#i might need a quick char vent on her on here.

[turbocharliie]

diosleighrp replied to your photo “quinlan seems familiar for some reason. hour or so, i forget already.”

I love your art Charlie!

I’m really really awful omg but thank you!! I try to post things on here even if I hate them so that I can see how long a gap there is between posts and whether I’m actually learning anything and... blah. I have a folder of unfinished crap but I tend to toss files in there and forget about them, so there’s no accountability. I embarrass myself as motivation B | LOL

[scapegrace74-blog]

Ginger Snap

A/N  I was driving down the highway today and saw the license plate “I PieGuy”.  By the time I got home, this story was half-born in my head.  I have no idea where it might go, but it’s taking up valuable shelf space in there, so I’m birthing it onto paper.  Modern AU.  Silly fluff.  Claire POV.  First person, which I never write, so watch out for stray pronouns.

The shriek of the fire alarm was the final straw.  I’d just stepped out of the kitchen for a minute, but that was all it took for calamity to strike.  Opening the oven door in a panic, billows of smoke engulfed me before I slammed it shut again.

“Shit.  Shitshitshit.  Shit!”

Waving a damp dish towel back and forth like a flag of surrender above my head caused the head-splitting siren to finally desist.  I blew a rogue curl off my sweaty brow and gave myself a pep talk.

“Time to woman up,” I sighed before donning the oven gloves and cautiously cracking the door once again.  More smoke escaped, smelling of burnt pastry and ruined hopes.  Once it cleared I could see the charred carcasses of what were supposed to be vol au vent shells.  I carefully extracted them from the oven and dropped the cooking sheet with a clatter onto the quartz countertop.

“Dinner is D.O.A, Doctor Beauchamp.  Now what the fuck am I going to do?”

***

Thirty minutes were spent cleaning the evidence of yet another cooking fiasco and ventilating our flat by opening every available window to let in the moist Edinburgh breeze.  I now had less than four hours before Frank and three other members of the university faculty would be descending, expecting a home-cooked meal and polite chitchat.  I was in no position to offer either.

In a last-ditch effort to salvage the evening, I typed “sophisticated home catering in Edinburgh” and started dialing.  The first four numbers yielded either an answering machine or the news (unsurprising) that at least two days’ advanced notice were required to book their services.  Nearly resigned to ordering in Italian and facing Frank’s wrath, a woman’s voice with a thick Scottish brogue picked up at the fifth business I called.

“Ye’ve reached Ginger Snap, this is Jenny speaking.  How may I help ye t’day?”

I poured out my tale of culinary woe, laying it on a bit thick, but I was truly desperate by this point.

“Aye, we’ve a chef available this afternoon.  What sort of menu were ye planning?” she asked.

“Really?  Oh my god, you’re a lifesaver!”

I gave Jenny the number of guests and a broad idea of what I’d hoped to serve, although I was in no position to be choosy.

“Never ye fear, Ms. Beauchamp.  We’ll pick up the necessary items and our chef will be at yer flat by four.  Tha’ should leave jus’ enough time tae have everything ready fer six.”

Thanking her profusely and not even inquiring about the charge, I stood triumphant in the middle of my immaculate yet useless kitchen.  Why hadn’t I thought of this sooner?

***

The buzzer rang as I was re-arranging the decorative objects atop our sideboard.  I was aiming for the artless sophistication featured in Frank’s favourite design magazines, but instead I lined up each item in order of descending size, or grouped them by historical era.  A second buzz had me trotting to the intercom where a male voice crackled.

“This is James Fraser o’ Ginger Snap Catering.  Can ye let me in?”

I stuck my head into the hallway to find four organic cotton tote bags bursting with produce at my doorstep.  Footsteps pounded down the stairs, where I assumed the chef had retreated to collect more supplies.  I brought the first load into the kitchen where I began to unpack foodstuffs the likes of which I’d never seen.  Not knowing what else to do to be helpful, I began sorting them; green leafy things here, round crispy things there.

“Hallo?” the same voice called from where I’d left the door ajar.  Wiping my hands nervously against my slacks, I went to greet him.

Standing in the doorframe, almost filling it with his immense size, was a young man who seemed more suited to a stag hunt or a rugby pitch than haute cuisine.  He had loose tawny curls, two days’ worth of stubble and wore a faded grey henley, dark wash jeans that clung to his muscular legs and utilitarian workman’s boots.

“Claire Beauchamp?” he interrupted my visual inventory.

“Hmm? Oh, yes.  Sorry.  Pleased to meet you.”

Something funny happened when our hands met in a firm shake.  A tachycardic blip, my internal medicine professor would have called it.  There was no time to analyze this response, however, as he was already on the move.

“James Fraser, at yer service.  I’d normally spend more time getting to know ye and yer style of entertaining, but we’re short on time, so let’s get straight to it, aye?”

I gave the chef a hasty tour of our kitchen, stumbling over the names of various implements and opening the wrong cupboard when looking for my saucepans.  I blushed as he raised an expressive eyebrow, but shook it off.  I was paying for his cooking proficiency, not his opinion on my lack of domestic competence.

“I ken ye spoke tae Jenny about yer menu, but I took a few liberties at the market, based on what looked freshest.  I recommend starting with a simple salad o’ nettle and radish, garnished with a wee round of goat cheese and rye crumbs.  Loin o’ lamb with new potatoes and pancetta fer yer main.  An’ a simple rhubarb custard fer dessert.  There’s none with food allergies, aye?”

“Aye,” I replied, then corrected “umm, no, rather,” at his concerned look.  “Are you sure you can manage all that in only,” I glanced at my wristwatch “ninety minutes?   It seems like an awful lot of work.”

“Och, tis no’ much.  Lamb cooks swiftly, ye ken.  Tis why I choose it over pork or poultry.”

My saviour rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, preparing to wash his hands and get down to work.  There was probably something else I should be doing elsewhere in the flat to prepare, but I didn’t want to appear completely useless to this unflappable man.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

He looked dubious and seemed prepared to politely decline, but then his expression shifted.

“Aye.  Ye can wash the tatties an’ chop the rhubarb while I dress the lamb, if ye dinna mind,” he suggested.

“Scrubbing in and wielding a knife happen to be two of the only transferrable job skills I bring to cooking,” I joked, taking my turn in front of the massive Belfast sink.

He emitted a low Scottish grunt of amusement before we each settled into companionable silence, focusing on our respective duties.  I glanced over at him surreptitiously, envying the ease with which he moved from task to task, lean and nimble hands working alchemy where I only succeeded in producing dross.

“Ye’re a doctor, then?” he asked after my chopped rhubarb had been set on the stovetop to stew and the lamb was marinating in a bath of lemon and fresh herbs.

“Umm, well, I was.  My partner and I moved here from Boston, where I trained as a surgeon.  I haven’t yet obtained my license to practice here in the UK, so I’m afraid I’m just a culinary liability for the moment.”

It was a current source of strife in my relationship with Frank.  He liked the idea of me keeping house, entertaining and eventually settling down to raise a family.  I chaffed at this unfamiliar routine.  But until I passed my licensing exams, it was rather a moot point.

“I’m sure ye’re far more than that,” he replied solemnly, before breaking into a sneaky grin.  “I’ve ne’er seen stalks of rhubarb cut quite sae... uniform.  Ye’d have a fine career in quality control, if ye wished.”

I faked throwing a dish towel at him while we both laughed.

“What about you, Mr. Fraser?  How did you get into the catering business?”  It wasn’t polite conversation.  I was really quite curious to know more about him.

“I’ll tell ye, but only if ye call me Jamie.”  At my nod, he continued, “twas my Mam.  She was always a great cook, but then my Da passed suddenly and she with three bairns under the age of ten tae raise. She needed tae work.  We moved tae Edinburgh an’ she laboured day and night tae save enough tae start her own catering business.  Since I was a lad, when I wasna in school I was in her kitchen, watching and learning all the while.”

His striking face took on a faraway expression, and I knew he was remembering those days with a mixture of wistfulness and love.  I recognized the look from my own reflection, when I thought about my dead parents.  Without realizing it, I lay my palm over his forearm where it had stilled above my butcher’s block.  His eyes were the same hue as midsummer blueberries, and they regarded me with silent inquiry.

A timer made us both jump, my hand falling to my side.  What was I thinking, touching this stranger who I was paying to cook dinner for my boyfriend’s guests?  I really needed to find a hobby, so my mind didn’t latch onto any feeble excuse for stimulation.

Brushing my hands against my thighs, I quickly excused myself and left to get properly dressed for dinner.  Only thirty minutes remained before Frank and his colleagues were due to arrive.  

I spent more time than was strictly necessary away from the kitchen, afraid I’d made things awkward with Jamie.  By the time I finally returned, he was plating the lamb and putting the custard in the refrigerator to set.  I tried to think of something to say that would re-establish the fluent rapport from earlier on.

“I’ve opened the wine tae let it breathe,” Jamie said without looking at me.  I wished there was a similar process for blundering Englishwomen.

“Jamie, I really don’t know how to...”

The sound of the front door opening interrupted me and Frank’s nasal voice rang out from the entryway.

“Claire, we’re here!”

“Fuck!” I exclaimed.  Jamie tipped his head sideways in question.  “I never had time to explain to my partner that I hired your services.  That’s the dean of his faculty out there, and...”  I broke off, looking frantically around the room as though a trap door would suddenly materialize.  Quick on his feet, Jamie understood the situation immediately.   The kitchen windows were still open after my earlier catastrophe.  With surprising grace for one so large, he slid through the opening and onto the fire escape.  

“Bon appetit, Claire Beauchamp,” the ginger chef wished from outside, a mischievous smirk lighting his whole countenance.

I stood, mouth open in shock, as he gave an abbreviated bow before scampering down the metal ladder just as Frank entered the kitchen behind me.

“This smells delicious, darling.  We really are going to make a chef out of you yet.”

[beetlegoose01]

it’s all so simple (one shot)

a short fic about Charlie and Albus bonding.

~~~~~~

I don't want to get married. I don't want to have children. I'm happy the way I am. And if you love me, you'll be happy for me too.

Charlie had recited that mantra for as long as he could remember. He told himself in the mirror before he was ready to tell his family. He told his favorite dragon Topaz as he was petting her scaly muzzle.

“There isn’t anything wrong with me!” He bellowed into a puddle, staring at his reflection stubbornly. 

Topaz nudged him, tired of him venting to himself. He would laugh, run a hand through his messy red hair, and continue reminding himself that what he was feeling was normal. Wasn’t he?

His mum had persisted the most. Asking him every time he visited when was he ever going to find a nice young woman to settle down with. Eventually, he had told her firmly that the answer was never. He had fancied men for as long as he could remember. She, and the rest of the family had been accepting. He hadn't expected any less. But then the questions changed. When was he going to find a nice young man to marry and perhaps adopt children with.

At one point, he thought he had found someone. Alexander. A fellow dragon keeper. But he wanted things that Charlie couldn't give him. So it ended like that. Amicably, of course. No pressure involved, thank Merlin. But it still stung, like a burn from a dragon's breath. Except with less blood. And he recovered a lot faster and didn't need to cover it with a tattoo.

When he was a younger man, he had doubts about himself. When all of his siblings married and started to have kids of their own, the anxiety of being the odd one out definitely took a toll on him. Was there something wrong with him?

But as the years passed, those feelings subsided. He was happy where he was with his career. He loved his family. He loved his nieces and nephews and being the 'cool uncle' showing off his newest burns and scars-- usually overdramatizing the tale. And as time went on, finally his family stopped asking. That made his visits less stressful. He didn’t have to worry about them pestering him. 

The summer visits to the Burrow were always a rare treat. Sometimes he couldn't come for various work reasons. But when he did, he was always excited. One particular afternoon, all of the kids decided to play a game of Quidditch in the garden. The adults were responsible for making sure none of them were injured and taking care of the little ones. Charlie relaxed from the back, enjoying the sunshine and counting each child to make sure they were included. Lily, Vic, Hugo, Dom, and Roxanne were one team, while James, Rose, Freddie, Louis, Molly Jr and Teddy were another.

"Hey!" Hugo shouted. "They have one more teammate!" He pointed at James' team.

Charlie frowned. He thought there were enough kids for sure. Yes, Lucy was only four and couldn't play but Albus...

"Come on, Al, you're on the blue team." James groaned, already frustrated from the heat and his little brother.

"I don't want to be on the blue team!' Albus said stubbornly. "I don't wanna be on any team. I hate Quidditch."

Several of the other children looked outraged. No Weasley hated Quidditch. It was in their blood.

"Don't be silly, Albus." Victoire said, looking at the younger boy kindly. "You don't mean that. Come on, we can be Beaters together." She offered him the bat, which he scowled and huffed away from.

"No, I don't want to." Albus shook his head furiously.

"He only hates it because he's bad at it." James mumbled under his breath.

"James!" Ginny snapped.

Albus, filled with rage, tossed the bat aside as he stormed away. It snapped in half from the impact. Lily and Hugo gasped in horror.

"Albus Severus, you're too old to be breaking things!" Harry rubbed his nose tiredly. "Come back here this instant!"

"I'll get him," Charlie offered, nodding at Ginny. "Don't worry Gin."

"Thanks Char." Ginny murmured.

Luckily it wasn't too hard to find a ten year old who seemed to think hiding behind a row of bushes and gnomes was a good hiding place. His heart dropped when he heard tiny sobs from behind the bush.

"Hey bud," Charlie awkwardly brushed aside the prickly bushes and sat beside the boy, who's eyes were puffy and red. He made sure his voice was quiet, approachable. Last thing he wanted was to be as stoic and apathetic as Percy.

"Go away. I don't want to play Quidditch." Albus said shakily. He turned to face Charlie, eyes shining with tears. He seemed to hesitate when he saw his favorite uncle.

"You don't have to, that's not why I'm here." Charlie assured him. "Just wanted to have a chat. Everything okay?"

Albus sniffed, shaking his head.

"Sorry, dumb question. Do you wanna talk about it?"

Albus was an open book, especially to Charlie, who had grown fonder and protective of the little Potter. He wasn't like his siblings or cousins. He was quiet, exceptionally bright but very timid.

"I'm not like them," He whispered, biting his lip. "I'm bad at everything."

Charlie snorted. "Really? The boy who nursed a wounded bowtruckle back to health at age eight is 'bad at everything'? Sorry if I find that hard to believe."

"But I'm not good at Quidditch."

"Quidditch isn't everything." Charlie said, summoning a handkerchief, which Al took gratefully.

"Still, I'm different." Albus said glumly. "They think I'm weird."

"Yes, you are. And that's what makes you so wonderful." Albus didn't look convinced, so he continued. "You know, you're a lot like me."

Al scoffed. "I don't play Quidditch though. You're brilliant, I've seen you play and I know you were Gryffindor captain. Mum told me."

Charlie nudged him softly. "I'm touched, mate. But no, what I mean is I was quiet too. I loved the outdoors, never really fit in with other kids my age. And that's okay."

"But you're so...cool."

"You are too! Well, maybe one day you'll be as cool as me. Though, don't aim for the impossible. Those aren't mutually exclusive."

Albus laughed lightly, which Charlie considered a win. But there was something in his eye that didn't seem right.

"Alright, Al?"

Albus fiddled with pieces of grass uncomfortably. He looked desperate to say something, but whatever was troubling him held him back.

"Is that why you never married?" He asked finally. Then he turned pink, mortified at how blunt that sounded. "I mean- not like you - I'm sorry I didn't mean to be rude."

Charlie chuckled, shaking his head. "S' alright, I'm not offended. To answer your question, er, no."

"I realize how horrible that sounded the second it came out." Albus said, looking down. "I'm really sorry."

"The simple answer is, despite my ruggedly handsome good looks and my charming personality, I chose not to marry." He explained, grinning. "I just didn't want to. I've dated several blokes-"

"Blokes?" Albus' eyes lit up, a moment that was so quick, anyone who wasn't Charles Weasley could have missed it.

"Heh, you bet." He ruffled Al's curls. "I dated, and I found out on my own I'm happy where I am. Just like you aren't forced to play Quidditch, I'm not forced to get married. Of course those two are completely different things but my point still stands. I love my family, my friends and career."

"And...that's okay?"

"Sure is. Why wouldn't it be?"

Albus seems satisfied with that answer. "I might not marry either." He said firmly.

"Eh?"

"When you get married, you become boring." Al explained as if it was obvious. "You're cool, and you have the best job on the planet. So...I think I'll be like you and stay single."

"Well, you're only ten-"

"I might date though." He said hastily. "Pretty girls, maybe. But I don't think I'm ready for that sort of commitment." He folded his hands, surprisingly mature.

"Again, you're only ten."

Albus shrugged, grinning cheekily. "Just kidding."

Charlie couldn't help but laugh. "We'll see. Don't worry too much though. Really you should wait until you know for sure. So...do you wanna play something? Just the two of us."

"Not Quidditch?"

"Nope. Whatever you want to play."

"Wizard Chess!" He looked up eagerly. "Please?"

Charlie nodded, a mischievous glint in his eye. "You're on."

And the remainder of the evening, Uncle and nephew played chess until their hearts were content.

[readbyred]

Just a self-insert story

It's not romantic, it has some CharTed implications but nothing involving my s/i. It's just a vent, sort of, because well it's always nice to get it all out and have someone take my side (even if I'm not really in the right here).

What you need to know about my s/i is that she’s fairly new in the office and her name is R.J because I’m red and ‘J’ seemed to sound the best in there so her middle name is Julie now.

The story is long and was written as a dialogue-stylised vent. The rest was written after I finished and the quality varies. Also there is cursing and a sappy, probably rushed ending. I hope it's not that ooc but you know how it is.

Julie rarely came out to the balcony unless she needed something from a friend of hers. Today was one of those days so when she realized that Charlotte was nowhere near in sight she made her way out. What she didn't expect was to see Ted standing there with her, also smoking. He rarely did, mostly he would just lock himself in his office and do whatever.

The two weren't talking, being completely honest Julie had realized some time before, that something must have shifted, when she first came into work they seemed pretty close but lately they distance themselves from each other. For a moment she paused unsure if she should touch on the subject that was the reason of her talk around their coworker but in the end she approached them anyways.

“Could we talk for a moment?” she leaned over standing between them and looking at the road beneath.

“Oh sure! Here or...?” Charlotte threw a quick glance at the man behind Julie who not so discretely began showing signs of interest in whatever the topic of the conversation was.

“Yeah it’s no secret. I just want to get something off my chest. It's about Adam” she said his name quietly in a suvgestive tone, as if she tried to censor herself although the three of them were the only ones around.

“What is it? I must warn you I'm not good at advice, but I’ll still listen if you want me to” giving her a weak smile the woman waited.

“We’ve been going out lately. You know how it is” Ted now fully turned his head towards them not hiding that he was in fact listening but Red didn't notice still looking at the cars passing by.

“That engineer guy? Aww, congratulations!” feeling a hand on her shoulder Julie looked up but the smile she gave Charlotte wasn't sincere, it was just tired.

“Oh, thank you it's just... Oh well no need to get all sappy, I know, but I can't help but feel some sort of way about it” she shook her head at her visibly concerned friend ” Don't get me wrong he’s lovely! I'm just being silly”

“Well, I could help you, I have some experience in relationships-”

“Yeah, lots of it...” Ted started bitterly walking up to the two talking women “Anyways, yeah sure tell us about your perfect, dream guy. What problems could you have if he’s so great”

“Ted-” Charlotte shot him a look.

“Unless he’s not. Didn't you say he went out for a ‘business meeting’ again?”

“Yeah, about that...” Julie looked down.

“What about it?” Charlotte turned her attention away from their coworker yet again.

“So” Julie began “I don't know what we are, it's all complicated lately”

“Oh I'm sorry to hear that, I've been through rough times with my Sam and I could help you some or recommend a professional?” as soon as Charlotte said the word ‘professional’ Ted opened his mouth say something but quickly shut it.

“I appreciate that but I'm afraid it's far beyond just rough. He’s great! Things are just getting bizarre. I mean we haven't been properly dating since last year before I came to work here, you know? He was so thoughtful and, oh, so charming and goodness gracious, I was awful. I broke things off” her mood shifted from nervous to upset, fiddling with her hands she continued to intensely observe the cars passing by “He didn't take that well, I can't blame him cause I know I shouldn't have done it. He was sad a lot and it made him so... Angry at times, at our mutual friends and all. He told me he doesn't wanna see me, to get out of his life. We’ve known each other since diapers, I know I deserved everything he said it just... Hurt, you know? Oh how selfish I must sound!”

“But you two are still talking aren't you? So it all must have been fixed?” Charlotte offered her a smile “Me and my husband don't argue that openly, I think, so I might not be able to relate here but if you’ll tell us more I'm sure we can figure something out”

“Really thank you. Both of you. Here I am taking away your lunch break with all my silly ramblings” shaking her head a bit she gave both of them the same sad smile she had before. It was then when they noticed she seemed to have shrunken in herself, not only tired but also strangely worried.

“No problem, it's not a big deal I'm sure” her coworker tried to reassure glancing up “Right?”

“Yeah, yeah could you just move on with the story?” it seemed like it took all his inner strength for Ted not to leave although neither of the women understood why would that be. Charlotte knew he was like that sometimes, when she tried to talk about Sam with him it went pretty similar. That didn't mean however she understood more of it than Julie did “You broke up. He started acting like a jerk”

“Oh he didn't, I had no right to hurt him like that! And he’s not a jerk, far from it. He’s so thoughtful, so protective. Everyone I know wants nothing more for us than to be together. You know how I am... I get a lot of silly ideas, I can get pretty nasty, that you probably noticed. Adam doesn't like that one bit, I embarrass him a whole lot doing things without asking and all that. My friends noticed that too, they say I'm much more pleasant when I'm with him, he tames me, if you will. I know I give him a lot of crap for that, sometimes I feel like I either agree with him or am just wrong and he doesn't take my suggestions to heart but we talked recently, this weekend actually, he made me realize that I need improvement and-” she didn't look neither of her colleagues in the eye. Charlotte understood, she got nervous like that too and decided to give the redhead some space “here I go ranting about details again don't I? Oh, well, on with the story you say? Well, he stopped talking - I was a wreck. But gradually - when he came back from his business trip after summer - I saw him around Beanies a lot. Always on my lunch break, you know? And we got to talking and he asked what are we. I was surprised, I told him that we’re no longer together, he asked how so and one thing led to another he said it was just a break! I was... Surprised? But it was so nice to see him so happy. And Zoe told me to get him back, then. And I was so awful - I told her I don't want to live like that anymore. With him. But luckily we didn't stop hanging out, me and Adam that is. At first I was grossed out to be treated as such, afterall I said I want to be single. But he kept on pushing and that way around December we sort of got back”

“Why didn't you tell us that, congratulations!” Charlotte’s weak cheer brought a small smile on Julie’s face but it soon vanished when the other one of her two friends spoke up.

“Yeah, congratulations for dating a pushy asshole-” Ted paused frowning even more as if he said something wrong “...you could do better than that”

He turned to leave frustrated with Julie.

“Please stay” Julie fully turned from the railing and gave him a pleasing look “I... I'll get to the end soon, I want your perspective on that as well”

“Ugh fine... Just don't expect me to take this douchebag’s side”

“It’s nice to get to hear your opinion as well. As selfish as it sounds I think like that too sometimes, it's... Refreshing not to be in the wrong all the time even if I am” shaking her head she changed the subject “Oh, right! As I was saying. We had a talk then and he asked me what would I do if he started seeing someone. After all if I don't consider us a pair then he may. I told him that I'm fine with that, after all I started this mess, can't blame him if him for getting lonely. And I'm not a saint you see. Goodness gracious don't give my that look Char, I never cheated! I just... Going on and off Tinder, just chatting. It never got any further I swear, I felt so terrible. Anyways, after he told me that he got very... Touchy. And romantic. And I know I ruined the mood but after a few hours, I asked what are we. And he said he could take me back. And no matter how awful I sound I need to admit as wonderful as he is I don't think I want it. And I told him that I want to focus on work”

“But you don't?” it wasn't a secret that R.J wasn't avoiding relationships, not to the point of denying one in favour of work.

“But I don't. I know he’s amazing but I’m not happy. I‘ trying but I'm not. So I said that it’s because of work, I don't know what would he do if I told him the truth! And he didn't really get the work thing either, he’s the traditionalistic type. But! He said he shouldn't have told me about the other woman which is good I think” she bit her lip seemingly gaining a bit of life back “But what is that supposed to mean? That she’s just a concept he’s been contemplating or a human but I shouldn't know? I don't know... Anyways I asked him about what he wants. He’ll take some time to think and for now we agreed I can be sort of his... With him that is. Not that he has to call me his girlfriend. He just can get me places and I don't date or make him jealous with my make friends and stuff”

And with that Julie finished realizing just then that her hands were shaking a bit. It often happened in situations like that, stressing ones like opening up.

“Um, it does sound complicated. I might have to look for the contacts to get you set but you can make it work. I got this good therapist” Ted scoffed “he could give you some directions. Give me a minute and I’ll get back to you I'll forget about it if I’ll do that later, you know”

And with that she rushed out forgetting to get rid of the cigarette she was holding.

“You’ve been awfully quiet” gaining some of her cool back along with colour on her face, Julie leaned back cocking her head and looking at the man in front of her curiously.

“Why do you put up with this? Don't you see this guy’s a duchebag?” he asked frustrated “And don't try to tell me you love him, you said it’s not true”

“I don't. But he has to put up with me, it's a fair deal” she shrugged noticing him grow even more angry at the situation

“Well, I don't know?” he groaned “Maybe find someone who doesn't have to put up with you”

“Look, I-”

“Found it!” Charlotte came back holding her phone with a random phone number opened up on the screen

“Oh thank you a lot! Let me save it on the phone” soon she was done with the whole process “I won't hold you much longer, I'm sure you have work to do”

“Dont worry about it, a little break is always needed. Speaking of which want to go out with us after work? It's going to be Sylvia and Bill, me, Melissa and Ted. It's just for coffee, you know”

“I...” on Fridays she always hung out with Adam, even before things got messy. Looking back at Charlotte to give her phone back she paused. Maybe one day off wouldn't be so bad? “I will, it’s right after work?”

The woman nodded.

“Count me in then” opening the door she paused again, feeling much calmer and lighter after confiding in her coworkers “Oh and you’re finished, right Ted? I need to get you some papers, so stop by my desk, alright?”

“Seriously? Fuck Sylvia, I wash my hands! And besides it’s my office and my right to-”

She didn't hear what was that exactly that he had the right to do, closing the door and laughing to herself. And yes, maybe her love life was a mess but it didn't matter because it seemed that along with her new job she also found friends.

[themadlostgirl]

Not Dead Yet (Part 71)

Some stuff happens...eh

Pairing: Reader x Peter Pan

Warnings: language

Tinkerbell and I had been going over the list of ingredients I needed to find and where I would most likely be able to find them. They weren’t exactly easy locations nor were the ingredients common in any regard. It would take time to procure them all. With the supply of magic beans dwindling down I would only be bringing one bean with me to get me back to Neverland after I had found everything. That meant a lot of walking and maybe stealing an unattended horse or two.

If it could save Peter though than it will have been all worth it.

Peter and I were lounging in a hammock lazily rocking side to side as I looked over the list Tinkerbell had given me. “When are you going?” Peter asked.

“Tomorrow morning, get an early start. These won’t be easy to find.” I sighed and folded the list back up.

“How long do you think you’ll be gone?”

“Depends on how lucky I am. Could just take a couple days but it might take longer. I won’t be gone too long though.” I was hoping that it wouldn’t take more than a week. If it was getting to be that long and Peter hadn’t heard from me then he was allowed to worry.

“Well if there’s a chance I won’t be seeing you for a couple days,” he pulled me up off the hammock, “Then I’m keeping you all night.”

“Hey!” I kicked at him as he dragged me into the jungle, “Peter, I’m going to be leaving early and will need some sleep!”

“Should have thought about that before you told me you’d be gone for a few days.”

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.”

As expected Peter kept me occupied for the entire night. I’d be surprised if I got more than two hours of sleep.

“Well as nice as that was I need to leave soon.” I stood up from the bed, “Thank you so much for making me so tired. I am going to kill you when I get back.”

“Y’know,” he pulled me back, “You could always leave later.”

“Why? Just so you can keep me from getting a good night’s rest even longer? No thank you.” I gave him a quick kiss, “I am going to get dressed, find the ingredients, all while thinking of some way to get back at you for keeping me up.”

“You didn’t seem to have any objections last night. Also, if you really didn’t want to all you had to do was say so. You cannot blame your needs on me.”

“You are such an imp.” I muttered as I pulled on my discarded clothes and grabbed a bag of magic beans.

“That’s not what you said last night.”

“I’m leaving.” I pulled the rope ladder down.

“Sure you don’t want a quickie?”

“Goodbye, idiot.”

“See ya.” he waved before falling back against the bed and going back to sleep. Lucky.

I dropped the bean on the ground and I was in a whirlwind to the Enchanted Forest. The morning was very sluggish as I didn’t have any energy. Hopefully I’ll find something soon.

The day flew by but it had been a waste. I made camp ready to continue the search tomorrow.

When the sun had finally crept over the crest of the hills I woke up and tore down my makeshift camp. I wandered into the nearest town but no one was up. Strange. Even for a small town like this people were usually up and bustling by now. Was there a plague going around that I didn’t know about?

“Well if no one’s here then I’m ransacking the gardens.” I hopped a fence and started pulling carrots and apples from the little garden.

That’s when I felt it. A tremor shook through the ground and the wind picked up to dangerous speeds.

I turned around and saw the unmistakable dark smoke of a curse engulfing the land and moving fast. I dropped the food and fumbled for my bean dropping it on the ground. Portal! Where was the--

~~~

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Huh? What’s that? I squinted my eyes open and sighed. Time to get up already? I hit the snooze button on my alarm and sat up in bed. Where did the weekend go? I felt like I hadn’t slept a wink. At least it’s a nice day out.

So weird, I feel like I’m still asleep. Maybe I shouldn’t have stayed up all night. I shuffled over to the bathroom and hopped in the shower. Hopefully school will be merciful this week. Feels like senior year has been dragging on forever.

“Mari? Are you up yet?” mom’s voice called from downstairs.

“Yeah ma,” I called back as I started to dry myself off, “I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Okay, if you don’t hurry then dad’s gonna eat your breakfast.”

“Keep him away from my pop-tarts!”

I opened my closet and pulled on my school uniform. Why couldn’t I have gone to a school without uniforms? Oh well, no making this drab get up any better. I ran downstairs where mom and dad were sitting in the kitchen. Mom handed me my pop-tarts fresh out of the toaster. After breakfast I left for school and mom and dad went to work.

“Barrie, Marigold.” Mrs. Peters called during homeroom.

“Here,” I muttered from my desk. She went through the rest of the list of students. I stared out the window waiting for the first bell.

School was a drag as usual. I didn’t have many friends, none at all in fact. I just couldn’t make friends with any of the girls in my class. Don’t even get me started on trying to talk to the boys, that was terrifying all in of itself.

After classes were through I raced home and changed out of my uniform and into some casual clothes. If you looked inside my closet it was a neatly organized mess of peach, mint, sky blue, and lilac. They all looked nice but sometimes it felt as if it wasn’t really me. I’d like to try some darker more edgy kind of clothes but I knew I’d never be able to pull them off. I wasn’t some badass, I was just a babysitter that couldn’t make friends. Speaking of which, I needed to get moving if I was going to make it in time to watch the Anderson twins when they got out of school.

As I was walking down main street passing the faces I had seen everyday and looking up at the cloudy sky a wave of sadness crept through my bones. Was I forgetting something? No. It’s just the bleak weather affecting me. What was there to be sad about when I was home?

~~~

“Pan,” Felix called, “We can’t stay here, it’s not safe.”

“No,” Pan snapped, “We’re not leaving until we find her.”

“We’ve been out here for days, there is no one here! All the villages are destroyed! Whatever happened there are no survivors!” Pan was his friend and his leader so he wasn’t in the habit of telling him what to do but this was insanity.

Over a week went by after Y/N left to find some plants in the Enchanted Forest. When she didn’t return Pan sent Devin out to find her. He was gone for a couple hours before he returned and told Pan that the Enchanted Forest had been pretty much wiped out of existence. Not a soul could be found. Villages, tiny farms, and even castles had been destroyed.

Since then Pan and the boys had been searching the Enchanted Forest and other realms trying to find her. Seeing Pan like this brought back memories of when Y/N almost was killed by pirates. The desperation was something Felix hadn’t seen before, at least not this strongly.

“She’s out there, she’s too stubborn to die.” Pan muttered and kept on walking.

“Pan please,” Felix stressed, “We have searched every corner of this realm and every other realm. If Y/N is alive she would have called for the shadow long ago.”

The grass at Pan’s feet turned yellow and started to wither. “Don’t you think I know that? But she’s not dead, I know she isn’t.”

“Then where is she? Why can’t we find her? You have to stop pretending and accept the reality for what it is. Whatever happened here killed everyone, including Y/N. Now call off this wild goose chase and let us go home!”

Pan used his magic to throw him back. Felix was on the ground unable to move and Pan had a fireball in his hands ready to throw. Felix stared back at his leader in mounting worry before the fireball extinguished itself. The force keeping him down lifted and Pan turned away. He threw Felix a bean. “You want to go back to Neverland then go, take the boys with you.”

“Pan…”

“I said to go!” he growled. This wasn’t the time to test his luck more than he already had.

“See you back at camp.” Felix called for the boys to gather round and they all jumped through the portal leaving Pan alone. The heat of an immense fireball catching the surrounding trees on fire wafting against the back of his neck.

~~~

Peter sat in the center of a massive ring of charcoaled grass and smouldering trees. Venting hadn’t helped as he had hoped. He was drained and tired and miserable. Terrible thoughts mocking him relentlessly.

Y/N is missing.

She said she wouldn’t leave. She should have stayed on Neverland. He should of never let her go. Not without him.

Y/N is all alone.

Fear. That was a new feeling. Absolute fear.

Y/N may be hurt.

Why couldn’t he find her? Why wasn’t she calling for help?

Y/N could be being tortured right now.

She’ll be home soon. Y/N will be home soon!

Y/N may be dead.

She’s too stubborn to die.

She may be dead and it was all his fault.

No.

She’s dead and it was all his fault!

No!

Another wave of fire sent the already charred surroundings aflame once more.

Please be safe. Please pet...please come home.

~~~

“They didn’t find her?” Tinkerbell looked at Wendy.

“No. According to Felix the entire forest is gone. Y/N can’t be found.”

“Alright then, next step is to keep Pan from going off the deep end and destroying the island.”

“If he ever finds out about this--”

“So long as no one says anything he never will.” Tink assured her, “How about some tea? The kettle just boiled.”

“Sure.” She took the offered cup, her hands shaking. “Nothing like something warm to erase the guilt.”

(First) (Previous) (Next)

[thesilverdreamer]

Reasons To Not Leave Demonic Spellbooks Laying Around

A brief fic I wrote some months ago taking place in @star-going-supernova‘s Inky Eyes Golden Heart AU. Henry comes back from lunch to find that there’s something very wrong in the studio, starting with his fellow employees laying unconscious on the floor, and continuing to the trail of blood leading from Joey’s office down to the basement.

I try not to comment on my own writing, but I feel I should mention that I wrote this back in January then forgot about it, so there’s some aspects that aren’t quite in line with what Star has since established about the IEGH-verse. Nevertheless, I’m here for the character interactions :)

A quick lunch turned into an hour long detour keeping a kid from trying to wreak demonic vengeance on their bullies, but Henry was pretty sure Joey wouldn’t be too upset since he was the one who insisted Henry take a lunch. Probably.

All thought of how Joey would react fled from Henry’s head as he entered the studio, and felt a sensation like a bucket of cold water poured over his head.

“What in the world?” he said quietly, stepping slowly into the studio.

Henry nearly tripped over the next sign that something was wrong; not only the front receptionist, but he realized as he looked in the direction of the animation department and spotted a couple of scenery artists, they had all passed out on the floor, sleeping in the middle of the day.

No, he realized, as he tried to wake Sherry, the receptionist, and got no reaction. Not asleep—unconscious.

She wasn’t the only one. The artists, too, and the rest of the animators, all unconscious at their desks. The same was true in the administrative department, every last employee was dead to the world.

It didn’t take long for Henry to realize that Joey was nowhere to be found. It took even less time for him to find the trail of blood leading out of Joey’s office. The blood led him to the main stairwell, and Henry descended silently, down, down to the basement. Once, it had been the site of strange and supernatural rituals, but these days it was mostly just storage.

The door to the basement had been blown inward, completely off the hinges. Henry quietly rolled up his sleeves.

“Well, well, well, it finally shows up.”

Henry’s lip curled as he rounded the corner, and his heart skipped a beat.

Across the room, there stood Sammy Lawrence, old Norman the projectionist, and lovely Susie Campbell. Their eyes, iris, sclera, and all had turned completely black, but Henry could still feel their eyes on him. Far more important was his best friend Joey Drew on the floor at Sammy’s feet, beaten and bloody, but somehow still conscious, visibly trembling.

Sammy held up a black book that Henry knew too well. “Really shouldn’t keep this stuff lying around, you know. All it takes is one little accident, a spilled drop of blood on the wrong page; normally I’d ignore some idiot human not even looking for a deal, but then, oh, when I got a whiff of your scent? I just couldn’t resist the chance to ruin your day, and neither could my friends here.”

Henry was very quiet as he said, “I will give you one chance to release the humans you are possessing and leave this place.”

“See, that’s your problem!” Sammy, or rather, the demon possessing Sammy Lawrence said. “You’re so attached to these humans—and instead of taking their souls, you make the most worthless ‘deals’ with them.”

Sammy used his foot to put Joey on his back and stomped on Joey’s hand so hard you could hear the bones breaking. Henry felt sick.

“What’s the name you use?” Sammy said with mocking curiosity. “It’s something extraordinarily dull...”

Joey had twisted himself to look over, and his voice was far too weak as he said, “P-please, Henry...h-help—“ Sammy casually put a foot on Joey’s head and started putting weight on it, and Joey groaned in pain.

“Henry! That’s it, Henry. So, here’s the way it’s gonna go, ‘Henry,’” Sammy said. “You’re going to take your punishment without complaint, and never make another deal in this city. Or, we’ll kill your pet human.” Sammy grinned unnaturally wide as he added, “Painfully.”

If Henry submitted, odds were good that not only would the rest of the staff be as good as dead, not only would Sammy, Norman, and Susie be used as vessels until their bodies broke from the abuse, and not only would a lot of people lose their souls without Henry making petty deals with them—but the demon possessing Sammy would certainly kill Joey, and Henry had lived through far too much for his best friend to die at the hands of some bottom-feeder trash.

“Well, pipsqueak?” Sammy said.

Henry paused, and then, he said like an overconfident high-schooler, “How about you come say that to my face?”

Sammy bristled. “You’re just as stupid as these humans, aren’t you?” He stepped over Joey, his flunkies moving with him.

And right as he passed under a vent, there was a light thunk, the vent came open, and Bendy dropped out beautifully right on Sammy’s head.

“Guess who!” Bendy yelled, putting his hands over Sammy’s eyes and holding on tight as Sammy flailed around trying to shake him off, roaring in indignation. “Now!”

Alice came leaping down from the top of a shelf, and Boris burst out of a box (one that was surely too small for him to fit) in a shower of packing peanuts. Alice grabbed her halo, stretched it out, and dropped it over Susie; with a swift yank, the halo shrunk, pinning Susie’s arms to her sides. Boris came up behind Norman and pulled his pants down to his ankles with a snicker. The old projectionist stumbled back, fell over, and landed on his bottom.

(Henry always loved his Toons like they were his own children, but he was particularly proud of them then, even as he was terrified to see them throwing themselves into danger; for god’s sake when felt the pulse of a faint demonic aura centered on the ceiling vent, he expected a water balloon, not a kamikaze attack.)

Alice and Boris got well out of the way, and Henry was moving then. Memorized Latin words spilled from his lips, and dark wisps of smoke pearled off his face. He grabbed Susie by the shoulder and forced her to the floor. Susie screamed obscenity, only to go silent as a cloud of black smoke was expelled from her mouth and nose and eyes. The cloud of smoke dropped through the floor leaving a charred mark, and Susie went limp.

Norman was starting to get a handle on himself, pulling his pants back on and getting to his feet, but not nearly fast enough. The demon had started a mantra that rang in Henry’s ears, but Henry’s continued chant drowned it out. Henry grabbed Norman by the front of his shirt, and the black smoke poured from his mouth, his eyes returned to normal, and Henry lowered Norman to the floor as the old man passed out.

Just then Sammy finally got a grip on Bendy’s arm and yanked the little demon off. “Why you little, I’ll deal with you later!” He threw Bendy like he weighed nothing, but Henry caught Bendy out of the air.

“I gotcha!” Henry said, as he moved Bendy to hold him with one arm. Bendy grabbed onto his shirt to keep from falling.

“When I get through with you, you’ll wish—“ was as far as the demon got, before Henry grabbed him by the lower half of his face.

Violet cracks like tear tracks had opened in Henry’s face. He wasn’t smiling. “Be quiet already. Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus...”

Sammy seemed to be having a seizure, shaking with his eyes rolling back in his head, skin going pale. It almost was like a cartoon when Henry pushed Sammy away and left the smoke cloud hanging in the air. Sammy hit the floor, and the demonic essence dropped, through the floorboards and straight back to whence it came.

In an instant, Henry was once more only human, pulling a hand through his hair. “Jesus Christ,” he swore.

“Don’t think he’s got anythin’ to do with this,” Bendy said. Henry moved him around, holding Bendy under the arms and bringing him to eye level.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt? The exorcism didn’t affect you, did it?”

Bendy shook his head. “I’m just fine, Henry! It’s Joey you should be worried about!”

“Joey!” Henry said, like he had forgotten. He set Bendy down and crossed the room in an instant, to where Joey was laying on the floor.

Joey was not looking great. He seemed to be covered in his own blood, he wasn’t quite lucid, but his eyes were open. Nothing Henry couldn’t fix, but no less horrifying to see.

Henry turned Joey onto his back and supported his head with his hand. “Alright, we’re alright, Joey? Joey, listen to me, if you can hear me, I’m going to heal you, but the first round’s on you, alright?” Henry said. Joey’s head lolled forward, and it was a stretch but Henry took it as a yes.

Henry pressed a hand to Joey’s sternum, and Joey’s body started pulling back together. Henry, of course, was well used to the sound of bones moving back in place, to seeing blood dry and turn to dust in an instant, to bleeding wounds stemming the flow and closing themselves with spiderweb-like strands of tissue stretched between the edges. That didn’t mean the Toons were as unflappable as he, and he hoped they would never need to become used to the messy process of healing a broken human body. They were giving Henry some space as he worked magick.

It seemed to take an eternity, but it was less than a minute before Joey was breathing without struggle, and then he came to life all at once, jerking upward and smacking his forehead into Henry’s, and both men reeled from the impact. Joey rubbed at his stinging forehead from where he laid. “Ow.”

“‘Ow?’” Henry said incredulously, as he made sure his nose wasn’t broken. “You get the stuffing beat out of you, and it’s the headbutt that makes you complain?”

“Well—I might have complained more, but I think Sammy broke my jaw when he jumped me,” Joey shot back. His eyes went wide in realization. “Sammy, wait, oh god—“

“Like He has anything to do with it,” Henry murmured.

“—what happened? I couldn’t, I heard them fall down,” Joey said, growing panicked as he tried to pick himself up and twisted around to look for his fallen employees.

Henry put a hand on Joey’s shoulder, to calm him and to keep him from hurting himself. “They should be fine, I exorcised the demons possessing them. The same should go for everyone upstairs, the auras must have knocked them out, but if they were hurt I can—“

A hand pulled at Henry’s sleeve. Alice was standing there, hesitant but concerned. She was trembling.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Henry said gently. No sooner had he opened his arms than Alice rushed forward into them, grabbing Henry like she never wanted to let go. “Shhh, we’re all okay.”

Bendy squeezed into Henry’s arms, too, and Boris wrapped up everyone, Henry, Bendy, Alice, and Joey in a great embrace.

“The bad guys are gone, everyone’s safe now,” Henry said. “Oof, you three, you were great, but—“ And he pulled back so he could actually look his Toons in the eyes. “Please, never do anything that dangerous ever again, you just about gave me a heart attack, you know that?”

Alice smiled a little as she wiped at her eyes. “Sorry, Henry, but it was all Bendy’s idea.”

“C’mon, Al!��� Bendy protested. “Asides, I didn’t know what else to do!”

Joey supplied, “Could always sit there jaw dangling in shock until you get beaten bloody. Oh, no, that was me.” He winced at a sharp pain in his ribs.

“Are you okay?” Henry said quickly, putting a hand on Joey’s shoulder. He was like a concerned mother hen. “Did I miss something?”

“No, no, at least I don’t think so, just sore.”

“Hell, Joey, I thought for sure you and your dabbling were the biggest threats to the studio, I didn’t think anything like this could happen. My wards must have run out and I lost track of them, I’m so sorry.”

Joey just waved him off. “It’s not your fault at all, you aren’t the one who tried to kick my ribs in. But Henry’s right about you three,” he said, and redirected attention back to the Toons. “I, well, however it was that you weren’t knocked out, anything like this happens again and Henry isn’t here to save us humans’ skins, you get out of the studio straightaway, any other problems with people seeing you can be dealt with later. You get out, and you find Henry.”

Joey started pushing himself up, groaning with exertion, and Henry was quickly beside him giving him a hand, supporting him when he stumbled. “Maybe I should ‘dabble’ a little more in practical things, hm?”

“Yeah, and risk you exorcising me on accident?” Henry said. He clapped Joey on the shoulder. “Stick to plants, Joey.”

“I thought you couldn’t be exorcised, you don’t carry any sin, right?”

“If anyone could find a way, it would be you, on accident, probably turning yourself into a baked good in the process. Come on, better make sure Sam doesn’t have a concussion.”

Joey shook his head. “Right, right. So, hold on, you said something about I buy the first round? Was that a Deal?”

“Eeyup, helps with the, uh, bigger stuff.” Henry nudged Sammy with his foot as Boris helped Norman up.

“So, then, what would happen if I didn’t hold up my end of the deal, stiff you on the drinks?”

“You’d die,” Henry said casually.

Joey laughed. “Very funny. I—“ Henry just looked at him, raising a brow as though asking a question. “You...were joking, right?” Henry shrugged and turned away. “Henry! That’s not funny, Henry!”

[neurotic-symbiotic]

Song of Fire

It was a clear night as it normally was here. The world was silent and beautiful. Lights from the other hives around the base of the volcano were burning bright. Though it was quite there was plenty of life all around them. The jungle was thriving, animals scurrying and predator hunting. Panora lingered around her lawnring, admiring the vines of fruit that grew just a few feet from her door. Small beasts would peek their tiny heads from the leaves and gaze at her with glowing eyes. The sweet breeze ruffling the ferns that lined her walkway. Tonight she thought she would visit her neighbor and see if he wouldn't mind some company. Panora took in a deep breath and admired her home.

The quiet night was broken by screams. Across the way she could see several figures start to approach. They were far enough away where she couldn't quite place who they might be. Three, no four of them. They moved like predators and she could smell the blood on them before she was able to make out the symbols on their clothing. Highbloods. 

Again screams cut through the night and she recognized it. A brown blood sculputer she often hung out with. His cries for help were cut short while the four drew closer. There had to be more, more ruthless monsters on the move. Instinct told her to run. Turning tail and trying to make it inside her hive. A loud bang and a sharp pain in her neck threw her off abalnce. She tumbled over face first into the dirt. Tasting blood and grass in her mouth. She would try to crawl away, just a few yards from her hive. It was a beacon of hope just within reach. Putting her hand to her neck, hot blood pouring from the wound in her neck. The bullet cutting through the skin and just narrowly missing the major artery but the damage was done. She needed to get away, screaming at herself. "Lookit what we got here!"

"You missed."

"Nah, not as much fun when ya blow their heads off right away." Shadows surrounded her as a pair of high taoilered shoes blocked her view. Staring up into the face of a violet. Her finned face was twisted into a grin, a heavy underbite just accentuated the raw hate in her eyes. A pair of hands grabbed her ankles and dragged her further away from her hive while the sea dweller just looked on and gave her a mocking wave goodbye. Dragged how many feet, she couldn't tell but her clothing was a mess of dirt and grass. Her head spinning from panic and fear. Her world spun as she was flipped onto her back and looking up at the stary night sky. Again she heard screaming, distant this time. It was quicker this time and though chilling it put an odd sort of ease in her chest. This would be fast. 

The night was so clear, she could make out all the stars and constellations. She wondered if this was going to be the last thing she saw.

"Get her up."

A pair of hands dragged her to her knees, her head lulled foreard, her hair a mangled mess of tangles and whatever debris it snagged in her esacpe attempt. Her vision slurred as she saw another troll fill her vision. He was taller then the last and his presence completely obscured all else. She tried to move her mouth, to plead for her life. A fist nearly as big as her head whipped her back, only staying put by the hands that held her up. She tasted more blood this time, deep red and pouring from her mouth. She never cried out.

"Motherfuck! Like a damn fountain. Let's see how much more you got to show us." 

This time she knew what was coming but there was no avoiding it. CRACK. She nearly collapsed from the second blow. One of the many rings adorning his knuckles caught her face and left a deep gash across her left eye. More blood and a howl of appreciating from the highbloods. 

"Hey bro, it looks like she's passing out already. And not even a sound! Think this ones a mute?"

Another gunshot and terrified cries of trolls she had come to know. Friends falling all around her and she could do nothing. All she could feel was pain and wanting it to just end. She knew she was trash but just make it quick. Please. "Nah, I got this. See a master at work."

It was like lightning striking behind her eyes. A pain so all consuming it ripping all sense of thought from her body. She could feel the purple blood in her head. His laughter was a cacophony of maniacal needles drilling into her brain. She opened her mouth but still didn't scream for them. Her body was assaulted with maddening images, cuts and bruises broke her skin. Holding herself, clawing at her own arms and pulling at her hair. His powers cutting through her, ripping her apart till she couldn't hold back. Her screams rose above all the others.

"Now that's the good stuff!"

Their laughter and good time cut short as a white, furred body lunged and took a good chunck out of the right side of the Juggalo. Her lusus managing to make it in time but the damage was done. Panora was just a blood stained heap laying lifeless in the grass. The three headed hound snarled and snapped, putting itself between its ward and the trolls. But even its size and righteous anger couldn't stop them. One bullet took out the middle head and disoriented the beast. Fighting tooth and nail to protect what might have already been lost. Barks and blood filled the night. 

Panora felt a push against her palms. A heat rising up beneath her. A soft, heated whisper urging her to get up. She needed to open her eyes and see what was happening. She couldn't quit now. She needed to look up now. So she struggled, lifting her head, body heavy and ready to just give up. In doing so she would witness the brutal death of the only creature that cared about her on this dirty, merciless mud ball. Her lusus beheaded and overwhelmed. Its yelps and squeals felt down to her core. 

The ground beneath her roiled and churned. Pressure that had built itself up over sweeps crawled its way out. Tremors began to rock the ground. The whispers she listened to became full on cries of rage. A fire burned and festered just below their feet and all it needed was a catalyst. It called out to her, reassured her that this was best. Reaching out with all she had left in her. Pouring her rage, hate and sorrow into this comforting pull. The first eruption shook the ground like an quake. Dust and rock spewing into the air as molten rivers rolled out of the frothing mouth of the volcano. It's brimming white hot heart reached out to Panora, filling her gaze with cold fire. The highbloods never saw it coming. The ground around them melting and crumbling as steam vents broke through the ground and spew out noxious gases. One troll lost his footing and went tumbling into the super heated vents. The others met a slower fate. Rock melted and bright red magma swallowed up their feet. 

It was their turn to scream. Fire and rock ate away at their legs as they couldn't escape the agonizing fate. Inch by inch they would sink downward, flesh melting before hitting the molten ground. Soon enough they were just charred meat. Another eruption rocked the land as more and more lava rolled from the mouth and seeped like blood from the sides of the fiery mountain. It was beautiful. The sky filling with ash, clouds filling up the clear sky. The world was on fire and she was ok with that.

[kgmoonsoo-blog]

SNAPSHOTS

⌜ CLICK ⌟ : 2017/10/15; 3:00 PM

“C’moooon.” 

Moonsoo nudged Min with his elbow a few times. “C’mon.” He nudged Kyeong again. “Look, you know who’s on this mission? Yeah, TY. She is just sneaking into a gala to take pics with her glasses and that’s it. This is a stats fluffer. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t like another success under your belt.

Right?

Riiiiiight?” 

Kyeong scratched his head. Even with his ducked head, Moonsoo saw the smile appear on the other’s face. Moonsoo clapped his hands together loudly. 

“Alright! Atta boy. Thanks for covering for me, man. I really appreciate it.” 

––––––

⌜ CLICK ⌟ : 2017/10/15; 5:03 PM

“Uncle Samwoo!”

Not too long after he heard that, the little girl appeared from around the corner. One of her hands stayed attached to her mom’s, while the other patted along the wall so she could navigate. 

He leaned down and picked her up. He held her up high towards the ceiling. The height had her giggling and shrieking out of joy. The overjoyed sound made him feel better about taking the day off. 

“How my favorite little princess?” 

“Hungry.”

“Aigoo,” he cooed at her. “Then I guess Uncle Samwoo better make you some food, right?” 

Enthusiastically, she nodded. He placed her back down on the ground. Her little hand grabbed onto the hem of his shirt. 

The mom grabbed her purse off the kitchen counter and headed for the door. “Thank you so much for this, Samwoo. The landlord keeps calling me, and it might get messy if we start looking at the lease. I don’t want to expose––”

“It’s okay. I get it. Go ahead. Good luck,” he said. “Let me know if you need me to come back you up or anything.” 

“Thank you. Really, thank you.”

––––––

⌜ CLICK ⌟ : 2017/10/15; 5:48 PM

CALL ACCEPTED.

“Hey, Samwoo. I just got done with talking to the landlord.”

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes and no. I’ll tell you more when I get back. Are you okay with watching Joon-ie for a while longer? I haven’t had a night to myself in a long time.”

“Yeah, I got the whole night off. Don’t worry. Enjoy yourself.”

“Thank you so much.”

CALL ENDED.

––––––

⌜ CLICK ⌟ : 2017/10/15; 6:32 PM

Fatigue was too much to ignore. He flopped face down onto the carpeted ground. The wool provided a thin cushion for him to rest upon. Just when he thought he got a second to himself, he felt the tugs on his shirt.

“Uncle! We gotta do it again! The dragon has to be defeated,” she whined.

“Nooo,” he mumbled. “You killed me. You really killed me this time.”

“No. The witch has a time curse set. If I don’t kill you the right way, time just rewinds!” She pulled his arm to get him back up, but he remained still. 

“What’s the right way then?”

“I can’t tell you! You’re the dragon!” 

“Why you little clever punk.” He sprung up and caught her. Gently, he started tickling her sides. In her bout of giggling, she unknowingly kicked her feet at his torso. It didn’t hurt him much so he didn’t blame her. Finally he stopped and he huffed. “I want to be the princess now.”

––––––

⌜ CLICK ⌟ : 2017/10/15; 6:50 PM

One short buzz and four long buzzes on a loop was a personal call. 

Two short buzzes and three long ones was a work call. 

Three short, three long, then three short buzzes again meant that there was an emergency at work. 

“Joon-ie, can you sit here and listen to the rest of your book? Uncle needs to make a phone call.”

The little girl did as she was instructed.

He rushed to the kitchen where he could still keep her in his line of sight from a distance. He punched in the number of Kyeong as quick as his fingers would allow. The ringing droned on.

⌜ CLICK ⌟ : 2017/10/15; 6:52 PM

The call went to the voicemail. He ended the call immediately and tried again.

⌜ CLICK ⌟ : 2017/10/15; 6:53 PM

The morse S.O.S. alert went off again. The vibrations traveled through his arm as the ringing hummed again and again in his ear. 

Another call was cut short, because he knew it would go straight to voicemail. 

This time he called a different number–– One that he knew would get him a response.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” he kept his voice even. “Nothing is wrong. Joon-ie ate already and is almost ready to go to bed. I sort of need to go check up on something with my family. It’s urgent. Can you come home?”

“Oh, I thought you had the night off.”

“––I did. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t dip out like this if I had a choice.” Moonsoo’s hand ran through his hair. There was a dull pain from how hard he pulled at the hair. Two alerts in a short amount of time meant that something was extremely wrong. What if they needed him? He couldn’t leave Joon-ie by herself though. His responsibility was to protecting her as much as it was to the Kingsman. 

⌜ CLICK ⌟ : 2017/10/15; 7:00 PM

SERVER LINK DISCONNECTED. SERVER LINK DISCONNECTED. SERVER IS OFFLINE. SERVER IS OFFLINE. 

His thumb hovered over the send button on the screen.

< Please come home. > 

His organization needed him, but he was letting them down by being stuck here. The appliances and food on the counter tempted him to push them all onto the floor. His frustration needed to be vented and this would be a great way. But the loud noises would scare Joon-ie and she didn’t deserve to be startled.

The sent button highlighted when he pushed his thumb against it. The worst thing about that was he knew after sending that text, he did everything he possibly could. There was no way out of this other than to wait it out. His fate was left to this woman he had no blood ties with.  

––––––

⌜ CLICK ⌟ : 2017/10/15; 7:25 PM

Moonsoo was a man who fulfilled his promises. 

A man who withstood backhanded comments about how she wasted money at a spa for barely an hour. Not to mention the traffic she had to endure since she had to rush home. 

A man with lifeless eyes because he knew he should’ve been somewhere that needed him more. 

⌜ CLICK ⌟ : 2017/10/15; 7:45 PM

A man whose knuckles burned hot white from gripping his steering wheel so hard, as he drove to the headquarters. 

⌜ CLICK ⌟ : 2017/10/15; 7:59 PM

A man with a heavy conscience when he saw the state of his workplace. 

⌜ CLICK ⌟ : 2017/10/15; 8:10 PM

A man who gathered up volunteers to enter inspect the parts of the building that hadn’t collapsed yet. The orange hues of the flames colored his shocked expression. The odor hit him hard. He couldn’t tell if it was C4 or pure dynamite. The after smell was heavily mixed in with what he assumed with charred flesh. He had to work quick. He had to redeem himself. 

––––––

⌜ CLICK ⌟ : 2017/10/16; 4:05 AM

Moonsoo sat by the sidelines at Medic station, going over the series of his mistakes today. He recalled every moment vividly like photographs. Together they formed a visual essay about him failing everybody. He didn’t deserve to dodge this bullet over his other co-workers. This was yet another album that added to the collection of regrets in his life.

[brieannexo]

Warfare

Alright guys, I gotta share something with you all. Mostly, because I want this event to be saved on the internet for me to look back on as long as tumblr continues to be a thing, and because I just need to share some stuff about the overwhelming faithfulness of God. 

Do you know that we are under attack every single second of our lives? Satan himself, is at all times looking to distract you and destroy you.

John 10:10a - The thief enters only to steal, kill, and destroy. 

We are constantly being tempted to sin, and distracted from God’s plan. Satan will do everything in his power to stop you from hearing the Good News - because once you’ve heard that and accepted it into your heart, you’re on the winning team, baby! But here’s the thing... if you have been saved by the blood of Jesus dying on the cross for your sins, Satan cannot take that salvation away from you. However, he can (and will) do everything possible to stop you from living for God - from blessing others - and living for Heaven here on Earth. Satan wants you to sit in front of God on Judgement Day, and be embarrassed when God asks you what you did with the resources he gave you. Satan wants to steal your jewel moments! Sorry, Satan. But theres no puny crown in my future - all glory to God, AMEN!  Stop letting him distract you. And he’s not gonna tempt you with something that is easy to say no to. If Satan handed you a giant pile of poop and said to eat it, I’m sure that you’d have no problem turning that down and turning to God. But if he handed you a nice hot-from-the-oven brownie... that might be a little harder. 

Psalms 119:1-6 - Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths. You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands.

So how do you prevent him from distracting you and not living for God? Easy. Know God. Be his best friend. Talk to him. Keep his words, whether from the bible, through others God has put in your life, or straight from his mouth, in your heart. Pray for wisdom to see the attacks from afar, so that you can be prepared for the fight. Pray for the armor of God to surround you, and deflect Satan’s attacks. Say those actual words to him, and watch how your situation changes.

John 10:10b - I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest.

So why is this weighing so heavily on my heart right now? Because until last night, I had never truly, one on one, witnessed spiritual warfare happen in my soul. It was always being handled behind the scenes for me  - like God was my big sister fighting the bullies on the playground while I ate cookies with Mom and felt safe and protected. But let me tell you... Satan was TRYING me last night.

So background: I have been having a lot of changes happen in my life lately that are completely out of my control (and I’m 100% convinced orchestrated by Satan), leading to a lot of anxiety about my future. The future of my career, where my (serious) boyfriend and I are heading, if I’m going to pack up my life here in NY and move somewhere else... like grass is greener on the other side type of stuff. Distractions from where God has me, right now.

When you’re a nurse, no one except other nurses really understands the stuff that happens at work. So my “Work Wife” aka bff calls me at 8pm after her 12 hour shift to vent and bounce some ideas off of me - totally normal for us to do for eachother. But with all of these recent changes in my life, I am immediately overwhelmed with anxiety of what I am going to walk into in just 11 short hours. Working in a hospital is like walking into a burning building, hoping to not touch a flame but coming out so charred that my mom would wanna throw you out for fear of carcinogenic poisoning like an overdone hotdog at at BBQ. But we as nurses are called to serve others, so we continue to run into the fire day after day.

My mom has been my soundboard for these issues lately, and she just encouraged me to fall asleep in prayer. But mom, you don’t get it. You’re not a nurse, you don’t understand. I take her advice anyway, put on Elevation Worship’s new album and speak Jesus’ name over my situation. I remember being half asleep, and waking up still worshipping and praying. And I felt peace. So, everything should have been great the rest of the night, right? 

Nope. Big fat nope.

Nightmare after nightmare, eerily mocking exactly what I was praying for just hours prior.

1st prayer: Direction. Where am I going, God? Dream Brie was wandering, all alone, walking lost on a busy highway. Cars flying by at 90 mph both ways, not even a divider to keep me protected. My iPhone wouldn’t type what I was trying to get it to type, my GPS was not working. Satan was telling me that I’m lost, and alone, and without working resources.

2nd prayer: Security. Dream Brie was being chased by someone referred to as the “abuser.” His only intention was to hurt me. Weird, almost human/almost monster face, chasing me through black, dead vines that were trying to hold me back. I kept running, but I was so tired, He was so quick and could read my next move before I even made it. Satan was making it clear that he was after me, that I couldn’t outsmart him, that he was going to hurt me. But I saw a weird hue of light in the distance...

3rd prayer: Community. Dream Brie saw people worshipping God - may or may not have been my brain’s version of Elevation Church’s worship team, I saw a lot of ripped skinny jeans and slicked back hair -  but their music was so BEAUTIFUL! They stretched out their arms to me, but I couldn’t make it. I couldn’t reach their hand. Satan was telling me I wasn’t good enough for them, I wasn’t good enough to be included in their worship. 

And then: I fell. I fell face first, through the black and dead vines onto cool, dewy, green grass. And I cried. I cried out to Jesus - I spoke his name over my current situation and happy tears started streaming down my face and I was LAUGHING. Laughing in the Lord’s presence - I can’t even explain the immense JOY that I felt! And the vines started to slither away. And there I was left, laughing and crying happy tears and yelling out, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!”

I woke up, saw that I had another 2 hours to sleep, and did not have one more dream. Even better, the bible apps verse of the day was John 16:33 (which has been my favorite verse for years) and I was overcome with such peace again. 

I have told you these things so that in me you may heave peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart for I have overcome the world - John 16:33

We live in such a broken, sick and destroyed world, guys. But like I said earlier, we are on the winning team. We have the end of the book, we know what happens! Satan is going to try and do as much damage that he can because he is watching the sand in his hourglass get smaller and smaller. Do not let him distract you. Protect yourself. Let Jesus fight for you. Let him in.