#mocktails and murder

[swampwizards]

Fun fact! Boiling watermelon juice will give you watermelon syrup + viscera

[lowkeyrobin]

UMBRELLA! BEN ; a million timelines

summary ; you'll always end up with one certain face in every universe and timeline

warnings ; language

disclaimers ; ben isn't dead, umbrella! ben in fact bc I love that dork sm, viktor is already transitioned the whole way through, random word vomit

track ; not a lot, just forever, adrianne lenker

word count ; 1.1k

masterlist

It seemed in every timeline, you'd be sent straight back to Ben's side.

You were intertwined, sewn together, in fact.

In 2019, you were reunited with him after Sir Reginald Hargreeves' death. You hadn't seen each other since you were kids, it'd been years.

You didn't have any special powers like the Hargreeves' did, you were just their normal friend who lived next door above the laundromat. You came back to town for other reasons, but when you heard the news, you had to go see them.

Your eyes first landed on Viktor, his short hair completely different from his old, long, luscious locks. You immediately smiled, wrapping him in a solemn hug, congratulating him yet showing remorse and compassion over his dad's timely demise.

You went through the rest of the siblings, other than Five, as he'd gone missing all those years ago.

Then up came Ben.

You could feel the soft look on his face as he looked at you, finally being reunited after all this time. He was by far your favorite of the academy, holding a special spot in your heart.

It wasn't just that his cool tentacle shit that drew you to him. He was a total dork, and you adored it. He always found a way to make you smile, he noticed the smallest of things, he was so sweet and compassionate. He could light up a room like a flashlight in the dark.

He wrapped you in a hug, spinning you around in joy.

"Oh my God, Y/n!"

"Ben!"

Your smiles were unmatched, the other siblings watching with little smiles, nostalgia crashing against their mental shores. They loved you too, but they also loved seeing their two favorite people together again.

"God, why are you here?"

"Came back for some stuff, but also for you guys. Sorry about your dad"

"It was coming-"

"He was murdered"

"Luther!"

You softly chuckle, hiding your face in his shoulder, enjoying the sweet dopamine rush infecting your brain.

You were stuck to Ben by the hip, almost literally, as you landed on cold, wet concrete on April 28th, 1960. You share a panicked look, calling for any of the other Hargreeves' before eventually giving in to failure.

At least you still had each other.

You spent the next three years thinking the others were dead and that you were permanently trapped in the sixties. You worked in a bar, and he worked right beside you. You both didn't understand that without degrees, you were hired, but it was much better than nothing.

Then you were reunited with Klaus, then Five, then the others.

But of course, some weird fuck up in the space time continuum forced the world to attempt to kill itself, again.

And once again, you stood behind Ben as he unleashed the tentacles from his internal organs to protect you and his family.

Good God, what did you do to get wrapped up in all this?

That lead you all astray again back in 2019, thankfully, but some other superpowered people had taken the Umbrella Academy's place. The Sparrow Academy.

But once again, you were right by Ben's side.

You were at his side during the first Kugelblitz, travelling with Five and Klaus to meet Klaus' already deceased mom, and at the end-of-the-world wedding between Luther and Sloane.

You now sit at the bar at the Hotel Obisidian, sipping on mocktails as you watch Luther and Sloane break it down on the dance floor. A tune calls your name, screaming for you and Ben to jump out there.

Just Like Heaven by The Cure.

"Oh my God, we loved The Cure when we were little!" You giggle, only a buzz directing the slight slur in your words.

Ben smiles, "We did"

"Come on" You quickly set your glass down on the counter, looking over at Ben, who hasn't moved, giving you a raised eyebrow. "C'mon, Ben"

He looks over at Five who rolls his eyes, sipping on some sort of champagne. Ben gives into your pleads, setting his glass down to go with you.

You join Luther and Sloane, and Klaus and Viktor, on the dance floor, allowing the song to consume you inside out. You jump about, singing along to the lyrics as you hold each other's hands.

Colorful lights splash upon your faces, blinding you for milliseconds as they pass you by.

Five, now accompanied by Diego and Lila, watches you two from afar. He lightly smiles, enjoying the smiles on your faces as you await to be disintegrated into dust as the world crumbles around you.

"Even in every jump across the space time continuum and in every alternate timeline that will somehow find a way to end, they're always at the end together" Five observes, glancing over at the couple, elbows rested against the bar behind him.

Lila gives him a cringed look, not understanding a word of the gibberish he'd just spoken. Diego sighs and shakes his head, taking a bite out of a bologna sandwich he made for himself.

"It's cute," Five clarifies.

"Why don't you get out there?" Diego asks Five, "The world is about to end. Enjoy it, Ebenezer Scrooge McDuck"

Five chuckles. "Yeah, let me go enjoy the world fading into dust at every touch." He sets his glass down on the bar, deciding to go join the enthusiastic group of mentally dead Hargreeves' plus you.

You and Ben, even as the song switches, continue to dance together, creating a little circle with Klaus and Viktor so Sloane and Luther could have their little alone time. Eventually, the whole family is on the dance floor, enjoying their final hours on Earth.

After a while, you crash on the floor beneath the couch, mindlessly listening to Luther, Five, Diego, Klaus, and Viktor drunkenly sing along to Seal's Kiss From A Rose. Allison, Sloane, and Lila enjoy the show, singing along from the couch.

Five, noticing you two were slumped over, half dead, calls out to you. "Hey, lovebirds! Get up here!"

You and Ben immediately look down toward each other, your feet touching one another's, giggling like little kids as you realize what Five had called you. You crawl up to your hands and knees, then rise to your feet, joining the brothers up on the little karaoke stage.

"Now that your rose is in bloom, a light hits the gloom on the grey!"

It was true, in the end of each timeline, in each version of the world ending, you and Ben would end up side by side. Nothing, not even theories and paradoxes, and jumps across the fabric of the universe could separate you.

[angelicgirlmj]

an angels guide to: holiday dinner parties ˚₊‧꒰ა 𓂋 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

if there’s one thing i love it’s hosting! especially dinner parties with a theme meaning holiday dinner parties are my fave. this year ive already scheduled one christmas dinner party and am hoping to plan another. here are some tips focused on hosting advice, food and dr

ink, entertainment and outfits! enjoy angels and happy holidays!!

hosting advice `` ~ ୨୧ ♡ ·

organise early. there’s nothing worse than wanting to host but leaving it last minute so people can't come. plan your guest list and see what dates would work best for people!

think carefully about your guest list. it’s always a good idea to either invite people who all know each other or a mix of people some who know each other and some who don’t - the last thing you want is two or three guests sitting alone!

invite for the vibe you want. the dinner im hosting is small and intimate, i don’t want it to feel frantic or overly busy so ive kept my guest list reflecting that!

make a pinterest board.

find cute diys to make. things like table decorations, guests charts etc!

set the mood! light some candles, put on some music and make sure the space is clean and organised.

create a playlist - specially for the event!

make invites to send out. this is so cute and fun! digital invites are so easy to do and so adorable as are physical ones.

plan a time you want guests to arrive by at the earliest and at the latest. e.g earliest is six so latest is seven! that way you know when would be good to serve food or start activities.

food and drink `` ~ ୨୧ ♡ ·

plan your menu in advance - make sure you know all your guests dietary requirements!

keep it simple with snacks. shop brought cheeses, crackers, spreads and any other kinds of elegant snacks are always delicious and so easy to make look cute on a platter. plus they save you time!

create a cocktail or mocktail for the evening!

make your dessert ahead when possible. mousses, tiramisu, cakes and anything like that are always so perfect and crowd pleasers and can be easily made ahead.

make cute menu sheets. these are so fun and pretty to look at!!

it’s better to keep your menu simple and delicious than overly complex and risk messing it up.

plan your food around a theme! for example all japanese cuisine or love themed food for valentines day.

entertainment `` ~ ୨୧ ♡ ·

pick some board/card games to play all together.

plan activities based around the weather. if its really cold or rainy a cute movie night might be better! whereas if its warm or sunny an outdoor dance space or sports game may be more enjoyable.

plan for a range of activities - people arent always going to be up for everything!

suggest guests bring activities. people love feeling involved and this way you can ensure an activity will be popular and fun for everyone.

look on pinterest/tiktok/instagram for suggestions. for example, hosting a powerpoint night is so so enjoyable and funny.

set the night around a themed activity - such as a murder mystery dinner party or a costume dinner party!

bring a digital camera - such a cute way of capturing the night and you can make a scrapbook or photobook afterwards.

find a craft! at the dinner party im hosting around christmas we will be decorating gingerbread houses but there are so many other ideas such as painting, candle making, journaling or decorating items.

outfits/styling tips `` ~ ୨୧ ♡ ·

find a cute makeup look on pinterest to fit your theme! i love a glittery fairy inspired look for christmas parties.

make sure you have an apron or that your outfit wont show any potential mess - remember you may be in and out of the kitchen!

wear something that makes you feel pretty and confident.

find an elegant way of styling your hair - a simple updo or pretty braid can make you look ready for a more dressy occasion.

commit fully to your theme/evening vibes. as the host its so important to make sure all of your guests feel like they can dress up or try something different and feel comfortable!

accessories like bows, hairclips, rings, bracelets, necklaces, hair scarfs or pretty hairties and cute shoes can really make an outfit stand out.

either have a layer on you or a layer you can easily take on and off in case the temperature changes.

make sure you plan time for a shower or bath and are able to do your fully selfcare routine! it will help you feel at peace and less stressed for the dinner ahead.

thank you for reading angels - let me know if any of you are hosting a dinner party or any tips you have!! i love this time of year and its such a great opportunity to see friends and families. remember a dinner party can be as big or small as you like, in fact you could have a dinner party just for yourself in order to treat you! whatever you get up to im sure youll be the most wonderful of hosts.

love, m.

[wnderkoo]

ESCAPISM | JJK

୨୧ lipstick smudged like modern art..

word count: 3k warnings: explicit smut

this is part of my drabble series, read more here!

"What did we say about disassociating?" comes the teasing voice of your best friend, Sumi. She was sitting across from you at the booth in the corner of this nightclub, where the lights were down and the music was up.

"Sorry..." you grumbled, taking another sip of your mocktail as if to pull yourself back into your own consciousness. In all truth, you had been zoning out for the past few minutes, unable to feel the club vibe at all.

You'd been sitting in the club for the past hour, eyes wandering over the crowd in boredom and watching the night play out. Your friends were here somewhere, but you weren't in the mood for dancing.

You were looking for something a little more fun.

That was when you saw him, leaning against one of the walls by the entrance. Looking so tempting in his black button up with the sleeves rolled to just above his elbows which showed off his full sleeve of dark tattoos. With the jeans that accentuated those thick thighs of his so perfectly, your first thought was getting him into your own pants.

And judging from the hooded glances he'd been making in your direction throughout the night, you could say he thought the same.

With enough alcohol in your system, you plucked up the courage to approach him.

You sauntered over, holding his gaze the whole trip across the club, until you were standing right in front of him.

From where you sat you could guess he was tall, but being right in front of him had you looking up.

"Five more seconds, and I would've come over myself," was the first thing he had said, his voice a rich timbre that sounded like honey. His eyes held yours, lips tugging up at the corners slightly.

It took you by surprise, you'd expected those eyes to be all over you by now. Your tiny black dress left little to the imagination and this man had front row access right now.

"I like the sound of that.. should I go back?" you asked in a sultry voice, tilting your head to the side ever so slightly. The man smiled, the soft rumble of a chuckle shaking his chest.

Inside, a searing heat started in his belly at your hooded eyes staring up at him, all but screaming 'fuck me' at him.

He was even more attractive up close, the smoothness of his skin enough to make any woman jealous and a jawline that could kill.

You could distinguish a freckle just below his lip that winked at you when he smiled.

"I'm Jungkook."

"Yn." you replied, taking the hand he held out to shake. You hoped the lighting of the club would be able to mask the blush creeping up onto your cheeks at the soft kiss he planted to the back of your hand.

"Would you like to get out of here, Yn?" he asked, doing the same head tilt you had done earlier, the way he said your name sending a bout of arousal straight to your core.

"Only if you promise not to kill me," you replied, gazing up at him as he finally straightened up.

God he was even taller now.

"Ah.. I guess that's out of the picture now." he joked softly, offering you his arm. Something about his confidence, or just him in general, had you taking it with no hesitation, wrapping a hand around his bicep as Jungkook led you out of the club.

You took your phone from your pocket to shoot your friend a quick text.

| leaving with a cute guy :) he's too pretty to be a murderer so hopefully i'll be home tomorrow..

You pocketed your phone and turned your head to see Jungkook smiling down at you.

"So you think I'm cute huh?" he teased as the two of you rounded the corner.

You'd thought he'd take you straight to his home, but it seemed Jungkook had different things in mind.

You were familiar with this part of the city since your friend Taehyung lived in an apartment not too far from here. The streets were well lit, and the lobbies of office buildings were still open with plenty of people inside, the first place you were running to if things turned sour.

But looking at the man beside you, blowing a stray piece of hair that seemed to be annoying him, you didn't think he could hurt a fly.

And for some odd reason, you felt safe with Jungkook.

He took your hand as he crossed the road and you laughed along with him when he nearly tripped on the curb.

The two of you hadn't stopped talking since you'd left the club, and you soon learnt that the confident playboy you had thought you'd met earlier was nothing but a dork.

"I'm just saying! The Demon Slayer movie was one of the best anime movies!" he exclaimed and then proceeded to give a detailed review of the film.

Yeah, you definitely weren't getting murdered tonight.

You only realised you were walking through the park when you cleared the line of trees and saw the reflection of the moon sparkling in the pond ahead.

Despite the loss of warmth from your hand leabing his, Jungkook's smile is nothing but warm as he watches you attempt to run over to the edge of the pond in your heels, almost tripping at least twice.

"I like to go here when I need time to myself," Jungkook said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

He wasn't sure why he shared such an insignificant fact about himself, but it was easy to talk to you when it seemed like he'd known you for ever.

Jungkook had to remind himself that he'd only met you half an hour ago.

"So you live around here?"

Jungkook nodded, pointing to a large building over the trees on the other side of the park.

"That's my apartment building."

Jungkook found himself staring at you as you turned back to the pond, watching the ducks in awe, laughing softly when you told him how you wished you had some bread to throw.

Fuck, was he really considering running to the nearest convenience store to buy you bread?

There was no doubt he thought you were attractive, he really was going to approach you earlier when you'd beaten him to it. You had come over, looking so irresistible with your hips swaying as you walked, and Jungkook knew he was in for it.

And then you'd spoken to him, and he almost fell to his knees.

The moon hung in the sky, casting soft glows of pale ivory down onto your face and Jungkook just couldn't help but cup your jaw as he softly pressed his lips to yours.

You were slightly taken aback, since you'd spent the past few minutes in silence as you watched the ducks, but you quickly reciprocated, kissing him sweetly.

You both pull away with a smile.

"What was that for?" you laugh sweetly, trying tucking a strand of hair behind your ear out of shyness.

"I've wanted to do that all night," Jungkook admits quietly, brushing it away for you.

"What else have you wanted to do?" you ask, gazing up at him. Jungkook chuckles at your brashness, linking your hands together as he leads you in the direction of his apartment.

"Why don't we go and find out?"

The duality of the man before you was not to be taken lightly.

Despite looking so cute and dorky when he was showing you pictures of his dog earlier, he sure was pounding into you hard enough to see stars.

"Fuck, Jungkook.." you groaned, nails raking down his back, harsh enough to leave marks, as his hips slammed continuously into you.

With every drag of his thick cock against your walls, the head of it brushing against your cervix every time he thrust back in, you were inching closer and closer to your release.

Said man emerged from your neck, where he had been attacking your skin with kisses and gentle nibbles, to look down at you with a smile.

"Such a pretty girl," he cooed, the pet name earning a mewl from you as Jungkook leaned down for a kiss. You groaned into his mouth when he grinded against you as he did so, and the familiar feeling in your stomach soon started to bloom.

Not only was his duality no joke, Jungkook's stamina was simply something was else.

He'd already given you two orgasms, one while riding his face and the other when he pounded into you from behind as you were pressed up against his windows.

You'd bashfully admitted that you thought it would be hot, and Jungkook wasn't about to deny you.

His hips sped up their pace, determined to bring you to your third high of the night, and when Jungkook's hand reached between your bodies to press against your clit, your eyes rolled to the back of your head as you came with his name on your tongue.

He helped you ride out your orgasm, taking your lips in his again and kissing you roughly.

You were too busy relishing in your own pleasure to realise Jungkook's hips begin to falter and he thrusted once, twice, before he was spilling himself into the condom while sighing out your name before collapsing beside you.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Jungkook rolls out of bed to dispose of the condom. You take the time to pad off to his bathroom and pee. The reflection that greets you when you wash your hands is well and truly fucked out, hair a mess and makeup barely intact.

You make it to bed before Jungkook, having no idea where he had disappeared to. You make yourself comfortable in his bed, closing your eyes and waiting patiently for his return.

You hear the soft footfalls as he enters the room, and peeking an eye open you see him back in his boxers holding a glass of water in his hand.

When he sees you in his bed, his eyes glaze over again but he reminds himself you're already tired out.

You take the glass of water he offers you, gulping it down and placing it on the bedside table just as Jungkook slides into bed beside you. 

"You lied.." you said through heavy breaths, resting your chin on his shoulder and gazing up at him. Jungkook cocked an eyebrow up in question, his hand soothing circles on your hip. You hadn't even notice him wrap an arm around you, the warmth of his body already so familiar.

"That sex just killed me."

Jungkook snorted, and you couldn't help but break out into a grin. You had joked about him killing you earlier, and with the way he easily drew three orgasms out of you, he basically had.

"You're something else, Yn." Jungkook shook his head, leaning over to switch his lamp off and submerge the room in darkness. With the blinds half drawn, it wasn't completely dark- the skyline casting just enough light to see the city around you."

"You're so lucky to have this view all to yourself," you murmured, earning a noncommittal hum from Jungkook in reply. Soon his warmth is at your back, spooning you from behind as you both look out at the night beyond his windows.

"It gets lonely sometimes though."

The sentence itself was sad, but the longing in his voice sent a certain pang to your chest that you weren't sure how to interpret.

As you fell asleep blanketed by Jungkook's warmth, you couldn't help but feel that same longing.

The next morning, you woke up to the sun still slowly climbing over the horizon, rays of light peeking from behind the city buildings and painting the room in pretty pastel pinks and purples.

Jungkook was still sleeping soundly, face buried in the crook of your neck and an arm draped protectively around your middle.

He was quite the clingy sleeper.

You laid awake for a few minutes, letting yourself bask in the warmth and safety you felt in that moment as you lay with Jungkook. You'd never felt so contempt the morning after a hookup, usually sneaking out as soon as you were awake. But you let yourself enjoy Jungkook's company for a few more moments.

After all, they would be the last.

You slowly peeled his arm off of you, ignoring the sudden feeling of missing his warmth as you slid out of bed and quietly put your clothes back on. You made sure to send Sumi a quick text to say you were still alive before checking you had all of your things.

You weren't quite sure why you hesitated in the doorway of his bedroom, or why you stood there for a solid minute or two watching him sleep.

Maybe you were the murderer this whole time.

Your heart un-doubtedly squeezed in your chest when you saw Jungkook reach for you amongst the sheets, face scrunching up so cutely you almost abandoned everything and climbed back into bed.

But you knew you couldn't do that.

No matter how much fun you had last night with Jungkook, walking through the city and getting to know him, and then coming to his apartment and getting the brains fucked out of you, you knew that it would be easier to just forget him.

It'd save you both the heartbreak later on.

When Jungkook found a pillow and eased again, you finally willed yourself to turn and leave. Navigating yourself through his spacious apartment, you found the front door and put your shoes on before calling for an Uber.

You told yourself that you only looked back a final time and hesitated because you wanted to make sure you didn't forget anything.

With a sigh, you closed the door behind you and said goodbye to the closest thing to love you'd ever have.

"Was he big?"

Not even a minute after you opened the door and Sumi was already asking her questions.

You hadn't even taken your shoes off yet.

Perched on the couch, your best friend sips her morning coffee as one of her Kdramas plays on the TV at a low volume.

"Mhm.." you reply, throwing yourself down onto the couch beside her. Sumi raises an eyebrow, glancing at you and taking in your sullen expression.

"You're not seeing him again are you?" she sighs, slightly disappointed.

Having known you since college, Sumi was well aware of your dating ethic.

To sum it up: you didn't date.

Not that you couldn't get dates, you got plenty. But you never let them get anywhere or too serious, you were self-destructive like that. Hook ups and short flings were more your avenue.

She takes your silence as the usual answer.

"Babe, you gotta let yourself be happy.." Sumi sighs again.

"I am happy," you smile, trying your best to convince her.

You wouldn't be lying if you said that you were happy with your life. Living in an apartment with your best friend, having friends you could rely on and a steady paying job that fuelled your reading addiction, there wasn't much more you could ask for.

"I have you, and all our friends."

"That's not what I mean, Yn.." she frowns, cupping your face in her hands.

"You came home with a glow, and not just a post mind-blowing sex glow."

You stare at her confused.

"You were glowing like you finally found someone you really connect with."

You look away, brows furrowing as if you couldn't believe what she just said. Instead you stare at a spot on the wall, afraid to meet her gaze.

To say that you could look at couples on the street and not wish you had something like they had would be a complete lie. But your fear of commitment made it hard for you to seek out those kinds of relationships, choosing the safe option and sticking to hooking up with strangers and then never seeing them again.

But Sumi was right. You did connect with Jungkook. You connected with him so fast and easily it terrified you. He was so easy to talk to, and you found yourself laughing so hard tears sprung in your eyes more than once last night.

"Well he's gone now," you shrug, leaning forward to grab the remote, being yelled at for changing the channel would be better than having this conversation.

"You literally know where he lives.." Sumi deadpans, snatching the remote back with a scowl.

While that was true, you weren't about to rock up at his door after leaving this morning.

"Hey Jungkook! Sorry I snuck out of your house without saying goodbye, anyway do you wanna date me and deal with all my internalised issues?"

When you'd walked into his apartment, he had ordered pizza for the both of you and put a movie on- something people usually didn't do for their hookups. It was nice to just hang out with him though, and maybe if you hadn't hooked up with him, you could've been friends with Jungkook.

But you did hook-up with him. And if you caught feelings, it'd just hurt way more because Jungkook was the type of person who would treat you well.

It was only more of a reason to forget about him.

Save you the heartbreak, you remind yourself.

He might've been the best lay of your life, but Jeon Jungkook was only an escape, and there was no way in hell you were seeing him again.

it's been a while friends! hope you enjoyed this little thing.. if you did or didn't please let me know! i always want to hear your thoughts <3 talk to me here!!

this was originally supposed to become a big oneshot but i have commitment issues with finishing anything so its been sitting in my drafts for months.. so i thought i'd just turn it into a quick little fic :)

[barbwritesstuff]

Not me skipping all the RO scenes in order to get to the murder/mayhem/mocktails bit quicker.

I'm sorry. I'm in a murder > mushiness mood.

[wyniepooh]

Restrain

You never thought you would get arrested, especially not for murder, especially not by aaron hotchner. And you most definitely never thought you’d enjoy it.

Reader is a suspect?? But reader is very much innocent ty. Hotch is arresting reader but unexpected feelings arise. Suspect!reader x bau!hotch. Flirty!reader. Maybe love at first sight if u look hard enough??? Hotch is interested but very conflicted. Mentions of alcohol and drunk driving, BUT reader did not drive under the influence of any kind. I truly do not know how an arrest would go down so this whole situation is wildly inaccurate.

If someone had told you at the start of the night that by the end of it, you would be arrested and suspected of committing a murder, you would’ve laughed in their face.

But thinking about it now, you wished that someone had been there to warn you about the sudden turn of events. What was supposed to be a fun girl’s night out quickly turned as sour as the drink you had previously ordered at the bar, when the night was still quite young and full of possibilities.

After bidding goodbye to your friends, you had hopped into your car and was on your way home to your soft bed, a pint of ice cream, and your favourite tv show when you first noticed the flashing nights. You weren’t too bothered at first— the road you were taking led directly to the most popular bars and nightclubs in your city, so it wasn’t strange that police cars often lined up on the side of the road late at night, hoping to catch the reckless driving that would no doubt ensue after a couple rounds on a Friday night.

What was strange however, was that the flashing lights were seemingly following you. Wild as you can be, you didn’t play with yours, or others lives like that. You were sure the mocktails you ordered were indeed ‘mock’, and you knew your driving was in no way a reflection of your state of body and mind because the only alcohol you could’ve possibly consumed were the fumes you breathed in from the drinks of your friends.

Pulling over, you rolled your windows down with an exasperated sigh. As the cold wind rushed in and hit your face, you were reminded of your now ruined plans. So much for ice cream. You waited for the vested officer to lean down before you spoke.

“How may I help you, off-,” you started.

“Out of the vehicle, now!”

Whatever calmness and willingness to cooperate flew out the open window the second the man began to yell. Taking note of his demeanour and the three bright, white letters on his navy vest, a hole immediately dig itself in your stomach.

“Offi- i mean, agent. I really don’t feel comfortable getting out of my car until I’m told the reason I’m being stalked by the fbi.”

The wall man stretched to his full height, crossing his arms as the rest of his team gathered around the scene. “This is a matter regarding a coworker of yours. We have reason to believe you were involved in his demise, the arrest warrant is in our vehicle. If you don’t wish to cooperate, we have the right to use force against you.”

You scoffed as you soaked in the absurdity of his words. “A- a warrant? For what? For murder? If that’s really the case and you have a warrant, I would like to see it, please”

There was a brief pause as the man made eye contact with a female agent, communicating without speaking a word. You almost got to breathe a breath of relief when the man turned and began to walk back to his car, but his abrupt stop in his steps lodged a pocket of air in your throat.

“That’s enough.”

Before you could stop him, the door flew open and he leaned across your waist to unclip your seatbelt. Your panic combined with fear didn’t allow you to think of it much, but in that moment, you couldn’t help the untimely thoughts plaguing your mind.

You couldn’t help that he smelt of mint and pine and whatever was making your stomach flutter.

Thankfully, those bubbles of intrigue popped when the agent grabbed your arm and began dragging you out of the car. The anxious enjoyment turned to just plain anxiousness, and timely thoughts of a murder, an interrogation, and jail filled your head. Once he closed the door, he pushed your bare chest against the cold metal, twisting your arms behind your back rather harshly.

You hissed at the burning pain, turning your head the best you could to glance at his face. “Easy, baby,” you snickered.

He didn’t look back at you, focusing instead on fastening the cuffs around your wrists. “It’s agent hotchner. And you’re under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Trust me, It’ll make your life a lot easier if you cooperated. Anything you say and do can and will be…”

Maybe there really was something in those mocktails. Maybe it was how tired and and exhausted you were. It was probably because the hard, metal handcuffs were digging into your skin and the fact that your low top and short skirt provided no coverage or warmth in the chilly night. But most of all, it was probably because of the way agent hotchner was rubbing against your back.

Regardless of why or how or what, you couldn’t stop the words from tumbling out.

“I’ve never been known as one to cooperate, sir,” you whispered. Arching your back lightly to raise yourself off the side of the car, your backside rubbing into him as you spread your feet ever so slightly, you nudged your nose against the crook of his neck to savour the stubbled skin and his smell. Your already short skirt was riding up your thighs, and you knew, you knew he felt your soft skin, you knew he saw what was underneath the small piece of fabric, and you knew he didn’t want you to stop.

But he put on a good act, despite his rosy cheeks and hitched breathing. After a beat, he crashed your torso back against the car door, tightening the cuffs to the fullest, leaning down to your ear. You groaned again at the bruise you could already feel forming, but still, you couldn’t help the smile that graced your face.

“It’s hotchner— agent hotchner. And i have ways to handle you. Ways to subdue you. Ways to break you and make you do exactly as I say. So get it together, and follow my orders. ”

Shivers traveled down your spine from his deep voice and the warm breath brushing against your ear. You stayed silent this time, choosing instead to plop your head down and let him guide you to the back of a police vehicle.

As you bent your knees to get in, you felt his hand on the top of your head, leading your body to a sitting position. Once sat, you tilted your head, causing his hand to fall from your hair to your cheek, and you smirked at the way he flinched and pulled back.

Because you were miserably restrained, he had to pull the seatbelt over your body for you, the upper half of his form leaning over you as he clipped the contraption into the cavity. You both felt the belt spring into place, you both heard the subtle ‘click’ of the seatbelt, and yet neither of you moved. He turned his head back gently, but he refused to look at you. He simply looked over his shoulder at nothing, even as you bore your eyes into him. Your breathing became faster the longer he stayed, the longer you felt his presence and the longer his scent filled the small space.

His hands rested to the right of your bare legs, and you didn’t miss the way they seemed to clench and squeeze at the seat beneath them. He moved them slowly, and just for a brief moment, his finger grazed your thighs. Just when he shifted his eyes to look at you and his lips parted for words to spill, a voice called out to him.

“hotch! We gotta go.”

He stole one more glance at you before retreating from the car, standing straight and slamming the door shut. He looked down at you. An intangible look swirled in his eyes. Perhaps one of restrain, made up by the many factors that made him who he was. He dropped his head for a minute, as if savouring the moment and the decision he made right in that moment. Looking back at you one last time, a tiny smile rested on his lips.

“Sit still. Behave.”

You felt the heat unfurling on your cheeks as you looked him up and down. Finally, your eyes met his through your eyelashes, the same tiny smile controlling your lips.

“Yes, agent hotchner.”

-

A/n: the things I’d do to get arrested by hotch…

[ask-postcrash-curly]

During a routine shipment, the Pony Express freighter spaceship Tulpar is sabotaged and crashes into an asteroid. Though the crew—captain Curly, co-pilot Jimmy, medic Anya, mechanic Swansea, and last-minute intern Daisuke—survive, most of the ship's resources are blocked off by airbag-like foam, damage to which could potentially breach the ship's hull and trigger lethal decompression. Curly, unable to speak or move after being severely mutilated by the crash, is kept sedated via a dwindling supply of painkillers. Jimmy declares himself acting captain as a result, and accuses Curly of causing the crash after going postal.

When food and medical supplies begin to run low after two months, the crew decide to open their confidential shipment, but discover that it consists solely of mouthwash. Swansea, a recovered alcoholic, decides to break his sobriety and consumes the mouthwash for its alcohol content, his intoxication increasing tensions further. Jimmy, who has been feeding Curly his pills as Anya continually can't bring herself to do so, attacks and force feeds Curly in a rage before hallucinating killing him with an axe.

Four months after the crash, Anya locks herself in the medical bay with Curly. After failing to convince a drunken Swansea to let them into the utility bay, Jimmy and Daisuke serve him a tainted mocktail using the ship's sole bottle of rubbing alcohol. With Swansea rendered unconscious, Jimmy and Daisuke discover that Swansea was guarding the ship's only working cryopod, which Jimmy believes he was saving for himself. Jimmy then coerces Daisuke to crawl through a damaged vent into the medbay. Daisuke makes it through, but is severely injured in the process. With the rubbing alcohol gone, Jimmy uses the mouthwash as an impromptu antiseptic, but it only worsens Daisuke's pain. Swansea, having come to care for Daisuke, reluctantly and crudely euthanizes him with a fire axe. Jimmy goes into the medical bay and encounters the corpse of Anya, who has committed suicide by overdosing on the remaining supply of painkillers. Jimmy finds the ship's emergency revolver and is then attacked by a vengeful Swansea.

Flashbacks to the days leading up to the crash reveal that the Tulpar crew were due to be laid off following their delivery due to Pony Express going out of business. At his birthday party, Curly breaks the news prematurely and reveals that he has been recommended for a better job. Later, Anya reveals to Curly that she is pregnant with Jimmy's child as a result of what is implied to be rape. Curly attempts to ease tensions with Jimmy, only for Anya to reveal her pregnancy to him behind Curly's back. Curly confronts Jimmy and urges him to take responsibility for his actions, but Curly ultimately lets Jimmy go. The stress of his impending layoff, his jealousy toward Curly, and the threat of being held accountable for Anya's pregnancy ultimately drive Jimmy to crash the Tulpar in a failed murder-suicide bid, with Curly acquiring his injuries while attempting to prevent the crash.

Jimmy begins to hallucinate that the ship is a maze, finding himself in a graveyard where he is hunted down by Swansea. Jimmy manages to subdue Swansea, who confesses that the years he spent addicted to alcohol were the best of his life and implies that the cryopod was actually intended for Daisuke before condemning Jimmy for his selfishness and cowardice. Jimmy fatally shoots Swansea with the revolver. His sanity rapidly declining, Jimmy holds a mock birthday party with the crew's corpses. He cuts off and consumes part of Curly's leg, then force-feeds the captain his own flesh in a surreal hallucination. Jimmy hallucinates himself apologizing to a burning Curly, and Curly forgives him for all the horrible things he has done to everybody on the Tulpar. After a series of visions where he is chased by a deformed mass of horse statues, Jimmy finds himself confronted by the Pony Express mascot Polle, who mocks him for his inability to take accountability for his faults. Jimmy concludes that he can redeem himself if he ensures Curly's survival, and places him in the cryopod. He apologizes to Curly for everything before killing himself with the revolver. The game's credits roll as Curly is placed into a 20-year cryosleep, his fate left uncertain.

...

I'm sorry, what?? I... am far more psychologically disturbed than I realized. This— This is awful. Ugh.

[merrock]

event: Hallo-Week

location: all around Merrock

date & time: October 25 - November 3

ooc duration: same dates

It's time… to get your spook on! We know how much this town loves Halloween, so we've rounded up as many Merrockites as possible to get fun things happening in town, whether it be movies, spooky fun activities, party nights, or anything that your haunted little hearts desire.

Please note: for the kids, trick-or-treat will still be happening on Halloween (October 31st), so make sure that you have candy ready to go, to treat them right! Or else… you might find yourself getting a trick. You can go door to door, do the trunk-or-treat, or head to the nursing home to get candy!

Dive under the cut for a complete list of things happening in and around Merrock from October 25th until November 3rd, and have fun!

DOWNTOWN

bookends -- book sale on all horror novels

brownstone inne -- ghost stories in the hotel lobby (& refreshments)

cityview park -- pumpkin carving & painting contests, various craft stations set up (for adults and kids)

cobblestone cafe -- pumpkin spice everything

the holiday shoppe -- 50-75% off all Halloween decor

mack's -- special seasonal pumpkin menu

merrock railway -- haunted train ride

the mirage -- spooky karaoke in the speakeasy (come in costume!)

mods -- flash tattoos & face painting for kids

stubs -- nightly Halloween movies (see below!)

touchback -- spooky cocktails & drinks

town hall -- Halloween safety demonstrations

vibrations -- monster mash party night all week-long (come in costume!)

STUBS:

All movies will be available on the Stubs app, as well, for you to watch at home! There is a small charge for each film, but the money goes straight to the theater. Early films will play at 6PM, late at 9PM.

October 25 -- Casper, Friday the 13th.

October 26 -- Beetlejuice, Pet Sematary.

October 27 -- Addams Family, Nightmare on Elm Street.

October 28 -- Scooby Doo on Zombie Island, Psycho.

October 29 -- Nightmare Before Christmas, Scream.

October 30 -- It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Carrie.

October 31 -- Hocus Pocus, Halloween.

November 1 -- Coraline, Child's Play.

November 2 -- The Haunted Mansion, The Exorcist.

November 3 -- Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Craft.

ALSO AVAILABLE: Monster House, Halloweentown, Goosebumps, Practical Magic, Sleepy Hollow, What We Do in the Shadows, Ernest Scared Stupid, Scared Shrekless, The Witches, Death Becomes Her, Poltergeist, Happy Death Day, Jennifer's Body, The Crow, The Lost Boys, Rosemary's Baby, The Conjuring, The Invisible Man, Trick 'r Treat, Totally Killer + more.

COASTAL AREA

anchors away -- seasonal drinks and pumpkin beer

breathe in -- yoga & pilates with the Sanderson Sisters (come in costume!)

cassidy's candies -- mega discount on all Halloween candy

from brush to canvas -- autumn/Halloween paintings exhibited

the lighthouse -- ghost stories at the top of the lighthouse

the marina -- haunted boat rides (murder mystery style)

mawk tales -- seasonal spooky mocktails all week

sea breeze -- special Halloween flavors available

SUBURBS

aster playground -- pumpkin painting, various kids games set up

benny's -- massive Halloween decor & costume sale

children's museum -- various halloween-themed activities

community center -- costume closet open for takers

the creamery -- black & blue milks available, halloween ice creams

cul-de-sac diner -- halloween-themed meals (& specials for kids)

flour co. -- decorate your own pumpkin cookies

the fun spot -- horror skate nights (come in costume!)

the great escape -- horror escape rooms

memorial library -- spooky story reads, horror book displays

pinecrest cemetery -- cemetery tours (not haunted; respectful)

treasure chest -- 50% off all fall and Halloween decor

COUNTRYSIDE

the barn at lake malory -- haunted houses; family friendly (for kids & easily scared adults who want to take it easy), supernatural/fantasy (medium), slasher (scary).

handpick'd -- specials on seasonal wines

harmony ranch -- haunted hay ride & corn maze

hideaway market -- trunk or treat sponsored by takato's (come in costume!)

lavender lane -- pumpkin, mums & fall favorites on deep discount

little chapel -- ghost stories (with surprise haunting)

north shore -- trick-or-treating with senior citizens (come in costume!)

paradise gardens -- seasonal fall/halloween displays

pet haven -- free treat to all pets that show up in costumes

pine grove gardens -- true merrock horror / scary stories

state park -- spooky walks along the trails (very kid friendly)

the wheel -- 50% off all halloween related items

ADMIN NOTES: have at it! If you want to post costumes, they can be done any time through the week, whether you're partying at Evolution, dressing up to work at your business, or just want to get spiffed up for actual Halloween. Please tag them with #merrockfashion. Socials can be tagged with #merrocksocial, as well. Please do remember to tag anything with trigger warnings if it veers into triggering things, such as excessive blood! You can do other things for Hallo-Week, like having a slumber party and watching movies at home with your bestie, roasting pumpkin seeds, going out to toilet paper someone's house (please have permission), this is the perfect time to just have fun with anything that has to do with Halloween! <3

[harveybwabbit92]

[Seven and Ace help Mebius pitch a Halloween party.]

Seven: Someone will die.

Mebius: Of fun.

Ace: Of murder.

Mebius: There’s going to be beer for the adults, mocktails for the kids and pumpkins.

Seven: Bloody goblins.

Mebius: Fake ones. It’s going to be awesome. We have decorations.

Ace: Dead people that we just murdered.

Mebius: Not murdered, but pictures of dead people from Earth TV or movies.

Ace: Mutilated bodies.

Mebius: But fake ones. Candy, dancing, All kinds of food and snacks.

Ace: Blood orphans.

Mebius: No blood orphans. I, I don't know what that is.

[charlie-pippin-faraday]

my danganronpa v3 chapter 4 pre-investigation running commentary:

once again, i knew we weren't done with rantaro!

who did rantaro leave this message to? himself?

are we like, stuck in a time loop?

i am now suspicious that the tiny bugs gonta has been seeing are something else. surveillance cameras?

i'm so confused about the robot lab. keebo clearly hates it, and there was nothing i could even interact with in there. and why was it attached to miu's lab?

"do you want to live in a fictional world?" something about this line piqued my interest and made me suspicious

bro did tsumugi get me mocktail drunk?

that classroom set in tsumugi's lab looks suspiciously like the classrooms in the first game

oh it's my lab!!!!!!!! we finally got to my lab!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

why is the music here called "living in a lazy parallel world"? that feels incredibly suspicious

"this doesn't feel like an ultimate detective's lab. more like a criminal lab." is this implying that i am a criminal?

lmao didn't this game come out before covid? they're certainly predicting it in this flashback light bit

"the computer is surrounded by capsules big enough to fit a person inside." huh??? they didn't tell me that part before. what is this??? the plot of DR2 all over again??

bro WHERE is the caged dog village document??? i went back to kiyo's lab looking for money and it's not there anymore that is highly worrying

hm hang on. if we're following the structure from the previous games, chapter 4 murder is gonna feel sacrificial, isn't it? and then chapter 5 murder is gonna feel convoluted and heavily overarching plot-related?

shuichi was really judgemental that kaito's reasoning for becoming an astronaut was "because it's cool" but like i'm pretty sure that's the reason most people become astronauts

hmm so maki asked shuichi if he like-liked kaede, wondering if it's possible to like someone you didn't know after such a short period of time.......hmmm methinks someone is trying to sort out her OWN feelings

"then why did you bring it up?" because she's got it bad for kaito and she doesn't know how to deal with it

he did it, gang. after a couple failed tries, kaito FINALLY punched kokichi in the face

what did miu find in the computer?

the "training" scene with himiko and gonta and shuichi talking to tenko in his mind was really sweet. "you've reached her, tenko."

"that person has to be special. it has to be someone like kaito" "only someone like kaito could help me" shuichi plz

"i shouldn't be talking about another boy like that" hahahaha i knew he dug him. shuichi it's okay you can be bi

kokichi meeting privately with monokuma can only lead to good things

why was there a curtain that said "the end" after the morning announcement???

the reveal that himiko is a soap opera fan and actually was invested in the monokub drama/nonsense was the biggest twist of the game tbh

"we were completely unaware that an unspeakable malice was brewing" what an ominous start to free time!

i gave keebo a laser gun and he said "you understand me...i feel...happy" keebo i love you so fucking much

this free time event is wild. me and keebo are role playing as a caregiver out in the middle of the dorm hallway. and keebo threw out his back. keebo, i threw out MY back a few months ago, i understand you!

i love that in the final climactic free time event with kaito, shuichi tells him the story he already told kaede wayyyy back in chapter 1 lol

"he does so much for me...i could never turn my back on that. i will never break my bond with kaito!" bro shuichi just Kiss him you clearly want to

"kaito's smile was bright as starlight. i couldn't help but smile back" shuichi good lord keep it together

bro the way shuichi talks about kaito is so funny he is literally a teenage girl on his bed kicking his feet and giggling

this computer isn't the neo world program from 2, is it?

this virtual world is actually super cute ngl

of course the first thing kokichi does in the virtual world is punch keebo. when will keebo stand up for himself and beat the fuck out of kokichi? i've been waiting for it so patiently

okay that definitely said neo world program. and mirai falls? this is getting real fishy. and then all the references to murders/trials from the previous games, the gyoza in the shape of someone's face [i spend WAY too much time thinking about this particular object]. there gets to be a point when it stops being references to previous games and starts becoming incredibly suspicious

keebo is implying that we are ALREADY in a virtual world. i did have this thought previously

ah so kokichi DOES have a crush on me

MIU NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

i said i wasn't gonna handle it well when one of my faves died, and i was right. i'm not handling it well

also, after much running around looking for coins and grinding in salmon fishing, i did end up buying the key of love, but i think i bought it literally one free time slot too late. i was under the impression that when you go to bed that night after buying it it'll trigger the event. i knew i was on the last free time availabilities of the chapter, but if i remember correctly in the previous chapters we went to bed and then the murder stuff happened the next day. but this time these assholes NEVER actually WENT to bed. they just collected me to go to the computer room right after free time and we pulled an all-nighter in the virtual world like a bunch of freaks smh. and i don't have a convenient save file in this chapter i can go back to unless i wanted to restart the chapter, so i guess i'll wait and see if the key activates in chapter 5? or i'll have to wait and play this game again. damn, that sucks. ah well.

well, on to the investigation!

[itrainswhenurhere]

mocktails and murder

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ a murder mystery au . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

rafe cameron x reader

chapter two: ghost in the machine

contains: talk of death and murder, blackmail, threats, disturbing graphic description

a/n: the first chapter got like 5 notes but i lowkey don’t care i have fun writing these yay. everyone is lowkey only interested in smut or fluff it’s killing me

ward cameron was a man of many secrets, you knew that much.

you didn’t think they could be this bad.

you’re sitting on the living room floor, back to the couch that cleo, jj and pope occupy, shaking, staring off into the distance. you had seen it. the body. limp on the floor. seconds after it had happened.

so had everybody else. they’re all perched somewhere around the room, most actions mirroring yours.

they had all walked in seconds after you and rafe. you had heard their scream of terror erupt from behind you as you stood, frozen still, watching the blood pour out of his head.

rafe and john b are putting the body in the freezer, for evidence when the police come, which when you had found your voice, you had told him not to do, that he shouldn’t have to.

that was his father, either way.

sarah was the one who had found him. she was the woman leaning over his body, the one who had screamed so loud it had echoed off the walls.

she’s sitting beside kiara on the couch opposite you. she’s quietly sobbing under kiaras comforting arms, that rub small circles over her shoulder and her back.

rafe appears first behind the door.

he’s shaken, clearly, eyes bloodshot. not nearly as bad as sarah or some of the other to be fair, but still upset.

he had hated his father, so much. but at the end of the day, no one would particularly like to drag their dads dead body across a house, no matter how much you dislike one another.

his eyes land on you and he pads over to where you’re sitting.

he sits shoulder to shoulder with you, legs bent and elbows on his knees.

you reach over to take his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. his fingers are shaking and his rough hands are pliant.

jj speaks first.

“so rafe, who fuck did you let on the island?” he accuses, angrily, from behind where you and him are sitting.

you turn to face him. “what the fuck is your problem. his dad just died, are you that fucking dense??” you try and sound tough and match his anger but your tremor gives you away.

rafe stands, reaches for something over the coffee table, and faces directly at jj.

“why don’t you check.” he unlocks his phone and throws it at the blonde. “there’s been cctv on the dock since it was first set up and the island was scaled before we arrived, there’s no one here.”

jj stands and turns the phone to himself and cleo. he goes over the footage for maybe a minute, swiping back and forth.

“holy shit.” he stands abruptly. everyone else apart from sarah, kie and cleo are up too now, expectantly.

“what??” speaks john b, leaning against the door, worriedly. even rafe doubts himself for a second, maybe someone had gotten on.

“there’s no one here.” mirroring rafes words. he drops the phone onto the couch, staring like it has answers.

pope works out the implications behind that first.

“it was one of us.”

gasps erupt around the room as people finally put two and two together.

there was no one. it was just us. one of them.

everyone is seeming thinking the same thing as the all stumble toward the person the trust the most in the group.

all of the pogues, minus cleo and jj, turn to one another and stand where kiara and sarah sit.

you grab rafes arm and take a step back from everyone else.

cleo and jj turn to the doorframe and scan over everyone in room, like the murderer will reveal itself.

rose, who hasn’t spoken once, is standing behind the couch opposite everyone else.

she doesn’t look shocked, upset sure, but not shocked, she looks more… expectant??

when she finally does speak, her voice doesn’t shake and she doesn’t stutter.

“we knew this would happen.” a pause.

“what the fuck are you talking about,” kiara rages. “why the fuck didn’t we call the police before this had happened then??” she challenges.

the wind had knocked over the wifi router and there was no service all throughout the house, tomorrow the police would be called. it was around midnight now, the tides still too high to get on rafes ship and leave.

“i begged him to.” she pauses, looking down. “he thought it was some kind of sick joke and-”

rafe interrupts her. “what… was some kind of sick joke, rose?” he’s careful with his words, confused and angry.

“the threats. someone had be been sending them for weeks now. someone that knew things- and we, well, figured that it had to have been one of our children, or their… friends.” everyones features are painted with uncertainty now.

oh. it’s suddenly clear to you why rose and ward, notorious for not liking, well, anything, wanted so eagerly for you and all of sarah’s pogues to join.

“at the mini bar by the beach. we got there and… they had- uh,” she starts to stutter. “in b-blood, uh,” you can tell she’s attempting to keep neutral and calm, her usual demeanour.

“they had written… on the wall, it had said, ‘we know what you did’ or something like that, maybe um, ‘you’ll pay for it’ i don’t know.” she winces as if in pain.

rose has never been a particularly chalant individual, so seeing her like this, actively terrified, shook you.

“and you didn’t think to fucking tell us?!?” sarah lashes.

“one of you wrote it.” rose looks down in seemingly regret, and the room goes silent.

everyone is processing the fact that someone here had, in fact, murdered ward cameron. someone had taken a whiskey glass and shoved it into his skull. someone here had been sending him death threats. someone in this room.

eventually, people separated in small groups, people that trusted the other the most.

you and rafe had stayed back, still in the living room.

“hey, you okay?” which was a stupid question, but you’re not very accustomed to what to say when someone you loves father is murdered.

you and him are sitting up on the couch, your knees to your chest, facing him.

“don’t ask stupid questions.” he finally speaks, although there’s no real bite to his tone.

he looks… full of rage? confused? raw? angry? determined?

you can usually read him very well but, as you’d said, you have no idea what to do or think in this situation.

he turns to you, gently takes a hand from your knees and holds it like it’s a precious peace of art.

for the first time since all this, you can see what he feels.

love.

you know he loves you, more than anything. he would kill for you, and you for him.

over the length of your relationship, you’ve both changed in every way possible, but one thing remains.

love.

“i’m gonna find out who did this.” you reach over and place your free hand over his one holding yours, sandwiching them together. you give it a gentle squeeze, grounding him.

you go speak, to tell him you know, to reassure him, but he gets there first. “nothings going to happen to you.” his voice is gruff and sure.

he moves to hold your waist and lift you onto his lap, straddling his hips.

“i’m gonna keep us safe. i love you.” he brushes a strand of previously fallen hair behind your ear.

although the frustration and anger remain prominent in his eyes, they go ever so slightly softer for you.

the others, are all upstairs already when you and rafe head up. most of the voices come from sarahs room, minus, you presume, jj and cleo. hm.

a chill runs up your spine at the realisation that, you know for a fact it was neither you nor rafe who had taken the glass to ward camerons skull, it being one of the people in the room comforting their closest friend about her dads death, who had murdered him.

that or, one of the two in the room opposite them, who had clearly done something to earn the groups disapproval.

once the both of you had made your way to your shared room, you lie down in the same way you would’ve done had the both of you not heard the blood curdling scream, but the air is different. chilling.

the warmth of small laughs and kind smiles no longer fill the room, and the dark night sky leaves room for everything and nothing at the same time.

you turn on your side, facing the alarm clock that now reads 1:58am. rafe, who was staring at the ceiling like it could offer some kind of closure, turns to face your back and pulls it into his chest, his big arms enveloping around your waist and your chest.

his head is nuzzled into the crook of your neck, hiding from what will all become real life tomorrow.

the both of you are still unsure of how to return to normalcy, even something as simple as cuddling, feeling wrong.

“do you have any idea what could’ve happened? did you notice anything?”

yes. is your immediate reaction after the momentary shock that he let himself speak.

he must feel stupid for not seeing anything, not anticipating this. he hates being in the dark more than anything.

and as much as it hurts you not to tell him, you are maybe 99% sure that what you saw, wasn’t what it looked like.

you vividly remember it now, even though at the time it had seemed like such a small, insignificant thing that… had? to be a coincidence, right?

after dinner, when everyone had migrated back up their rooms, but weren’t yet ready for bed, you had gone downstairs, padding past rose and wards en-suite that had originally been for you and rafe, although had changed when they announced their presence on the trip.

unaware that his hours were quite literally, numbered. maybe one, maybe two.

you don’t hear much, and figure they’re just relaxing.

you had left your sunglasses somewhere downstairs, and wanted them back before someone misplaced them, or mistook them for theirs.

you had reached the kitchen when a clank sound, that you did not realise would soon become familiar, came from the dining room.

���fuck.” you hear in a hushed whisper. a woman’s voice.

you peek around the corner of the open house, and your shoulders drop, relaxing when you take in the scene infront of you. you had been scared for a second, thought it was something dangerous.

you had stayed behind the corner for whatever reason, now entirely grateful that you had, but unaware what it could’ve cost you.

it was just kiara.

she had been getting a drink, clearly.

in her hand was a pristine whiskey glass, which she must’ve dropped, patterns around the rim that you would recognise if in your line of vision again, them being so intricate.

what hadn’t bothered you at the time, her scrambling away without anything in the glass cup, figuring she had her own drinks upstairs, was now eating away at you.

[halfratsalready]

My best friend and I are planning our second murder mystery party, and it takes place in the 1940’s, so we’re going to have mocktail versions of popular drinks of the time. You better believe that the main one we’re serving is the Jack Rose.

[selfshipgushing]

I heard we're describing our f/os?

- Asshole (/aff) with a flat effect who loves space and is actually really sweet if you're nice to him

- Being of chaos. Like I think a god of chaos or smth

- Grumpy old demon barkeep who doesn't get paid enough for this

(Also, in my paracosm, he'll serve you for free if he wants you to stick around or keep talking. I don't drink so he makes me mocktails,,,)

- Edgy teenage (not rly he's like in his 20s) murderer

- THE f/o EVER (sands underpant)

- Corpse in a suit possessed by a murderous man

Probably gonna end up w more but woo :)

—🐞

sands underpant

[squishosaur]

i loev your art style so much and your azujamil comics are so cute <33 do you have any hcs for them that you havent drawn out before ?

uwahh thankies,,, they are everything,, i do have so many hcs for them....

azul acts very confident all the time, but he's insecure about his body. jamil, however, likes to snake his arms around him whenever they're alone and tell him how pretty he is.

jamil likes cooking for azul, if he's feeling nice, you'll find some scalding sands dishes on the lounge menu as weekly specials.

azul's terrified of flying; jamil feels more free in the air. azul will go flying with jamil sometimes. Rarely. but he clings on so tight and won't let go even after they land again. jamil teases him about it, but tends to fly lower so azul's not freaked out.

on the flip side, jamil doesn't know much about the deep sea and is fairly weary of it. if they go out swimming, azul will revert to his mer-form and hold him close for a little while as he adjusts.

i know i just made a comic about azul serenading jamil, but i wanna reiterate that i think he'd play music for him. nothing too crazy, but he'd play piano for him.

azul will make mocktails (since the mostro lounge is at school and he cannot serve alcohol) and name them after jamil. jamil does not appreciate this.

neither is big on pda, but they'll hold hands when they're alone.

when azul is jealous, he will literally do anything to get jamil's attention. Literally anything. he'll make a scene if he has to. jamil thinks this is so embarrassing and tells him that he's going to break up with him.

when jamil's jealous, he'll start plotting things. he has to undermine azul's business plans in secret and plot a murder. he never goes through with this. however, if someone comes on to azul, he might grab him and kiss him on the mouth just to get the message across. azul is More than okay with this.

jamil is multilingual and will randomly call azul both petnames and swears/insults in other languages. azul has to use context clues to find out what it means though.

while i think azul would try and fail to ask jamil out first, i think he'd be the one to propose in the future.

jamil would love thrill rides and haunted houses in order to feel something. azul would act casual about it and start screaming and crying.

their dates would be scarce and would usually be just hanging out to play a strategy game or cooking together. sometimes they watch and discuss movies. mostly, their "dates" are unplanned and involve chasing kalim or floyd or trying to fix problems that they cause ajdndnd

azul knows absolutely Nothing about basketball, but will watch the games and cheer literally any time jamil has the ball. he firmly believes that jamil should be allowed to kill people in this game.

azul likes to compliment jamil and is extremely verbally affectionate. when jamil compliments him though he totally melts.

azul likes their outfits to complement each other, so sometimes jamil will wear silver accessories or azul will wear golden ones.

speaking of clothes, jamil will wind up taking any sort of jacket or long sleeved shirt azul has at Least once. they're a little big though,, azul will take jamil's clothes too (not to wear though) and likes getting his things back from jamil because they "feel/smell like him." jamil finds this so crazy but like Whatever, he guesses.

like he does with other people, jamil will let azul win at things (arguments, games, etc.) azul does not like this and says that he has to take things seriously, only for jamil to beat him at it. either way, he fusses for a little bit.

azul cannot dance. jamil LOVES dancing. he teaches him, but azul is still soso bad. azul prefers ballroom dancing because it looks refined and elegant. jamil indulges him in this but sometimes adds a more hip hop spin to the moves.

azul is Always trying to impress jamil and is always visibly impressed by jamil. jamil does not try to impress azul and does not always make a big show when he is impressed. he will smile, azul swoons at this.

[sophisticated-creepy]

Dessert was brought out to the diners of a rich tiramisu paired with the house version of a Goodnight Kiss cocktail (or mocktail), the specialty nightcap’s colored liqueur glinting almost sinisterly of ruby bloodstone in the tall, fluted glasses. The dining room was filled once more with conversation and laughter, as crooner’s music of days gone by lilted sweet serenades to round out the intimate atmosphere of opulence. Having been served, Lola reached for Stanley, turning off the tape recording feature, and stuffed it with her pen and notepad away back into her purse to fully enjoy the company of her friends.

“Well, no newspaper man,” she said with a slight shrug as she spooned into her dessert. “But still a good play nonetheless. For a moment there, they had me believing the chef was the one who committed the crime.”

          “That would have been a neat twist if two people attempted to plot against Fernsby in the same night,” Modesta said with a laugh.

          “What if all of them had tried to murder Fernsby?” Jack asked, the group responding in more laughter at the convoluted thought.

          “Although I am slightly disappointed none of you got to see Mr. Newspaper Man, maybe Jack got a shot of him at some point during the play,” Lola said, motioning with her spoon at the camcorder.

          “I’ll keep an eye out for him when I review the footage for editing,” Jack said, making a mental note of the idea. As the friends continued in their conversation, a woman with soft brown hair and eyes, wearing a gold nameplate secured to her black jacket lapel, approached their table.

          “Pardon me for intruding, but who among you is Mr. Glenbrook?” she asked, her smile sweet and charming.

          “I am. How may I help you?” Raphael asked.

          “My name is Annie, and I’m the Director of Hospitality. There’s no need to rush dessert, but when your party is ready, I’ll be guiding you on your stay tonight at the Manor House,” Annie said. “That includes a tour of the upper levels where you’ll be lodging.”

          “That sounds wonderful. Thank you, Annie,” Raphael said.

          “My pleasure. Whenever you all are ready, come find me at the hostess stand located where you first walked in.” Annie gave another brilliant smile to the group and then departed.

          “Ooh! My stomach just got filled with so many butterflies,” Lola announced with a shiver. “I still can’t believe we’re all staying the night. This is honestly the best thing you guys could have ever done for me. Thank you.”

          “The night’s only just getting started,” Modesta reminded.

          “Plenty of time and opportunities for you to get your spooky on,” Lazare added.

          “I can’t wait!” Lola exclaimed, nearly vibrating in her chair with excitement to explore the old Manor House and its potential spookies. The friends enjoyed the remainder of dessert relaxed in one another’s conversation and company whereupon gathering themselves, agreed it was time to meet up with the Director of Hospitality at the hostess station, eager to get the rest of their night underway. Annie greeted them with her award winning smile as the cluster of five congregated in the main foyer outside the dining room.

          “All right, is everyone ready to get started?” she asked, collecting a clipboard of papers and a packet full of specialty room keys from the hostess podium. “Did you enjoy dinner?”

          “Everything has been terrific,” Lola said. “We also really enjoyed the play. It was so much fun and so clever. Real quick, could you tell us who the director is? I’d like to tell them how much I enjoyed the show, if I could.”

          “Certainly. He’s right over there.” Annie raised her hand to flag down the play’s director who lingered somewhere behind the group of friends. Lola turned, expecting to see Mr. Newspaper Man walk in their direction, however, it was instead Detective Babcock who swaggered forward.

          “Oh! Detective Babcock is the director?” Lola asked, her jaw dropping open from surprise.

          “He is, as well as the writer of the play,” Annie replied. “Detective Babcock, these guests wished to congratulate you on tonight’s performance,” she said once the actor reached the podium.

          “Ah! That’s always nice to hear. Thank you,” Detective Babcock beamed, his eyes bright and smile cheerful as he faced the others.

          “Yes,” Lola stammered, recovering from her initial shock. “As I told Annie, it was indeed quite the clever show.”

          “I’m glad you enjoyed yourselves,” Detective Babcock said with a slight bow of appreciation.

          “I have just one quick question,” Lola began, ignoring the confused stares from eyes she felt penetrating the back of her head from her friends. “All the cast members were in the play tonight, yes?”

          “They were,” Babcock answered, a small wrinkle of question forming between his eyebrows as his head canted to the side.

          “I mean, not their characters, but the actual actors themselves? How many actors are normally in your plays?”

          “We’re a small troupe,” Babcock said. “There’s only just the five of us.”

          “So, then, who was the actor waiting in the---.”

          “Sweetie, I think you’re confusing your murder mysteries,” Raphael interrupted, placing his hands on Lola’s shoulders. “Remember? There were characters staged in the wings at the show we saw last weekend.”

          Lola looked up into her fiancé’s face, his eyes silently pleading for her to read his unspoken thoughts. “Oh…that’s right,” she drawled. “You’re right,” she said again, adding more confidence to her tone as she nodded along with Raphael. “Silly me, last week must have slipped my mind. Sorry, Detective, for getting confused.”

          “No need to apologize,” Babcock said. “I’m glad you enjoyed the show. Have a good rest of your night,” and he tipped the brim of his hat in farewell before departing.

          “Let’s get started, shall we?” Annie asked, stepping out from behind the podium. “Let me first show you to your rooms. Follow me, please.” With a beckoning wave, Annie led the group to a set of thickly carpeted stairs inside the foyer that ascended towards the upper levels, but as Lola took her place first in line, she felt her arm tugged backwards, and turned to find Modesta holding her sleeve.

          “Is there a particular reason why you felt the need to make that man uncomfortable?” Modesta asked, her voice a whisper so their tour guide didn’t overhear.

          “He wasn’t uncomfortable,” Lola said, matching her friend’s whisper. “I was trying to find out more information about newspaper man.”

          “I’m beginning to think there is no ‘newspaper man’.”

          “So am I,” Lola agreed, oblivious to the dripping sarcasm of Modesta’s comment. A gentle tug at her hand had Lola turning once more to the front of the line as Raphael led her up the stairs with him, at which point the friends gathered close on the second level landing so Annie could begin her official tour.

          “These rooms were once the dwelling spaces of the Northcott family members. Each room has been curated and furnished to personify each individual’s personality, based on what we know of their lives. Here, is young Edgar’s room, the only child of Cornelius and Lillian.” Annie stopped at a large paneled door of oak halfway down the long hallway as she rounded the banister, using one of the fancy keys from the packet at her clipboard to unlock the room, and swinging the door wide open, she gestured for everyone to enter. Edgar’s room was painted a soft, butter yellow with plush carpet covering the floor, while a full bed plumped with blue brocade and golden damask accents drew the focus as the main focal point of the splendid room. Decorating the walls were oil paintings depicting ocean scenes of large ships in calm seas. A fireplace of white painted brick boasted a sturdy mantle with vintage children’s toys resting on its top, and a toy chest with its contents spilling out of even more toys, was tucked against one side of the hearth. A bookcase displaying child-like trinkets was centered on the opposite wall of the fireplace next to a thick clothes closet and a small en suite.

          “Although Edgar followed in his father’s footsteps of the cannery business, we wanted to give his room that essence of youthful wonder, given he was the founders’ only child,” Annie explained as she watched the group “ooh” and “aw” over the space. “Now, this room will be Lazare Pyrite’s for the night,” Annie said, looking at her clipboard to find the guest’s name.

          “That’s me,” Lazare spoke, raising his hand, and Annie smiled as she passed along the room keys to him.

          “Let’s move on to the next room, shall we?” Annie said, continuing the tour. She led them next to the end of the hallway, where a cozy sitting area was furnished and staged with leather wingback chairs and a table set with items for teatime in the nook of bay windows overlooking the front of the grounds. A door was to the left and right of the setting, and Annie took them to the left, unlocking the paneled oak door with another ring of fancy keys from her clipboard packet.

          “This is Mr. Northcott’s room,” Annie declared as the door swung open on silent hinges. The chamber was a vast contrast to that of his son Edgar’s dwellings, for this room had painted walls of deep, hunter green, adorned with cherry accented furniture upholstered in vibrant tapestries. The bed was much larger as well, also dressed in deep, hunter green to match the walls, and dangling overhead was a gold, three-armed chandelier. Three pillows were propped against the sturdy headboard, as well as only three chairs placed in front of the fireplace between a large closet and en suite, and three paintings of hunting scenes decorated the walls. The room was grand, to be sure, and carried a weighty presence despite its minimalistic aesthetic.

          “Mr. Northcott was a studious, no nonsense man, especially in his business affairs, so this room reflects the dedication he had for the cannery,” Annie informed. “This will be Jack and Modesta’s room for the night.”

          “That’s us, thank you,” Jack said, taking the offered keys.

          “Perfect. That leaves Mr. and Mrs. Glenbrook’s room next. This way please,” and Annie ushered the group to the last bedroom available across from Mr. Northcott’s room. “I present to you, Lillian’s Suite,” and Annie held the door open for Lola and Raphael. Lillian Eleanor Northcott’s room was the personified breath of fresh air, with lilac painted walls decorated smartly with gilded framed paintings of delicate ladies with mischief behind their eyes, while antique lace hung from the windows in floor to ceiling curtains. The furnishings were sleek and polished, every detail executed down to the finest touch, including a vase of freshly cut roses sitting in the middle of a table between two chairs in front of the white brick fireplace. The large bed, dressed in a dusty rose duvet and mauve linen sheets, had a chandelier above it, dripping in clear cut crystal and glass beads. A massive armoire, vanity, and chest of drawers lined the walls appropriately, as well as several fully stocked bookcases, the slender tomes locked behind glass panels to preserve the brittle spines and pages. A special detail to the impressive suite, one that did not go unnoticed, was a silver tray on the davenport at the end of the bed with an ice bucket chilling a bottle of champagne, two fluted glasses, and a notecard in gold filigree which read “Happy Birthday” attached to a single long stemmed rose.

          “Lillian exemplified love and femininity, which we tried to recreate when furnishing her room. There’s also a claw footed soaker tub in the en suite, original to the home, as well as a delicacy ahead of its time,” Annie shared. “What do you think?”

          The moment Lola first walked into the room, she instantly fell in love. It was as if Lillian’s spirit still lingered in the lavish bedchamber, living her days in the routine of her life before tragedy ended too soon her existence. Lola could easily imagine the lady of the house going from one piece of furniture to the next, perhaps humming to herself while pinning her hair at the vanity, or spending countless nights reading while in front of a cozy fire. Little fragments of Lillian’s essence filled the space with warmth and life despite her being cold and dead.

          “Well, Lola?” Raphael asked, coming to stand by her side. “Is the room to your liking?”

          “It’s absolutely perfect,” Lola breathed. Her eyes continued to roam the walls and tables, unable to stay focused on one particular thing for too long before darting to the next enticing, pretty object, until eventually landing on the amused and handsome face of her beloved. “It’s perfect,” she repeated. “Thank you.”

          “Happy Birthday,” and Raphael leaned down to kiss her sweetly.

          “Now that everyone has had a chance to see the upper rooms, let’s continue on our tour,” Annie said, and the group of friends assembled in the hallway as the pleasant guide led the party towards the staircase.

          “Can you tell us what kinds of spooky things happen up here?” Lola asked. “It’s no secret this place is haunted. Surely there’s some type of paranormal activity happening up here, right?”

          “You are correct. From what I’ve learned based off the haunted guided tours, not much ‘ghostly activity’ happens specifically in the bedrooms,” Annie answered, “however, guests do tend to hear footsteps walking above them on the third floor at all ends of the night.”

          “What’s on the third floor?” Modesta asked.

          “That would be the old servants’ quarters,” Annie replied.

          “Are we able to tour the servant quarters?” Lazare asked.

          “Unfortunately, no, access to that area is closed to the public at the moment while renovations are taking place.”

          “What’s behind this door?” Lola asked, stopping at the top of the landing before following Annie down the stairs.

          “Oh, that’s Lillian’s library,” she said.

          “A library? Can we go in?” Lola grabbed for the crystal doorknob on instinct, but the knob wouldn’t budge beneath her hand.

          “I’m sorry, but the library is closed as well due to renovations, and not open to the public at this time.”

          “Come along, Lola, all that means is we have more reasons to come back at a later time,” Raphael said, his tone laced with humor while he twined their fingers together with one of his large hands to gently coax her down the stairs with the rest of the group. She gave a small pout, turning over her shoulder only to watch the door grow further out of reach, not that she was able to enter the library anyway, but thoughts of being free to investigate the door later that night chased away her frown, replacing the downturn of her lips into an upturned quirked smirk, no doubt wrought with mischief, and, consequently, trouble.

          “Have you had any personal experiences dealing with the ghosts while working here?” Jack asked.

          “I’ve heard the classic knocks and occasional banging every now and again, but I’ve grown so accustomed to it, I hardly even realize it’s happening,” Annie replied with a light laugh. “Though, one time, I believe I saw the Gray Lady.”

          “You’ve seen Lillian?” Lola all but shouted in excitement. “Where?”

          “I was in the basement getting the event space ready for a large dinner party. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and when I turned to see who it was, I saw what looked like a gray cloud move from the bottom step go into the kitchen. It was only brief, but I could distinctly make out a high-neck collared dress, with hair styled in the period of Lillian’s time, and just the briefest glimpse of her profile.”

          “That’s so wild,” Lola stated, in awe of Annie’s story.

          “What makes it even more startling, is that I was the only one in the Manor House at that time, and no one was due to the house for another three hours. So…do you folks want to see the basement?” A resounding “yes” was made by all, Annie laughing at the obvious exuberance and delight of the group, and took them to the lower level that housed the restaurant’s kitchen as well as the private event space, where a side door led partiers to the outer grounds, opening to the gazebo and carriage house as well as the sprawling landscape of the backyard edged by the Dead Forest.

          “Since you all are staying the night, let me go ahead and give you some basic rules,” Annie said, her statement gaining everyone’s attention. “This space, as well as the main level, are open for you to explore. I must insist that you please refrain from taking any bottles from the bars, and if a room is locked, that means it is unavailable to the public, so please don’t force your way into any secured space.”

          Lola felt the tingle of eyes turning to her at Annie’s last comment, but she ignored the feeling, contributing the sensation to her zealous imagination and halfway guilty conscience at plotting to revisit the off-limits library.

          “An hour after closing time, myself and the rest of the Manor House staff will depart. We will lock the front doors, but you are more than welcome to explore the grounds using this side entrance. Your room keys have an extra key that go to this lock. In the morning, simply lock the door on your way out and drop your keys in the return box against this outer wall.”

          “What time is check out?” Raphael asked.

          “The cleaning crew comes in at 8:00, so we advise guests to be gone by 7:30,” Annie said. “Are there any questions?” When none were spoken, Annie smiled. “Great! I hope you all enjoy your evening.” She looked to her watch, then back to the others. “It’s closing time now. Happy slumbers, everyone.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

It's my birthday today!!

What a better way to celebrate a birthday than by getting a new chapter? It's my birthday treat to you all! This story is unfolding in so many new layers I hadn't expected, so get ready for a wild ride!

Hopefully everyone is enjoying the story so far, even if there has been quite a bit of a lag in posting. I appreciate everyone out there reading this, so thank you from the bottom of my heart! You're the best!

Have a great day, and until next time, happy reading!

~Melissa

[rgr-pop]

okay international working womens weekend daytime luncheon in my home for maybe 7-10 people, one week from today

nobody i really need to impress. if anyone confirms gluten free or dairy free i’ll fine tune, otherwise everything is always baseline meat free and nut free (with the option for me to throw in some tinned fish from my pantry)

snacky/salads vibe, maybe dips

for sure doing:

lemon poppy seed loaf. i REALLY want to do sally’s new lemon poppy seed muffins but i’d need to get a new muffin tin and we’re 📢 not doing too much

cardamom strawberry jam bars (craving cardamom stuff all the time)

pretty sure i can do both of the above without buying anything; although i’d have to make the jam from frozen strawberries (i want to pan anyway)

really want to do MOCKTAILS. i wouldn’t mind investing in a few staples for myself anyway. i think i for sure will get orange juice and and a sparkling juice— PLEASE RECOMMEND ! what would be a good second mocktail or some ingredients to buy? especially because i have several interesting bitters, including chocolate. and i could put out tart cherry juice i have, and i’ll make a pitcher of iced tea. oh maybe i should make iced chai from scratch 🤔 in any case this is where i’ll spend most money

central offering will be a bean dish, either a bean salad (WHATS THE BEST ONE YOUVE HAD?) OR (hot dish) the bean ziti smitten kitchen posted which… i want to do this. is it 📢 doing too much? yes. But. she said.. if i did i’d have to do bread with it, which makes me nervous (i don’t have good bread instincts)

if i go with SK i’ll have extra basil for a veg salad. it seems too early for the typical basil salad uses so i’d have to brainstorm. my go-to would be a carrot salad and a smashed cucumber salad, both of which are options but wouldn’t go that well. this would be a good time to try doing the viral salad seasoning pasta salad - should i…

i will for sure make japanese potato salad because i have a ton of kewpie to use up. in fact i may need to make a second kewpie salad

if i were going the dips route i’d the lauren toyota’s vegan nacho cheese but i’m just not inspired

a typical go-to spread for me might be the spicy sour cold spaghetti noodles from woks of life with carrot salad and cucumber salad and maybe marinated tofu but it doesn’t feel like the vibe

eta you know what, i have dates and am craving goat cheese dates, i should add those to the menu. i was going to avoid any fussy assembly but these would be worth it

i reaaally need to actually budget this because even though it’s arguably chapter business i can’t get chapter money (which i expected). the plan was to make asking for financial support (maybe $35 in food) for the women’s section a progressed structure test, but leadership failed structure test one (being willing to speak to us or respond to our communication when we told them we were organizing a womens day event) so i’m back to structure test negative one (them not murdering us)

so my plan is to have three dishes plus 2 sweet ones and all but 1 should be make ahead, and some chips maybe or something like that

however as you know i have a habit of doing too much for this sort of thing lol