#gabriel about gave me a heart attack

[wetwork09]

— "Be not afraid, sinner. Your devotion to God shows goodness in you; plentiful indeed. The heart is willing but the body must rest, lest you squander one of the Lord’s creations."

ㅤ ㅤ "Radiant is Gabriel, for he is the ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤlight in my darkness." —

I think that FerryGabe is one of the most beautiful and poetic relationships in the whole ULTRAKILL, no matter if you see it as platonic, romantical, sexual or religious.

I believe that Ferrymen are former soldiers, having to exist in Wrath and drown in regretful sorrow of their past. But which soldiers? Those, who were defending their Motherland, their people, themselves. Not the ones who were attacking. I'm sure they were scared, and that developed in both apathy and inhuman anger. And to have at least some kind of hope while fighting against machines, they turned to religion.

So of course, their soul is purer than one of just an aggressive and spiteful person in the past. They deserve to be much closer to Heaven, through their holy clothing and, even if not planned at first, personal contact with one of the Archangels.

"Suddenly, there was a light as brilliant as the Lord himself, ushering me from the darkness with mighty arms that held me with such compassion and warmth as I have never known..."

"His gentle words eased the pain and mended my wounds. My face wet with tears of relief, my words muffled by the weight of my duty. I could only lay in reverence, carried in the embrace of majesty."

Just read in these words of one of the Ferrymen. They describe their saviour, Gabriel, the only Archangel that at least somehow cared about the damned ones, as some sort of miracle. Someone more than saviour and just a holy figure. He basically twisted their view of their life in Hell to all 180 degrees. He gave them motivation to keep helping other sinners, to keep defending those threatened, like they used to do back in the days as a soldier.

And the mere fact that they are in Wrath, layer of Hell just before Heresy, sinners of which even God himself will never accept or forgive (as I believe), and yet they deserved such mercy and tender care from someone like Gabriel, it probably blew their mind. I'm not even deeply discussing the fact that they literally tore off their skin to be closer to the divine, while they're on edge of being unforgivable and even Sisyphean Insurrectionists have more chances to one day ascent to the Skies' Kingdom than them.

No wonder they would make sculptures, holograms, paintings of him. He is one of the reasons why they continue standing every day. A reason to continue living and not drown themselves. His words are not a simple compliment, they're like a well remembered prayer, a sweet and desired melody in mind of this Ferryman that always plays to keep them happy and hopeful.

Considering how sinful Gabriel is in his nature, as minimum from the pride he took in defeating Minos and Sisyphus, there is a possibility that they could be together more personally than a believer with an angel. I honestly think that they can even participate in lustful actions, at least after Gabriel would wipe out the Heavenly Council.

This is my perspective and anatomy practice. And a text composition practice too, English is not my first language, but I'm really interested in writing. I'll appreciate all kinds of support.

(please dont look at the date i barely had ±30 minutes every 2-3 days to draw because of school (a full art of mine takes approximately 20 hours or more to finish because i suck))

[kuromori4]

Gabriel Agreste's despicable request

I started this rant after watching the London special and I figured I should finally finish it and post it.

"Make sure Adrien never knows the villain that I was, and instead try and remember the times I tried to be a good father."

Who the hell does he think he is to make such a request?? He's relying on Marinette's desire to protect the boy she loves. He KNOWS that she'll do as he asks for Adrien. He's counting on it. And that's AWFUL. He has to know exactly what he's putting on her shoulders. He knows that she knows what an awful father he's been to Adrien. This isn't a heartfelt request to protect his son. This is a CURSE ON HIS ENEMY. A way to ensure that Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Ladybug, the major thorn in his side since day one, continues to suffer long after he's gone. Ladybug foiled all of his plans from the start, Marinette dared to win the heart of his son, whom he had promised to someone else without his knowledge. She was his downfall, and surely, in his mind, the (albeit indirect) cause of his impending doom.

If he really cared about Adrien, if Adrien's well-being was his real goal and final wish, then he should have given in. He should have decided, "You're right Ladybug, I fucked up. let's try and fix this, for Adrien." But NO. He chose to attack her, even after she gave him a chance to make things right. He wasn't willing to let things end on someone else's terms. If he was going to go out, he was going to do it HIS WAY. And he was going to make sure that his memory would never die, one way or another. So instead of doing the right thing and finding a way out of it that was less harmful to his child, whom he was about to leave an orphan, he steals the Miraculous and makes damn sure that his death will go down in history.

I don't give a shit if he changed the initial intention of his wish. He still wasn't sacrificing himself for some greater good. That's just how he wanted Marinette to perceive it, because she is good, and a child, and therefor easy to emotionally manipulate. He knowingly put both Adrien and Marinette into a position where a future of hurt and pain was inevitable. Everything Gabriel does is self-serving, right to the very end. His final act of villainy ensured that he could maintain control over his son's life even after his death, and keep his enemies suffering long after he's gone. And what's worse, he used the girl his son loves to enforce it. Which is the ultimate fuck you to Mari/bug if you ask me; forcing her to become the new keeper of his son's ignorance, maintaining that Adrien stays in the dark and never learns the truth about anything.

You could argue that he gave his life for Nathalie and that's somehow redeeming, but I argue that it was just another way for him to guarantee that his affairs were taken care of after his demise. Sure he does seem to care about Nathalie in some manner, maybe there's even some love there. (But as we well know, Gabriel's twisted 'love' seems to come at a price.) I'm sure Nathalie knows how to run his company in his stead, to make sure his assets stay in tact, and to a certain degree, maybe even thinks that Nathalie might carry on his mission, or at the very least protect his secrets. Even if she had a change of heart in the end and tried to stop him, she has been complicit all these years and knows most of, if not all of, his secrets and goals. She also has a position of authority over Adrien. She knows that he's a Sentibeing and where his Amok is, and has used it on him before. I truly think that Gabriel believed that Nathalie would help wrap everything up with a nice bow for him. Who else could he trust to handle his final affairs? Certainly not Tsurugi.

If Gabriel had turned himself in to Ladybug, he would have died alone, pretty much then and there. Without his wife. (Emilie's status of dead or nearly dead being unknown to us) Nathalie would have died, His company would fail, his contracts with Tsurugi enterprises would allow Tomoe to pick the Gabriel company apart like a vulture, and his empire would shrivel up. His son would know who and what he was, and would hate him. The plans he put in place for Adrien's future would fall apart, allowing for Adrien to grow and be who he wants without his father's influence. Maybe he'd be remembered for his villainy, but his accomplishments in life as Gabriel would be forgotten, lost, even resented. And what's worse, he would have lost everything to a couple of children. His son's girlfriend and her pet cat would be his downfall, his undoing. The great Gabriel Agreste, Monarch, bested by a young girl. Gabriel's blatant pretension would never stand for it.

His wish ensured that he got to be together with his wife in the end, Which was always his goal. It ensured that Mari/bug (And by extension, Chat Noir) would continue to suffer for daring to oppose him. He got his way. He won. IDGAF if he died. HE WON. He destroyed so many lives. He doesn't deserve the little comments in the special talking about "Rekindling what was still good in Gabriel Agreste" or "What finally made him a good father to Adrien." HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS ASKING OF HER. He knew what it would mean for her, and his son! The power he holds over Marinette and Adrien from beyond the grave guarantees that even with a new Butterfly holder, that he will ALWAYS be the formidable villain who defeated them. He will ALWAYS loom over their heads, wrap his fingers around their throats. He got to defeat his enemy AND look like the hero. He gets to have his cake and eat it too. He gave both of his identities a fucking LEGACY.

[imherongraystairstrash]

The beginning

Found this little Gabrily fic in my drafts and I thought it would be nice to share it, I hope you enjoy! -Annie

Gabriel rolled his neck and sighed as he walked back home after a long night of patrolling. Being a young shadowhunter, the clave usually assigned Gabriel ungodly patrol hours almost every night, because his body could supposedly handle it better than older shadowhunters. These hours were taking their toll on his body however, and he often woke with headaches and muscle strain. 

Tonight, Gabriel was patrolling London streets without the usual company of his brother-in-law Will nor Tessa as they were away on Institute business at Idris. Cecily and Gabriel are temporary heads in their absence, as they have been in the past. 

The institute was silent as he stepped in, though the entrance usually was. He walked up the long staircase, his steps heavy as he held on to the veranda. He had taken a nasty fall which was now making his bad ankle act up. As he reached the landing he could hear soft humming coming from his room. As he approached, he saw Cecily, sitting by the fire, knitting was seemed to be a  small jumper. She was singing a Welsh song and had a soft smile on her lips. 

Cecily had recently reached what Charlotte and Sophie call the “nesting” phase in her pregnancy, were she is preparing everything for the upcoming baby, from knitting clothes to setting up the nursery. Gabriel almost had a heart attack when he found her on the top step of a latter unsupervised trying to hang a painting on the wall.

“It’s for the baby, Gabriel.” 

“I know, darling, but my concern is if you fall just so, there won’t be a baby to be had.”

Cecily had waved him off as if this were an impossibility. 

Tonight, Gabriel was relieved to find that she hadn’t gotten herself into any predicaments. 

Cecily must have sense his presence because she suddenly stopped singing and looked up, smiling wider when she saw his face. 

“What are you doing up so late?” Gabriel asked, returning her smile and walking over, bending down to kiss the top of her head. 

“I couldn’t sleep. The baby was kicking my organs, which made me want to vomit. So I decided I should get along with knitting some clothes for her.” She held up the jumper. “Do you like it?” 

“It’s lovely, Cecy. Now, how about you lay down in bed and try to get some sleep? I’ll change out of my gear and join you.” Gabriel said, helping her out of the arm chair.

“Oh,” Cecily’s eyes softened as she looked up at him and put a hand to his face. “You look so tired, cariad. Surely the Clave can give you some time off of patrols?”

Gabriel kissed her palm. “There have been overworked shadowhunters before me, and there will be overworked shadowhunters after me. Some things will never change, darling. Besides, you looking exhausted yourself.” 

Cecily hummed. “How is it that we are already tired and the child isn’t even born yet?”

…

By the time Gabriel finally got to bed, Cecily was tucked in, the sheets pulled up to her nose. He smiled, having looked forward to this moment all day. He laid down beside his wife with a relieved sigh, his fatigued muscles finally relaxing. 

“Is your ankle giving you trouble again?” She asked quietly. 

He nodded, “I slipped and landed on it funny.” Gabriel had broken his right ankle as a child and had never fully healed. It tended to hurt from time to time, but there was really no way of fixing it entirely.

“I could fetch you some ice—”

“No, I’ll survive.” He gave her hand a squeeze. “I’d much rather have you beside me.”

She smiled at him before wincing and putting a hand to her stomach.

“Is she still kicking?” Gabriel asked in wonder. He knew there was a developing baby inside his wife at the moment, and yet at times he’d forget. There was a living creature. Inside of his wife. He was equal parts awed as he was slightly disturbed. 

Cecily nodded. “She’s a strong one, that’s for sure.” She said, her accent slipping and becoming incredibly Welsh, as she began nearing sleep, something Gabriel always found incredibly adorable. 

He put a hand beside her’s and sure enough, he felt one of the baby’s limbs pushing against Cecily’s belly. Gabriel chuckled, “What is she doing in there? Practicing her waltz?”

“Seems like it,” Cecily giggled. “She’s been restless all day.”

Gabriel pressed a gentle kiss on her lips before putting his arms around her. Cecily turned on her side, fitting her back to his chest. Gabriel moved her raven black hair and kissed the spot just below her earlobe. 

“Just think, in a couple weeks we will be parents.” Cecily said, happily.

“Angel help this child.” Gabriel said, laughing. 

Tagging: @tsccreatorsnet  @atla-lok143  @rinadragomir  @youngreckless  @autumnangel20  @julemmaes @cupcakesandkittens  @no-scones-allowed  @ninacarstairss  @stxr-thxif    @will-effing-herondale  @axoloteca @heronstairs2014 @ilovemanicures @ti-bae-rius @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @readersconfessions812 @nightshade3465 @livvyheronstairs @zemiraa @proudtobealuthor @neurogliadudette @theenchanteddreamer  @shadowhunting-hoolingans @writeordie-4 @amchara @myangelbach @livingformyself @dancing-under-the-moon @julescarstairs @wouldyouknowmeblind @grace-lightwoodd  @ilikebooksandtvshows @ezras-starry-bridges

[over-the-moon-for-you]

Don't Leave

✩ Gabriel O'Hara x Reader

✩ summary: Gabriel has a nightmare that hits him hard, but you are there to comfort him

✩ notes: this is kinda based off the idea that Lyla had sent a message to Gabriel telling him that his brother was going off to another universe because Miguel refused to do so

"He's not coming back. I'm sorry, Gabriel," Lyla's message read.

Gabriel froze as he read the message, muttering, "No. No..." He frantically dialed Miguel's number but was sent to voicemail each time. His heart sank. This couldn't be happening. Would Miguel really do this to him?

He let the phone slip out of his hand as his vision became blurry and his knees gave out, causing him to drop to the floor.

"P-Please... please... come back..." he choked out as he began to sob. Tears streamed down his face as he struggled to breathe. It was all too much for him to comprehend. Why wasn't he enough?

Your eyes fluttered open as you heard soft whimpers next to you. Quickly, you sat up in worry as you saw Gabriel shifting around in his sleep, a few tears slipping down his cheeks, and his breathing heavy.

You could tell that whatever nightmare he was having, it was a rough one, but you had no clue how to wake him up from it.

Slowly, you placed a hand on top of his upper arm. "Amor?" you spoke softly, hoping to get him out of this state.

A moment later, Gabriel's eyes quickly shot open, and he let out a gasp for air as he sat up. He looked around frantically, shaking a bit as the nightmare still lingered in his mind.

"Hey, hey, I'm right here. It's okay, baby. I'm here," you cooed, trying to get Gabriel to recognize he was safe. His eyes finally met yours. Even in the dark room, you could see the fear and pain that painted his face, your heart breaking at the sight. His lip quivered before throwing his arms around your waist and burying his head into your chest, letting out a sob. You wrapped your arms around him comfortingly, resting your chin on top of his head as he let out his emotions.

"Please don't leave me... please... please..." His voice was muffled, but you could still make out what he said.

"Shhh... I'm not going anywhere. I'm here with you, honey," you whispered, running a hand through his hair comfortingly.

The two of you stayed like this for a few minutes until he simply couldn't cry anymore. He now sniffled and hiccupped as he gradually calmed himself down. You could tell his breathing was returning to normal, which made you relax a bit.

After a brief moment of silence, you finally spoke up.

“…Do you want to talk about it?" you asked softly, hoping you wouldn't upset him again. You could hear him let out a soft sigh. His hand was tracing random shapes on your thigh as he gathered his thoughts together.

"It was dumb. I'm sorry for waking you," he muttered, his voice hoarse from all of his crying. You frowned, not liking the answer he gave you.

"Gabriel, getting upset over a nightmare is not dumb. Don't say that. If you don't want to talk about it, that's perfectly fine, amor. But don't you dare feel sorry. I'm always here for you."

You could feel him relax into your comforting words, making him feel a little better about the whole situation.

"I just... it was about when Miguel left... he... he never even said goodbye to me," his voice breaking a bit at the end. "I know he's back now, but... but it still scares me that he was just able to leave like that and forget that I even existed."

"Oh Gabri..." You pulled him tighter into your arms, placing a soft kiss on top of his head. "What he did was wrong, you're right. But I want you to know that I'm here with you now, okay? No matter what happens, I'll always be here when you need me." You comforted him, which made him begin to tear up a bit again.

You knew he was terrified of being alone; he often had panic attacks because of it. You just wished you could take all that pain away from him, but for now, just being here for him would have to suffice.

Gabriel sniffled, relaxing into your arms as he slowly calmed down. His negative thoughts were pushed away by your love that you endlessly gave him.

"Te amo," he whispered into you.

"Te amo, mi cielo." You whispered back, closing your eyes as you held him against you. There was a brief silence until you heard Gabriel’s soft snores start up again, making you smile. You swore that no matter what happens, you would always be there to protect him.

[deancasbigbang]

Title: Someone Who Doesn’t Want To Be Saved

Author: RedCraneFalling

Artist: Callion

Rating: Explicit

Pairings: Castiel/ Dean Winchester, minor Andrea Howl/ Sam Winchester

Length: 49000

Warnings: Temporary Major Character Death, Child Abuse, Implied/ Referenced Underage Prostitution, Canon Typical Violence, Homophobia/ Parental Homophobia, One use of the F slur

Tags: Childhood Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, John Winchester’s A+ Parenting, Wing Fic, Grace-Soul Bonds, Loss of Virginity, AU - Canon Divergence, Parental Guardian Gabriel, !Kid Sam

Posting Date: October 2, 2023

Summary: A child shall be born of twice-tainted blood, the eldest of two and the two soldiers’ son. A saint’s soul emerges, yet a hunter is made. Born martyr from love, built killer by pain. On his hundredth season, the lock he will break, as Mother kills Child for her Father’s sake.  All God’s angels shall perish by creatures of ol’ ‘less a Seraph gone wayward does hopelessly fall Fledgling angel, Castiel gets in an accident shortly before his seventh birthday, and quite literally falls out of the sky and into Dean’s lap. The two quickly become close, but both of their families are hiding dark secrets. Dean’s in the form of an absent father who seems to drain all happiness from his two children whenever he’s around, and Castiel’s in the form of a prophecy which unites the two boys, but may ultimately tear them apart.

Excerpt: Dean starts climbing and Castiel waits for him to be about halfway up before he flaps his wings twice and jumps to the branch. “Hey no fair!” Dean calls after him, “I forgot you could fly. Flying is cheating.” “You didn’t specify no flying when you made the rules,” Castiel calls back laughing from his perch on the branch.  Castiel watches Dean climb the rest of the way up, his muscles stretching and coiling under the skin of his arms. He’s strong and lithe, graceful and sure of his movements in a way that Castiel can only imitate in flight. On the ground, the calculated angular movements of an Angel make him look robotic in comparison. He is unnatural where Dean is at home, as a true son of the Earth. And God took clay from Earth’s four corners and gave it the breath of life. Man is better than angel. Created for more than just the divine. Their perfect imperfections leave room for beauty. When Dean gets up to the branch he’s huffing with exertion. There’s sweat on his brow where his hair sticks to his forehead, and his cheeks are bright red around his freckles. The flush brings out the green in his eyes.  “Cheater,” Dean accuses when he sees Castiel’s cocky grin. He reaches out and gives Castiel a light shove.  Castiel moves exaggeratedly with the shove, and falls sideways off the tree branch.  “Cas!” Dean yells in alarm before he realizes that Castiel is simply floating in the air slightly under the branch with one leg still hooked over it. “Gonna give me a heart attack,.” Dean grumbles.  Castiel laughs and uses his wings to right himself so he’s sitting on the branch again. He straddles it, facing Dean.  “Would you like to race back down?” he says with a cheeky grin.  “No,” Dean pouts, crossing his arms “You’d probably just jump, Mister I-Can-Survive-a-Tornado.” Castiel laughs boisterously, and it seems his laugh is contagious because Dean starts laughing as well. They both smile, looking at each other. The sun dapples Dean’s skin with patches of light through the leaves.  Castiel walks with the brothers back to the nearby motel they’re staying at. Dean is in an uncharacteristically carefree mood, skipping and chattering on like the first time Castiel met him. When they reach the motel, Dean’s face falls as he looks at a big black car parked outside their room. He picks up Sam and turns towards Cas frowning.  “You gotta go home now, Cas, but we can watch Scooby Doo another day, okay?” he says. Castiel is confused but agrees and flies away.  The next time he sees the Winchester brothers, Dean has a black eye. He won’t tell Castiel where it’s from.

DCBB 2023 Posting Schedule

[hazzybat]

BoMartin girlies do I have a gift for you!

Set in my Joker Out Monster AU

Technically this is set after next chapter/chapter after that but I don't think it has spoilers of anything we don't already know.

Enjoy Bojan taking about feeding Martin

"Why didn’t you ever feed on me?" Bojan asked hesitantly over the phone. He was sitting on the couch of their living room, a hand running through Kris’s hair as he slept on Bojan's lap, drooling on his thigh.

"Because it was you." Martin responded simply from the other end of the line.

"What does that mean?"

Martin huffed humorously, "It means I love you you idiot. Also I didn't know if I even could drink from you. I'd heard some weird stories about demon blood. "

"What does loving me have to do with not drinking from me?" Bojan asked choosing to ignore the second part of the sentence,  "Don't a lot of vampires have mates they feed off? Was I not mate enough material?" The tone was joking and light, covering up the deep little part of his heart that was hurt. He'd loved Martin deeply and always would. Maybe not as lovers and mates but certainly as some kind of impossible connection. But time and circumstances had decided they weren't to last. Once Kris had arrived Bojan couldn't deny the strong feelings between them, his affection shifting to him. He loved Martin, but they simply grew apart, their relationship changing from romance to friendship.

It hadn't been his fault and it hadn't been Martin's. Their connection was strong enough to survive the break up, coming out the other side just as strong as before. They were friends, thick as theaves and once or twice Martin would still help him feed, still remembering just how to touch him or whisper in his ear to best please him.

"Feeding is... complicated my love." Martin cut through Bojan's meandering thoughts, "You of all people know that. I only wanted to drink from people I didn't much care about. Easy, simple things that could just be food. And I liked the variety it brought. You mattered too much to me to drink from you."

Bojan hummed as if he understood. Martin continued knowing him too well by now.

"You remember Gabriel? Before you met him he loved drinking from his mate. Got almost addicted to it and when she got older and couldn't give as much he took it pretty hard. Almost died when she did. That's why he was...  well why he was like *that* when you knew him.

I guess I almost didn't even want to start that. Didn't want to think about what would happen if I loved your blood as much as I loved you and then one day I couldn't have it anymore,"

Bojan didn't know what to say.

"Did you know my blood is apparently also an aphrodisiac?" Bojan said, wanting to change the topic to something easier and lighter before he could dwell on Martin's words.

He heard a chuckle over the phone

"It doesn't surprise me considering the rest of you is a damn aphrodisiac. You did say you were horny like all the time so I imagine that transferred over somehow. You probably taste like pure syrup with how sweet it would be."

Bojan blushed a bit at Martin's playful flirting. It was so easy to slip into that old rapport. He carded his fingers through Kris’s hair, who snuggled closer in his sleep.

"You always tasted amazing," he said softly.

Neither spoke. The evening sun shone through the living room window, warming Bojan's tired body.

"What makes you ask in the first place?" Martin asked eventually.

"There was a thing with Kris. Fucker didn't get his supliments for like 3 weeks and I had to give him my blood just to make sure he'd be okay. It had some.... interesting results," Bojan explained, ruffling Kris’s hair playfully. He did it a bit too hard as Kris began to stir, Bojan shushing him softly and lulling him back to sleep.

"Shit is he okay?" Martin's voice was laced with concern once Bojan made a contented noise at hearing Kris’s soft snores again.

"Yeah he's fine now. Gave me a damn heart attack though," Bojan said.

"I can imagine. You always worry about him. Send him my love will you?" Martin said warmly.

"I will. Oh and Martin?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I love him. Really love him," he looked down at his lap and smiled happily as Kris began to stir once more, eyes blinking open slowly and looking happily up at the demon.

"I know you do darling," Martin said "I love you"

"Love you too"

[moonlight-blue-rose]

I'm finally finishing the 1863rd arc yayyyy

Ch 299

1863rd hsy will stay to lead them ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)

Also the Fourth Wall is working so hard, trying to keep kdj’s panic attack at bay. He still can’t believe what happened… ;-;

Unavoidable… I wonder was Gabriel trying to protect something or someone. A person who cares about the other angels… choosing the lesser of two evils seems like something they would do

I can’t help but adore the way he cares for Uriel… He wants to help her. She helped him so much and showed great care and love. Kim Dokja just wants to do the same for her awwwww

Jophiel staying is something I never expected. But Gabriel saying that kdj & yjh remind them of their own companionship with Uriel… Both of them need each other, I see…

Ohhhh I’ve seen this quote before! Can’t believe it’s from this arc. No matter the choice, the end is inevitable… Whether you want it or not, the world keeps going ahhhhhhhhhhh Such a good quoteeeeee

*cries* he wrote down the information they could useeeeeeee

And hsy unsure whether she could accept this… It’s no longer the world kdj knew. They aren’t his companions. Yoo Joonghyuk is no longer there. Yet, he still cares so much ;-;

SHE GAVE HIM HER COATTTTTTTTTTT

Giving your coat to someone else is a love language

Doksoo nation, we are winningggggggggg

This is so cute ahhhhhhh, what the fuck, Kim Dokja has no right to say something like that, this stupid rat *shakes my fist at him* So cuteeee ahhhhh

Just the fact that you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist…. Awww man, these paragraphs make me feel things ;-;

Hold on a minute, this is ominous as all heck! You can’t drop something like this and disappear! Every story has a beginning and will one day have some kind of end. Even if it’s left unfinished, this too, will be an ending. What kind of story can exist without these things?

Ch 300

Because it was a choice only someone who loves the story with his whole heart could make. Because, even if no one could understand, there were things he wanted to protect. Things he couldn’t sacrifice for the end or for his own gain. Because there is love, and it may not be enough to change the way that story was supposed to end, but it was there. It was enough ;-;

*crying noises*

Oh you little bitch-

I have a feeling that Kim Dokja’s own belief for his story will play a role in this as well ahhhhh

Where-or when- was Kim Dokja thrown????

Ahh immediately meeting someone newTM and kdj just giving us crumbs to their identity. Such a kdj move

Lmaooo poor Kim Dokja, being embarrassed to say his modifier. Don’t worry, sweetie, your modifier is lovely

Ah, yes. Finally – the infamous Squidja lmaooo

The 1863rd arc was lovely, despite all the p a i n. I will be sure to reread it in one go in the future. But for now, let’s see what orv has in store!

[jortschronicles]

Eclipse Coronation Ottoman

At the start of the reign of Gabriel III and Sonja III, I made them a promise. During their reign, in honor and imitation of all the fancy and beautiful clothing they produce, I would cut into a fabric that scared me and attempt to make something wearable.

Prior to Pennsic, my lovely wife picked up some garb for us at a SCA yard sale. this included the following rust/gold ghawazee that a local of mine (recently laurel) informed me is about 200-300 years post period, but would be an OK time saver for garbing myself up for Pennsic. With that knowledge safe in hand, I planned and started to sew a gomlek, with the intention of creating a single-layer supportive undergarment to reduce the number of layers worn on hot afternoons at pennsic. This would be my first ever supportive garment! As you can see in the following photos, the supportive garment was a success.

I began my research with Ottoman Turkish Garb, An Overview of Women's Clothing by Baroness Katja Davidova Orlova Khazarina. This document was recommended to me by Baroness Dominique Michelle le Vasseur. With a bit more of an idea of what I was doing (but only a bit, I was roaring full speed ahead) I used the gomlek pattern found on Turkish Costume by Vanessa Giddings. I made the gomlek from a light-medium weight white linen from stash. I serged each edge of the pieces before pinning together to prevent fraying and to buy me some time to properly finish the seams when I got home from pennsic.

Notably, this is where I made my first mistake. After making the gomlek, I decided to attempt to make it supportive just in case I didn't finish a zibin before pennsic (reader-- she didn't finish the zibin). After making the gomlek according to the Giddings pattern, I then pinched and pinned along the seam between the front body and the front gore to force a little more lift and create a "shelf" on which the breasts could rest. Because I made t his supportive, I'm glad I used a just shy of medium weight linen rather than a more appropriate looser weave, because it gave the garment the body to support the breasts.

As I was in the last leg of time crunch before Pennsic, I wanted this linen to relax as much as it was going to as fast as possible. So i threw on the gomlek, some leggings, and a lazy turban, then did some intense yard work for ~2 hours. My breasts never moved from their assigned seats, the garment relaxed comfortably, and I could move just fine in it. I then finished the gomlek off with a quick button loop and faux-pearl headed button at the neckline, though it has no structural purpose due to how I altered the garment.

With a heart full of ambition and a head empty of reason, I attacked a plan to finish a brand new entari, zibin, and an extra gomlek prior to pennsic. I accomplished none of that.

The following picture shows how I wore this for Pennsic: Gomlek, the post-period ghawazee, lazy turban, some shalwar off amazon recommended by Viscountess Caterina Giovanni, my apprentice belt, and some Rus boots as I was advised to wear ankle support in the Bog.

Upon my return home, I started planning the Entari, with the goal of having a gomlek and entari to wear to Namron Protectorate for Domi's laurel elevation (reader-- she didn't finish any of it in time). I selected from stash a black cotton for the lining and a red and rust upholstery fabric for the outer layer. This was chosen for the similarity, to my eye, between the repeating pattern in the stripes on the upholstery fabric and the patterns present on some extant entaris and in court portraiture. ORIGINALLY I had selected a bright blue silk i was certain I had in stash but my box o' saris was nowhere to be found.

The above portraits, miniatures, and extants were accessed through the Ottoman Turkish Garment Database. The prevalence of red / blue color combos in the portraits and extants, as well as vibrant colors across the board, inspired my choices. As you can see in each of the extants as well as the art, the inside edge of the garment is faced in a color different from the lining and the outer layer. In many of the portraits, the bottom edge of the garment is turned out as if caught in motion, displaying this vibrant facing. The entaris come in different lengths but tend to be in the knee to floor range, while a hip to knee length undergarment appears to be worn as a middle layer.

The center bottom quilted kaftan in red and gold (belonging to Selim I, garment c. 1512-1520) inspired my choice of fabric, as seen below.

Fabric selected, then began the cutting. I used the pattern, cutting diagram, and notes from Kelebek's Persian and Turkish Clothes and drafted out onto my lining layer. Because the gomlek worked up so easily, I just used the black cotton liner as my muslin for this garment. As seen below, it fit pretty well from the outset and the notes and diagrams proved helpful in making sure everything lined up right. Gores are my nightmare. Seen below, the garment as it stood had REALLY prominent hip bumps.

We know that prominent hip bumps were part of the fashion just judging from the art and extant garments (including one amusing extant of Hanzade Sultan's zibins with an attached note deriding the poor quality of the hip bumps) but after repeating the pattern onto my outer fabric, they started bothering me. I was pretty sure I had them sitting too low, or some part of the slope wasn't quite right.

Protectorate was fast approaching, and I had little time to make major adjustments and fiddle with a lot of trial and error. I made some quick adjustments, smoothing the slope of the hip bums into more of a 15 degree angle than the 45ish degree angle they were sitting at prior. Around the same time i started fretting about the hip bumps, I realized my box o' saris was AWOL and began to panic. After fruitless hours scouring the house and workshop, no luck. For my own mental health, I put the project aside to handle AFTER Protectorate, but before Coronation. I had a promise to keep, after all.

I returned home from Namron Protectorate and got to work. With my silks still missing, I selected a soft but bright blue polycotton with a nice sheen from stash and made my bias facing.

It wasn't perfect, but time was short and the fabric was bright. You can also see from this photo the adjustments I made to the hip bump. I left the original shape intact, just folded and gently tacked down inside the body so I have the chance to fix it in the future, when I feel more able and comfortable. And so, the handsewing of the Entari began with Coronation just days away. I finished tacking in the lining, which is only attached to the outer shell by the facing, fun fact, and did a quick try on to make sure it all sat the way I wanted. I was very satisfied with the result. In the future, though, I would probably face the sleeves BEFORE I seam down the underside, because that was the only part of the facing truly miserable to line up and attach.

Then came the last minute fastenings. I'd wanted to weave some trim to make proper button / loop pairs down the front, but didn't have the time. Suggestions from my locals mostly relied on me having not yet put the body, facing, and lining together. I made do, dug through my ribbon supply, and grabbed some shiny polysatin 3/8" ribbon I usually use for making ribbon roses. I cut them into 9" lengths, folded in half, lined up with the yellow vertical stripe down the front, tucked the ends under, and tacked them down securely. For the buttons, I used some Vindheim buttons from Bad Baroness. For a last minute closure I literally finished 2 hours before driving down to coronation, not bad if I do say so myself.

On the day of, I added a long, sleeveless undercoat that for sanity's sake, we'll call a zibin. I need to make one of those rather soon, don't I? I received the coat second hand at Mooneschadowe Trade Days in exchange for a monmouth cap, with the encouragement of Viscountess Mama Cat. I wore a small embroidered hot pink hat over a pink-and-rust silk and pashmina scarf that my lovely wife got for me at Pennsic as a gift, with a veil pinned over the top. The veil is actually one of my spare white scarves, my big "floofy" one that gives my siblings in the order scarf envy. I ordered it from the same place I got my green apprentice belt sash, my wife gets cadet scarves, and both of us get a variety of veils. Mama cat helped me make sure everything sat right on the outfit and helped me get the veil just right. The peacock feather pin is from Sonja III's Queen's Champion tournament, the favor she gave to all the competing fighters. I am wearing the handwoven silk scarf I was made in, a twin to my Doña's and her Queen's white scarves, and it has a subtle Ansteorran Star woven into one end. The pin (hidden because the wind was fighting me while we watched the eclipse) is purple and gold (my heraldic colors), a twin to the silver and deep blue pin the Ansteorran Cadets got for HRH's Nicolette's gift, which she used to pin her Queen's White Scarf in place upon her ascension to the throne.

What feels most important to me, though, is this picture. The Order of the White Scarf is charged with protecting the Queen's White Scarf in the interregnum, with the newest white scarf present protecting it personally and the oldest white scarf present taking it from the arm of the Queen stepping down and putting it upon the arm of our new Queen. We pass it through the circle, some of us pressing it to our forehead or hearts, some of us giving it a good squeeze, some of us kissing it. To myself and much of the rapier community of Ansteorra, this is more than a scrap of fabric on a brass hat's arm. This is the memory of what Don Tivar and Countess Tessa of the Gardens did for us so long ago, legitimizing our community and uplifting us. This is the memory of brothers, sisters, and friends come and gone, of Queens who, for a moment or a lifetime, became one of us, became the head of our order. This is the hope of every cadet who dreams of bleaching their scarf, of every fencer who imagines themselves in the shoes of Errol Flynn or Cyrano. A good Queen inspires us to do better, do more, and reach further, and a great Queen makes our Order stronger with just her presence.

None can compare with bright honor rare We go as the swift arrow flies To stand in the strife, to hazard our lives For a glance from Your Majesty’s eyes

There are certainly adjustments I would make if I were to do this again, notbly find my box o' saris and use a silk facing, among others. I would like to make some non-supportive gomleks in a much lighter fabric and some supportive zibins as well. I would prefer in the future to attach the facing BEFORE i sew down the underside of the sleeve so i feel SLIGHTLY less murderous while sewing. And because of how I roll, in the future I would definitely add a pocket or twelve. I intend to replace the ribbon button loops with some woven trim loops, or at the very least add some matching ribbon bars to the button side for a little more visual balance.

This project would not have been possible without the support of Baroness Dominique Michelle le Vasseur and Viscountess Caterina Giovanni, and the inspiration of the lovely and kind Countess Jacquette d'Anjou, whose conversations and costuming at Gulf XXXI finally kicked me into high gear on this.

[tsuki-chibi]

Ladynoir July 2023 Day 31: In Every Universe

Read all the entries on AO3

--

It had been over a week since he’d last seen Ladybug. Chat Noir took to the rooftops with an excited grin. He’d been gone all week, travelling with his father and Nathalie and some other Gabriel employees to Italy for a fashion show. Ladybug had given him the Horse miraculous just in case, but Chat hadn’t need to use it. Miraculously, there hadn’t been a single akuma the whole time Chat was gone.

Unfortunately that also meant there had been no excuse for Chat to travel back to see his lady.

His pulse quickened with anticipation when he caught a glimpse of the familiar red, black-spotted suit. Ladybug was sitting up on the beams of the Eiffel Tower. It was where she went when she didn’t want to be disturbed by civilians. She didn’t seem to have noticed his approach.

Chat landed on the edge of the beam and walked over to her quickly. “I’m home!” he yelled, flinging his arms around her from the back.

“What the – Chat! You almost gave me a heart attack!” Ladybug yelped.

Chat cackled and hugged her tighter, undeterred even when she managed to twist around and flick his forehead in retaliation. That only made Ladybug squirm and try to get free even more, and eventually the hug turned into an impromptu wrestling message.

“You dumb cat!” Ladybug said when they were both laying on the beam, panting. “Did you get into the catnip or what?”

“I don’t need catnip to be happy when I’m with you, My Lady,” Chat said, rolling over and grinning at her.

She rolled her eyes. “You sure saved up all your energy for the week,” she said in exasperation.

“Actually, that’s not far from the truth,” Chat admitted, thinking about his week. It had involved a lot of slow, careful walking when he was on the catwalk, and then a lot of standing still in awkward poses during photography sessions.

And he couldn’t exactly release energy at night as Chat Noir the way he usually did, either. He thought it would just look way too suspicious if Chat Noir was suddenly seen in Italy at the same time that Adrien Agreste was travelling to Italy for work. As it was, he’d made sure not to give Ladybug any specific details about where he was going just in case.

Ladybug’s exasperation gave way to sympathy. “Was it a long week?”

“It sucked,” Chat said flatly. “In pretty much every way that a week away from home can suck.”

“Aw, I’m sorry. Come here.” She patted her lap in invitation, and Chat didn’t hesitate to scoot closer to her and lay his head in her lap. Ladybug began gently stroking his hair.

“I’m so glad I’m home,” Chat said after a couple minutes. What he didn’t say was that he was so glad to be home with Ladybug. So far as Chat was concerned, she was his home. In any universe, in every universe, that was Chat Noir’s one constant.

“I’m glad that you’re home too. I hate to admit it, but I actually missed you while you were gone,” Ladybug said. “It turns out patrols are more boring when there isn’t someone driving me crazy.”

“You love it,” Chat teased, and Ladybug scoffed.

“I do not,” she said, but when Chat peeked up at her, she was smiling. His heart melted. He’d missed moments like this with Ladybug so much.

“Tell me about your week,” he said. “How was it?”

Ladybug thought for a moment before saying, “It was alright, I guess. Nothing of particular interest happened.”

“Tell me about it anyway,” Chat said. He just wanted to lay there and listen to her voice for a while.

“Well… I guess Monday wasn’t that great. I overslept and was late for school. But then one of my friends and I went shopping in the afternoon…”

Chat snuggled into her lap, closing his eyes and allowing Ladybug’s voice to wash over him. He couldn’t think of anywhere else that he’d rather be than right here.

[kitishsnzes]

I'd like to request a fic where Alex teaches Gabriel to ride a horse. Causing Alex to have a reaction to the hay/horses

Gabriel had been pestering his husband for the longest time to teach him how to ride a horse. He knew that Alex had grown up horseback riding and often talked about it. Alex even had his own horses and barn. But with how much he'd been traveling for work he hasn't really been able to ride in ages.

But finally Alex was home. He had a whole two weeks before he had to be back. Gabriel took this opportunity to beg his husband to teach him to ride horses. "Are you sure Gabe? You've never ridden before"

"I know" he playfully rolled his eyes, "that's why you need to teach me"

"Okay, fine" Alex smiled at his adorable young husband. And he pressed a kiss to Gabriel's forehead. "First I need to get the horses ready. You can come if you want" Alex explained. Gabriel was excited. He followed his husband out to their small barn. It was then that Alex realized he hadn't taken his allergy medicine yet that day. And his nose was already getting itchy. Alex went over to the stable that had his favorite horse, who was also the calmest and the one he would train Gabriel on. After Alex unlatched the stable door the horse, Dusty, came towards him. He pet the horse and smiled. He loves his horses so much. Especially Dusty. He held his hand out to Gabe, who took it, Alex pulled Gabe over to the horse, "let her smell you and get used to you. "in the meantime I'm going to get a saddle and a lead." he sniffled, he felt a sneeze coming on and wanted to get away from Gabriel before he sneezed. He went into the storage area of the barn, which thankfully was away from the horses and hay. He ducked towards his elbow, "heTchu! EhTchhu! HaTtchU!" The sneezes were harsh and forceful, as his typically were. He shook his head to clear the cloudy feeling. He sniffled, his nose had begun running. He took a washcloth that was hanging on a hook. Which he mainly used for polishing his fancier riding saddles. So he kept it very clean, and considering he hadn't been home for a while it was at its cleanest. Which meant it was pretty much hay and dander free. He used it to blow his nose, then tucked it in the pocket of his riding jacket. Knowing it wouldn't do a lot of good, but would at least be somewhat helpful.

Alex went back to where Gabriel was and was super proud to see how quickly Dusty became comfortable with Gabriel. The young man was truly a saint with a heart that could make any person, or animal love him. One of the many things Alex loved about his husband. "You ready love?" Alex asked, his voice soft, he placed a gentle hand on Gabriel's back. Gabriel smiled, "very ready" his smile faltered slightly when he saw his husband's face. "What's wrong love?" Gabriel asked, concern evident on his face. Alex shrugged him off, "nothing" Gabriel gave him a look. "Okay.."

"Ready to start now?" Alex asked, quickly and effectively distracting Gabriel. The younger man smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "So first, I think what I'll do is do a bit of riding, just to get her warmed up." Gabriel nodded, he was very excited. Alex adjusted the saddle on the horse, then mounted. He fought the blossoming tickle. "Ready Dusty?" He asked the beautiful horse. On the bright side, Dusty was often the causes of allergy attacks for Alex. So she was very used to hearing her rider sneeze, so Alex knew she wouldn't be as startled as the other horses.

Alex started guiding the horse in a lap around his field. As if the horse and hay wasn't bad enough he also felt his nose prick with the overwhelming grass pollen. Alex held to the reigns to keep them steady, without squeezing them too tight. He ducked towards his elbow, "heKTChu! EtchhU! HatCHu! Hhh- HKTchshu!"

"Bless you!" Gabriel called to Alex, he tried to hide the concern he felt, knowing how stubborn his husband could be. "Thanks," Alex called back. He finished the lap with Dusty, and decided that was enough. He was already going to be very close to her helping Gabriel, he didn't need to make it worse. He climbed off the horse. "Do you need help getting on love?" Alex asked, Gabriel glanced at the horse, "maybe a bit" he admitted somewhat shyly. "Sure thing babe" Gabriel glanced at his husband, "you okay honey?" Alex looked at his husband, not actually that surprised by his concern. "Yep!" Alex gave his husband a reassuring smile. Gabriel looked doubtful. "You sure? Your eyes are really red."

"Oh, maybe just a bit bothered from the grass pollen." Alex made up a quick excuse. Gabriel, thankfully, seemed to believe it. But it didn't really ease his concerns. "Have you taken anything yet?" Alex nodded, despite fully knowing he hadn't. But didn't want Gabriel to worry. "Probably just taking some time to work" Alex explained. He grabbed Gabriel's hand and led him over to the horse. "Alright love, you ready?" Gabriel nodded, very excited. Alex helped his husband climb up onto the horse. As soon as Alex could assure that Gabriel was safely on he turned away, and brought his fist up, "hkTchu! hh-ktchUH ketChu! HatChu!" He rubbed his nose with his knuckle. "Bless you" Gabriel politely supplied his husband. Something Alex noticed was that Gabriel never failed to bless him whenever he sneezed. Which, of course, Alex found adorable. "Thanks" Alex took the cloth out of his pocket and blew his nose. "You sure you're okay?" Gabriel looked concerned. "Yep!" Alex said confidently, Gabriel looked disbelieving. "Okay, so." Alex took the reigns in his hands, he began leading the horse in a slow lap, hoping Gabriel could get comfortable and more confident with being on a horse. "Nervous?" Alex asked Gabriel, the young man shook his head, a bright smile on his face. "I think you're better than I was after even a year of riding lessons!" Alex said with a soft laugh. Gabriel laughed at his husband, "I was so scared the first time I rode" Alex admitted, he had a shy smile on his face. "Honestly I'm too excited to be nervous," Gabriel admitted cutely. "You're doing great" Alex said, he continued to lead the horse around. His nose was itching badly, he knew he needed to get away from the horses asap. He was very badly reacting already. "Gabe, baby, do you think you're ready to go on your own?" Gabriel was, understably, shocked. "Already?"

"Dusty will go slow. Just hold the reigns steady." He pointed to the barn. "I'll be right over there" Alex handed Gabriel the reigns. "Ready love?" Alex asked, Gabriel nodded, "gently flick the reigns and say trot" Alex explained, Gabriel did as instructed. The horse began moving at a steady pace. Alex was proud of how fast of a learner his husband is. Once he was sure Gabriel was safe he went over by the barn. He used the hose to get the corner of the cloth wet. He used this to wipe around his eyes and nose, which tickled the sensitive appendage. "EtKchu! HeTtchuh! EhKtshu-hh- eh-ktChu" he blew his nose on the cloth. It felt his whole body was being attacked by allergens. His whole face was itchy.

While Gabriel was riding he heard his husband succumb to a fit on sneezes, which only elevated his concern. "Dusty? Can you go to the barn?" He didn't exactly know what to say to the horse. But he gently pulled the reigns hoping to guide the horse over to the barn. This thankfully worked. He messily lead the horse and sloppily dismounted. He gently tied the reigns to a post. "Alex? Baby what's going on? Your allergies are never this bad. Even after that time you, very stupidly, mowed the lawn." Alex avoided eye contact with Gabriel. "Let's get Dusty ba-hh-hKTcHu! HaKTchu! snf Back to the stable and I'll explain"

"Bless you"

"Thanks" he went over to Dusty and untied her from the post. His nose was so incredibly itchy. It was really a pain in the ass. He led Dusty to her stable and took the saddle and the lead off. He put the riding equipment back in the barn. "Shit, she needs hay" Alex said, "I'll be right inside." Alex said, he kissed Gabriel on the cheek. Gabriel moved towards the house but didn't go inside. He watched as Alex took a bale of hay and threw it into Dusty's stable. Almost instantly after the hay left his hands Alex took a cloth from his pocket. "Ektchu-HAKtchu! hh-ktchUH ketChu AktchHU! heKTChu- hh- hhh- HKTchshu!" Gabriel grew very concerned seeing his husband succumb to such an intense sneezing fit. He quickly moved over to Alex and put his arm around his husband. "Bless you" Gabriel led Alex inside. "Do you need to-"

"hh-ktchUH KTchHu! KTcHu! heKTChu-!"

"Bless you, times a million"

"Thanks babe" Gabriel led Alex to the kitchen table. Gabriel then grabbed a box of tissues from the bathroom, along with Alex's strongest allergy medicine. "Alright Lex, I know this isn't from the grass. Are you allergic to hay?" Gabriel asked, he ran his hands through Alex's hair. Alex leaned against Gabriel. "Not exactly. I mean, yes I am. My damn nose takes 'hay fever' very seriously. But um, ironically I'm actually allergic to horses. Well all animals but it seems horses are the worst. I'm just usually a lot better at remembering allergy medicine. So I'm usually just a little bit sneezy. Not like t-hh- HeKTChu! HEH- EHH- HH- ktChShu! Ektchu-HAKtchu!"

"Bless you! Oh my gosh babe" Gabriel took a tissue from the box and pressed it to Alex's nose. "Blow" Alex was embarrassed, not used to being the one who's getting taken care of. But he did as Gabriel asked. "You okay babe?"

"I'll be better now that I'm away from the horses, and hay"

"Hon, I hate to break it to you but…" Gabriel looked Alex up and down. Alex glanced down at his shirt, grains of hay stuck to the whole thing. "Plus both of us were on the horse. Maybe you should shower"

"Probably a good idea… join me?" Alex asked with a cheeky smile. "Sure" Gabriel said, hoping his voice didn't display his nervous excitement. Even after years together, Gabriel still got flustered when Alex wanted to do anything remotely sexual. And even though showering isn't exactly sexual, it still made Gabriel flustered.

Alex took his shirt and jacket off right in the kitchen and threw it in the laundry room. Gabriel stared at his husband's defined abs. "Are you just going to stare?" Gabriel looked away blushing. He followed his husband in tossing his shirt off. The two of them went upstairs to the bathroom. Where the rest of their clothes came off. The two moved to the shower together. "Alex?"

"Hmm?"

"Why didn't you tell me? At least we could have waited for you to take your allergy medicine"

"Because you were excited."

"Lex, I would have waited." Gabe wrapped his arms around his husband. Alex smiled and kissed his husband's head. "I love you"

"Love you too" Gabriel said, he sounded shy. "I know you like spoiling me and making me happy, but the thing that makes me happiest is my husband safe and healthy." Alex wasn't used to Gabriel saying such romance words to him. He was very flustered, usually Alex was the one to make his partner a blushing flustered mess, and yet, Gabriel's charms, as usual, won the usually stoic man over. Alex wished he could hold Gabriel close to him for forever, but sadly his nose had other plans, he unwrapped himself from Gabriel, and ducked away towards his elbow, Gabriel's hand on his waist keeping him steady. "hetCHu-! eKTChu! HeKTchu! kTChu!"

"Bless you, bless you, bless you, bless you!"

"Ugh, snff thanks"

"Did you take your allergy medicine by any chance?" Alex shook his head, blushing a bit under Gabriel's stern glare, an unusual thing for his husband. But it was strangely very attractive. "Let's finish up in here and then get you medicated, then I have a feeling you'll need a nap" he teased his husband lightly, knowing how much he was effected by the allergy medicine, no matter how supposedly, 'non-drowsy' it was advertised to be. Alex blushed a bit at his husband's teasing. There was no one who could make Alex as flustered as Gabriel could. And effortlessly as well. The two of them finished up their shower (which did included at least 3 makeout sessions, Gabriel making Alex blush at least four more times, and Alex sneezing 19 more times.)

Gabriel guided Alex to their room, Alex's eyes were still quite swollen. "Get dressed babe. I'll get your allergy medicine and water" Alex grabbed Gabe's wrist and pulled the younger into his lap, "love you so much! So so much!'" Gabe blushed, "love you too"

"Thanks for taking care of me"

"You always do the same for me" Gabe said, he was blushing and super flustered. Alex allowed Gabe to get off his lap, Alex pulled him in for one more kiss, and blushed feeling Alex smile against his lips. Gabe left the room to get allergy medicine for his husband, he almost tripped he was so flustered by his husband. He returned a few minutes later and found Alex doubled over with a forceful fit. Gabriel placed a comforting hand on his husband's back, once Alex's fit ended Gabriel handed him a tissue from the box he, very smartly, remembered to grab. "Bless you"

"Thank you" his voice was congested. "Here babe" Gabe handed Alex the allergy medicine and water. Alex swallowed the pill dry, causing Gabe to cringe. "it's beyond me how you can do that"

"Practice. Lots of years of allergy pills. Every time I ride I take one … well except today apparently" Alex said shyly, Gabe rolled his eyes, "next time, just tell me. I'd rather wait for you to take allergy medicine then have you suffer like this again"

"Thank you babe"

"No problem, how about you take a nap, your eyes are already droopy" Alex nodded, "feel tired" Gabe kissed his husband's forehead. The two for them curled up together Alex was asleep within five minutes.

[arcadiasfiction]

Can the Son of a Villainess Ever Be Happy? Ch 1 Pt 2

~This is an alternate universe fanfic where Adrien's deceased mom was the notorious villain, Mayura.

---

"Claws off! I'm exhausted!"

Adrien landed in his room and threw himself on his bed.

Plagg busied himself with a piece of Camembert that he had stashed under the bed. Adrien scrunched his nose at the smell of the cheese and rubbed his hands over his face.

"Today's akuma wasn't the most powerful one we've faced, but it was crazy hard trying to out-think him. My brain is burned out."

"That's why you should think more about cheese.”

There was a knock on the door, and Plagg hid himself. Adrien sat up.

"Come in."

Adrien's father cracked open the door and peeked in.

"I'm not interrupting your studying, am I?"

"Uh--No, Dad." Adrien glanced around, hoping there were no signs of his outing. "I'm just taking a break.”

"Good. You need to do that more often." Gabriel sat on the bed next to him.

"And so do you."

Adrien had no clue if his dad ever took a vacation from creating designs for his self-named luxury fashion brand, Gabriel.

Even after marrying Nathalie, he insisted on postponing their honeymoon until next year, after he finished his latest collection. Nathalie, being Nathalie, insisted that a honeymoon was unnecessary and that she would be happy with assisting him as always.

Sometimes, Adrien wasn't sure what to think of those two.

Gabriel ruffled a hand through Adrien's summer blond hair. "I need to get better. I've been teaching you bad habits."

"I think you might be too late."

Gabriel wanted to enjoy Adrien's banter, but he could only think of the gravity of their situation. "Nathalie and I saw the news about the akuma attack today, and we wanted to check on you."

Adrien's heart grew warm at the words. The loss of Adrien's mom was very tough on his dad, and he struggled to let her go. But now, he was gracefully moving on. Having Nathalie as part of the family seemed like the most natural thing. 

Adrien gripped his knees, rubbing circles into the fabric of his jeans.

"Night Moth has already stolen the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous that belonged to Mom. I'm not letting him have her ring too.” 

Gabriel placed a hand on his shoulder. "The ring. Do you have it secured?"

Adrien paused for a moment, not sure of how much he should say. He spoke slowly.

"It's under Cat Walker's care." 

Saying the name of his alter ego in front of his dad felt strange. Adrien looked up into his father's blue eyes. 

"Is it ok that I put the ring under the watch of someone else for a little while?"

Gabriel gazed into the distance and nodded. "That's a smart move on your part. Next time anyone asks, we can simply say that we don't have it. And Cat Walker is a steely young man. Anyone who wishes to take the ring from him will be in for a tough time.

Nathalie and I have been discussing your schedule, and we feel that right now, you need some space. I've cut back on your modeling gigs. As far as Chinese class, fencing, rock climbing and parkour training, that is up to you. But we would prefer it if you took a break."

Adrien sighed. He really didn't want to cut back on anything. Not being out there taking action in some form made him feel like he was falling behind. Behind on what? He wasn't quite sure.

"Okay. I'll take a break from everything else but fencing."

Gabriel gave Adrien a firm pat on the back.

"Will do. With an itinerary like that, are you sure you aren't planning on becoming an action film actor?“

“No way, Dad,” said Adrien with a laugh.

"Just making sure. You know I'll support you with whatever you want to do. Remember, you do not have to handle things alone."

Gabriel had spent so much time obsessing over fixing the broken Peacock Miraculous, alone. But then Nathalie came along and helped him to not only repair the priceless magical broach, but to see that the most precious things were already in front of him.

"Trying to handle everything alone nearly destroyed me. I do not want that for you."

Adrien understood. His voice came out softly.

"Yes, sir."

Gabriel crossed his arms and exhaled.

”And Adrien, I'm sorry I wasn't able to help your mother.”

He felt it was impossible to apologize enough. He couldn't imagine what it must be like for Adrien to face every day knowing that his mom, despite having a career as a gifted actress, became Mayura, one of the worst villains Paris had ever seen. Gabriel wanted to give Adrien something so much better than this.

“Dad, don't blame yourself. You did the best you could.”

Gabriel sighed.

"Regardless of what happens Adrien, keep in mind that your mother's mistakes are not yours.”

He looked into his son's soft emerald eyes. He was so much like her, and that worried him a little.

"I'll try to remember that.”

---

Next is Chapter 2: The Start of a Crush

Marinette rolled over in bed, hugging her pink cat pillow. All night, her brain kept playing on repeat the glint in Cat Walker's eyes as he glanced back at her over his shoulder. As she mentally rewound the image again, she let out an exasperated sigh and pulled another pillow over her face…

Click here for the next chapter and archive of this story.

Click here to read my much shorter fanfic, Chat Text

[nice-and-accurate-ramblings]

⚠️WARNING: Good Omens Season 2 Episode 5 Spoilers below the cut!

Don’t click on the read more if you don’t want spoilers!!

Lmao Shax is NOT getting a legion of hell

“I have a permit” “this just says ‘I can do what I want’” kinda energy

“Can I watch?” Crowley is sooo along for the shenanigans

HE GAVE AWAY A BOOK

TWICE?!?!?!

AZIRAPHALE. WHAT.

Okay no but this circles around to that lovely headcanon that he doesn’t actually mind selling or giving away books as long as it’s to the right people

NOT THE FRENCH AGAIN. AZIRAPHALE PLEASE. SHE IS SO DONE WITH YOU

At least his French is better now

CROWLEY IS SO DONE LMAOOO

Shax scary o_o

“You’ve been together long? You and your partner?”

“IT CERTAINLY LOOKS LIKE THAT FROM HERE”

“HES NOT MY BIT ON THE SIDE, FAR TOO PURE OF HEART TO BE ANYONE’S BIT ON THE SIDE, HE’S JUST AN ANGEL… I know”

MR GAIMAN I AM IN YOUR WALLS FOR THAT ONE

Oh he looks DEEP in thought

Shax is going to commit murders. And then take the stairs

WELL THAT WAS A LOT TO PROCESS BEFORE THE THEME SONG EVEN HIT

Theory while the theme song plays: is it a play by Gabriel and Beelzebub to restart Armageddon? Gabs goes missing, everyone is watching the situation, hell sends an army to attack an archangel, war ensues??

“Smited? Smote?” “Smitten” yeah someone here is smitten alright 👀 two someones actually

*leaves* *grabs the bottle of wine on the way out*

Ohhh Nina honey please please please leave her. This is some Grade A Toxic Shit

I want to give Nina a huggg

CROWLEY. STOP. TALKING. YOU ARENT SUPPOSED TO SPILL THAT SECRET. THAT IS A VERY IMPORTANT SECRET.

Crowley holy shit

Gabriel holy shit

“My head isn’t built for that” kind of like how Job’s wasn’t built for that? Is he human now????

IN A MATCHBOX?!?!

HE TOOK IT OUT FIRST AND PUT IT IN. THE BOX HE BROUGHT HERE.

If it happens again it’ll seem like an institutional problem? GABRIEL WHAT. THE FUCK.

“Do you want a hot chocolate” 🥺🥺🥺

Oh my god the angels know absolutely nothing about humans

MURIEL!!!!

Uriel and Michael have a wonderful silver and gold vibe happening here

Crowley shut the fuck up you are nice

WAIT AND SEE

I HAVE WAITED. LET ME SEE. L E T M E S E E.

OH THAT’S MRS. SANDWICH

oh Aziraphale you are either so oblivious or so incredibly ace or both

Aziraphale really said WE ARE HOSTING A BALL

Ohhh Nina I am giving you the biggest hug. You’re better off, queen 🥺

“For once in your life, trust somebody” “You’re weird!!” Correct response. He is weird. But yeah listen to him.

JIM WHAT ARE YOU WEARING

AZIRAPHALE THIS IS INSANE AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH

“YOU YOUNG PEOPLE” SHSHDJFJFKG

Oh no Maggie you need to run. Like. Now.

Thank you Crowley 😭

Okay Aziraphale this is uh. Weird. This is getting creepy fast.

Is she… you know… a seamstress 👀

I now understand why choreography was needed for this episode

Aziraphale’s face when watching them dance,, it’s the toesy-woesies face,,,

Gabriel is being flirted with en masse and is entirely oblivious

PERHAPS YOU COULD TELL ME WHILE WE DANCE

I-

I AM

HAJSKDKDKDKFNGKKSKFJGKHLLDKF

Shax I swear if you interrupt this I will find a way to reach through the screen and strangle you myself

“I know I’m hard work” “I’m not afraid of hard work” Maggie and Nina have my whole entire heart agghhh

THEY ARE DANCINGGGGGG

Aziraphale you are really not underestimating how much trouble you’re actually in

Oh fuck oh shit oh no

“You came to me. I said I would protect you. And I will.” Someone explain why I am about to cry.

THE COAT, GABRIEL WHAT

oh no the two tiny half miracles were too effective

T-O-S-T-E. TOAST.

CROWLEY GOING LAWYER MODE AHSHDJDJF

Oh my god he made it up I love him. I love him so much this is 🤌🤌🤌

Oh hi Mr. Brown you’re about to get murdered.

HM. YEAH HE UH. HE DID GET MURDERED.

“Have you got your hand in” “oh I’ve got more than that” “I bet you do”

CROWLEY YOU ARE IN FACT A GOOD LAD. LISTEN TO MRS. SANDWICH

I-

“Make your own plans” “Oh I am! But rescuing me makes him so happy!” I AM GOING INSANE. I HAVE NO WORDS. I JUST. GIVE ME A FUCKING MINUTE.

oh hi Muriel!

“Good job! You arrested me!” “You’re arresting me, why would I be trying to trick you?” If this upsets Muriel I am legally obligated to throw hands

WHAT IS HAPPENING

On to episode 6, I am slowly losing my mind 😀👍

[bonecuisine]

Visit

⚠️Spoilers for s1 c18 & s5 c6⚠️

“Hi!” “Excuse me!” “Thanks!” The multiple same phrases coming out of Sofias mouth as she was trying to get through the cramped airplane hall. Eventually she had reached the end and exited through the gate. She was very excited. Why you ask? Well she was coming to visit her boyfriend

Gabriel, She lived in Italy while he lived in America. So whenever she gets to visit it’s very exciting But there was another reason this time. She was also seeing another person this time while she was visiting.

————————

Julian Ramis. The poor kid had gone through a lot in his life, from accidentally killing his best friend,To losing his own dad whom was his only support system. Her boyfriend Gabriel was a profiler at the GPD, Him and Julian had developed a father-son like bond, leading to Gabriel taking him in. She had seen and talked to Julian multiple times while video calling Gabriel and she was very excited to meet him.Even though she had never met him offline, she already had developed a parental love for Julian like how Gabriel did.

Sofia started running,her body filled with adrenaline. She her suitcase wheels where probably on fire at this point. She didn’t care what other people where thinking while she ran she was just excited to see Julian and her boyfriend. The sound of her heels could be heard through the airport hallways. Eventually she ran out of breath and started walking, she noticed a moving sidewalk and heading towards it. Standing on the moving sidewalk she thought about the questions she’s going to ask, how excited she is, and how much she’s overall going to love being there.Then she realized, where are Gabriel and Julian? Shit. She quickly got off the sidewalk and started walking towards the airport entrance hoping that’s where they where. While walking,She pulled out her phone. She went to Gabriel’s contact and started calling him,Eventually Gabriel picked up.

“Hey love, where are you I’ve been looking everywhere!” Sofia said looking around the entrance room.

“Oh Your very close” Gabriel sounded like he was laughing a bit.

“What do you mean by that?” Sofia still very confused as she kept roaming her eyes around the huge room.

“Turn around.”

Sofia turned around,Her eyes widened out of joy as a big smile appeared on her face. There they where,Standing right behind her the whole time. Sofia ran up to Gabriel and jumped into his arms out of happiness.She starting laughing,She kissed Gabriel and let go of him for a second. She turned her head, there he was.Standing there next to Gabriel was Julian,The boy she’s been waiting to meet for weeks. “Hi Sofia its very nice to finally meet yo- UGF” Julian was cut off by being trapped in a tight hug by Sofia.”IVE BEEN WATING TO MEET YOU FOR AGES!!” Sofia yelled while nearly chocking Julian with her hug. She gave multiple kisses all over Julian like how a mother would to her own teenage son. “Sofia your choking him!” Gabriel couldn’t stop laughing, he found it very adorable how Sofia already found Julian as her son. Sofia finally let go of Julian,”Sorry,I’ve just been so excited to me you!” She giggled. Julian coughed, “its okay,Ive been excited to meet you too” he laughed a bit. “Alright I bet Sofia is very tried from her long flight, lets go home shall we?” Sofia laughed a bit,”we shall” she said in a very proper, yet sarcastic tone.

While heading to the car, Julian was fired upon hundreds and hundreds of questions from Sofia.”Sofia your going to give him a heart attack!” Gabriel laughed. Sofia replied by rolling her eyes at him, “as I was saying Julian…” Gabriel smiled he was happy. Sofia was here, Julian finally had a family again,and Gabriel was there with them. He’s never been more happy in his life and he hope it stays that way.

(I know this is cringy I haven’t wrote in a long time so my writing is rusty. Anyways thanks for reading)

[wackus-bonkus-maximus]

✨👀 director's commentary about the titles of your fics? How you came up with them?

Reblog this if you want readers to come into your ask box and ask for the “director’s commentary” on a particular story, section of a story, or set of lines.

Or, send in a ⭐star⭐  to have the author select a section they’ve been dying to talk about!

ooh selkie this is a fun ask! ty 💛

let's break it down by series, fics, and then oneshots:

series: what makes a monster - this series is very loosely inspired by "the hunchback of notre dame" (at least, that's the soundtrack i was listening to when i got the idea for it). so the lyrics are phrases taken from the disney broadway musical!

a moral like a trinket - from the finale: "and i wish i could leave you a moral like a trinket to hold in the palm of your hand." this drabble-y oneshot is about nathalie finding out adrien is a senti. she didn't know how to find any morality in that, she knew only that she loved him, and so proceeded accordingly and kept his amok, his "trinket" safe in the palm of her hand. what makes a monster - from the opening song and the finale both: " 'now here is a riddle to guess if you can,' sing the bells of notre dame. 'what makes a monster and what makes a man?' " the struggle between senti-adrien and gabriel mirrors that of quasimoto and frollo. who is the real monster in the relationship? where does adrien's humanity come from? does gabe have any? and also it's notre dame, our lady, speaking these lines... which could mean lots of things 👀 what makes a man - see above. this oneshot is really more about adrien coping with the fact that he's a senti and looking to his father for guidance. while in the above lyric 'what makes a man' is about looking for humanity, in this title it's meant to connote adrien's coming of age (or at least the end of his childhood innocence). made with guile and art - from "flight into egypt": "no, it must be a clue made with guile and art/ and she gave it to you because she knows you're smart." in this oneshot, chat noir goes to felix for answers about his senti-ness. felix was made with "guile" and adrien wtih "art." their amoks were made with both.

series: one does not love breathing

keys to the kingdom - “and i will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (matt. 16:14–19.) in this oneshot, felix has stolen all the miraculous - the "keys to the kingdom" and given them to monarque. they're pissed, and felix is like whatever i had my reasons, but none of them realize this is the beginning of felix's karmic beatdown. collateral damage - when we think of collateral damage we think of civilian deaths or property damage in a military war. well, lb and cn kind of ARE at war with monarque in this oneshot. they've came back from the battle in "strikeback" mostly intact except for ladybug's severe anxiety and paranoia, which she got as a direct result from losing to monarque. second dose - this one is probably the funniest one to me lol. felix got punched by ladybug once in "felix." he gets punched again here bc he mouthed off. en prise - in chess, it is the state of a piece under attack which the opponent can take with a material gain. i think for feligami, wearing their hearts on their sleeves is the equivalent of being under attack, or vulnerable to an opponent. one does not love breathing - "until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. one does not love breathing." - harper lee, to kill a mockingbird. this quote is about taking things for granted, and not realizing you love or need something (or someone) until it's gone. i think that fits well with odnlb; the cast have all lost something/someone and are trying to get it back.

fic: matter of luck - adrien gets himself cursed with bad luck, and the only way to break it is for ladybug to kiss him. getting her to do that is just a matter of luck ;)) this fic is all about good/bad luck & plays with the idea of the original pv. a bad luck curse has always seemed so fun to me! i was excited to feature it in a fic.

oneshots

this again - i really didn't know what to title this reverse love square oneshot lol. but basically it's alya noticing and teasing marinette about suddenly liking chat noir, and marinette's like "STOP" *😡* "NOT THIS AGAIN!" name brand - klsdfjlk ok you know i messed up and almost named this "brand name." but yeah since when we think of a name brand we think of chanel, luis vuitton, and gucci, i figured the gabriel brand would be up there with the other fashion icons. the lipstick lb uses is a name brand lipstick, but she also kisses a name brand boy 👀

from the fanfic writer: director's cut ask game.

[thepocket221]

OK I had to draw these two OK

——

In that one where Gabrielle is crying this is what it says it’s just I couldn’t really I’ll put it in the same page Gabrielle: The one thing you don't understand that he was there for me in the times I needed you. He was there in my time with Derek. He was there when I was almost homeless and he gave me a home. He's the only reason I'm still living. He's the only reason I still believe that there's some good in people. Somehow I haven't found myself smoking pot in the middle of nowhere I almost had to have a heart attack. He's the only reason I care about Charlie. He's the only reason I still believe there's someone in there that cares about me. he's the only reason I can believe that there's at least one person in this world that cares about me.

And then the other one where Jackie is holding Gabriele’s arms this is what I kinda had a Jackie: come on pretty boy, clap your hands. It’s all good a fun~ Gabriele: shut up. I am not happy about this. I’m only doing it because of you and because you’re stupid dumb…dumb self won’t leave me alone.

——-

I really love drawing these two. I don’t know why I just get so giddy when I do, but the equivalent of these to being together is like angry boyfriend that has a lot of trauma, and then in the other hand, happy, flirty, dumb, boyfriend, and then adding Charlie is panicky nervous boyfriend.

I LOVE THESE FUCKERS THEYRE SO GAY🫶🫶🫶

THEY MAKE ME HAPPY TOO OMG

[thoughtsofbaal]

Nighttime stories.

It was New Year's Eve in the city of New Orleans the streets were crowded as people stumbled about drunkenly enjoying the holiday, people laughed, danced, and played music. It seemed as if everyone was joyous, all except one. Elizabeth walked the streets in a haze.For a year, she had been plagued with a dream. a premonition. A prophecy. Yet when it came true, it offered her very little solace. She knew it was ridiculous, but the facts were undeniable Two months and it consumed her. Vampires were real. Elizabeth was attacked by one the media dubbed as a rabbit animal. the sensation of his fangs digging into her shoulder still lingered. she brushed the scars and shivered, but that wasn't what frightened her. It was HIM. The bar owner. the most dangerous being she could have ever imagined. the site of him ripping the other vampire apart were so brutal, not even the hardest of criminals would be able to stomach such a sight. the way he plunged his hand into the other's chest, crushing his heart with ease. to the way he severed his head tendon by tendon. Elizabeth fell to the ground for a moment, gasping for air. Her hands clutched her rosary for dear life, yet all the prayers in the world would not find her comfort.  therapy was not an option either. she'd probably be declared insane or schizophrenic. after a few moments Elizabeth got up and noticed the chapel nearby was lit. getting the courage, she walked in. 

“As much as I do charity, this is no place for drunkards to sleep.” The voice was gentle yet stern, like a parents. Elizabeth came to, shaking violently as she looked at the priest. He wore the typical clergy outfit, long brown hair tied in a neat tail, and face shaved. He looked young, maybe only 30, his face just barely starting to wrinkle. His eyes were a soft brown, warm and inviting. “No Father, I’m not drunk nor here to sleep.” Perhaps it was something in her eyes or the shaking in her voice, but the priest frowned. He motioned towards her with a small smile. “Come, let us talk a while.” The two walked up the pews of the chapel, Elizabeth taking in the building. This was not the Catholic Church she normally attended, hers was much closer to her side of New Orleans. 

“My name is Gabriel. What is your name dear?” He sat down in the very front pew, away from the few others that were there sending prayers for the New Year. “Elizabeth.” She answered curtly, startling herself a bit. “It is a pleasure to meet you Elizabeth… What ails you so vexingly?” His eyes showed great concern, anyone looking at the woman could see she had been through the ringer. She’d go to work on autopilot only to lock herself in her apartment. Even her friends couldn’t reach her. Elizabeth took a breath, tears swelling her eyes. “I moved here in June from Canada, and even before moving I kept having a dream… A nightmare.” Father Gabriel looked at her, giving a slight nod as if to say Continue. “This vision of the future plagued me.” 

“And what happened in this nightmare?” Father Gabriel leaned his head and stared at Elizabeth, her gaze avoiding his. “It always played out exactly the same. Halloween night. I remember walking into the most beautiful gothic bar. It was adorned in candles that lit up the space. Deep red and black velvet covered the walls in intricate patterns and bat motifs. It was busy and many people were dressed in costumes, including the bar staff. I drink too much for my tolerance but I had an extremely rough week and wanted to forget it.” 

She stopped talking when another priest walked by offering her a glass of water. “Thank you..” The woman gave a nod and the priest went on his way. She took a few sips before continuing. “I stayed there for a few hours and maybe 10 minutes before midnight, I walk out. I live roughly three blocks from this bar so I decided to just walk home. There are plenty of people outside so I think nothing of it and head home. That’s when I’m struck by something on the back of my head and fall. Something drags me into a darkened alley before someone notices. That’s when I feel the fangs plunge into my neck shoulder area.” 

Her story stopped for a moment so she could catch her breath. Her gaze met Father Gabriel’s and to her comfort, he was still intently listening to her rather outlandish sounding dream. “I start loosing consciousness and am not to fight back as the vampire kills me. But that’s when the vampire is thrown off of me. I’m slumped on the ground unable to move but I can still see what’s happening. Another man had appeared. The most beautiful man I have ever seen. He was too beautiful to be real, yet he was right in front of me. He rips and mangles the vampire until it dies and becomes a pile of clothes and dust. Then my… Hero… Turns around and I see the most horrifying thing of the night. His fangs… So many fangs compared to the other vampire and glowing red eyes that scream monster. He notices my fear and relaxes, crouching down to check on me. I’m then lifted up by him then taken somewhere. I don’t ever get to see because the nightmare is over.” 

She stopped talking now, gaze fixated on the crucifix. “Father…” Her voice trembles even more now as Father Gabriel rubs her arm gently. “That is quite the dream. I can understand why you look as you do. You must not have had a peaceful night’s sleep in a long time.” She shook her head, agreeing with his statement, though anyone could see she was not functioning properly at all. “Has the dream stopped?” His gentle voice carried a wave of worry, knowing things of the mind could take someone down harder than a physical ailment. “Yes…. Because the events have happened.” Her eyes could almost burn the wooden cross with how intensely she stared at it, not wanting to see the face of the priest’s probable disbelief. “Father… Are vampires real? Tell me. Do they actually exist?” 

She turned to him with a lifetime of pain in both voice and body, not wanting yet another person to find her crazed. “I know what you are going to say. They are not real. I’m delusional and crazy.”  Slowly Elizabeth pulled down her shirt a bit, revealing a few nasty looking bite scars. Many would assume it was a dog, but someone with more expertise would be able to tell it was more human in structure. Even these weren’t enough proof for even her now ex best friend. Father Gabriel looked at Elizabeth with sadness in his eyes and stood up. “I believe you, dear. Come. I have something to show you.” 

He motioned for her to follow, and her gaze broke from the crucifix to the priest. This was the first time someone had said they believed her, yet she doubted him. She stared at him bewildered for a moment before snapping out of it and following. Thoughts raced her mind. This is a holy place. No harm shall come to me here. She repeated this as a mantra as he led her to the chapel’s office. 

Upon opening the door she noticed it was a small, cozy office. It had pictures of a few of the Saints, some past and the present Pope, a few clergy men and a rather large picture of Mary holding baby Jesus. A book shelf full of books took up an entire wall, and there was another filled with more books and religious music and videos. There was a desk with a bunch of paperwork thrown about and a small, extremely comfy looking couch. Elizabeth thought of laying on it, wondering if she’d get some peace in the chapel. 

“What is it you want to show me Father?” The woman was more relaxed now, the faintest smile creeping up on her face. “Nothing in here.” Father Gabriel moved a picture to reveal a button, an empty wall moved to reveal a passageway. “In times of strife God shows us things we may not understand. I too was unsure of my dreams. I had never murdered a man before but the visions of doing such shook me to my core. It was when the events of the nightmare came to fruition that I realized something. I knew very little about the world and that frightened me.”