! | Artur | Joshua !! | Forde | Innes | Saleh | Knoll !! | Valter !! | Lyon !! | Shinon | Soren !! | Zihark !! | Reyson !! | Ranulf | Nasir | Naesala | Rajaion !! | Micaiah | Leonardo | Volug !! | Nailah | Rafiel !! | Pelleas !! | Kurthnaga !! | Volke | Sephiran !! | Ashera | Chrom | Robin | Virion !! | Libra !! | Henry | Lucina | Inigo | Gerome !! | Morgan | Yarne | Gangrel !! | Naga | Grima | Corrin | Jakob !! | Ryoma | Kaden !! | Leo | Niles | Keaton !! | Izana !! | Shigure | Dwyer !! | Hisame !! | Rhajat | Selkie | Siegbert | Ignatius !! | Velouria | Anankos | Iago !! | Byleth !! | Edelgard | Hubert !! | Ferdinand | Linhardt !! | Bernadetta | Dimitri !! | Felix | Ashe | Claude !! | Lorenz | Seteth !! | Jeritza !! | Yuri Won't Write — No one here!

Twisted Wonderland

Favorites — Deuce Spade !! | Cater Diamond | Leona Kingscholar | Azul Ashengrotto | Jade & Floyd Leech !! | Jamil Viper !! | Vil Schoenheit | Rook Hunt !! | Idia Shroud !! | Malleus Draconia !! | Silver | Dire Crowley !! | Divus Crewel | Che'nya Won't Write — Ashton Vargas

Obey Me

Favorites — Lucifer !! | Mammon | Leviathan !! | Satan !! | Asmodeus | Belphegor !! | Barbatos !! Won't Write — No one here!

A3!

Favorites — Masumi Usui !! | Itaru Chigasaki | Chikage Utsuki | Yuki Rurikawa | Kumon Hyodo | Banri Settsu | Sakyo Furuichi !! | Azami Izumida !! | Tsumugi Tsukioka | Hisoka Mikage !! | Homare Arisugawa !! | Azuma Yukishiro !! | Guy | Reni Kamikizaka Won't Write — No one here!

Ensemble Star!!

Favorites — Eichi Tenshouin | Wataru Hibiki !! | Yuzuru Fushimi !! | Hokuto Hidaka | Mao Isara | Kanata Shinkai | Mayoi Ayase !! | Nagisa Ran !! | Shu Itsuki !! | Mika Kagehira | Rinne Amagi | HiMERU | Niki Shiina | Rei Sakuma !! | Kaoru Hakaze !! | Souma Kanzaki | Leo Tsukinaga | Ritsu Sakuma | Madara Mikejima !! Won't Write — No one here!

Ayakashi

Favorites — Koga Kitamikado | Kuya | Ginnojo !! | Toichiro Yuri | Shizuki !! | Kagemaru | Yakumo Koizumi !! | Kyonosuke Aizen !! | Doman Ashiya | Teach' Won't Write — No one here!

Food Fantasy

Favorites — Ankimo !! | B-52 | Blue Cheese | Boston Lobster !! | Brandy !! | Buddha's Temptation | Butter Tea | Caviar !! | Champagne !! | Cordyceps !! | Croissant | Dragon & Phoenix !! | Earl Grey Tea | Eight-Treasure Rice | Finland Sauteed Reindeer | Fugu Sashimi | Gin | Ginseng | Goose Barnacle | Haggis | Hibiscus Tea | Huangshan Maofeng Tea | Inarizushi !! | Jinjinmei Tea | Junmai Daiginjo !! | King Crab | Kiviak | Longjing Tea !! | Martini | Matsutake Dobinmushi !! | Minestrone !! | Oyster | Peking Duck | Raindrop Cake !! | Souffle !! | Takowasa !! | Akutaq | Beer !! | Bingfen | Bloody Mary !! | Bonito Rice !! | Brioche | Brownie | Canned Sardines | Century Egg !! | Chocolate | Five Snake Soup !! | Green Curry !! | Gyudon !! | Hotdog | Katsudon | Kitsune Udon | Kuruma Prawn | Laba Noodles | Lasagna | Mackerel Ichiyaboshi | Mashed Potatoes !! | Mixed Fish Soup | Mojito | Muenchner Weisswurst | Napoleon Cake | Nori | Opera Cake | Pine & Crane Longevity Scroll !! | Realgar Wine !! | Red Wine | Royal Jelly | Salt 'n Pepper Shrimp | Salty Tofu !! | Sanma | Sea Urchin !! | Seaweed Salad | Seaweed Soup | Soka Senbei !! | Spaghetti | Sukiyaki !! | Suströmming | Sweet Tofu | Tanuki Soba | Tortoise Jelly !! | Wensi Tofu | Coffee | Douzhi !! | Long Pao | Lutefisk | Sake | Sashimi | Spicy Gluten | Yellow Wine | Zongzi | Bak Kut Teh | Sea Bream Continental Seal Won't Write — No one here!

Cookie Run

Favorites — Clover Cookie !! | Dark Choco Cookie | Red Velvet Cookie !! | Raspberry Cookie !! | Madeleine Cookie | Financier Cookie !! | Licorice Cookie !! | Espresso Cookie !! | Affogato Cookie !! | Mint Choco Cookie | Almond Cookie | Lilac Cookie | Clotted Cream Cookie !! | Dark Cacao Cookie | Pure Vanilla Cookie Won't Write — No one here!

Dislyte

Favorites — Falken | Bardon | Drew | Eira | Lu Yi | Tang Xuan | Fabrice | Arcana | Hall | Heng Yue | Tang Yun | Raven | Catherine | Triki | Lin Xiao | Leon | Lucas | Clara Won't Write — Li Ao | Pritzker | Unky Chai

Arcana

Favorites — Asra | Nadia | Julian !! | Muriel | Lucio !! | Valerius !! | Valdemar !! | Nazali | The Magician | The Hanged Man | The Devil Won't Write — Tasya [for now]

Fictif

Favorites — Miguel Bravo | Rian | Gwydion | Theo | Astrellio !! | Aurelia | Vidas !! | Jesse Rodriquez | Chava Cerilla !! | Sergio Jimenez !! | Sage !! | Felix | Rime | Casimir de Gévaudan !! | Rainier !! | Poe Colestead | Sawyer Rogers | Nicky Valentino !! Won't Write — No one here!

Blush Blush

Favorites — Volks | Anon !! | Dmitri !! | Myx !! | Stirling | Sven !! | Cole !! | Poe !! | Seth | Basil | Fabian Won't Write — No one here!

Cloud Meadow

Favorites — Jubelle | Yonten !! | Jaero !! | Montalvo | Dire | Sieger !! | Skandr !! | Garst !! | Lucien !! | Joy King Ocs — Milo (Cat) | Areos (Centaur) | None (Chimera) | Mija (Demon) | Malef (Dragon) | Ater (Harpy) | Honey (Holstaur) | Eden (Lamia) | Wilon (Wolf) Won't Write — No one here!

Corruption of Champions

Favorites — Agnimitra | Azyrran | Berwyn !! | Brint !! | Etheryn !! | Kiyoko | Quintillus !! | Behemoth | Clementine | Darius | Doireann | Drider Queen | Elyon !! | Eubicha | Hinata | Garret !! | Garth | Hashat | Hitoshi | Ihzalti | Imad | Imora | Incubus Blackguard | Ivris | Jael'yn | Jin-Jin | June | Jyrranaz | Kasyrra | Keros !! | Leold | Vicky | Lupine Archer | Mallach !! | Nakano !! | Nareva | Nash | Nihara | Nikol | Ninian | Nyze !! | Pavo | Phylander | Raphael | River !! | Rooh | Sugo !! | Svern !! | Syvenna | Takahiro | Tetsuya !! | Elaril | Vatia | Yonzan Won't Write — No one here!

HnK

Favorites — Phosphophyllite | Rutile | Cinnabar !! | Jade | Bort !! | Yellow Diamond | Amethysts | Alexandrite !! | Antarcticite !! | Padparadscha !! | Ghost Quartz | Cairngorm !! | Peridot | Lapis Lazuli | Blue Zoisite | Aechmea | Aculeatus !! Won't Write — No one here!

Kemono Jihen

Favorites — Kohachi Inugami | Akira | Mihai Florescu !! | Nobimaru !! | Barahiko Hito !! | Haruka Hinata | Kazuaki Akagi !! | Yui | Zenkichi Omikuji Won't Write — No one here!

The Royal Tutor

Favorites — Heine Wittgenstein | Kai von Granzreich | Bruno von Granzreich | Leonhard von Granzreich | Licht von Granzreich !! | Eins von Granzreich !! | Victor von Granzreich !! | Ernst Rosenberg Won't Write — No one here!

Orenchi no Furo Jijo

Favorites — Agari !! | Echizen | Makara | Maki | Takasu !! | Tatsumi !! | Wakasa !! Won't Write — No one here!

Miscellaneous

Howl [Howl's Moving Castle]

[gypsydanger01]

THE STORM - Part twenty-six

Fandom: The Boys (Amazon prime tv series)

Pairing: Black Noir x OC

Disclaimer: I don’t own The Boys, only my OC characters and certain pieces of au plot.

Comments, reviews, constructive criticism, and other requests are always more than welcome!

Deceiving all parties

Black Noir felt as though he were walking on air. Nothing could touch him or distract his thoughts of her. The evening before he’d allowed her to see behind the mask, to see behind the walls he’d spent his whole existence building. And she’d gazed at him with such intense emotion and something he could not put his finger on. But she saw something in his eyes, she saw something in him other than a cold-blooded killer. She didn’t flinch away from the web of scars that crossed the side of his face; instead, she lightly traced them with her finger, and her eyes didn’t hold pity but understanding.

Unfortunately, his mood was ruined as he crossed paths with Homelander upon reaching The Seven’s floor.

The caped man smiled wide, baring perfectly straight white teeth.

“Noir, there you are,” he spoke, lightly slapping the other man’s shoulder.

The man simply stared at him, but Homelander didn’t let it deter him.

“We’re going to have a meeting in fifteen minutes. You’re going to want to be there.”

Homelander said it casually, but the light tone was hiding a subtle edge. Noir only nodded before moving on. He’d be there, all right, so he’d know at what point the maniac was in his desperate hunt.

Homelander continued walking and finally called out, “Wouldn’t be a team meeting without you, Noir.”

He then took the elevator, mentally patting himself on the back for being such a responsible and caring leader.

Noir couldn’t help but clench his fists as he trudged back to his living quarters. With heavy steps, he slipped inside and let thoughts of Sarah soothe his rage.

 [Fifteen minutes later]

In the conference room, four superheroes waited.

Black Noir watched them, observing their small quirks and tell-tale signs. Queen Maeve had her arms crossed tightly against her chest and her foot was lightly tapping against the floor. Beside her, Starlight sat with a straight back but made herself seem small. Her eyes were lowered to the table’s surface and they often darted off to the sides. It was guilt, and Noir filed it away for later use. Finally, he moved his attention to A-Train, who appeared to be royally pissed. He swung lightly from side to side in his swivel chair, deep in thought. Lips pursed, he stared at a point on the table before him.

Noir leaned back in his chair and clasped his fingers together.

Soon, Homelander barged through the doors as arrogant as ever. He didn’t spare a glance at any of his teammates and reached the head of the table with long, purposeful strides.

Noir gave a quick glance at the others, seeing both Queen Maeve and A-Train stiffen, bracing themselves. And, well, Starlight seemed to make herself even smaller: she was afraid. Like a dog about to be beat with a stick, she seemed to curl into herself, her eyes never lifting to look at Homelander. As if sensing Noir’s attention, her eyes darted to his and he found no regret. He wondered what she had done to warrant this fear of Homelander. Sure, he was a maniac, but he’d never seen her cower this way. Starlight clenched her teeth and lowered her eyes.

It was the smallest and most fleeting of details that were the most telling, and Noir had since learned to observe them.

“Everyone,” Homelander began, “we have a few talking points we need to cover today.”

He grasped the back of his chair, leaning against it.

“First of all, as you can see, the Deep is not with us today nor will he ever be back in this Tower, I suppose.” He fixed his gaze on the superheroes before him, gauging their reactions. “We are your teammates, Starlight,” he continued, “We are your family, and we support you,” he told her directly.

She slowly met his gaze and nodded.

Noir found it to be the most ungenuine exchange he’d ever seen. Family? Bitch, please.

Satisfied by her acknowledgement, Homelander proceeded, “The Deep has been assigned to…” he trailed off, “I don’t know, somewhere in Ohio.” Upon further thought, he added with a shrug, “Never liked him anyway.”

Noir had always found The Deep of slimy character and couldn’t care less. He wanted to know how the hunt for Marianna Stacker was proceeding.

Homelander moved onto the next point, “Secondly, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the retirement of a teammate,” he paused for dramatic effect, and Noir rolled his eyes. “A-Train will be leaving us shortly,” he shook his head. “His going-away party will be coming up in the next week.”

Noir let his gaze pass over A-Train once more, noting the tension in his shoulders. It obviously wasn’t a voluntary retirement.

Homelander went on, twisting the knife, “A-Train, you will be sorely missed.”

The speedster stilled and shot a murderous side-eye at the blonde man.

Noir thought the venomous look deserved an applause.

After a few moments of silence, Homelander cleared his throat and gave A-Train a meaningful look.

“If you’ll excuse us, I need to speak with my fellow teammates about confidential information.”

Immediately, A-Train scoffed, “I’m not retired yet—”

“You are,” Homelander cut in. “You are retired, and I will not ask you to leave twice.”

In disbelief, the runner stared at the serious man. Finally, he pushed himself out of his chair and stalked out of the room.

Homelander’s serious expression broke and gave way to a wide smile.

“There,” he sighed. “Now we can talk business.”

Still standing, he paced over to the windows.

He glanced over at Black Noir, “I trust that you’re working on Stacker’s location.”

The man nodded.

“Good,” Homelander nodded to himself scanning the city below him. “I was able to gain some information on this woman down in security…,” he trailed off as he spun away from the view. “She is tall and has straight, black hair so keep your eyes open for women who fit the description.”

Black Noir almost sputtered. That was all he had. He was so pompous and arrogant that he thought this information was a breakthrough, a step forward. Stupid bitch.

After his dramatic pause, Homelander continued, “Edgar, for some unknown reason, seems to think the company she works for Vought and security is looking through employee profiles for anything suspicious—"

Queen Maeve spoke up, “So what are we supposed to do.”

For a split second, Homelander seemed put off, not expecting the interruption.

“Like I said, keep your eyes open. They may not tell us everything but we’re the backbone of this place. We know she works here, within these very walls. Whether she runs or trips up, we will catch her.”

Black Noir couldn’t help the chant in his brain. Stupid, stupid star-spangled bitch.

Homelander gazed at them, mentally weighing his next question.

“Does anyone here know of an Adam Pieters?”

The superheroes looked at each other around the table and Maeve finally cleared her throat.

“Uhm, I don’t know much, but Vought wanted him to join the Seven a while ago. Supposedly his power lies in coding, computers, technology, and things like that. He sees patterns where others don’t.”

Homelander chuckled, “Doesn’t seem like much of a power to me.” Nevertheless, he contemplated her words. “Where is this man?”

“No one knows, really. He constantly changes identity and moves around. He didn’t want the government or the market to use his hacking ability.”

Homelander seemed surprised and maybe disgusted. Noir mentally snorted. That man couldn’t recognize a moral compass if it were spelled out for him. Now, Noir had been raised to act above a moral compass, but he could recognize what it meant to others even though he didn’t necessarily abide to one himself. And Noir had come to question it, while Homelander was not bothered by such doubts.

Queen Maeve concluded her thought, “Pieters declined Vought’s offer and disappeared.”

“Well,” Homelander chuckled, “They have a pretty good lead on him and they’re planning on bringing him in to track this Marianna Stacker and any potential accomplices.”

He scanned the room and finally decided, “We will get to him first and he will tell us who she is.”

Black Noir stared at him, realizing that, indeed, the man was like a dog with a bone. If he’d continued going at it alone, there would have been nothing to worry about. The man wasn’t particularly intelligent and only saw things through his narrow, arrogant point of view. But now, Noir was growing worried.

He could keep Sarah safe by shifting the suspicion onto other characters and making sure she stayed hidden in plain view. But Adam Pieters was a variable he could not control. All Vought or Homelander would have to do was get him seated in front of a computer or the server she had hacked. No, Adam Pieters had to go.

Homelander interrupted his thoughts.

“Meeting adjourned, I need to think.”

Everyone immediately stood and headed out the door. Starlight sighed in relief and Maeve barely contained her frustration, wishing she could knock the team-leader off his pedestal. Noir was wrapped in the thought of murdering a certain tech genius. They all silently went their separate ways.

 [Late afternoon, Vought Tower]

Black Noir found himself, once again, taking the elevator up to the top floor.

Oddly, he didn’t feel the usual anticipation, the nervous energy that would build up before being assigned a new mission. No, he was on edge, barely hiding the tension.

Mr. Edgar was sharp and wouldn’t be as easily fooled as Homelander.

Stepping into the spacious office, the businessman barely lifted his head and beckoned him forward.

“Sit, Noir,” he spoke with a monotonous voice, eyes still glued to the document before him.

Once he’d finished reading it, he signed at the bottom and neatly filed it away in a drawer.

“So,” he drew out, folding his glasses and setting them on the desk, “How is your assignment proceeding?”

He slipped a blank paper and pen across the desk.

Noir quickly scribbled, Difficult. Not impossible.

Mr. Edgar watched him, almost as though he were scanning his thoughts. Noir sat stock-still, calm and collected.

“Right,” the man continued with his usual tone of voice. It was one of the man’s most peculiar aspects and let no emotion transpire. It was a deep, unwavering, monotonous voice that carried its message in a direct, clear, and unnegotiable manner. “It will not be easy. She has prepared for this and has probably been planning it for some time. She works here and is probably hiding in plain sight.”

Noir only nodded.

“Now, let’s discuss your new assignment. You,” Mr. Edgar spoke clearly, “are to stop Homelander from finding Pieters and intervening in our apprehension of Ms. Stacker.”

Immediately, Noir straightened in his seat, tilting his head only slightly to the right.

“Don’t be naïve,” Mr. Edgar clarified, “I have my ways of knowing these things and, while his speech was cute,” his eyes held a tinge of amusement, “I do not need him running around, putting holes into our operation.” He grew serious, “I will not have that overgrown child interfering with my plans.”

Mr. Edgar looked out the window before returning his attention to the hitman sat before him.

“Do you understand?”

Noir firmly nodded. He was pretty sure his boss didn’t mean for him to kill Pieters, but they did agree on keeping Homelander out of it.

“That’s good,” Mr. Edgar proceeded as though he’d given a choice and not an order. “And the girl.”

Noir perked up, suddenly unsure of what the man knew of Sarah Burns.

“I don’t mind you finding companionship,” the man fixed his gaze on him. “But if I find that she is a distraction or interferes with your work… she will be dealt with accordingly.”

At these words, Noir visibly tensed as dread churned in his stomach. He’d brought attention to her when she was supposed to blend in with everyone else. He cleared his throat, feeling himself grow hot. In the silent office, his mind ran through different scenarios. He could fool Homelander, but he wasn’t sure he could do the same with the cunning, ruthless man before him. He had channels, informers and observation skills that would focus on Sarah until he’d dug up her true backstory. Noir fidgeted slightly before stopping himself, knowing Mr. Edgar would catch onto the most minute insecurity.  

He could deny any attachment, but that could warrant suspicion. No, the cat was out the bag and distancing himself or hiding their ties would only gather more attention. He didn’t always understand his boss’s ways, but he did know him to be persistent.

No, he would be open about it, as though there were nothing to hide.

He took the pen back into hand, She is my friend, but she will not interfere with my work

Mr. Edgar carefully watched him, “Is she important to you?”

Noir didn’t hesitate to nod.

“I see,” Mr. Edgar responded gathering another file of papers he had to read and sign. “You are dismissed,” he told Noir, slipping his glasses back on.

“Oh, and Noir,” he called out. “I’d love to meet this Sarah Burns. Bring her as your plus-one to A-Train’s retirement, would you? It’ll be in two weeks, on the twenty-first.”

It was formulated as a question, but Noir knew better.

He nodded and headed out the door.

Noir felt both awake and tired, knowing how deep of a hole he was digging for himself and Sarah. He had to play nice with Homelander but secretly stop him from using Pieters to find her. At the same time, he had to find a convincing lead and show Mr. Edgar he was working towards finding Stacker, even though he would actually be setting Vought off-course.

He sighed lightly and made his way back to his quarters.

 [Five minutes later, Mr. Edgar’s office]

Mr. Edgar, who had begun flipping through papers, stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He gingerly placed the pile on the desk’s surface, taking his phone into hand.

It rang a mere two seconds before the other end picked up.

“Hello Jimmy, I want you to proceed with what we discussed. I want DNA testing to be a viable option should Pieters fall through.”

He listened in before confirming.

“Yes, Friday the twenty-first.”

The man on the other end of the line answered and fell silent.

“Excellent.”

Mr. Edgar concluded the call and fell deep into thought.

There was so much that needed to be dealt with as quickly and discreetly as possible.

Finally, he set his whirling thoughts aside and focused on the pile of papers in front of him, letting the silence of his office quiet his mind.

MASTERLIST

Tag list: @ateliefloresdaprimavera @ellejo @dust-bun @coco724 ​  @proximio-5 @damiminator @omegahighendpro @rpgluvr95 @sweetrabbitteamx @rayray1463 @mialexisrodrigues @angelocipriano @reborn-rekall

[prettyboyspenceee]

Almost

Request: “Hey! I was wondering if you could write an angsty Reid x reader where they are dating and both are in the BAU. Reader and him are evacuating people from a building with the bomb in it and the second Spencer gets to a safe place from the building, it blows up with the reader supposedly in it. basically very angsty but with a happy end where she survives and they reunite after the explosion 🙏🏻❤️” - @barbarachern​

A/N: YESS. I am loving this concept so I am so excited to write it. I hope you like my interpretation! If this flops, Mr. Scratch wrote it. I also want to thank you guys on all the love for Like Teenagers! Thank you! I used the season 7 finale as inspiration for this. I was rewatching that episode yesterday and I couldn’t resist using it. I also tweaked it a bit, I hope you still like it!

Description: The Reader and Spencer both work at the BAU and it’s always a stressful time when the entire team is out in the field. When the bomb squad doesn’t account for one last bomb, things go terribly wrong. 

Character Appearances: Derek Morgan, Penelope Garcia, Spencer Reid, Aaron Hotchner, David Rossi, Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, Emily Prentiss

OC’s: Captain Seymour, The Joseph Brothers 

Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds, if I did, Reid would be HAPPY. 

Remember, writing is never perfect!

Warnings: angst (ish)

Female Reader! x Spencer Reid

(Y/N) - Your Name 

(Y/L/N) - Your Last Name

Word Count: 1,381

Posted: September 30th, 2019

--- 

As soon as you and Spencer got to work you were already out the door again with the rest of the team. The bullpen was filled with Homeland Security, field agents, Metro PD, and just about any law enforcement personnel you could think of. 

“Reid, (Y/L/N), head to the SUVs, we have hostages and multiple bombs at the GreenValley Family Center.” Hotch quickly debriefed you on what was going on as you and the rest of the team rushed downstairs. 

“How did the Unsubs past security?” JJ asked

“They posed as maintenance workers, it gave them easy access inside,” Hotch replied 

You and Spencer shared a look. You both knew something about the day was off, but you couldn’t figure out why. 

--- 

When the team got to the museum you began to figure out your strategy with the bomb squad.

“Captain Seymour, I’m Agent (Y/N) (Y/L/N) and this is my partner Dr. Spencer Reid, what can you tell us about what is going on inside?” 

“Not much. 911 calls reported that there was a shot that rang out through the museum, after that, no one could reach them.” He replied with a grim look. You nodded in response and walked back to your team. 

You and Spencer told the team what you learned, “We need to open a line of communication. (Y/L/N), you’re going to take the lead on this while the rest of the team comes up with a plan. Rossi will be here to guide you,” Hotch directed the attention of the team to you. 

You took a deep breath and wrung your hands together. You could see the worry in Spencer’s eyes as you nodded, “Okay. Tell Garcia to forward everything you guys find.” 

As Spencer and the rest of the team left to their respective positions he couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. To say the least, he was worried for you. You were his light in the darkness, he thought he would never find someone like that after Maeve. When Spencer found you, he knew that you were his soulmate. 

He knew was that something was different about this case, he just couldn’t figure out what.

--- 

The phone rang twice before someone picked it up on the other end, “Hello? Who is this?” a gruff voice answered the phone. 

“Hello. My name is Agent (Y/N) (Y/L/N), but you can call me (Y/N). Whom am I speaking with?” 

“Carl Edgar Joseph. You’re speaking with Carl Edgar Joseph.” You looked up at Rossi quickly, he sent the name to Garcia. You were confused, he had given up his identity too quickly. 

“Alright, Carl. I’m here to help you, I can get you out of this. I just need you to let the hostages go. Send the women and children out first.” 

He scoffed, “Why should I do that?” 

You paused for a minute, “(Y/L/N), his younger brother, Raegan, was shot. Someone inside shot him. Use that as leverage.” You nodded as Rossi fed you the information. 

“Carl, I know Raegan is hurt. I can get him the help he needs but only if you give me what I need.” 

You heard him breathing over the phone and then a deep sigh, “There are 4 bombs. One for each door except for the front. I’ll let them all out,” You heard him take another deep breath, “Help Raegan.” 

You saw Hotch signal to SWAT, the Bomb Squad and your own team to move in. All of the hostages were accounted for as well as the Unsubs. All the bombs Joseph told you about were accounted for and disabled. As the rest of the team evacuated the last of the hostages you did a final sweep of the building. You noticed that as you got further in the building your coms began to turn to static. You weren’t worried though, something about the static calmed you. You took your earpiece out and looked to your left and you paused, you were alone with a ticking clock attached to explosives and no way to contact your team.

---

As Derek brought out Carl Joseph, Spencer noticed something was off about him. Joseph locked eyes with Spencer, he smirked, “One more!” he said, his eyes gleamed with malice and ice. 

Derek watched as Spencer approached Carl, “One more what?” 

He grinned, “One more bomb,” and suddenly everything made sense to Spencer. Carl was a classic narcissist. He shot his brother and played (Y/N). He needed the attention, he needed the recognition, he had been planning this for weeks, maybe months, “Everyone will know my name. You’ll never forget it, Carl Edgar Joseph, the man who killed the Princess of the BAU.” 

Penelope, JJ, Emily, Derek, Rossi, and Hotch all stopped in their tracks. Only they called (Y/N), Princess, it was an inside joke regarding her Halloween costume from one year. It was clear that Carl was watching them. He carefully executed his plan to make sure that is was (Y/N) to open a line of communication, he made sure that she was going to be the last one out. He knew that killing a federal agent that held the team together would get the most recognition. (Y/N) was his endgame. 

Derek pushed Carl into the arms of a Metro PD officer and the rest of the team quickly turned to the family center. A large boom echoed across the streets of Washington D.C. JJ, Emily, Derek, and Hotch rushed to Spencer pulling him back from the explosion. 

“LET ME GO” Spencer yelled. The rest of the team struggled to pull the young doctor back from the flames as they watched the burning building helplessly.

--- 

You knew you didn’t have a lot of time. 30 seconds was on the clock and there was no way you could run back to the front of the building. You couldn’t die, not like this. You hadn't told the team you loved them today, you hadn't said "I love you" to Spencer yet. There were still things for you to do. 

You racked your brain for a solution, but then you remembered the blueprints. 300 feet to your right was an exit that led to the back of the safe zone where the team was. You had a chance. You sprinted to the exit and as soon as you stepped out the door, you were thrown by the blast. 

---

As soon as the flames died down Spencer broke through the hold of his colleagues, "Spencer! You can't just go running in there, we don't have eyes in there!" JJ yelled.

"Like hell, I can't. JJ, what if it was Will? I love (Y/N), I can't lose her, " He saw Emily begin to open her mouth, "Spare me the lecture, Emily. I'm going in." He turned away from his team making his way to the building. 

--- 

“Spence! Stop!” You called out. You were clutching your ribs and you felt some blood trickling down your face, but you were alive. You saw Spencer swivel around and sprint to you.

The rest of the team watched as Spencer pulled you into a bone-crushing hug, “Oh my god, you’re okay. You’re alive,” He whispered in your ear. 

“Spence, you’re hurting me.” Your words were muffled by his Kevlar vest but he let you go. 

He looked at you with tear-filled eyes, “You’re alive. You almost died,” he repeated. 

“Of course I’m alive, Spence. The keyword there was almost, I wasn’t going to die without telling you I loved you.” 

He grinned, “I love you too, (Y/N).” He pressed a hard kiss against your lips, never wanting to let you go. 

The team watched as the couple reunited. They were broken apart by a loud whistle, “Alright lovebirds. Let’s get this Princess to the hospital.” Derek said with a smirk. 

The team let out a collective laugh, all relieved that you were safe and sound. The ambulance made an exception and allowed the team to ride in the back with you, they couldn’t help but smile at the faint whispers of ‘I love you’s” and forehead kisses.

You and Spencer were soulmates. There was no doubt about it.

--- 

[riverdale-events]

Camp Riverdale: Session 1 has been a resounding success! The outpour of creativity was astounding and took fandom by storm. Our favorite Riverdale residents were portrayed in a vast array of AU locations, times, and situations. Our 6 themes accrued a total of 122 creations on Tumblr and 18 fics in our AO3 collection.

The creative participants deserve flowers and a thousand thank yous for all their hard work. They really brought forth the content during what would otherwise be a hot, lazy summer slump. Don’t forget to comment, direct message, like, reblog, flail — whatever your pleasure, but take a moment to show your appreciation for the talent and time spent by those who participated. Creators are what make a fandom so special and keep us all here. Without further adieu... onto the content! 

Queen Leda of Sparta | betty | edit | @sweetpea-cc

at midnight, Riverdale burns | bughead | edit, fic | @milkshakesandmurders

Do the divine love? | reggie x oc | edit | @bugheadsjetty

Mythological OCs | oc | edit | @sweetpea-cc

Family secrets | oc | edit | @shrugheadjonesthethird

We remember | oc | edit | @queen-daenerys-stormborn

Riverdale Divine I | betty, cheryl, veronica | edit | @gabsjellybean

Riverdale Divine II | archie, jughead, reggie | edit | @gabsjellybean

Apollo and Artemis | archie, cheryl | edit | @lilhemmo

etched in time | oc | edit | @srainebuggie

The Twins | oc | edit | @princesweetpea

Goddesses of Parentdale | penelope, alice, hermione | edit | @lilhemmo

I wanted her | bughead | edit | @lanadeljones

Archivus Andrews - Gladiator | archie | edit, fic | @sweetfogarty

You’re a Good Omen | bughead | fic | @typing123

Stone-Cold Guardian | betty | edit | @strangenightsofdaydreams

ancient roommate | jughead | edit, fic | @strangenightsofdaydreams

Li Shang | sweet pea | edit | @sweetpeasbabydoll

Life Goes On | sweet pea x oc | edit | @sweetsserpent

Llamas Festival | sweet pea x oc | edit, fic | @sweetsserpent

Once upon a time... | bughead | edit, fic | @milkshakesandmurders

choke me to the bone | sweet pea x oc | edit | @rivendell101

Unintended Empress | oc | edit | @elizabethbettscooper

I want to believe | bughead | edit, fic | @elizabethbettscooper

Eye of the Beholder | bughead | edit, fic | @lovedinapastlife

Run, You Clever Boy | bughead | edit, fic | @lanadeljones

Betty Cooper, I- | bughead | edit | @lonely-full-of-secrets

Into Pandora | oc | edit | @bugheadsjetty

I Love You. I Know. | oc | edit | @shrugheadjonesthethird

feast of fantasy | oc | edit | @sweetpea-cc

magic and mayhem | oc | edit | @shrugheadjonesthethird

maybe we can hold off fic rec | bughead | edit | @bettsc

And now my watch begins | jughead | edit | @elizabethjonesiii

damsels not in distress | oc | edit | @srainebuggie

All the Right Moves fic rec | bughead | gif | @theheavycrown

there will be history between us | bughead | edit, fic | @lilibug--xx

nothing will stand in my way | sweet pea | edit | @sweetpeasbabydoll

Discovery of Witches | bughead | edit, fic | @aam-loves

The Little Mermaid | bughead | edit | @lanadeljones

Abuelita’s Enigmatic Elixir I | bughead | edit | @likemereckless

Abuelita’s Enigmatic Elixir II | bughead | fic | @likemereckless

The Second Coming | | bughead | edit, fic | @lovedinapastlife

The Second Coming II | bughead | edit | @lovedinapastlife

Betty in Eldervair | bughead | edit, fic | @bettysnooper

Fire and Blood | cheryl | edit | @elizabethjonesiii

All of it (waiting for a bus in the rain) | bughead | edit, fic | @lilibetts

Chosen Ones | bughead | fic | @artemonofraven

We’re all mad here | oc | edit | @themaddestofall

(out of the shadows) into the light | bughead | fic | @catthecoder

nuclear | bughead | edit, fic | @literatiruinedme

Catwoman | veronica | edit | @sweetpeasbabydoll

007 | reggie | edit | @sweetpeasbabydoll

Robin Hood | sweet pea | edit | @sweetpeasbabydoll

Nancy Drew | betty | edit | @sweetpeasbabydoll

Jughead Jones and the Lost Medallions | bughead | edit | @pennyroads

As Long As We Don’t Die, This’ll Be One Hell of a Story | bughead | edit, fic | @lanadeljones

Spider-Gwen | betty | edit | @lonely-full-of-secrets

But not today | oc | edit | @bugheadsjetty

it’s the mileage | oc | edit | @shrugheadjonesthethird

adventure squad | oc | edit | @sweetpea-cc

coffees, adventures, and second chances | bughead | edit | @milkshakesandmurders

nuclear | bughead | edit, fic | @literatiruinedme

Heist | jughead, sweet pea | edit, fic | @rivendell101

Mr & Mrs Smith | varchie | edit | @sweetpeasbabydoll​

The Black Widow | cheryl | edit | @lonely-full-of-secrets​

I invented red. I am red. | cheryl | edit | @lonely-full-of-secrets

We’re family. | oc | edit| @elizabethbettscooper

I Love You Most | barchie | fic | @parkers-jones

The Harvest | edgar | fic | @orangenfrottee

blood of the blonde | betty, veronica | edit | @milkshakesandmurders

the worst pies in london | oc | edit | @bugheadsjetty

dare to scare | oc | edit | @cherry-and-maple-trees

Human Monsters | oc | edit | @sweetpea-cc

FP’s Coming For You | fp | edit | @shrugheadjonesthethird

Natural Born Killers | bughead | edit | @lanadeljones

i’m not gonna hurt you | bughead | edit | @the-gargoyle-queen

I’m Afraid to Close My Eyes | gladys | edit | @the-gargoyle-queen​

Handbook for the Recently Deceased | bughead | edit, fic | @bettysnooper​

The Evil Within | bughead | edit | @themaddestofall​

Forsythe Scissorhands | bughead | edit, fic | @theheavycrown​

Panic! At the Disco | bughead | edit, fic | @lanadeljones

July 1969 | bugvee | edit, fic | @secretsofthesky

Thornhill Manor Mysteries | oc | edit | @elizabethbettscooper

a certain kind of love | oc | edit | @elizabethbettscooper

nothing wrong with getting a good headstart | fredsythe, fremione, halice, mckellar, fremary, gladsythe | edit, fic | @halcooper

Candy Girls | joval | edit | @elizabethbettscooper

in bed with the mob | varchie | edit, fic | @worriestothewind

lawless land | bughead | edit, fic | @worriestothewind

1980s Choni | choni | edit | @sweetpeasbabydoll

America needed them | fangs, fp, joaquin, jughead, sweet pea | edit, fic | @worriestothewind

A little party never killed nobody | oc | edit | @bugheadsjetty

Can we get on with this? | oc | edit | @shrugheadjonesthethird

it’s all happening | oc | edit | @sweetpea-cc​

Riverdale City, 1932 | bughead | edit, fic | @theheavycrown​

Hot Dog, you ol’ rascal! | bughead | edit | @bettsc

Friends With Benefits | bughead | edit | @my-broken-bones-are-mending90

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days | bughead | edit | @my-broken-bones-are-mending90

Oh, sweet sixteen | bughead | edit, fic | @milkshakesandmurders

Dirty Dancing | bughead | edit | @my-broken-bones-are-mending90

Drift Compatible | reggie, sweet pea | edit, fic | @rivendell101

Bughead  How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days | bughead | edit, fic | @bettycooperthefirst

He’s Just Not That Into You | bughead | edit | @themaddestofall

Sherlock Holmes | jughead | edit | @sweetpeasbabydoll​

Who calls the shots? | sweet pea x oc | edit, fanfic | @worriestothewind

Atomic Betty |  betty | edit | @princesweetpea

Breakfast at Tiffany’s | bughead | edit | @my-broken-bones-are-mending90

Bughead at Tiffany’s | bughead | edit | @lanadeljones

13 Going on 30 | betty | edit | @my-broken-bones-are-mending90

Peaky Blinders | fangs, joaquin, jughead, sweet pea | edit | @sweetpeasbabydoll

hold me tight and think of home | bughead | edit | @rivendell101

Marie Antoinette | betty | edit | @sweetpeasbabydoll

She’s the One | fredsythe | fic | @fredheads

society | bughead | edit, fic | @literatiruinedme

Coyote Ugly | betty, cheryl, josie, melody, toni, veronica | edit | @sweetpeasbabydoll

Lady and the Tramp | bughead | edit | @sweetpeasbabydoll

The Replacements | chuck, kevin, moose, reggie | edit, fic | @worriestothewind​

Baby Driver | bughead | edit | @bitchiloveher

Leap Year | bughead | fic, gif | @jughead-jones

west side story | varchie | edit | @bitchiloveher​

Top Gun | bughead | edit | @themaddestofall​

Betty the Vampire Slayer | bughead | edit, fic | @orangenfrottee​

Bughead Noir | bughead | edit | @sweetpeasbabydoll​

Who’s a Chicken Now? | bughead | edit, fic | @sunshinebunnie

the woman and the illusion | bughead | edit, fic | @paperlesscrown

[eternlle]

𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐒

use tv tropes to associate 10 tropes with your muse that you think are important  (tip: your character is likely to have some tropes already listed if they are part of a recognized canon!)  feel free to copy-paste the definitions of the tropes, or explain their relevance by identifying them on your own. repost, don’t reblog.  (and tw for possible imagery / triggers on some tv tropes pages.)

i.   the ingenue :    “ The Ingenue is a young virginal woman with the purity of a child. she is kind, sweet-natured, polite, and optimistic, and on the sliding scale of idealism vs. cynicism, she falls very much on the idealistic side. her innocence will often inspire protective feelings in heroic characters, and she is frequently one of the more beautiful characters because of the convention that beauty = goodness. unfortunately, her innocence also often makes her woefully naive, making her a prime target for a villain seeking to take advantage of her, often in an I Have You Now, My Pretty fashion. ”

ii.   who wants to live forever  ( averted )  :    “ the worst fate possible might well be immortality. sure, you might like the idea that you get to live forever and see what the world's like hundreds of years from now, but what's eternal life compared to the pain of life in general?   from eventual boredom to eternal entrapment and torture to the emotional anguish of seeing your loved ones die, one by one, as you stay fixed in time.  then let's not forget that the earth might be destroyed by the expanding sun in a few billion years, so if you haven't a way to leave by then you can look forward to spending eternity in space, orbiting the dying core of the sun.  this attitude toward immortality is older than feudalism, going back at least as far as the greek myths. ”

evelyn has the opposite attitude  ;   she enjoys her immortality for all it’s worth.  at least, she definitely doesn’t see it as a curse.   though she has no idea how it happened, she also doesn’t know how to reverse it, so she figures she may as well enjoy the benefits.

iii.   older than they look :   “ sometimes characters don't look their age. whether it was a deliberate artistic choice on the behalf of the creator (usually to make the character more attractive or to legally fulfill a fetish) or something much deeper and linked to their characterization and the plot, this character will be older than they look. although usually still within the normal range of the human lifespan (for that setting, anyway), this character will look noticeably younger than their age. sometimes even improbably younger; it's not unheard of for a seeming teenager to be over the hill chronologically. ”

iv.   cope by pretending :    “ a character is currently (or has been )  in a very stressful situation. it might be that they're dealing with the loss of someone dear to them, an event that traumatized them.  as a means of coping, they quite literally pretend that things are not as bad as they are.  perhaps by making up imaginary people, or pretending that, in-between scavenging for food and running from monsters, the morning paper is still running.  it could go as far as to pretend that the event that hurt them so never happened at all.  someone who is aware that they are Coping by Pretending knows how bad their situation truly is, and knows that the pretending is just that.  but it just makes things easier, so they keep doing it. ”

v.   healing factor :    “ a character is hard to kill, not because he doesn't get hurt, but because he has the ability to rapidly recover from serious damage. although it depends on how fast he can heal and how much of a beating his body can take, a character with healing factor will bounce back from severe injuries that other beings can't, often with no scars or medical treatment   rarely will a character need to worry about infection, as a super immune system is most often packaged in, but they may need to worry about setting broken bones. ”

vi.   the lost lenore   ( inverted ) :    “  The Lost Lenore, aka the dead love interest — not parent, not sibling, not offspring, love interest. one of the oldest ones in the book, named for the famous deceased in edgar allan poe's "the raven".    in order to qualify for this trope, it must be clear that the characters who lose their Lost Lenore grieve strongly for her, and that overcoming their grief and learning to love again is a significant part of character/plot development.  sometimes subsequent love interests never entirely replace Lenore.  if she left children behind, the children often have considerable emotional baggage to deal with, including a father (or father-figure equivalent) whose grief can render him overprotective, neglectful, abusive, or absent. the children may feel, or even be told explicitly, that they are either too much like the Lost Lenore, or else not enough like her. angst ensues. ”

evelyn is the lost lenore to her husband, who presumes her dead.   after a search of the woods could reveal no sign of his wife beyond the place where her footprints ended, mr. ferriday was driven to distraction by grief.   he took the entire household and fled to london, where he established himself permanently   ;   he could never bear to return to the place where his wife died.   though he was not deeply in love with evelyn, her loss haunted him nonetheless, and he sank into brooding despair for many years.

vii.   mad dreamer :    “  if the reason that humans don't deal with creative sterility is that humanity is insane, then this character is just that extra bit more insane than the rest of humanity. they not only make up fantastic art and stories, they then live them. expect them to be the odd ones out in any kind of group, since they're the only ones talking about the adventures they had last night hunting dragons. however, rather than be held in lower esteem for being unable to take reality (or cope with the way that society creates it), they are held in higher esteem within the work for the imagination and vivacity (for these characters are almost always very energetic and emotional) with which they live life. ”

viii.   nature lover :    " this is about those who love the great outdoors and all that dwell therein. they may be a forest dweller themselves, or live in the countryside where they commune with nature. it's also a safe bet that they'll either have a close bond with the local fauna, or at least have extensive knowledge of them. In their view, the world is just awesome so they want to spend as much time with it as possible and share it with others. whereas ones who live in the city may often spend time at the park, or just watching the sunset. usually a sign of goodness, indicating a wholesome character uncorrupted by secularism. ”

ix.   back from the dead :    “ a major character has been killed, pronounced dead and buried. however, the established laws of the universe allow for functional magic, a sufficiently advanced alien, applied phlebotinum, deus ex machina or similar agency to intervene and subvert what naturally follows dying.  namely, staying dead. (In some cases, an explanation isn't even bothered with.) ”

x.   spirited young lady :   “ a certain kind of character commonly found in historical fiction set in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.  she is the girl who bends the rules just a little. oh, she can dance a country dance or pour tea with the best of them, but she may also be a good walker or horseback rider....  the Spirited Young Lady has the same grace and style as the proper ladies, plus an added spark of attitude or rebellion...  she may not speak out for women's rights generally (a few examples do), but she will speak out for her rights pretty clearly. Her willingness to say what she wants is part of what makes her stand out. In unskillful hands, such a character may seem anachronistic, though there are many examples that are both believable and well-rounded. ”

tagged by :  borrowed from @westenyra​ tagging :  anyone who wants it!!

[thediverismylove]

every book i read in 2019

full list under the cut! faves are bolded and books read for school are starred

Hunger by Roxane Gay (4/5 stars)

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan (4/5 stars)

Who Is Vera Kelly? by Rosalie Knecht (4/5 stars)

History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund (3.5/5 stars)

Becoming by Michelle Obama (5/5 stars)

Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake (5/5 stars)

The Wicked King by Holly Black (3.5/5 stars)

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand (5/5 stars)

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi (5/5 stars)

What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold (4.5/5 stars)

I Gave Birth To All The Ghosts Here by Lyd Havens (5/5 stars)

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles (4/5 stars)

Our Year of Maybe by Rachel Lynn Solomon (4/5 stars)

Shrill by Lindy West (5/5 stars)

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (3.5/5 stars)

The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani (4/5 stars)

Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World by Ashley Herring Blake (5/5 stars)

Like Water by Rebecca Podos (4/5 stars)

The Disasters by MK England (3/5 stars)

On The Come Up by Angie Thomas (5/5 stars)

The Falconer by Dana Czapnik (4/5 stars)

The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan (4/5 stars)

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (5/5 stars)

The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker (4.5/5 stars)

The Fever King by Victoria Lee (3/5 stars)

*Symposium by Plato (4/5 stars)

The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson (4.5/5 stars)

Educated by Tara Westover (4.5/5 stars)

My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (4/5 stars)

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel (3.5/5 stars)

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero (3/5 stars)

Beloved by Toni Morrison (4/5 stars)

The Truth About Keeping Secrets by Savannah Brown (5/5 stars)

Sink by Desiree Dallagiacomo (5/5 stars)

When The Sky Fell On Splendor by Emily Henry (3/5 stars)

They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib (4/5 stars)

Damsel by Elana K. Arnold (5/5 stars)

*The Aeneid by Virgil (2/5 stars)

Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (4.5/5 stars)

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (4/5 stars)

A Queer Little History of Art by Alex Pilcher (3.5/5 stars)

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo (4.5/5 stars)

If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin (3.5/5 stars)

The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray (4/5 stars)

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (2.5/5 stars)

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty (4/5 stars)

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (4/5 stars)

*The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri (3.5/5 stars)

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (4.5/5 stars)

The Gypsy Moth Summer by Julia Fierro (3/5 stars)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (4/5 stars)

My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix (5/5 stars)

Beartown by Fredrik Backman (4/5 stars)

Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins (5/5 stars)

You Must Not Miss by Katrina Leno (4.5/5 stars)

Mermaid in Chelsea Creek by Michelle Tea (2/5 stars)

My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing (4.5/5 stars)

The Devouring Gray by Christine Lynn Herman (3/5 stars)

Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong (4.5/5 stars)

Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan (5/5 stars)

There There by Tommy Orange (4/5 stars)

The French Girl by Lexie Elliott (3/5 stars)

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver (4/5 stars)

Dead Girls by Alice Bolin (3.5/5 stars)

The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James by Ashley Herring Blake (5/5 stars)

Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills (5/5 stars)

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh (1/5 stars)

Dress Codes for Small Towns by Courtney Stevens (3.5/5 stars)

With The Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (3/5 stars)

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett (3/5 stars)

The Gloaming by Kirsty Logan (3/5 stars)

This Darkness Mine by Mindy McGinnis (4.5/5 stars)

The Weight of the Stars by K. Ancrum (4/5 stars)

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling (2.5/5 stars)

Normal People by Sally Rooney (3.5/5 stars)

The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware (5/5 stars)

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (3.75/5 stars)

A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne (5/5 stars)

In A Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware (3.75/5 stars)

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman (3/5 stars)

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware (3/5 stars)

Women & Power by Mary Beard (4/5 stars)

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden (4/5 stars)

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager (4/5 stars)

Near to the Wild Heart by Clarice Lispector (4/5 stars)

Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History by Kurt Andersen (3/5 stars)

Wilder Girls by Rory Power (4.5/5 stars)

Murder, Magic, and What We Wore by Kelly Jones (2/5 stars)

The Kingdom by Jess Rothenberg (4.5/5 stars)

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante (5/5 stars)

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager (5/5 stars)

I Like to Watch by Emily Nussbaum (5/5 stars)

Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi (2/5 stars)

A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti (5/5 stars)

In the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplan Carlton (3/5 stars)

The Way You Make Me Feel by Maurene Goo (3/5 stars)

Tell Me How You Really Feel by Aminah Mae Safi (4/5 stars)

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware (5/5 stars)

Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino (5/5 stars)

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou (4/5 stars)

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me by Mariko Tamaki & Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (4/5 stars)

The Whale: A Love Story by Mark Beauregard (3/5 stars)

Not the Girls You’re Looking For by Aminah Mae Safi (3/5 stars)

Very Nice by Marcy Dermansky (2/5 stars)

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (5/5 stars)

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger (2.5/5 stars)

How (Not) to Ask a Boy to Prom by SJ Goslee (4/5 stars)

We Sold our Souls by Grady Hendrix (3/5 stars)

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (4.5/5 stars)

Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune by Roselle Lim (4/5 stars)

*Othello by William Shakespeare (4.5/5 stars)

*Lysistrata by Aristophanes (3.5/5 stars)

How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox (4/5 stars)

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris (2/5 stars)

The New Me by Halle Butler (4/5 stars)

*Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (2/5 stars)

Midnight at the Electric by Jodi Lynn Anderson (4/5 stars)

Sula by Toni Morrison (3.5/5 stars)

*Emma by Jane Austen (4/5 stars)

Sleepwalking by Meg Wolitzer (4.5/5 stars)

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo (4/5 stars)

Carrie by Stephen King (4.5/5 stars)

*Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (4/5 stars)

Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow (5/5 stars)

Trust Exercise by Susan Choi (4/5 stars)

*The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (4/5 stars)

*The Seagull by Anton Chekhov (4/5 stars)

Call Down The Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater (5/5 stars)

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado (5/5 stars)

*Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (3.5/5 stars)

Well Met by Jen DeLuca (2.5/5 stars)

Soft Science by Franny Choi (4/5 stars)

Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney (5/5 stars)

To Night Owl From Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer (3/5 stars)

*Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (3/5 stars)

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman (4/5 stars)

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (5/5 stars)

*Small Island by Andrea Levy (3.5/5 stars)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (4/5 stars)

One Day in December by Josie Silver (1.5/5 stars)

The Collected Schizophrenias by Esmé Weijun Wang (5/5 stars)

Final Girls by Riley Sager (3/5 stars)

Milkman by Anna Burns (5/5 stars)

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell (4/5 stars)

Famous In A Small Town by Emma Mills (4/5 stars)

Blud by Rachel McKibbens (4/5 stars)

[spellnbone]

December’s focus was on keeping the Order united and stopping people from blaming each other and themselves for their mistakes. Edgar also received news about the heritage situation at home. While he is developing more tics due to the stress he’s under, he keeps telling people to continue believing in a brighter future -- fearing that if they lose hope, the war will already be lost.

1. standing still -> edgar and isla are watching the enchanted map to see what the other teams on their mission are doing. edgar is taking the minutes in his notebook. upon seeing alaric, sirius and fabian appearing on the map and staying on the same spot, unmoving, he internally panics. 2. home -> edgar spends the day at the potter estate, helping out where he can and debriefing what happened. at night he goes home where fabian shows up. they get drunk together and talk about what happened with alaric. he also offers fabian to stay in his apartment. while he doesn’t care when and if fabian leaves, he doesn’t give him an official pair of second keys either. 3. the sun -> upon seeing the map again, edgar isn’t feeling well at all, adopting yet another tic. caradoc takes him to their habitual costa coffee where they debrief what “the sun” wrote about “the club”. they decide that they need to prepare people for being brought in by the ministry as well as beginning a collaboration with amelia. furthermore, they play with the idea of ‘suicide pills’ for each member of the order in case someone gets taken into interrogation. edgar dislikes the idea -- or rather that he was capable of suggesting something like that. 4. x -> while caradoc is in town, edgar is at the estate listening in on people’s feelings to see if they are blaming each other for what happened or if a sense of hope is still there. he orders all temporary nurses who take care of the patients (mostly sirius, alaric, remus and other injured npcs) to make them coffee and tea manually, as “a body heals faster if the heart is healthy, too.” 5. judgement day -> lily invites edgar to her and james’ private place so he can take the minutes on her side of the events. he never suspected her of having killed mrs nott on purpose, but after guiding her through an elaborated illusion spell retracing the events of the mission, and lily attacks her own image, he’s convinced she didn’t want anything like that to happen. he does, however, come to the conclusion that lily needs time for herself to heal her trauma. he begins calling her lily, not miss evans. 6. x 7. x 8. defenses -> edgar takes james’ retelling of the events as well, quickly concluding that the drama around lily is affecting him negatively. he tells him that truly believing in a truth also means to not be hurt by other people’s lies. 9. x 10. avoiding attention -> edgar and his old school friend artem are having a friendly conversation over some tea and pasta. 11. x -> FULL MOON as semi-jokingly instructed by remus, edgar wrote down the dates for the next full moons down in his calendar. he hasn’t told anyone but he is expecting another outbreak of the illness and has gathered all ingredients for the cure already. when nothing happens, he barrs this theory and sends caradoc an owl that they have once again to start over with their theories. he does however notice that remus returns once again badly injured, and finds himself developing a new theory. 12. on making your future -> nilam reads edgar’s future, and while nilam is one of the few people edgar doesn’t trust in the order, he’s intrigued as to what makes her want to connect to other people on such a deep level. 13. x -> edgar receives a letter from his brother rigby. he refuses to open it, guessing what it could be. 14. distraction ->  edgar snatches his twin amelia at work and brings her to go see a play. it’s mostly a light-hearted distraction but he also talks order with her. she needs to help them figure out what to do in case people are brought to the ministry for questioning. he hates the idea of getting her involved more, but it seems better than working on the ‘suicide pill’ and asking people to just take it if needed. 15. x -> edgar opens the letter from his brother rigby. in it he’s told, rigby is now officially rejecting the bones heritage. 16. x 17. x -> edgar goes to see cats in the westend. this is entire irrelevant but very important to me that you all know. 18. x  19. house of good -> after having previously shown donnie carrow the house of bones which seems to be struggling with a multitude of contradicting charms and wards, and of which at least the east wing needs to be fixed for many decades now, donnie and edgar meet again. it is the first time edgar is in the house while imagining it as his very own, that is, himself as the master of it... it’s not official yet, but he wonders what he’d do with the house if donnie were to manage fixing the place. 20. soothing the injured pride -> after edgar disappears for a few hours at the order’s christmas party (he was following a moth), fabian is looking for him. they dance together while most people prepare to go home. the dance stops almost abruptly when edgar says that he’s not going home with fabian tonight but actually going with amelia. he gives fabian his own keys as he still hasnt gotten a second pair prepared for him, almost as though fearing to make fabian moving into his place official. x -> as amelia and edgar are leaving the estate, they find caradoc outside on the fountain, still high. after making sure he’s okay, they seize the opportunity of him being soft and happy, and give him a kiss each before quickly apparating away. at home, they stay up all night eating cake. no one knows but it’s their 28th birthday. 21 . x -> edgar returns home to his flat to catch fabian before the holidays, who said he has a present for edgar, which he takes as an excuse for being excited to get home to someone waiting there for him. they spend the day enjoying themselves. at the end at least edgar is very happy about fabian living at his place while still somewhat scared to make it official due to past relationships that all followed the same pattern of moving in -> self-sabotage -> break up. 22. x -> the inner circle decides lily needs to take some time off missions, and take over nurse duties instead. some consider it a punishment for what she did, others want to protect her. except for mary and james no one thinks lily should just continue without taking a break. edgar does believe it at first, but reading caradoc’s unspoken opinions about it, he sides with them instead. he mostly wants to protect lily and make sure that those who’d want an even more radical punishment for her are satisfied, as the last thing he wants is inner friction within the order, when they should all stand together. a possible betrayal -> after the inner circle meeting, james stops caradoc and edgar to have a word with them. he’s learnt from ainsley that frank might be the reason they got cursed with the illness last month. 23. at the apothecary -> feeling tense because of the decision made on lily’s future, he goes to an apothecary to buy some relaxing potions, meeting peter outside of the order for the first time. paper flowers -> afterwards, he can’t bring himself to go home, perhaps because he missed his train anyway, and decides to just go apologise to lily instead. he does so in the most silly way he can: performing muggle magic, and afterwards kidnaps her to go on an adventure in muggle london. 24. x -> yule at the house of bones. the whole family comes home and they celebrate. 25. x -> christmas morning spent in bed. at first only amelia and edgar who spent the night together in the same bed anyway, but then dell joins, then colter, then their mother who was looking why everyone was late for breakfast, and after a while their father even convinces rigby’s husband to join -- rigby being the only one to think this all terribly childish and uncomfortable and remaining on an armchair at the other side of the room. 26. x -> rigby asks edgar if he read his letter but edgar doesn’t reply. for the rest of the stay, the tension between them is high, though no one quite seems to figure out why... 27. x 28. x 29. x -> ...even when amelia asks about it, edgar refuses to answer. that night he sleeps alone in his bed and writes caradoc and fabian a letter, saying he’ll come home for new years eve. mostly to evade rigby but also to hand in an article for the daily prophet he wrote. 30. x 31. no more cakes and ale? -> as the bones celebrate christmas with their mexican side of the family on the 6th of january, edgar decides to make a quick trip to london. when he arrives at home, he finds his letter to fabian unopened however, and more than a couple of empty bottles of firewhisky. so he goes to look for fabian -- entirely forgetting about caradoc -- and finding him in hogsmeade, drunk, outside in the snow. he spends the night taking care of him, missing the breaking news entirely. they stay at the pub for two days.

[adriannaelle]

Treehouse and Chill

The Simpsons reached another milestone this year with the recent airing of its thirtieth “Treehouse of Horror” special which, coincidentally, is the show’s 666th episode. While certainly not the best installment of this annual series, “Treehouse of Horror XXX” was pretty funny. Still, even the funniest jokes in this episode pale in comparison to some of the classic “Treehouse of Horror” specials. To this day, iconic segments such as “The Shinning”, “The Devil and Homer Simpson”, “Nightmare Cafeteria”, and “Citizen Kang” are still hard to top.

So, in honor of Halloween, thirty years of scary tales, and 90’s nostalgia, I want to briefly discuss my favorite five episodes of the Treehouse of Horror series. As always, ranking articles like these are subjective and are based on personal taste. Therefore, I don’t care if you nor yo’ mama thinks “Treehouse of Horror III” was trash. It’s still going on this list!

Alright, let us continue.

Honorable Mentions: “Treehouse of Horror II”, “Treehouse of Horror VIII”, and “Treehouse of Horror X”

Number Five: “Treehouse of Horror VII” (Season 8, Episode 1; 1996)

Although “The Thing and I” was a strong first segment, I enjoyed it least in “Treehouse of Horror VII”. Don’t get me wrong, I thought the story was pretty funny, I just like the second and third stories better. However, I do have a bone to pick with the ending of “The Thing and I”. Instead of confining Bart to the attic, why not keep both Hugo and Bart around after they discovered Bart was the evil twin? I mean, the family already lived with Bart for 10 years. They might as well kept the mistake going.

“The Genesis Tub” was amusing.  It may be the creative in me, but I really enjoy the concept of creating your own world and overseeing it.  Still, I felt the ending of “The Genesis Tub” was a bit abrupt.  I feel like the writers could have done so much more with the concept of Lisa creating and ruling her own Universe. Maybe she could have assaulted Bart with more fighter pilots. Maybe she could have built a massive ray gun a la the ray gun seen in “Citizen Kang”.  The ideas are limitless.

Speaking of “Citizen Kang”, this story is one of my favorites in the entire Treehouse of Horror series.  It's a brilliant satirical take on elections in the United States and the country’s politicians.  I especially like how the writers make fun of our ridiculous two-party system.  Like really, are our only choices between a drooling, Gangreen Gang, cyclops squid, and his twin sister?  Ross Perot should have brought up Kang’s and Kodos’ emails.  That always works.

Number Four: “Treehouse of Horror III” (Season 4, Episode 5; 1992)

Akin to my feelings about “Treehouse of Horror VII”, I’m only a big fan of two of the three segments in “Treehouse of Horror III”.  “King Homer” was just a’ight to me. Granted, the segment did have a great exchange between Mr. Smithers and Mr. Burns about the former’s distaste of seamen and women mixing.  Yet overall, I didn’t get a kick out of this story as much as I did the other two.

“Clown Without Pity” is a parody of the lauded Twilight Zone episode “Living Doll”.  This segment had its share of funny jokes, particularly the line from Patty about losing the remaining thread of her heterosexuality after seeing Homer horrifically run through the house butt naked.  I also like how the key to turning off the Krusty doll’s murderous rage, is switching the lever from “evil” to “good”.  Like, what happens if the lever accidentally switches back?  What if it breaks and he gets stuck on “evil”?  Take the doll back and get a refund!  Like, what are y’all doing?!

Finally, there is “Dial ‘Z’ for Zombie”.  No matter how self-aware I am about the absurdity of my kinemortophobia (fear of zombies), I still have it.  That is why I hated this segment as a child.  But as a grown woman, I find this story very funny.  It’s a pretty simple zombie story, but the jokes strewn throughout are what make it a highlight of the series.  The joke about Homer being immune to the zombies because he lacks brains is one that stands out in particular.  Also, what are George Washington, Albert Einstein, and William Shakespeare even doing in Springfield?

Number Three: “Treehouse of Horror IV” (Season 5, Episode 5; 1993)

Choosing between “Treehouse of Horror IV” and “Treehouse of Horror V” as my second favorite episode of the series was the hardest.  Ultimately, I prefer V ever so slightly over IV, but IV is a heavyweight in its own right.  “The Devil and Homer Simpson” shows just how far our dimwitted protagonist is willing to go to get his favorite, sugary snack.  You got to be desperate as all hell to sell your soul for a donut!  Other than Homer’s enjoyment of his ironic punishment, the best part of the segment is the trial itself.  The Devil’s voir dire game is trash.  How do you select the jury and still lose the case?  Never hire this man for anything.

“Terror at 5 ½ Feet” is yet another hilarious spin on an old Twilight Zone classic. This parody of “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” stays true to the basic horror elements and story structure as the original tale, but, of course, adds its own Simpsons brand of humor to it. However, unlike the original, Bart is still tormented by the gremlin after he’s hauled off to the psych ward.  Side note, Ned Flanders really took a lot of L’s in this episode.

I’ve never seen nor read the original Dracula, so I do not know how faithful “Bart Simpson’s Dracula” is to the original story.  Well, I guess that doesn’t really matter here because this story is so funny and scary that it holds your attention from beginning to end.  From the super happy fun slide that leads to the vampires in the basement to Homer staking Mr. Burns (Burnscula?) in the crotch, this story provides many laughs that make this story a classic.  Also, the plot twist that Marge (Margecula?) is really the head vampire is funny as hell.  Sorry if that was a spoiler but in fairness, this episode is 26 years old now.

Number Two: “Treehouse of Horror V” (Season 6, Episode 6; 1994)

“Treehouse of Horror V” is solid from beginning to end.  “The Shinning” is firmly in my top five list of favorite Treehouse of Horror segments.  This segment has several hilarious moments, from Homer taking three days to make the voyage to the cabin due to his forgetfulness to the blood not getting off at the right floor, to that scene where the complete lack of television and beer made Homer go . . . something . . . hmm.  Well, anyway, I can definitely say that every time I watch “The Shinning”, I’m feelin’ fine.

“The Shinning” is not the only highlight of this episode.  Homer’s time-traveling escapade in “Time and Punishment” introduced us to numerous interesting alternative timelines that ultimately drove Homer to a pure state of “IDGAF” at the end.  Still sucks that he missed out on that donut rain.  That timeline would have smacked!  

This episode’s final segment, “Nightmare Cafeteria”, truly is the stuff of nightmares. I mean, it’s super funny now that I’m grown, but this segment used to legitimately scare me as a child.  It also didn’t help that I was a fat kid.  Like, imagine living your best life and then the next moment, you’re Ms. Wilson’s Fried Adri.  Woo, chile.

Number One: “Treehouse of Horror” (Season 2, Episode 3; 1990)

It’s often said that nothing beats the original, and in the case of Treehouse of Horror episodes, this sentiment rings true.  The very first Treehouse of Horror is the greatest episode of the series.  One of the highlights of this episode is the dulcet baritone of James Earl Jones as the mover, Serak the Preparer, and the narrator of “The Raven”.

The first segment “Bad Dream House” is a comedic spin on the classic haunted house movie trope.  The quintessential 80s style horror music that accompanies the story throughout greatly adds to the mood of the piece without overdoing it.  The conclusion of “Bad Dream House” is what makes this story so funny.  The house destroys itself rather than live with the Simpsons. I don’t know what it feels like to be curved by a house, but it must make you feel all kinds of insecure.  

“Hungry Are the Damned” is our first introduction to Treehouse staples Kang and Kodos.  It is also our introduction to the sorely missed Serak the Preparer, who definitely needs to return at least once in this series.  This segment parodies the classic Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man” and gives us a humorous plot twist at the end.  I suppose this episode also serves as a sort of origin story of Kang’s and Kodos’ beef with mankind because this is the only episode where they are genuinely nice.  Dang, all Lisa had to do was sit down and eat her food. Literally.

Finally, there is “The Raven”, which is absolutely my favorite segment in any Treehouse of Horror Episode.  What I like most about “The Raven” is how the crew manages to add comedy to the piece without losing any of the mystique of Edgar Allen Poe’s riveting poetry.  It also made this poem a bit easier to understand, which I greatly appreciate.  It’s a refined piece of television without the pompousness of the bourgeois.  In short, I like it. 

Honestly, no matter which of the thirty Treehouse of Horror episodes you like best, all are great for watching on Halloween for squeamish, easy-to-scare people like me.  So for those of us who aren’t bravely equipped to watch the more realistic, gory, and scary productions, I highly recommend binge-watching these episodes for some softer scary vibes and lots of laughs.

[thejakeformerlyknownasprince]

What other fandoms are you familiar enough with to use as an AU prompt? Pokemon Trainer AU? Homestuck AU (they'd still probably die but at least there are lots of ways to come back to life)?

I’m not that familiar with Homestuck, definitely not enough to do an AU.  I read the novelizations of the Pokemon show as a kid but never saw the show or played any of the video games.  I did play the super-obscure Pokemon board game, but most of my trading cards were printed in Japanese (I had a strange childhood), so my experience there is, uh, probably not quite overlapping with everyone else’s.

Anyway, if you want list of all my fandoms… Boy howdy.  I don’t think I can come up with them all.  However, I can list everything that comes to mind between now and ~20 minutes from now when I have to end my procrastination break and go back to dissertating.  So here it is, below the cut:

Okay, there is no way in hell I’ll be able to make an exhaustive list.  But off the top of my head, the fandoms I’m most familiar/comfortable with are as follows:

Authors (as in, I’ve read all or most of their books)

Patricia Briggs

Megan Whalen Turner

Michael Crichton

Marge Piercy

Stephenie Meyer

Dean Koontz

Stephen King

Neil Gaiman

K.A. Applegate

Ernest Hemingway

Tamora Pierce

Roald Dahl

Short Stories/Anthologies

A Good Man is Hard to Find, Flannery O’Connor

The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka

I Am Legend, Richard Matheson

Dubliners, James Joyce

Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes

Who Goes There? John W. Campbell

The Man Who Bridged the Mist, Kij Johnson

Flatland, Edwin Abbott

I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream, Harlan Ellison

To Build a Fire, Jack London

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Ambrose Bier

At the Mountains of Madness/Cthulu mythos, H.P. Lovecraft

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle

The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving

The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury

Close Range: Wyoming Stories, E. Annie Proulx

The Curious Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson

Bartleby the Scrivener (and a bunch of others), Herman Melville

Books (Classics)

Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neal Hurston

The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The Secret Garden, Francis Hodgson Burnett

Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson

Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte

The Secret Annex, Anne Frank

Nine Stories, J.D. Salinger

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

Tom Sawyer/Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison

Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut

The Stranger, Albert Camus

The Call of the Wild, Jack London

Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

Lord of the Flies, William Golding

Atonement, Ian McEwan

1984, George Orwell

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith

The Iliad/The Odyssey, Homer

Metamorphoses, Ovid

Journey to the Center of the Earth, Jules Verne

The Time-Machine, H.G. Wells

The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Henry V, Hamlet, MacBeth, Othello, and The Taming of the Shrew, William Shakespeare

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Thomas Stoppard

Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett

Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood

Books (YA SF)

Young Wizards series, Diane Duane

Redwall, Brian Jaques

The Dark is Rising sequence, Susan Cooper

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Diana Wynne Jones

The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis

Abhorsen trilogy, Garth Nix

The Giver series, Lois Lowry

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

Uglies series, Scott Westerfeld

Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt

A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin

Song of the Lioness, Tamora Pierce

A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L’Engle

Unwind, Neal Shusterman

The Maze Runner series, James Dashner

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles, Patricia C. Wrede

Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Louis Sachar

Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine

Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card

The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster

Coraline, Neil Gaiman

Among the Hidden, Margaret Peterson Haddix

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Avi

Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice

Poppy series, Avi

The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd

Tithe, Holly Black

Life as We Knew It, Susan Beth Pfeffer

Blood and Chocolate, Annette Curtis Klause

Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie

The Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum

Haunted, Gregory Maguire

Weetzie Bat, Francesca Lia Block

Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White

East, Edith Pattou

Z for Zachariah, Robert C. O’Brien

The Looking-Glass Wars, Frank Beddor

The Egypt Game, Zilpha Keatley Snyder

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak

Homecoming, Cynthia Voigt

Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll

The Landry News, Andrew Clements

Fever 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson

Bloody Jack, L.A. Meyer

The Boxcar Children, Gertrude Chandler Warner

A Certain Slant of Light, Laura Whitcomb

Generation Dead, Daniel Waters

Pendragon series, D.J. MacHale

Silverwing, Kenneth Oppel

Good Omens, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Define Normal, Julie Anne Peters

Hawksong, Ameila Atwater Rhodes

Heir Apparent, Vivian Vande Velde

Running Out of Time, Margaret Peterson Haddix

The Keys to the Kingdom series, Garth Nix

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Joan Aiken

The Seer and the Sword, Victoria Hanley

My Side of the Mountain, Jean Craighead George

Daughters of the Moon series, Lynne Ewing

The Midwife’s Apprentice, Karen Cushman

Island of the Aunts, Eva Ibbotson

The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern

The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm, Nancy Farmer

A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray

A School for Sorcery, E. Rose Sabin

The House with a Clock in Its Walls, John Bellairs

The Edge Chronicles, Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell

Hope was Here, Joan Bauer

Bunnicula, James Howe

Wise Child, Monica Furlong

Silent to the Bone, E.L. Konigsburg

The Twenty-One Balloons, William Pene du Bois

Dead Girls Don’t Write Letters, Gail Giles

The Supernaturalist, Eoin Colfer

Blue is for Nightmares, Laurie Faria Stolarz

Mystery of the Blue Gowned Ghost, Linda Wirkner

Wait Till Helen Comes, Mary Downing Hahn

I was a Teenage Fairy, Francesca Lia Block

City of the Beasts series, Isabelle Allende

Summerland, Michael Chabon

The Geography Club, Brent Hartinger

The Last Safe Place on Earth, Richard Peck

Liar, Justine Larbalestier

The Doll People, Ann M. Martin

The Lost Years of Merlin, T.A. Barron

Matilda Bone, Karen Cushman

Nine Stories, J.D. Salinger

The Tiger Rising, Kate DiCamillo

The Spiderwick Chronicles, Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi

In the Forests of the Night, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

My Teacher is an Alien, Bruce Coville

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, Julie Andrews Edwards

Storytime, Edward Bloor

Magic Shop series, Bruce Coville

A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket

Veritas Project series, Frank Peretti

The Once and Future King, T.H. White

Raven’s Strike, Patricia Briggs

What-the-Dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy, Gregory Maguire

The Wind Singer, William Nicholson

Sweetblood, Pete Hautman

The Trumpet of the Swan, E.B. White

Half Magic, Edward Eager

A Ring of Endless Light, Madeline L'Engle

The Heroes of Olympus, Rick Riordan

Maximum Ride series, James Patterson

The Edge on the Sword, Rebecca Tingle

World War Z, Max Brooks

Adaline Falling Star, Mary Pope Osborne

Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo

Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeyemi

Parable of the Sower series, Octavia Butler

I, Robot, Isaac Asimov

Neuomancer, William Gibson

Dune, Frank Herbert

The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Emily M. Danforth

The Martian, Andy Weir

Skeleton Man, Joseph Bruchac

Comics/Manga

Marvel 616 (most of the major titles)

Marvel 1610/Ultimates

Persepolis

This One Summer

Nimona

Death Note

Ouran High School Host Club

Vampire Knight

Emily Carroll comics

Watchmen

Fun Home

From Hell

American Born Chinese

Smile

The Eternal Smile

The Sandman

Calvin and Hobbes

The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For

TV Shows

Fullmetal Alchemist

Avatar the Last Airbender

Teen Titans (2003)

Luke Cage/Jessica Jones/Iron Fist/Defenders/Daredevil/The Punisher

Agents of SHIELD/Agent Carter

Supernatural

Sherlock

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Angel/Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Firefly

American Horror Story

Ouran High School Host Club

Orange is the New Black

Black Sails

Stranger Things

Westworld

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Movies

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Jurassic Park/Lost World/Jurassic World/Lost Park?

The Breakfast Club

Cloverfield/10 Cloverfield Lane/The Cloverfield Paradox

Attack the Block

The Prestige

Moon

Ferris Bueler’s Day Off

Django Unchained/Kill Bill/Inglourious Basterds/Hateful 8/Pulp Fiction/etcetera

Primer

THX 1138/Akira/How I Live Now/Lost World/[anything I’ve named a fic after]

Star Wars

The Meg

A Quiet Place

Baby Driver

Mother!

Alien/Aliens/Prometheus

X-Men (et al.)

10 Things I Hate About You

The Lost Boys

Teen Wolf

Juno

Pirates of the Caribbean (et al.)

Die Hard

Most Disney classics: Toy Story, Mulan, Treasure Planet, Emperor’s New Groove, etc.

Most Pixar classics: Up, Wall-E, The Incredibles

The Matrix

Dark Knight trilogy

Halloween

Friday the 13th

A Nightmare on Elm Street

The Descent

Ghostbusters

Ocean’s Eight/11/12/13

King Kong

The Conjuring

Fantastic Four

Minority Report/Blade Runner/Adjustment Bureau/Total Recall

Fight Club

Spirited Away

O

Disturbing Behavior

The Faculty

Poets

Edna St. Vincent Millay

Marge Piercy

Thomas Hardy

Sigfried Sassoon

W. B. Yeats

Edgar Allan Poe

Ogden Nash

Margaret Atwood

Maya Angelou

Emily Dickinson

Matthew Dickman

Karen Skolfield

Kwame Alexander

Ellen Hopkins

Shel Silverstein

Musicals/Stage Plays

Les Miserables

Repo: The Genetic Opera

The Lion King

The Phantom of the Opera

Rent

The Prince of Egypt

Pippin

Into the Woods

A Chorus Line

Hairspray

Evita

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

Fiddler on the Roof

Annie

Fun Home

Spring Awakening

Chicago

Cabaret

The Miser

The Importance of Being Earnest

South Pacific

Godspell

Wicked

The Wiz

The Wizard of Oz

Man of La Mancha

The Sound of Music

West Side Story

Matilda

Sweeney Todd

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Nunsense

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown/Snoopy

1776

Something Rotten

A Very Potter Musical

Babes in Toyland

Carrie: The Musical

Amadeus

Annie Get Your Gun

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

The Final Battle

Rock of Ages

Cinderella

Moulin Rouge

Honk

Labyrinth

The Secret Garden

Reefer Madness

Bang Bang You’re Dead

NSFW

War Horse

Peter Pan

Suessical

Sister Act

The Secret Annex

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Disclaimer 1: Like a lot of people who went to high school in the American South, my education in literature is pretty shamefully lacking in a lot of areas.  (As in, during our African American History unit in ninth grade we read To Kill a Mockingbird, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn… and that was it.  As in, our twelfth-grade US History class, I shit you not, covered Gone With the Wind.)  There were a lot of good teachers in with the *ahem* Less Woke ones (how I read Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Bluest Eye) and college definitely set me on the path to trying to find books written/published outside the WASP-ier parts of the U.S., but the overall list is still embarrassingly hegemonic.

Disclaimer 2: There are a crapton of errors — typos, misspelled names, misattributions, questionable genre classifications, etc. — in here.  If you genuinely have no idea what a title is supposed to be, ask me.  Otherwise, please don’t bother letting me know about my mistakes.

Disclaimer 3: I am not looking for recommendations.  My Goodreads “To Read” list is already a good 700 items long, and people telling me “if you like X, then you’ll love Y!” genuinely stresses me the fuck out.

Disclaimer 4: There are no unproblematic faves on this list.  I love Supernatural, and I know that Supernatural is hella misogynistic.  On the flip side: I don’t love The Lord of the Rings at all, partially because LOTR is hella misogynistic, but I also don’t think that should stop anyone else from loving LOTR if they’re willing to love it and also acknowledge its flaws. 

[endlesschange]

Deep Into the Darkness Peering (Platonic!Noah Marshall x MC)

Warning: Mentions of suicide, character death, blood, and gore. Mostly angst, whoops.

Summary: “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing . . .” A moment of sacrifice brings upon a whirlwind of emotions for Raven Nakamura (my mc) as she peers into the darkness that surrounds her both physically and emotionally.

Note: Set during chapter 15, with Noah being the one to have taken Jane’s place. Basically just some heartbreaking angst for a girl who just lost another one of her closest friends. This is written as if everyone else had survived, because honestly there’s nothing better than all the pals screaming “I’m not scared”. Inspiration taken from Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven. I own nothing.

Word Count: 1403

Raven Nakamura falls.

She’s falling to the ground, the bones of her knees thundering down on the hard ground of the cavern within the ruins. It’s deathly silent in that moment, so the sound of her collapse echoes loudly, the sound nearly louder than the sound of blood pumping in her ears. The teenage girl lets out a silent scream as a body drops to the ground beside her, eyes lifeless and cold. A beanie is still snug tight around the corpse’s head and perhaps it’s the beanie that makes Raven realize what’s happening.

She stands there for a long moment, peering into the darkness until she is able to make sense of who the corpse is. Her brain feels like it’s going to explode, because while the realization is all too easy to make, it makes her sick to her stomach. Because it’s Noah. 

Noah Marshall is beside her, the life that had once encompassed him now sucked out. He’s dead, he’s fucking dead. Her blood runs cold as that thought plays like a broken record, on loop throughout her mind. Noah is dead. The boy that she had been childhood best friends with. The boy who loved his late sister more than anything in the world. The boy that needed help, who needed support that no one gave him when he needed it most. The boy who would willingly sacrifice the people who called him friends if it meant having the chance to bring little Jane back to life, the teen having become deluded with the lies of the ghostly spirit that was honestly the furthest thing from his sister.

But he hadn’t done that. He hadn’t sacrificed his friends. Their friends had more nerve than Raven had seen in one person, all having let out a thunderous cry of “I’m not scared” when tested by little Jane Marshall. They had made it out of the ruins, their lives safe and sound outside. And in the end, when given the chance to kill Raven or sacrifice himself, Noah had made his choice.

His last words hang in the air of the cavern, like a haunted melody. Let me take over for a little while, Janie.

He let Jane free. Noah has made the ultimate sacrifice and for that, Raven is still here. Her heart beats within her chest and she stares into the darkness of the cavern as the last of the light fades out. There’s a wild wind coursing through the air and if she squints hard enough, Raven is certain that she can make out the form of a lithe darkness, one that has arms and legs. 

She stands there for a long moment, peering into the darkness, until she is able to make out a figure. The figure is one that Raven knows all too well. When she was a young child, she had regarded the figure as Mr. Red. After Jane’s death, it had been Jane. And now? Now the figure that once haunted Raven’s darkest nightmares was now Noah.

He looms over Raven and his former body and Raven can subtly make out the frown that haunts his face. There’s no fire in his eyes, no terrifying form that will cause Raven to jump out of her skin. There’s only … sadness. Sorrow. Pain.

“Friend … Raven … I … sorry.”

The whisper crawls through the air, the sound reaching Raven instantly in the silent room. It causes a shiver to run down her spine, the hairs on her arms to stick up. The voice isn’t Noah’s, not even close to sounding like his cynical tone. But she knows it’s Noah talking, it has to be. Her dark eyes raise slowly, glancing up to make eye contact with the figure. Her eyebrows knit together in confusion and a frown settles on her dark stained lips.

“No sorry,” she tells Noah. “Y-You saved me. You gave up your life for mine, Noah. You have no reason to be sorry. If anything I should be sorry. Sorry that I didn’t reconnect with you sooner. Sorry that we weren’t there for you more than we should have been. But mostly, I’m sorry that all of this happened because of me.”

Noah’s spirit frowns even more, if that’s possible. “Raven … no … Noah wrong.”

“No . . . I mean, for this, sure. Bringing us here tonight, bringing this shit back into our lives on the off chance that you could save Jane, yeah that’s fucked up,” Raven relents, eyes stinging. “But Noah . . . you saved my life. The way that I should have saved Jane’s in the first place. I should have done more, I should have made sure none of us ever stepped into this fucking freak show circus in the first place. Maybe Jane would still be alive . . . maybe there wouldn’t have been a reason for you to do . . . this.”

Noah’s dark figure stares at her for a moment. He looks like he’s trembling. “Raven . . . still sorry.”

Her heart clenches. “Me too, bud. Me too.”

A moment passes. It feels like death, the silence that falls between them. Raven feels like her heart is being ripped from it’s bearings, yanked out through her ribs. Her stomach is queasy and while she’s never had a weak stomach, Noah’s lifeless body on the ground is enough to make her want to retch. His eyes stare out blankly, no expression behind them. She glances back upwards, swallowing around the lump in her throat as she takes in the sight of Noah’s new eyes.

Noah forces the faintest of smiles towards her. “Friend … Raven … leave … ”

She gives him one last withering smile. She clambers to her feet, smooths out the front of her homecoming dress, the one still stained with Cora Pritchard’s blood. She’s shaking horribly as Noah’s shape recedes into the darkness and she’s terrified to think that this will be the last time that she ever sees him. She stands there for a long moment, peering into the darkness that consumes the cavern, a darkness not unlike the one that has consumed her life for the past few weeks … past few years recently.

She glances down to the floor, where Noah’s human body still resides. The beanie is still snug on his head. The life is still missing from his eyes. She lets out a sob. It’s a hideous sound, loud and tinged with a whine. It’s hideous but it’s real. Real, because Noah Marshall, despite the horrid choices he’s made, was still a dear friend in Raven’s eyes. He sacrificed himself at the end of all of this, a night that began with his plan to take out anyone who stood in his way of getting Jane back.

She feels sick to her stomach, knowing that Noah sacrificed himself, walked himself into death’s grasp to save her. Her. Raven Nakamura, who wasn’t always the best friend to Noah. Raven, who hadn’t always been the best friend to Jane and was partially responsible for what happened to the little redheaded girl all those years ago.

“Noah?” she whispers. And then, louder this time, “Noah?”

There’s not a shred of an answer, not even a whisper of wind. The spirit is gone. Raven is alone.

So she sobs. She cries and she screams, the sounds echoing through Redfield’s ruins, until her tear ducts have nothing less to give her, her lungs raw and her heart broke. She stares into that darkness a moment longer, peering as the sound of her blood thunders in her ears. She turns on her heel, body facing the exit, the way that will take her away from Noah forever. But it’s also the direction that will bring her to her friends. To Ava and Lily and Dan and Lucas and Stacy and Andy. She’s tired and she’s broken, but the thought of her friends sparks the smallest of flames, one that burns with a hopeful spirit.

She stands for a moment longer and she takes a breath. She dries her eyes. She doesn’t peer into the darkness again. She smooths her dress once more. Another breath.

And then, she runs.

[mei-totoro]

love my bones (i)

✄ love my bones (i)

✄ pairing: anya (narrator) x wonho, anya x jungkook

✄ genre/warnings: angst, mature language, graphic content, futuristic, fantasy and slight romance

✄ summary: In the world Ulia, there live Holders and non-Holders. Holders are born with the ability to control one of the four elements in nature: water, earth, air, and fire. After years at the Academy of Holders, Anya has not yet unlocked her element. However, one day - after a series of unpredicted events - she unlocks her element and finds out the secret behind her family’s death.

✄ words: 2.6k

♔ prelude

“Honey, my baby, I love you much. Don’t forget who you are, the blood that runs through your veins and secret of your ancestors.” My mother took off her necklace and hung it around my neck. “Now be a good girl and get out of the house, I’ll get your brother and meet you in the front!” She screamed at me in the midst of the burning chaos. The heat of the fire threatened to burn my young tender skin, the smog crawled into my lungs, the dry heat created hot tears as I grabbed my coat and ran out of the burning house. Panting, I stopped in the front yard waiting for my parents to come out with my brother. From the loud cracking noises and the sounds of sirens in the distance, I heard a baby’s cry. It was a cry of pain, fear, and sadness.

“Mom?! Dad?!” I screamed helplessly at the burning house.

The sounds of cracking became louder, the flames engulfing the wooden posts of the house grew larger, the smoke spread more violently, the cries turned to shrieks. I covered my face in my hands to wipe away the tears. But the moment I looked up: the house collapsed.

I gasped, sitting upright while grabbing a fistful of my blanket. Another flask back. Sweat rolled from my forehead down my neck as I gulped audibly in the dead of the night. Flipping my sheets over, I rolled out of the bed. My feet grazing the icy cold floor sending chills down my spine. I snuck my way out of the dorm room and downstairs to the common room. Grabbing one of the blankets and pouring a glass of water, I curled up on the sofa and looked out the tall glass window. The moon shone on the sleeping woods, where even wolves slept soundly and the lake which acted as the moon’s mirror at night by reflecting its elegant and beautiful features.

I laughed to myself - the moon never fought with the sun for its power, because it was content with its beauty, the sun was never jealous of the moon’s beauty because it had power. Why couldn’t people live like the sun and the moon? They balance the world, bring peace, and are content with what they have. If people were not so cruel, maybe I’d be living happily with my parents and younger brother…

- ~ -

The sound of the sliding door woke me up. The infamous languid authoritarian footsteps of the Dean echoed in the empty room. He snickered, shaking his head, “Tsk. When will she learn that the common room is not her room. Right, the poor orphan was probably never educated properly. If she wasn’t a Holders, she would probably be rotting with the commoners.” He proceeded by walking up the stairs to wake the others up. ‘If that asshole wasn’t the Dean, I would have already thrown him over the wall to feed the wolves.’ I kicked the blanket off and hurried upstairs to change and prepare for class.

The girls in my dorm room were already up getting ready for the day. Slipping into suits before securing the buckles of the armor, they headed out of the room - some fixing their hair while others applied discrete colors to their lips. The hexagonal plates on their sternums lit in all colors: blue for Water, red for Fire, white for Air and green for Earth. Those were the four divisions at the Academy, and the only ones left in Ulia. Apparently centuries ago, there used to be Holders from hundreds of different division in the world. However, when people were poisoned by greed and corruption, the world fell into a huge bloody mess during the fight for survival. Ultimately, only the masters of the four divisions remained to rebuild the world and reintroduce peace. Of course, I don’t know how much of it is true, but that’s what every citizen is taught in Ulia - Holder or non-Holder.

I changed into my suit before braiding my hair. As usual, my plate didn’t light up. It never has, and I never know whether it will ever light up… Am I really a Holder? Did the Lynx of Ulia read my blood incorrectly? What if I really don’t have powers to unlock? Sighing, I tuck my mother’s necklace into my suit and head towards the field.

- ~ -

“Hut, two, three, four - hut, two, three, four… c’mon, run along! No one is going to wait for you to finish your fucking laps. Run along.” Mr. Duff, on of the academies oldest professors yelled at us. The old man was a sixty year old, bony, grumpy, divorced man with no children who had probably gone through tens of midlife crises; yet he never failed to muster the energy to whack a lagger with his “magic stick.” Anyone hit by this “magic stick” will be graced with weeks of beautiful purple and blue bruises. After yelling at us, he turned away to sit inside the cool shed in the shade.

“The old man is fucking insane.” I heard a voice behind me say, “I can’t wait till he retires.”

We continued to run around the field, greeting the rising sun every time we completed a lap. The calm of the morning was disturbed when an Earth Holder, Edgar, in front of me accidently bumped into a Fire Holder, Wilson, causing him to trip.

“Watch where you are going, clumsy troll.” Wilson yelled mockingly joined my laughter of other Fire Holders.

“How the fuck was it my fault? You were running into my space!” Edgar hollered back venomously back up by other Earth Holders.

“Ha, how dare you accuse me of such immaturity and clumsiness. Unlike your type, Fire Holders are known for their agility. Watch me light up your sorry ass.” The nimble Fire Holder sent a blast of fire towards the Earth Holder who blocked it by creating a wall of earth. Sparks of scorched dirt rolled around, causing the crowd of students to back away.

“Hell, now you are asking for this. Don’t blame me if you end up a chunk of dirt in your foil mouth!” Then, the fight broke out. Edgar stomped four boulders from the ground and sent them flying to Wilson, who whipped out a ring of fire - blasting the boulders to pieces. Some students fled far away to avoid the chunks of soil and sparks of flames dancing in the sky while others watched the fight - egging them on.

Shortly, several professor, the Dean and Mr. Duff rushed to the scene. An expression of anger and disappointment painted on their faces.

“Edgar and Wilson!” The Dean cried. “Stop this childish quarrel right now or I will sentence you both to 2 months of bathroom cleaning duty!” The field quickly died to complete silence. The two Holders lowered their head in shame. “Now if you two gentlemen are ready to behave, follow me to my office. We have a few things to discuss.” The Dean said before turning his heels, whipping around his long coat and walking away.

The teachers, dispersed the crowd and told everyone to head to their morning classes.

- ~ -

Out of the many useless things the Academy taught us, one of them was “Weather Reading.” It was considered one of the oldest forms of art in Ulia and its traditions had to be passed down. The administrators claimed that as Holders, we were a part of nature and that also included being able to understand the environment around us and weather changes. On top of the utter uselessness of the class, it was also one of the hardest classes at the Academy. The different shapes of the clouds, the speed of the wind, the humidity, the shape of the moon and the intensity of the sun were all the little miniscule details one had to learn about to pass the class. Despite its difficulty, I chose the class because it is one of the only classes that allows Holders to leave the academy and enter the depths of the woods.

“Anya!” One of my close friends Thatiana called, “Do you know what the humidity of the soil is?” I knelt down to dig up a handful of the soil, feeling it in my hand before it fell apart through the cracks of my fingers to the ground.

“Hmm I think it is around 70 to 80% humidity, the soil must be near a body of water since it is impossible to reach that humidity with the recent dry weather.” I concluded as I let Thatiana record the numbers on the tablet. “Hey,” I stopped and turned to her, “you are a Water Holder - shouldn’t you be the one to decide that? Why do you make the non-Holder do it?” I stated lightheartedly.

“Hey! I may be a Water Holder but I’m no fan of digging my hands into dirty soil - it will get my nails dirty. And also who says you are a non-Holder! You are… but maybe your element is just a little stubborn … like your personality!” She retorted while laughing.

“Ah!” I hit her shoulder. “How can I possibly be more stubborn than you!?” I said teasingly while running away from her.

“Hey, you two! Get back to work, you have to finished taking all the measurement by the end of the hour.” Professor Whum hollered our way. “I know reading the weather is fascinating but don’t get too distracted.” She winked at us before skipping towards another group. Professor Whum was one of the weirder teachers at the Academy. She wore a pair of round glasses that resembled goggles, always had dirt on her face or in her hair and wore mismatched boots everyday. She was a simple representation of a blatant mess.

“Yes Professor Whum,” I reassured her with an artificial smile.

“Don’t worry,” Thatiana snickered, “We don’t have too much fun looking at the clouds.”

I headed further into the woods until I felt a raindrop on my nose. I looked up at the forming clouds, but my vision was limited due to tangled branches of the dense forest.

“Thatiana, wait here. I’ll climb a little higher to get a better view of the sky.” I said before hiking up the steep hill to the rocks. A large dark gray mass of clouds precipitated ominously towards our direction, expanding widely and rapidly.

A strike of thunder roared loudly from afar. The light drops of rain grew in number. A sense of fear and uncertainty washed over me. Screams erupted from below, as my classmates gathered their materials and fled back towards the school. Professor Whum hurried everyone to return to the Academy and back into its gates. I turned back to the sky. ‘Why is there suddenly a thunderstorm? We had been closely watching the weather for the past few weeks and Ulia’s Weather Reading masters have never been wrong - today was supposed to be a sunny day. What in the world is going on?’ Another strike of thunder interrupted my train of thoughts as I flinched.

“Anya! Anya! Where are you? We have to go back now!” Thaliana voice laced with terror rang from below. Rain began to pour more violently, soaking my hair completely. Beyond the overwhelming fear that sent sparkles coursing through my limbs, there was something about the way the rolling opaque gray clouds picked up speed, engulfing more and more of the forest in darkness. As if darkness was suffocating the last rays of light, I reached my hand into the light, watching the cloud’s shadow roll over my hand. I turned around to watch the darkness approach the gates of the Academy as small figures rushed through shielding their heads from the rain.

A source of warmth blossomed in my gut. A type of energy that was unexplainably nostalgic yet foreign - almost like the feeling of home and belonging. I raised my hand to cup a few drops of rain - ‘Was is the rain?’ The warmth grew and filled the whole expanse of my chest. I exhaled the breath I held for too long - a zap. I fixed my attention to my fingers. Zap. Crack. A dedicated thread of electricity formed between my thumb and index. The warmth traveled down my arms and spread through my hands. More sparks. Breathing deeply again, a tingling feeling flourished from my palm - creating threads of electricity between my fingers and across my palm. At every breath and contraction of my diaphragm, the energy multiplied.

From a distance, I sensed a growing bundle of energy in core of the clouds. In a split second, strike of thunder bolted down towards me - striking me. As if the clock had slowed down, I watched the lively shifting bolt approach and lung towards me. My palms caught the wild and heavy impact of the thunder as I watched the electricity spiral and encircle my arms and body. The heat became stronger and stronger. My arms and legs were covered in fluorescent white threads. The zaps multiplied by the second, getting louder and louder. I concentrated on my breath and brought my fists together. The electricity began to weave a sort of dome over my head. My body suddenly felt light, as if my body had forgotten the whole notion of gravity. The soles of my feet left the rock. The web of electricity wrapped further down to my hip and legs. The sphere wrapped neatly underneath my feet shutting me in.

I had created a force field of electricity around my body - protecting my body from the rain and the wind.

Sparks of electricity dance around my body as I floated higher and higher off the ground. For the first time, I felt free and invincible. While I watched my classmates through blazes of fire across the training room and soak each with whole tubs of water - I stood by the side patiently waiting for the day I would be able to unlock my element. Happiness coursed joyfully through my body. I was a Holder! I really was! I don’t know what kind but if I can control something - I am a Holder. I played in the force field, enjoying the new lightness of my body. Touching the bubble of electricity sent literal sparks through my arm. I closed my eyes and relished the warmth of the electricity prickling and tickling my skin.

As I floated higher and higher into the sky, I failed to realize another strike of thunder building up. When I saw a crack of light form in the distance darkness: I panicked. I raised my arms to cover my head but the thunder hit the force field, cracking it open instantly. The power of the bolt flung me violently across the woods. As if gravity finally woke up, my body turned heavy and was pulled downwards. Fuck. I flailed my arms in order to slow down my fall but all efforts were in vain. I fell on the thick branches of a big tree because falling flat on the hard ground.

“Anya! She is over here!” Thatiana screamed from a distance. As I laid completely limp and lifeless on the dirt, ropes of electricity spiraled around my body zapping periodically. After several violent zaps, my vision turned black.

a/n: idk if anyone will actually read this BUT im just putting this out here ha. since I got nothing to do in my spare time, I think im going to write again hehe c: idk when chapter 1 will be out but look forward to it :3 Jungkook and wonho will come in next chapter sorry haha 

[herwitchinesss]

annual list of books i have read this year

(i’m already doing my favorite reads of the year in instagram posts, so look out for those instead of my usual bold = favorite that i do; if you want to know about a specific book or if i have it available to lend out on eBook or give to you via Audible, send me a message! xo)

1) Mrs. Zant and the Ghost by Wilkie Collins 2) Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier 3) DC Bombshells Vol 3 by Marguerite Bennett 4) The Bucolic Plague: How Two Manhattanites Became Gentlemen Farmers: An Unconventional Memoir by Josh Kilmer-Purcell 5) The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena 6) Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi 7) The Devourers by Indra Das 8) A Good Idea by Cristina Moracho 9) The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski 10) The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P. Kiernan 11) Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson 12) A Word For Love by Emily Robbins  13) The Strange Case of the Alchemists Daughter by Theodora Gross 14) Ahsoka by EK Johnston 15) Gwenpool Vol 2 by Christopher Hastings 16) Spell On Wheels by Kate Leth 17) Hi-Fi Fight Club by Carly Usdin 18) Beauty Vol 1 by Jeremy Haun 19) American Housewife, stories by Helen Ellis 20) 10 Things I Can See From Here by Carrie Mac 21) Imprudence by Gail Carriger 22) The Authentics by Abdi Nazemian 23) Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman 24) Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn 25) The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney 26) Miles Morales: Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds 27) The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay 28) My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix 29) Crash Override by Zoe Quinn 30) Forest of Memory by Mary Robinette Kowal 31) Belle: The Slave Daughter & the Lord Chief Justice by Paula Byrne 32) Invincible Summer by Alice Adams 33) Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray 34) The Trap by Melanie Raabe 35) The End of Everything by Megan Abbott 36) A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas 37) Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling (re-read) 38) The Girls by Emma Cline 39) I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest 40) The Likeness by Tana French 41) Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch 42) A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler 43) The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck 44) Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch 45) Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong---- and the New Research that’s Rewriting the Story by Angela Saini 46) In the Woods by Tana French 47) The Mothers by Brit Bennett 48) Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch 49) Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette Kowal 50) The World Is Bigger Now by Euna Lee 51) Hope In the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities by Rebecca Solnit 52) Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch 53) The Psychopath Inside by James Fallon 54) Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney 55) iZombie vol 1 by Chris Roberson 56) The End of the Affair by Graham Greene 57) The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch 58) Mercury by Margot Livesey 59) The Witches of New York by Ami McKay 60) The Girl At Midnight by Melissa Grey 61) Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller 62) Caraval by Stephanie Garber 63) Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace 64) Night of Cake & Puppets by Laini Taylor 65) The World According to Star Wars by Cass R Sunstein 66) Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero 67) The Sleeper & the Spindle by Neil Gaiman 68) Highly Illogical Behavior by John Corey Whaley 69) The Runaways by Brian K Vaughan 70) Monstress Vol 1 by Marjorie M Liu 71) Beautiful Broken Girls by Kim Savage 72) November 9 by Colleen Hoover 73) The People We Hate At the Wedding by Grant Ginder 74) How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain by Lisa Feldman Barrett 75) Mosquitoland by David Arnold 76) Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll 77) The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice & Virtue by Mackenzi Lee 78) Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian 79) Fire with Fire by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian 80) Burn for Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian 81) Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 82) Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood 83) The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson 84) How To Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather 85) The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia 86) You’re Never Weird On the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day 87) One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus 88) Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery (re-read) 89) Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls by David Sedaris 90) Lost Stars by Claudia Gray 91) The Mistletoe Murder & Other Stories by PD James 92) Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 93) I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts On Being a Woman by Nora Ephron 94) Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo & the Battle That Defined a Generation by Blake J Harris 95) We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson 96) Dear Mr You by Mary-Louise Parker 97) Carry On by Rainbow Rowell 98) The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant 99) Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt 100) Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth by Warsan Shire 101) Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales by Nelson Mandela 102) We Could Be Beautiful by Swan Huntley 103) Girl Walks Into a Bar... by Rachel Dratch 104) Bloodline by Claudia Gray 105) Romeo & Juliet by David Hewson 106) Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng 107) You Don’t Look Your age... And Other Fairy Tales by Sheila Nevins 108) The Regional Office Is Under Attack! by Manuel Gonzales 109) Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce 110) The Color Master: Stories by Aimee Bender 111) The Inseperables by Stuart Nadler 112) Rani Patel in Full Effect by Sonia Patel 113) Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple 114) Moshi Moshi by Banana Yoshimoto 115) We Were Feminists Once: From Riot Grrrl to Covergirl, the Buying & Selling of a Political Movement by Andi Zeisler 116) Beast by Brie Spangler 117) Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham 118) Ways to Disappear by Idra Novey 119) The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald 120) Dare Me by Megan Abbott 121) Eleven Hours by Pamela Erens 122) Pond by Claire-Louise Bennett 123) Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor 124) Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde 125) The Briefcase by Hiromi Kawakami 126) The Fever by Megan Abbott 127) Illusionarium by Heather Dixon 128) Life After Life by Kate Atkinson 129) Christmas Days by Jeanette Winterson 130) The Dinner by Herman Koch 131) The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters 132) In the Country by Mia Alvar 133) Putin’s Russia by Anna Politkovskaya 134) You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott 135) The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura 136) Jackaby by William Ritter 137) Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson 138) Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia 139) Rain by Amanda Sun 140) Norwegian by Night by Derek B Miller 141) The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco 142) Iron Cast by Destiny Soria 143) Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty 144) Naomi & Ely’s No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn & David Leviathan 145) The Long Way To a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers 146) What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami 147) People of the Book, Jewish Sci-Fi/Fantasy anthology by various authors 148) Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, re-read 149) Exit, Pursued by a Bear by EK Johnston 150) The Bear & the Nightingale by Katherine Arden  151) The Nature of a Pirate by AM Dellamonica 152) Ink by Amanda Sun 153) More Than This by Patrick Ness 154) The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson 155) A Daughter of No Nation by AM Dellamonica 156) Lucky Us by Amy Bloom 157) This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper 158) Child of a Hidden Sea by AM Dellamonica 159) Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín 160) Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick 161) The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy 162) Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl 163) Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly 164) Candide by Voltaire 165) After You by JoJo Moyes 166) Pocket Full of Posies by Angela Roquet 167) Snow Flower & the Secret Fan by Lisa See 168) English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs 169) The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close 170) DC Bombshells vol 4 by Marguerite Bennett 171) DC Bomsbells Vol 5 by  Marguerite Bennett 172) DC Bombshells Vol 6 by  Marguerite Bennett 173) The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe by CS Lewis re-read 174) Breakfast At Tiffany’s by Truman Capote, re-read 175) The Love Artist by Jane Alison 176) Harry Potter & the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling, re-read