#everything about it screams tragic ghost story

[pharawee]

People say that if you hold your breath, ghosts won't be able to see you.

—THE HIDDEN MOON · เดือนพราง · Episode 01

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

What if Harry did kill Draco in the bathroom? (other than malfoy wealth getting bagged by ministry, supposedly)

Mostly nothing.

Specifically, What Happens?

Snape, who comes rushing in when Myrtle starts screaming murder, immediately starts to work trying to save Draco and kicks Harry out. Harry walks out in a daze, as he did in canon, and everything's the same--except that Draco doesn't make it.

Harry, panicking, wonders what's going to happen to him now. Will he be put on trial? Is he a murderer? But he didn't mean it and he didn't know what, specifically, that spell did. Draco had just cast an unforgivable at Harry and Harry had unthinkingly used a spell 'for enemies' whose exact effects he didn't know.

I imagine Harry confesses to Ron and Hermione, and while they're both sympathetic and don't blame him... Hermione can't help her "I told you so" moment where she had told him, months ago, that he shouldn't have been using spells in a book written by a malcontent whose effects he didn't fully know himself. And it turns out she was right, and Harry has now used Dark Magic to murder Draco Malfoy.

Harry waits on pins and needles and is called into Dumbledore's office. I imagine it's just him and Dumbledore, while Snape would love to be present, I imagine Dumbledore says no as it would only... aggravate things.

Dumbledore tells Harry that they're going to cover this up to the Ministry.

This was an accident, a horrible accident, and as far as the outside world is concerned, Draco died via some horrible unintended accident and Harry had nothing to do with it.

Harry has mixed feelings about this, as that's not what happened, but is guiltily relieved that this won't be taken to the Ministry.

Dumbledore assuages this by reminding him that it was an accident. It was a heated duel that shouldn't have happened, but duels do happen between boys. Draco had cast an unforgivable first, Harry had panicked and reached into his arsenal for something more than disarming spells. Yes, Harry shouldn't have used that spell, especially not knowing what it did, but he didn't intend for Draco to die. This was hardly a calculated murder.

The events are simply... unfortunate.

"But what about Myrtle?" Harry asks, as Myrtle had immediately alerted the entire fucking school that Harry had been the one responsible.

Dumbledore has had a word with Myrtle, and as for everyone else, they only have the word of a ghost who is... how shall we say "not known for being particularly reliable". Right now, this is just a rumor, the only real witness is Snape who has been given instructions to say absolutely nothing.

Now, Harry blows his lid at that because you can't trust Snape at all, but Dumbledore tells him to shut the fuck up, Harry, you just killed a boy.

Also, Dumbledore sure hopes Harry didn't tell Ron and Hermione. Oh, you did? Immediately? Well, they won't tell anyone.

Point is, Harry, that Myrtle's immediately changed her story and is now saying she was being "dramatic", no one witnessed it, and this will just be a dumb rumor that no one can ever prove. All Harry has to do is say he was not there (and why would he be in the empty Myrtle bathroom right then anyway?) and no one will ever know.

But shouldn't Harry tell people what happened? It's true he didn't mean it, and that he's innocent of intending murder, but shouldn't he tell everyone?

Dumbledore gives Harry a whole speech on "sometimes, you do a very bad thing, after doing a series of very bad things, and somebody dies, and it might have even been you who killed your sister er Draco, then what you have to do is live the rest of your life knowing this and never tell a fucking soul."

Harry's still very :/ about this but then Dumbledore reminds him "Harry, you have shit to do". Harry has to defeat Voldemort, sending Harry to Azkaban for an unintended death, tragic as it is, is only a boon to Voldemort and the Death Eaters. It accomplishes nothing. Moreover, no one wants the Boy Who Lived to have murdered a young boy in Hogwarts. Like it or not, Harry, you're a symbol and right now the hope of the wizarding world rests on your head. If Harry Potter murdered a boy, then the wizarding world will lose everything they ever held hope in and the war will have been lost before it could even begin.

Harry's punishment will be having to live with this for the rest of his life.

This also sets Harry off again, as this is more or less what Scrimgeour told him a few months prior: that Harry, as a symbol, owes it to the people to bolster their spirits through propaganda. Harry doesn't want to be a symbol! He isn't a symbol!

And here Dumbledore has to admit what he... really... didn't want to. Harry, he knew Draco was trying to assassinate him. Cue Harry's shocked Pikachu face. But Dumbledore admits he's been fully aware of every single attempt Draco has ever made, but did not intervene because to do so would be to have Draco and his family executed by the Dark Lord. Dumbledore was hoping Draco would come to Dumbledore of his own accord for protection for him and his mother. Now, because of this... a few... students... may have been hurt and now Draco himself is dead in an entirely preventable manner.

But why didn't he tell Harry?!

Really wasn't your fucking business, Harry.

But if Harry had known--

Harry, you would have either a) acted extremely suspicious as you suddenly stopped harassing Draco out of nowhere for no reason or b) crowed to the rooftops that Draco really is a Death Eater and caused him to become even more desperate.

Harry has now completely forgotten that propaganda bit and is livid that, yet again, Dumbledore didn't fucking trust him with anything and this is just his fifth year all over again. And every time he tried to tell Dumbledore that something was wrong, Dumbledore was internally laughing in his face.

And here, Harry had been so anxious and horrified, when it turns out he'd just killed a fucking Death Eater. Just like he'd thought.

(Dumbledore acknowledges this pep talk could be going better...)

Regardless, with a final, "er, don't do anything stupid and I hope you've understood all of this", Dumbledore sends him back to bed and tells him all will be well.

After the Meeting

And all is...

Not well.

It's true, the Ministry doesn't come for him. The Prophet releases an article that Draco Malfoy suffered a horrible fatal accident, he was eaten by--plants! Evil plants! That's why his face is so cut up (and I imagine new damage was done to the body, by a very pissed off Snape, who now has to cover for fucking Harry Potter's murders).

Harry realizes that everyone fully suspects him of the murder, and they're clearly avoiding him, but no one's accusing him outright. But this is more or less what happened in canon when Draco had only been attacked.

Harry's very pissed about this, and probably has come around to believing "well, it wasn't intentional, and he might as well have been eaten by plants, and he was a Death Eater anyway, so I did no wrong". Though he agrees the book was bad idea.

As a result--

Harry probably still ends up in his Ginny fling.

He's also invited Horcrux hunting, with the same result, only the key difference here is that Draco hasn't let Death Eaters into the castle. The wardrobe was never finished and Rosmerta is no longer under the Imperius.

So, Harry reluctantly instead has to take Dumbledore to Snape, and he's very upset about this as Snape also, clearly, knew what Draco was up to the entire time and Harry still doesn't trust him even if Dumbledore thinks he was giving him everything.

"I'm dying again, tee-hee" Dumbledore says to Snape, and Snape just looks at Harry and--on the one hand, Dumbledore probably did this to himself, on the other hand, how big is Harry's body count going to become.

Snape throws Harry out of his office.

Now, what happens next depends how lethal that green juice really was.

If Snape knows Dumbledore's organs are melting and there's nothing he can do to stop it, then Snape's got a problem. See, Dumbledore wants the wand to pass on to someone unexpected. Specifically, he wanted it to go to Draco, with Snape taking the fall. Well, Draco's dead. On the other hand, if Snape just lets Dumbledore die of poison... does Voldemort get the wand because he brewed it and placed it there? Snape, in that case, hating everything, has to kill Dumbledore himself and then come out "woops, he died of poison", with Harry immediately suspecting (rightly so) that Snape killed him and telling the entire fucking castle "SNAPE KILLED DUMBLEDORE", even though Snape's been covering for his sorry ass for weeks. The difference being that this time, Snape's cover isn't blown so he just sits there and takes it.

(Another irony being that Harry was the one who went out with Dumbledore under mysterious circumstances, where Dumbledore returned clearly poisoned, and now it sounds like he's shifting the blame onto someone else after Harry is already rumored to have brutally killed Draco Malfoy.

But this was also in canon, as Harry was shocked and appalled that, a few weeks later, Harry was being openly suspected and to be arrested for the murder of Albus Dumbledore.)

If Dumbledore survives--I imagine he's even more cursed looking than before, and is very sad as he thinks about all the Horcruxes left to go. "Dumbledore, do you want to put a more effective plan in action and actually tell anyone anything?" No. No, he doesn't. He's just going to continue to pretend he's going to live forever (and Voldemort, I imagine, finds this too hilarious to do anything about. This sad old man just keeps getting more and more feeble with every passing day. What happened to "death is the next great adventure?")

Deathly Hallows and Beyond

If Dumbledore dies, then Deathly Hallows likely still happens relatively unchanged. Harry breaks things off with Ginny, decides Snape is the devil, and realizes that he has to leave Hogwarts to hunt Horcruxes. Ron and Hermione offer to go with him.

Snape still feeds him information, but has a much easier time of it as the Order doesn't think he's a traitor for all Harry keeps shouting it from the rooftops.

Snape likely still gets killed by Voldemort who realizes "oh, you probably killed him in his final moments, lol lol lol, eat him Nagini." Harry may or may not be there to see his final memories and realize "Oh, I am a Horcrux" and go to the woods to die.

Afterwards--Narcissa won't be covering for Harry, as Harry fucking murdered her son, but that could just mean that he and Voldemort get into their final duel before the Great Hall and that the curse just rebounds in the woods. Though Voldemort may just choose to knock Harry out, pretend he's dead, then imprison him, or have Bellatrix do it.

But it's possible canon just happens as it does.

If Dumbledore survives, Harry goes to Hogwarts for his seventh year where he and Dumbledore continue to review weird memories and occasionally, Harry gets to go Horcrux hunting with him. Occasionally, being only after Dumbledore has scoped out said location, decided there's a Horcrux there, figured out most of the traps, and so on.

Dumbledore also investigates the RAB thing (because who fucking got there before them?!) but, depending on if Harry remembers seeing that locket in Grimmuald Place, may or may not lead them to Kreacher. Though perhaps they'll see Umbridge wearing the locket around her neck.

And Harry harasses Snape as often as he can, telling Snape he's guilty of everything. Snape just reminds him, "I covered up your murder, bitch" which Harry does not appreciate.

Voldemort still tours Europe trying to get a wand that can end Harry, and eventually concludes "Oh, Dumbledore has it" and then comes to Hogwarts to finish the man himself once and for all. And then Dumbledore starts sweating because... he's in bad shape, Tom now knows, but if Dumbledore has someone else kill him first then Tom will know to find that person, or kills himself because Tom is coming for him then does it default to Tom being his murderer? Oh boy.

"Um, Harry, kill me, take this wand, and run."

[marlsswrites]

Summer camp AU, part 30!!

July 30th <3

Enter - @jegulus-microfic - words: 1275

First part Previous part

The night sky was a beautiful blossoming colour of dark blue, the stars shone almost as bright as James Potter's eyes right now. The constellations stood out in the sky, it was loud, busy, sweaty - everything Regulus hated. Whenever something got too much, Regulus would just tip his head to the sky and trace the flowing, sharp edged shapes through the sheet of ever dark silk.

Parties weren't exactly Regulus' forte, but there wasn't too many people here, and he knew most of them. Still, it didn't stop him from taking a few breaths, in and out, look up, breathe out.

He nursed a plastic cup of whatever soft drink had been spiked with vodka, he'd taken a cup to quench his thirst, but it smelled far too sweet and tasted like straight vodka with the amount that had been added.

There it is, he admired the sparkling orbs in the sky, the Leo constellation. His star was a part of it, the constellation took the form of a lion. Regal, fierce, brave and loving, people have always told him that the lion reflects his personality, but he's not so sure. A lion to him is sunny, protective, strong yet sweet, sharp yet soft. Doesn't that remind you of someone?

The thought dashed through his head, the singular mention of James that made his mind spiral and his leg bounce up and down as he leant against the cold, wooden wall outside the cabin.

One glimpse of that face, all he needed was that, just to see the brunettes face. On thought, he hadn't seem him in a while, he'd disappeared from the party about an hour ago. None of his friends seemed to notice, or even care. That set off a whole new string of worries in his head, one side of him hissed at him to stay put, to not worry so much, to act normal for once. What if James thinks he's being clingy, what if he's with a girl? Because of course Regulus just wasn't enough, he didn't quite meet the standards that someone had to hold to be with a man such as James Potter. 

The other side was screaming at him to go, to find him, to check on him and make sure his James was alright. The thought that he was hurt, pained, upset - anything that wiped that smile away from his gorgeous, light filled face - was something that clearly doesn't deserve to walk this earth.

He took a long swig from his drink, the burning in his throat taking away from the rotten flood that was his mind. Then he pushed himself away from the wall, placed the almost empty cup into one of his friends hands - he doesn't quite recall who - and shot off towards his cabin.

-

Within enter, he saw James curled up on the bed, book in hand and tired eyes. Normally he has so much energy, he always has smiling cheeks and crinkled, loving eyes. But now those eyes seemed to glaze lazily over the book, his cheeks no longer looking warm, Regulus always imagined they'd be warm under his icy fingers that would trace his skin with touch as light as a shivering ghost.

"James?" He shut the door with a quiet click behind him.

As if in an instant, James' tired eyes, which were now alight with curiosity, lifted up from his book - it was actually Regulus' book - oh god no. That was Regulus' book, the one he'd made notes in, his copy of 'The Song Of Achilles'. He'd made specific notes in the book about James, about how much Achilles reminded him of the brunette. When the two shared their first kiss in the book, the tear wrenching, forbidden, heart breaking love story, he could rant for hours about that is what he longed to have with James.

A sad, beautiful, tragic love affair.

He wanted to be graced with a happy ending, but knowing his luck, he'll get pushed to second choice, like he has been his entire life. 

Not quite good enough.

'He's half my soul as the poets say.' 

Is he though?

"How much of that have you read?" He managed to get out, surprised that he could even open his mouth in his mortified state. His feet stayed glued to the floor, still light enough to run if he felt the need to. He hovered there, staring at James with such fright in his eyes while the older boy only put the book down slowly and stood from the bed.

He never got an answer from James, the next few moments felt so fast, so quick, so blurred, yet the memory would be tattooed in it's full, beautiful, alluring details behind his wide eyes until the day that he goes to his grave.

Hot lips were pressed against his own parted ones, eyelashes fluttered against his concerningly hot cheeks, warm, raspy breaths broke through his ears and his eyes fluttered shut under the comfort of strong hands curling around his waist and tracing patterns into the bare skin of his waist with skilled fingers.

Regulus reached one hand into his very favourite brunette hair, weaving the soft hair through his almost trembling hands. His other hand came up to the boys now smiling face, oh thank the gods he was smiling, Regulus would burn the entire world down just to keep James looking at him. Just like that, all the time. His perfect hands, the hands that seemed to fit around Regulus' waist like that was their only purpose, to hold Regulus, to protect him, to keep him safe, to touch and feel and love and admire.

His face was warm, flushed and smiling under his sweet touch.

Oh.

He really was just made for Regulus, all of those long lost fantasies he ran over and over in his head came to be true and far better than he could've ever imagined. They really did fit together like jigsaw pieces, two very stark different pieces, yet they fit, and it worked ever so well. Everything was playing through his mind like a movie, everything finally worked his way, he finally got the one thing that he'd ever desired.

His hands looped around James' neck, pulling him closer into him as James' comforting, healing, safe scent surrounded him. The other boy steadied himself as he took a few steps forward, caging Regulus between slightly tattooed, tanned arms and the wooden surface behind his bag. 

Tongues collided, breaths mixed, hands fumbled and groans echoed. Both taking breaths for air, but keeping their hands on each other the entire time. One of James' hands always stayed planted on Regulus' waist, gripping onto it as if somebody was going to steal him, as if Regulus wasn't always his.

"I'm yours." Regulus reassured him with a quiet, low whisper.

That was all it took for James to moan, dipping his head back downwards to kiss Regulus, now rough and desperate, needy and lustful - and Regulus loved it. All of the sounds he made, all of the touches and the praise that spilled from James' mouth as they kept within inches of each other.

The same hands that he has always longed to touch him, hooked under his legs, lifting him from the floor as he automatically looped his legs around James' waist, kissing his neck and whispering every sinful thought he had into the other mans ear. While being pulled away from the door and towards the same bed that they would watch movies on every single night, he couldn't help but smile into James' lips as he released a hot, heavy breath.

All of those nights he longed for more, and now he finally had it.

Next and final part

[writingsfrombeyondthegrave]

The Tears of The Damned

Dennis Rafkin x Fem!Ghost!Reader

Warnings- Reader committed S*icide, ghosts, kidnapping souls, detailed descriptions of death(nothing too graphic), panic attacks, angst, cursing, non-canon reader insert (obviously), no happy ending (will be a happy/bittersweet ending if I do a part 2), blood

A/N- I never post the authors note before the fic but please PLEASE seek help if you're depressed. You are loved and worthy of living <3. I want to see you strive.

The Crickets were the loudest thing heard on the empty street. Dennis sat in a parked car, overlooking his next job location. He hated this more than anything, scoping out the area to report back to his boss. The dense forest obscured the view of the bridge beyond.

The tortured souls he helped capture for money weighed heavily on his conscience. It was wrong, but living on the street with constant migraines caused by spirits outweighed his guilt.

The bridge stood still, the wind seemingly avoiding the area at all costs tonight. It was deathly silent, and even the wildlife seemed to be absent.

There was nothing out of the ordinary about the bridge, except for the tragic event that happened in 1944. A young woman plummeted to her death, and there were stories about her crying at the dead of night. The town of Warrington stood domestically, without issues except for this one blemish on its otherwise clean slate.

His stomach twisted, and he swore that he could hear something in the water below. Splashing, wailing, crying out in pain. Opening the car door to check it out for himself, he slowly made his way out. The instant his shoe hit the cobblestone path, it went silent again. Maybe it was just his imagination.

The hairs standing on end at the back of his neck were definitely not imagined, though. His body reacted as if being hunted by an unseen force. The atmosphere shifted around him, whether it was a warning to leave or hesitance to the new soul trespassing in the area, he didn’t know.

Locals in the town warned him on his way up the mountain.

“I swear I feel the urge to jump off that damned bridge every time I hike there”

“She was so helpless, poor dear.”

“The kids in town think she might’ve been pregnant. Maybe the father killed her”

The townspeople’s words echoed inside his head like alarms bells. Rumors, that’s all they really were. He didn’t need to know anything about the ghost, just that she was here. The less he knows the better.

After a few deep breaths, he gained the courage to move towards the bridge. The old wooden boards creaked beneath his weight. The beams overhead swung dangerously as if threatening to cause him harm.

His movements were slow and precise, trying not to set off the balance of everything around him. With his hands firmly secured in his pockets, he moved over to the railing and peaked over the edge.

The water below was eerily still, not a disturbance in sight. Confusion racked him as he stared aimlessly, trying to find anything that could have made those noises. While leaning over the railing, his hand graced the wooden post.

Racked with a searing pain, Dennis threw his head back towards the night sky as visions plagued him. They moved by fast, fractured, and barely any valuable information came to him.

There was screaming, crying, and anxiety squeezed his heart in a death grip as his heart threatened to break through his fragile rib cage. The visions made no sense at first, but he felt his body move on its own.

He was sprinting, determination rushing through him as he ran towards the railing. He jumped off and suddenly he jolted back into the position he was in prior. He hadn’t moved at all, instead firmly planted at the railing, looking over the edge.

The vision showed him the perspective of the ghost. The anxiety, the fear, the anger, it must’ve been what she felt before she jumped.

In his peripheral vision, a flash of a blue gown glittered up from within the water. But when he turned to track it, it was gone.

A few moments passed as he tried to regain his composure. Before he wanted no part in knowing what happened here, but now he was more than invested.

After going back and forth with his thoughts, he finally decided to speak. “Show me” Dennis whispered under his breath, closing his eyes. His head hung low as he kept his breathing as steady as possible.

A chilled hand caressed his cheek with the lightest touch but it was enough to send him back into another vision. The young woman stood in front of him a few feet further down the bridge, taking a few steps back as if to gain momentum. She hesitated, gripping the edge of her powder blue nightgown tightly between her fists.

Dennis looked closer at her face and saw fresh tears cascading down her soft cheeks. Her body racked with sobs as she contemplated her fate. She was shaking, and for a moment he even felt the urge to reach out and comfort the spirit. But this wasn’t happening now, he knew he wasn’t there when it happened, so he remained frozen in place, not interfering.

Her head turned to look down the path. Her blurry gaze looked right through him, and for once he felt what the spirits might feel every day. Why did he want to be seen by her?

Seemingly making up her mind, she threw down the edges of her gown once more and sprinted towards the railing, leaping off and into the water.

He expected to hear the water first, but instead heard a sickening crack. Hesitantly he made his way to the railing, daring to look at what had become of her.

Her spine cracked in the middle of her back, draping her body in an uncomfortable position on the jagged rocks she collided with. Half of her body was submerged in the unforgiving waves, eventually sweeping her fully into its depths.

He came to and panted. His skin slicked with a cold sweat as he looked in every direction. Tears slipped from the corners of his eyes as he frantically patted his right pocket for his prescribed medicine. It fell to the ground with a light clink, the pills spilled out of the container, rolling between the cracks of the floorboards and into the water below.

It was tragic having the only comfort in his life washed away from his grasp. Especially in the midst of a raging panic attack brewing deep within him. His heart once more pounded against his rib cage and he clutched his shirt in his fist, dropping to his knees.

A figure approached from his left, but went unnoticed through his tears. Turning his eyes to look at the ground beside him, a single pill remained unmoving on the ground. He could’ve sworn they had all been wasted and gone.

“Why?” A breathless whisper from his cracked lips. Not speaking to anyone in particular as he picked up the pill and placed it in his shaky palm.

The wind hushed him comfortingly as it went past, the first calm feeling of the night washing over him as he looked up to see he was once more alone on the bridge.

The team arrived on scene in heaps. The night before was quiet, and at one point Dennis would've even called it slightly peaceful, despite the events. This, however, was chaos.

Trucks drove without regard onto the previously barren path and men piled out of them with determination. Shouting of directions was heard as Cyrus Kriticos waved his hand in the direction of the bridge. An authoritative aura surrounded him.

"I want men at the bottom of the river and up on the bridge. We leave no room for the ghost to escape, do you understand me? I won't accept any mistakes!"

Dennis arrived a moment after, looking around the area cautiously. "What's with the extra help? I told you this would be an easy catch"

Cyrus turned to him with a raised brow, completely disregarding his words. "I told you to be here on time. You may be valuable to me but that doesn't mean you get an exception in tardiness."

He let out an awkward laugh, clearly intimidated by the man Infront of him. "I needed a refill on my meds, you see I-"

Cyrus groaned and turned around. "I never asked to hear about your issues. Just do your job and keep those mind-altering drugs of yours out of it, I need you ready for this, understand?"

All he could muster in reply was a nod of his head, not willing to overstep and lose this job. Once a safe few feet away from the working men and his boss, he took a deep breath before putting on the clear glasses. The only way he could see the spirits clearly. All of the other workers already wore them, along with Cyrus himself. Closing his eyes, he felt out your energy by placing his palm firmly against the wood of the old bridge.

In return he felt...nothing. It was so quiet in fact that he feared you might've moved on overnight. But then he heard it in the distance, the quiet sobbing coming from below the bridge. Making his way down the narrow rocky path to underneath the bridge he spotted you.

Flashes of your figure beamed in and out of his sight. Your hunched over frame sat underneath the bridge in the dark corner. Your nightgown stuck to you, dripping against the dirt as your hair hung wetly Infront of your eyes in strands. He supposed this was the only spot to hide from the prying eyes of everyone here.

Somehow despite this, he found himself in awe of you. Your beauty transcended, even past death. For a split second he regretted taking this job in the first place. He let out a deep sigh, alerting you of his presence.

Your eyes widened in fear, beginning to stand up to leave quickly. Only then did he realize the obscure curvature of your spine. It twisted backwards, which made sense considering how you landed on the rocks. Even still, he thought nothing of it as he searched for your face. His hands raised in defense to show he meant no harm.

Your torso swayed unnaturally as you moved to cover yourself, hands clutching your hips as you backed further into the darkness. "Traitor"

The words echoed in his mind like a scratched tape recording. It was breathy and barely audible but luckily, he heard it.

"Traitor? No, I'm just doing my job" He tried to defend himself, waving his hand up towards where the men gathered on the bridge.

"Sellout" you spit out with the same scratchy tone as before. Your words, though hurtful to him, made him much less anxious than he had been on the previous jobs he works with Cyrus. This seemed different. No other spirits ever bothered to communicate with him. Hell, most of them tried to kill him.

You weren't violent like the others, and he found himself contemplating his next move. Again, the guilt crept into his heart, tightening around it like a vise. The banging of the men working overhead seemed to startle you as you took a step further back. For a moment he feared you'd flee completely or vanish.

"Wait! let me help you, alright? Spirits are sometimes connected to objects. If I can find yours, I can get you out of here." Dennis managed a smile, slowly lowering his hands back to his sides.

A long moment of silence passed between you both. You analyzed his every move to find any ounce of a lie behind his gaze. Seemingly finding none, you slowly moved over to the side, arms wrapped tightly around your broken midsection. A gentle tilt of your head led his gaze to a thorny rose bush.

Twisted deep in the stems was a small gleam from the reflected moonlight. Easily missed if one didn't know where to look. He got closer and surprisingly you didn't move far from where you stood. Your eyes tracked him like a hawk as he moved to kneel by the bush.

The pants bunched at his knees quickly absorbed the mud from the wet earth beneath him. Reaching into the bush, he flinched as the thorns cut into his flesh. Still, he prevailed in his mission and got the object out from its confines. Opening his bloody palm to inspect it finally, he discovered that it was a small golden heart locket. It seemed rusted at the hinges through years of neglect and constant flowing water from the stream.

Dennis looked up from the locket and his eyes crinkled with confusion as he looked around and realized that you had once more, vanished from sight.

After coming back up to the top of the bridge, he stood alongside Cyrus with his arms crossed. He hated the amount of guilt that had gained exponentially by that point. It hurt him to go along with this still.

The large glass enclosure being lowered by the crane hit the ground with a loud thud, dusting the entire area around it in a thick cloud.

Like clockwork the Latin words spoke through the speaker from the truck. It tore you from your hiding place, and you were pulled violently towards the noise. Fear instantly came back, and fresh tears gathered in your eyes.

An ear-splitting scream erupted from your lips as your legs moved on their own towards the containment unit. Your nails clawed at your dress, trying to gain composure over yourself once more. Your ghostly form enslaved to the cryptic language being spoken into the air.

The workers covered their ears, their eyes squinted in pain as many of them tried to get as far away from the noise as possible.

Your eyes landed on Dennis, and he actually shivered at the hateful gaze you sent his way. Your screams continued to echo as you were forced into the glass box by the workers who chanted loudly to capture you between their stances. The room you had to move slowly grew lesser and lesser as you walked backwards. You tried swatting at one of the men, actually managing to tear through his shirt. Your fighting stopped momentarily as your back hit the inside of the cage.

Turning frantically around to look at what you hit, the doors suddenly closed, locking you inside firmly.

"NO!" You yelled, banging your fists over and over against the glass. "I TRUSTED YOU!"

Dennis felt tears begin to form as he watched your form. Your aggression slowly turned to sobs as you dropped to your knees, clutching your gown. "I trusted you" You whispered, far breathier and more exhausted than he had ever heard in his life. Finally looking down at the glass floor beneath you, you cried softly.

"I guess we won't be needing this after all" Cyrus lifted an old worn letter between his fingers.

"What is that exactly?"

"I was going to use it as a trigger object to lure her out. Took it from that abandoned house over on Old Mill rd. Can you believe they sent a letter to inform her of her husband's death in the war?" He had the audacity to laugh as if the story was an old joke between friends. "Didn't have the decency to do it in person, I guess. How pathetic he must've been"

Your eyes darkened at that comment, a moment of anger settling deep between your bones. How could someone be so heartless?

A/N- Now I know damn well this won't see the light of day for many people but that doesn't lessen my love for this movie at all. It has a special place in my heart. Again, please do not take the warnings at the beginning lightly. I know that S*icide is a serious trigger and I don't want to offend anyone in any way. I care about each and every single one of you very deeply.

If by some way this does get a bit of attention, I am very willing to do a part 2 where the reader is brought back to the mansion.

Also, yes, I am working on the other Fics, this one just plagued my dreams in the dead of night, and I had to write it

Taglist- @zeroisreallygood @mirage018

Credit:

Black drip Divider - @saradika

Green forest divider- @firefly-graphics

Header- Me

[changbeansss]

The weight of forever

Pairings : Lee Know x reader

Genre : Angst

Warnings : Mentions of break up, refusal and running away

The evening air was crisp and cold, the kind that hinted at the first whispers of winter. Minho had planned everything meticulously. The restaurant's ambiance was perfect, filled with the soft hum of conversations and the gentle clinking of glasses. Candles flickered on each table, casting a warm glow that made everything seem ethereal. He held onto the small velvet box in his pocket, feeling its weight with every heartbeat. Tonight was the night he would ask you to marry him.

You sat across from him, trying to focus on the present moment, but your thoughts were clouded with self-doubt. The weight of your insecurities felt unbearable. You loved Minho deeply, but the idea of forever with him seemed like a dream you didn't deserve. You were convinced that he deserved someone better, someone who could match his brilliance in every way.

Minho reached across the table, taking your hand in his. "You okay?" he asked, his eyes filled with concern.

You forced a smile, nodding. "Yeah, just a bit overwhelmed, I guess."

The night wore on, and as dessert was served, Minho felt the nerves rise within him. He glanced around the room, making sure everything was perfect. When he looked back at you, he saw the flicker of something in your eyes—hesitation, perhaps even fear.

Taking a deep breath, he got down on one knee and pulled out the box. The restaurant fell silent, all eyes on the two of you. "Y/N," he began, his voice trembling slightly, "you are everything to me. I can't imagine my life without you. Will you marry me?"

Your heart shattered at the sight of him kneeling before you, love and hope shining in his eyes. You wanted to say yes, you wanted to believe that you were enough for him, but the doubts screamed louder. Tears welled up in your eyes as you shook your head, backing away.

"Minho, I... I can't," you whispered, your voice breaking. "I'm not good enough for you. You deserve someone better."

Confusion and hurt flashed across his face. "What are you talking about? You're more than enough for me. I love you."

But you couldn't stay. You turned and fled from the restaurant, leaving Minho kneeling there, broken and bewildered. Outside, the cold air hit your face, mingling with your tears. You ran until you couldn't breathe, collapsing onto a park bench as sobs wracked your body.

Minho was left in the restaurant, the ring still in his hand, the reality of your rejection sinking in. He returned home that night, the emptiness of the apartment suffocating. Every corner held a memory of you, every silence was filled with the ghost of your laughter.

Days turned into weeks, and both of you lived in a daze of heartache. Minho tried to move on, but the wound was too fresh, too deep. He threw himself into his work, trying to bury the pain, but nothing could fill the void you left behind.

As for you, the regret and guilt were constant companions. You had convinced yourself that leaving was the right choice, that you were sparing him from a life of disappointment. But the loneliness was unbearable, and the nights were the worst, filled with dreams of what could have been.

Months later, Minho heard through mutual friends that you had moved away, trying to start anew. He wished you the best, but the pain lingered, a dull ache that never truly went away. He often found himself wondering what might have happened if you had said yes, if you had believed in your worth.

In the end, your love story remained a tragic memory, a testament to what happens when fear and self-doubt overpower love. Both of you lived with the ghosts of what could have been, forever haunted by your decisions.

[charleecat-bat]

Horror/Slasher AU designs for Mighty, Matilda and Ray!

Mighty and Ray are ghosts, while Matilda is alive but is seen as a creepy and offputting girl or as a bad omen, as death seems to follow her—and that's mostly thanks to the two ghosts that are attached to her.

Some notes on the designs and then backstory below the cut:

-Mighty appears like this when 'calm' but when Angry, he appears like a large fiery almost demon like being. The gaping hole in his chest ignites into flames when he's angry, as well as his eyes and even develops horns along his shell. When he appears in a non-threatening look he takes a lot of punk rock sort of look. He doesn't know why he looks like this...

-Matilda actually dyes/paints her shell green. Her natural colour is brown. At first she chose to dress in all dark and gloomy emo clothes and now it's just all she has since sh'es constantly on the move and only could pack a few things.

-Ray's eyes are sunken in, and his tail is similar to what roadkill would look like. His Poncho is supposed to be similar to the flying squirrel skin and also like the typical sheet ghost look. He's also missing a shoe and his ear is almost torn off his head.

The backstory is very tragic but i'll try to keep it as short as possible.

The Armadillo siblings had a rough family life. In this AU, their mother wasn't around, and they had their awful father, who was a very abusive sheriff-type figure. He only really cared about his reputation, so while he'd act 'decent' in front of others, to the kids, he was abusive. Especially to Mighty, he and Mighty would frequently get into fights.Their father was the one man that Mighty would lose his temper at.

Their closest friend was a lone neighbourhood kid, Ray, who had a rough situation himself that mostly involved him being heavily neglected so he just wound up playing and wondering around alone. He and Matilda are actually the same age as teenagers but Ray's growth was stunted due to his neglect so he just looks smaller...

At some point, Ray just... vanished. He stopped showing up to hangout with the siblings and it got to a point even his family noticed. They found his body in the forest and assumed it was some accident despite the injuries looking suspicious. The real story of Rays death was that he was walking alone in the rain and was struck by a car, being driven by Mighty and Matilda's father. While it was unclear if it was an accident or a malicious act, his selfish act of dumping ray's body in the nearby woods instead of taking him to a hospital to get help still solidified his awfulness.

During this time of grief, Matilda started to see Ray around. At first she was scared but then would start trying to talk to him, and even try to convince Mighty of what she was being told. Mighty was reluctant to believe her but soon started to when she said details that seemed too specific to be made up... as well as weird happenings starting to occur.

Soon, though, another fight broke out in the Armadillo household. Matilda cowering a distance away while Mighty fought his father. Now, due to his position, of course, the father had a gun and would threaten them with it or even shoot close to them to scare them. This had become an unfortunate norm. This time, the fight was particularly bad, and Mighty had dared to try and take the gun off of him.

Everything froze when a loud bang was heard. The gun had gone off when their father had attempted to take it off of his son and accidentally pulled the trigger.

Before he could even say a single word, Mighty had already dropped to the floor, his eyes wide and bleeding badly through a hole in his chest. It was Matilda's screaming and cries that triggered their father in action and he fled to the phone while Matilda was left trying to help her brother despite not knowing what to do... the bleeding wouldn't stop and he was barely breathing. It wouldn't take long for him to go completely still.

Her brother was gone...

What put the nail in the coffin for her, though, was what her father did as a selfish attempt to cover his own precious reputation. He said Mighty did it to himself. A suicide, right in front of them. She was threatened to keep quiet, but that didn't stop her from letting her rage simmer quietly. Her only company was Ray's spirit, who stayed alongside her... and then it eventually hit her. If Ray had died and somehow returned to her, maybe her brother could do the same. But she couldn't leave it up to chance, she wanted to make sure it happened.

So then began Matildas obsessive research into the occult, including getting her hands on an old worn book.

And despite her inexperience in performing anything like the book asked, she tried anyway. She didn't care what happened at this point, all she knew was that she despised her father with all her heart and wanted the one member off her family back in her life. miraculously, it worked... but not like she intended.

Due to her inexperience, as far as she believes, Mighty had come back, but... he wasn't quite himself. He looked, scarier? Like Ray but he didn't appear just as how he died. He covered in spikes, a dark gaping hole in his chest. Fiery coloured eyes and sharp jagged teeth. He almost looked like a demon.

Matilda was scared of her course but what she tried had technically worked, she had her brother back... but something didn't feel right. Despite all this... he didn't seem angry at her, he looked more sad, or confused. And for that moment, it felt like everything might be okay.

And then her father showed up. Hearing that distant angry yell made the spirit of her brother contort in anger and his form started to change. Almost appearing demonic, the hole in his chest igniting a flame and his eyes doing a similar act. He appeared larger and more monsterous as he quickly went to attack him.

At first Matilda had no remorse, she hated her father and her brother was getting revenge.

But the coming bloodbath was too much for even her to bare. Not even her own brother was capable of something like that... not the one she knew. He would never do something like this spirit did, not even to their own father.

It scared her.

It went quiet again shortly. The fire spirit of her brother fading into the form he had before, no longer angry.

He could tell she was scared, he didn't understand why he did what he did. But he was just trying to protect his sister.

That night, she left, as shellshocked and scared as she was. She took her brothers hand and left that home.

And since then, she's been from town to town, trying to deal with these two spirits now attached to her and being her ghostly bodyguards. While she's happy she still has them... she can't help but be scared and stressed when the news gets around to towns that she seems to be an omen of death...

[salvadorbonaparte]

2023 in Films

I watched way too many films this year. Here are my opinions on some of them

January

Las Cosas Del Querer (1989) - Amazing if you love sad hot people and flamenco

Canadian Bacon (1995) - Incredibly silly and Alan Alda plays the US president

Nope (2022) - A highlight of the year

February

Hellraiser (1987) - This film is actually about miscommunication in this essay I will-

Predestination (2014) - Time Travel and Gender Moments

Malignant (2021) - Camp horror masterwork

Late Phases (2014) - Mediocre werewolf film with some really interesting comments on ageism, ableism, suburbia and religion

March

Sterne (1959) - Plays into some problematic stereotypes from today's perspective but revolutionary for its time, first German film to address the Holocaust

Major League (1989) - A film I only watched to confirm that it uses a weird phrase I also found in my thesis project

Carry On Screaming (1966) - Camp. Gay. Horror. Parody.

Glen or Glenda (1953) - A product of its time and no longer up to date in its understanding of gender but surprisingly revolutionary in its compassion and earnestness despite the bad reviews

April

Taxi Driver (1976) - Isn't it frustrating when annoying people tell you a film is good and then it's actually good?

June

Mr Deeds Goes To Town (1936) - Mr Deeds has autism swag

El Espíritu de la Colmena (1973) - I really wanted to like this because civil war era Spain and Frankenstein are super up my alley but unfortunately it was so much slower than expected

Das Boot (1981) - Very long and claustrophobic but holds up to the hype

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022) - RIP King

July

Nimona (2023) - His big wet eyes bewitched me

First Blood (1982) - You're telling me the film is about Americans fighting an enemy they view as simultaneously weak and dangerous, escalating the situation, and then sending more and more men into a rainforest to die through guerilla warfare after being warned again and again they can't win this? sounds familiar

Barbie (2023) - Insert a bunch of pink emojis

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) - Made me crave bagels

Jojo Rabbit (2019) - God I love war satires

Sweet Liberty (1986) - Alan Alda having fun and also using his own film as a therapy session

The Majestic (2001) - A rewatch but it's so tragically underrated, Jim Carrey is very good in dramatic roles and McCarthy-era media is like catnip for me

Joker (2019) - This is just Taxi Driver with extra steps

August

Tin & Tina (2023) - Probably one of the worst films I have seen in a while

Battle of the Sexes (2017) - I love women

Four Lions (2010) - The ending really got me, I love when satire gets serious

The Sheriff and the Satellite Kid (1979) - Can we talk about how the theme song is just going "I'm the sheriff" "yes you're the sheriff"

Happiness (1998) - Nauseating but in a "good film but what the fuck" way

They Call Him Bulldozer (1978) - Italian Lagaan

The Talented Mr Ripley (1999) - Sad and Gay

Twister (1996) - So much better than expected

Magnolia (1999) - Cloudy with a chance of frogs, a really long but really good film and I'm not entirely sure I got it

Doubt (2008) - Somehow I watched 5 films with Philip Seymour Hoffman that month because I was haunted by his ghost or something

September

The Terminal (2004) - I assumed this to be more of a classic romcom but the whole concept (based on a true story) is so terrifying and tragic that it made me feel all emotions at once

Apocalypse Now (1979) - I knew a lot of trivia about the film but for some reason I didn't know anything about the cast so every single actor was a surprise and made me go "!!!", Also I kinda wanna write an essay about it

October

Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984) - Some of the gay jokes absolutely killed me

Last Night in Soho (2021) - I'm Not Like the Other Girls to Time Travel Murder Nightmare Pipeline, actually I really enjoyed this one but it's also super silly

The Banshees of Inisherin (2022) - How do you say poor little meow meow in gaeilge

The Menu (2022) - I go to the murder restaurant I order the beesechurger, I was super surprised there's no cannibalism but tbh that would have been low hanging fruit

The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021) - Explains a lot about religion in the US, I love that she was pro lgbt, also I googled her ex husband and he has a prepper/survivalist thing going on now and scams more people

The Darjeeling Limited (2007) - we can't eat pray love ourselves out of this one boys

Holes (2003) - Hated the book as a teenager for school reasons but gave the film a try and really enjoyed it

Renfield (2023) - I expected werewolves but I enjoyed it nevertheless, My Chemical Romance is on the soundtrack, it's very silly, the effects are great

Interview with the Vampire (1994) - Oh people weren't lying about it being homoerotic

The Big Lebowski (1998) - I've had days that feel like that

November

Pappa ante Portas (1991) - Funnier now that I'm an adult, basically half the jokes my mum makes are from this film

The Meg 2: The Trench (2023) - I watched this while sick and really wanted to see a giant shark fight a giant octopus and boy did it deliver

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) - Very nice animation style

JFK (1991) - I actually fell asleep halfway through because it's so long but can we talk about how this film is just A-listers but has some of the worst wigs and makeup I've seen

Bottoms (2023) - A spiritual sequel to Heathers

December

When Harry Met Sally (1989) - They deserve each other (derogatory) but that one restaurant scene was pretty funny

The Royal Nanny (2022) - one of the many Hallmark films my mum made me watch and this is perhaps the worst one, incredibly sexist even for a Hallmark film and they clearly mean Mi5 but say Mi7 which was a WW2 propaganda service? Also they really want me to believe there is a British prince called Colin and that he doesn't look like his family tree is a circle?

I forgot the title but there was also the one where two people get stuck in a time loop while trying to make a sponsored youtube video about baking and I didn't really pay attention much but man that was bad

[jisungsdaydreamer]

Ghost of You

«GENERAL M.LIST» · «NAVIGATION» · «TALK TO ME» · «TAGLIST»

SYNOPSIS He’s gone from your dimension now, but there’s nothing stopping him from finding his own world.

Pairing: Han Jisung x fem!reader Genre: angst, horror, supernatural au Warnings: swearing, death, brief depiction of murder, ghosts, betrayal, mentions of cheating Word Count: 1.3k

NOTE: Images are from this moodboard by the amazing @jinniebit

P.S. ♡ If you like my work, please consider giving me feedback in the form of reblogs, comments, and asks! ♡

Jisung doesn’t remember dying. 

The day it happened had been normal, like any other. He had woken up in the morning late, some time past noon, after another long night of staying up to finish a college term paper. He had scrolled through his phone while eating his makeshift breakfast of coffee and half a pack of M&Ms. He had hunted around for his keys for twenty minutes before realizing they were in his pocket the entire time and deciding to leave his criminally cramped apartment for a brief outing.

It was a sunny day, he remembers that. A rare respite from the unforgivingly frigid climate of his city, he had felt the rays of warmth kissing his cheeks and the gusts of gentle breeze ruffling his hair. Even thinking about everything going wrong in his life, from school to his relationship with you, as he did on walks like these, he could feel the stress melting away like the light sweat dampening his skin. There was nothing but him and the idyllic suburbia around him. 

He remembers being lost in his own thoughts, admiring the uniform rows of the prim little houses, the matching sets of leafy oak trees that adorned them, and the robin’s egg blue shade of the sky. He also remembers preparing to cross the street before he felt someone’s hands exerting pressure on his back, propelling him forward. He remembers the faint roar of the approaching engine above the unsuspecting beat of his frightened heart. He remembers getting the breath knocked out of him, the flash of searing pain, and then everything going black.

But he doesn’t remember dying. He can’t picture being surrounded by his friends and family, all of them there as he stills on his bed. He can’t collect the sensation of life slowly fading out of his limbs gnarled with age. He can’t collect the feeling of leaving with a smile on his face, content with a life long lived and loved. He can’t summon the idea of the death that he had always imagined he would meet, because he was never done. Jisung’s story was unfinished, cruelly ripped from him. And it would stay that way, a tragically youthful face of the past, never to have another word written about it.

The first thing Jisung does remember is how fucking cold it was. He had sat up on the sidewalk, knees drawn to his chest as he curiously watched the agitated scene unfold in front of him, the uncertain bystanders gathering around in some sort of spectacle and the paramedics arriving, shouting for everyone to get out of the way. Jisung was about to move aside to allow them room, before he realized that he didn’t have to. Because the rigid body being zipped up into a depressing black cover was his. The limp arm hanging out of the bag, before being tucked in, was his. The discarded pair of keys on the ground that no one paid any attention to was his. 

So he was dead now. Great.

Then he saw his best friend, screaming in horror and being held back by a neighbor, before being allowed to talk to the police officers that had appeared. The confusion Jisung initially felt upon seeing him dissolved into excruciating grief, the kind induced only by being stabbed in the back. Or rather, being pushed into a speeding bus by the man he once called his own brother.

Having heard enough of his lies, Jisung turned and walked away. He witnessed everyone in his life receive the news of his death— the shock, the crying, the collapses on the floor. But he didn’t feel particularly moved, because at least in death, he didn’t have to worry about all of the incoming deadlines, the stern and loveless family dinners he was forced to attend, and the calls that his merciless landlord kept spamming him with. And best of all, he didn’t have to be the unsuspecting idiot killed by his best friend. Instead, he could just be another friendly ghost watching the world turn without him.

But Jisung still carries a portion of the sentiment he lauded when he was alive, so that’s why he makes his way up the steps to the church. He enters the cemetery like the guest of honor he is, holding his head up high and strolling in with his arms folded expectantly. There’s the headstone framed with fucking gardenias, the one flower he was allergic to, freshly erected in front of the ditch where his coffin is being lowered into. He had always wished to be cremated, not buried in the ground as if in a crime, but then again, someone at his funeral did have a reason to feel guilty.

Jisung watches that person of interest, the sobbing Judas, the Brutus to his Caesar, deliver his eulogy. The lines are tasteful, poignant yet affectionate, as anyone would expect, but all Jisung can think of is how good of an actor his best friend is. He wants to be able to eat again, so he can hold a bucket of popcorn and enjoy the damn show. And then he sees you.

Beautiful as ever, you’re dressed in a black silk dress and a matching netting veil that does a crappy job of concealing your delicately contorted features. The large, expressive eyes that Jisung fell in love with are filled with tears, and the lips he’d kissed so many times are pressed into a tight line. And watching your misery, he almost forgives you for everything you had put him through, for all of the canceled dates that he painstakingly made time for, the unwarranted fights and emotional abuse, the failure that you constantly deemed him to be. He almost forgives you, but then his best friend pulls you aside during the reception indoors, taking it upon himself to comfort you in the darkened corridor where no one else strays. 

And what ample consolation it is, with its breathless whispers of relief and stifled sighs of sin fulfilled, and Jisung wonders if both his girlfriend and best friend missed their respective callings at drama school. He doesn’t stay there long, fucking off to find somewhere he doesn’t have to hear the two people he loved the most in his life gloat about making their fantastic getaway in cheating and murdering him.

Jisung leaves both that hallway and his shattered heart behind him, walking on. He blankly goes past all of the inconsequential people and problems in the world, meandering until he reaches the edge of a dense thicket. He recalls his childhood fears of the malevolent forest entities in his grandmother’s stories. But then he just laughs, a pure, hearty sound, because he’s dead. He has no reason to be afraid, because that’s the role of the living.

He steps into the forest with a new spring to his step; there’s no one else nearby for miles, but he feels no fatigue. As the brush around him grows even thicker when he passes through a strange shrine, Jisung feels a sudden chill spread throughout himself. He looks up to see numerous pale apparitions floating around him in the fog. 

Some of them look almost like people, while others are indiscernible, glowing shapes among the darkening trees. They do not approach him, but they do not disturb him either, merely alerting him of their presence. The iciness has faded into a strange warmth, a feeling of security, of home. For the first time in a long while, Jisung feels not so lonely, for these are his fellow tortured spirits, devastated specters, and longing phantoms. They are his kind, the beings with no belonging, the ones who traded the trials of being mortal for mortality. He has left his corporeal form, cast into this dimension for the spurned in-between. He has purpose here, in this forest of lost souls. And he shall stay here, dancing with the undead and gleefully awaiting the day when he’ll be able to exact his sinister revenge.

«GENERAL M.LIST» · «NAVIGATION» · «TALK TO ME» · «TAGLIST»

TAGLIST @hamburgers101 @chansburgah @hee0soo @ajxreads @anyamaris @hash2013 @pixigreen @ohish @ana-marais98 @chizumiyoshi @lilydaisyyy @jetblackbelle

©jisungsdaydreamer 2023 | All rights reserved. I do not condone translations or transfers of my work onto other platforms such as Wattpad, AO3, etc. Tumblr is my only platform. Acts of plagiarism are strictly prohibited.

[florawrites-blog]

Who you gonna call - ghost lovers enhyepn hyung line

sci-fi/romance/fantasy/ ghost x human - week one halloween sparkle

Story is mainly focused around heeseung and is written in story form

Heeseung, Jay, Jake, and Sunghoon had started their ghost-busting business with high hopes, but lately, business was failing miserably. Calls had dwindled, and the team had been sitting in their office for weeks without any major leads. But then, one late evening, the phone rang.

Jay picked up. His face lit up as he spoke. "Guys! There’s something big. A mansion on the outskirts of town… strange things have been happening there. Men go in, and they never come out the same. Someone said it’s the work of a ghost, a woman who seduces men and steals their souls."

It was the break they needed.

Within the hour, the four of them were geared up, their ghost-hunting equipment in tow. Radioactive sensors, thermal scanners, and containment units—they had it all. The mansion, shrouded in mist, stood tall and eerie against the moonlit sky. As they entered, a cold shiver ran down their spines. The atmosphere was heavy, almost alive, and the scent of old wood and forgotten memories filled the air.

“Stay sharp, guys,” Heeseung warned. They could feel it—the presence. Something was lurking, watching them.

They split up to cover more ground, each taking a different part of the mansion. Jay, always the tactical one, went to the basement. Jake explored the dining area. Sunghoon took the attic. And Heeseung… Heeseung headed to the main bedroom.

This bedroom had once belonged to the ghost, a woman who was brutally betrayed by a man she had loved. He had taken everything from her—her wealth, her trust, her life. Now, she roamed these halls, luring men with her beauty, only to drain their very souls.

As Heeseung stepped inside, he felt a strange pull. The room was eerily beautiful, frozen in time, with a massive bed and old vanity mirror. He sensed her before he saw her.

There she was—sitting by the vanity, combing her long hair, her figure bathed in soft moonlight. She looked human, almost too human. Her eyes, deep and sorrowful, locked with his, and for a moment, Heeseung forgot why he was there.

“You…” Her voice was soft, barely a whisper. “You remind me of someone.”

Heeseung couldn’t move. His heart pounded in his chest, not from fear, but from something else. She stood, slowly approaching him, her gaze never leaving his.

“I wasn’t always like this,” she said, sadness thick in her voice. “I was betrayed. I was used. But you… you’re different.”

Heeseung felt like he was in a trance, his mind clouded by her presence. For a split second, she didn’t seem like a ghost, but a woman—one who had been wronged, just like anyone else.

“You don’t have to fear me,” she whispered, her fingers gently grazing his arm. “I won’t hurt you.”

And he believed her. Somehow, in that moment, he knew he didn’t want to capture her. He didn’t want to see her vanish into the ghost traps they had prepared. But his mind screamed at him, reminding him of why he was there, who she really was.

Heeseung blinked, snapping out of it. "She’s not real. This is the ghost," he told himself, but something in him refused to let her go. So, when Jay’s voice crackled over the radio asking for a status update, Heeseung lied.

“Nothing here,” he said, his voice steady, even though his heart raced. “She’s not here.”

The others believed him. Jake, Jay, and Sunghoon scoured the mansion but found nothing. They eventually left, chalking it up to rumors and leaving Heeseung behind.

But Heeseung stayed.

Night after night, he would return to the mansion. He couldn’t explain why—there was just something about her. The more time he spent with her, the more he understood her pain, her loneliness. Each night, she would appear in human form, and they would talk. Heeseung found himself drawn to her in a way he had never expected, as if her tragic story had intertwined with his own.

Yet, Heeseung knew this couldn’t go on forever. The others would eventually catch on. And so came the day—the day the Ghostbusters were scheduled to return, to finish the job for real this time.

As the day approached, the ghost grew more distant, her eyes filled with sorrow whenever she looked at him.

“It’s time, isn’t it?” she whispered one night, as Heeseung sat beside her on the bed.

He nodded, though his heart clenched at the thought of losing her.

“I don’t want to go,” she confessed, her voice trembling. “But maybe it’s better this way. I’ve been here for so long… maybe I’m just holding on to nothing.”

Heeseung took her hand, his touch warm against the cold of her skin. “I’ll stop them,” he promised. “I’ll find a way.”

But they both knew it was impossible.

The final night came. Jay, Jake, and Sunghoon arrived at the mansion, ready for battle. Heeseung, conflicted, led them in, but his heart wasn’t in it. As they set up their equipment and prepared to capture her, Heeseung found her one last time in the bedroom.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion.

She smiled, a sad, knowing smile. “It’s okay. Maybe this is how it was always meant to end.”

And then, she disappeared into the shadows, leaving Heeseung standing alone in the cold, empty room.

When the team swept the house again, there was no sign of her. No ghost, no spirit. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

Heeseung never told the others what really happened that night. To them, it was just another failed mission. But deep down, he knew the truth.

And every so often, late at night, he would find himself standing outside that mansion, wondering if she was still there, waiting for him.

[heavenlytouches]

Kit Walker- nightmare realm

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

GN reader

<3 (SFW)

TW- sad-comfort (HAPPY END)

Kit Walker has nightmares :(

SECRET JOURNALIST! reader

Kit Walker

The corridor of Briarcliff Manor felt unearthly, its walls peeling with age and its shadows stretched long and menacing. You had ventured into the depths of the asylum under the pretense of an investigative journalist.

In truth, the overriding motive was curiosity and something akin to an internal pull. The rumors about Kit Walker circulated like wisps of ghost stories, and despite warnings etched in the eyes of those who knew him, you found yourself drawn to his tale.

The air was stale, infused with a scent of damp plaster and remnants of despair. You crept quietly past rows of heavy doors, each locking away some piece of tragic history.

As you walked, the echo of your footsteps felt like an intrusion—a reminder to the souls trapped inside their own private hells.

Then you heard it—a muffled sound, a plea lost in the void. It was haunting, resonating deep within you. You pressed your ear against one of the heavy doors.

That sound, a vulnerable whimper, ricocheted off the walls.

"Kit..."

You whispered to yourself, heart racing. The name was practically a spell, summoning you forward.

To your astonishment, the door to his cell creaked open, seemingly of its own accord. It wasn’t locked.

Everything inside you screamed for caution, but curiosity proved too strong a force. Stepping inside, you were greeted by the dim light filtering through the iron-barred window.

The atmosphere was suffocating—heavy with unspoken secrets and regret.

Kit lay thrashing on the small bed, trapped in the claws of a nightmare.

"No! Don’t—"

He shouted, voice laced with terror. Sweat glistened on his pale forehead, his disheveled hair sticking to his face. He looked tormented, and your heart broke at the sight.

You stepped closer, an overwhelming instinct to comfort washing over you.

"Kit. It’s me. It’s okay-"

You said softly, hoping the sound of your voice would pierce through the shadows suffocating him. But as you approached, the nightmare morphed into reality. His eyes snapped open, glassy and wild.

In that moment, it felt as if everything was suspended in time. Kit surged up from the bed, wide-eyed, ready to attack, driven by that primal fear he often portrayed—a fear triggered by the memories of violence that haunted him.

"No!"

You exclaimed, raising your hands in a gesture of peace.

“I’m not here to hurt you!”

He hesitated, eyes searching for a threat that wasn’t there. Recognition washed over him when he realized it was you, the faceless stranger who had dared to enter his world.

All at once, the feral edge faded from his expression. Kit crumpled back onto the bed, hands tangling in his hair, and you could hear the tremors of his despair.

“I… I thought it was her,.."

He whispered, voice breaking, despair pouring from him like a river’s overflow.

“I thought it was the thing that took her from me!”

You rushed to his side, instinct driving you to comfort him. This man, burdened by a weight no one else could understand, needed a lifeline.

“It’s okay. I’m here. You’re safe.”

Your voice was soothing, like a balm against the wounds of his past.

It felt surreal, kneeling beside him on the cold stone floor, torn between fear for your own safety and the instinct to hold him close. He looked so small, so lost. The bravado of his earlier fight drained from him, leaving behind a hollow shell wrapped in grief.

"I didn’t do it… I swear to you. I loved her.."

He murmured, desperation painting his words.

“They don’t believe me. Not anywhere.”

You could feel the tears pricking at your own eyes.

"I believe you, Kit. I believe you."

You said, leaning in closer, your heart aching at the fear displayed on his face. You rested a gentle hand on his back, and he flinched initially, but your touch seemed to diffuse some of the chaos swirling around him.

His body shook, and you watched helplessly as he broke down, tears finally spilling over.

This stricken man—the one rumored to be a killer, the one the world had turned its back on—was just a boy who had lost everything.

You wrapped your arms around him, allowing him to melt against you, creating a fragile sanctuary in the midst of madness.

“Why didn’t I save her?”

He gasped, voice muffled against your shoulder.

“Why didn’t I see it coming?”

You didn’t have the answers—to do so would be to delve into the realm of the unspeakable. But you held him tighter, sharing your warmth, a flicker of hope amid the despair of Briarcliff.

“You can’t blame yourself for what happened, Kit. You’re not a monster. The world is monstrous sometimes.”

His breath slowed, and silence wrapped around you both, a quiet comfort amidst the cacophony of the asylum.

The weight of your roles—journalist and accused—faded away in that moment, leaving only two souls navigating through the darkness together.

“What if I am?”

He murmured, a hint of vulnerability shivering through his voice.

You pulled back slightly, meeting his gaze.

“You’re not. You’re kind and frightened… just like the rest of us. This place makes it hard to be anything else.”

The words hung between you, tender and raw, and you could see a flicker of understanding in his eyes.

Time slipped away as you both remained there, cocooned in shared solace amidst the chaos.

It may have been a fleeting moment, a fragile connection in a cruel environment, but it shimmered with possibility—a promise to find truth, to heal, and perhaps, amid the shadows of a forsaken asylum, to find love.

In the depths of despair, a new chapter began, one that seemed impossible just moments before.

Together, you would confront the darkness, and perhaps, together, you would emerge into the light.

Whenever I watch AHS Asylum I just want to comfort Kit TwT I hope you liked it anyway <3

Don’t forget, requests are always open and I can write for any character you’d like!

I love you guys so much <33

El <3

(all images were made by: El via canva & paint)

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

So as I was just chilling being bored when all of a sudden it hit me. Soulmate aus are sweet and all, but what about a darker soulmate au? Here are the some I think would be most interesting + the pairing I'd want to see them used on (some are my own brain children, others are ones I mixed and matched with the a few I saw):

(Also there are NO LOOPHOLES here at all for those of you who are weak of will and like to try and find ways to weasel in a happy ending. That's right, I see you out there already concocting a bunch of would-be happily-ever-afters smh just let the people suffer.)

Soulmates share the same soul and this soul is split in two. However, souls must be whole, therefore one soulmate must kill the other before their 20th birthday or else both will die. I'm going Ao'nung and Rotxo for this one because HEAR ME OUT they are literally joined at the hip imagine the person you're closest to being the one you'll have to kill. Either them or Kiri and Spider.

Alternatively, soulmates share the same souls (again, split in two) but unlike the first one in this one after they touch each other for the first time they cannot be more than certain distance away from one another or else they will both die. For this one I'm thinking Norm and Tsu'tey because I say so. These two are so different I'm loving the potential. The whole Norm-is-a-human thing would be fun in this one because his avatar does not count. His soul is not moving anywhere, he's just controlling a system of nerves from inside a link.

I really liked this idea I saw about how your soulmate is actually your worst enemy and so I decided to tweak it to where not only are they your worst enemy but also the person you love and hate the most, and the irrational urge to kill them and protect them intensifies with age due to the soul's inability to tell emotions as powerful as love and hate apart with reliable accuracy. Romantic soulmates are nothing but a fairytale. I nominate Neteyam and Lo'ak for this one your honor, no questions asked. However, I also nominate Ao'nung and Tsireya. Both Neteyam and Tsireya are everything Lo'ak and Ao'nung aren not; everything they are compared to and can never be as good as. Love the potential for this one as well. Bonus points if the story chooses both pairs of siblings and each pair handles it differently with one ending up tragic and the other ending happily (or, staying closer to the theme, at least bitter-sweetly).

An au where you can dream your soulmate's memories, but only the memories in which they have killed someone or others are being killed. Neytiri and Jake for this one 100%. The idea of Neytiri screaming awake in the dead of night with Jake's memories of war back on earth still fresh in her mind. I love this especially because Jake is 22 before kyro (and I guess mentally still pretty much when he wakes up) which would make Neytiri around 12 at that time, so imagine the horror.

Soulmate au where a version of hanahaki disease does in fact exist, but only soulmates can catch it---and this is only if your soulmate hates you or does not love you to any extent after a certain amount of time, be it platonic or romantic. I'm feeling Tsu'tey and Jake for this one. This is another darker soulmate au that could have a happy ending, but where's the fun in that?

An au where there is no way to tell who your soulmate is unless one of you dies a horrible or unfortunate death. Suicides count. In honor of Ghost Neteyam, I raise my hand in favor of Neteyam and Spider for this one, but I'll also take some platonic soulmate Spider and Neytiri as well.

All people have more than one soulmate. On its own this is no big deal. However, the soul can only be split two ways. Soulmate groups must kill until there are only two of them left. I'll give this one to all of the locorro people out there. No particular reason. Just like the idea of Lo'ak and Spider having their Last Survivors moment. I'd also take some Jake/Tsu'tey/Neytiri or even the mind-bending Jake/Neytiri/Tonowari/Ronal thing I've seen every now and then. Interpret the circumstances in whatever way you want. Tsu'tey could be the lone survivor of his own soulmate battle after something went wrong who just kind of latches onto Jake (and platonically Neytiri); Ronal and Tonowari and Jake and Neytiri could be survivors of their own separate soulmate battles who find that there's been a glitch, who can say.

At birth all soulmate pairs are given all of their traits unevenly. Some of these traits or small like one getting all of the ability to see color while the other has to see in monochrome, or one being able to smell but the other not. However, sometimes it can be far worse, such as in our pairing's case: one being able to feel emotions and the other not, and one being able to feel physical sensations and the other not. For this one I'm thinking either Ao'nung and Rotxo (I think I may be entering an Ao'nung/Rotxo phase and I legit don't know why like there's no reason) or maybe Ao'nung and Neteyam (just to appease all of the aonete*?* people out there), but I also like the idea of it being platonic soulmates Neteyam and Tuk because why not.

And that's all for now, folks! Boredom Anon out.

Hey Boredom Anon, that's me trying to finagle the happy endings fuck off it's hurt/COMFORT not hurt/NO COMFORT in this house. This is pretty fucked up of you, okay. I'm thrilled we are still on our soulmate au shit, though. I'm swamped with edits for my final portfolios for my two workshop classes rn lol. I should give you all snippets but tweak them for Avatar :).

-Ao'nung and Rotxo is pretty fucking sad, bUT KIRI AND SPIDER? You can't convince me that Spider wouldn't be happily planning to die for Kiri his whole fucking life. He has a purpose and he's thrilled to fulfill it.

-I like the distance one because it does have some comedic elements. Norm and Tsu'tey get into an argument and they just have to sit as far as possible facing the other direction like glaring away from each other lol. Like, if this is the way the world is then people have probably adapted pretty well to handle it. I think I understand you correctly about it being Norm's human form that has to be close. This doesn't make full sense to me, because it seems like the soul is what transfers between bodies. If thats the case though, I would just assume that Norm would have to pass through the eye of Eywa pretty quick lol. I did immediately picture the image of them having sex with Norm's human body like in a corner cause we need that nearby and that made me cackle unreasonably I'm so sorry.

-Sibling pair angst I can totally get behind. I mean, one already did end tragically lol. I like the idea of things settling eventually for Ao'nung and Tsireya, but Neteyam dies before Lo'ak was able to work out their emotions. That is essentially the truth.

-Dream one is pretty good, I feel like it has such empath potential. Adult Neytiri then seeing Jake has been haunted by his memories of war trauma as much as he's been haunted by hers of Sylwanin's death. I think you've accidentally made them closer from the get go lol, because they See each other sooner. It would be hard not to talk about these things they've seen, and hard not to understand where the other is coming from when you've seen their most traumatic moments. I actually really love this one. @dinas-bracelet work it into the dream one.

-THE FUN IS IN THE COMFORT YOU SOCIOPATH. I wasn't going to rat you out for this but guys, Boredom Anon sent me three long asks in like less than an hour. Mhm, see, we all know now. I actually have never vibed with Hanahaki, it's one of the tropes I've learned about the latest in life. I love the Jake and Tsu'tey idea though. Jake would be the one to get it, because I don't think he ever hates Tsu'tey. I think he'd forbid Neytiri from telling Tsu'tey, and eventually she'd crack when he started to get really sick.

-I will get on board for Ghost Neteyam for this one because I am DETERMINED that Spider and Ghost Neteyam can have a happy ending, okay? I have yet to figure out how. But they can.

-This idea is like the fucking Hunger Games, dude. I'm picturing like a government conspiracy where thy say the soul can only be split two ways so they Hunger Games you and locorro, who've known and loved each other their whole lives, are determined to win. But everyone else in their group are so good as well, and idk, I'm thinking it's all a lie and the government just hates poly people. Doesn't want those soulmates too powerful, Sense8 style. Very tragic, very cool, we are writing our lgbtq rep dystopian novel rn.

-Lol we love an Ao'nung and Rotxo phase frfr. If you want it to be like a goddamn superpower mix it with those au's where they can take each others pain and injuries. Once they meet, they can swap sensations, right? Like they pass the colors back and forth, as well as pain and certain emotions. It's kind of creepy because it makes them like, not real people to an extent.

Anyways, always fun to discuss soulmate aus Boredom Anon. We all love you but fuck you for this one!

[darkyouthgentlemen]

arcane's final

Well, well, well... it’s the finale, and I’m not okay. Let’s break it down.

BE AWARE: SPOILERS AHEAD! (and srry for my english)

Ramblings about the last 3 episodes in the chronological order:

Vi seeing Lois as a Wander figure was gut-wrenching (especially considering what is going to happen in the last episode 😢)

Caitlyn’s brutality on Maddi oh ... for a moment I felt bad for her but as turned out, Catelyn's attitude got justified.

Jinx apologizing for C's mom? Meanwhile, Piltover soldiers — and Caitlyn herself — choose blood and felt that means justify the goal. The layers of moral grayness are SO much.

Jayce’s thinking: "Magic = Hextech = Arcane = Doom." Does he think all magic users are destined to destroy the world? And wait—could Mel somehow be tied to Arcane? (I’m spiraling.)

Powder/Jinx is the same across universes: pouring into others cups but never for themselves. Always feeling unworthy. It HURTS.

Silco hallucination: “Walking away” doesn’t HAVE to mean suicide, girl! And the glowing Hextech-blue eye? WHAT IF Silco is more than a hallucination—a ghost, maybe tied to the Arcane underworld? That scene gutted me. Silco comforting Jinx in his own twisted way even from underworld—I NEED TO BELIEVE THIS.

she just kept them there all this time…. Girl don’t close it!!!! you can do so much more

Viktor’s transformation into the Herald: it was terrifying. And overall this transition? From him wanting to create a perfect world, where the whole world being his some creepy doll-house and now he wants to eliminate the whole world.... it escalated pretty quickly (sure your lover not being very accepting of your new life direction and wanting to assasinate you isnt very motivating thing but still Viktor’s journey hauntingly tragic).

Oh and Zahnites’ epic entrance: ICONIC. It felt like there wasn't enough accent given to this moment or it can be my own feelings but still, it would hve been great to see more interactions about it. And Viktor’s entrance? Literal angelic imagery. His design is nightmare fuel in the best way.

Remember when Jinx dreamed of flying in the first episode? she made it evetually. Those days feel peaceful now

Sour Honey Iced Tea: What even was that?! Will it matter in the future? like getting your mind prepared to get wiped out? I NEED ANSWERS.

Ekko’s so much MC and the way writers implemented the time-travel ability was so beautiful. and those 4 seconds mattering so much in the finale.

I love the artists behind this design...

First time deing his eyes with the not-blurred pupil in forever, and he looks utterly shocked. My BABY

“Now all I want is my partner back.” Girl, I’m crying on the floor o(TヘTo).

"Why do you persist after everything Ive done?" his face is just

Victor and the Void: So the Void wasn’t manipulating him? It was all his choice?! or no??? a little confused by this part. But if it really was all Voctors choice the I guess friendship and forgiveness are a real thing that saved him? MY HEART.

Meanwhile, girls are in PTSD spiral. 💔

oh that hurt

Oh, and they DARED. Of course, they gave us another bittersweet trauma-filled father-daughter moment. Thanks for the tears.

Pretty much represents how we all felt at that moment

A season ago, who would have thought

In these series everyone's story gets to be told. You made it Singe,

What is this???

Caitlyn calling Jinx by her name? It’s a turning point for her and for us—an acknowledgment. Girls have a lot of stuff to do

I could keep screaming, but yeah. This finale hit like a freight train. Bittersweet, devastating, and absolutely perfect.... They are not going to leave us without any continuation, right???

[illegally-blind-and-deaf]

PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT THE AFFAIR WITH THE TEDDY BEAR I AM INTRIGUED

OK SO

It's a Tintin and Hercule Poirot crossover because we need our two Belgians with a thing for mysteries and weird hair features and excellent grey cells to come together and collaborate on solving a mystery.

What's even better is that we have absolutely no information on Tintin's backstory, other than he is Belgian. Zero, zilch, nyet, nada. None whatsoever.

Soooooo what if he was the son of important diplomats and government agents? What if they tragically died in a murder and house fire?

What if he survived?

What if the detective the Belgian police sent to solve the mystery was none other than the great Hercule Poirot?

And what happened when their paths cross, twelve years later?

My favourite scene is when the bellboy (the one with very blue eyes, but one of them is slightly more green,) is being questioned at a police station for having an important piece of evidence in his pocket, and he is promising that he would never, ever be involved in a murder because he hates murderers, but Inspector Japp doesn't believe him, so Poirot pulls out the little teddy bear... and the boy's eyes go wide, says some things that are spoilerrrrrs and then they realise they're been looking st this murder mystery from the wrong end and BOOM everything starts to for into place and it's time Poirot look at that case from 12 years ago that went cold.

He solves it, obviously.

Other fabourite scene is when Poirot is doing his dramatic "reveal the murderer thing" and he has the Teddy Bear retell the story from 12 years ago when the original murders occurred. (The voice of the teddy bear is actually Hubert Valentine who's death was staged because Hubert isn't his actual name and also he's the main target but that's literally what this story is about so um not saying any more because spoilers.) Then the lights go out and suddenly there's a figure in the window. He steps forwards, the sheer curtains blowing around him as he enters the moonlight where two scars (one on his forehead and the other on his neck) are apparent on his pale skin and everyone screams because IT'S THE GHOST OF HUBERT VALENTINE and Poirot asks who killed him and he looks at the murderer and points and everyone is going feral and the murderer is restrained by the police while Poirot turns on the lights and explains everything and Hubert is setting himself laughing at everyone's reactions

I have had many thoughts

Also, not that this will mean too much because you're not in the Tintin fandom, but the Chinese boy with a French accent is Chang Chong-Cheng. Why does he have a French accent? Because the person who helped him with English was also teaching him French at the same time and is also Belgian. So, do what you will with that

[breakaway71]

ANIJATP PLEASE

aaaaaaaahhhh I love this fic SO MUCH but I uuuuhhhh legitimately sort of forgot it existed until like a week ago when I found it on my flashdrive and was like DID I WRITE THIS IN A FEVER DREAM OR SOMETHING?? So this is my JATP/Animorphs crossover, which is mostly canon-compliant for both universes, except the Yeerk war ended more quietly than in the books, so they were still secret at the end. Essentially, Reggie was also an Animorph, getting caught up in it by virtue of being Marco's older cousin, who was visiting when Elfangor crashed in the construction site. The war ended, and a couple months later Reggie ate a bad hot dog and died anyway. (Yup I managed to make hot dog death even more ironic and tragic.) The story picks up post-S1, and Reggie is struggling because his friends still don't know his secret, and he also misses his other team and wants to know that they made it, that they're okay, that they recovered from the war and losing Rachel everything else that happened to them. Also I accidentally made it Marco/Ax :D snippet:

“Reg?” he hears from far away. “Dude, what’s wrong?”

“I…” Reggie shakes his head, coming back to himself all at once to find that he’s shaking all over, jaw clenched around a scream. “No, I’m, um. I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine,” Alex says, and Reggie turns to find him hovering at his other shoulder, looking worried.

“Bad dream,” Reggie mumbles, and can’t miss the look Luke and Alex exchange. Because, yeah, they’ve seen him zone out before, but it doesn’t happen to them. He doesn’t know if it’s a trauma thing or just a himthing, and honestly doesn’t want to know. “Look, it’s fine. I’m all good.” He tries for a smile and knows it falls short when Luke crowds in closer, reaching out to grab Reggie’s shoulders.

“Hey,” he says. “You know you can talk to us, right?”

Reggie just barely stops himself from snorting. Yeah, he can talk to them. He can tell them all his wartime trauma stories, and then wave goodbye as they cart him off to a rubber room for ghosts. Sounds fun.

“I…”

“Whatever stupid thing you’re about to say,” Alex says, “don’t.” He nudges Reggie’s side. “Come on, you think we didn’t notice all those times you disappeared on us? We knew something was going on. You don’t have to tell us what it was, but it’s obviously still bugging you, dude. We’re your best friends. We’ll listen if you want us to. You know that, right?”

Reggie shakes his head, not because he doesn’t know, and not because he doesn’t want to talk to them, but because he promised. Because even if he could tell them everything (and he can, he knows he can, they’re ghosts now and even if the Yeerks were still on Earth, his friends would be safe by default because they don’t have bodies to infest), he wouldn’t know where to start.

Once upon a time, I was visiting my cousin, and he and his best friend and a few other kids dragged me through this construction site on our way home from the mall. A dying alien crash landed his ship right in front of us, and suddenly playing bass with you guys wasn’t the most important thing in my world, no matter how much I still wanted it to be.

“I can’t…I…” Reggie swallows. In a much smaller voice, he says, “I promised. A long time ago.” It’s the only excuse he has. “I’m sorry.”

Another look is exchanged, but then Luke and Alex are hugging him, one on either side, and for a little while, that’s the only thing that matters.

[witchofthesouls]

Hi! A little request or brainrot here! I love everything that is considered paranormal idk why, the fact that maybe science can't have an answer to everything is just fascinating to me.

What about more of tfp autobots having strange encounters with paranormal stuff, like wendigos, fairies, fauns, mermaids. Good creatures like fairies that try to guide them and help them from affar, bad evil ones that try to cause harm

Random scenarios where idk they're looking for something in specific in the forest, but they fell like they're being watched everytime they're in that forest, and they can't find what they're looking for or any traces of it, so when they come back the kids tells them that many forests have "owners" or creatures that protects them, so they have to make an offering, and ask for permission to enter, after that they didn't had a problem to find this object or mine etc.

In other forest they are just taking a walk at night when they see many people dancing around a bonfire, but these people was strange, they had horns, tail and goat like legs, there was music flute and tambourine,  in one blink of their optics, everything was gone, like the bonfire was never there, just silence, probably fauns.

More creepy encounters, hearing the voices of the kids calling them from a distance, they try to follow them but after a while they noticed they've been gone for hours and they're way too deep in the forest, then they realize the kids stayed in the base. The conclusion, a wendigo tried to get them lost.

Remember when arcee and optimus went to the artic I think and almost die? They had to go back for a different reason, but from a distance they saw something looking at them from affar, it looked like it was a human, but this creature was in the water and it was as big as them or even more, just its torso and head out, because of the blizzard, they didn't see its features, it was like it didn't had eyes, nose, hair or a mouth, eventually it went back to the water, they made a note to stay away from the water, arcee made some research and surprise apparently it was a ningen.

Maybe other more "paranormal" stuff like haunted places where many tragic events had place, like abandoned villages that were scenarios of witch hunts and many innocents were executed. Hearing people, mainly women asking for mercy, or screaming they're innocent. But these villages were abandoned many decades ago.

Ratchet was very skeptical about many things, but after being in contact with this, he became more open and actually a little scared of whats outside his understanding

Sorry for my bad english

I feel this, anon. I'm actually looking to explore more of these concepts in my works on AO3. The supernatural, paranormal, and mythos and legends. What if those were real, or held some truths?

I'm really digging the thought that such beings were also interested in the Cybertronian artifacts. It would be such an interesting play with "Unicron-is-Earth" subplot, especially since it could be argued that the Fair folk, yokai, demonic entities, and so on are more in-tuned with the Unmaker, so it also raises the question of humanity's role among such beings as well.

I mean, the ghost stories and undead superstitions? The widespread tales of animal brides/grooms? The strange feeling in liminal spaces?

There's a lot to work with here.

[elvenbeard]

AAHHH!!! I *finally* got to play a little more Phantom Liberty today öahjsdföasklfasfhdfs

First I wanted to riot slightly cause GoG didn't find my install anymore (but rescanning folders did the trick).

Man OH MAN. I'm really just rambling about how fucking cool this game is below the cut, but beware of spoilers!!

"How the fuck do I keep ending up in these situations..."

I played all the way up to meeting Reed and agreeing to work with him back in the President's hideout. This was also the point up until I'd seen the gameplay at Phantom Liberty Tour back in August, but I also saw a loooot of new stuff o.o The demo back then started at entering the Stadium (when V walks through that area with cyberarms hanging from the ceiling) - stopped at meeting Myers in the crashed plane - continued at arriving at the hideout with her and then ended, as I said, with shaking hands with Reed.

SO. The whole "how do we get the president to the hideout" sequence was completely new to me AND MAAAN. That Chimera fight was so good like?? The whole setup and everything, I didn't expect such a big and epic boss fight so early on in the expansion at all, really sets the tone I guess xD First V gets his face bashed in by the President, then gets his ribs broken by this thing, things can only get better from here on. That whole section gave me such Bioshock vibes actually like... the Art Deco architecture the "amazing city that turned out so awful" vibes, it's impeccable, and I love it so so much. Really gotta take some time to properly explore everything (and now I gotta wait for Reed to call me back so, best opportunity).

I saw that thing under the tarp and was like "oh yeah, later on in the story this is gonna come back to bite me in the ass" - only that in this case "later" was "five minutes later" not "10 story missions later" as I anticipated XD

Also, I gotta say, I really don't trust Myers or Songbird much at this point with their intentions. I mentioned this previously... how convenient for Songbird to know to contact V via the Relic, but how the hell did she know about it in the first place, that he had it, where he was at, etc.? And then, in the Space Force One Wreck there was the shard with the answer! They knew about the Konpeki heist and two involved mercs through an informant potentially working at Arasaka. Yet, when I then deliberately chose a dialogue later on where V was like "yeah, I got Arasaka's Relic stuck in my head" Myers was all "oh, what really! how peculiar!". And maybe she really didn't know and I'm reading too much into it, but I'm really not liking her vibes atm at all XD (as a character though she's so cool, not at all how I'd picture a typical NUSA president, and I get the impression she doesn't really like the role all that much - I wanna read up on her background lore as soon as I'm done playing XD). AND. The shard on the plane specifically mentions Johnny on the Relic AND I'M CALLING IT NOW like I called it before, I BET they're really after Johnny's engram to do some experimenting with it for some fucked up Militech scheme. And in return V gets to live or some crap. URGH. I hope I'm wrong but I said it before "Phantom Liberty" (if you read it as in "a ghost that was freed" or "no real freedom") screams to me that this all boils down to something happening to Johnny in a messed up way in the end in exchange for V's life. Analogue to the Devil ending, but instead of Arasaka you have Militech/NUSA (if I'm wrong, please don't spoiler it to me, and if I'm right or close, please don't spoiler it either XD I wanna see just how far off I am myself XDD)

Songbird being MIA is hmmm... Not quite suspicious, but I'm wondering if she is still alive or maybe also doomed to be a construct now, but I'm really not sure. It would be kinda disappointing, I'd like to meet her in person still and am excited to see what she is gaining in all of this. I like the tragic "gifted criminal kid turned government asset" trope a lot and I'm curious to see how her story develops.

I'm also loving all the lifepath specific dialogues so much, I'm actually learning something new now and then about what Vince's Arasaka job was actually truly like at the core!

Also Myers roasting him for not having had a high enough security clearance to know about Reed xDD So rude! But I'm so so so curious how Ex-Arasaka agent with occasional homesickness to the corporate world and FIA-Sleeper agent with a big Arasaka-grudge are gonna work together o.o

I feel like, they're either really gonna see eye-to-eye very much or will continue to clash over and over and V is gonna come out as the loser at the end of this xD But currently, me as the player I'm trusting no one, and Vince as being caught up in all of this tries to play nice and be on everyone's good side but behind the scenes does not trust any of them one bit either xD It's really more a one hand washes the other kinda deal for him with no long-term obligations.

I'm also LOVING Johnny in all of this so far like... Vince and he don't get along that well most of the time for a variety of reasons. And so far, even though I got the Sun ending as my canon (as of right now), I feel like Vince acted more out of desperation than real trust or anything in going down that path and not any other. So I think Phantom Liberty *might* be the storyline that has been missing for me personally so far to really legitimize to myself that Vince would trust Johnny enough to let him take over his body for that last mission or go on a suicide run through Arasaka Tower with him. They are really seeing eye to eye on a lot of the stuff that's going on, both paranoid and suspicious, both not liking to swear any oaths or work for the FIA or anything like that. Bonding over their shared dislike for all the secrecy and scheming xD

Speaking of timelines, I found an ingame date for the 16th of June about an meeting Myers was to attend and another meeting scheduled for June 18th - sounding like the 16th is already passed at this point and the plane crash probably happening on the 16th or 17th or something like this... which completely throws my previously established timeline overboard :D But also stretches the canonical timeline a bit, if my assumptions are right, which would be nice and a lot more realistic than "like, a month, for all of that to happen". (For reference, in my timeline for Vince without PL I put the last quest on June 9th).

But that's only speculation ofc!

Then I also had my first vehicle gig for Muamar and omggg I loved this little convo with him so fucking much?? Like, this really built up his character so nicely, and the whole car stealing scheme would also be super down Vince's alley XD

And this exchange I LOVED sm:

Vince, car nerd surpreme, offering to fix the Cap's car, and Muamar's response: certain things I don't do halfway -> my clothes, my cut, my cars. Vince 100% seconds that sentiment XDD Like, so far I have to admit Muamar never really grabbed me that much as a character and I felt like he and Vince probably didn't have much in common. I was wrong XD

I also wanted to pay Mr. Hands a visit in his funky pyramid, but he wouldn't let me in yet. I'm so looking foward to finally playing his gigs now :D And seeing what else Dogtown has to offer in terms of stories and side jobs :o

Others mentioned it already, but I'm loving this place's design so so much... it feels like a different city altogether, the style of the buildings and everything is so unique and it's such a biiiig sprawling place o.o

And a random little thing I noticed, there's a lot of little cinematic moments now (the contextual removal of the HUD for conversations for example is such a good new feature). And occasionally the camera will automatically pan to interesting events or V's optics zoom in automatically - it was a bit weird the first time it happened but I really like it in a way? I noticed it during the part of rescuing Myers where you had to sneak past the huge Barghest drone (also such a good good moment, I'm loving all the stealth, parkour, and whatnot, the level design is *so good* hhhhh).

And finally, when I decided "okay, I'm gonna go to bed now" and was just about to close the game... I got a text message from Kerry I didn't know yet :DDD

(the fucking emojis with noses, Kerry pls, your age is really showing)

Like... I did not expect new texts from the LIs, and yeah, this got me really excited xD (and yeh I obviously had to read all the different outcomes and there *are* some differences depending on what you text back. I love it sm). AND. Then I called him. And there's new conversations about the events of PL too??? Hello?

Man I wish there was something like that for the other missions but obviously, with how late-game Kerry's romance is that sadly doesn't make much sense. So this is also something that made me tremendously happy (and also adds some new depth and bits and pieces to Kerry's character, which I'm always so here for XD). Exicted to see if there's more to talk about with him as the expansion progresses - I doubt it, but I'm ready to be surprised, maybe also by the other main NPCs that you're not in a relationship with.

That one V will definitely bear in mind for whatever is to come. Hhhhh I'm so excited!!