#im sorry this is SO LONG

[thatdogmagic]

That whole thing in March (and July, and August, and), part 2

I'm glad most people aren't up to speed on this. I'm sorry for any confusion. I've tried to put in the basic context of a lot of this but if you're not deep-diving tumblr nonsense you're going to have missed a lot of it. If you did, just be grateful and go about your day; you have my blessing to tl;dr straight out of here.

For the people who know, and stayed: I'm addressing it now because it is demonstrably costing me, personally and professionally, to stay quiet. It hasn't risen to the point of monetary damages that require a lawyer's intervention, but if it does, I have lines out to a couple people to hire. I'm taking this seriously, which is part of why it took so much time to get around to posting.

The other reason I waited is because I had hoped interest in this would fade out/people would be able to read the posts and see them for what they are. But then the site went live, logs got involved, and Ependa (not me) received this in her discord DMs:

That is roughly when I noticed I'd been dropped by a handful mutuals, and I finally looked into what was being said about me, exactly.

I thought I'd had some idea of how bad it was, but I didn't. I was not prepared for what I actually read. I promise you: no one is. Seeing a tidal wave of outright lies about yourself and the person you love, especially when it gets that personal, and is so clearly meant to estrange and humiliate, like.

It's hard to even know where to begin. That last bit makes it particularly difficult to decide what I should actually address or talk about. As a result, this post has been written and re-written several times over the last few months, and it was only recently that I settled on anything.

What I've decided is I'll be doing my best to refrain from addressing the personal/intimate attacks, though some are unavoidable. Make no mistake: those attacks exist only to waste my time and to maximize harm. They're meant to make me engage (and probably, to some extent, drive a wedge between Ependa and I), and follow a long and sustained pattern of Jackal acting out every time she had to take 'no' for an answer.

So, fine. I'm doing this. But I'm doing it on my terms, for my sake, Ependa's sake, and for the sake of a site that I would've found a way to commission one way or another. Because I just want a place for me and my peers to post our queer werewolf art and stories, and I want to eventually help turn it into a fundraising vehicle for our various projects.

I don't care if my name is on it (it is in fact not; Werewolves Versus is not my brand, it's Angela's), I don't care if the only person to ever closely collab with me again on my own personal work is Ependa, and no one else. I don't even care if I get props for commissioning it. I just want the thing to exist, for me and for others, and I don't want the people who use it to catch stupid accusations of 'o so ur working with the psycho transphobe??' because it happens to be in some way tied to me.

So let's start with the factual statements that can be made about the project side of this:

Jackal claim to have started a studio with myself, TrashasaurusRex, and Ependa. The reality, however, is, 'I invited people to a discord server in June-July of 2023, where a studio got talked about on voicechat but no paperwork was ever filed.

There was no studio. There was a *theoretical* studio, but nothing concrete. It didn't have a name. The *site* had a working name (the Mercantile, based on something from one of *my* stories), but that's the extent of it. The steps that would have made us an official studio had not been taken. I know, because I had to keep asking about it.

There was no attached LLC. It's referred to as 'an LLC' in posts because it does not have an actual name. I never put my signature on anything that looked even remotely like an official document. So, if an LLC does exist, and my name/signature appears on any official paperwork that's 'on record' in the state of Georgia, I mean. I don't need to be a lawyer to know there's a problem there.

Jackal claims to have liquidated the studio. That's more creative writing: there was nothing to liquidate. It's just a big word meant to make 'we deleted a discord server and some comic pages scraped together over a few months' sound official. And the server still exists in part, clearly, because it's currently being used to farm Content.

I was the one who commissioned Angela for the site and made all the arrangements. Starting out, I was the sole investor, and would have still been the primary investor once the bill was paid in full. I had also talked about buyout clauses in case we ever got around to *actual* official paperwork. Me leaving with the site was always understood to be an option on the table, in case things went sour.

I left the original idea for the studio/site ('sapphic-specific monsterfuckers') to the others. Nothing is stopping them from commissioning their own site, or building up an actual studio with an actual name under an actual LLC.

It would've been very welcome if all the vague admin work they claim to have done had actually *been* done. Unfortunately, that 'work' amounted primarily to things like being asked to find legal rep, and months later getting only so far as an answer that amounted to 'well my mom knows a lawyer who works for Disney.' That's not a part of the log that will ever get posted, though.

I am the only person in the group with a substantial 'proof of admin work' paper trail on this project. I have my own bank statements, I have the agreement with Angela, I have multiple written documents for meeting plans - many with their original save dates - and I have the paperwork I had started with a payment vendor. The most Jackal has is, allegedly, the paper trail their dad generated to withdraw/transfer the money they were going to use for their part of the investment. If there was anything else, it never got mentioned.

There was no 'gatekeeping the sitebuilder.' Angela asked that the actual, contractual business agreement be made with me exclusively to keep things simpler for her. I informed everyone of this early on. Further, no one was barred from attending my meetings with her, or reaching out to her. At any time, any one of them could have reached her using multiple methods. They knew who she was and she was not hard to find. Further, Angela was kept in the loop every step of the way, even as things started to break apart. She knew I'd be suspending payments when arguments over missed deadlines started to heat up, and I was no longer certain about the group's future. This is something she'll corroborate.

In spite of all this, Jackal and Trish were both still invited to make use of the site when it launched. That offer's obviously rescinded at this point, but I made it in good faith when I said it. It was one of the last things sent to the server and one of the few things I kept in a text file.

For anyone who made it this far into reading this (thank you for that btw), I want you to look at this list and really take it in.

If there are already this many holes in what was posted, please imagine how many holes can be punched in all the other claims being made. Especially where it comes to intimacy. I won't repeat much of it, save this: there was a whole 'Dogblud was into me and was flirting with me' thread to this, in which Jackal took great pains to mock Ependa for just standing around like a dumbass (their words) as I flirted with Jackal in front of her.

Which I shouldn't have to demonstrate is false, to anyone. I shouldn't have to say that throughout the time I was allegedly "flirting" with "my boss" (news to me that I had a 'boss,' btw, suggests I had to pay $5k for the privilege of being an employee?), I was spending the vast majority of my time with Ependa. And we talked, constantly, about everything that was happening. She always had final say on how I did/didn't behave in VC and in that server, and was in fact very much present when I had to tell Jackal I would not engage in on-site ERP, silly or serious, without Ependa's approval or say-so. It is not my fault Jackal chose not to hear that.

They *did*, however, hear me talk about how Ependa and I expressed ourselves with each other. Heard me say that we use Phoebe and Lacey as proxies sometimes, understanding that they're not literally projections of ourselves, just characters with some significance to how we became a couple. In the posts they made about my conduct, by their own admission, they chose to remove that from its proper context, and superimpose it on to the professional arrangement we made with each other to write/draw sapphic comics with our respective characters.

Like, that was the whole premise of the site, sapphic monsterfucking; we had long discussed using the 'star power' of our characters to sell it, since our audiences had an investment. The note about Phoebe and Lacey was quite literally the backbone of the rule we had for porn scenarios depicting them, re: 'never one without the other,' so it's weird to see that turned around to prove there was rampant flirting on my end.

Aside, but, that Jackal has to paint herself as the boss in the situation is interesting. Because-- and I'm not rearranging what she's saying here, or remixing it, I'm taking at face value what's being implied.

Her being the boss implies that Ependa and I agreed to an 'employer/employee' relationship with terms that were never discussed with us. Primarily, that any discussion of 'we will be talking about our characters fucking/fucking around one another/(the usual porn comic nonsense goes here)' would be interpreted as flirtation, when that was literally part of the job we were signing up for. That we were, in fact, being weirdly entrapped?? in more of an intimate relationship with this person than a working 'we are collaborating on a project' relationship.

I'm not pointing this out to be dramatic, or raise additional allegations. The vibe was meant to be loose because of the type of business we were talking about. I'm pointing this out to say that Jackal's lies are pervasive enough to self-contradict, often, about *a lot* of things, even to the point of painting themselves in an even more unflattering light than I ever could.

So, no, if she chooses to keep this going, I'm not going to waste my time swatting down every little thing she has said, or will say; I won't go out of my way to give proof of each and every lie being false, or give my side of the story each and every time some piece of the log has been stitched together to prove with 1000% certainty that I kill babies with slingshots or whatever else it is that's being said about me on any given day.

...

All this, because they took it really personally that I tried to move on with the investment I made, with money I earned over ten years of working full time on a 12a-8a shift, holidays included.

I shouldn't have to say this, but I don't owe that investment to anyone, least of all someone with whom I was fundamentally incompatible, on a working level, and with whom no formal agreement was ever signed.

I don't owe Jackal the keys to that site because she invited me to a discord server one day. I don't owe it to Jackal to drop the site entirely, and wave goodbye to $5k of a meager life savings, simply because we followed in the footsteps of so many other artists: ruining our entire friendship by trying and failing to work together on a professional level, without necessary guard rails, because we were arrogant enough to think 'with us, it'll be different!'

It's the same story with HaliteaTiger, at the end of the day.

Yes, I will be addressing the logs, and yes, I do own what I said. I'm not going to pretend that wasn't me or that what I said was appropriate or excusable. But I will say that the story presented is very conveniently slanted, ignoring nearly 3000 pages of ongoing context. Which did happen to include many, many discussions about where I was at in terms of aggressive meltdowns, with everyone involved, long before we ever worked together. I never lied to anyone about that, or hold it against them if it turns out to be too much.

End of the day, they were just as keen as I was to willfully ignore all the warning signs, spoken and unspoken. That the fit wasn't right, that this thing or that thing was *off*, that this was already showing signs of faltering because (xyz thing).

Which is really the thesis of this story. It's going to keep being the thesis by the time I'm done writing all of it out. Everyone involved, myself included, was so caught up in the opportunity we all saw in each other that we all mutually ignored multiple red flags, and got burned by that. As is often the case.

The finer points of all that are for another post. This one, I'd prefer to keep more or less contained.

[formulanni]

F1 tarot opinion!! I loooove your choices for each card tbh. I know you said in the tags of an ask "tell me who you think the heirophant is" and I fully went and googled the meaning of it before I checked which driver you chose and I also decided on fernando!! It makes sense if its the passing down of wisdom kind of vibe. I also think the tifosi would work as the heirophant if you take the holy/sacred/religious interpretation of the card. ANYWAY also wanted to say Lando as death is inspired and the people arguing in the comments just don't understand the vibes like you do

YESSSS YOU GET THE VISIONNNN

I also just feel like the hierophant shares the same kind of diva vibes as Fernando. Sassy old man core. I remember when I was first assigning cards to everyone that I was trying to decide on Lewis and Fernando and I couldn’t decide who would get the Emperor and who would get the Hierophant. I think what eventually swayed me was Fernando’s like.. absolute refusal to embrace modernity 😭 I feel like he’s constantly upset about f1 car regulations and he is just desperate to get back to the 2000s regs and engines (real) I also just feel like he has SO MANY grid kids 😭 like Carlos, Oscar, Esteban, Franco, checo, George, Zhou and lance (i think?) have all cited him as not only their original f1 inspiration but also as someone who was super helpful in a mentor role once they entered the sport!!!

Ugh I could talk about this forever! Tifosi is honestly a GOATED interpretation like Enzo Ferrari IS HIM. Yeah. Nailed it.

[frogsndogs]

So recently I watched this pilot short: Epilogue of endings. It’s about 12 minutes long, created by a group of animation students over a single summer. I had never heard of the project before it showed up in my youtube recommended.

It changed my brain chemistry. I watched it 9 days ago and I can’t stop thinking about it to save my life. The music? Spectacular. The voice acting? Perfect. The art? astounding. The characters? I’m already emotionally attached. Hotel? Trivago.

Listen, I don’t tend to watch of a lot of things anymore unless I’m with other people, and I have this weird thing about engaging in new media, I think because a lot of what I’ve been watching recently has been kinda disappointing, or very… I don’t know… it’s hard to describe. It just feels like a lot of studios are making characters shallower, relationships strained, and half-assing their world building. A lot of media that I’ve taken in recently is trying very hard to make itself seem edgy and serious and that’s not what I want right now and definitely not what I need.

But this 12 minute pilot? This is everything I never knew I needed. The characters feel like real people, with complex motivations and interpersonal relationships. They’re flawed, but they’re trying their best with the situation that they have. They have things, other people that they care about and would fight for, they have motivations and backstories that you can see the breadcrumbs of, but have not been revealed yet, and the breadcrumbs are so good you can’t wait for the whole loaf. The world-building is exquisite, built up enough that you can see the beginning, but still drawing you in with more questions. 

I have a more detailed review under the cut, with SPOILERS, but I highly recommend that you go watch the pilot. It’s 12 minutes of time well spent in my opinion.

So the first scene. We’re introduced to Lucy, Blu and CG. I think Blu is already my fav, lol. In this scene, we see the three characters playing eye-spy while walking through a forest. It’s a pretty innocuous scene if we didn’t pan up to the sky and see the sun having broken open and Lucy becoming emotional over having to leave town, and presumably the rest of her life behind. Blu doesn’t answer her.

So Lucy clearly doesn’t know what’s going on, and I’m wondering if Blu has limited information himself. Maybe even Blu doesn’t know why or how any of this is happening. Maybe Blu literally can’t answer her question because he doesn’t have the answers. Maybe it hurts, being so helpless and out of control, so he’s in denial to a certain extent, trying to pretend that everything is fine. He’s trying to keep this little girl, happy and safe and alive, while also presumably dealing with his own shit, and no he’s not doing it perfectly, he’s flawed, as people and characters should be, but he’s trying and so far she is alive and safe to a certain extent so way to go Blu! I think this will probably cause some tension between the two down the road, but for now they just keep walking.

I wonder where they’re going, if anywhere specific? Why did they leave town specifically, we see there’s lots of danger pretty much everywhere, did something happen?

Anyways, then we get to this scene of someone fixing what appears to be a subway train. He stops, pulls out a journal and we get some exposition stuff. We find out that the world ended, and how. And WOW. This whole thing was gut-punchingly realistic I feel. People blowing up the competition trying to race off into space when it’s announced that the sun is going to die out? That’s something that unfortunately I can see people doing. I wonder/hope that this will become a plot point again later on, and we’ll find out what happened to all those people. But anyways that’s not even the craziest part; the fact the sun broke open and released a whole bunch of eldritch horror monsters??? Yep here we go. And then the next thing hurts. Like a lot. Because the narrator says that ‘people who hoped to live out their last days in normalcy quickly found out that their life-style was no longer sustainable’. That shit made me want to cry. The want for a peaceful death, a calm death, a painless death, but having even that ripped away from you. This setting that these characters are in is awful and very terrifying, and we can see how it is hurting them, torturing them, but I got to give props to the world building. It’s good writing. They set up the plot, the problem, what’s been going on the past couple yrs, some mysteries, to both the viewers and the characters, and in doing so give us some idea of the characters that we do have. Because the characters that we do have are trapped. The characters that we do have are abandoned. The characters that we do have are survivors. 

And then we pan out to see the narrator having an interaction with one of the Monarchs. And this scene? Gave me chills, man. I was so creeped out by this. Acedia’s ‘I do not like that response,’ Mole’s utter helplessness to do anything, his clear, potent fear of the creature, the way that it just lightly touches him and he flinches. Then the frustration that we see on his face after it leaves, the anger that turns into tiredness and then hopelessness? Someone needs to wrap this man in a blanket stat.

And this is where I’m starting to think that Blu doesn’t really know the full extent of what’s going on. There’s a good chance that Mole knows about the Monarchs because he’s being held prisoner by one. It’s possible that Mole is seeing the world collapse before his very eyes, while Blu is just seeing the aftermath and not knowing why and I can’t say which is more terrifying.

The ‘I have influence?’ line is peak. I love it so much, I can’t even say why. That whole little interaction with Lucy saying that she takes after Blu, Blu being so genuinely touched and CG being low-key offended is perfect and I love it. It shows how close they are, how much they care about each other.

The the… zombie ppl??? I love the detail of how unlike a lot of teenage protagonists, Lucy listens to Blu, and gets out of danger. She trusts him to handle the situation on his own, and knows that the best thing that she can do right now is get to safety. There’s an implicit trust there, in spite of her clear issues with Blu not telling her things, and this is what I’m talking about when I say the character relationships are complex.

Oh fuck. The transitions? The way that it cuts from one character to another, each unintentionally completing one another’s scentences, and unknowingly engaging in conversation. It’s amazing storytelling, an amazing presentation and for some reason it just confirms to me that these characters are family. They fit together like puzzle pieces. I don’t know what else to say.

We get more info on our mysterious narrator, Mole, who is an amnesiac, and clearly going through it. During this scene we see a crumpled newspaper of what seems to be a younger version of him, winning an award for his dedication at being a subway motorman. His name is crossed out in black ink, so we can’t see it. Which makes me question, did he do this to himself? Is his amnesia a trauma response to everything he’s going through? Did something happen to the point that his brain decided shutting down and forgetting everything was better than remembering this one thing? And it hurts, because in the picture in the newspaper he looks so happy. So young. So alive. It’s a stark contrast to the man we see with bags under his eyes, talking to himself and becoming increasingly distressed. I read through the article, and again, props to the team, some other people might have just did random letters or whatever but they put in a whole ass-story, giving the viewers more info about Mole than even he has. We know he was a dedicated subway motorman. We know he was inspired by his father. We know he had a sister. But these answers only serve to bring up more questions? What happened to his sister? Was his father still alive at the time of he end of the world and what was their relationship like? Because there’s a chance that their relationship was really good, and that’s why he went on to become a subway motorman, but there is also the possibility that he was pressured into doing so, and the way that he complains about being on a train when the world ended makes me kinda lean towards that option.

Then we see CG and Lucy walking around the underground tunnels and we get more info on them. We find out that CG was created by Lucy’s mom, which begs the question of where is Lucy’s mom???? What happened to her? Is there a chance that she’s still alive? Does Lucy know what happened to her mother?? Or is this just another thing that Blu is keeping her in the dark about? Does Blu know what happened to Lucy’s mother???? Or— as you can see I am totally normal about this woman. Anyways.

CG is a fun character, optimistic and bringing a lighter atmosphere to the show, but there is just something… off about her in this scene. The disregard for the danger, the naiveté, the joyful voice in such a horrible situation, feels so wrong to me. I wonder though if CG chose to be like this, or a certain amount of it is her programming? Does CG know what happened to Lucy’s mom? I think CG was created to be take care of Lucy but it seems to be the other way around here, why is that? 

And then we get info on Blu. Blu was a solider during the war when ppl were trying to get all the resources to race off into space. I wonder if Blu had believed that he would be granted a place on one of these ships. (If he managed to survive of course.) Or had he been in the military prior to all this, and was just pulled along? This makes me want to know more about his belief system before and after the end of the world. Also it is implied by CG that Blu is carrying a lot of pressure, and I wonder how that will be dealt with later on… hmm… 

Also the music that plays when Blu uses his arms to pull down the wall? Amazing, I love it, I love the scene, I love the fact that he’s a cyborg, I am so invested in these characters already it’s killing me.

Then we see Mole almost (accidentally) kill Lucy and CG. He’s out of it, he’s the only person running the trains, he didn’t expect to have to watch out for anyone, I think that we can give him a pass on this. Blu doesn’t think so obviously.

(Sidenote: the way that Lucy curls into Blu, as he protectively shields her is so cute, my heart, help)

Blu is pissed. His tone doesn’t change too much, it’s light, but there’s this threatening undertone there that kinda creeps me out. Mole tells them he doesn’t have a name, before Blu forces him to tell them that its Mole. Wait… is he called that bc Moles live underground? Anyways, Blu wants to leave him to die there, which shows an interesting side of his character. Prior to this we’ve seen him take a protective, fun role as Lucy’s guardian but here we see this apathy towards someone who is obviously not doing so well. A lot of other people would be excited to find another living person in the apocalypse, but he’s fine just walking away. Is this just because he almost killed Lucy? Or is there something more going on here? In Blu’s bio on the rainbott instagram, it says that Blu was ‘left to die in a mysterious incident’ and it’s interesting that he feels fine leaving someone else to die in such horrible conditions. Again - complex character writing, props to the team.

But Lucy doesn’t want to leave him. This shows her compassion and maybe too her want for connection with other people. Blu resists; ‘Lucy that is the most unimpressive man I have ever seen,’ this line has no right to be so funny, esp with Mole just staring at him in the background. Did he hear that or is he too far away, too out of it? Then he relents, perhaps solely because of Lucy, or maybe also because of his own want to do the right thing. He doesn’t like Mole, he makes that obvious, but if Lucy want’s to adopt this strange hobo man, fine, if it makes her happy. He’ll do whatever it takes to make Lucy a little more happy.

Mole’s ‘it doesn’t want me to leave’ scares the shit out of me, and the way that he just freezes up when Acedia shows up… 

The scene when it talks about humans really creeps me out, and makes me worried even more about Mole. Calling him ‘entertaining’ and saying that he ‘belongs’ to them. It sounds like it sees him as a toy at best, and reminds me of the way that Mole said earlier that the Monarchs had the power to ‘turn Earth into their own personal sandbox’. Did Acedia get rid of Mole's memories for that purpose? So that he would 'belong' only to them. I wonder though, why Mole, and if there were others, if Mole had to watch those around him die, or worse when they gave an answer that it didn’t like. I wonder what Mole has had to do to scrape by and survive, what he’s been through. But Blu pulls him along anyways, kind of against Mole’s will. Like obviously being with Blu, Lucy and CG is better than being with a horrifying shadow monster, but aforesaid horrifying shadow monster is going to be pissed at him. I wonder how he’s going to react to that, if he’ll lash out at Blu or worse, Lucy for rescuing him because now it’s gonna be angry and he’s gonna have to be the one to deal with the fallout of that.

Then the scene where Blu pretends to buy tickets to appease CG? It’s for comedic relief, but again it makes me think about Blu. Is he doing it because he knows CG will be annoying if he doesn’t? Or does he genuinely not want her to be hurt? I’m not sure. 

Then the campfire scene. Lucy looks away when Blu removes his mask, Mole tries to lean in to see what’s behind it. Blu doesn’t like this, I assume it’s a sensitive subject, but Mole is again, kind of out of it. Mole is scared of Blu and Blu clearly knows this, even kinda uses it to freak him out. I’m looking forwards to see that relationship developing, maybe one that contrasts Mole’s relationship with Acedia, I dunno, someone who cares about him in this really twisted way that hurts him, and someone who at first doesn’t care at all(at first), but still takes care of him in spite of it. I dunno… just vibes.

And Lucy’s little ‘what if we tell ghost stories around the fire’ breaks my heart. It’s like she too, is in denial to a certain extent. This is just a fun camping trip not the end of the world. Everything is fine. Everything will be fine.

Then the post-credit scene. There’s presumably, something left of the government that is working to try and deal with the Monarchs, which gives me hope that there might be a way to stop them, a way to stop all this death and destruction. I am curious about what’s left of this order, what the gov was like during the war, and how they’re operating now. Also the way the commander calls the droid C21, and the way that CG is called CG, and the way that he says ‘find the girl’ and C21 frowns and does this have something to do with Lucy’s mom??????? What does any of this have to do with Lucy? Does she know more than she’s letting on, or does not even she know what she knows??? Help I need answers.

Also all the characters in the credits. I desperately hope that they find the main cast and all become friends pls.

CG’s little song is beautiful and I think that it embodies the heart of the show. Like I said earlier a lot of the stuff I’ve watched recently tries very hard to be dark and edgy and a dystopian show where all the characters have been trapped and abandoned and tortured is the perfect setup for some grim and gritty TV. But it’s… not. The characters are funny and lighthearted and smiling in spite of all the shit that’s going on around them. The characters are trying to be nice, to be good. They are connected, they are a family. It is a dystopian setting for sure, but I think that the story is about family, about love and caring for each other. The story is about Blu, Lucy and CG playing eye-spy. The story is about Lucy smiling when she tells Blu her mom said he was a bad influence. The story is about CG wanting Blu to get some rest and take a break. The story is about Mole’s desperate panic at trying to stop the train before it hits Lucy, and Lucy not wanting to leave him to die. The story is about four people sitting around a fire, listening to music.

I really love this story, and I hope to see more of it one day. It’s really beautiful.

[ughgoaway]

Head empty with zero thoughts other than imagining like having a little parents/careers day in the class, and matty comes in, guitar in hand and does a little sing song circle 🥹

oh this is so so good, I love it

Annie comes bounding out of the classroom one day with a flyer in her hand and immediately sprints towards matty shouting "DADDY!!!"

he was holding a can of coke but has to promptly drop it and catch his daughter hurtling towards him. luckily, he quickly catches her with a grunt.

you come running up behind her in an attempt to stop her jumping into mattys arms, clearly just a few seconds too late. Panting you say to matty, "Sorry! I knew she was excited, but I didn't anticipate that! as soon as I saw her running, I knew what was happening. and I knew you'd have your can of coke, so I tried to help. clearly speed isn't my strong suit, " you say sheepishly, bent over, trying to get your breath back.

soon you catch yourself and realise something; matty is currently looking very hot, and right now, you're red-faced and panting like a dog. you shoot up and smile, trying to play it off.

matty clearly catches onto your attempt to act casual. but mercifully, he leaves you alone and shoots you that dazzling smile that weakens your knees.

"You've noticed my Coca-Cola habit?" he couldn't resist a small bit of teasing.

you begin to stutter, but little Annie Healy saves the day and starts chatting, "daddy! there's a day where you come in and talk about your job!!! can uncle Adam, uncle George and uncle Ross come too??" she's talking animatedly with her hands, a habit you've noticed in matty too.

"woah munchkin that sounds like so much fun! when is it?" matty says tickling her stomach with one hand and grinning wildly at her raucous laughter.

"oh don't worry about coming Mr. Hea- sorry Matty" he'd corrected you about 40 times at this point but still you slipped up, "I know you're probably crazy busy with your band and tour and everything!" you say shaking your head.

obviously, you wanted him there, but also, you don't know if you could handle him looking hot and playing guitar in your classroom. the dreams you'd been having about him were already far beyond the scope of what's appropriate, and seeing that would not help.

"Oh, you know I'm going on tour?" matty says, smirking. You look like a dear in headlights - knowing you'd been caught doing some light Instagram stalking. but once again, annie the angel saved you.

"no daddy I told Miss y/n about it! I told her you're gonna get me presents in every country!!" Annie says, nodding assuredly.

"Oh, every country? is that right? I'm not sure I remember saying that?" matty teases Annie, who looks offended at his suggestion.

"Sorry to interrupt this very important conversation," you tease, "but just letting you know the parents' day is next Friday, please feel free to come if you can! I'm sure the kids would love a performance. "

matty nods and says, "I'll be there," obviously accompanied by a cheeky wink because it's matty.

as he's walking away you shout at him, "just... choose your songs carefully... I'm not sure the parents would love an impromptu performance of love it if we made it..." with a cheeky smile you spin on your heel and walk away.

matty is laughing at your words as you fight the urge to turn around and see his reaction.

/////////

cut to parents day, you were up late trying to find the perfect outfit. insisting it was for all the parents... not just matty.

he strolls in, guitar case in hand, looking amazingly causal and mind numbingly attractive.

you make eye contact from across the room and try not to swoon at his wave, scolding yourself for acting like a teenager over something so simple.

he sits in the back with the rest of the parents listening to you talk. He loved watching you in your element, keeping the kids entertained and making subtle jokes for the parents.

After a little bit, it's finally his turn. You introduce him and embarrass him a little by calling him a rockstar, loving the way his cheeks colour once you said it.

matty comes up, assures everyone he is not a rockstar and tella them he's here to play a few songs, "now if you know any of my bands music I'm just going to quickly assure you, I'm not signing any of those songs. I'm not too sure this is my ideal audience"

you stifle a laugh at the back of the room, and matty shoots you a look, tilted head with a sly smirk resting on his face.

he sings a few songs (i can't think of appropriate songs rn- you fill in the blank lol), and you stand there with a hand on your chest and heart eyes the whole time.

soon enough, everyone is clapping, and you quickly realised you had zoned out, and matty had finished signing. you shoot up and start clapping just a few beats too late.

Your behaviour was not missed by matty, who had to put his head down to hide his laughter. luckily, he could pass it off as being shy at the all the attention.

after everyone else had finsihed you send the kids and parents out to the playground to run around whilst you clean up your room a little bit.

"need a little help?" you scream at the voice before turning around and breathing a sigh of relief at matty.

he's giggling to himself and you slap him lightly, "don't laugh! I'm very easily scared okay!"

he holds his hands up in surrender, "Okay! okay! anyway, my offer still stands - you want some help? Annie is out there entertaining a crowd, so I figured I'd slip away"

"ah like father like daughter then I see" you tease, "I would love some help, thanks matty" you smile and begin fixing the chairs and tables.

After a bit of silent work matty chimes in, "you know that's the first time you've ever called me matty without almost saying Mr. Healy first"

"Oh... yeah, I'm just getting comfortable with you, I guess. " You smile over at him, and he looks up too, locking eyes with you.

and for a beat, you're both stood there- eyes locked, softly smiling at one another.

you think matty's eyes dart down to your lips at one point, but that can't be right.

before long, a kid comes bounding in distracting you, and then matty gets dragged back out onto the playground by Annie.

you don't get a proper goodbye. But through the window of the classroom, you catch each other's eyes and wave, both trying to act completely casually but beaming internally.

blurb masterlist here!!

[abadarkade]

Me when there is something to the ritual of setting some old shit of fire. A way of saying this now lives in memory. A way of saying it's only a memory. There is something to the ritual of setting a torch to what is gone. The Vikings did it to honor a memory and now we do it to honor who I used to be. Let's say goodbye to Natalie, she was thirty-three. Tonight lets say goodbye to Natalie and her fake IDs. She was imaginary. Which is why we say goodbye to her: and hello to me. This is ridiculous. Why? You're the one who made her up. It was a bit more collaborative than you're remembering... All I want right now is the same thing I wanted two weeks ago: the truth. Why did you lie to me? And why does Natalie Cook exist in the first place? The person who I was, on the day, you and I met was deeply ashamed. Of who she had become, so deeply ashamed of what she'd done. And when you showed her questions. The 36 questions she looked ahead and saw who she wanted to be. She made a past, made up a history, details that fit this person named Natalie. Let's say goodbye to Natalie, she was thirty-three, on her fake IDs... She was... Real to me... I don't expect, for you to understand perfectly. I loved her too, as much as you, and she wants you to bury her with me... Okay. Okay, what? Give me the match... There is something to the ritual of setting fire to the lie. A way of saying that's one win for honesty. What's done is done. Tonight I say goodbye to Natalie, she was thirty-three. Tonight we say goodbye to Natalie, and her fake IDs. She was imaginary. She was... thirty-three.... May she rest in peace.

[wovetalesarc]

in   order   to   begin   a   new   life   for   himself   &   to   avenge   the   life   of   his   father   ,   a   former   occult   detective   ,   marshall   weatherly   has   traveled   from   his   hometown   of   boston   to   mausebrook   ,   connecticut   to   become   the   new   writer   for   their   newspaper's   fictional   oddities   section   ﹙   later   known   as   ❛   the   weatherly   report   ,   ❜   ﹚ as   well   as   investigate   the   odd   goings   on   in   this   seemingly   happy   little   town.

danny   estrada   was   a   well   revered   occult   detective.   his   work   was   unknown   to   the   world   of   humans ,   but   among   other   creatures   &   the   netherworld / paranormal ,   he   was   respected ,   feared   &   even   adored.   he   had   no   powers ,   he   wasn’t   really   a   magic   user   or   had   any   bargains   with   demons.   he   was   a   human   who   earned   his   keep ,   but   was   also   a   threat   to   those   who   wanted   to   wreak   havoc   in   the   world.   danny   enjoyed   what   he   did ,   but   he   knew   he   couldn’t   continue   on   working   like   this   forever.   deciding   to   retire   at   a   young   age ,   he   eventually   settles   down   into   a   small   apartment   in   boston ,   where   he   earned   a   job   as   a   grocery   bagger.   on   moving   day ,   he   bumped   into   a   young   woman   who   was   about   to   finish   her   final   year   in   her   graduate   program.   all   it   took   was   one   look ,   &   he   knew   he   made   the   right   choice.   two   years   later ,   danny   &   alana   would   get   married ,   giving   birth   to   their   son   marshall   shortly   afterward.

the   first   few   years   were   blissful   ━━   almost   too   perfect   beyond   words.   marshall   was   a   bright   young   boy   who   looked   &   resembled   his   father ,   a   man   he   admired   &   wanted   to   be   like.      danny   &   marshall   were   very   close   &   it   almost   seemed   like   nothing   could   tear   them   apart.   then ,   life   of   course   intervenes ,   &   danny   is   contacted   by   an   old   friend   in   need   of   help.   he   tries   to   refuse ,   but   he   also   can’t   resist   helping   old   friends ,   so   he   decides   to   do   this   one   last   case   &   then   be   done   for   good.   alana ,   who   knew   of   danny’s   past ,   wished   him   well   &   danny   tells   marshall   that   he’ll   be   back   in   time   for   his   final   softball   game.   unbeknownst   to   the   estrada   family ,   that   would   be   the   last   time   they’d   ever   see   danny   &   after   a   year   of   searching ,   he   would   be   pronounced   dead.   at   age   six ,   marshall   would   attend   his   father’s   funeral ,   which   to   him   seemed   pointless   since   his   body   was   nowhere   to   be   found.   if   there’s   no   body ,   then   why   were   they   treating   him   like   he   died ?   it   confused   him ,   angered   him   &   rather   than   stay   for   the   remainder   of   the   service,   he   leaves   in   a   huff ,   breaking   down   in   his   room   in   private.

not   too   long   after   his   father’s   passing ,   marshall   struggles   with   his   speech.   he’s   always   been   a   very   shy ,   usually   soft   spoken   child ,   but   it’s   almost   as   if   his   father’s   death   had   made   it   worse.   school   becomes   incredibly   agonizing   as   he’s   bullied   relentlessly   for   his   inability   to   answer   questions   in   class ,   &   it   makes   him   more   &   more   closed   off   the   older   he   gets ,   less   wanting   to   be   around   people.   at   the   age   of   eight ,   alana   decides   to   take   marshall   to   a   speech   therapist ,   thinking   it   would   be   good   of   marshall   to   learn   techniques   to   help   him   ﹙ she   originally   wanted   to   do   it   earlier ,   but   with   his   grief   /   family   counseling   &   therapist   sessions ,   she   didn’t   want   to   overwhelm   him ﹚.   at   the   very   first   session ,   they   are   greeted   by   a   very   kind   secretary   named   allison   weatherly ,   who   helps   a   nervous   marshall   ease   up   just   before   his   session ,   making   him   laugh   with   her   silly   expressions   &   general   goofiness.   alana   sees   this   &   thanks   her ,   and   it   gets   the   two   to   start   talking.   thursdays   at   the   speech   therapist’s   officee   become   both   marshall   &   alana’s   favorite   day   of   the   week ,   if   only   because   they   get   to   see   allison ,   who   always   seems   to   brighten   their   days.   a   year   into   the   sessions ,   allison   finally   strikes   up   the   courage   to   ask   alana   out ,   &   not   too   long   after ,   they   elope   &   are   officially   married.   when   marshall   turns   10 ,   allison   asks   if   she   can   officially   adopt   him   as   her   son ,   to   which   he   happily   agrees.

alana   &   marshall   add   the   name   weatherly   to   the   estrada   last   name ,   not   wanting   to   entirely   lose   their   connection   to   danny.   however ,   alana   encourages   marshall   to   use   the   name   weatherly   more ,   &   he   agrees ,   unsure   why ,   but   he   didn’t   want   to   argue   with   his   mother.   as   marshall   grows ,   his   speech   continues   to   improve   but   he   continues   to   be   bullied   in   school.   puberty   is   unkind   to   marshall   &   it   only   makes   the   bullying   worse ,   leaving   marshall   to   come   home   upset   &   angry   at   people’s   lack   of   acceptance   of   him.   allison ,   seeing   how   angry he was ,   would   approach   him   &   try   to   get   him   to   vent ,   but   he   struggles   to   get   the   right   words   out.   she   then   figures   out   a   system.   using   her   records   which   she   adored   so   much ,   she   organizes   her   music   by   genre   &   based   on   the   song   or   album   that   marshall   plays   when   he   gets   home ,   it   gives   allison   &   alana   an   idea   of   what   is   going   on   with   him.   it   helps   marshall   to   open   up ,   but   it   also   awakens   a   love   of   music.   on   quiet   nights   when   there   was   no   work   or   school ,   the   estrada-weatherly   family   could   be   seen   laughing   &   singing   to   songs   as   allison   plays   them   on   her   guitar.   those   were   some   of   marshall’s   favorite   nights,   but   it   also   makes   him   miss   his   father   &   how   he   wishes   he   was   around   to   see   this.

as   marshall   reaches   the   age   of   14 ,   he   begins   to   have   very   strange   daydreams.   not   nightmares   ━━   daydreams ,   as   they   would   happen   in   the   middle   of   the   day.   the   first   time   happened   during   a   school   field   trip,   where   he   sees   someone   in   the   distance   calling   out   to   him   ﹕   ❛ hey   kid.   come   a   little   bit   closer. ❜   the   person ,   if   they   were   a   person ,   was   singing   out   his   words   to   the   tune   to   that   jay   &   the   american’s   song ,   &   before   marshall   could   approach ,   suddenly   he’s   surrounded   by   his   classmates ,   blood   oozing   out   his   nose.   its   dismissed   as   dehydration   &   he’s   allowed   to   go   home   early   that   day ,   but   it   happens   again   a   few   weeks   later,   this   time   when   him   &   his   moms   are   out   at   a   restaurant.   he   excuses   himself   to   go   to   the   bathroom   &   he   recalls   the   music   playing   indoors.   it   was   staying   alive   by   the   bee   gees,   but   then   . . .   he   hears   someone   else   singing.   the   voice   gets   louder   &   louder   as   he   approaches   the   bathroom ,   &   then   as   he   opens   the   door ,   something   jumps   at   him.   he   screams ,   blacks   out   &   is   awoken   again   by   a   crowd   of   people ,   his   nose   bleeding   &   his   pants   wet.   he’s   taken   to   neurologists   &   doctors   to   try   &   analyze   what’s   happening   with   him ,   but   they   find   nothing.   allison   tries   to   distract   marshall’s   worries   &   teaches   him   to   play   guitar.   meanwhile ,   when   the   episodes   happen   more   frequently ,   he’d   stay   home   &   watch   tv   with   his   mother   when   she   returned   from   work ,   a   lot   of   it   investigative   work   &   true   crime   documentaries.   both   his   mothers   helped   to   awaken   two   interests   in   him ,   &   it   helps   ease   the   strangeness   he   feels   when   he   has   his   dizzy   spells / daydreams,   the   vision   of   someone   getting   closer   with   each   visit ,   but   he   has   no   idea   why.

once   he   turns   15 ,   the   weird   vision   of   the   strange   man   stops   &   he   suddenly   can   begin   a   normal   life   again. during   this   time ,   alana   becomes   a   bit   ill ,   though   there   is   no   explanation   as   to   why.   as   the   years   go   on   , she   becomes   more   &   more   ill ,   &   at   age   18   she’s   completely rendered bedbound ,   unable   to   work   &   too   weak   to   stand.   marshall   wants   to   stay   home   &;   stay   by   his   mother’s   side ,   afraid   of   what   might   happen   if   he   leaves ,   but   alana   encourages   him   to   follow   his   dreams   &   to   not   put   them   aside   just   because   of   her.   unbeknownst   to   marshall ,   this   would   be   the   final   goodbye   he   &   his   mother   would   have ,   &   not   too   long   after   allison   drives   marshall   up   to   nyu,   they   get   the   word   from   her   caregiver   that   she   had   passed   on.      there’s   a   lot   of   pain   &   regret   that   marshall   feels   in   that   moment   &   it   only   makes   his   more   negative   tendencies   even   worse ,   closing   off   from   allison   &   unable   to   cope. he   lost   both   his   parents.   what   was   he   supposed   to   do   now ?

he   studies   journalism   at   nyu ,   but   attempts   to   get   in   the   music   scene   by   playing   at   a   small   club   called   the   grindhouse   café   , which   was   just   a   few   blocks   from   his   apartment.   his   apartment   was   a   little   rundown ,   but   nothing   major   &   on   either   side   of   him   lived   two   people.   on   his   left   lived   anthony   terach ,   an   engineer   major   &   a   singer   at   the   grindhouse ,   &   on   his   right   lived   mara   sable ,   an   art   history   major   &   a   painter,   who   worked   at   the   grindhouse   &   frequented   as   a   customer   often.   marshall   mainly   stayed   closed   off   from   these   two   people ,   especially   not   liking   anthony ,   who’s   fake / cheery   disposition   really   irked   him.   mara ,   however ,   always   tried   to   make   nice   &   while   he   didn’t   show   it ,   he   did   appreciate   it   from   time   to   time   &  often   found   himself   thinking   about   her   whenever   he   was   home   alone.   the   nights   at   the   grindhouse   served   as   a   welcome   escape   from   the   real   world.   there   he   could   play   songs   he   enjoys ,   not   think   about   his   mom ,   allison   or   the   guilt   he   carries   from   not   staying   in   boston.   he   would   continue   to   frequent   the   club   for   years   as   he   finished   his   major ,   eventually   befriending   &   falling   for   mara ,   though   he   doesn’t   do   anything   about   his   romantic   interest   for   her   initially.

right   out   of   college ,   marshall   is   hired   to   work   part   time   at   the   village   voice ,   an   arts   &   culture   weekly   newspaper   that   focuses   on   city   nightlife.   he   becomes   the   resident   music   &   theater   critic   there ,   seeing   shows   &   giving   his   honest   opinion.   at   the   start   he   gives   rather   fair   reviews ,   but   as   his   life   worsens   his   reviews   become   more   negative ,   being   much   more   harsh   &   mean   than   actually   constructive.   he’s   asked   by   his   editor   to   soften   up   his   approach ,   but   he   does   no   such   thing.   during   this   time ,   he’s   asked   by   allison   to   come   home   to   help   sort   through   his   mother’s   things ,   but   he   has   absolutely   no   interest.   he   continues   to   play   at   the   grindhouse   &   things   with   mara   begin   to   progress ,   seeing   her   as   the   only   bright   spot   in   his   dreary   life.   one   night ,   after   a   show ,   mara   &   marshall   walk   home   together   right   after   her   shift.   rather   than   go   to   her   respected   apartment ,   she   invites   herself   over   to   marshall’s   &   that   was   that.   these   evenings   together   would   become   a   regular   thing   &   marshall   clings   to   that   bit   of   happiness   &   sort   of   ' alive ❜   feeling   he’d   get   whenever   he   was   with   mara,   even   if   it   disappears   just   as   quickly   when   she   decides   to   head   back   to   her   place,   or   cancel   plans   to   go   hang   out   with   anthony.   mara   makes   it   known   that   she   isn’t   interested   in   anything   serious   &   that   she’d   like   to   experience   dating   &   fun   before   settling   into   a   relationship.   marshall   tries   to   respect   this   , but   he   finds   himself   so   jealous   when   he   sees   her   with   anthony ,   berating   his   talents   &   badmouthing   him   quietly   whenever   at   the   grindhouse ,   wishing   mara   would   stop   seeing   him.   despite   being   clearly   uncomfortable   with   the   arrangement ,   marshall   continues   to   see   mara ,   far   too   in   love   with   her   to   stop.   he   hopes   that   his   patience   will   be   rewarded   with   her   deciding   to   be   serious   with   him ,   but   that   moment   never   comes.

after   much   complaint   from   readers ,   the   village   voice   decides   to   fire   marshall   off   the   paper ,   not   wanting   his   negative   energy   to   bring   down   their   readership ,   seeing   as   how   they   were   struggling   to   keep   that   already.   taking   to   the   grindhouse   for   solace   &   comfort ,   he   is   instead   met   with   mara   laughing   &   flirting   with   anthony   &   it’s   enough   to   make   him   on   edge.   already   tired   of   the   rejection ,   seeing   mara   clearly   enjoy   anthony’s   attention   over   his   sticks   a   knife   in   his   chest   &   twists   it ,   so   when   anthony   comes   by   to   greet   his   fellow   neighbor   with   a   smile ,   marshall   barely   realizes   that   he’s   punched   the   poor   man   right   in   the   face ,   knocking   him   out   flat.   as   an   ambulance   is   called ,   mara   curses   marshall   out   who   finally   reveals   his   feelings   &   frustrations.   ❛ i’m   not   yours   to   claim.   i   don’t   owe   you   anything , ❜   were   her   words   &   that   ends   their   romantic   affair   instantly ,   mara   never   wanting   to   speak   with   him   again.   in   addition ,   the   owner   of   the   grindhouse   asks   marshall   to   leave   &   suggests   that   perhaps   he   doesn’t   come   back.

depressed   &   struggling   to   find   work ,   marshall   is   eventually   called   home   by   allison   once   again , only   this   time,   he   accepts.   the   two   reunite   &   reminisce   about   alana ,   as   well   as   marshall’s   less   than   successful   ventures   post   college.   he’s   worked   at   the   village   voice   for   some   time   &   devoted   so   much   time   to   the   grindhouse.   what   was   he   meant   to   do   now ? allison   suggest   that   perhaps   he   try   to   make   a   fresh   start   somewhere   else ,   because   he   deserves   to   have   a   happy   life   &   a   career ,   just   as   his   parents   hoped   for.   while   thinking   on   what   to   do ,   marshall   finally   goes   through   some   old   items   that   were   left   behind   by   her   mother ,   accidentally   finding   his   father’s   old   journal   stashed   at   the   bottom   of   one   of   her   boxes.   curious ,   marshall   skims   through   his   father’s   writings ,   only   to   discover   who   danny   truly   was.   at   first   he   believed   that   maybe   this   was   a   book   of   stories   he   created ,   but   then   he   realizes   that   danny   was   using   this   to   record   experiences   &   his   cases.   upon   further   inspection ,   one   case   that   is   constantly   mentioned   is   that   of   a   demon ,   who’s   main   goal   was   to   capture   as   many   souls   as   he   could ,   both   dead   &   living.   the   demon   in   question   is   constantly   at   odds   with   his   father ,   &   while   his   name   is   never   mentioned ,   marshall   quickly   deduces   that   this   is   perhaps   his   father’s   biggest   nemesis.   there   is   a   brief   mention   of   a   town   called   mausebrook   in   connecticut   in   his   notes   &   something   about   it   being   the   main   entrance for   the   netherworld.   curious   to   discover   more   about   his   father’s   secret   career ,   marshall   finds   an   ad   for   a   new   newspaper   columnist   in   the   mausebrook   gazette.   he   applies   and   is   offered   the   job   rather   quickly.

upon   his   arrival ,   he   quickly   discovers   that   mausebrook   is   literally   the   town   of   his   nightmares.   it   was   a   kind ,   chatty   town   with   beautiful   scenery   &   kind   people   as   well.   so   many   people   would   approach   marshall   to   make   small   talk ,   but   it’s   the   last   thing   he   cares   about.   settling   into   his   new   home ,   he   gets   another   one   of   those   visions   again   ﹙ the   first   one   in   almost   20   years   ﹚ ,   this   time   the   voice   of   the   person   is   clear ,   with   taunting   words.   the   movers   have   to   help   marshall   up   to   his   feet when he faints ,   but   he   knows   he’s   getting   closer   to   finding   out   more   about   his   father.

the   mausbrook   gazette ,   aware   of   his   reputation   at   the   village   voice ,   gives   marshall   a   column   to   do   with   as   he   pleases,   thinking   his   way   of   thinking   could   be   of   interest   to   their   readers ,   as   their   news   reports   tend   to   fall   on   the   chipper   side.   they   call   it daydreams , which   ends   up   confusing   many   of   the   town   citizens ,   as   it   wasn’t   a   weather   report   at   all.   it   earns   him   the   name   ❛ the   weather   man , ❜   &   lots   of   teasing   jabs   from   people.   initially   set   to   use   the   column   to   continue   reviewing   plays   &   art   programs ,   he   ends   up   running   into   .   .   .   strange   happenings   in   the   town.   he’d   notice   things   that   shouldn’t   be   there ,   or   experience   strange   occurrences   that   shouldn’t   be   happening   .   .   .   hauntings   &   more.   deciding   to   use   the   column   as   a   sort   of   journal   like   his   father ,   the   newspaper   actually   loves   the   idea ,   thinking   the   stories   are   fabricated   in   order   to   captivate   the   townsfolk.   marshall ,   admittedly   frustrated   that   they   didn’t   believe   him ,   decides   to   roll   with   it   &   continues   to   use   the   section   to   write   about   what   he   sees   &   experiences   in   the   town   of   mausebrook,   all   while   trying   to   find   clues   as   to   what   happened   to   his   father ,   the   demon   he   keeps   seeing   &   what   this   all   means.

unknown   to   marshall   ,   the   demon   ﹙   known   to   a   small   few   as   the   wanderer   ﹚   that   was   at   odds   with   his   father   ,   was   planning   to   kill   danny   &   send   his   soul   in   a   constant   spiraling   abyss   in   hell   ,   as   he   couldn’t   let   him   stay   in   the   netherworld   for   fear   of   him   becoming   too   powerful   in   the   afterlife.   the   demon   lures   danny   back   to   his   roots   in   his   hope   to   capture   him   ,   hoping   to   eradicate   him   from   this   world   so   the   souls   of   the   living   would   be   his   for   the   taking   ,   as   it's   what   he   feeds   off   of   for   power   &   longevity.   danny   does   go   back   to   mausebrook   &   he   is   captured   ,   but   just   as   he’s   about   to   be   tossed   ,   he   has   one   last   trick   up   his   sleeve.   knowing   a   bit   of   magic   ﹙   for   emergencies   only   ﹚   ,   he   puts   up   a   fight   &   cuts   his   own   finger   ,   using   the   blood   to   smear   against   a   wound   that   he   elicits   on   the   demon   during   their   scuffle.   uttering   a   few   words   ,   this   connects   the   two   &   binds   them   together   ,   meaning   that   neither   can   die   while   the   other   lives.   

danny   is   sent   to   the   abyss   without   the   demon   realizing   what   had   happened   ,   believing   he   attempted   to   kill   him   with   a   curse   &   it   failed.   danny   is   still   alive   &  won’t   die   unless   the   demon   is   destroyed   ,   keeping   him   safe   for   now.   however   ,   there   is   a   catch   to   the   spell   ,   one   danny   didn’t   realize.   because   he   used   blood   to   bind   him   ,   that   means   others   of   his   own   blood   can   also   be   connected   to   the   demon   ,   but   at   a   lesser   degree.   this   is   why   marshall   can   see   the   demon   later   on   in   life   ,   &   once   the   demon   realizes   what   danny   has   done   ,   he   tries   to   lure   marshall   in   so   that   he   can   be   rid   of   him.   unlike   danny   ,   he   can   kill   marshall   if   he   wanted   to   ,   but   alana   ,   who   is   very   much   aware   of   danny’s   life   &   knows   the   demon   has   something   to   do   with   this   ,   protects   her   son   by   selling   her   soul   to   the   demon   ,   exchanging   his   protection   for   her   own   life.   cruel   as   ever   ,   the   demon   decides   to   slowly   suck   her   life   away   rather   than   take   it   instantly   ,   which   is   why   she   died   so   slowly   over   marshall’s   late   teen   years.

with   her   gone,   the   demon   is   still   bound   to   the   promise   he   made   with   her   of   not   killing   marshall,   though   that   didn’t   mean   he   couldn’t   ruin   his   life   a   bit   with   misfortune.   a   lot   of   the   things   that   happened   to   marshall   post   his   graduation   was   influenced   by   the   demon’s   doing   ,   ruining   his   life   solely   simply   because   he   was   his   father’s   son.   once   he   realizes   that   marshall   was   planning   to   move   to   mausebrook,   he   decides   to   lift   the   barrier   he   created   to   stop   their   visions   ,   &   allowing   their   connection   once   again.   he   can’t   kill   marshall   with   his   own   two   hands   ,   but   he   can   make   his   life   a   living   hell   &   if   they   ever   are   to   ever   cross   paths,   he   will   be   ready   for   him.

[lovelytayforce]

The Amusing Novelty Of Photography - Chapter 2: Rush of Rain

Dot found herself moving before she could think her plan through. She pulled herself up and dashed upwards on what felt similar to the steepest hill she had ever hiked up! Her Ion blaster dangled and swung wildly at her side until she took it into her hand and didn’t hesitate to warm it up. “Megatron,” It was scorching, even the mist below that formed between their firepower seemed to slowly turn into a sauna between two hot-blooded machines. “I need you to trust me and move to the left.” She could almost hear his audible “What?” echo from below in her earpiece. Her brown eyes shimmered in the direct beam of the sun as she watched Starscream’s signature null ray attempt to outshine their own planet’s star above before she took a shot at Soundwave’s head. “Just trust me.” There was no moment of hesitation in those harsh few seconds as the smoke of her overworked blaster was blown to the wayside as Megatron made a feign of attack before backing away. Before the null ray could even flash their way, Soundwave’s optics met her eyes. It was strange being seen by him, noticed to the point of looking between each other’s souls. She could see even with his visor there was nothing there but unbridled rage, hurt, and something so recognizably human, that it almost pained her to keep gazing into them. Wistfulness. Her finger clicked on the trigger and she silently wondered what he witnessed within her eyes. Did he also feel as if they had connected, or was he too blinded by his pain to see who and what she was. ‘Because I saw the living being that you are…’ Dot thought. ‘Dr. Meridian was wrong…’ The shot missed his head by mere seconds, and the null ray caused a huge explosion of water and electronics in the area to spring to life only to stop in a frozen state. Dot stood up, never looking away from the blue mech as Megatron looked back up into the sky, putting the dots together for the eventual assassination attempt. “Which means you can’t use your signature move.” It was a risky but smart plan if Megatron had been alone, nullifying them all on equal terms with a two-on-one. The failure of their plan rained upon them. The sound that was usually comforting was eerie around the anger-induced smoke that spilled from Soundwave’s vents. Despite that, he kept pushing his frame to make noise even if it rattled his frame painfully as he kept staring holes into her person. Megatron for once, did not exist in his peripheral vision. It was just Dot and Soundwave. Her hands shook as she watched him, no one seemed to know what to do. It all depended on how he reacted. Through rain and smoke, Soundwave lifted his right servo, his sharp digits pointed toward her and she could see the shine of Megatron’s bright red optics reflected in the metal of them. They were in the form of a gun. Skywarp teleported in shortly and that was when Megatron moved. The sound of jet engines blasting off in the distance was loud. Soundwave made a gesture of shooting her with that servo of his and before Megatron could properly shoot at them. They disappeared. The rain stopped. And all the soldiers' guns slowly fell to the wayside to cool off for the day. Okay, cool,

And like that

We really mean it this time

I guarantee another era is upon us

~ Link for the full story: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52059640/chapters/131659042

[cynnaghoul]

Fineeee I GUESS I'll be a good friend and ask something

Venus's relationships with other utmv characters? :0 like the most important ones?? You can also be silly and put ocs in there tooo

TEEHEE, THANK YOU, HAKUUUU ❤️

Venus actually has a decently important role as The Oracle of the Multiverse, which sounds crazy, but there's lore.

She has the ability to hear everything in the multiverse through her antenna (kind of like a radio signal), this includes future events!! But she can only hear, she can't see.

She only discovered this ability when she was pulled out of her AU, since it's not an ability she's actually born with, it's just her antenna picking up on everything around her.

She does have important relationships with some of the other characters, so lemme give a run down!!

Ink

Ink was actually Venus' first real friend when her AU was destroyed. Her hearing allowed her to hear him all the way in the Doodlesphere, and as someone who was new to the concept of the multiverse (and with scary new hearing abilities), she assumed he was a safe presence.

Ink actually also enjoyed her company as well, he used to draw her a lot, and her hearing abilities were considered helpful to him. However, after so long of being with him in the Doodlesphere, he noticed she wasn't really thriving in the ways he knew she could, so he ended up putting her in the company of someone else. That would be Fresh.

Their friendship is super strained because she misunderstood his true intentions, but they are mostly friendly, and she does cooperate with him when he needs her omni-hearing.

Error

Venus considers him her other coworker alongside Ink. She finds herself between the two on many occasions, but doesn't seem to mind. She actually does find Error pleasant, but they still struggle to actually get along because of their lack of an energy match.

Thanks to being between Ink and Error, Venus had to make a Vow of Neutrality, promising that she would not withhold oracle information from either of them, and they would get the same information. This vow is broken when Ink breaks his truce with Error, and Venus sides with the latter instead.

They get along on the occasion, but she mostly find him to be a fun target for teasing and irriating. When he destroyed those AU's, she was very much angrier with Ink than him.

Fresh

Fresh is pretty much Venus' best friend, and the only person that knows almost everything about her.. aside from Hatter. (More on him another time!!) They're an iconic duo in the Multiverse, almost never being found separated from each other.. unless they're doing their own thing, obviously. Otherwise, they're practically attached at the hip.

They're pretty much a major headache to anybody that has the fortune of being within 30 feet of them. They have an almost perfect energy match and no idea what a volume button is, so they're loud!! Venus has known Fresh since what feels like eons, even managing to escape becoming a potential vessel.. for a bargain, of course.

Cross

This one was actually pretty complicated to get an idea for because I know she didn't like him at first. Venus thought he was a problem thanks to the X-Event and the chaos that followed, however her mind changes.

She realizes that she needs to separate her anger towards Ink's broken promises and recognize that Cross was genuinely going through a lot of internal problems. Some that even she could relate to.

She definitely attempted to speak to him while he was in the Omega Timeline, since she was already there to comfort the poor anomalies that already lost their lives or homes.

Dream

Venus doesn't typically work with Dream, but seeing as they're both emotion based, they probably team up occasionally. Especially where Venus' powers involve emotional projection, she's able to help increase the flow of positive energy to give him a decent boost.

They're friends at best, often having similar opinions on things and even similar ideals!!

Nightmare

Venus has her ears on this guy for sure. In fact, she uses her emotional abilities in The Hub (more lore on that later) to help others get rid of their negative feelings. She wants to ensure that he has trouble causing or bringing harm to anyone under the influence of their own feelings. Unfortunately, she isn't always successful.

Rue

@rainyecho 's OC

Venus actually does like Rue a lot, she considers them a good friend despite the fact that they hang around Error all the time.. but she knows better than to let that dictate her opinions on people!!

She finds them pretty odd, seeing as they're a virus, but she's no better for hanging out with the parasite, so she pushes that aside. As long as Rue doesn't become a real threat towards Venus, she believes they're totally great best friends.. or something.

Null

@hakunakii 's OC

Venus is familiar with Null as the Multiverse's form of transportation, but they don't cross paths often enough to chat all the time. Regardless, in the few times they have stopped to chat, Venus has found them rather pleasant, but confusing. She feels like they have a potential energy match, but she's not too sure.. they seem odd. But once again, she's never let that prevent her from making a friend!! Perhaps she'll have to invite them around so she can get to know them better.

Void

@demifinnyfib 's OC

Venus thinks Void is pretty silly and.. also pretty stupid, but that doesn't mean she doesn't like their company!! She pities them, actually, considering they lost their memories. She believes it's depressing for forget who you are and who you came from, but Void seems so shockingly nonchalant about it. She just can't wrap her head around them. She's very fond of them, even if she feels bad for poor Goldie's loss.

Golden Guard!Sans

@demifinnyfib 's OC

Venus comforted Goldie when he first came to the Omega Timeline with the belief that his friend was dead. She thought it was such a heavy burden for him to have to carry all on his own, especially after finding out that his friend no longer had their memories.

Her heart aches for his situation, but she chooses not to get involved. Only offering her comfort when it's necessary, and sometimes even a piece of advice for him. She's fond of him, but lately his uptight nature has made him the punchline of many of her teasing remarks.

------

That's pretty much the gist of it!!

If there are any more questions, just ask!! It's super fun to answer questions and I definitely have the time to!!

And please lemme know if I missed anyone that you guys are curious about!!

[sickuhhh]

@thedevilsbckbone liked for a starter!!

ONE WOMAN FOUND DEAD IN STRING OF COUGAR ATTACKS

The front page headline of the Deadwood Peak Bulletin read simply enough, but Eli knew better—knew in his bones—that there was so much more underneath the surface.

It had been a couple of months since he and Yvette ventured into those mines. The mines where they saw that thing. Eli took a seat at one of the farther-back pews, the pastor up front thanking everyone for attending Paloma's funeral after the harrowing news. It was a closed casket, of course. They never included these details in the paper on purpose, but he'd heard a word from the sheriff's office that the reason they knew it was Paloma for sure was because her nametag, ripped from the Starlight Diner uniform she was wearing the night she got killed, was the only thing that they could identify on the spot. Every other mauled bit of her—what they could gather from the remains—needed to be shipped off to autopsy and her identity was confirmed by her teeth.

Paloma was a nice woman, late 40s, a single mother of two. Her oldest son, Hayden, took the stand to deliver his eulogy. Eli wasn't aware of how tight his fist was until he felt a sudden headache rush to his head. He knew the truth: Cougars weren't to blame for all of the deaths happening in town. Paloma was the fifth one in such a short time, incredibly uncommon for the area. A few locals were fleeing town, some were staying put, armed. The once quiet town was on alert, on the defensive.

Since he and Yvette went into that mountain, they'd awoken something.

After the service, during refreshments, Eli spotted her across the room. He exchanged what he thought was a knowing look between them. He didn't want to go back into the mines, but what was happening seemed personal. Like the monster was going to keep doing this until someone tried to stop it. He closed the distance between them, leading Yvette into a quieter corner of the grieving room.

"Hey. You alright?"

[pommigranite]

hi- (warning: long post/rant, tldr at the bottom)

i've being thinking about (grieving over) rise lately with my friends and like- i am so mad bc we got all of season 1

then season 2 was cut in HALF, forcing the team to do their thing and complete the WHOLE SERIES in FOUR EPISODES and they only had FOUR MONTHS to do it (which they did and its absolutely amazing)

then we got the movie in Aug 2022, which is probably the last Rise we'll get, what with the Mutant Mayhem movie coming out this year. 

the real reason im mad is bc the creators of the show had planned for the show to be like 5-7 seasons, like PRETTY MUCH EVERY OTHER TMNT SHOW, and it only got 1.5 seasons, even though it may be better than other versions: the TEN SEASON TOY COMMERCIAL that was the 1980s cartoon, and all the different archs and seasons that 2003 got, which confuse me to this day being two examples of this, and so bc of the longer nature the show was intended to have, there are storyboards, deleted scenes, and rough animations out there that will never be completed by the actual team (shout out to all the AMAZING artists and animators recreating deleted scenes and revamping rough sketches and storyboards, as well as the rise season 3 fan project, ilysm thank you for doing the lords work)

the quality of the show, from the animation, to the voice acting, to the overall plot, to the comedy, to its ability to be darker or more serious when it needed to, to its amazing representation, not only in its casting but also its coding, was beyond SSS tier.

it was beautiful, and im so sad we wont get that ever again, not in the same way we did.

i dont wanna give up hope, there have been shows that were cancelled that came back, but mostly i just feel for the staff and cast, who you could tell really truly loved this show. they loved working on it, and they loved sharing it with us, i am so grateful for what we were given, but so mad that these people were forced to move on from something they loved.

TLDR; i love rise, its staff deserved better, amazing show, im sorry for the essay

[passionmaterial]

Tell me abt the necrospark guys go wild I am here to listen

NECROSPARK MY SLIGHTLY TRAUMATIZED BABIES!

telling me to go wild about Necrospark is like letting all the rats out of a cage,WHICH IS a GOOD THING. Warning, this might be long.

Where do I even begin with those two-?

So, Necromancer and Scatterspark, Or Necrospark, is a Ship of Two of My Transformers,Specifically Cyberverse,OCs, I call it Necrospark to make it easier.

Necromancer Uses He/They Pronouns, he has one red eye and one blue eye, which he is a little self conscious about, he used to cover the Blue One, but when the war ignited, he started to cover the red one, and leave the blue one uncovered. His main colors in his frame are shades of Blue, except for his One Red Eye and one Biolight Thighs(Garter belt looking thing) that is present on most Cyberverse characters.

Scatterspark is actually Necromancer's Ex-Wife. He was married to her, but let's just say Necromancer had his "Say No To This."" Moment and Scatterspark had her "Burn" Moment. But they did get back together later. They just never remarried.

Oh!Important. Detail about both of them. They are Knights of the Primes Like Thunderhowl. Actually,Necromancer is Thunderhowl's cousin. He's the Knight of Maccadam/Alchemist Prime.

Hey. If Ratchet can have a niece, I think Thunderhowl can have a cousin.

I know, technically, for Scatterspark,Dame is the Correct Term, But Eh. Dame of the Primes doesn't roll off the tongue as well.

Necromancer is Basically as a Character:Alexander Hamilton From Hamilton, Plus Spinel from Steven Universe,Plus Glados from Portal, Plus JD from Heathers.

Oh, yeah, and Necromancer loses his mother figure very early in his life.

Scatterspark uses She/Her Pronouns, but is Pansexual. Her design is mostly pink, as she is inspired Lot by Katherine Howard from Six and Katherine Howard, historically, too. But the pink and the high ponytail were taken from the Six:The Musical Version of her.

Like i said, she was inspired a Lot By Katherine Howard. She was a victim of Grooming/Pedophilia, and she didn't really fall in love with any men after that for a long time. Then she let Necromancer into her heart, and she fell in love with him. Don't worry, Necromancer and her are the same Age. They are perfectly legal. But even there, it took her a lot of time to let Necromancer even be somewhat affectionate with her. And he, being the sweetheart he is, let her take her time.

BTW I'm trying not to cry happy tears writing this,THEY ARE TOO CUTE SOMETIMES.

Now, this is where it gets interesting.

Like I said, Necromancer has a Say No To This Moment. He cheats on Scatterspark with a microwave throwing Oc of Mine by the Name of Nitroquake. Scatterspark has her Burn Moment. They divorce. But they get back together after Necromancer comes back from being shot by Praxis.YES, THAT praxis, WHO IVE TALKED ABOUT. He ain't what he seems.

Anyway, he comes back, and they get back together, and they stay together for a long time, up until early in the war.

And then Alpha Trion,Scatterspark's Liege Prime, asks her to infiltrate the Decepticons, pretend she's one of them,etc,etc. So she does that and reports back to Orion Pax frequently while doing that.

Well, Long Story Short, Megs, finds out about it, and chops her head clean off (in an alleyway) with a blade when she's distracted, I mean, Points for Deception, I guess.

Anyway,Necromancer finds her body and brings her back to life, and tells her to change her color scheme and they are going back to Caminus, which is their Home Planet. So she changes it to blue.

And they Live Pretty Happily After That.

[foximator-blog]

who would you have chosen for trap team's 3 missing reposes [i feel like the undead one should be fright rider since he's the one giants core that never got a repose]

I agree with Fright rider 100%

For Earth I'll pick Flashwing, because while she did get a Lightcore repose in Swapforce, she and Rider are still both the only two Giants characters without wow-pows.

And for Tech... I think I'd pick Wind-up. He's really really cool as a second Swapforce character.

I'd actually pick quite a few reposes for Trap team... But the game is already pretty gimmicky in terms of spending. I'd have to draw out my poster layouts to explain it. I like adding onto what's already canon rather than replacing things (with one exception)

[fromxgrace]

candle 👺

@divinelght👂

send me 🕯️to hear my character's inner thoughts about your character. ⟶still accepting!

'She's my twin.' Ever since before they left the womb, Daemon and Aurora have been built-in companions. Though, one inner thought deals with just that—their parents. The firm belief held by his sibling, that their long-lost parents might still be alive stirs so many feelings of anger within him. He can't fathom holding onto such hope, knowing that they had abandoned them to rot in the forest. The years and years of her anticipation makes him resent her optimism. 'Why does she persist in bowing before gods who turn a blind eye to our struggles?'

The cleric's faith in Lathander aggravates him in ways he struggles to articulate. The god, a large part of their upbringing, is something he has grown to be indifferent about. Always questioning the ways of any of the Gods, he does not understand how she puts so much trust into something everyday. He sees it as a waste. He feels that her prayers and pleas to the Morning Lord could be put use toward something useful.

'These white flowers smell like her.' The scent of incense and gardenias will forever remind him of her, which often helps when he feels the darkness seeping into his soul. Despite their ups and their downs, his twin's positive traits—compassion, warmth, and optimism—remain constants that anchor him, even when he tries to push them away every chance he gets. And he will never admit it willingly. 'On such a numbingly quiet night like this, I wish Aurora was here to play something.'

Daemon is all too aware of his sister's more gullible and self-sacrificing tendencies, yet, he somehow respects her belief in redemption, friendship, and destiny. Her hobbies, like painting and playing the lyre are some of his favorites aspects he's protective of, and has always looked to for comfort on the hardest of days.

'I can't stand her boyfriend.'

The relationship between Aurora and Astarion adds a whole other layer to his thoughts. While his protective instincts might make him wary of anyone getting close to his sister, he observes their connection with a cautious acceptance. He knows his sister well enough to know that her determination is strong. Astarion's presence brings constant tension between the three because the fallen aasimar is convinced he will leave her just as their parents had once he's free.

'I know she can feel me slipping away.'

Aurora remains a guiding light, a piece of his past and present that he can't fully escape, no matter how much the darkness threatens to consume him. She may very well be the only light that can save him. Despite it all, Daemon will always be fiercely protective of his twin, even if he struggles to understand her choices.

[thelittlestspider]

🧠 🤲 !!

🧠 Pick a character, and I'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them.

(i couldn't pick just one, so here's a few)

peter

- peter plays games like online solitaire, chess, sudoku.

- he goes on wikipedia, hits random and reads whatever articles pop up. he can sit there reading for hours.

- his comfort movie is legally blonde.

- he has a memorial tattoo for gwen.

ash

- this is more of a crack headcanon turned beloved, but i love the thought of him being an estranged member of the addams family. or morticia's family the frumps. i think in this one ash's mom was a frump.

wade

- wade loves parties. going to them, throwing them, it doesn't matter.

- wade loves pop music. britney spears, abba. he also loves charlie's angels.

(wade is britney coded and ash is lana coded. which are really funny energies to put together lol)

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

this is a scene from these hungry streets i haven't really had time to write yet, but it's peter/ash with hints of their sun/moon imagery.

peter sits up on the edge of a building, tired and discouraged. he's been swinging around for what feels like forever in the hopes of finding ash walking around in the early hours like before.

in his absorption with his thoughts, he almost misses her. but williams luck cancels out parker luck and he sees ash walking down the sidewalk below, dressed in a white wedding dress and veil, long legs eating up the pavement in graceful strides despite the high heels she's wearing.

she stops under a streetlamp to fish a cigarette and a lighter out of her garter pocket, lights up, and takes a drag, her face tilted up, eyes closed. peter's throat dries. she's so fucking beautiful. like some horrible angel made in a lab specifically to torment him.

peter's climbing down before he even realizes he's moved, jumping to the top of the streetlamp and gliding down it from a web upside down. ash hasn't seen him yet.

"what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" ash immediately whirls around and punches him with her metal hand, quick as lightning, but peter's faster and catches her hand. "hey hey, it's just me, angel."

ash frowns, brows drawn together in anger.

"don't fucking scare me like that, you asshole," ash says. "what the hell are you doing here, anyway?"

"i was looking for you," replies peter, jumping down from the web strand. he moves closer to ash, hoping she isn't going to sock him again. ash just looks at him with those big dark eyes, made even bigger with the liner and mascara. her makeup glitters in the light, shimmering every time she moves, making her face look luminous. peter is entranced.

"why?"

"because i wanted to see you." it comes out more earnest than he'd meant, and peter cringes inwardly. might as well go for broke. "and to beg you to take me back."

"peter..."

"no wait, just listen to me," peter reaches for ash, pulling her closer. ash goes, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. peter almost gives in to the weak feeling inside him that wants to just sink into her, but fights it back so he can say his piece. "i love you, and i'm sorry--"

"peter, i love you too." peter's heart skips a beat. "but you have severe emotional problems and you need help." peter pulls back to look at her incredulously. ash rolls her eyes. "yeah i know. that's rich coming from miss mental illness america. but pete the way we're going isn't healthy. we almost ended up holding hands on the metaphorical train tracks."

"look, i'll give you anything, tell you whatever you wanna know, just don't disappear again."

"i can't promise that. but i'll try to leave a note if i do."

peter sighs in relief. "that's all i ask."

they stand there under the street light for a moment, embracing each other. ash pulls back with a tentative smile.

"do you wanna go to a party with me?" asks ash. peter's eyes widen in surprise at the sudden change in subject.

"a party?"

"yeah, that's where i was going when you scared the shit out of me. mystery inc. throws them every year."

peter gasps. "you know mystery inc.?"

"yeah, we help each other out sometimes." ash pulls out of peter's arms and tugs his hand in the direction he assumes the mystery gang's place is. "i didn't know you were a mystery inc. fan."

"i have all their books," replies peter, embarrassed. ash laughs.

[kalpasio]

calling kalpas babygirl that’s it that’s the ask 😃

OK BUT ACTUALLY????👀👀👀👀👀

ANON YOU ARE SO BIG BRAIN

I'm adding it to the list

I am having thoughts, I'm so sorry

first of all 👏yes👏

either he notices and doesn't say anything or he doesn't notice

probably bothers the others around you more than him

like imagine how mad Elysia would be if you called him that but she couldn't get away with it

you want cuddles?

tacking "babygirl" on the end of your request is more effective than saying "please"

guaranteed you are toasty with 10 seconds

imagine he's doing his monologue-ing thing, going on and on about how he's "the flame that will burn through your very soul" or whatever

hit him with a "come here babygirl" with your arms open and he'll wrap up real quick

I am so tired and none of this makes sense but I just.

hhhhhhhhh Kalpas 🧡

[wovetalesarc]

when   it   came   to   doing   anything   adventurous   or   different   ,   gillian   was   always   the   one   ready   to   take   the first  leap.   the   youngest   owens   sister   had   been   trying   to   escape   the   dreariness   of   her   old   ,   massachusetts   town for as long as she can remember   ,   doing   anything   that   could   remotely   entertain   her   or   distract   her   from   her   less   than   adventurous   life.   the   moment   she   turned   eighteen   ,   she   ran   off   with   a   man   she   barely   knew   ,   but   once   that   romance   ended   ,   she   continued   to   travel   from   state   to   state   ,   having   no   interest   in   returning   to   the   home   where   her   aunts   &   her   sister   still   remained.   oh   ,   how   she   wished   sally   would   have   joined   her   ━━   no   doubt   the   two   of   them   would   have   had   a   blast   trying   new   things   &   enjoying   places   that   has   never   once   heard   of   the   owens'   family   name.   unfortunately   ,   sally   was   the   more   practical   of   the   two   sisters   ,   &   she   would   rather   remain   at   home   &   continue   to   try   &   have   a   normal   life   despite   their   upbringing   ,   a   fact   that   gillian   will   never   understand about her sister.   still   ,   they   write   often   &   when   she   told   sally   that   she   would   be   starring   in   a   play   for   the   very   first   time   ,   she   didn't   even believe   her.   her   disbelief   only   made   gillian   smile   all   the   more   ,   determined   to   show   her   sister   just   how   far   she   was   willing   to   try   new   things.

admittedly   ,   gillian   was   terrified   of   being   on   stage.   getting   the   role   in   this   play   happened   almost   completely   out   of   the   blue.   as   she   just   arrived   to   the   city   of   new   york   ,   her   curiosity   brought   her   to   a   walk   -   in   audition   ,   where   she   decided   to   peak   into on a whim.   when   the   director   saw   her   big   ,   fluffy   red   hair poking from behind the door   ,   he   immediately   gave   her   the   role   without   a   second   thought.   gillian   was   shocked   at   his   insistence   ,   though   she   should   have   known   this   would   happen.   men   were   dazzled   by   her   looks   wherever   she   went   &   it   was   only   a   matter   of   time   before   that   bit   of   magic   followed   her   here too.   she   was   nervous   &   worried   she   wouldn't   do   a   good   of   a   job   ,   the   last   time   she   ever   was   on   stage   was   for   a   class   performance   of   the   national   anthem   in   the   eight   grade.   luckily   ,   she's   managed   to   make   friends   with   some   of   her   co   -   stars   who   didn't   seem   to   be   too   bothered   by   her   lack   of   acting   skill , mainly @tragicale , who treated her as another person & not as someone he simply wanted to lure in his bed.   sitting   on   the   edge   of   the   stage   after   practice   ,   gillian   vented   to   james   about   her   worries   ,   which   he   eagerly   attempts   to   soothe.   ❝   of   course   they   will   remember   you   ,   ❞   he   says   with   a   smile   ,   &   gillian   merely   smiles   brightly   ,   knowing   he   meant   it   &   wasn't   just   trying   to   cheer her up.   ❝   really   ?   you   mean   in   a   good   way   ,   right   ?   not   in   the   :   ❛   i'm   going   to   be   terrible   ❜   kind   of   way   ?   ❞   she   laughs   ,   brushing   back   her   hair   as   she   looks   out   to   the   empty   seats.   they   would   be   filled   in   a   few   weeks   time   ;   every   pair   of   eyes   set   on   her   the   moment   she   crosses   the   stage.   she   shivers.   ❝   i   just   don't   want   people   to   think   i'm   treating   this   as   a   game.   i   want   to   honestly   do   my   best   &   put   on   a   good   show.   my   sister   doesn't   even   really   believe   i'm   actually   doing   this.   ❞   she   sighs.   ❝   i   can't   blame   her   though.   i   am   a   bit   spontaneous   when   it   comes   to   my   decision   making.   ❞