#once & formerly haunted

[batwingsandblackcats]

Oh hey Bridge City Sinners, thanks for dropping the perfect song just in time for chapter ten of the bookshop au, SUPER convenient I am DELIGHTED

[a-scary-lack-of-common-sense]

Part 2/2

By the time Stanley had realized he wasn't as alone as he believed himself to be entrapped in this ravenous abyss; he had honestly begun to suspect that he was finally starting to properly lose his mind.

In all the ceaseless miles that Stanley had journeyed during his apparent permanent residence within the dark devouring void, not once had he encountered another conscious, walking, talking being similar to himself. Every other formerly living creature that he had crossed paths with had been so... silent. Empty. Dead, in every sense of the word. It was as though the very essence of life itself had been sucked out of their bodies with a straw, their forms slowly falling apart piece by piece under the vicious gluttony of the darkness that surrounded them. They looked like they actually were supposed to be there, unmoving and comatose, unlike him.

So, when Stanley first began to encounter the twins, all of a sudden, he wasn't the only one in the dark.

When meeting the first pair of them, he found himself standing in a lake.

He hadn't even noticed the changes at first. It felt as though he had been walking for weeks on end, his body moving purely on autopilot and his aching legs leading him towards a destination only it knew. A thick fog of forgetfulness and flickering memories had descended upon his brain like a heavy blanket of numbing static as he had traveled. In this absentminded state, he hadn't even realized that the ever-present undulating, buzzing darkness surrounding him had begun to gradually shift and morph to form a horizon line; stretching into tall looming cliffsides that almost seemed to close in on him. Once the nonexistent floor beneath his soles abruptly began to ripple and warp, like the disturbed surface of a shallow puddle; only then did he finally notice his transformed environment.

The transition was seamless, almost dream-like. One moment, he was still surrounded by that filthy, overwhelming abyss; and the next, his boots were suddenly plunged deep into the cold, dark lake water.

The silence didn't leave, however. It still choked and stuffed its way into Stanley's ears to clog up his mind with thick cotton; the eerie quiet not quite matching the calm, almost serene scenery the void seemed to have abruptly transformed itself into. Like a movie with its sound cut off; leaving only the unsettling hum of the projector to fill the empty air.

It was odd. The lake was surely incredibly deep. He could obviously tell from how thin and pathetically small the shores appeared all the way from where he now unceremoniously stood in the middle of the lake. Stan could look down and see the darkness below his feet swallow what meager light that managed to break through the murky waters. The overwhelming black almost seemed to beckon him, gaping and haunting; a bottomless underwater pit of pitch black that never seemed to end.

And yet, he didn't sink. Stanley remained perfectly level, the almost ink like waters stopping just at ankle level, as though he were held up just above the surface by some invisible force. Even the writhing waves seemed small and low, as though the waters were shy to climb up his legs further than that. It was odd, so very odd.

However, it wasn't nowhere near as odd as the sight that greeted him when he finally lifted his eyes from the waters.

Stanley had crossed paths with truly unbelievable sights in this strange somewhere; from bursting, collapsing stars; to the imploding heat death of entire universes, but none of them seemed to hold the candle to what he saw then when he lifted his eyes:

Children.

Two, to be exact. Two, nearly identical looking children stood motionless before him; completely soaked through to the bone as though they had taken a plunge into the frigid water that pooled around their ankles. It was a girl and a boy, both adorned with twin expressions utterly devoid of emotion, their wide eyed stare seeming to burn holes into his thin jacket. Their drenched clothes sagged off of their scrawny frames; thin rivulets of water dirpping off of them and disturbing the glassy surface of the water at their feet. The little girl's hair had messily stuck to her face in thin sodden strands, her cheeks still full and round with youth just like the boy's. They looked young. Too young to be in a place such as this.

Oh, but their eyes; their eyes.

They burned with such anger; such injustice, brighter than any dying star or galaxies he had ever seen. Anger towards the world, to fate, to whatever cruel deity that had deemed them fit to be sent to this wretched place so prematurely. They were too young to be here; to be entrapped like he was amongst this hungry darkness. And yet, here they were, sheer denial against their own untimely deaths being the only thing keeping them awake and conscious amongst the dead and rotting. A show of juvenile defiance to nature itself so vehement even the all-consumign darkness seemed hesitant to devour them whole just yet.

It saddened him. It saddened him to know that they belonged there, that they were supposed to be there. He could see it, he could feel it; they were dead. No amount of determination could deny that universal fact.

When they spoke, Stanley could hear anger:

Stan chuckled in a futile attempt to lighten the suddenly heavy atmosphere that threatened to crush him whole. "A lake monster? You kids and your imagination," he teased, hoping to somehow rid the poor kids of the haunted look that seemed to whirl in their glares. No child should have been burdened with such a knowing look; such eyes that looked like they had seen everything there was to see about the world, the horrid and the good.

Clearly, it had been the wrong thing to say, and Stanley's faux pas was rewarded with a scowl from the little boy. A world's worth of sour contempt etched into every contorted groove that his grimace seemed to dig into his much too young face. Stan suddenly felt guilt squeeze at his weary bones for having caused that.

"That's what they all said," the boy spat out, eyes shining with a sheen of wetness Stan wasn't sure he was prepared to deal with.

Stan left that first interaction with the twins with the feeling of guilt and sorrow still clining to him.

He couldn't have known, at the time. He couldn't have known that this wouldn't be anywhere near the last time that he would meet the pair. He hadn't realised just how many of them there were. After that first pair, his endless journeying within the Abyss was hardly be spent alone anymore. Countless more times, he came face to face with the exact same two young and impossibly worn faces; forced to meet one pair of beaten and bruised kids after another.

Not one pair had died the same death as another. Some had gotten lost, prey to whatever threat that had snatched them up out in the open; some had fallen from high up; some had been crushed under an incredible weight; some had burned; some eaten alive; some zombified. Some didn't even seem physically harmed at all, body perfectly intact, and yet that same faraway, distrubed look in their eyes remained.

He thought the worst ones were the ones he found alone. A little girl or a little boy, left all lonesome without their other half there. Twins, he remembered a pair of them telling him once.

Once, he had come across a town full of silent, stone statues. It was a rustic, shabby, almost nostalgic looking town- odd and strangely familiar. The sight of it had tugged at an aged memory that had long since wasted away in the back of his mind. It was serene, almost deceptively so. The sun shone; the air smelled crisp and fresh; numerous waterfalls continued to crash down from the tall cliffsides; and a soft nonexistent breeze whistled through the thicket of pine trees that blanketed the outskirts of the town. None of it seemed to match the gruesome scene of the hundred wailing statues that littered every inch of the town.

He had found the boy's statue on the other side of town, deep within the green forest and toppled over the gnarled roots of a towering tree. Like the rest of the townsfolk, he too, was frozen mid-shriek; his stone face twisted and contorted into a mock impression of a silent scream as his body lay paused in a writhing struggle. He made sure to be gentle when he carried the boy's statue over to place it beside the girl's, whose statue stood far deeper into the forest, sporting the same rictus grimace of terror as her brother's. It somehow felt wrong for them to have been so far apart from one another, even in death.

He had come to dread meeting of the twins. He hated every second he had to confront yet another pair of dead children that did not belong here, but fate had decided they did. He despised having to listen to their tales of woe as they wept about the injustice of the world, of having died young; he despised himself for being unable to do more than weep with them.

"We don't belong here, Grunkle Stan," he would listen to the little girl weep, calling him a title he didn't recognize. He never remembered if they had ever told him their name, but they all seem to know his, without a fail. "If we're dead, then what about you? What about Grunkle Ford? Mom? Dad? What about them? We can't be dead, we can't be," they would say, confusion and frustration written all over their faces. They didn't understand. They didn't understand why they had come to the darkness so early, so unfairly.

He never knew what to say, he'd never been good with words.

All he could do was kneel down to their levels and engulf them in his arms, hoping he could somehow squeeze the pain straight out of their bodies in his embrace. He hugged them, because what else could he do?

[calliesmemes]

ABSOLUTELY UNHINGED COMEDIC RELIEF

ASSORTED QUOTES FROM TUMBLR TEXTPOSTS, X (formerly known as twitter) POSTS, TIKTOK, MEMES, AND OTHER SOURCES AROUND THE INTERNET

CHANGE gendered words and in-universe phrases as needed.

SPECIFY muse for multimuses.

“   Currently considering becoming a bother and a nuisance, maybe even a menace or a rascal. ”

“   Hungry? Eat the government. ”

“   Yes, I wanna fuck after every argument. ”

“   Silence, you uneducated peanut! ”

“  They should invent a being alive that isn’t so difficult. ”

“   Women have to think I’m hot or none of this matters. ”

“   Due to personal reasons I will be named an enemy of the state. ”

“   Being overdressed is a myth made up by people who didn’t want you to have fun and be sexy. ”

“   What even are daddy issues? Just traumatize your father back. ”

“   I LOVE complaining! You can’t take that away from me! ”

“   I went to the silly goose convention and they all knew you. ”

“   I’m simultaneously ‘I’m tired of this grandpa’ and ‘that’s too damn bad!’ ”

“   The word ew coming out of a pretty girl’s mouth holds so much power … I think that it can tear apart nations. ”

“   Someone made fun of my shoes and the whole time I just thought of ways to push them out the window. ”

“   If you’re short, simply get taller. ”

“   I better think twice? Buddy I don’t even think once. ”

“   My off putting looks, awkward demeanor, and strange behavior have captivated you. ”

“   There’s something deeply, fundamentally wrong with you. Can we kiss? ”

“   You are a fool. When you walk, clown music plays. ”

“   I mean yeah he’s evil and all but what if I were his favorite? ”

“   I really do hate thinking. ”

“   In my defense, I simply do not vibe with the law. ”

“   I’ve done nothing wrong. Except all the atrocities. Besides that, I’m innocent. ”

“   Sorry I couldn’t hear you over my internal monologue. ”

“   Of course you have white hair and trauma. ”

“   So apparently the bad vibes I’ve been feeling are actually ‘severe psychological distress’. ”

“   Stop calling me a bad person just because I’m orchestrating your downfall! ”

“   The more lip gloss I collect the longer I live. ”

“   Sorry that I am obsessed with you in the unhealthiest way possible. As if it's my fault ”

“   The multiple failed assassination attempts against me have helped build both character and self esteem. ”

“   I could be your loser boyfriend. Do you ever think about that? ”

“   Accidentally went and got myself killed yesterday, but god wont let me die so I’m back ”

“   What do you mean napping isn't a good coping mechanism? What do you mean my problems are still here? ”

“   Academic validation is required for my sanity. ”

“   RIP to everyone killed by the gods for hubris but I’m different and better. Maybe even better than the gods. ”

“   Researching the stages of grief to see if I can get them finished in ten minutes tops. ”

“   My parents were like I’m gonna make a child that is so beyond help. ”

“   It’s not easy to admit when you’re wrong, and that’s why I won’t do it. ”

“   Why can’t this family ever have a funky good time? ”

“   How do I show people that I’m more than my unethical career choice? ”

“   I fucked my way into this mess, and I’ll fuck my way out. ”

“   You look so biteable today. ”

“   Why am I suffering? I have so many correct opinions and takes. ”

“   I AM HAUNTED BY A PAST THAT I CANNOT GO BACK TO! anyways ”

“   Challenging authority, angering gods. The family business. ”

“   Third base is me telling you about my father. ”

“   Hey girl. Plagued by terrifying visions? ”

“   Got caught giving a fuck. Embarrassing. ”

“   I didn’t ‘miss’ the red flags; I saw them and thought that they looked sexy. ”

“   Do my dark circles and deteriorating health make me look hot? ”

“   I get my news from the only reliable source, cryptic symbolism in my dreams. ”

“   Another day of being a bisexual disaster. ”

“   I’m going to let myself be a little unhinged today, as a treat. ”

“   Some of you act like murder is such a big deal. ”

“   You wanna hunt me for sport so bad that it makes you look stupid. ”

“   You’re not a girlboss unless you’ve killed someone. ”

“   It’s so weird how no one ever has correct opinions about things except for me. ”

“   Hello, my love — I mean, my rival ”

“   No one is calling me baby and it’s outrageous I can’t believe it. ”

“   No talking stage. Mutual obsession and you see god in my eyes or nothing. ”

“   I DON’T UNDERSTAND HOOKUP CULTURE DIE IN MY ARMS ”

“   Yes baby your emotional walls are high and impenetrable can we kiss now? ”

“   Affection is disgusting. Drown me in it. ”

“   I am gatekeeping my respect from you. ”

“   Well, well, well, if it isn’t the consequences of my own actions. ”

“   I am equal parts fuck around and find out and please don’t yell at me I’ll cry. ”

“   Short legs, big butt. I’m a corgi. ”

“   Fuck being the bigger person; I’m going to start biting people. ”

“   Well that wasn’t very slay of you! ”

“   May I please get a crumb of affection? ”

“   I crave power! Please don’t yell, though; I’m sensitive. ”

“   You call it a near death experience; I call it a vibe check from God. ”

“   Here are some scissors. Now cut it out. ”

“   Might commit a little tomfoolery, maybe even some shenanigans. ”

“   All these flavors, and you choose to be salty. ”

“   How can I live, laugh, love in these conditions? ”

“   What if I said ‘to be honest’ but then lied? ”

“   I'm financially at a stage where I understand why people do fraud. ”

“   Yes I may be evil and morally corrupt, but I’m also incredibly beautiful and I think that makes up for it honestly. ”

“   Debates are stupid. Why would I want to sit down and argue with someone blatantly dumber than me? ”

“   I forget but I do NOT forgive.. I'm just walking around hating bitches can't remember why ”

“   Ding dong your opinion is wrong! ”

“   I’m coming for your kneecaps. ”

“   You dropped your nose you fucking clown. ”

“   Are you a fire alarm? ‘Cause you are really fucking loud and annoying. ”

“   Call me an escalator, because I let people down. ”

“   I love me a good lesbian scandal! ”

“   If you can’t run away from your problems, you’re not running fast enough. ”

“   Everything I want to do is illegal. ”

“   Don’t make me hit your ankle with my Barbie scooter! ”

“   I tell gay jokes because I am a gay joke. ”

“   Fuck! I dropped my mental stability! ”

[milliesfishes]

⋆౨ৎpeacekeeper coriolanus takes you to a haunted house⋆౨ৎ fem reader x coriolanus snow

There were ten more people touching Coriolanus than he'd like, and the line was long, stuffed with bodies of all shapes, sizes, and ages. It was hot for this time of year, and he was regretting his choice of dress- having put his long-sleeved uniform shirt over the white tee. He was about to politely nudge the person behind him at least an inch away when you reappeared, settling in your place under his arm again. "They're getting it started now. I guess there was a problem with one of the actors."

Instantly a rare smile lit his face as he rubbed your shoulder, even the sight of you enough to brighten his mood. "Good. I was getting worried."

"I'm sorry I left you for so long," you chattered, and he swore your bubbly demeanor was lifting you off your feet. "I saw Mary and I wanted to ask about her garden, and then Jenny joined in and she was telling me about her boyfriend, and then he showed up and I had to meet him too."

Coriolanus pressed a kiss to the top of your head as the line started to move. The progress was slow, but it was better than standing still. "It's okay. I can handle ten minutes by myself, sweetheart."

You leaned against him just a little as you moved forward with the line at a snail's pace, content to stay with him. It was a funny thing- when Coriolanus had met you, you'd hardly been able to stand still, always flitting from place to place, person to person like a hummingbird. But with him, your impulses were quieted, and you were happy to just be with him. He'd worried at first that it was a sign that you didn't like him or that he was boring you, but you'd told him sweetly it was just the opposite.

Playing with your fingernails, painted bright red (his favorite), you seemed to just be taking in everything surrounding. Children ran wild, their faces painted like creatures of the night. Groups of friends laughed and clung to each other in anticipation of the fright ahead.

The haunted house was set up in an abandoned building formerly used for canned food assembly, and for once, there weren't slews of Peacekeepers crawling the area. In fact, Coriolanus was sure he'd seen his head officer here with his wife and child. You'd told him about this tradition, that it only happened a few weekends in October, and a person was only likely to get in on one.

Leaning up, you kissed his cheek, holding one of his hands with both of yours. "I'm happy you wanted to do this with me."

He felt a slight flush color his cheeks, suddenly glad for the darkness so nobody could see. "Of course I'd do this with you."

"Hmm," you hummed fondly, rubbing his chest. Finally you were at the front of the line, and the friendly woman at the front stamped both of your hands, ushering you in.

The beginning corridor was pitch black, and Coriolanus held tight to your hand, smiling at your nervous giggles. "Alright, sweetheart?"

"Uh huh," your hair touched his shoulder, body taut with premonition.

The first actor jumped out with a bloodcurdling scream. Coriolanus jolted, and a cute little yelp escaped you. He chuckled, squeezing your hand. "Are you still okay?"

"Uh huh," you laughed, clinging to his arm. "It was the first one that got me, that's all-" another person leapt from the darker shadows, flashlight under their chin, and you shrieked.

The rest of the haunted house went very similarly, with you jumping at every scare, gripping him tighter and tighter. With anybody else, he might have found it bothersome, but with you it was adorable.

When you could see the light at the end, you heaved a sigh of relief. "We made it through-" You didn't even finish your sentence before someone was bounding in front of you, sending you flying into Coriolanus' arms, nearly knocking him over.

He half-walked, half-carried you out, unable to help his laugh. "That last one was scary, huh?"

"Uh huh." Your mumble was punctuated by giggles, and he shook his head, dropping his lips to your hair again.

"You're too cute to be true," he mumbled, and you lifted your head, standing on tiptoes to peck his lips. Hanging onto him around his neck, you tilted your chin back, a mischievous little grin on your face.

"Can we go again?"

tagging @kellielovesmovies because <3

[marwen-prince-of-dusk]

To Soothe A Burning Heart

A Messmer the Impaler x Reader Fanfiction, written at the request of a dear friend.

Debut work by Marwen, Prince of Dusk. ---------------------------------

A once radiant sun, dulled by the velvety shroud of the Erdtree, looms overhead.

Warm and dreary the land may seem, a dry coldness bites through the air.

Certainly a cool that would be alien to those held warmly within the bosom of Shadow Keep, nestled firmly atop the rolling hills just past Castle Ensis. 

The black fortress was helmed by a great, red maned serpent; Known by most as The Impaler, he was formerly embraced by the matriarch of the golden lineage, Queen Marika.

Yes, indeed, Queen Marika was once mother to the infamous red prince.

The tale known to few that it may be, The Impaler has indeed lived a long, ghastly life.

However; Therein lies your purpose.

Your duty within Shadow Keep, an attendant to The Impaler himself, is to ease his suffering. To tend his wounds, to mend his heart, to lend your gentle touch and whisper into his ear nothing but the sweetest songs of comfort and ease.

Yet, you would not dare call him “The Impaler”, no; Such an action would see his spear through your heart.

The only name of your lord, of course, is Messmer.

Messmer..

Oh, Messmer..

His beauty had ensnared you once more. His marred body had started to clear slightly whilst under your supervision, and after so many centuries, you had begun to develop an appreciation for his gaunt features. Of course, a son of Queen Marika was sure to be no less than tantalising; However, a chill runs up your spine while you are lost within your thoughts. 

The fiery gaze with which he pierces the solemn darkness of his chambers..

The very same fiery gaze that seems to be meeting yours at this very moment.

Of course, you’d been staring at him. Watching him. Observing him during a rare period of rest… You must have drifted off into thought, as you often do while admiring his figure from afar.

Messmer seems unbothered by this, if a bit curious.

His voice cuts through the silence like a blade through mortal flesh. With his attention gained, his crimson snakes flourish, as their flames light his face dimly.

He speaks out to you;

“Your eyes. They’ve been loath to leave me, for quite some time. Whyever wouldst thou glare at me in such a manner? With such.. want?”

You are startled by his voice, as you’ve rarely heard him speak. After all, there is little that needs to be communicated to those who understand their role.

You attempt to respond to his admittedly forward line of questioning, but you are unable to utter a single word. Perhaps it is the duality of his beauty that has caught your tongue? You can not say for certain, although what can and can not be said matters little when faced with further inquisition from such an intense man.

“You would draw attention to my wounds.. To my scars. With intent to ‘fix’.”

Still stricken soundly by a heavy silence, you can barely turn your head.

“Such is your duty as my attendant, I suppose. You are bewitched by silence, and yet the expression upon your face is singing me a song carrying with it not an inkling of subtlety.”

Messmer extends his hand to you with slight caution, owing to his little experience in being the first to engage.

You place your hand in his palm, gently feeling over his calluses. They were surely formed as a result of the constant battles from ages past; It had been clear before that Messmer was no stranger to violence, but to feel even a fraction of the toll it had taken on his body left a feeling of pity somewhere deep within your heart.

A sea of warmth comes over you, as you feel the urge to embrace him. Unsure of the consequences of doing so, there was indeed hesitation.

Understanding fully that such a deed could possibly end in your likeness haunting him as nothing more than another mounted corpse among the countless others, you place your hands upon his face.

It’s softer than you had thought it would have been. As you caress his cheeks softly, Messmer’s eyes widen ever so slightly.

It’s true; He had never experienced a love such as this, even from his own mother. He wasn’t quite sure how he felt about her~ He had spent a vast majority of his life taking orders from the woman, and the series of events that led up to the two of you sharing each other’s company in this very moment were indeed events that weighed heavily upon his mind.

This feeling was something new. A warmth that he had never experienced previously, not in all of his thousands of years of life.

A flame unlike any that he had used in his crusade against the towerfolk of Belurat.

“You’d..”

He looks down towards the stone floor, then back up slightly.

“You would have…”

He pauses, taking a moment to think to himself.

“Me?”

He looks you in the eye, and places his hand on yours.

You nod to him slowly, bringing him in as you wrap your arms around him and rest your head over his shoulder.

He seems bewildered, caught off guard.

With hesitation, he brings his hand to your back and presses you gently against his chest, mindful of the serpent protruding from his body.

You break away from his chest after a few minutes, looking into his golden eyes.

You slowly lift the helmet from his head, running your fingers through his coarse hair. It’s lost its vibrancy and lustre over the centuries, having been resigned to solitude in Shadow Keep away from the kiss of sunlight.

With your fingernails, you brush it carefully so as to not break any of his fragile locks. Messmer seems to relax slightly while you care for his hair, letting out a quiet, if shaky, sigh of relief.

He closes his eyes slowly, allowing himself to be vulnerable. You let him down slowly, setting his head down on your lap as you continue to brush through his hair with your fingers.

After a while, you stop and lean down to kiss softly the head of the sleeping prince.

This was your purpose.

Having exchanged no words, Messmer understood it just as well as you did.

For the first time in his life, he had felt fulfilled, though he knew not the word for such a strange feeling.

As the dark sun sets over the Land of Shadow, a moon rises in it’s place and shines through the entrance, lighting Messmer’s face. He looks.. Content. At ease.

There is no telling what will happen when dawn breaks.

What he will say, what he will do. If he will even acknowledge today’s events.

But even he, in his slumber, knew this much…

“Contempt..”

“Hatred..”

“Guilt..”

“Shame..”

“All burns away when your kindly hand meets mine.”

“For this, I couldn’t, with any worldly power, let you go;”

“I’d sooner let our lands of shadow burn than live an eternity parted with you.”

“Perhaps I’d even forsake her, yes, it is true…”

“If it meant that you and I could start a life anew.”

.

..

…

Thank you for reading.

This is my first complete work of fiction, as may be made clear by its short length.

However, I hope that you found it pleasurable to scroll through.

Since I am not content with the length of this fanfiction, I will likely continue to add onto it until I’m satisfied.

I had an excellent time writing this, and hope you enjoyed reading it just as much.

-Marwen

[sylvies-chen]

I love the ballad of songbirds and snakes, don’t get me wrong. but the streets are comparing coriolanus snow to anakin skywalker and I just… somebody get me a gun! I need to buy a gun!

and listen, I totally get the idea behind it. they’re both young formerly promising men who spiralled downwards into violence and authoritarianism and, as a result, betrayed their best friends and the women they care for. on a basic level, they have some similarities. but again, it’s like… the most BASIC and SURFACE LEVEL comparison to make!

snow is not a fallen angel or tragic doomed hero. the entire point of the book + film was that he was always prone to thinking manipulatively, to being selfish, to being violent, to liking the system too much, to letting not just anger but genuine hatred inform his decisions. HE IS THE VILLAIN. and vader is a villain too— the most iconic villain of all time— but anakin is a whole other story, and coriolanus doesn’t hold a candle to anakin when you compare some deeper elements of their motivations.

first off, you only need to look at how they treat their ladies to understand what I’m saying. everyone loves the heartbreak of anakin and padme just as they love the heartbreak of lucy and snow, but that love for their tragic story seems to blind people to the absolute insanity that is snow’s thoughts about lucy. he lies to her, thinks she’s trying to kill him, her song doesn’t satisfy or please him, and in the books he even goes so far as to say she isn’t even that good looking??? anakin, on the other hand, delivers a minute-long monologue about how deeply in love he is with padme, how a single kiss from her haunts him, how he is willing to utterly devote himself to her and fulfil her every demand because there’s nothing else he can do. he expresses his love in a very immature way at times, but it is real and genuine. tbosas makes you question at times whether coriolanus really loves lucy, or whether just this idea of “taming” her seems appealing.

even their downward spirals are vastly different in nature. coriolanus snow becomes more paranoid in an attempt to maintain his image, in order to keep lucy under his spell. his ambitions are nuanced, not black and white by any means, but they are selfish. anakin’s spiral, though there’s no denying the horrific acts he commits, begins from a place of fear and love. he is so genuinely scared of losing his wife and his unborn children that he becomes susceptible to an outside force manipulating him towards the dark side. anakin also fulfils that element of the shakesperian tragic hero in that there’s this idea of potential that we see so present in him. he’s introduced as the one who would bring balance to the force, someone powerful beyond comprehension, a saviour of sorts. snow was never shown to have that level of promise. he was just a man who existed in a system and it is about him grappling with that system until eventually that disgusting fascist mindset takes over.

and lastly, of course, you can’t ever mention these two in tandem without remembering the fact that anakin did the right thing in the end! and coriolanus did not! luke fought to bring anakin back when vader had taken over for so many years, and in the end it paid off. anakin does the truly selfless thing in sacrificing himself to save luke. he lets love inform his decisions, as he once did before, only the fear is gone and so that love orients him towards good instead of darkness. anakin is a fallen angel, but he’s also a man who loved too much and didn’t know what to do with it. snow, comparatively, admits he isn’t above killing children and then laughs in the face of the masses he’s worked to oppress for over half a century right before his death.

anakin skywalker’s story is of the destruction and reconstruction of his good heart, of light, of balance, of love. it is cyclical, and it is tragic. coriolanus snow’s story is not. it is a story not of something sinister growing in an otherwise good heart, but a story of something sinister unravelling and revealing itself.

they are not the same.

[mapledkanata]

I wound up thinking too hard and made Magnus a wife…,,.. and then I made a Magnus AU to go with it.

Her name is Yerani Hammersmith, and in business she is known as Yerani H. Smith. Formerly, she was Yerani Khachatryan.

Yerani is currently employed as Dethklok’s producer.

She is happily married to Magnus Hammersmith, and has been married for about 10 years. While she is aware that her husband had been kicked from a band in his past due to violent behaviours, she was never told it was Dethklok.

Likewise, Dethklok is not aware Yerani’s beloved husband is.. Magnus.

It’s silly! But her usage of H. Smith in all that is business resulted in her full legal name to be overlooked when she was employed after Knubbler.

Though one may be suspicious of him and his intentions, Magnus truly does love his wife. Many years ago, while confiding in Yerani about his past, he withheld Dethklok’s name from her in dual attempt to escape his guilt and resentment, and to keep Yerani from the tangles of Dethklok. The ever-growing presence of Dethklok would serve to haunt Magnus as the years went by.

Despite this, Magnus would find himself roped into the fate of Dethklok once more, just by proxy of his wife becoming their new producer.

AU will be tagged as Dethhammer  !! 

I will hopefully post more lore of Magnus himself and also his story with Yerani :)

[agentc0rn]

Flâneur

What if AZ is seen wandering in the city lol. Might not happen, may happen, who knows.

Short story I randomly made up for no reason if anyone wants to read based on this art (it's not the best but I wanted to indulge in my thoughts):

He wandered. It took great effort and time to get around the labyrinth of buildings. It did not help that his aged senses struggled with grasping all the novelties he had never seen before in his lifetime, nor did it help that hundreds of curious gazes and whispers accompanied him all the way through.

He had been well used to eye contact; not because of his height, but rather because of his status and duties he once held. Though now he was no more than a lost empty shell of a man, merely equipped with a heavy heart and a luggage full of harrowing memories and bygone knowledge that seemed of no use here.

He was a nobody, yet his presence was pronounced. Aside from his stature, his ragged, dull-coloured outfit and his long, unkempt white hair contrasted greatly with the finely made dresses and suits worn by the inhabitants of this great megalopolis. He stood out as a sore thumb, a prickly weed amidst a garden of small colorful flowers. Even though this place was formerly his home, he only became a stranger, a foreigner both in time and space.

Shunning the looks, gasps and hurried whispers he had garnered, he marched on, with no destination set in mind. An old habit that had turned into a lifelong custom - an eternal wayfarer he had become and identified himself as, since he had no home to return to. It had been long gone, washed away by the tides of time. 

He could not help but admire just how the place brimmed with life -  the way the afternoon golden sunlight poured down on the wide paved streets and avenues, where people chattered and strolled about, carrying bags full of goods purchased from the market stands. Carriages rocked and passed by, along with carts loaded with supplies of organic products. Pidoves pecked on bread crumbs at every chance they could get.

The longer he observed, his mind stirred up thoughts and ideas and imagination of all sorts. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment  as he saw himself opening up the mass contraption, unleashing a huge brilliant beam of light that pierced through the clouds, the skies, to the heavens above, soon to scorch upon the earth. Destruction was his legacy, forever engraved onto his name, a grave sin of his that took the form of a key that he long bore for centuries. The effects of his crime more or less tagged him everywhere, lurking around within his shadow. 

It haunted him.

He took a deep breath and doddled the other way, searching for a place to sit. His legs needed a break and so did his mind. He continued onwards until a fragrant scent reached his senses, causing him to stop in his tracks. Taking a closer look, he found a cart stocked with motleys of blooming flowers. There, a short, petite woman donned in a white dress looked around the pots, still yet to decide on which one to choose.

He couldn't help but draw near, all while memories seeped into his mind where his younger self plucked a handful of flowers, tying them and placing them onto his beloved one as a crown. As he bumbled towards the cart, the short-haired brunette took notice of his presence and backed away from him, startled. He mumbled an apology with a tilt of his head, stepping away from the cart. Once she regained composure, she smiled and invited him to come forward with a flick of her hand, quickly dismissing the awkwardness of the encounter.

"Lovely, aren't they?" she said, leaning towards one pot filled with daffodils and sniffed one. AZ did not expect the lady to speak, yet alone to him out of all people. But he did not want to rudely decline a conversation. He hardly exchanged a conversation with a human being for so long in the countless years of his wandering.

He yearned to regain a sense of humanity again, for he had long lost his sense of self along the way in his descent to desolation.

"...Yes, they certainly are," words parted from his lips. "Fleetingly beautiful. Small, but valuable. Truly Earth's finest wealth." With his gloved, coarsened hand, he gently lifted a drooping rose and over to the lavender. The lady in white's smile remained as she eyed his solemn expression. Her soft gaze held a tender curiosity, free of disdain and wariness, unlike the gawking reactions from others. She turned away briefly, returning to her search for some moments just before re-opening her mouth.

"With all of that cumbersome load and thick garment, you must have traveled a great distance. From where you might be?" She inquired. On her right, a Floette drifted up towards AZ, smiling brightly the same way her partner did. As soon as he caught sight of the Floette, it broke his stolid, stony expression. He tried to utter a response but failed. From the bottom of his stomach, grief resurfaced, securing his throat at a chokehold. Tears blurred his vision and he fluttered his eyes quickly. The Floette tapped on his shoulder in an attempt to reassure him, but a few tears trickled down his pale, hollow-cheeked face.

"I...I apologize. I am suddenly reminded of something," he stuttered and looked away in shame. He had thought he had dried all his tears up after all these years.

Taking a quick gander at her surroundings, the lady beckoned to him to follow and he did so without a complaint until they reached a small alleyway, where ratattas scrambled out about. The lady fumbled in her bag and pulled out a handkerchief. "This should be a better place. I should be the one giving an apology, you did not do any wrongdoing. I am no fan of the public either." He accepted her generous offer and dabbed at his eyes, then gave his thanks.

"In a way, you remind me of my grandfather," she said. "Gentle, soft-spoken and fond of nature." As she spoke, the Floette twirled around AZ in a small happy dance. He cracked a weak smile, then returned to his usual countenance. .

"Do I?" he questioned.

"Your mannerism and tone precisely resemble him. I would have loved for him to meet you, surely you would have been good friends."

He smiled and said nothing. They stood in silence, gazing outward at the end of the alleyway, with small streaks of people flowing in and out of the street.

"It is better for me to go now. I worry that I am troubling you, having meddled with your errands," he said with concern, looking downwards at the lady. "I thank you for your acts of kindness. I truly appreciate it." For every word he said, he meant it. He glanced sideways at the lady's Floette and it dawned on him that he had something with him that he could give to the lady as a return of  favor.

AZ dug into his pockets.

"This may not be much, but I hope that you may use these to grow in your garden." He said, extending his long slender arm towards her, handing her a bag of red trillium seeds that he had collected not too long ago in his journey, in hopes of planting along barren areas long affected by the war and the destruction of the ultimate weapon.

"Oh, you are too kind, traveler! I have heard of these before, but never have I expected to possess them!" she placed both of her hands on her chest, gushing. "Do you see this, Fleurine? We can grow more!" she beamed to her companion, who spun around once more in great joy. She turned back forward to him and grinned.

"Before we depart, my name is Acacia for your knowledge, should we ever cross paths and meet again. It  was a great pleasure of exchanging some brief pleasantries with you, good sir! May your journey be filled with great tidings!" she waved at him, joined by her Floette, who waved her flower at him.

"Likewise. My name is AZ. If we do not meet again, then let those seeds be a souvenir of me. I wish you a prosperous life ahead," he said."Au revoir, Ehzie!" the young lady called one last time, and made her way back to the market. Waving back and nodding, he trotted off. He managed to make his way to the end of the city, apparently named Lumiose, with hope sprouting within his ancient, grief-ridden heart.

[poems-of-the-anentomologist]

Hate This Poem

when the roads no longer lead to rome,

when the optimist sees the glass bisected

and the miraculous survival of Phineas Gage is all but forgotten,

turn to this poem and hate it

when the dentist office no longer haunts the nightmares of children,

and the aquarium becomes their new worst fear,

throw tomatoes at this poem as it takes it bow

when you feel mad and twitter (formerly known as X) is not available

hate this poem.

find the page its on,

in the book it's in,

and rip from the page,

put it through the paper shredder,

burn it,

put the ashes in an urn,

and smash it.

then take the ash and plant it in your yard.

and hope a tree sprouts from the actual seeds you planted a yard away

I hope you hate this poem more than anything else.

For if that day were to come,

Then this poem’s mere existence would be justified

Hate this poem, please.

Normally I’d say there’s enough hate in the world as is,

But just this once I’ll make an exception.

[tearwolfe]

Okay, that's good to know. I might have other questions later as I think about things more/these Au's progress, but these are the ones I can think of atm. And please don't feel obligated to answer any of these, I just thought I'd ask.

(Also, I realized that all of these questions are somehow related to Leo/need? That was entirely unintentional, lol, my bad)

Cyberidol au- Does Saki and/or Leo/need exist in this AU? Do they play a part in the plot at all?

Maybe Saki doesn't show up physically in the current story events, but perhaps she's the one who inspired IdolKasa's initial, now-forgotten dream (like in canon), somebody he had pushed away for the sake of (or even due to) his desire for fame, and whose previous importance/presence in his life and her current distance from him will come to haunt him, now that everything he's worked so hard for (and his entire world view, hopefully) is starting to crumble.

Or maybe her role is more like Emu's- she loves her brother so much, and she's trying to push him down the right path and make him remember, but he just isn't not hearing her, no matter how hard she tries. Or maybe she's also stuck in a similar position in the entertainment industry along with the rest of Leo/need, or maybe they're in similar roles to Ruinene. So many possibilities.

(Wherever she is, I hope the Tenma's get to have a heartfelt reunion once Tsukasa gets his shit together.)

Seal Rui au- How exactly did the human/sea creature hybrids come to exist? It's been stated that Rui and the other sea people were kinda just born like that, and the humans are... Well, humans, but where did people like Honami come from? Were they also just born like that by chance, or are they the hybrid offspring of humans and sea people, or is it some secret third thing I haven't thought of? Is there an explanation at all?

Starshine au- You said in an earlier post that Saki, Toya, Haruka, and Kanade would also be little alien things along with Tsukasa (and you also said that this AU is RuiKasa centric, so I get it if you haven't thought about this at all), but what are the rest of Leo/Need up to? Do they still exist as a group just without Saki? Are Ichika, Honami, and Shiho not in a band/not friends at all in this AU? Do they act as hosts that Saki feeds off of like Tsukasa does to Rui? Are they also squishy little alien thingies?

Are all the other units essentially going through their own version of "what if this very important group member never actually existed as a human?" in the background while we focus on RuiKasa/WxS?

I highly doubt any of these things will ever come up in these stories proper, but I'm very curious about these things, lol. Thank you for responding <3

(Also, not a question, but if I had a nickel for every time Tsukasa in one of your au's was hiding from Saki that he was dating a nonhuman (seal Rui and vampire Rui), only for Saki to also be dating a nonhuman without him knowing, I'd have two nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's funny that it happened twice, lol.)

leo/need's role is similar to rui and nene's. i think it'd be fun if one (or more) of them were ex-idols (or formerly in the industry, if not an actual idol), but currently they're not. saki is estranged from tsukasa. i don't have much thought out for what's going on between them?? they do still care about each other, but tsukasa's head is so far up his own ass that saki has stepped back from trying to deal with him. it's very complicated between the two.. they'll still message or meet for birthdays/important events but it's Very Tense. and they're both secretly upset about it.

honami is the result of a human/sea creature hybrid! thus, she has legs.

the rest of leo/need exists in starshine, but they're not a band. they're former childhood friends.. funny enough, like in canon, saki does bring them together. she feeds off of all of them, just clinging to whichever one is currently feeling the worst. she doesn't really have to do much to manipulate any of them since she has three whole hosts. she's doing it better than tsukasa... but yes, pretty much! minori is haruka's host, akito is toya' host, mafuyu is kanade's host (though kanade doesn't really have to do much), and i'm thinking about also making an a little alien creature thang, with kohane as her host. because i think the vivids could still form without akitoya, and i cannot let that happen.

some things about AUs i have in my mind but never really talk about (since it's often not that relevant) so i'm always here to answer any questions <3

[simonnebethel]

Writeblr Introduction

Just learned what a writeblr intro is so I'm gonna make one before I go to bed lol

I've already done something like this a few days ago but that was when I had no clue what I was doing lmao, so might as well make a more in depth one

About me:

20, she/her, bi

American

I write mostly fantasy and urban fantasy, and honestly i dont think i've ever written a story that was non-fantasy lol

Started writing when I was 10, but it was mostly Warrior Cats fanfiction on Wattpad lol. I went through a writing slump for most of highschool but last year I decided to get back into it since I'm not doing anything else lol

I like to read fantasy and classic lit, also anything with vampires. I also have a soft spot for slowburn romances where the main characters dont kiss until, like, the 4th book heehee

In love with anything gothic, vampire, and wlw 👩‍❤‍💋‍👩

I think one of my more niche interests is any early 2000s fantasy/sci-fi movie with a nu-metal/rock/alternative soundtrack like Queen of the Damned and The Crow. They are just...*chefs kiss*

My current stories:

A Chant for Blood (Formerly known as Account of Calamity)

Account of Calamity is a gothic victorian fantasy about a Grand Marshal, Karliah Helisende, and a blood-drinking fiend, Yorick Gwynplaine, who work together to investigate the mysterious portals that spawn dangerous creatures into the city of Isarnan, all the while Karliah is being haunted by the mysterious ancient temple that watches over her every move.

I'm currently working on the second draft, and I may start looking for beta readers once I'm finished, although I know I'm not far from finished with this novel. I also plan to make it a 4 or 5 book series, and slowly add a slowburn romance.

12/30/24 - Second draft has been finished!!

Looking for beta readers! Look here!

Our Demonic Hearts - The Craven Pact Series #1

Our Demonic Hearts is a urban fantasy about a cambion woman, Ana Kravens, haunted by her past. Taking place in a small Mississippi town, a man she went through a traumatic incident with, Beau Motloe, shows up on her doorstep one day with a deal; help him find his missing mother, and he'll give back the memories she lost during the traumatic incident. Her father, a demonic creature of unknown origin, wants nothing more than the Motloes dead, claiming that they were the very reason his daughter was almost killed 6 years ago. Ana goes against her father's wishes and accepts Beau's deal, suspecting that her father isn't telling the whole truth about that fatal night.

It is completed and available on Wattpad and Royal Road!! It was just a small project I had done for Nanowrimo, and has been edited at least once before being published. However, I plan to make it a trilogy and maybe have some spin-offs. This story is fairly new, but most of the characters are at least 5 years old and I love them very much <3

What I plan for 2024:

Finish the second draft of A Chant for Blood and look for beta readers(In the beta reader phase!) ✅

Start the second novel of The Craven Pact Series(Outline complete)

Write a short story/novella or two taking place within the A Chant for Blood universe. My brain is currently exploding with ideas rn ✅

Write a short story about Ana Kraven's mom and how she met Marchosias, Ana's father.

Plan something for Nano?? Idk where I'll be in November lol (Finish a project I started in february, which is To Hear a Lovebird!)

I'm interested in following other writers and reading everybody's stories! I would also be interested in a beta read/beta swap ^^

Other sites I'm on:

Wattpad: LillithOfBees

Royal Road: SimonneBethel

18+ Writing discord!!!

[simply-windy]

The Seven Islands - Phighting Au

The "Seven Islands" are a collection of islands ruled over my deities n their families, each island hosting spawn fountains and a number of demons that inhabit them. Each island has their own characteristics that separate them from the rest and have their own "regional pin' that's given to every demon at birth as a form of identification. Island of Flames: Ruling family: King Firebrand and his grandsons, Prince Dom and Prince Valk The Island of Flames is one of the hottest islands with skyrocketing temperatures during the morning hours and cooler, more tolerable temperatures in the night hours. The waters around his island tend to be hotter too, making swimming a tad of a risk. There is also a dormant volcano located in the very center of the island. All demons born here have a natural resistance to the heat. Island of Storms: Ruling family: Queen Windforce and her son, Prince Banhammer The Island of Storms is one of the roughest and toughest of islands, constantly plagued with harsh weather and storms, those who inhabit this island are always prepared for some sort of dangerous/strong weather events. The Island of Storms is also home to one of the biggest fighting arenas within the seven islands, demons from all over come to show their strengths in hopes of fighting the queen herself. Island of Flowers: Ruling family: King Illumina and his nephew, Snapdragon Sword The Island of Flowers is definitely the most beautiful. Covered head to toe in dazzling flowers, luscious greenery and fruit bearing trees. nature prevails here. The Island of Flowers is also home to the biggest animal population as well. Island of Souls: Ruling family: King Ghostwalker The Island of Souls is a quiet one. A peaceful island where those who're on death's door come to find a resting place. Most elderly demons tend to live on this island for that reason. Peaceful with haunting yet cozy beauty. Island of Plague: Ruling family: King Venomshank and formerly his son, Snapdragon Sword The Island of Plague is one where the undead walk freely and openly, where ghouls and goblins n such come to life. Most demons who inhabit this island also grow up with an immunity to most of the plague and diseases that containment the land. Although food n water are kept heavily monitored to make sure they're containment-free and safe for all to eat for non-native borns Island of Shadows: Ruling family: King Darkheart The Island of Shadows used to be a fun place to visit. Any and all demons were welcomed to come and traverse the darkened waters and shadowy landscape, but now very few demons even LIVE on that island in general. The island nowadays is deemed "unsafe for residency" due to a tragic event that befell the king, causing them to lose their mind and basically overrun the island completely with their madness. Those who remain on the island have fallen into said madness too. Island of Frost: Ruling family: King Icedagger The Island of Frost is snowy and chilled, being the coldest island out of the seven. Peaceful and serene, many people tend to travel there to celebrate winter holidays, go on vacation or simply to see a different form of nature. Many cozy cabins and log houses make up the general housing for residents and such. The waters are incredibly frigid, making swimming a danger for those who're not native born. All demons born here have a natural resistance to the cold.

@discothemechanic is also apart of this au!!!! She's the owner of the Sword in this au. Since she's reworking him, his name is currently unknown as of now and will be added once everything's all set. @seaside-merchants and @young-sharkling , two of my own blogs, are also apart of this au!

[molsno]

I've always looked back on the johto remakes fondly, as I know most people have. they're very beloved games, and for good reason! they brought johto to life on the ds and added lots of wonderful new features. pokemon fans have long since considered them to be the best remakes in the series, and I think they deserve that reputation. however, I've been replaying pokemon soulsilver the past few days and I've been coming to realize that they still suffer specifically because they're johto remakes.

my main issue with the johto games, a problem that continues to haunt their remakes, is that the variety of pokemon available is very limited. if you want to build a full team of 6, then most of your options are likely going to be pokemon from kanto. in the specific context of gold and silver, this makes sense. they were designed as sequels to the original red and green, with the primary hook being that 100 new species of pokemon have been discovered. the original 151 were extremely beloved, so it makes sense that they would continue to be featured prominently in gold and silver. that way, whenever you did find a new pokemon, it would be exciting for the player! I understand the approach that gamefreak took with the original johto games given this context.

the problem is that most johto pokemon just... aren't very good. most of the new pokemon have very poor stats - made worse by the fact that a significant portion of them are baby pokemon. on top of that, many of the ones that are good are often inaccessible until late in the game; skarmory isn't available until after you get the 8th badge (in an optional route that many players are likely to skip, no less), and tyranitar isn't available until mt. silver, the very last location you get access to. even some of the new pokemon which are mediocre at best aren't available until the post-game; houndour and slugma can only be found in kanto despite being johto pokemon, and misdreavus - the only other ghost type besides the gengar line - also can't be caught until mt. silver.

because many johto pokemon are unusable on a team, whether due to poor stats or inaccessibility, your team is most likely going to consist of kanto pokemon. again, I understand why this is the case given the context that the games were released in, but I find it frustrating! I want to build my team around the pokemon native to the region I'm playing in, and I feel my ability to do so is being limited!

so, did heartgold and soulsilver fix this? not really. the same problems mostly persist. one of the only saving graces is that some of the formerly weak johto pokemon received evolutions in gen 4. and you can obtain some of them! however, most of them are locked behind the post-game once again, and some of them are unobtainable entirely without trading. for example, there's no good reason that you shouldn't be able to evolve eevee into leafeon or glaceon in these games, but you need to trade it to diamond, pearl, or platinum to do so because there is no moss rock or icy rock in johto. they could have added them, but they didn't.

it frustrates me because the context these games were released in was different from that of the games they were remaking. technically, they didn't need to remake them; all johto pokemon were made available in gen 3, albeit many of them were locked behind the paywall of having to buy far too many games and accessories. the primary reason for these games to exist was to make them easier to obtain. it wasn't like firered and leafgreen, which were made specifically because the majority of kanto pokemon were completely unobtainable in gen 3 due to the gba not being able to connect with gb and gbc games.

speaking of which, it feels like they didn't learn their lesson from firered and leafgreen. one of the primary causes of frustration in those games is that you are completely unable to obtain any non-kanto pokemon until the post-game, for the sake of being "faithful" to the originals. this was a problem because they already weren't faithful to the originals, as frlg featured new mechanics from gen 3 such as abilities, but I digress. with hgss, the fact that gamefreak intentionally limited which pokemon you can access until the post-game feels like another attempt at being "faithful" to the originals, but they didn't even commit to it as hard as they did before. in frlg, if you maxed out a golbat's friendship, it would attempt to evolve into crobat every time it leveled up, before stopping prematurely. in hgss, you can evolve yanma into yanmega by teaching it ancient power and then leveling it up. if you want a togekiss though, too bad, because a shiny stone isn't available until after you beat the champion.

by this point in the pokemon franchise, I don't think gamefreak needed to remake gold and silver with faithfulness to their original context. hoenn and sinnoh were both designed to be new and refreshing, so it was reasonable for fans to expect each region to have its own identity, with its own pokemon being featured prominently. they could have adapted johto to suit this new convention for the series, but they chose not to, and I can't help but feel that heartgold and soulsilver suffer as a result.

[stellar-solar-flare]

For a fake title how about

“Ghost of You”

Ohhhh! This calls for some angst but also I'm a happy ending person so how about both. Thank you for sending the ask! Send me a made-up fic title and I'll tell you what it would inspire me to write.

🌠.

Steve Rogers has recently found out that the woman he loves and has planned to marry is not actually the lovely bookshop owner he fell in love with, but a very, very high-ranking operative in some black ops team of the government (not HYDRA though).

When he confronts her, she vanishes, like she was never there at all, and the fic opens with Steve in their formerly shared apartment all alone a few weeks or so after the initial confrontation. All her stuff is gone; he only has the memories of her in their kitchen, being cute and romantic and smutty all over the apartment, and even though it now looks like no one but he has never lived there, it still feels like she's haunting the place.

He's heartbroken. He throws himself into solving other people's problems, into work, into operations. That goes on for months, and once he's on a mission the Cap Quartet begged him to not take, too high-stakes, too hard for someone who has been running on fumes for months because he's hardly been doing anything but working out and working...

He's captured.

And just as the Bad Guys are about to turn him into their guinea pig, she gets there; takes them all out in a manner he can't help but respect in all its cold-bloodedness, and gets him out.

And now they're on the run together...

🌠.

[leasthaunted]

Episode 113: The ABC's of BBC's

Do unknown giant felids stalk the moors of Great Britain? Do Scottish sheep have something else to fear on the shores of Loch Ness? Do cats recognize the monarchy? This time wildlife biologist and Least Haunted's resident "Cryptid Hunter" Carolyn joins us once again to take a look at the mystery of Alien Big Cats.

Check out the images below discussed in this week's episode and please come join the episode discussion on the Least Haunted Discord!

Scottish Wildcat, the native wild cat of the British Isle (learn more about them and what threatens them at https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/animals/mammals/scottish-wildcat/)

Kellas cat, a hybrid of Scottish Wildcats and domestic cats, inspiration for the folklore of cat-sìth ('fairy cat') (taxidermy specimen from the University of Aberdeen Collection)

Felicity (mountain lion remains pictured below) is an example of a released wild cat that was believed to have formerly been someone's pet who was released into the wild. Why did they think she used to be a pet? She enjoyed being tickled and preferred processed foods. When she was caught, she was taken to live out the rest of her life at Highland Wildlife Park in Kincraig where she was named Felicity.

An example of meow-staken identity: https://nypost.com/2024/04/03/us-news/cmountain-lion-on-security-camera-turns-out-to-be-cat-police/

Finally, the only alien cat we believe in at LH HQ is Jake the cat from The Cat From Outer Space. Go watch this movie and believe in Jake too!

[tetraharmonic]

Finally jumping on the oc train 👁 👁

I present, the inspector Kira and her other harem!

Aria Bell, second year (kinda self insert imho)

- cannot stand her last name, ready to smack Amano senseless if he doesn't stop singing the Bells of Notre Dame anytime he sees her.

- American Exchange Student, gifted student burnout. Was on track to go Ivy League but her pact got in the way big time, and she spiraled. If it didn't come easy to her, she hated it, and gave up, because she never learned how to work for things until late into highschool.

-Made her pact to protect her younger sister from a hit and run. The demon paused time to give her the one chance, and she took it without even thinking of the consequences.

-Her stigma, Augere, allows her to amplify her own abilities based on her own self confidence and belief she can accomplish it. She used it to enhance her speed and push her sister safely out of the way. It caused an uproar about super humans and all that, which resulted in being transfered to Darkwick. Now, she just uses it to absorb herself completely into her studies and enhance her memory like crazy.

-She can fight, but she doesn't want to. She'd rather dodge, avoid, and outsmart an opponent before it even starts.

-Absolutely thriving in Hotarubi, enjoying her time there as a poet.

-Her artifact is a cloak of invisibility.

- picks at her nails, Kira smacks her when she does, only for Irina to smack Kira for smacking Aria.

Irina/Hisako

-Was known as Hisako while she was alive, but she couldn't remember her name, so she picked one from a TV show she saw as a ghost while haunting a hospital. She goes by that name now, Irina.

-She regained consciousness in a hospital, and kept herself entertained by observing the processes and procedures, as well as enjoying the conversations of both the people there and on the televisions.

-Was believed to be a vengeful spirit, and so, Darkwick sent the Mortkraken ghouls to retrieve her. She turned out to be a Yurei, or a Zashiki-Warashi, as the patients in the hospital had an unnaturally high success rate: she was blessing them all when she could. She came back to Mortkraken willingly, after the promise that she would be helpful to them.

-She discovered ghouls pretty early on, and, as she watched them all, she felt the strong urge to be like them, or at least, able to reach out and touch them. So, despite being only a soul, she sold it all to a demon, naively believing she could defeat it even in this state. Whether she will or not is unknown, but, in making the deal, she's become tangible and can feel things again.

-She can't taste or smell anything, except two things: blood, and apples.

-If the academy finds out what she is, she'll be sent to Obscuary. It'd break her heart though, as she would do anything to be a doctor like her current housemates, and give them a chance to rest since she's unable to sleep even if she wished to.

-Detatchable prosthetic arms. She doesn't have an artifact, so she detaches one and uses it as a flail instead.

-Amano doesn't trust her.

-Has an unusual twitch in her right middle and pointer fingers, and a habit for breaking and entering.

Amano Watanabe

- Squirel shifter anomaly, but don't let that fool you, Irina says he probably has rabies.

-Formerly an apprentice at a temple for a kitsune, with other shifters running the temple (a fox and an elk). Realized he wasn't fit for it and pestered Darkwick to let him in. Quickly also realized once in, he couldn't get out.

-Highly sensitive to spirits, but not nearly as strong as Haku is. Insists Irina is not to be trusted, and isn't an innocent ghost as she claims to be. And it's not because of her pact, either.

-He would wear an "I eat cement" shirt unironically.

-His artifact is a Taiko drum.

-Loves to pester Aria, because he finds it ironic that anyone in Hotarubi would have such a music heavy name. Bells and Arias? Seriously?

-Chilling in Jabberwock, but often doesn't hang out with the others due to the heavy work load.

Kira, Aka Inspector Gadget

-honor student, but with no honor

-consider your shoe rights revoked

-I haven't developed her yet but all I know is that one more order from Jin and she's going to start doing crimes.

-uses metal bottlecaps as currency for favors, as well as other shiny objects.

There is not a single braincell between them, and I am very normal about them.