#isaiah montgomery

[livinginbeauty-net]

Civil Rights Trail - Chapter Four: Mound Bayou, Mississippi

In honor of the upcoming Juneteenth National Independence Day, we are publishing our latest blog post on our Civil Rights Trail journey. As we drove toward Mound Bayou, we expected to visit a museum, but we soon discovered that the entire town is a museum

Food, Music and Enlightenment The Civil Rights Trail Chapters Join us in this series as we share our once-in-a-lifetime adventure in Food, Music and Enlightenment. Chapter One: Introduction Chapter Two: Emmett Till Chapter Three: Juke Joint Festival – Clarksdale, Mississippi Chapter Four: Mound Bayou – Mississippi Chapter Five: King Biscuit Blues Festival – Helena, Arkansas – coming…

[greysanatomy-bts]

[deaths-presence]

Two of a Kind || Dazai x Reader Part 1: Obscure Chance

Story Summary: The search for your brother has led you into conflict between the Armed Detective Agency of Yokohama and the Guild. Fitzgerald keeps you involuntarily, that is until you finally find your chance of escape. Will you find strength within the ADA, or will you only become more astray? Word Count: 1,622 Characters Featured: Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Steinbeck, Lucy Montgomery Warnings: afab!reader, slowburn, plot heavy to build up romance, small mentions of isolation, hints of Fitzgerald being Yikes and abusive, lmk if I happened to miss anything please

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

The cold atmosphere of the room you were trapped in seeped into your body, making your bones ache with how aggressively you were shivering despite the covers you put around yourself. Never did you expect to find yourself held hostage, yet here you were with the powerful Guild that gave you no choice in the decision to join their organization. You didn’t do it for money like some of the others you came to learn about during your forced stay, nor did you seek to become powerful.

It started with a simple letter. Your brother Roberte had written to you. He went on to tell you that he had picked up work in the Guild to help support you back home, that things would be more prosperous if you had joined him. You had decided to seek out the Guild to be at his side, for all you had was each other after your parents had died.

You did not find Roberte. You were too trusting, showing a stranger eager to have everything within the snap of his fingers how your ability worked to prove yourself worthy. Within hours you were not allowed to leave. The man named Fitzgerald was sure of that. He never took no as an answer, and you quickly made that observation with the way the other members of the Guild stood behind him. They didn’t dare try to protect you. Here in the Guild, it was a principle that if you screwed up, you were on your own. You didn’t consider any of them friends, besides maybe Lucy who managed to converse with you when she brought you meals.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

You were brought out of mulling about your predicament at the new voice. Your head turned, no longer surprised to see Hawthorne that said the Bible verse aloud. He reminded you of a late December evening when the sun was slowly setting on the horizon and giving way to darkness. He was cold and distant, his hair a pale shade that reminded you of the snow covering the ground at dusk. His icy blue eyes always managed to pin you down wherever you existed on the Moby Dick like he could see the sins you’ve committed, even ones you didn’t know existed. As a man of God that he proclaimed to be, you never saw him outside of his pastor clothes.

Your lips turn in a gentle smile regardless. If nothing else, you were thankful for the little bit of company he temporarily provided. “Isaiah 41:10. It is only customary for the reverend to grace me with his words from the Book. I suppose you’re trying to give me advice in your own way instead of having me sulk around?”

Hawthorne’s face was unreadable with how little it changed, but his tone of voice gave you ease. Cold, yes, but gentle it came out as he replied, “I can tell by the look on your face. You feel helpless and alone. You don’t try to escape.”

You merely shrugged at his observation. The comfort he was giving was quickly replaced by a heavy feeling that settled in your chest. You sat on the provided bed and hugged your knees closer to your chest, the dress you wore allowing your legs to be blanketed. “I have tried before only to fail. Countless times. Fitzgerald is powerful, even if I can shapeshift into other people and use their abilities.”

Of course, you couldn’t escape Fitzgerald despite having such a useful ability. Though having surprised him at first, he took the opportunity upon himself to make you better than you were. Stronger. To change into someone for longer. To be able to take an object that is closest to someone and use it to connect to the person and change instead of using only physical touch. There’s no doubt that you would make an incredible assassin by having the ability to change your appearance so drastically, especially in framing someone. By tacking on having the opportunity to store someone with an ability into your closet of changes, you were a force to be reckoned with. If you cared enough.

That was evidently the problem. You didn’t care. You never had thought about using your ability in such a despicable way. You would always want to use what you were able to do for good, to disguise yourself and capture a criminal in the act all while keeping your real identity safe. You could help connect yourself to a person to understand their predicaments, to understand their health issues, to understand why they feel the way they feel.

“I’m sorry, reverend. I do not look for pity. I simply sense that this is my punishment,” you said quietly.

Hawthorne quirked a brow at your words. “You think that God has punished you in this way? What have you done in the eyes of the Lord that he would do such?”

Your eyes were trained on your hands. You wiggled your fingers slowly as if noticing something on them that would never come off. Hawthorne was right to believe the notion ridiculous, but you couldn’t help but feel like a monster in your own skin with all that you’ve done since being forced to join the Guild. A monster that changed who she could be on a whim. “I have gone against my morals without so much as a fight. I want to fight, but I am beaten in my efforts each time. What do you think?”

Hawthorne’s face never changed, but you noticed how his voice was hardened once more. “I may pass judgment on heavy sinners, but I believe that this is for the Lord to decide Himself.”

You exhaled slowly when you heard his footsteps leave you in tense silence. Your thoughts from before Hawthorne made conversation were now replaced with the question you always ended up asking yourself.

Were you a monster pretending to be human?

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

It was hours before you heard voices again, this time clearly distinguishing the two of them. Steinbeck and Lucy. As they approached, your eyes opened from resting and you forced your body to sit up. You were severely tempted to brush through your hair after sensing just how knotted it was from your tossing and turning, reaching for the hairbrush just as you saw Steinbeck and Lucy at the door. As usual, she opened a compartment in the door to give you the tray of food.

“Look at that! You are still alive,” Steinbeck said with a playful grin. The small window in the door to your room only let you see his sky-blue eyes and sunny blonde hair, but there was the knowledge that one of the straps to his overalls that he wore hung down from his shoulder. You had to hold back the urge to fix it for him whenever you saw him, like a mother fixing their toddler’s shirt before they ran outside to play with their friends. Your eyes shifted over to Lucy’s blue eyes and thick red hair. You envied the coloration and how beautiful it always looked in the braids she put it in. You could imagine the dress she wore despite not being able to see it, the ruffles at the bottom always catching your attention. It wasn’t as proper and elegant as Lady Margaret, but it suited her.

“I am,” you responded, keeping your words short and distant as you took the tray and offered Lucy a grateful smile. You walked back to sit it on the small table that was by your bedside, seating yourself back down on the mattress to properly untangle your hair with the brush.

“I just can’t imagine,” Steinbeck attempted conversation again, “after being in here for this long already. I know what it’s like to have a sibling. The only reason I’m not with them right now is to make sure they can live. I send most of my pay back home to help support them all.”

“You’re the type to do anything for your family.” You nod while listening to him.

“My sister, she’s still a little younger than you. She loves to take my share of apple pie at the big family dinner table, but I can never say no because she’s just too cute.” His shoulders relaxed as he talked about his sister, and it made your heart ache that you were unable to see Roberte after all this time.

It hit you then. Why would he be trying to talk to you if it was not for one simple thing?

“Do I remind you of her?” you asked timidly, your eyes stuck on the tray as you set your hairbrush down.

Out of the corner of your eye you see Steinbeck’s smile. “A little. You’re just older, more gullible, and complacent when you’re in danger.” Each word that came out of his mouth made you prickle and squint at him, but your expression made him laugh instead of becoming defensive. “You do have the same cute pout, though.”

Your ire only faded at the prospect of finally eating some of the food that was given to you. Steinbeck and Lucy took it as a signal to leave you in peace, but not before Steinbeck stayed back to say one last thing while the space was quiet.

“You’re right. I would do anything for my family. The Guild is not necessarily a nice organization. You do what you’re told, and that’s it. Take care to remember that if nothing else.”

[firecurls-27]

Hmmmm....

How was Lilith's relationship with Adam?

Also, I wonder how he handled her being with the Devil...😅

OH MY GOD I FINALLY HAVE AN EXCUSE TO EXPLAIN LILITH’S STORY EEEEEEEEEEEE-

(Some of this is copy-pasted)

For those who don’t know the story of Lilith:

The Bible mentions the Lilith only once, as a dweller in waste places (Isaiah 34:14), but the characterization of the Lilith or the lili (in the singular or plural) as a seducer or slayer of children has a long pre-history in ancient Babylonian religion. J. A. Scurlock writes, “The lilû-demons and their female counterparts the lilitu or ardat lilî-demons were hungry for victims because they had once been human; they were the spirits of young men and women who had themselves died young.” These demons “slipped through windows into people’s houses looking for victims to take the place of husbands and wives whom they themselves never had.” Another, related demoness was Lamashtu, who threatened new-born babies and “had a disagreeable taste for human flesh and blood.” The figures of the lilû and lilitu demons eventually converged to form one type of evil figure that seduced men and women and attacked children.

The liliths appear in lists of evil spirits that often refer to the “male and female liliths,” reflecting the ancient conception that these evil demons could appear in either male or female form. The bowl-texts accuse the liliths of haunting people in dreams at night or visions of the day. One text describes the liliths “who appear to human beings, to men in the likeness of women and to women in the likeness of men, and they lie with all human beings at night and during the day” (Montgomery 117). Thus one prominent characteristic of the liliths is that they attack people in the sexual and reproductive realm of life. It is no wonder, therefore, that some of the writers of the bowl-incantations employed the language of divorce to rid people of the liliths. The liliths also attack children. One of the bowls accuses “Hablas the lilith, granddaughter of Zarni the lilith” of “striking boys and girls” (Montgomery, 168). Another text says that this lilith “destroys and kills and tears and strangles and eats boys and girls” (Montgomery, 193).

But to put it simply:

Basically she was cast out of the garden of eden because she refused to have s#x with Adam. He was always really flirty with her but she didn’t like him at all, seeing him as “full of himself” and she hated how he got angry at Lucifer for sneaking into the garden from time to time. She was more than happy to see him and Eve kicked out.

She met Lucifer and Harold (henchman) when they snuck into the garden. They became friends quickly because they both shared a love for mischief. And no, they never got together, Lucifer had a sort of “puppy crush” on her, but Lilith simply saw him as a sweet little brother. She helped him a lot when Lucifer fell from heaven and still helps him collect souls now.

[poll-ventures]

Perdition 1.10

<                     ≡                      >

I did not raise my hand. 

Professor Mecardi looked at me, then turned to Stash, Isaiah, and Max. The vote had been decided. I watched a pale grimace overtake his face as he looked behind him at the large wooden crate covering the pit.

“If we’re not killing him… Now what?” Isaiah asked quietly. 

“We’re letting him out,” I said, then stood. Max glared up at me as I spoke. “I’m not going to let him go, but nothing should be-. Be…” 

There was a sharp pain inside my stomach. It grew, like a blade of ice rending me from the inside. It was worse than anything I’d ever felt, sliding from my stomach out into my chest, thin tendrils of burning pain scraping up my spine, setting my brain stem on fire.

I fell forward onto my knees, and fell into blissful unconsciousness.

My next few memories passed flashing, spots of voices, phrases and visions. I knew instantly that I was dying. 

After all, it had felt the same way last time.

There was no glass in my knuckles now, no blood on my forehead, no stench of death. It was a different pain, but the tearing was the same. I could feel myself going, palpably dying. It was comforting in a way, the only recognizable thing I’d felt since I slipped under the mountainous drug trip.

Somewhere far away, a woman I’d met just a few hours ago rushed to my side, holding me up, so I didn’t choke. Her red dress fluttered, pinned down by leather belts. She was pale faced, but pretty, with rosy little cheeks. Her name was Stash. 

I blinked, the pain growing deeper, less subtle and spreading from my chest and gut down into my legs.

“It wasn’t enough,” someone said. 

Another person: “He’s dying.”

I blinked again, and they changed positions. I realized that I was falling in and out of consciousness. I tried to speak, and someone put their hand on my head, shushing me quietly. Their hand was very cold.

Mother?

“No,” you said.

And I felt you for the first time, actually felt you within me. The ichor had been used up, but it had awakened you. Arisen from a deep slumber with the blood of the goddess.

You. I could feel you budding like a flower, somewhere near my left hip.

“Hello,” you said. There was a hint of a smile in your voice.

Who are you?

“We will see.”

I blinked again, and I had been moved next to the pit. It was open, and Max was pulling on the chain that bound Kyle Montgomery. Her hands were slick and black, and the chain spooled at her feet, flecked with the mess that stained her hands. 

Isaiah and Alex stood by, swords free of their scabbard as they watched him rise slowly out of the pit. I nodded into semi-consciousness again, staring at Max’s large arms flex as she worked, one foot against the lip of the pit. 

She had a cigarette in her mouth, and was puffing it hard as she worked.

I blinked again, and the next thing I saw made me scream.

It was a horrid scream, wordless and thick with pain and bile. It filled the large chamber, echoing out into the sands, spooking Bella to rear against her bindings, her voice joining mine.

My professor had his arms around my employer, robes fluttering as he restrained him with a great deal of effort. Mr. Montgomery writhed in pain, a thick sword impaled in his stomach. Max held the blade, and it was drinking from him.

A thick, black liquid was seeping up the sword, filling in the microscopic lines that ran up and down the blade with unnervingly fast capillary action.

The black blood arched over the thick hilt, some dripping off and hissing on the metal floor, more climbing up Max’s finger to seep under her fingernails, pouring into her skin like water into thirsty dirt.

Max pulled the sword out, and Montgomery went limp. The black liquid left on the sword quickly reversed direction, dripping off the tip and onto the floor, hissing like water on hot blacktop. It bubbled into thick, smoky clouds, then dissipated into the thin layer of mist rolling over the floor.

The screaming had spread the pain even further, and I turned back, staring up at the stalactite as I blinked into unconsciousness again. I felt myself being pulled toward the blissful lack of pain. It did not beckon, but it was still incessant.

“Not yet. Just a little bit longer.” You know it has to be just a few moments more.

Fine. I gritted my teeth, opening my eyes to see Stash standing above me, holding my head with her other hand on my chest. There was something in my mouth, a thick liquid that tasted like burnt roadkill.

“That filth doesn’t work,” she was saying, looking across my body at someone. “It’s wrong, we have to give him-”

“Pure,” Isaiah said. I heard him rushing across the room. “Where the hell do you keep it!?”

“Fresh out. We already gave it all to him.” Professor Mecardi spoke calmly, then walked into my field of view, hand on the hilt of his sword.

“So what do we do?” Stash asked him, voice wavering. “He is going to die.”

My professor didn’t blink, only shaking his head quickly. “No. The next decantation is in just a few minutes.”

“Don’t have minutes,” Max said, sounding strained. 

“I know,” he said again, calmly. He looked up at the spire, slowly unsheathing his sword. Lantern light played in the space between his scruffy almost-beard.

“No!” Isaiah shouted across the room. 

Stash shook her head at my Professor, then spoke carefully. “We all agreed to become part of this. He did not. We can’t just force it upon him.”

The professor continued staring at the spire, as if waiting for something. “It’s either that or die,” he said matter-of-factly.

“That is not a fucking choice!” Isaiah screamed, his voice drawing closer as he spoke.

“We needed one more,” Max said, stepping into my field of view next to the professor, looking down at me. “Five to match their five.”

“Fuck your magic number,” Isaiah said, and a metal crash sounded from behind me. I stared unblinkingly up at the spire, watching it carefully. Stash looked up too, and was quickly joined by Max.

“The First Kingdom requires it,” the Professor spoke quietly. “We will see, in just a few more moments.”

Bells rung, somewhere far away, echoing towards us over the miles of sands. Isaiah stepped up to my left. Everyone had fallen silent.

The bells rang for minutes. I blinked in and out of the pain twice before the air was free of their vibration. The deafening silence played tricks in my head, and I almost nodded again before I saw it.

The spire. Everyone was staring at it. It had begun to glow.

It was a beautiful, golden light that seemed to come from the inside of it, pouring down from the top at first, then suffusing every little running vein along its massive surface. The mist in the pool slowly began to dissipate, then disappeared, revealing the large golden chalice in the center.

Professor Mecardi knelt, one hand raising his thin saber to the tip of the stalactite. The lines that run the length of the blade, the same as those on the spire and the blades I’d seen in the dunes, began to glow with the golden light. 

The others bowed as well, silently raising their blades to the tip of the spire. The honey gold light began to coalesce into a thick, clear liquid, pouring down the lengths of their blades. The liquid sped up the lines of their blades, just as I’d seen on Max’s.

I watched, enamored as it seeped into everyone’s skin. A smile grew on Stash’s face, she seemed to be holding in a joyous laugh as the honey-like liquid was swallowed by her skin.

It crept up her bare arm, slipping under her sleeve, and caressing her face and shoulder. She turned her neck into it, like the embrace of a lover.

Isaiah had much the same smile, not holding back even a little bit as he quietly giggled, in pure bliss. Where Max had grimaced as the black, sooty ichor entered her, she smiled around the half smoked cigarette in her mouth, the golden liquid sliding between the larger panels of leather armor.

Only Professor Mecardi knelt, stock-still, a faint smile the only evidence the liquid was sliding under his robes and into his skin.

Then, all at once, they stood, placing their swords’ tips at the lip of the white and gold chalice. The leftover liquid slowly sloughed off into the bowl. With the pain writhing in my stomach, I arched my back.

I caught a glimpse of the spire, still glowing, but now seeming to drip the golden liquid freely from its tip, directly into the golden pot.

I closed my eyes, finally just too tired of this. I felt the cold, nothing embrace of death, just as I heard the clamber of someone picking up the pot.

They’re going to make me drink it.

“Yes.”

I will die first. Whatever happens, it’ll happen to a dead body.

Somewhere far behind me, I felt the golden chalice chip my front teeth as it was shoved into my mouth. They were shouting. There was nothing they could do, I was already dead.

I took a small amount of comfort in this as I felt my heart fail, slipping into painless death. As I died, I thought of my Mother and my sister.

Would I see them, wherever I was going? I could feel myself already sliding into another place.

“That’s the idea.”

I froze at the sound of the voice, halfway between this world and the next one. Why could I still hear it? Shouldn’t I be free of all of this?

“Why aren’t you mad?”

“What do you mean?” 

“You are a child, dead in your youth. You barely lived, and what living you did was fraught with strife. Why are you so eager to die? Where is your anger? Don’t you want to fight for a better life?”

Of course I did. I wanted a better life for a lot of people. Fighting for it, though… Hadn’t I already fought hard enough? Skirting out my own existence at the edge of a cold, nearly forgotten love. It had been hard, unpleasant. I had not been a happy person.

“It hurts,” I said, sounding like a child.

“Then hurt it back,” you said simply.

I creased my brow, then reached out. My sword was in my hand. At once, it was mine. I could tell, it was weighted perfectly for me, and me alone. It was…

“An extension of the self,” we said. 

I was not gone, only dead. You were keeping me here, heavy in my hand. I was still here, but so was the pain, horrible and deadly, but distant. It needed to be purged.

It was there in front of me, red, pulsing and angry. The only thing left in my body that still hurt, that still felt at all. I was dead, there was no need to breathe, no need for the heart to beat, but the ichor… It was slow, rhythmic, and golden, aching inside me perfectly, like it was always meant to be.

It was so perfect on the inside of my skin that I could already tell I was an imperfect vessel. It was the epitome of perfection, and I was not the intended host.

“But you’re doing just fine, Parker.” You smiled.

The golden light pulsed with every syllable, not English, but something more pure. Speaking directly to me, from within me. Speaking with love. 

I spun with my blade in hand, dancing with it in perfect step. It led me in the same dance my father had, spinning me as we flew about the onlookers at my sixteenth birthday.

I held to the hilt tightly, and it seemed to hold me as well, the fluttering lines of the blade seeming to hold me close, wrapping my body in its warm golden life and suffusing me with it.

“It’s exhausting being so perfect for everyone, isn’t it, baby dear?”

The self embrace was violently pleasant, fiercely and joyously becoming something else. In our dance, I slid the sword across the body in front of me, shearing away first layers of performance, then the unbridled humanity that no social contract can fully erode.

Next was the white lies, misremembered self-stories and faux-realities, everything taught to me that when learned allowed me to function in society. Past this, wrapping the core of my true self like a diseased and protective mother, lay the final layer.

It was the big lies that even the speaker of the lie believed. My dance died, and I stilled my blade. 

This would hurt. More than that, it would kill me. Not just physically, I somehow knew that shedding this final layer would actually kill me. Parker, Natalie, me. 

“Go on,” you goaded.

I was struck with the sudden, fearful realization that I could see you now. Not your face, but your embodiment. In this enlightened form, I locked eyes with you, seeing your hungry smile as I stood at the precipice of self.

I still felt true, perfect, and alive… But not like myself. It was an alien sensation, and somewhere in the back of my near-abandoned mind, a memory played, worn and torn away, discarded with the previous layers, but still faintly accessible. 

It was a lecture I’d had to attend, a lecture on how opioids work, and why they’re so effective as pain inhibitors.

They simply turn off the pain receptors.

Whatever you are, are you just playing with my brain? Like a mouse inside a piano, plucking strings to pour pleasure into my head?

I turned back to the final layer, sick and clinging to my true form within. They would both have to die. “Will it grow back?” I asked, no tremble in my voice.

“Yes, but it will not be you,” you say, almost singing it. 

“It’ll be us,” I finished, eyes simultaneously screwed shut and wide open.

I saw you smile, naked in your sincere thirst for this rebirth, vulnerable in your greed to be given life. I looked down at my sword in my hand. If it had shed these layers, these abstractions of personage and self… Why not the alien voice in my mind?

“I am yours. I am your sword.”

Reading my thoughts now?

“A blind woman knows her home,” you said plainly.

“How could I walk into a room without seeing it?” I agreed. I nodded without nodding, enacting some ancient and essential form of non verbal assent, turning back to the final layers of my soul.

I raised my sword to the final lie, and slid it slowly across the surface. It writhed in pain, and dissolved to reveal the shape of my body. He stared back at me, naked, eyes dead. His neck was purple and black with rings of bruises, and his cheeks were gaunt.

This Parker was dead. He had been for sometime.

February 15th, 2020.

I stabbed my sword into his stomach. The tight tug of friction on the blade's end never came. I waved my blade’s tip through the dissipating cloud that had been my truest self. It puffed away into nothing.

Revealing the final me in its place. 

It was fetal. It was perfect. It was poisoned. It was me. 

It was us.

We turned our focus to the red, poisoned region of our body. There was work to do.

It was aching, eating away at our already dead organs. It was not a thing of love, just a thing of uncaring, scientific decay that happened to be in the wrong place. It wasn’t malicious, just lost and confused.

“Get the fuck out of our body,” we growled. I grabbed our sword with two hands, and thrust into the poisoned flesh.

****

We awoke.

And my body felt different.

The first thing I felt was the stretching. It was a vile feeling, like something moving on the inside of my skin, all across my body. 

That, and my two front teeth had been chipped.

I opened my eyes to see three faces looking down at me, blurry in my still-half-asleep vision. They were all wearing odd clothes, like they were at a renaissance fair. Beyond them was the glowing stalactite, slowly fading back to darkness. Home. 

When the light from the spire died, the golden light in the room didn’t disappear. There was still a faint glow on the floor next to me. It was coming from me, I realized, moving in time with the unnerving stretching feeling. I brought my arms up to my eyes.

A brackish golden glow slithered down my arteries, rolling into and bulging the veins on my hands. I could feel it violently shifting my skin and organs to better fit itself within me. It didn’t hurt, in fact it felt somehow right.

Slowly, I sat up, looking up at the audience I’d gathered. All three had their swords in their hands, watching me carefully. The golden light shining from me faded, and with it, the stretching ceased. Whatever was inside me had made itself at home.

“Parker?” Isaiah asked quietly, sliding his sturdy blade back into its sheath as he offered me a hand.

“That’s me,” I said, then took his hand to help me stand. I expected a wave of nausea, or even a rush of blood, but instead there was nothing. I just felt fine. 

I turned to look over the others. Max and Stash stared back, swords still out and at the ready. Professor Mercardi was nowhere to be seen.

“Wow,” Isaiah whispered, staring down at my waist.

My sword hung at my left hip, satisfyingly heavy in its metal scabbard. My left hand was perched on the pommel, idly fingering the dried leather grip. At once, I knew the scabbard and belt wasn’t actually necessary. The blade was fused to my body, literally part of myself.

I glanced across the room, registering that Max and Stash still hadn’t sheathed their blades. “Where’s the Professor?”

Stash lowered her gaze to my left hand on my blade, unblinking.

“In his study,” Max answered. She stood back, perfectly relaxed, holding the large slab of metal with a handle steady with just one hand.

I slowly took my hand off of my sword. Everyone instantly took a step back, easing off.

“What just happened?” Isaiah asked, now looking at my face in a brilliant shade of wonder.

“Same thing that happened to you,” Stash said, still staring at me. 

I felt like I was in a zoo, behind a thick plate of glass. Are they afraid of me? I stepped out of the circle of people and over one of the benches. The room had rearranged itself again, and a thin coat of mist had resumed wafting its way across the metallic floor.

“Can I ask some questions now?” I said, looking across the room at them.

“Ask away,” Max said, turning with my movement to watch me carefully. Stash had replaced her sword on her hip, but Max hadn’t.

“For starters,” Stash began, hands on her hips, “you are dead.”

That wasn’t exactly shocking. I had known that, deep down, but… I felt for a pulse in my neck. My heart was still beating, but at an incredibly slow pace. The physicality of it was bizarre.

“Okay,” I said, a little shakily. “Don’t feel that way. I’m talking and walking.” I stepped past a table with the professor’s chemistry equipment on it. I stared into the many glass vials, and saw as many reflections of myself doing the same. 

I stepped away, slowly making my way around the outer rim of the room. They all followed me with their eyes. I was looking for something.

“It takes getting used to” Isaiah shifted uncomfortably, then stepped onto a nearby bench and sat on the table it lay in front of. “Roll with the punches for now, but soon, it’ll catch you off guard. I don’t think I’ve even really processed it yet, either.”

“So you’re all dead?” 

Stash and Isaiah nodded, followed shortly after by Max.

“Well,” Stash paused, “Not dead. Not alive either.”

“We don’t have a good name for it,” Isaiah sighed. “Think of it like this: Your body's a car running down the highway. On a full tank, you’re good for a day, maybe a couple of days if you don’t exert yourself. But eventually, you need to fill up again.”

“On what, food?” I’d found what I was looking for. The entrance to the pit in the ground, where Kyle Montgomery had been held. It was empty now, save for a stained line of chain leading down into the black, freezing water.

They had become silent. I turned to look at them, and the truth was written on their faces.

“Then you are just like him. You all subsist on the blood of others, don’t you?” Without thinking, my hand was on my sword.

Stash and Max matched my stance, upper lips jutting upward to reveal their upper teeth. If they had fangs, they would be clearly visible. Isaiah shifted, still sitting as he looked away from me and into the dimly lit dunes outside the tower.

“And you killed me,” I shouted, “Made me into one of you!”

“It was either that or die,” Max shouted back, her blade never wavering in the air. “You made that choice, not us.”

“You fucking poisoned me!” My voice wasn’t cracking, only growing stronger as I grew nearer to the three. “Did I have any choice in that? Did I miss the letter in the mail asking for me to volunteer for your stupid fucking heist?” 

That had shut them up. Isaiah stood, hand sheepishly on the back of his neck as he stepped out of the inner circle, leaning on a metallic pillar.

“Look at me,” I said at him, voice low. “You look at the person you killed when they speak to you.”

He turned, face ashen. He stared down at me, then glanced at the other two. “Put your swords down,” he said quietly. “If he runs us through, we deserve it.”

Stash took her hand off of her hilt, while Max’s large blade still pointed unerringly at my chest.

“I’ll make this quick, cause we don’t have much time,” Isaiah said, a little louder now. “You wouldn’t be here right now, if you weren’t like us.”

I pulled my sword from its scabbard, filling the air with a pure tone. The sword shone in the flickering lamp light. “Don’t you dare fucking compare us,” I whispered. 

“He’s right,” Stash said, holding her hands out toward my sword, glancing towards Isaiah. “You…” Her lips made a line as she thought. “You wouldn’t have made it if you hadn’t… killed, before.”

I blinked. “Great. So we’re all murderers?”

“I don’t know why,” she continued, slowly stepping closer, “but the process you just went through does not work unless you’ve taken a life in the past.”

I opened my mouth, then bit my lip. I’d taken two.

How many people had these three strangers killed? Silence reigned over the tower for a few tense moments. Then, Isaiah broke it softly.

“It’s why he picked you. He said you were perfect.”

Mecardi. I’d been in town for over a year, in his classes for most of that time. How long had he been watching me from the front of the classroom, waiting for the chance to watch me die?

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, slowly lowering my sword and then sliding it into my scabbard. 

“Okay. Basics?” I asked. “Like I said earlier, this is my life now, right?”

Isaiah perked up at my change in mood. “Welcome to the rest of your unlife,” he said, gravely smiling.

“Do not fucking call it that,” Max said quietly.

And like that, the atmosphere of hostility had vanished. I sat, unthinkingly moving my scabbard to allow for the movement.

“Basics,” Stash nodded, looking up at the ceiling with a finger to her chin. Max moved to sit next to her, finally putting her massive blade back into its home.

“Ah,” Isaiah snapped, “We don’t need to breathe anymore.”

The other two looked across the room at him, Stash curious, Max disapproving.

“What? It’s true. I could stay underwater in my bath for like five minutes. Could save your life someday!”

Stash clicked her tongue and nodded. “Day. Sunlight kills.”

“Wait, really?” Max and her nodded. “Fuck.” I loved the summer months. “Okay, wait,” I said. “Sunlight kills and you drink blood? And you couldn’t come up with a name for what you are?”

“We don’t wanna say-. Say that,” Isaiah said, a little sheepishly. “Vamps are evil. We are not evil. Plus we get super powers.”

“Don’t call them…” Max sighed, shaking her head. “The ichor and the voice,” she tapped her head, “grant us abilities that we need to survive. Everyone gets something different.”

“What do you have?” I asked Max.

“He’s got invisibility,” Isaiah stage whispered.

“It’s not--. Look, kid.” Max looked me in the eyes, her brow set seriously. “What’s important is that you know the basics. What you need to keep you safe. Got it?”

I shook my head. “I guess so… I’m having trouble wrapping my head around all of this. Does garlic hurt? What about reflections?”

“No and no,” Max said. “And we can cross running water, but we can’t drink it. Well, we can, but it tastes like shit.” She pulled a single cigarette that appeared to be hand rolled from a clasped pocket on the back of her leather armor.

“Why? Why does whatever we have inside of us want blood instead of food and water?”

Max shrugged, then stood to light her cigarette in a nearby lantern. She inhaled smoke deeply, then walked to the back of the room. “Ask the professor. You saw what’s inside of you, just like we did when we died. It isn’t meant for us.”

She turned away from us to untie Bella, and started to step out into the sand, then stopped, and looked back at me.

“Stay safe, kid.” She took her step past the tower and into the sand, then disappeared. Bella quickly followed suit, a whinny cut short as she vanished. 

“He thinks he’s so cool,” Isaiah said disgustedly.

“That,” I said, gesturing to where Max had just been. “What the hell was that? Frankly, what the hell is all of this place?” As if waiting for my question, the room’s furniture puffed into dust. It was now less formal, but still quite well organized, like a clean communal studying spot.

Isaiah held up a finger as Stash began to speak. He turned around, then pointed into the dimly lit desert. “Look,” he said.

I peered out at the dunes, then blinked as I saw something flicker in their place. A hallway. It had vanished as quickly as I’d seen it, but if I focused…

It revealed itself.

The hallway was in the same style of the tower, metal floors and walls with the spidery nerve decal spilling down their lengths. It was lit by lanterns hanging on the wall, and had several closed wooden doors set into the walls. 

“Who the hell built this place?” I wondered aloud, blinking between the two different realities.

“Truth,” Stash said, then blushing a little, she clarified. “The ichor you saw decant from the Mothervein… We think it’s been here for a very long time. Longer than humans, even. It is the source of the ichor that makes us into our truest form. Without us, it leaked into the surrounding landscape for billions of years, so even the land is… true.”

“Like the whole Platonic ideals thing,” Isaiah said. 

I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Oh, the pizza delivery boy can’t be well read?!” He said, throwing his hands in the air, his serape throwing gusts of mist across the floor.

“That’s what we are, essentially,” Stash said. “Perfect, more idealized humans.”

I looked at her skeptically. “And the swords?”

“The perfect, idealized weapon.” She touched a hand to the pommel of her long blade. “The sword,” then she turned her eyes to the spire, “from the stone.”

“It feels more like metal,” Isaiah said simply. “But the sword is where the power comes from. You’re a host, it’s a…” He looked at Stash. “What’s a nice word for a parasite?”

“The professor says some of the notes call it a regent, or viceroy. Maybe passenger?" she tried. "It's definitely symbiotic, not parasitic..."

“Notes?” I asked, turning back to where the professor’s chemistry kit had been. They were gone, having moved when Max left with Bella.

“The professor has found some notes kept by the… Let’s call them the previous tenants.” She smiled, but only with the corner of her mouth.

I looked around the room, staring down each of the half visible hallways in turn as I made a circle. “How many people have been in this room?”

“Many sets of five,” Stash said reverently, looking up at the spire “Now that we are five, the power will recognize us.”

I blinked at her. “God, this day just keeps getting weirder. I’m exhausted.”

“Well, it’s not every day you stab the metaphysical embodiment of thallium poisoning,” Isaiah said. “But you’re right. The sun is coming quickly. We should get to our rooms as fast as we can.” 

“We only sleep during the day?” I asked.

Stash stepped toward the tower. “Less like sleep… More like hibernation. Tonight will be different, though, right?” She looked at Isaiah, then put one hand flat against the spire, whispering something under her breath with her eyes closed.

“Prof says with five of us, we’ll actually have a dream this time. Something about the First Kingdom.” He looked down at his bony wrist, and then smacked his head as he realized he had no watch. “We gotta go quick.”

“Where are we going? Here isn’t safe?” I looked around at the empty dunes, lit eerily by the half-light above. I imagined an army of skeletons lifting themselves out of the sand, pulling out the half decayed swords and charging us.

“The sunrise is beautiful. Want to stay and see it?” Stash asked, her arm on Isaiah’s back, steering him toward one of the half glimpsed hallways. He reluctantly followed, beckoning me to do the same. I hurried through the furniture to join them.

Just as I reached them, they both stepped over the boundary, and disappeared. The furniture puffed into misty nonexistence, taking a few moments to choose their next shape.

I watched, curiosity shifting to worry as they coalesced into a concentric ring of mirrors, all facing me. I was deep within the bowels of a mountain, surrounded by mist and mirrors, all shrouded in a complete and utter silence. 

The wan shuffle of my boots was a cacophony, and I watched myself step backward, reflected five times. The mirrors seemed to whisper, “You are alone.”

“Never,” you said. Your voice is filled with warmth, and love. 

You have found a home within me, and no matter the coming struggle, you’ll always be at my side. Calling the shots when I’m lost in indecision. 

I stepped forward, staring into the mirror.

For a horrified, lovely moment, I did not recognize who stared back. 

Thick green cloak, leather boots, brown hair, brown eyes, too short… It was me., but not Parker. Not just Parker, not any more.

“Who are you?”

What is your name?

<                     ≡                      >

[harmonyverendez]

Do Something | 13 Reasons Why ( Eleanour Baker x Isaiah Patterson )

Fandom: 13 Reasons Why

Warning: Talk/Mention of Crime, Killing and other things.

Tags: LBGT+, Psychopath!MaleCharacter, Glaring, Mention Of Violence, Drama, Etc. Strong Language, Swearing.

Pairings: Eleanour Baker x Courtney Crimsen ( PAST ) Eleanour x Isaiah Patterson ( CURRENT )

Take place in season 1 Episode 5 ( Prom Night )

To say Elena was pissed about how Courtney handled their situation in her bedroom. The girl told Monty how she went a three-way with her and some girl named Laura, and that she let Justin finger her. That angered her, right now she is dancing with her boyfriend, Isaiah.

The male hands were at her waist and her hands were on his neck and they were swaying back and forth. They felt a few glances but didn't pay attention.

It was fun for a little while until the trouble started.

The brunette looked over her shoulders to see Monty looking at her and pointing.

“ Issy they are staring at us. Make them stop” Elena whispered in her boyfriend's ear.

She peaks over his shoulders to see Courtney feeling uncomfortable with the boy.

She sighed and felt bad for the girl, she knew the girl was attracted to females and that she was a lesbian.

She could feel Isaiah glaring over her shoulders, she pulled back to see Monty sizing her man up.

Between you and her, Isaiah would crush Montgomery.

Elena Baker pursed her lip and walked over to the table to get a drink. A few minutes later she felt a presence.

“ Go away, whoever you are ”.

“ It's me” A familiar voice speaks.

Looking up she saw her sister Hannah looking at her with a pained facial expression. Pausing from her drink, she frowned at her sister.

“ What's wrong, Han?”.

“ It's Courtney, she is bothering me with all her problems. Actually, do you want to leave early?”.

Elena nodded, she wasn't sure. Since her boyfriend was left alone as she walked over to the table.

She looked to their dance spot to see him gone. With alarm she looked around and didn't see him anywhere.

She began to walk around looking for him, she received some looks but she didn't care.

“ Issy, where are you?”.

Hannah ended up getting in the car with Sheri, she loved the girl really.

She was more likable compared to Jessica Davis, who is always in the center of something.

Elena finally found her boyfriend in the back near the male locker room.

Isaiah's hands were wrapped around Monty's neck, Monty was large and tall. But Isaiah was bigger, more powerful, and more Intimidating.

Immediately she walked over to grab him from behind, Upon feeling her touch.

Isaiah relaxed just slightly.

“ Do not talk about my girl like that. Keep her name out of your mouth” Isaiah roared.

Bryce was circling around her boyfriend, while Zach was trying to hold back.

Just then Jessica comes in with Justin, the two paused when they saw what was going on.

Immediately the two ran over and tried to break it up. But Isaiah was too strong and would not budge.

“ Easy, Love. It's okay, we'll get him next time okay?”.

It took a few seconds for Isaiah to hear what she was saying.

Finally, the taller male lets go, and shoves the smaller male back.

“ Don't let me catch you outside of school, I'm going to break your jaw, little bitch!”.

Elena latches on to Isaiah's arm, and he wraps his arms around her protectively and pulled her smaller body against him.

“ Come on, let us get out of here”.,

The two then leave the locker room, everyone watched them with wide eyes.

A lesson was learned that day.

[fandomfiish]

Choices books RO's I picked Masterlist

Since I've successfully got my ass hauled back to playing choices (Due to It lives within, in a span of two days I already finished ILITW and started TE ... again. And I thought it'll be nice to share the RO's/LI's I've picked throughout the books, granted I haven't played all books yet so this will definitely be edited and updated as time goes on. Note: I haven't finished most of these books, just wanted to add which LI I picked.

Freshman series -  Zig Ortega || MC: Claire

The Crown and the Flame - Dominic

Most Wanted - Dave Reyes

Rules of Engagement - Blake Yasuda

Endless Summer - Jake Mackenzie

#LoveHacks - Ben Park

The Royal Romance/Heir - Maxwell Beaumont

Hero - Grayson Prescott || MC: Flynn Hudson

Highschool Story - Michael Reginald Harisson || MC: Klein Montgomery

Highschool Story: Class Act – Ajay  || MC: Kirby

It lives in the woods - Lucas Thomas || MC: Von Franco

It lives Beneath - Parker Shaw || MC: Seifer

It lives within - Lincoln Mcquoid || MC: Shohei Kim

Red Carpet Diaries - Matt Rodriguez/Seth Levine || MC: Jovia

Perfect Match - Hayden Young/Damien Nazario || MC: Liam Prescott

Bloodbound - Jax Natsuo/Adrian Raine || MC: Elise Sinclaire

Veil of Secrets – Flynn O’Malley || MC: Alex Thompson

America's Most Eligible - Unnamed Stranger/ Han|| MC: Isaiah Park / Han

Desire & Decorum – Ernest Sinclaire || MC: Ms. Camilla

Across the Void – Meridian / Zekei

Big Sky Country – Sawyer || MC: Thomas Jenkins

The Elementalists – Beckett Harrington || MC: Ike Eagleson

A Courtesan of Rome – Marc Antony

The Heist: Monaco - Fabien Ahmad || MC: Stiles Lee

Ride or Die: A Bad Boy Romance - Colt Kaneko

Open Heart - Bryce Lahela / Rafelo Avelero || MC: Dr. Cryx Montero

Passport to Romance – Ahmed Khabbaz

Wishful Thinking – Jaime Lewis

Nightbound – Nik Ryder || MC: Dwight Park

Platinum – Avery Wilshire

Sunkissed - Nate

Bachelorette Party – Ash Tanaka

Mother of the Year – Thomas Mendes

Save the Date – Simon Hendricks  

The Royal Masquerade – Hunter Fierro/Kayden Vescovi

With Every Heartbeat – Dakota Winchester

Blades of Light and Shadow – Aerin Valleros

Distant Shores - Edward || MC: Christopher Bang

Queen B – Professor Kingsley

My Two First Loves – Noah Harris

Rising Tides – Robin Tora

Foreign Affairs – Tatum Mendoza

Laws of Attraction – Gabe Ricci

Shipwrecked – Brendan Fraiser

Wake the Dead – Eli Sipes

Crimes of Passion – Trystan Thorne/Luke Watanabe

[literare]

for @legacey, miller montgomery. 🍁🍂

max had been set off at isaiah and kennedy's for the night ( his son had practically tossed himself at his uncle. ) before he picked up miller from her bakery. and, well, if she wasn't his fiance and she came without too much of a fuzz, it'd probably be called kidnapping. only packed her a overnight bag that's tossed in the trunk of the car and not told her a single word about where they would be going for the night. driving out of the city while finger slowly tap against the stearing wheel to the rythm of the radio, hint of a smile tugging at the corner of lips. " you're not gonna even ask ? " never known her to be very patient, but then again, this might be a first.

[lauradoesrping2024]

CURRENT CHARACTERS- 10/15/2024

annabelle rosewood-Madison Bailey

archer williams-Josh Duhamel

avery manning-janel parrish

beau montague-nico tortorella

benicio cruz-ryan guzman

christopher montague-david tennnant

Daphne Sawyer-Ashley Tisdale

davina capulet-Melissa Benoist

dominic king-chris wood

elijah landry-theo james

ethan lockwood-jude law

ezekiel hollaway-Jayden revri

Gabriel Lewis-Adam Brody

grace bionchi-Kathryn hahn

huxley bionchi-Brock o'hurn

iris davis-emeraude toubia

Isaiah Wood-Jesse L Martin

jade locksley-madelaine petsch

jasper morgan-tom holland

jesse hawkins-ricky whittle

jude davenport-jordan fisher

kalindee lockhart-alia bhatt

luca thomas-gabriel macht

lyla williamson-selena gomez

marley andrews- phoebe tonkin

matthias hendrix-manny montana

mia hartford-jenna ortega

noelle kingston-nina dobrev

piper carter-sofia wylie

quinn baker-ariana grande

remy hendrix-ncuti gatwa

riley morgan-ross lynch

rupert carson-ryan reynolds

savannah wesley-naomi scott

sebestian sawyer-Jack fahalee

sienna wilson-madelyn cline

sophie evans-danielle campbell

tate williams-zendaya

tessa montgomery-hailee steinfield

thomas wilson-dacre montgomery

winnifred banks-jenna coleman

zoey grayson-maya hawk

[lboogie1906]

Mound Bayou is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi. The population was 1,533 at the 2010 census, down from 2,102 in 2000. It is notable for having been founded as an independent African American community on July 12, 1887, by former enslaved led by Isaiah Montgomery.

Mound Bayou has a 98.6 percent African American majority population, one of the largest of any community in the US. The current mayor of Mound Bayou is Leighton Aldridge.

Isaiah T. Montgomery led the founding of Mound Bayou in 1887 in the wilderness in northwest Mississippi. The bottomlands of the Delta were a relatively undeveloped frontier, and African Americans had a chance to make money by clearing land and using the profits to buy lands in such frontier areas. By 1900 two-thirds of the owners of land in the bottomlands were African American farmers. With the loss of political power due to state disenfranchisement, high debt, and continuing agricultural problems, most of them lost their land and by 1920 were landless sharecroppers. As cotton prices fell, the town suffered a severe economic decline in the 1920s and 1930s. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[fishrpg]

2024-04-20: Mound Bayou (Town)

Mound Bayou has the distinction of being one of the first all-Black municipalities in the US. It was established in the spring of 1887 by Isaiah T Montgomery and several other former slaves from another all-Black town called Davis Bend. The town has a population in 1934 of about 800. Mound Bayou provided a safe place for Black people to exist in the Jim Crow south, but its appeal is steadily waning as more Black people opt to join the Great Migration and set out for the north for a fresh start.

Despite the dwindling population, Mound Bayou still has enough people to provide safety in numbers. Racial hate groups and other bigoted white people know better than to step foot in Mound Bayou. Benjamin Green Crime is the current mayor, and even during the worst parts of the Great Depression, he managed to keep crime in the town so low that the jail closed a few years prior in 1929

Photo by Russell Lee, Courtesy U.S. Library of Congress (LC-USF33- 011969-M5)

Points of Interest

Mound Bayou Land and Investment Co

Although the Bank of Mound Bayou arrived in the area first, the Mound Bayou Land and Investment Company was founded shortly thereafter in 1906 by Charles Banks and the company served an arguably more vital purpose than the bank. Many of the Black landowners in the area had mortgages on their properties by white-owned banks that had various degrees of unfairness baked into the terms. The MB Land & Investment Co was a Black-owned and operated institution that would pay off the unfair loans and replace them with fair mortgages issued by the company so that Black landowners could keep their properties for the long-term. Naturally, there was some pushback about this arrangement from the Sons of Lee and the Cotton Barons, both of whom had a vested interest in seeing Black farms fail. Unfortunately, the collapsing cotton prices are pushing the company toward insolvency.

Sawmill

Although much of the Delta was already cleared of timberland, Mound Bayou was situated on a cypress forest that was left intact because how dense the growth was and the only way to start clearing it was by hatchet or machete. The sawmill provides lumber and jobs to the town, and was one of the last operating sawmills in the area.

The Demonstrator Newspaper Office

Nearly every town has its own newspaper, and Mound Bayou was no different. However, Mound Bayou's paper, The Demonstrator, was made by and for Blacks during a time where it was illegal to teach Black people how to typeset. The reporters and staff of The Demonstrator are some of the best around, having honed their craft when the deck was stacked against them.

Unfortunately a fire destroyed much of downtown Mound Bayou a few years ago in 1926, including the office of The Demonstrator. The paper rebuilt, but its circulation levels are now a shell of its former self and the paper is operating on a shoestring budget.

-----------

The book Beacon Lights of Race (PDF) has a passage about the Land and Investment Company on page 208. Also, here's a cool PDF I found about Mound Bayou's history produced by the Delta Center that has a bunch more information about the town as a whole if you'd like to check it out.

[ryanlockheart]

— ₊ ° . ☆ MUSES: alistair russell, august fisher, avery wallingford, axel gladwyn, beau wilde, beckett donnelly, billy kaplan, brayden gallagher, callum navarro, cash tucker, daniel slaughter, declan valentine, elliot rivera, everett burke, fred jones, fitz leighton, gabriel mercer, harley cooper, hudson chase, isaiah starr, jagger winslow, jake carter, james windsor, keegan waring, landon granger, leo ward, leon halloway, maddox thompson, maximus "max" wolfe, mickey huntington, montgomery upton, nate evans, percy harmon, peter parker, riley mackenzie, ryan lockheart, sebastian palmer, simon lewis, sydney greene, theo burton, timothy masterson, tobias adler, tommy princeton, travis wilcox, wes jones, xander chamberlain.

[thechaosmuses]

Below the cut is a list of all my original characters, from every fandom, organized by such. I figured I would go ahead and put this up, as well as a canon muse one, for my oc and canon starters so that way it's easier for y'all to see who is included without going to every separate muse list.

The Vampire Diaries

Elizabeth Haven Mikaelson Roman Ryker Mikaelson Erik Flynn Mikaelson Kareena Dawn Mikaelson Thyra Selene Mikaelson Karsyn Devyn Mikaelson Mateo Maxwell Mikaelson Serenity Faye Mikaelson Sawyer Finch Mikaelson Aurelia Nova Mikaelson Felix Ares Mikaelson Willow Luna Mikaelson Tobias Floyd Mikaelson Zephyr Raven Parker Zariyah Dove Parker Kennedy Taylor Parker Myles Zane Parker Mariana Joy Parker Paisley Juniper Parker Braeden Talia Salvatore Holden Atlas Salvatore Ezra Grant Salvatore Liberty Faye Salvatore Jensen Graham Gilbert Easton Reed Gilbert Jesse Jonathan Gilbert Elias Rhodes Gilbert Jazmyn Sophia Gilbert Atlas Rowan Petrova Titus Izaiah Petrova Kamen Maverick Pierce Natalie Adrianna Pierce Eleanor Marie Bennett Salem Elijah Bennett Gabriel Graham Gustin Belladonna Sharie Bennett Seraphina Rose Ward Theodore Joseph Brickenden Kaia Asherah Halloran Carter William Forbes Cameron Myles Lawrence Jameson Tyler Rosza Tatum Jaxson Lockwood Tatiana Jade Lockwood Taylor Jacob Lockwood Axel Madden Hughes Ashton Malik Hughes Sebastian Sawyer Sharpe Niall Nash Novak Montgomery Felix Langston Ophelia Esme Lovell Sapphire Lee McGuire Rami Calder McGuire Warren Jaxon Kingsley Jeremiah Michael Kenner Cecilia Jaklyn Labonair Rosemary Belle Whitlock Hadley Kamryn Fuller Kamryn Avery Marshall Lorella Diane St. John Andrew Kolton Rogers Blair Lilith Walsh Zachariah Cole Norwood Matthias Lucien Delacour Matias Camilo Garcia Cyrus Boyd Mikaelson (spn to tvdu) Harmony Iris Johnson (tw to tvdu) Chandler Matthew Rawlins (tw to tvdu)

Containment

Jubilee Fawn Ellison Carson Elijah Mayes Maddox Rhett Lancaster Malia Rayne Lancaster Makai Reid Lancaster Delilah Anne Malone Austin Blake Coleman Damian James Taylor

Teen Wolf

Aspen Bella Stilinski Adrian Archer Argent Addison Athena Argent Lyla Sage Martin Amaia Tala Alexander Malik Elias Hale Madelaine Emery Hale Isaiah Parker Lahey Amadora Constance Sharpe Callum Tate Raeken Dawson Cole Reynolds Jared Taylor Parrish Stephen Ezekiel Hemming

Supernatural

Amelia Mae Allen Melody Athena Hayes Lucilla Marie Nightstar Eden Faith Cruz Elijah Luke Cruz Valentina Rosalie Hart Adaliah Ember Darhk Alexandria Skye Earp Lillian Dahlia Campbell Adriel Xavier Grant Talon Colt Ashford Silas Kai Parker Josephina Jazmyn Walker Elyza Alice Pierson (tvdu to spn)

DC Comics

Kiera Jaylin Davis

Marvel

Kailee Elizabeth Holtz (hero and villain verse) Kaiden Edward Holtz (villain and hero verse) Camelia Waverly Maximoff Kaleb Jonas Barnes Maxine Josephine Rogers Melody Elizabeth Young Anastasia Sloane Lenkov Wren Nika Volkov Wynter Nadia Volkov Cordelia Ara Odinsdottir Amora Delphine Brantley Celeste Juliet Livingston Nikolai Nathaniel Novak (tvdu to mcu) Charmeine Ayla Hanlon (spn to mcu)

Stranger Things

Stella Blake Russell Scarlet Ember Ward Valerie Mae Henderson Mitchell Elliot Mayfield Meredith Eleanor Mayfield

Misc

Ambrosia Nyx Tartarus Acacius Nile Tartarus Duncan David Dalveron Damien Dawson Dalveron Brantley Cole Kline Rosalie Grace Anderson Rowena Greyson Andrews Ryker Grant Andrews Aviana Summer Archer Dylan Bryce Thatcher Sterling Atlas Ward

9-1-1

Evelyn June Buckley Ethan Jace Buckley Hazel Jayne Walker Hayes Jesse Walker Izaiah Edison Hendrix Waverly Chloe Hendrix Matilda Iris Monroe Fallon Pierce Richards

Book Babes

Cyra Lux Vespara Wilder Blaze Hawthorne Dion Ignis Vanserra Pyralis Jax Vanserra Warren Forrest Hayward Solana Aruna Meridian Anatole Cyrus Solari Althea Zaria Cadlawon Tynan Kerrell Visita Kirsi Gwyneira Nieves Lyall Colden Whittaker Caspian Calder Conway Maribelle Aelia Sommer

Zodiacs

Wyatt Keegan aka Aries Kianni Phoenix aka Sagittarius Leon Cyrus aka Leo River Mira aka Cancer Dylan Lucas aka Pisces Josephine Nova aka Scorpio Conrad Atlas aka Taurus Kailynn Amelia aka Capricorn Taron Sage aka Virgo Alice Skye aka Libra Aaron Micah aka Aquarius Adelaide June aka Gemini Arianna Rose aka Gemini

[whatsonmedia]

Must-Attend Musical Highlights of January 2024

Dive into a week of musical exploration as a lineup of talented artists takes center stage across different genres and cities. From the soulful folk tunes of Kaia Kater in London to the energetic pop-punk vibes of Simple Plan in Paris, each performance promises a unique and unforgettable experience.

Kaia Kater

Kaia Kater is a talented Canadian folk singer and songwriter known for her soulful voice and innovative blend of folk, bluegrass, and roots music.

Date: Wednesday 17 January 2024

Location: Paper Dress Vintage, London, UK

Price: £11.87

Time: Doors open: 19:30

John Vincent III

John Vincent III is an emerging indie-pop artist whose music is characterized by catchy melodies and introspective lyrics.

Date: Thursday 18 January 2024

Location: Bowery Ballroom, New York (NYC), NY, US

Price: US $20.00

Time: Doors open: 20:00

Kevin Montgomery

Kevin Montgomery is a country and Americana singer-songwriter with a rich musical heritage; he is the son of famed songwriter Bob Montgomery.

Date: Friday 19 January 2024

Location: kirkhope parish hall,, Selkirk, UK

Price: £18.00

Time: Doors open: 17:30

Simple Plan

Simple Plan is a Canadian rock band known for their energetic pop-punk sound. With catchy hooks and relatable lyrics, they gained widespread popularity in the early 2000s.

Date: Saturday 20 January 2024

Location: Le Bataclan, Paris, France

Price: €43.20

Time: Doors open: 19:00

Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart is a well-known comedian and actor. He has achieved immense success in the entertainment industry, known for his stand-up comedy specials, acting roles in films like “Ride Along” and “Jumanji,” and hosting prestigious events like the Oscars.

Date: Sunday 21 January 2024

Location: Terrace Theater, Long Beach Convention Center, Long Beach, CA, US

Price: US $96.50 – US $296.50

Time: Doors open: 19:00

edbl

Merging the realms of hip-hop, R&B, and jazz, the London-based artist Ed Black, also known as edbl, is making a significant impact on the music scene.

Date: Monday 22 January 2024

Location: Sofar Sounds – Piccadilly Circus, London, UK

Price: £19.00

Time: Doors open: 20:00

Isaiah Rashad

Isaiah Rashad is a hip-hop artist signed to Top Dawg Entertainment. Known for his introspective and lyrical approach to rap, Rashad has gained recognition for albums like “The Sun’s Tirade” and “Cilvia Demo.”

Date: Tuesday 23 January 2024

Location: House of Blues – Old Location, Anaheim, CA, US

Price: US $49.50

Time: Doors open: 19:00

[goalhofer]

2023 Seattle Mariners Roster

Pitchers

#7 Marco Gonzales (Ft. Collins, Colorado)

#30 Luke Weaver (DeLand, Florida)*

#33 Bryan Woo (Alameda, California)**

#36 Logan Gilbert (Apopka, Florida)

#38 Robbie Ray (Brentwood, Tennessee)

#46 Trent Thornton (Charlotte, North Carolina)*

#47 Matt Brash (Kingston, Ontario)

#48 Justin Topa (Binghamton, New York)*

#49 Isaiah Campbell (Olathe, Kansas)**

#50 Bryce Miller (New Braunfels, Texas)**

#54 Dominic Leone (Norwich, Connecticut)*

#55 Gabe Speier (Goleta, California)*

#56 William Murfee (Nashville, Tennessee)

#58 Luis Castillo (Baní, Dominican Republic)

#59 Easton McGee (Hopkinsville, Kentucky)*

#60 Tayler Saucedo (Maple Valley, Washington)*

#63 Emerson Hancock (Cairo, Georgia)**

#68 George Kirby (Rye, New York)

#75 Andrés Muñoz (Los Mochis, Mexico)

Catchers

#2 Tom Murphy; Jr. (Constantinia, New York)

#29 Cal Raleigh (Jackson County, North Carolina)

#64 Brian O'Keefe (Albany, New York)

Infielders

#0 Sam Haggerty (Denver, Colorado)

#3 J.P. Crawford (Lakewood, California)

#4 Josh Rojas (Goodyear, Arizona)*

#12 Evan White (Gahanna, Ohio)

#20 Mike Ford (Montgomery Township, New Jersey)*

#23 Ty France (West Covina, California)

#28 Eugenio Suárez (Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela)

#76 José Caballero (Ciudad Panama, Panama)**

Outfielders

#8 Dominic Canzone (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio)**

#10 Jarred Kelenic (Waukesha, Wisconsin)

#18 Matthew Marlowe (Tifton, Georgia)**

#25 Dylan Moore (Placentia, California)

#35 Teoscar Hernández (Cotuí, Dominican Republic)*

#44 Julio Rodríguez; Jr. (Loma De Cabrera, Dominican Republic)

Coaches

Manager Scott Servais (Coon Township, Wisconsin)

Hitting coach Tony Arnerich (Santa Rosa, California)

Assistant hitting coach Jarret DeHart (Medford Township, New Jersey)

Director of pitching Trent Blank (Columbia, Illinois)

Pitching coach Pete Woodworth (St. Petersburg, Florida)

Bullpen/quality control coach Stephen Vogt (Visalia, California)

Bullpen catcher Fleming Báez (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic)

Bullpen catcher Justin Novak (Charlottesville, Virginia)

Batting practice pitcher Nasusel Cabrera (San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic)

Infield coach Perry Hill (Salina, Kansas)

1B coach Kristopher Negrón (Fairfield, California)

3B coach Manny Acta (San Pedro De Macorís, Dominican Republic)

Field coordinator Carson Vitale (Victoria, British Columbia)

[somuchbetterthanthat]

Read a cute Valentine's day fic yesterday, thinking of a fic that would be like, "Valentine's day in Greater Boston" and you follow all the characters going through the day, "celebrating" (or not), with of course people being interviewed about love in the middle,, and it's be a surprisingly nice day for almost everybody (no way Emily is not absolutely miserable when Ethan does not show up for the date she assumed he'd be here for).

And at the end of it Leon is like "Huh. I admit I assumed you would find a way to make this...more unpleasant for everybody." and the Narrator is like "Gasp! Why would I? I love Valentine's day!" and there is a moment of quiet disbelief until Leon is like "Ah. Right. Consumerism?" and the Narrator delightedly goes "CONSUMERISM! I don't even have to do anything. Have you heard how much our Legion helpers sold today?" and Leon just. sighs and the Narrator goes "Oh, come on, don't pout, we both got what we wanted. Isn't that nice?"

"Nicer than usual," Leon says dryly, and the Narrator just BEAMS. "Look at us, working together!" he claims and Leon goes "No." "It's Valentine's day, throw me a bone, Leon" "I know better than to give you anything" "A kiss?" croons the Narrator. "A date? You didn't have that today. Must be so lonely." "How you could it, with you always around?" Leon retorts and the Narrator is like "Was this flirting, Mr. Stamatis?" "I think this is when the story ends for the day," Leon merely answers, and the Narrator goes "No no wait--" but the generic music is already playing :)

Under the cut more of what happens during that day. I started in the tags but turns out i had too many tags, sorry for the formatting.

#here's what i think happen during that day btw: leon is still here so Nica is still in prison#she actually spends the day talking about fun little love stories/moments she witnessed over the years#to cheer up her cellmate who's missing his wife#at least once she slips and talks about how the stamatis never really did valentine's day#but leon DID like it in that it was a formal day for something and he liked that. having a precise day for things

#the interviews start being made by Chuck Octogon but midway through it switches to Nichole who's like 'you've got a husband GO'

#Gemma spends the day trying to get to Charlotte for their first date in ages but people keep needing her help#she DOES get to Charlotte but turns out Charlotte had her own stuff and monty is still here and they end up laughing it off#and spending the evening with their son catching up

#Dimitri and Mallory prepare together - Mallory for a date Dimitri for shrug an adventure what is the adventure even I can't know#Somehow Mallory finds Dimitri back a couple of hours later saying date was a miss and dimitri is like 'oh. Sorry?' and Mallory laughs#coz he clearly has no clue why people bother with romance when there are so many other exciting things out there

#Louisa spends the day fearing Wendell has planned something extravagant. Turns out her boyfriend knows her well and it's romantic but lowkey#

(Amist interviews Valiance and Nichole meet up; They flirt a bit)

#Isabelle spends a nice. relaxing day. She teases Isaiah for spending the day with her instead of dating #Isaiah is disarmingly honest over the fact he's missed spending a day with his fave aunt#They invite Melissa over who always feel annoyed on valentine's day#she ALSO get a nice relaxing day out of it

#Tyrell has organized this NICE dancing event for the day#Michael and Autumn go there together. Autumn tells Michael he can stay over for the night if he wants after :)

#the commune does not believe of you in commercial holidays. but they do spend the day together in love and communion

#Oliver exasperatedly tell infernal machine to tell Vincenzo and Montgomery to just write a nice card to each other#(and ends up writing a small card to his own son)#(and Philip)#We don't hear Philip but hey i'm giving him a nice day too

#Emily spends the day thinking Ethan will show up. He does not show up. she's fine about it. (she's not fine about it.) She ends up visiting Nica late in that evening in prison and neither of them know why. Nica still tells her she should divorce ethan's ass already. Emily goes "hOW DARE YOU" and storms out. Nica sighs tiredly.

Also Abdul has a nice day with a nice boy.

I probably forgot people. that's the risk with this HUGE CAST.