#otherwise ghosts are frozen in the appearance they had when they died

[voidedjuice]

Don't feel like writing today so here's a slight design update for Airi instead

[incorrectghostbustersquotes189]

Honestly I’m not one to make a lot of headcannons but I’m tempted to try to make some.

Answer to @differentsublimephantom ‘s ask for ghost head-cannons

Muncher (mostly sad though):

Was a worker in Shandor’s selenium factory in the 30s/40s.

Had an accident at said factory that resulted in his death (not surprising)

Somehow died because of nails, don’t ask how, probably gruesomely. That’s why he spits nails at them.

He‘s only really harmful when he feels threatened otherwise he just eats metal.

Podcast came up with the nickname name Muncher because he „munches“ Metal. Phoebe found the name weird but gave in and used him when they caught him.

After getting released by Podcast he just returned to his manifestation point. They never tried to catch him again.

Gozer: Don’t have any at the moment.

Vinz and Zuul:

Definitely have a thing for each other. I mean, the way to bring Gozer into this world is making out with each other.

Both have human/ghost appearances but Gozer forbids them to show themselves like that.

They weren’t always demons. In around 3000 B.C. they were a couple who got sacrificed to Gozer as a human sacrifice, who made them their servants. (Tragic..)

Were also Gozer worshippers before their death.

Slimer (Frozen Empire Edition):

Staying in the Firehouse since 1989.

Just stole food from various places over the last thirty years

Loves cheetos, they’re his favorite snack

Trevor never tries to catch him again and eventually just buys extra snacks for Slimer.

Possesor:

Non human entity

Very mischievous but actually pretty harmless. Only attacked the Ghostbusters because it was under Garraka‘s influence.

Loves messing with the lab crew and especially Lars.

Lars plays games with it and occasionally gives him tennis balls.

Pukey:

Lucky called it that after it puked way to much Slime on them.

Normally friendly, but it’s better to keep it behind a glass if you don’t want to risk get puked at.

[after-witch]

What do you think about Empty Smiles? I heard a lot of people say the ending was rushed.

Also, is this the final final of the smiling man?

I have a lot of thoughts about Empty Smiles! So I actually had a WIP post with my thoughts in my drafts that I forgot about, I'm going to rework that here for an answer.

Short, non-spoilery answer: Yes, the ending is very abrupt, to a frustrating degree. If you check on Goodreads, almost every review mentions this, it's definitely not just me.

As for "is this the final final," Arden did say she was toying with the idea of writing a middle grade historical fiction where the Smiling Man plays a role. So she may not be done with him! I would love it if she did that. I have endless WIPs where it's just "historical setting reader + Smiling Man."

under the read more: loooong thoughts (criticisms & otherwise) about Empty Smiles, SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS for Empty Smiles by Katherine Arden.

First, the criticisms, because that's the juicy part right?

This book was too short. It really needed an extra 15-20 pages. The resolution is shockingly abrupt and doesn’t feel climatic at all. I literally had to go back and reread, because I thought I’d somehow skipped pages. I mean, I guess the resolutions in the previous 3 books were fairly abrupt as well... but since this was the last book, I expected something more drawn out and not as easy as "Okay we literally just walk and key #2 appears with no work or effort, then we're outside and we have key #3 and leave." There needed to be something more.

I don’t understand why the last two books were so short compared to the first two. Is it a publisher thing, maybe? Them wanting shorter books for middle grade consumption, instead of longer books which may be more YA? The library assistant in me says yes, but it is a theory only. I would hope it wasn't because Arden just gave up and didn't know how to end it.

Also the publisher does know how stupid it is for Empty Smiles to have excerpts of books 1-3 in the back, right? Who is reading book #4 but not book 1-3 first?? It's just to pad the book's physical copy out so that it doesn't look too slim on the shelves, and it's a cheap trick.

What else... so Phil is now part of the group but with how short this book is, you don’t get a solid sense of the new dynamic. They kind of wove Phil feeling left out in there (Phil is like, jealous that the evil clowns don’t ransack his house, lol, oh Phil) but it was a little flat.

Nmmm. Now for something a bit frustrating to admit. So I love all the Smiling Man, I’m over the moon about it, y'all know that for sure.

But I feel like the Smiling Man in this book is quite different from the Smiling Man in the first and second books in some respects. Why doesn’t he want to kill Ollie now? He was legit ready to doom her to die behind the mirror, to spend her eternity in a frozen hellscape either sleeping at best or chased by a creepy old hag monster ghost at worst, in book #2. He dug a knife into her heart, figuratively, when she told him about her mom dying.

It’s like he went from Book #2 “yeah I want you to die and suffer, watching you get dragged away to your damnation is so funny I'm actually crying, you thought you could best me, girl??” and #3 "literally trying to kill you guys, KILLED PHIL'S UNCLE" to being softer with her, no gloating, almost protective in some ways, for Book #4.

And mind you, he IS mean in this one. He really is. He shows Ollie a fantasy of her dad & Coco’s mom & Coco without her, trying to pressure her into agreeing to stay with him forever, and what he says to her is just so horribly awful and cruel. And he says terrible things to Coco (saying she’d look lovely as a transformed doll--lovely and quiet) and is delighted by the tortured ghosts of people who died, tormented, in a mental hospital.

He doesn’t care that the carnival has countless people trapped, and he tries to gift Ollie a doll that is a literal human being transformed into a toy. There’s a fucking... box... of broken “doll parts” (aka, literal human beings who are just?? broken?? pieces now jfc) and he doesn’t care that Ollie is horrified by it.

But there's this significant shift with his overall personal dynamic with Ollie. It’s like... he doesn’t care that she beat him anymore. That was the game the entire time. She beat him, and it really, really pissed him off, and he wants to get her (and by extension, Coco & Brian) back. So now he has her and it’s like... eh, whatever.

We get perspective from Ollie as to why her perception of him changes because they are constantly interacting and he is cordial and even funny sometimes, but we never see it from his side. We can’t, not without a chapter from his perspective. I honestly wish that Arden had been like, okay fuck it, and done a chapter from his perspective just before the final chapter. Maybe that would have helped. Because as it is, I am confused. 

I think this ties into why we needed to see Ollie make the deal in book #3, because I think that moment is what shifted the dynamic. He beat her. He finally beat her. We need to see that to get a resolution of their original dynamic, and to introduce the new one. But we don't, and so it's jarring.

And like... I find it fascinating, and I love it, and I lost my mind at him giving her soup and medicine and bandaging her hand and asking her to stay. But I have to personally fill in the gaps of why he's not acting so gleefully horrid over having beat her, and I shouldn't have to do that.

Also, loose ends, loose ends. What happened to the cat and the hound? Why is this carnival suddenly so important to the Smiling man? I'm sad that the cat & hound servants present in book 1, critical components of the Smiling Man when he’s in his element, don't appear at all. Especially the hound. He seemed quite kind to Ollie in the end, whispering gently that if she ever needed him, to call his name. Would have been a neat thing if she'd remembered, and called him. Maybe he could have given us some of the Smiling Man’s perspective that would have made his shift towards Ollie more understandable and sensible. 

For the positives.

Oh gosh, there's so much smiling man. There's SO MUCH. And we get a new facet of his personality, him 'at ease,' which is truly delightful. He randomly trips and horrifies a teenager. Why?? Just to fuck with them. He's surrounded by transformed humans who live terrifying existences as dolls that are literally given away to people who take them home as prizes, and he doesn’t care at best, finds it amusing at worst. Wonderful.

The way he interactions with everyone is just delightful. The way Tim describes him as "nice," but still refusing to let Tim see his sister; the way he's cooly cruel with Ollie and Coco sometimes, the way he gets frustrated with Coco ("Save me from stubborn girls" that line killed me and sent me straight up) and tells people to mind their manners and just... it's a smorgasbord of smiling man in his element. 

And the lore and backstory we get? I love it. It’s tantalizing, while leaving a lot open for interpretation. Especially when we get into the notion of the smiling man being “alone.” I can’t help but think of what someone else wrote about him on here, essentially saying that narratively, he is the :no one else to turn to,” he is Alone, personified, for people who think they have nothing else that they can do, nowhere they can go, no one they can turn to get what they want (whether they do or not). And for him to potentially in some ways, feel alone, and be alone, is very fascinating to me. 

And the little things, here and there. The train car being already decked out with furniture and such, and having old clothes in the drawer. Who was there before? How many were there before? Were there others, are there others? Tucked away here and there, perhaps agreeing to stay, perhaps not, and finding themselves trapped (into scarecrows, into dolls, into mirrors) when they aren’t able to escape like Ollie? 

I also love, on a non-smiling man related note, the closeness of the kid characters and the bond that they’ve developed. The end bit where Coco and Ollie agree that they’re sisters was heartwarming. I also love the involvement of the adults although apparently I’m in a minority on that one. I loved that it was realistic. I loved that, with Ollie’s dad, he wants to believe... feels compelled, deep down, and Arden keeps the detail going of him looking at the scar on his hand (from the snake in book #3) when the subject of Ollie comes up. Like some part of him knows, despite the smiling man’s magic.

Overall, I really did like it. The ending is not great/too abrupt, and I feel like we really did need that scene of the smiling man “winning” over Ollie from Dark Waters to truly bridge the characterization gap--but I love how much more Smiling Man we got, and I love that we got to see him basically be himself instead of in hiding for a good chunk of the story.

Oh, and... the Smiling Man wears Led Zeppelin and Grateful Dead band t-shirts to his carnival. I mean, the man knows how to dress. 

[wistfulcynic]

“Oh!” Stede cries. He grabs hold of the man he’s just slammed into, just enough to stop himself tumbling arse-first onto the floor. His brain registers faint impressions of a sturdy chest and muscled arms and an extremely pleasing, oddly familiar scent before he releases the man and steps back. “Oh I am sorry, entirely my fault, I wasn’t looking where I was—” He glances up and freezes.

The other man seems frozen also, brown eyes wide and mouth slightly open. He’s older, Stede thinks—foolishly, because of course he is, they both are, that’s how time works—with faint streaks of grey already lightening the black of his hair, though both he and Stede are still just on the cheerful side of thirty.

“Ed?” Stede ventures.

“Stede,” the man replies.  

“Yes, I—hello!”

“Uh. Hi.” Ed makes brief eye contact then looks away. “What are you doing here?”

“I live here now!” Never has Stede wished more that his default setting when nervous were not ‘manic cheerfulness.’ It’s not a great tone to take with anyone but especially not this man. It’s almost offensively inappropriate but he can’t make himself stop. “I mean, not here in the market, obviously, but just a few blocks away!”

“Oh.” Ed’s tone remains flat. “Really.”

“You seem skeptical!”

Ed shrugs a single shoulder. “Doesn’t really seem like your kind of hood. Though I guess it has been getting kinda gentrified lately. This place sells quinoa and everything.”

He deserves that, Stede thinks. Of course Ed considers him snobbish, fastidious, self-centred. Why wouldn’t he? Stede’s given him absolutely no reason to believe otherwise.  

“Yes, well, I’m not here for quinoa or any of that sort of thing,” he says, managing with effort to keep his voice within a reasonable register. “I’ve actually been trying out some new ways of living.”

“New ways?” The words seem dragged from Ed, like he doesn’t quite want to say them.

“Yes.” Stede, by contrast, can’t contain his. They tumble from him in a gushing, uncontrolled, almost desperate torrent. He has no idea how long Ed might stay and he can’t—he won’t waste this opportunity. “You see, I got divorced. Almost two years ago now. I should never have got married in the first place. I’m seven years too late to that revelation, I know, but better late than never. At least, I hope that proves to be the case.” He looks beseechingly at Ed but the other man’s face remains expressionless. He makes no move to leave, however, and so Stede presses on. “Also—my father died. Just over a year ago. He died and I sold his company. I thought that was a better option than burning the bloody place to the ground, which is probably true but it was also rather less satisfying. I would have so enjoyed dancing around the flames. As it was, I had to find satisfaction via other means instead.”

Ed appears reluctantly curious. “What means?” he asks.

“I took the money from the sale.” Stede almost sings the words. “I took every last cent and I reinvested it, into something my father would absolutely loathe. Something that I hope has got him spinning in his grave like… like… what’s a really spinny thing?”

“A top?” ventures Ed. The ghost of a smile seems to hover about his lips.

“Hmm,” Stede hedges. “Bit cliché.”

“A centrifuge?” Ed suggests

“Possibly too niche scientific.”

“A fidget spinner?”

This Stede seizes on. “Perfect. The old man hated those. Called them useless toys for a useless generation. I hope he’s spinning in his grave like a fucking fidget spinner spun by an avocado-toast eating, flat-white drinking, college-debt dodging millennial with they/them pronouns.”

He grins triumphantly at Ed, who does not grin in return, though Stede fancies he can spot a telltale twitch at the corners of his mouth. The old Ed would have been laughing uproariously and clapping Stede on the back, squeezing his shoulder in that way he had. The one that made Stede feel so very warm inside.

Stede permits himself a moment to mourn the loss of the Ed that was.

Featuring Olympic fencer Ed, a Stede aware of his privilege, and an Ed/Jim friendship of which I’m really very proud (so much anxiety about getting Jim’s characterisation right). For fans of second-chance romance, right-person-wrong-time breakups, and fateful meetings when the right time for the right person finally comes. And, of course, pining. 

For Prince_Kun, by @wistfulcynic

Rating: M

Words: 10268

Characters: Blackbeard | Edward Teach, Stede Bonnet, Jim Jimenez, Oluwande Boodhari

Relationships: Blackbeard | Edward Teach/Stede Bonnet, Oluwande Boodhari/Jim Jimenez, Blackbeard | Edward Teach & Jim Jimenez, Stede Bonnet & Oluwande Boodhari

Archive Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Second Chances, friends to enemies to lovers (sort of they're never really enemies), Second-chance romance, Pining, Idiots in Love, love that endures, Blackbeard | Edward Teach Loves Stede Bonnet, Stede Bonnet Loves Blackbeard | Edward Teach, Olympian Ed Teach, Ed's an Olympic bound fencer, established jim and olu, Talking It Through As a Crew (Our Flag Means Death)

Seven years ago Ed Teach and Stede Bonnet shared one mind-blowing kiss — right before everything they had between them went spectacularly to shit. Now Ed's an Olympics-bound fencer and Stede's recently upended his entire life, so of course that's when they run into each other again. Literally. While grocery shopping.

Neither one has ever stopped loving the other but so much of what they once shared is broken. To mend it they will have to move past bitter hurts and deep regrets; a difficult challenge but one they're more than equal to — with the aid of just a bit of well-intentioned meddling from their friends.

[wangsejabin]

Yingchong 35

It was obvious that since the Crown Princess had said such a thing,  that the matter would have to be settled today.

Pan'er sat down and observed the crowd, Hu Liangdi was stroking her stomach, Xu Liangyuan's eyes were on the Crown Princess, He Liangyuan wasn't looking at anyone, Liu Cheng Hui and Ma Cheng Hui were both with their heads lowered.

   In fact, Paner does not believe in ghosts, if the ghosts can come back to take revenge, the entire palace would be killed by them.  but some people believe, especially those who have done evil things, otherwise why would the Crown Princess be like this?

This trick is clearly aimed at the Crown Princess, just wanting to take advantage of her illness to take her life.

   In her previous life, because she was silent in this Hall of Virtue, she was under the control of the Crown Princess, so naturally the Crown Prince did not favour her and had no trouble with the Crown Princess, so the Crown Princess was safe and sound until she gave birth.

   But this life has changed, because her status is different since she entered the Eastern Palace, the Crown Princess lost her control over her, she is the Crown Prince's concubine, serving the Crown Prince is her duty, the Crown Princess can't stop her in the open even if she has to lose face.

What happened during this period is not known to Pan'er, except that the Prince stayed with her for several days because of the anger between the Prince and the Crown Princess, and then came back again in quick succession, while the Crown Princess was pregnant

   It was a rare occasion that the Crown Princess was pregnant with this child, and there is no need to elaborate on what this child meant to her. She has been having bad foetal images due to her ups and downs, and with such good timing, those hiding in the shadows came out. First, they took advantage of the Prince Consort's lack of attention and caused an incident that caused rumours to spread, and when the Prince Consort found out about the internal and external problems, her health was even worse.

   So who is it? So who is it that has gone to such lengths to harm the Crown Princess?

   Somehow, Pan'er thought of Liu Chenghui.

   But she didn't think that with Liu Chenghui's methods, he could do this. There must be someone else behind this who hated the Crown Princess as much as she did, but was more powerful than Liu Chenghui, who could have caused all this.

   When Pan'er looked at Hu Liangdi, she felt that she was stroking her stomach with her eyes half-lidded, but the corners of her mouth seemed to be hooked.

   While Pan'er was thinking, the situation had changed a little.

   It was a young eunuch from the Hall of Virtue, usually quiet and had not had any altercations with others recently. It was said that before he went to bed tonight, he had a laugh with some people in the same room and there was no suspicion that he would kill himself.

   So it's a man-made crime?

But who could hang a man in the courtyard of Jidetang and not have anyone discover it?

   At this moment, the atmosphere outside was grim, and Zhang Laishun was leading the interrogations one by one, and the atmosphere in the hall was once again frozen. The palace maid brought the tea, Pan'er was bit cold, so picked it up and tasted it.

This time it was not a fragrant tea, just ordinary tea.

   The prince kept coiling the Buddhist beads around his wrist, obviously not as calm as he appeared, but in fact Pan'er could probably guess what was on his mind.

   I'm afraid he was not happy about this, as they were his concubines, favoured or not.

   The other people's interrogations were over after about two quarters of an hour, and there was no suspicion. They really didn't know how the young eunuch died, including the few in his room.

   In fact, if you think about it, after the previous incident at Jidetang, few people dared to walk around at night, either on night duty or hiding in the house. But if you think about it differently, this is also an opportunity. No one dares to move around, so it's not surprising that people in the shadows can do harm to others and not be discovered.

The matter was already at a stalemate, the Crown Prince put down his tea, squeezed the Buddha beads on his wrist and said, "Continue the investigation, Fulu, you do the investigation, as for you all, now go back to your respective courtyards ......"

   The words had not yet fallen, the Crown Princess said, "Your Highness, it is better to wait a little longer."

   When she said this, the people in the hall were all a little baffled, but Pan'er subconsciously looked out the door.

   The others reacted immediately afterwards, some of them fidgeting a little, others frowning. Hu Liang Di was stunned and then smiled and said, "It seems that the Crown Princess has already made her arrangements. I wonder if this incident tonight was also set up by the Crown Princess in order to catch the so-called real culprit behind the scenes."

   The Crown Princess slapped the arm of her throne and said, "Hu Liangdi, be careful what you say!"

   Even though the Crown Princess was still ill, this angry shout made many people lower their heads.

   The prince was thoughtful.

   At that moment, a few people came through the door, led by Chen-mama, who had not been seen. At the same time were the servants from Liu Chenghui's courtyard and Hu Liangdi's personal palace maid, Ruhua.

   They had been escorted in.

When Ruhua came in, she cried, "Master, Sister Chen and the others wanted to break into the courtyard, and when Chen-mama and Little Li and the others stopped them, Chen-mama said we had disrespected the Crown Princess and wanted to arrest us for punishment."

   Hu Liangdi said lazily, "Then you let them arrest you?"

   Ruhua knelt there, wiping her tears, "The servant girls are servants of the master, even if the Crown Princess wants to deal with us, she must go through the master. Chen-mama pushed so hard that the servant girl couldn't help it, so she came with her to find out what was going on, but Ruyan and the girls were still guarding the courtyard.

   See, this kind of servant is the only qualified servant, and Pan'er couldn't help but think that if one day Xiang Pu and the girls were to encounter such a thing, I'm afraid they wouldn't be able to do it so properly, not only did they not let Chen-mama's purpose not succeed, but also ín front of the crown prince, she complained about the crown princess.

But in contrast, Liu Chenghui's servant was obviously useless and was being pushed in on weak legs, collapsing to the floor before she reached the front.

   Liu Chenghui's face went white and Pan'er had a clear understanding in her mind that perhaps this was the end of the matter today.

   When she found this packet of white phosphorus, Liu Chenghui's personal palace maid, Ying'er, stopped her from allowing it to be found. When the servant discovered that it was white phosphorus, she was so frightened that she turned pale. One could suspect that Liu Chenghui was the one who ordered the incident to happen tonight, but who knew if there are other people behind it.

   Pan'er was getting more and more enthused, the masters were so exciting to watch, the peaks and valleys were turning, and even the minions of each other were sharpening their edges.

   Ruohua's first complained, and Chen-mama backhanded her. She made it sound like there was a mastermind behind it, and drew people's attention to Hu Liangdi, who was not allowed to search the courtyard.

   As expected, Hu Liangdi's counter-attack came too.

   "Then, according to Sister, I am the one behind this? I would like to ask why the Crown Princess let her servants search my courtyard without my consent. If she had searched all of them, she could have done so, but she only searched mine and Liu Chenghui's. I've never had any dealings with her, and I'm usually just a nodding acquaintance.

   "The first time I saw her, I asked her to help me make two more clothes for her. The Crown Princess is not going to try to put the blame on my head because of this? In that case, from now on, it would be better for everyone in the backyard not to meet each other, and not to have any dealings with anyone, lest they be splashed with dirty water."

   The Prince Consort said with a stern face, "Hu Liangdi is careful, this palace did not say that."

Hu Liangdi laughed: "You didn't say that, but that's what your servants around you are doing. Anyway, when the time comes, whether it's me or not, because of what you did today, I will be suspected of being the one behind it? There is no way to throw mud like this."

   The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she became, and stood up with her belly in her hands, not looking at the Crown Princess, but at the Crown Prince.

   If this had happened to Xu Liangyuan and He Liangyuan, they would have had to swallow their teeth and blood, but Hu Liangdi was different, not to mention the fact that she had given birth to the three county princesses and had one in her belly, and just because of her position, this could not be dealt with casually.

  "The first thing done was to order a search of the courtyard. Recently, rumors have been flying around the East Palace, and the servants below are on edge. I think Chen-mama was in a hurry to come back to answer, so she came back first."

   The Prince Consort's words made Hu Liangdi a complete joke.

   It was also because Chen-mama was so cunning that she had intentionally misled Hu Liangdi, and it seems she and the Crown Princess had dug a hole for Hu Liangdi by hand.

   Hu Liangdi sat back sarcastically, but her mouth did not give in: "You did not say it directly, so I cannot be blamed for the misunderstanding."

It didn't take long for the others to return, followed by Xu Liangyuan, He Liangyuan and Pan'er's servants.

   Pan'er had followed the Prince to Jidetang and brought Bai Jue with her, while the others stayed in the courtyard. Aunt Qing's face was sullen and Xiang Pu's was full of grievances.

   The woman's forehead is raised, she is really thinking about what will happen, but there is nothing untoward in her courtyard, so she is not afraid of being searched.

   The only thing is that the matter can be done once, not twice, and if the searchers intend to plant evidence, it will not be easy.

The idea of this was a serious one, but Xu Liangyuan did not say anything, as this was not the time to talk about it.

   The others did not find anything suspicious in their courtyards, only Liu Chenghui.

   "You're planting evidence!" Liu Chenghui fell to her knees and cried. Crown prince, this concubine would not dare to do such a thing, nor would this concubine have any reason. The maidservant is from Jidetang, who knows if someone deliberately planted the evidence, this concubine doesn't know how that white phosphorus came about, and this concubine can't get that stuff."

   "If we had called ahead, wouldn't Liu Chenghui have destroyed the stuff long ago, and would we still be waiting for the servant girl and others to search for it? Besides, the servant girl hasn't even mentioned what the white phosphorus was used for, so how come Liu Chenghui is already trying to clear it up? It seems you know very well what this white phosphorus is used for." Chen-mama said.

   It was true that ordinary women did not know that white phosphorus was spontaneously combustible and had a very low ignition point, and once it had spontaneously combusted it would float in the air with the wind, like a ghostly flame.

   The reason why Pan'er knew about it was that in his later years, Emperor Jianping had been obsessed with alchemy for a while, and although this was just a trick by Emperor Jianping to confuse others, she did not know about it at that time and had learned something about it in private in order to persuade him.

   The white phosphorus was very rare, except for those who used it in alchemy, and only the Ministry of Works and the Divine Mechanism Battalion used it to develop gunpowder. When Sister Chen mentioned white phosphorus, Xu Liang Yuan was confused, but Liu Chenghui acted as if he already knew what it was.

   Liu Chenghui also seemed to know that she had omitted to do so, and cried out in explanation, "I don't know what this white phosphorus is for, but Chen-mama swore that it was harmful, so naturally I had to defend myself."

   No one paid any attention to her, and when Chen-mama told her the properties of this white phosphorus, combined with her previous reaction, it was like giving Liu Chenghui her sentence.

[love-takes-work]

Notes on SU Commentary Tracks

I watched the commentary tracks on the Complete Steven Universe DVD Set and I took some nerd notes.

The episodes with commentary tracks are “Reunited,” “Change Your Mind,” and “The Future.”

I’ll bold stuff that was maybe bigger news or more surprising for easier reading. And yes, some of this was already known from podcasts, other Q&As, or interviews, but I listed it if they said it again here.

Read on after the jump to read these and other highlights:

Steven’s original wedding speech

Older ideas on dialogue for Lapis when she came back to the beach

Scrapped concepts for the scene that ultimately included Steven communicating with the others in a mindscape

Discussions of earlier concepts for White Diamond having a power to “freeze” Gems into statues to make them perfect and having a gallery of them on Homeworld

Pink Pearl’s original fate

The translation of the writing on Obsidian’s sword

The origin of Pink Steven’s design

What Rebecca did to pitch the “SHE’S GONE” scene

Earlier plans to include Shep in “Change Your Mind”

An unused concept of how Steven feels about Biggs

The inspiration for the Heaven and Earth Beetles’ healed design

How Volleyball/Pink Pearl was almost a mini-villain

Discussion of how they did not get to share the origin of the Diamonds

Jasper’s scrapped participation in the movie

“Reunited” - 

Commentary with Rebecca Sugar, Ben Levin, Matt Burnett, Hilary Florido, Joe Johnston, Ian Jones-Quartey, and Kat Morris.

In 2015, an episode idea called “If You Love Yourself So Much” was discussed but rejected. It included some early ideas that ended up getting incorporated into “Reunited,” most notably Garnet marrying herself and putting rings on both hands.

The idea of the Cluster arm wrestling was planned for a long time. A scrapped idea of Steven banging his fist on a vending machine to get some Chaaaaps was supposed to visually parallel some of that scene, but it was axed.

When they got pushback on the wedding idea, they kept adding more and more “high entertainment value” items like a big musical number so the episode would be absolutely unmissable and appealing to everyone.

The song at the beginning of the episode was meant to check in with the entire cast and sort of remind you they exist and what their state of mind is going into the wedding.

Ian made a comment joking about “All 15 people in Beach City” being in the audience.

Just about everyone on the Crew touched this episode, despite that there are four main storyboarders credited for “Reunited.”

In 2016 Ian Jones-Quartey proposed marriage to Rebecca Sugar. They felt like the characters based on them (Sapphire and Ruby) HAD to get married in the show now because otherwise it wouldn’t be honest. But then their characters got married before they did.

They really love the idea of having characters get married who have known each other for a really long time, versus the fairy tale trope of movies ending with weddings between people who have met very recently.

Steven’s speech as officiator at the wedding used to be longer in its first draft--it was described as being weird and full of jokes, and there would have been a scene with Pearl getting weepy and pulling tissues out of her pearl.

Ian mentions loving a joke Jeff came up with having Greg play one chord to make Steven fall asleep--it’s sort of a “dream” chord you hear in cartoons a lot before a dream sequence.

The Crew discussed what it might be like if someone had never seen the show before and started with this episode.

Ian really wanted Steven’s psychic powers to figure into the episode.

Blue using a sadness wave to attack the Gems was a very old idea they’d planned for a long time. So was Lapis’s arrival.

There was a discussion of having Lisa Hannigan performing her lines as Blue VERY early in the morning.

Ian was happy the sword got broken because it was so momentous but it was just a sword. And later appeared on a shelf in the house as an artifact.

Miki had drawn a torn dress for Garnet at one point so she could be shown fighting and moving around more accurately, and this led to a long discussion of whether Gem clothing can even actually get torn the way human clothes can. They concluded that no, it shouldn’t be torn, so they backed up and gave Garnet an open-front dress from the beginning so the fighting version would make more sense.

Lapis originally might have had a longer speech upon arriving back on the beach. They eventually decided to just have her say “Hey.”

The barn falling on Blue Diamond was an intentional Wizard of Oz reference.

They point out that Steven even once said “drop the barn on the beach” (in a previous episode, “Can’t Go Back,” which was also a Miki episode).

Destroying the house was a big deal, and they always thought they’d end up doing it but backed away from it until “Reunited.” They almost even did it back in “Coach Steven”! But it just ended up with a little damage to the porch.

The Crew thinks Miki is really good at drawing ensemble shots.

Rebecca was always overwhelmed whenever she got to have Patti LuPone record for Yellow.

Originally the giant figures of everyone’s statue bodies in the mindscape were too dark and had to be revamped so they could be seen.

An earlier idea of Steven’s “psychic-ghost-situation” had him as a ghost actually trying to interact with the other characters during fighting action, but it was pulled back to this mindscape so there wouldn’t be as much confusing action to keep track of and more focus on what Steven was doing to encourage his teammates and contact the Diamonds.

Hilary was glad not to have to block out a fight.

Ian mentions loving having Bismuth back in the group.

They originally wanted the “Diamonds sensing Pink’s energy” plot to happen when Steven was in the palace somehow, but everything got moved to this scene--which the Crew all agrees turned out incredible, like how cool it was to have Steven essentially reminding each character why they fight and summing up their whole arc in a sentence.

“Change Your Mind”

Commentary with Rebecca Sugar, Ben Levin, Matt Burnett, Hilary Florido, Joe Johnston, Ian Jones-Quartey, and Kat Morris.

They like to refer to this episode as “The movie before the movie.”

They loved incorporating “princess tropes” into Steven’s time on Homeworld, which is why there were so many references to “mice” (well, Pebbles) making clothes, being locked in a tower, being reminded of his manners, loving animals and freeing imprisoned pets, etc. 

Deedee did the voice of the rainbow worm pet. She apparently didn’t find it memorable and was surprised when she was reminded she did the voice.

Rebecca was super excited for the confrontation with Blue.

There was some discussion of how Steven would have died of starvation if he didn’t have someone practical like Connie to remember to bring food.

They love working with the huge scale the Diamonds present.

The Crew always wanted to put someone in Blue’s hair loop. Originally they wanted Blue to tuck Greg in there when she kidnapped him, but they didn’t end up being able to do any hair-loop-carrying until this episode.

The Crew bantered back and forth about what the heck those Pebbles’ names were and how hard it was to track them.

They agreed that Paul draws the best Yellow Diamond, which makes sense since he also drew the first episode with Yellow (and her stink face). 

The scene where Yellow asks Blue to stop using her powers on her and then realizing she’s crying on her own was one of Rebecca’s favorite scenes to get to finally.

Steven Sugar thought Gems would spend a lot of time in their own chambers/rooms just not really doing much of anything unless they had to fulfill their purpose.

Some of the Homeworld ideas were based on a Soviet artist’s concepts, Boris Artzybasheff, and also many ideas were inspired by Busby Berkeley regarding how people were objects and furniture.

The mech was an old idea. Once they had the hand ship from “Jailbreak,” they knew there had to be bodies somewhere.

They focused a lot about what could be the coolest and funniest way for something to happen. The concept of the yellow and blue spaceship arms appearing out of the sky to smack the White Diamond mech around was one of those.

Rebecca really wanted things to look more and more cartoony and bizarre as you get deeper into Homeworld.

They spent a very long time trying to decide on characters’ new outfits.

The trash can lid is said to be a reference to “a flying bear cartoon” and they dance around speaking a direct reference because they’re not sure they’re allowed to say its name.

In discussing the powers of the Diamonds, there were debates on what White’s power would be; with Yellow being physicality-based and Blue being emotion-based, they thought White as identity-based made the most sense.

Different ways to express this were played with before settling on the idea that she thinks she’s perfect and others’ colors make them less like her and less perfect. But then she becomes a hostage to her own beliefs about herself because if she does anything that reflects on everyone else, so it’s best to do nothing.

They had some cool earlier ideas of White’s powers making statues out of other Gems and having a gallery full of frozen Gems, frozen by White to make them perfect.

They also weren’t sure what fate befell the original Pink Pearl and discussed whether she might have been destroyed. 

Rebecca discussed how creepy it was to have White Pearl speaking in Christine’s voice and not Deedee’s--that we should find it fundamentally disturbing at this point.

Tom Herpich came up with the crack on White Pearl’s face.

In real life, pink diamonds aren’t understood as well as yellows and blues. It’s more known what makes a diamond yellow or blue, and some of those facts Rebecca researched were originally woven into the speech White gave about their “impurities.” But it turned out to be too dry and most of it got cut.

Rebecca loves having Lapis with pants and sandals for easier cosplay.

Ian had to draw the scene where Steven is falling and fusing with inert characters--he wasn’t able to properly explain it to Rebecca so she had him draw it.

They really wanted Rainbow Quartz 2.0 to have a scarf, but they couldn’t figure out how to get that into Pearl’s design. They miss the scarf.

It was really important to have these Fusions display call-forwards of the Gems’ new outfits which we hadn’t yet seen.

Rebecca points out that Sunstone’s design breaks a design rule and she feels like Sunstone should have Garnet’s pant leg colors on their legs, but at the same time she understands the rule of cool and likes it like this.

It’s discussed how none of Steven’s fusion weapons are exclusively offensive weapons either.

Rebecca still really wants a suction cup Sunstone toy.

Sunstone’s ability to transcend reality and break the fourth wall was a joke that exploded in the discussion room among the Crew. As soon as the idea was pitched everyone kept coming up with ideas. Sardonyx’s fourth-wall-breaking is more snarky, but Sunstone’s is helpful.

Rebecca was disappointed that the rule about Steven’s clothes wasn’t always followed with having his clothes appear on Obsidian’s hand, but she was delighted that you could see them in one scene.

They spent a lot of discussion time on making sure Steven-Obsidian was different somehow from Rose-Obsidian. The hair is different.

Old versions of Obsidian were drawn with wrapped-together Twizzlers legs, which sort of is reflected in the present design.

The sword had been planned forever--and it first appeared in “Bubble Buddies.”

Miki worked on the Ninja Turtles show so Rebecca was really excited to see her depictions of Bismuth and Sunstone.

An early plan to have Obsidian draw the sword from their mouth was complicated because fusion weapons should be combinations, so they finally reached the solution of having them combine to make the hilt, then get the blade out of Obsidian’s mouth.

The blade of the sword is thought to say “We’ll always save the day,” but you’d have to ask Steven Sugar.

Another really old idea was climbing into the White Diamond mech eye.

Rebecca was disappointed that some of the merch made of White Diamond did not feature her cape sparkles.

There were many debates early on about where Rose might “actually” be. There were tons of references to this fundamental question throughout the show--introducing Lapis as a Gem trapped in an object, having Pearl ponder pulling Steven’s Gem out as a baby, straight-up wondering what would happen to him in “Bubbled” when Eyeball was trying to take his Gem, etc. They all decided Rose was definitely gone but that the idea of her possibly being inside him should be on his mind a lot, leading to disturbing images like dreaming about coughing up her hair.

Yellow Diamond and Blue Diamond both challenged Steven about things he was very confident about, but White’s question of his identity got to him because he in fact is not confident about that.

The black and white eeriness of the fuzzy background and the other characters having their colors washed out helped make the scene in White Diamond’s head so disturbing and creepy.

The split screen showing Steven’s two perspectives was exciting to Rebecca, and was a pretty old idea. And she points out it sort of “breaks the show.”

The Gem Steven, Pink Steven, was represented by a slightly modified version of his model sheet. Everyone laughed when they saw what was getting used.

They decided that an earlier idea of Pink Steven looking angry should be replaced by an emotionless version of him. All the emotion should be with Organic Steven.

In the pitch meeting for this episode, Rebecca herself screamed “SHE’S GONE!!” and shocked the hell out of everyone. She pointed out how no one expected this of her because she’s pretty quiet, but she just wanted to shock everyone the way Steven would in the show.

They point out this is the first appearance of the geometric shield that got so much use in Future.

The fact that Steven is Steven is the ultimate reveal of the show. Usually in fantasy shows there’s some other kind of revelation, but Steven just being amazingly human and amazingly Gem and amazingly himself is wonderful here.

They like having the pilot reference with “What’s your excuse?”

If Rose had somehow still been alive in him, all of this would have been cheapened.

Ian loves that you can faintly hear Sadie’s concert from way out in space as the camera approaches Earth.

They got a lot more use out of the Beach-A-Palooza stage than they thought they would when it had to be designed for “Steven and the Stevens.” There was a joke about how at one of the conventions a real Beach-A-Palooza stage was constructed and they had a thought about how oh good, it’s getting reused.

Sadie having green hair in the finale was a late change but they liked showing her progression. 

They had originally kicked around the idea of Sadie already having her new partner Shep at this point, but decided to develop that in Future instead.

They compare White Diamond’s stepping gingerly into the fountain to skeptically getting into a public pool.

Some silliness they didn’t get to use was that Biggs would be “beloved by everyone” except Steven. They never got to cover it, but originally Steven was just going to not really understand why everyone loves her so much and doesn’t personally much care for her.

The Heaven and Earth Beetles are based on the Mothra Ladies.

The healed Gems’ horns are supposed to be side effects of the corruption that they continue to bear in the present.

Larimar and Orange Spodumene ended up different in the ending scene than they became in Future. Many of the designs were retroactively pulled into this scene after being designed for the movie.

Rebecca wrote “Change Your Mind” as a personal song to express her feelings surrounding her fight for the wedding.

“The Future”

Commentary with Rebecca Sugar, Kat Morris, Alonso Ramirez Ramos, Hilary Florido, Joe Johnston, and Ian Jones-Quartey.

The animatic for this episode ran SO long--they’re supposed to be just over 11 minutes but this one was 17 minutes.

Steven’s calisthenics routine, a callback to “Future Vision,” was on the chopping block to make the episode shorter but Rebecca wouldn’t allow it to be cut because she wanted to show that Steven’s been taking care of himself.

They were very excited to get a chance to cover some of the things in Future that they couldn’t squeeze into the original show, like the unbubbled Rose Quartzes, Volleyball, etc.

The new writers on the show also helped bring forward the idea of Steven finally making some of his OWN mistakes to fix.

This also helped construct the idea of Steven essentially being the “final boss” of his own battle.

Usually stories that involve someone being in a fight and winning don’t explore the effect just being in a fight has on a person, regardless of whether you won. 

Rebecca really wanted to play Ocarina of Time after beating it so she could go back to all the places and see how people were doing. She wanted this epilogue series to explore that a little too.

Little Homeschool is sort of a Tiny Toons reference--older cartoons teach younger cartoons how to be cartoons, and this is Gems teaching other Gems how to be Gems on Earth. 

Lamar came up with the silly joke about receiving that art set with all the different media types in it--the one artists are always getting from a well-meaning relative at holiday time.

A scrapped plot idea involved Volleyball/Pink Pearl as a sort of “mini-villain,” with a focus on her activating the un-activated Pearls.

There’s discussion of how victimization turns people into villains sometimes. But since showing that happening with Volleyball wouldn’t have served the interests of Steven’s arc, they couldn’t fit it in.

There was also a “very specific” Gem origin and Diamond origin story that’s quasi-religious in nature--it’s very cool and complicated. But they do not tell us what it is.

Ian and Joe both really wanted to have Jasper living alone in the woods and stacking rocks. They’re glad they got this series to do that with her.

There was originally an idea for a B-plot involving Jasper in the movie. They don’t discuss the specifics.

There were many ideas they didn’t get to work on because they would have started new arcs and Future was not about kicking new plots into gear.

“Mr. Universe” was the last episode they wrote/finished.

Miki really wanted to include a kiss between Connie and Steven to show their relationship was okay. Among the Crew everyone knew their relationship was basically eternal but Miki wanted to make sure WE knew that.

Steven driving conveyed momentum for Future; in the original show, we always came back to the laundry hand, back to home, but in Future that’s changed and home isn’t what it was. 

They were really excited that a gourd family made it to the crowd scene in Future.

Thanks for reading!

Note: The movie had some commentary tracks too, but the one on this DVD set is the same as the one released on the original standalone movie DVD, so I did not outline it here. Here is my post about the DVD commentary from the movie.

[dannyphantom-rewrite]

Timekeeper's assistants AU

Alright y'all! This is gonna be my info dump post for the Timekeepers assistant Au- buckle up cause it's gonna be a long one!

Inspired by @queendibz post here

The entire purpose of the assistant squad is to keep all the time lines running smoothly- this can range from stopping a world ending event to making sure things misplaced by natural ghost portals get put back into the right time and place.

So First up on the crew list,

Dan:

-Dan definitely isn't a homicidal maniac anymore but he's not 100 percent "redeemed" either.

-I mean he's probably still a bit of sadist but he tries not to be?

-The best description I can give is that he's in recovery, basically.

-So, Clockwork knew that Dan would eventually bust out of the thermos just because it wasn't built to hold a ghost of his power level for a prolonged period of time. But beyond that?? He has no idea about anything in regards to Dan. Since Dan's creation was averted, his timeline doesn't exist anymore. He's a paradox that exists outside of time, and unfortunately, that means he's the one entity in the multiverse that exists in Clockwork's blindspot. There's no way for him to know what Dan's going to do next.

-Anyway, Dan eventually breaks out of the thermos fully intending to Fuck Shit Up, And Clockwork makes a point of informing him that if he leaves the clock tower he will cease to exist. (Like Dan, the tower exists outside of time, so he's safe there.)

-Dan is the first member of the assistant squad. Granted, it took a while for him to come around to the idea of helping Clockwork but he got there eventually.

-Dan is an entity that was born out of the rage and grief of two very broken people and he has so much shit he's working through as a result

-One of the first things he had to do was recognize and accept that he's an entity that's completely separate from Vlad and Danny. He might have all their memories and the weight of their mistakes on his shoulders, and on top of that, the atrocities he himself committed because of them. The first step is realizing that he doesn't have to be defined by the people that made him.

-It's a really fucking difficult thing to do tho and he's got a lot of weird emotions in regards to Vlad, Danny and the Fentons as a result. A near constant identity crisis, self loathing, daddy issues, something that could arguably be called an Oedipus complex, (FUCKING THANKS, VLAD)

-Cannot stand the smell of fast food, it makes him nauseous and the sight of Nasty Burger sauce alone is enough to make him vomit Ectoplasm.

-He's just a hot mess all around y'all

-He tries to keep his interactions with the Danny's as minimal as possible at first bc of this. The first time he meets them in person he shape shifts into Danny like he did in TUE and just pretends to be one of them. Some of them have had interactions with their respective Dan's already and would be super wary of him and probably pretty freaked out otherwise.

-Dan is eventually allowed to leave the clocktower for supervised "Field missions" with the aid of a time medallion to keep him from poofing out of existence, but it takes a while for clockwork to build up that level of trust.

-Dan's shapeshifting ability Actually comes into play a bit on a lot of those missions, since he can Mimic Danny it also makes sense that he'd be able to impersonate Vlad in the same way. Granted he's not incredibly comfortable taking on either of their appearances but it does help him hone his shapeshifting ability to the point where he's able to pick and choose features from both Vlad and Danny and sorta make his own human disguise.

-Most of the time he acts as the eye in the sky from the tower, monitoring for timeline anomalies and then notifying the appropriate member of the assistant squad.

-He has a room under the clock tower that he operates from. I kinda like the idea of there being like, catacombs down there? Anyway he's got all kinds of monitors and view screens and he very rarely leaves. It also doubles as his "living space." He doesn't need to sleep but he's got a big mess of a pillow fort that he crashes in regardless bc sometimes you just NEED to be unconscious for a while. The catacombs are also absolutely full of those little blob ghosts that wander around the zone bc They're attracted to the ecto energy the tower gives off. He's really annoyed by them at first but they grow on him after a while and now he just dotes on them.

-There's a specific throw pillow sized one that likes to hang out in Dan's room a lot and he ended up getting a little over attached to the stupid thing. His name is Dorian. Bc he's a gift.

-SIR THATS MY EMOTIONAL SUPPORT BLOB

-Dan's appearance has changed slightly. He wears his hair loose now and it's kinda just this big fiery mane when it's not contained. His cape is more of a cloak now, it has a hood and he wears it sorta pinned together at the shoulder so the DP logo is covered.

-Dan's relationship with the rest of the Danny's is kinda weird, and a little strained. He has a hard time being around them for very long because, well, he used to sort of be them? Except not really? He does care about them tho, and the last thing he'd want is for one of them to end up like him.

-His relationship with clockwork definitely starts out pretty familial, after he becomes his assistant, anyway. There's room for that to develop into meddling minutes but I'm not entirely sure if I'm gonna go that route yet.

-The Danny's only ever hear his voice for a while before he finally let's them meet him for real, so they end up calling him Charlie for a while as a joke. Cause Ya know. Charlie's angels. Even after Charlie still ends up being his designated name on missions.

Mer! Danny:

-Was recruited bc a lot of the shit that gets sucked through natural portals ends up in a body of water somewhere and when that happens he's on call to retrieve it.

-Is Actually not at all ghostly! Mer Danny's situation is basically the plot of H2O (just add water), or if you haven't seen that, Aquamarine. And by that I mean he's only a merfolk in water.

-He's an electric eel

-His Jack and Maddie are marine biologists, with a particular interest in marine cryptids

-We're taking sea monsters baby!!!

-Not entirely sure how this Danny ended up half mer yet but I'll figure it out, lmao.

-14 years old

-His nickname/ designation is "Moray"

Crown Prince! Danny:

-Nickname/designation is Prince / Princey

-16 years old

-Not allowed to go anywhere in the zone without the Fright knight bc of some ancient ghost law bullshit, so he has a constant babysitter.

-He's next in line bc he sealed away Pariah, but can't take the throne until he is both, A) at least 18 years and B) Completely deceased

-Vlad is his Regent bc he did have a part in the whole sealing the previous king thing, but he's also not completely dead so his power is super limited there.

-As Prince Danny has the crown of fire in his ghost form, although now the name is kinda ironic seeing as it's completely frozen over. It's blue now and it smokes like dry ice.

-As Regent, Vlad has the ring of rage for "safe keeping"

-Vlad and Danny are pretty much constantly at each other's throats, fright knights probably had to shut down more than a few of Vlad's attempts to usurp the crown from Danny through combat.

-Princey deals with the timeline issues that involve the ghost zones' internal / political affairs, and he's gotten very well versed with dealing with the Observants.

Winged! Danny :

-15 years old

-Mallard duck wings

-His Vlad is a swan

-Comes from a family of waterfowl, Jack is a goose, and Maddie is a white swan. Both he and jazz are ducks bc of their grandparents.

-As Fenton his wings are white, like jazz, and as phantom they turn black with a green iridescent sheen.

-He's trans

-Nickname/ designation is inviso Bill. Bc ducks have bills haha get it-

-Ghostly wail?? Nah son he's gotta killer QUACK

-Absolute besties with Mer!Danny/ Moray, sometimes they go swimming together after a mission.

Clone! Danny:

-Physically he's a 12-year-old, but he's only been alive for a few months.

-Alt universe where Vlad manages to stabilize the perfect clone with his own DNA.

-Dani still exists, and the original danny from his time line also rescued the other problematic clones.

-Doesnt like the fact that he's a clone, and very much wants them all DEAD. Bc them running around is a reminder that he's not the real danny.

-Human half looks the same aside from the widows peak and the mallen streak. His ghost half takes after plasmius. Blue skin, and the Hazmat kept it's original white colors.

-Probably has fangs and a forked tounge.

-Not so much a member of the squad as he is someone that they need to be keeping an eye on.

-Does NOT get along with them.

-Dan enjoys making him uncomfortable.

-Designation is Masters / the brat (not to his face tho)

Family Breakfast AU! Danny:

-A BABY

-The boy is a fucking overpowered todler okay. He's an 8 year old.

-The biological son of his Vlad, was born a Halfa. Jack, Vlad and Maddie got their shit together and are in a healthy poly relationship.

-Got separated from Vlad one time in the zone and inadvertently adopted by the assistant squad and clockwork.

-His Vlad is aware of the squad and just. Dad's the crap out of the Danny's as a result. It makes for some..... interesting interactions.

-I can't think of a nickname so I'm just gonna be lazy and say he gets to be the one Tru Danny bc cute little kind privileges lmao.

Full ghost! Danny:

-15 years old, will always look 14.

-Nickname/designation is Toast

-Died in the portal accident and got fucking FRIED.

-He always smells like somethings burning.

-He's really bright and sorta sparks a bit, you can see his bones glowing through the hazmat.

-He still leave the zone to protect his version of amity, but lives with clockwork full time.

Canon Danny (NOT PHANTOM PLANET COMPLIANT) :

-Basically show Danny, except phantom planet never happened fuck you

-Joined the crew after the events of de stabilized

-Also he's trans fuck butch

-Franken! Danny

-Yall remember that Headless Danny Au? This is my take.

-Is Actually 20 years old, but physically stuck at age 14. Bc he's a walking corpse :)

-Came from a timeline that was directly parallel to Full ghost! Danny. He dies in the portal accident, but jack and Maddie are in the lab when it happens and manage to sort of bring him back using a combination of science and freaky ghost junk.

-So he's basically possessing/ stuck inside of his own dead body. Which, is thankfully not rotting or going into rigor mortis bc Ectoplasm is rather similar to formaldehyde, but he's not the most durable thing and bits and pieces fall off from time to time.

-Like his head. For example.

-He's pretty desensitized to it at this point and if he loses a leg after a ghost fight he doesn't see anything wrong with sitting down on the curb of a main street to stich it back on. His being dead isn't exactly a secret.

-Don't ever ask him to "give you a hand" bc he can and will not hesitate to pop one off and Chuck it at you.

-Said hand and any other body part will continue to function just fine even if it isn't attached to anything, btw.

-Nickname/ designation is Adam. Bc. Ya know. that's the name Frankenstein's monster gave itself.

Post Phantom Planet! Danny:

-A very jaded 22 year old who is driven only by spite and enough caffeine to kill a horse

-Very, very tired of the hero thing.

-Being a global celebrity isn't all it's cracked up to be.

-Decided to follow Vlads lead and fuck off to space for a while. Partially to get away from everyone and also partially bc he kinda feels responsible for the fact that the only other person like him and probably floating DEAD in the void somewhere? And yeah Vlad fucked up all on his own but what if he'd tried harder to get through to him things could have been different-

-Joins the crew after a natural portal opens up in space and decides to help out and use clockworks resources to try and track down his Vlad.

-Nickname/ Designation is Polaris, aka the north star.

[daisylore-au]

Fundy learns Lucid has a neat trick ( BY @darkikyu )

Tw: Over all themes of death, animal death, blood,

sparrow’s notes: DUDEEEE I LOVED THIS SO MUCH !!!! lucid and fundy’s relationship makes me so happy and the little things that indicate lucid is dream’s kid too leave me feeling so bittersweet :’) this is so poggers i love this au so much, be wary of the tags when reading but otherwise absolutely read @ everyone !!!!!

You always see it when it's two late. The rattle of bones and the smell of smoke being processed as the twang of a bow and sharp cry follow them.

He ran so fast he felt dizzy, like he had stood in place and the world shifted around him. There was Lucid, hunched over on his knees an arrow jutting out at an odd angle. Don't panic, not now, not when he needs you the most.

"Lucid," Fundy moved around to kneel in front of him. "let me see-"

Lucid lifted his head, to stunned for tears, in his arms laid Button, glassy eyed and limp with an arrow in their neck. Fundy almost wept with relief.

"Oh- Lu," Fundy said and tried to focus. He felt light, like could float away from how much heavy tension just flooded out of him. He tried to focus, trying to remember the talk he and Wilbur had when his pet fish died.

It was a bit different, seeing them float behind glass and cradling a still warm body. His words became sticky in his throat as he looked down at the blood on Lucids hands and coat. He'd been in wars but the sight of his boy in so much blood - he felt nauseated. 

Moments ticked by, and his hands stayed frozen, hovering around Lucid as if to hold in the creeping grief, keep it from getting too large.

Lucid looked at him, oddly calm and Fundy felt something inside him churn. He wondered how instinctual knowledge of death was, if loss in and of itself predated logic.

"Button is-" Fundy looked away and sighed. Dead? That didn't mean much on it's own, Lucid would not accept it as a full sentence, it wasn't one anyways.

"Button isn't," Fundy tried again. "like us or the villagers, Button wont respawn… Button is… dead dead." Fundy said, trying to answer questions before they were asked, knowing he wouldn't be able to handle a request to drag the rabbit home.

There was so much he knew he needed to tell them, before the world took the chance away from him again. The three lives, Fundys own losses, how ghosts were born, their personal undying heritage, tge SMP - he was thought he was going to wait a few years and start with reviving a zombie villager.

"Dad," Lucid asked and Fundy felt tension lace in between his heart strings.

He thought the universe was kind, 

He knew that the universe took, he hadn't forgotten that, he thought he paid his dues. The thought in the universe was fair, that he earned his happy ending. He and his boy, adventures and love in abundance, eternity at his fingertips. The universe was cruel, it took everything you had and demanded you go get more.

"Can you go behind the tree?"

Fundy blinked.

"W-why, want me to check for skeletons?" Fundy asked, wholly caught off guard.

"Can't tell you, it's a secret, it'll be real quick though, and no peaking!" Lucid whispered and Fundy looked uneasy but stood.

"Right… I'll…" He looked to the tree line. "be right there." He pointed to his choice and Lucid nodded approvingly.

Behind the tree he let his head fall back and slowly loosened his grip on Schlatts sword. His forearm hurt from the force he'd been holding it with. He looked at the goat head, it offered no conversation, but as he looked past it he noticed a patch of blue flowers. Would this have been easier if they had met or worse?

"Okay dad! It's okay now!" Fundy looked out from behind the tree and gasped.

There was Button, resting at Lucids feet, sitting upright, full arrow gripped in Lucids hand as he looked victorious.

"Where did- how did you-" he asked, rushing over before he paused and forced himself to calm and walk over.

"Is this Button?" He asked looking down at the duo.

"Mhm, I brought them back!" Lucid held them up proudy.

The blood was still there on them both, but their tail was a bright white.

Fundy blinked. Everyone knew Dream was an Admin, but resurrection? Could Admins do that? Was Lucid more like Dream than he appeared… Not for the first time Fundy felt utterly alone and in need of more than just answers, and not for the first time Fundy set it aside for later….

"That's… pretty cool Lu," he said, still wide eyed. "how did you figure that out?"

"The wind told me!" Lucid said happily and Fundy felt a breeze blow past him. His own white ears twitched in recognition.

"That was nice of them," he swallowed. "how about we go clean up in that creek?" He asked holding out a hand as Lucid adjusted Button and took Fundy's hand and they wandered off in the direction they came.

[darkurgediary]

Two Worlds, Two Hearts: Chapter Five

Summary: News of Jareth's disappearance affects Sarah in ways she didn't expect, and brings on a new wave of conflicting emotion.

Warning(s): complicated relationships, creepy nightmare (which is all italicized so it'll be easy for anyone to skip over), and Ludo tears! If I missed anything please let me know!

-------------------

The Labyrinth was crumbling.

Jareth was missing.

And now Ludo was crying with such an intensity the ground started to shake.

Hoggle didn’t know how much more of this he could take. The dwarf wove his way through withered hedges till he came upon Ludo, the great beast brought to his knees, thick tears streamed down his face, and a pitiful cry lurched from his throat. Sir Didymus stood before him with tiny paws rested on Ludo’s forearm. Uncharacteristically quiet in the face of his brother’s pain.

“Sarwah,” Ludo’s lower lip wobbled and he tried desperately to pull a string of snot back up his nose, when such an attempt failed, he instead wiped his face on his left forearm.

Hoggle grumbled to himself but still decided to ask, “whats tha matter with'em?”

Sir Didymus perked his ears, looking to Hoggle with a defeated express, “Sir Ludo claims to have seen young maiden over that way.”

The dwarf glanced in the indicated direction, just as he'd thought, no one was there. Hoggle even approached the area and walked around it. Like he was trying to prove to Ludo that his eyes had played a cruel trick on him. Hoggle understood it though, to a degree. Ludo claiming to see Sarah became a common occurrence over the years. Each time, it was harder and harder to explain to Ludo it wasn't real.

“If she ain't been back already then she ain't never comin' b-”

A whisper carried in the breeze and cut him off, “Ludo...” 

Curved horns raised from the ground as brown eyes widened, and basset-hound shaped ears desperately searched for the sound.

Sir Didymus behaved in a similar manner, his bushy tail swishing side to side in a blonde blur, “My lady!” 

Hoggle whirled around, eyes wide as dinner plates. He stumbled back and fell into the dirt. Gazing up at the translucent image of a woman standing over him. Tall, with long black hair, and pale-green eyes. Hoggle rubbed his eyes but still, the haunting presence lingered like a ghost in a graveyard.

If he’d been by himself he would have discredited it easier. With Ludo and Sir Didymus in his company, not even he could deny the sight of the specter before him.

“S...S'it really you?” desperation clung to his words, along with a loneliness he'd kept buried deep.

The image of Sarah looked around, confused at first, and then she saw him. 

Hoggle tried to swallow the knot in his throat as he extended a shaky hand towards her. The thin image of her flickered, and upon contact, Sarah disappeared again.

-----

“Sarah?”

She didn’t look up from the floor, focused on the arguably-ugly patterned carpet like it offended her. Sarah was at her wits end. First she had a Spriggan to deal with and now a Fiery of all things! She didn't even want to think about Jareth, Toby's claim of him missing affected her in ways she didn't understand.

Her name was called again, “Sarah.”

The tick of a clock brought her senses back one by one, slowly, she raised her head. Tired eyes shifted to the old fashioned clock nestled on the corner of the wooden desk. Sarah set her sights on the coffee table next where a teacup sat in front of her. It's contents long abandoned, the liquid just as cold as the blood in her veins. 

“You drifted off,” a melodic scratch of pencil against paper mixed with the question, “where did you go just then?”

Sarah studied him for a moment, Dr. Zakar looked more like an Oxford Professor than a therapist. His brown suit was freshly pressed and his shoes polished. Red hair slicked back save for the few strands hanging just about his brow. Black, thick framed glasses obscured his eyes so she couldn't look directly into them.

A lie would do little for her, yet Sarah couldn't find it in herself to give him the truth. Not the whole truth anyway. He would call the whole incident a wild hallucination.

“I don’t know,” She admitted. Leaning forward to drop her head in her hands with a sigh, “I’m sorry. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

He set aside the notepad, giving her his full attention, “Another nightmare?”

“No,” Sarah managed to compose herself. Without realizing it, she started to gnaw on her thumb nail.

“Remember that my job is not to judge you, Sarah. I am here to help encourage you through your struggles. You already have everything you need to conquer them,” Zakar explained calmly, recognizing the anxious habit. “That being said, I cannot give you any guidance if I don’t know the root of the problem.”

He had a point, she couldn’t deny that. As the events of the previous night played in her head like a broken record Sarah wondered where to even begin. It all spiraled out of control in a way she could barely process.

“Last night I found out someone I knew was…” the words trailed off into tense silence. Did she mention the Spriggan and the Fiery or leave it at that? “Missing. He went missing and honestly? I don’t know how I feel.”

“It sounds as though this person left quite an impact on you, I take it you were close?” His inquiry was laced both with concern and caution, showing his condolences but not wanting to further upset her.

“It was complicated, and it was a long time ago. We were different people then. I knew him without really knowing him,” Sarah clenched her hands tight in her lap, “some part of me feels like I should be worried, like I should run through every worst case scenario. What if something bad happened? What if he’s hurt? But...”

Zakar tilted his head, “another part says otherwise?” 

“It’s been fifteen years since we last saw each other. I wouldn’t even know what to say if I saw him again,” Sarah rubbed her temples and groaned, dark brows pulling together.

The clock on his desk chimed twice.

A frown pulled his features, “It seems we’ve reached the end of our session. Though I want you to know, Sarah. You will overcome this grief. Nothing has to be resolved tomorrow, there is a lot to process, and even more to work through. Go home and paint your frustrations, or write them down. Anything to get them out.”

As Sarah left the office she noticed the air felt significantly lighter than it had before she went in, Dr. Zakar’s parting advice stuck with her. She hated how much she thought of Jareth. Even before the news of him missing, the Goblin King often dwelled in a dark corner of her mind. If Jareth wasn’t in the Underground then where else could he possibly be? Sarah started her car and focused on the road ahead.

Upon return to her apartment, the last bits of anxiety washed away as the sound of whimpers and nails against hardwoods echoed behind the door. Sarah didn’t realize how much she missed having a dog till Gwendolyn came into her life. “Hey pretty girl,” Sarah cooed once the door opened Kneeling down to greet her three legged companion. Gwendolyn was a five year old pitbull with a coat the color of caramel and big brown eyes. Sarah’s heart went out to the pup, who came from a hard life on the streets. She felt like she couldn’t leave the shelter without her.

Sarah scratched behind her ears and paused as she set her keys down on the kitchen counter. She stepped towards the half finished painting, the one she’d done the instant she woke from her dream. At first she’d been in the forest with Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus in her company. Then the forest fell into a sea of white and silver. Sarah shuddered as the details haunted her:

She descended into a broken ballroom. Once pristine chairs and tables were thrown to various parts of the room, scuffed, bent, and broken. Shattered glass and glitter covered the floor, save for a bare circle where Sarah stood in the center of the room. Dawning the white princess dress she’d worn fifteen years ago. Frantic eyes took everything in as her head whipped around. Dancers laid sprawled over one another like puppets with their strings cut. 

Except for him.

His name left her tongue barely above a whisper, “Jareth.”

Rather than address her, the Goblin King stood frozen. The dark mask with twisted horns remained against his face, hiding his eyes from her. In an unusual motion he reached a hand out for her. Though he didn’t move in the same fluid, captivating way he had before. Instead Jareth moved like an old toy being wound up for the first time in forever. A crystal appeared in his hand, and his last words echoed around her.

“I ask for so little.”

He stepped towards her.

“Just fear me,”

Another step.

“Love me,”

Sarah retreated with each advancement, eyes wide, and skin white as a sheet. Whatever defiant remark she had ready to shout at him died on her tongue. Jareth loomed over her now, her back flat against the wall. She had nowhere to run.

Forced to look into vacant eyes as he sounded so defeated.

“Do as I say and I-”

Gwendolyn whimpered beside her, gently butting her head against Sarah’s leg.

Black curtains cascaded down her back as she turned to look at her companion, Sarah gave her a sad smile and smoothed a hand down her neck, “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

Sarah looked back at the expression she’d been so desperate to capture. Why should she be worried about Jareth? Why did her heart absolutely ache at the thought of him cold, alone, and hurt? Her hand started to reach for his half painted cheek but something stopped her. Sarah bit her lip in wonder as the idea of calling him raised to the surface.

With a small shake of the head, Sarah covered it, and tried to bury any other thoughts of him away for the time being. She had other things to focus on. The Spriggan, the Fiery, and Toby’s growing obsession with the Labyrinth. She took one final glance at the painting, “Where are you Jareth?”

———————

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Taglist:

@faeriexqueen​

@tangentasilem​​

@withinthecrystal​​

@purplesigebert​​

[thiswasinevitableid]

Could you do an Indruck (or OT4 because you got me into the whole pairing :) ) NSFW ghost prompt? Go nuts, I just love your writing and I trust your creative vision.

Here you go! I went with the OT4. And I’m so glad you like that pairing!

The kitchen box is half-unpacked when there’s a knock on the door. Duck figures it’s the take-out he ordered, so he’s surprised to see a tall guy in nice jeans and short-sleeved dress shirt decorated with Jackalopes. Unless the Thai place uses male supermodels as delivery boys, this isn’t his Pad Thai. 

“Uh, hey, what can I do for you?”

“I’m your downstairs neighbor, so I wanted to come up and introduce myself. I hope I’m not interrupting dinner.”

“Nope, still waitin on it. Nice to meet you, name’s Duck.” He holds out his hand and Mr. Gorgeous shakes it. 

“Joseph. Oh, um, here” he produces a small greeting card with a sea monster on it, “welcome to the neighborhood.” His pocket rings, and so he excuses himself, hurrying down the stairs with his phone to his ear. The card contains a gift certificate to the coffee shop on the corner. 

They don’t cross paths again right away. It’s more that Duck will move Joe’s packages into the main hall rather than leave them on a rainy porch, and Joe delivers Pinecone the cat back to him after she slips out the door and down the stairs while Duck wrestles his keys. 

As it warms up, they use the pool around the same time each day (which is how Duck learns Joe’s had top surgery, same as him), and start talking more in the lobby when they see each other. He learns Joseph works for the FBI in the UP, the agreement being he can make X-files jokes as long as Joe gets to make Smokey the Bear references in return. The way Joseph laughs, water streaming down his honest-to-god defined abs as he pulls himself onto the edge of the pool, makes Duck glad he’s never seen a boyfriend coming or going from the other mans apartment. 

Tonight, he’s done helping Joe get all his groceries up the stairs in one go, and decides to go for it. 

“Hey, uh, Joe? You doin’ anythin tomorrow night?”

“No.” He studies Duck’s body language and gives an encouraging smile. 

“In that case; wanna get dinner?”

----------------------------------------------------------------------

“I think this building is haunted.”

Duck, head still resting on Joe’s chest after jacking him off as thanks for an excellent blowjob, laughs, “That’s some interestin pillow talk you got there.”

“Are you that surprised?”

“No, you fuckin nerd.” He nips his collarbone, shifting so they’re each on their sides, facing one another, “for real though, why do you think we got ghosts runnin’ around?”

“At first I thought I was imagining it, or that I felt like I was being watched because the cases studies I was reading put the suggestion in my head. Then things started moving around the apartment, and now and then I swear I hear people whispering. I tracked the sound one day and it was coming from the wall that looks out onto the street. No one was down there, and if it were the result of an echo or strange acoustics, I’d notice it more.”

“Huh.” Duck pokes the inside of his cheek with his tongue.

“Still, I’m not ready to say for certain that it’s haunted. That kind of thing requires concrete evidence that I just don’t have. Sorry, shouldn’t talk shop when I have a, um, guest.” He wiggles back into Duck’s space, kissing him gently, and Duck forgets what they were talking about.

---------------------------------------------

He knows Ouija Boards are a dodgy investigation tool at the best of times, but today he came home to find all his laundry folded when he had, much to his chagrin, had to leave it in the bag in a rush to get to work. 

No one has a key to his place. Which means whoever did that had another way in. 

He clears his throat, “If there is a ghost or other supernatural entity in the apartment with me, I wanted to say thank you for putting my clothes away.”

Nothing but his own creeping humiliation, then a slight chill across his face. The planchette moves

U.R. W.E.L.C.O.M.E

“HAH!” He whoops, “I was right! My apartment is haunted. Okay, um, spirit, do you have a name?”

B.A.R.C.L.A.Y

“It’s nice to officially meet you, Barclay. You’ve been spending a lot of time around me.”

Y.E.A.H S.O.R.R.Y

“You don’t need to apologize, I don’t mind it. You’re not malevolent, and if this was your apartment when you died, I can’t very well get mad at you for hanging around. Are you able to become visible?”

YES

“Is there, um, a reason you’ve never materialized around me?”

D.I.D.N.T W.A.N.T T.O S.C.A.R.E Y.O.U

“You won’t, I’m a professional. And I’m curious about the person I’m sharing my home with.”

The planchette trembles, unsure of it’s direction at first. 

S.H.Y

That explanation never occurred to him. 

“That’s alright. If you ever change your mind, know you don’t have to hide on my behalf.”

------------------------------------------------------------------

“Barclay, even I can tell that was an invitation to interact with him. What more are you waiting for?” Indrid cocks his head. 

“Maybe he’s just trying to appease me because he’s scared of ghosts?”

“Those ‘paranormal romances’ on his shelf suggest otherwise.” Indrid touches Barclay’s cheek. They’re in the wall, their shared nature meaning they can see, hear, and touch each other without trying, “dearest, you’re clearly fond of him, and he’s eager to meet you.”

Barclay’s beard scratches his palm, “Yeah, I know. I’m just...I like to take things slow and, uh, I guess this is no exception.”

Indrid chuckles, dryly adds “Yes, I recall how long after propositioning you it took for you to practically bang down my door.”

“Okay, hot little art punk who literally asked me if I wanted to see what his tongue piercing felt like on my dick is the exception.” He kisses Indrid’s cheek before drifting away. 

Indrid floats up into his former apartment, now occupied by Duck Newton. He spends most of his days on the couch while Duck is off at work, watching T.V or reading or, increasingly, playing with Pinecone, the only being he’s materialized for in some time. He’s been content to never alert Duck to his existence, but yesterday he overheard him remaining skeptical at the idea of the building being haunted, much to Joseph’s disgruntlement. Indrid’s as well; Barclay isn’t the only one who finds Joseph attractive and charming. 

So he thinks Duck deserves some low-stakes haunting of his own. 

---------------------------------------

Duck’s having a hell of a week. The hinges on his cabinets must be going, because they keep falling open, his router keeps getting unplugged (probably by Pinecone), and no matter how he insulates, there’s a chill in the living room. 

Worst off all, when he pulled the fridge away from the wall to see if it was to blame for the cold spot, it revealed a hole into the wall that is just big enough for Pinecone to get into. Which she did, last night, and will not come out no matter what he tries. 

When he walks into the living room after work, his brain stalls out. The good news is, Pinecone is no longer in the wall. 

The bad news is she’s floating at a fixed point four feet about the floor. 

His cat notices him, mrrps, and lands on the floor. All Joe’s talk of ghosts suddenly feels very real and points at one conclusion.

“Holy shit” he picks up the black and brown ball of fluff, “my cat’s fuckin’ possessed.”

“Not quite” the voice in his ear is quiet, lilting.

“JESUSFUCK.” He spins to face an invisible interloper, Pinecone firmly in his arms. 

A smile, and only a smile, appears a fear inches above his eyeline, “Do you still doubt the building is haunted?”

“Wh--motherfucker, you’re Joe’s ghost and you decided to talk to me? To what, make a point?”

“Yes and no. Yes in that I wanted you to stop doubting my existence. No in that Barclay is the former resident of Josephs’ dwelling. I am a former resident of this one.”

The implications of there being a ghost dedicated to his apartment hit him like a train, “Have you just been hangin around me since I moved in, watchin my every move?”

The smile wavers, “Nono, nothing so alarming. I usually come here when you’re at work, or spend time with Barclay in the spaces between walls and worlds. That’s, ah, not to say I haven’t been in the armchair while you were watching T.V on the couch, but in my defense you have very interesting taste in documentaries.” The ghost notices Duck’s alarm, and the smile fades from view, “I apologize. It was rude of me to be in your space without permission. Space is a much more malleable thing when you’re a ghost, but that is no excuse.”

“I mean, yeah, it’s fuckin creepy.”

Pinecone jumps from his grasp, winds herself in a circle around what must be ghostly legs. 

“But uh, my cat likes you. And she can be skittish. I, uh, worry about her gettin lonely on days when I work late. So you can hang around when I’m out. But other’n that we gotta play by vampire rules; you don’t come into my space unless invited. Deal?”

The smile flickers back into view, “Deal.”

---------------------------------------------------------

Joseph, all too aware of his own perfectionist nature, tries to avoid jealousy. It only ever serves to poison him against others and his own fragile inner being. 

But lord almighty is he jealous that Duck got a verbal, physical visit from his specter, Indrid, while Barclay doesn’t so much as whisper in Joseph’s vicinity.  It had been hard to be envious in the moment, because he was too excited by the news, to the point that he climbed into Ducks lap and started kissing him because all his adrenaline needed an outlet. 

Then Duck had frozen, asking if he thought the ghosts would watch them hook-up. Joseph pointed out that Indrid had promised to only visit when invited and Barclay was polite, so odds were good they were truly alone. He kept the fact that Duck’s suggestion made him instantly hard to himself.

(Duck picked up on it anyway, if the jokes about Ghost and the supremely satisfying make-out session were anything to go by).

He’s making fried rice for dinner, is mid-way through chopping green onions when his phone buzzes. A glance over his shoulder reveals it’s not a work call or an emergency. Suddenly, something cold and strong grips his right hand and there is, without a doubt, a human frame pressed to his back. He can’t move his hand, follows the line of his knife and sees the next chop would have caught his finger.  

“Barclay?”

“Yeah. Sorry I, uh, just didn’t want you cutting a finger off.” The hold on him disappears as that baritone drips down his spine. 

Joseph turns just as Barclay comes into view; he’s taller than Joseph, a rare thing given he’s six-foot, with shaggy brown hair and a short, coppery beard. Full lips and brown eyes round out the face that is straight from Joseph’s fantasies.

“Wow. Um, I mean, thank you for saving me a trip to the emergency room.”

“No problem.”

Drawing on years of training, he tries to keep the other man talking, “Were you just passing through?”

“Kinda. This is gonna sound weird but, uh, I loved cooking when I was alive. Sometimes I like to be close by when you’re cooking so I can get some of the sensations again.”

Joseph steps to the side, gesturing to the cutting board, “Do you...want to help me make dinner? If you can interact with my body, you should be able to prepare veggies no problem.”

Barclay hesitantly steps to the counter, shakes his head when Joseph offers the knife, “I have to dematerialize first. Being visible and being solid take so much energy that I can only do one or the other.”

“Fascinating. Just, um, I hope I get to see your face again.”

Barclay disappears, and a half-second later an invisible hand squeezes his arm, “Think I can manage that.”

Barclay joins him for dinner regularly after that. Duck recovers fairly quickly to Joseph’s spectral assistant, especially when Barclay makes him french onion soup. Joseph suspects Duck is also getting used to ghosts in general, since more than once he’s knocked on the door and walked in to find the ranger conversing with Indrid (though Indrid insists on remaining dematerialized). 

Tonight it’s just him and Barclay, and Joseph is busy sticking his foot in his mouth.

“I’m sorry, that’s a rude question-”

Barclay chuckles, “Not really, it’s kinda the first thing everyone wants to know about ghosts, right? Why we’re here? Short answer is, uh” he sighs, “I had a heart condition but not the time or money to get it checked out. Fucking thing failed me one Sunday morning at that was it. Poor Indrid found me. We had a casual thing going and he had a key to my place. Came to check on me when he heard me hit the ground.”

“Oh Barclay, that sounds awful for you both.”

“Yeah, death isn’t my fave.” Barclay lays down, disappearing so his head can rest properly in Joseph’s lap. The agent feels around until he finds soft hair, petting it as Barclay continues his story.

“At first I thought my unfinished business might have to do with Indrid. But when he died pretty soon after, I kinda figured it was more that when I died, the direction I went was the ‘become a ghost’ one and not, like, the ‘rest in peace’ one.”

“Do you wish you could move on? Because I have access to a lot of classified occult information.”

The head under his hand turns, the direction of the motion suggesting Barclay is looking up at him, “Gotta be honest, lately being a ghost has gotten way more interesting.”

------------------------------------------------

It takes two drawers before Duck finds where he put the AAA batteries. The package is already open, and when he gets to the living room his Carbon Monoxide detector is floating, back removed as fresh batteries click into place.

“Damn, ‘Drid, the thing just started beepin about it’s low battery.”

“Such things cannot be delayed. Trust me.”

“....Oh fuck, is that what got you?”

The detector slips back onto it’s wall mount, “Yes. I, I was always so careful, trying to prepare for every possible disaster. When Barclay died I, ah, I found it harder to do daily tasks. One of those was replacing the batteries in this” a plastic tap, “the low-power beep kept bothering me, so I detached it, planning to fix it in the morning. Then the next morning, and the next, and so on. Well, I put it off one too many times. A mundane, pointless death if there ever was one.”

Duck sets the battery package on the table, opening his arms. Cold fingers cling to the back of his shirt as Indrid hugs him. Duck does his best to soothe the ghost, rocking them subtly in a way that works wonders on his living friends. 

“Thank you” spectral eyelashes flutter against his neck as Indrid burrows against him. They say nothing else, staying in the embrace until Pinecone pads over and demands dinner.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Duck just means to drop off the books he borrowed from Joe, finds the door unlocked and figures the other man is home, probably cooking or yelling at a bigfoot hunting show.  When he doesn’t see him in the living room, he pokes his head down the hall. 

It takes a moment for his brain to process what he’s seeing. By the time it does, he’s already backing out the door. 

Okay, he just walked in on his sorta-boyfriend getting railed by a ghost, face buried against the bed, moaning while a cock he couldn’t see spread his ass open over and over again. That’s fine, that’s completely fine and not hot at all, he’s just taking his pants off in his living room for unrelated reasons. 

“Ah, Duck?” 

“Fuck!” He looks around, trying to work out where Indrid is and how much he can see.

The couch cushions shift, “I apologize, I thought you were out running errands.”

“S’okay” He pulls his hand out of his boxers, “I, uh, I was just, uh, tryin to, uh…”

The ghost waits patiently for him to come to the truth.

Duck sighs, slumps down on what he’s pretty sure is a free spot, “Walked in on Joe and Barclay.”

“I see. Does it bother you?”

“No. I, uh, kinda got the sense they were into each other, and we ain’t exclusive.”

The smile appears next to him, invisible fingers tracing up his arm “Does it do something else to you?” 

“Indrid, please I already got the weirdest fuckin boner right now.”

“And I am offering to help. I know I often joke about sharing Barclay’s taste in men but…” a light, chilly kiss on his cheek, “I share Joseph’s as well. I would very much like the chance to show you what I mean.” The fingers and lips teasing his skin cease their touches; space to refuse that Duck appreciates. 

“You know what? Fuck it” Duck works his pants the rest of the way off, throws his boxers after them, “get on your knees, sugar, and show me what you mean.”

“Ooh, I get a pet name!” Indrid claps, excited, rests his hands on Duck’s knees after he spreads them. Duck tracks his position by his smile, is unprepared for how strange it feels when it dives between his thighs. He’s used to Joe, all hot breath and enthusiastic precision. This is like the time an ex tried using an ice cube but way, way better, the chill heightening the sensations rather than numbing them. 

It’s also teasing, and he grunts, tipping his hips up, “‘Drid, please.”

“Patience, sweetheart, I haven’t done anything like this in years, I intend to take my time.”  A playful tongue drags up his dick. 

“Sugar, I’ll let you do this every day for a week, figure out how to give a ghost a fuckin hand job, anythin, but if I don’t cum soon I’m gonna combust. So get that cute little mouth where it belongs and suck my dick.”

The smile sharpens, “Make me.”

He threads his fingers into Indrid’s hair, shoving him forward. The ghost moans, tongue working across his folds in rapid swipes. Curious, he tugs on the soft strands and a messy purr vibrates up his dick.

“Someone like it rough?”

He feels the responding nod. Tightens his grip, “Then fuckin suck it like I told you too, sugar.”

Cold lips envelope his dick, Indrid moaning as he sucks. One hand rubs what his mouth can’t attend to, but the other leaves Duck’s knee right before Indrid’s whimpers grow shorter.

“That’s it, get off while I fuck your face, fuck, Joe’s really onto somethin with this paranormal shit, you’re so good sugar, fuckme that’s good. C’mon” he jerks his hips, orgasm building mercifully fast, “make me cum, like that, right fuckin there ohfuck.” He cums, feet scuffing on the rug. Indrid’s moan turns to a gasp as he pulls away, cum making a damp spot on the ground. 

Duck pets his hair, “Sure showed me.”

Indrid snickers, turns to press his face to kiss his palm.

“‘Drid? You, uh, you don’t have to, but could I see you? All of you?”

His hands cradle air as a man forms before him; lanky and bony, hair dyed silver with black roots showing, pierced ears and lip, tattoos coating the arms that stick out from a white tank-top. He bites his lip, awaiting judgement as Duck sinks off the couch to sit with him. 

“Not gonna lie, sugar, mighty peeved you kept usin my pens and didn’t even let me see this face everyday as payment.”

Indrid blinks, then laughs, loud and relieved, “I’m glad you approve; I am not everyone’s type.”

“Sure as hell are mine.” Duck puts his hand through his knee, frowns, “wish I could hold you and see you at the same time. Be that as it may, know you’re always runnin cold. You, uh, wanna join me for a little afternoon nap?”

“Of course” he fades away, and takes Ducks’ hand.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Duck’s never seen Joe this excited which, given that they went to a “Cryptids in Film” exhibit last weekend, is saying something. 

“Ready?” His boyfriend tightens the strap-on harness, sporting Duck’s favorite of his dicks. 

“You know it, darlin.”

Joe climbs onto the bed, makes a suave roll onto his back and pats his thighs, “Then come here. I want to see as much of you as possible while I fuck you.”

“You’re the boss, handsome.” He sinks down with a groan, slowly rocking his hips to get warmed up. 

Joe gropes his ass, growling, “Lord, look at this. Your ass is incredible, Duck, just like the rest of you.”

He dips down to kiss him in reply, messing up that dark hair and leaving a hickey on his collarbone. A chill runs up his spine and he shudders; two days ago, after the two ghosts and two humans hashed out who was dating who and what that meant, Joe admitted to a fantasy in which he and Duck were rudely interrupted by two horny paranormal entities. 

Duck kisses the corner of his mouth, grinds down with a whine, “c’mon Joe, know you can go harder than that.”

“The angle isn’t to my advantage.”

“Well then” purrs a voice from their right, “let’s remedy that.”

Duck’s pulled sideways, the momentum enough to reverse their positions and pop the toy loose.

“Now, pet, you are going to start fucking him again, and I’m going to fuck you to insure the pace is the perfect one for my dear Duck.”

The strap-on slides back in, Duck arching when it does. Joe’s hips snap forward, propelled by something other than the strength of his muscles. 

“AHlord, Indrid, yes. Is, is that good?” His blue eyes focus on Duck, who pulls him down into a kiss, panting as Indrid uses Joe to fuck him hard and fast. Then Joe’s head whips up and sideways, an invisible cock forcing it’s way into his mouth to muffle his moans.

“Fuck, that’s it babe, get me hard so I can fuck you when Indrid’s had his fill.”

“That may take some time. Never fear, I have other plans for my pet.” 

Joe squeaks, and Duck watches the muscles of his ass flex in new ways as black silicone appears and retreats from view over and over. From under him, Duck has a singularly good view of his lips stretching to accommodate Barclay, who’s busy demanding he look him in the eye when he takes his cock. He runs a loving hand up Joe’s chest, strokes the cheek not bulging with the head of a thick cock. 

“Fuck that’s hot.” His body agrees, but in spite of his boyfriends’ joint efforts and the obscene view making him wetter by the second, his orgasm eludes him. 

“J-joe, ‘Drid, please I, I’m real fuckin close but I need more pressure or, fuck, or friction or somethingfuck, hell fuckin yeah that’s it.” He pumps his hips, Barclay having freed Joe to bury his face in Ducks’ neck and put strip of the harness holding the toy where Duck can rub off on it. 

“That’s it, like that Joe, ‘Drid, fuckfuckfuckfuck” He gasps, eyes rolling back in his head as the orgasm shoots through him. It’s perfect, made more so by the knowledge that Indrid will let him bask in the aftershocks. 

Joe, however, is in for something very different. Duck is still getting his vision back when the harness takes an unceremonious flight off the bed. As he sits up, the plug takes the same journey, and he knows Joe will insist on cleaning it even more thoroughly than usual now that it’s been on the rug. 

His boyfriend is on his knees, lowering with incremental bursts of effort and jerks of his hips. When he stops with a moan, it looks as though his ass is hovering in mid-air. Phantom indentations press into his hips. 

“Very good pet” Indrid’s voice is turning breathy, “no, lean back so Barclay can fuck you raw while I make short work of this tight” Joe jolts up as Indrid bucks his hips, “little” another jolt, “ass” a final jolt before Joe tips backwards, opening his legs. 

Duck watches, mesmerized, as Joe is spread open, feet lifting off the blanket as more indents appear beneath his knees. The agent, usually so articulate, does nothing but moan at the invisible intrusion. 

“Fuckin-A, I’ll never get tired of this babe, you’re fucking dripping for me and it’s so fucking hot, how much of a fucking needy, dirty guy you are.”

Joe reaches one hand forward, trying to run his fingers up Barclay’s chest. The other extends towards Duck, and the ranger crawls so he can take it, kissing it as the indents of Indrid’s arms wrap around Joe’s lower belly. 

“I’d hold tight, dearest.”

“Why-”

Duck’s answer comes in the form of a yelp from Joe. To anyone else, it would look like the agent is trying and failing to wrestle the air. His back arches, making every sinful line of his body tense, while his hands claw at the bed and Duck’s arm and his legs bounce uselessly in the air. 

Duck peers around, careful not to bonk his head into Barclay. From here Joe is on full display, both holes stretching and twitching to take what they’re given. He wishes it was easier for him to get hard again; all he can think about is sitting on Joe’s face while the others fuck him like this, catch this sobbing moans in his skin while he’s reduced to nothing but a plaything for the paranormal. 

“Damn, darlin, you’re takin it like a champ. Maybe next time I’ll film it for ya, so you can see how fuckin hot you look getting fucked to pieces on some ghost dick.”

A louder sob of pleasure, and as he goes to soothe him with kisses Barclay grunts, “Don’t you fucking pull away, don’t care if you just came you’re fucking taking it all.”

“Do hurry up with him, Barclay. Ah, perfect, thank you.” With that, the forces bouncing Joe in the air come only from beneath him, Indrid pumping mercilessly into his ass and punching little “ah, aah, ahnns” out of him. He’s so blissed out that Duck can’t help himself, steadies his face in his hands so he can kiss him while Indrid cums with a high cry. 

There’s an “oof” as Indrid rolls Joe’s head into Duck’s lap. A hand turns Duck by his chin so he can get a kiss before Indrid becomes visible. Barclay appears at Joe’s feet, does his best to lay parallel to him and then disappears.

“You always did like to spoon immediately after.” Indrid says fondly, drifting to sit beside Duck. 

“Mhmmm” comes the rumbly reply.

“You okay, darlin?” Duck brushes the hair from Joe’s face as blue eyes flutter open. 

“Never better. Oh!” He sits up abruptly, Duck is more used to his boyfriend’s post-orgasm bursts of inspiration than the other two and thus doesn’t jump in surprise, “I found a potentially useful book at work the other day…”

---------------------------------------------

“So, uh, how long do we have?” Barclay brushes lint from his shirt, stepping outside the chalk pattern on the floor somewhat hesitantly. 

“As long as the candle burns. Which is why I bought one that can stay lit for at least ten hours.” He offers his hand and his fully visible, touchable boyfriend takes it. Indrid, having more trust in occult processes, practically leapt over the chalk a moment ago to kiss him and Duck. Joseph draws Barclay into his arms, “which is all to say: we have plenty of time for date night.”

[diaryofabeautyfiend]

This is part two of chapter 21. Please please please like and reblog. And I want to say I love this community so much. For those of you who follow me, I really can’t thank you enough.

Part 2

When you woke up for a split second you forgot you were a widow. A widow. You kept saying it in your head and it didn’t seem real. What would you do now? Where would you go? Would you ever marry again? The thought made you feel sick. You sat in the darkened room contemplating the rest of your existence without your husband. It seemed impossible. You said vows and made a pact. He went you went too. He broke the bond.

You finally got out of bed stretching out sore muscles. You hadn’t realized just how tense you were. You heard voices outside your door. “Oh for fucks sake just come in” you shouted. You opened the door to find Sam and Bucky bickering.

“Boys. Boys! What’s up?”

“Hey, honey. We are about to head to Wakanda to get this stone out of Vision’s head. Can you be ready to go in thirty minutes?” Sam asked.

You supposed staying behind was out of the question. You really didn’t have it in you to fight with anyone so you agreed. You kept yourself out of the way of all the activity then you spotted Bruce. He was pacing back and forth talking to himself. When you got closer you realized he was talking to the Hulk. You called his name and he nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Y/N, I am so sorry. You should know Loki fought like hell. He only gave the stone up to save Thor....”

“Wait....Bruce...hey. What?”

“I was there or the other guy was. Heimdall sent me back to warn everyone. Y/N he fought hard to stop Thanos from coming to earth. Umm, when I woke up this was in my hand. He was just trying to save Thor.”

Bruce trailed off when he saw you staring at Loki’s wedding ring in his palm. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save him. I tried to stop him. I’m really sorry.”

“Thank you” you whispered. He hugged you repeatedly apologizing.

You stowed the ring in your pocket next to yours. You ran your finger around the vines ever so slightly putting the tip of your finger inside. You flirted with the idea of death. It would be so easy to just slip it on. So fast no one could stop you. In your haze you hadn’t noticed Steve staring at you, his brows knitted together with worry.

He nudged your foot with his to get your attention. “You with us?” You shook your head and continued to fiddle with your rings. He accidentally on purpose kept brushing his hand against your pocket. After a few moments he pulled your hand out and wrapped his fingers in yours. “Stay with me” he whispered against your ear. You knew he didn’t mean anything sexual but it still made you uncomfortable.

On the jet he sat next to you. He always had a hand on you some how to keep you from drifting away. If he could he would tie a string around your waist to always keep you attached.

Before you landed he gave one of his famous pep talks. You barely listened. You watched the clouds and tried to will yourself to pay attention but you couldn’t. You didn’t really feel like you were there.

When you arrived in Wakanda you followed everyone to the palace. Time was of the essence and everyone was on high alert. This was one of those times when no one could protect you. All of your fear and grief would have to be channeled into this fight.

Sam called for everyone to get to the border. “Y/N stay close to Bucky!” Steve shouted as you all ran. You ignored him. At this moment you didn’t care if you lived or died. All you could think about was melting Thanos’ armor onto his skin and frying his brain.

Electricity crackled off your skin and your eyes glowed white as you summoned all the powers of your coven. “You ready, doll?” Bucky shouted.

“Yes...we are.” The first of Thanos’ army broke through and you went to work. You zapped anything that came near you. For a minute it felt like you were losing. They just kept coming. You couldn’t focus enough to keep up with such focused magics. At one point you just started hurling rocks with your telekinesis. Suddenly Thor arrived and regained the upper hand.

When Wanda came down you were too far away to help her. You fought your way across the field when you saw Thanos appear. You and Bucky covered Steve. Nat Thor and Okoye covered Vision and Wanda. They afforded her enough time to destroy the stone. Thanos used the time stone to reconstruct it. He ripped it from Vision’s head and the gauntlet was complete.

You pushed passed Steve and Bucky to focus all of your power onto Thanos. He roared on pain. When you were within his grasp he grabbed you and put the power stone to your skull. Thor raised Stormbreaker and hurled it at Thanos landing it in his chest. He dropped your limp body to the ground and lifted the gauntlet. “You should have gone for the head.” Then, he snapped.

Your friends turned to dust around you faster than your brain could figure out what was happening. Bucky Sam Wanda...all gone. You were frozen in place. You couldn’t breathe. You briefly remember Thor picking you up and taking you back to the Quinjet.

The trip home was silent. Thor held on to you for the whole eight hours. All of you were in shock. When you made it back to the compound everyone retreated to their own corners. You heard sobbing and screaming. No one had the strength to comfort anyone else. You crawled into bed clutching your rings and prayed you’d dream of your husband.

🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑🌑

When things settled down you packed your things to head home. You didn’t want to stay around this place anymore. It was too heavy. Your family in Westchester was also recovering. They lost a lot of people. Remaining mutants were seeking refuge. They could use your help.

Everyone was in the kitchen so you tried to sneak out. “Were you really trying to leave without saying goodbye, little Sister?”

“I’m not one for an emotional scene, Thor. Your room is always ready for you.” He trapped you in a bear hug

“Loki would be angry at me for letting you go home alone.”

“Well he’s not here is he? I’m going to be ok. You have people to take care of.”

“I’m not sure what good I can be to Asgard now.”

You stepped back and looked at him in the eyes. “Your people need their king, Thor. I know heavy is the head and all of that but, they need you. You can’t let them down.”

He nodded and wiped away his tears. “You’ll come visit won’t you? You are our princess technically.”

You laughed, “Aren’t I a princess on Jotunheim?”

“They never claimed him. You’re stuck with us, Princess.” You launched yourself into his arms.

“Princess? I thought only I called you that.” Steve came into the room to find you and Thor embracing.

“That may be but this time she truly is a princess. You no longer say that ironically. Loki was the prince and she, being his wife, is the princess. So...”

“They know how royalty works, big brother.”

“You’re leaving?” Steve asked.

“It appears so.” Thor kissed your forehead and excused himself so that you and Steve could have some privacy.

“I thought you might stick around for a while.”

“I have a home, Steve.”

“I don’t want you to be alone.”

“I have to face it sometime. I’m not going to do anything. Loki would give me the silent treatment for all of eternity if I showed up. What an afterlife that would be. I need some time.”

“I understand. We’re not going to give up. We’re going to make this right.”

“Ever the optimist, Captain. Call me if you need my help. Otherwise, you know where I live. Door’s always open.” You stared each other down. So many things hung in the air. He hugged you and kissed your temple.

“Can I still say I love you?”

“It depends on what’s behind it.”

“That’s fair. But I do.”

“I never stopped. I have too many open wounds, Steve. I can’t...I haven’t even had the chance to mourn my husband.”

“I’m not asking you for anything. You asked me to be your friend and that’s what I’m doing. I seem to be down a few of those at the moment so, I’m saying it in case I never get the chance to again. I love you. Call me when you make it home ok? Just so I know you’re safe.”

“Of course.” You didn’t say it back. He didn’t need you to. He just needed to say how he felt. You hugged a while longer and then you broke away from him. You headed for the door afraid to look back. If you gave into his feelings you wouldn’t have left.

You made it home a couple of hours later. You texted Steve and tossed your phone on the floor. The house was silent and dark. It felt oppressive. You clicked on the lamp next to the couch and fished the rings out of your pocket. “Honey, I’m home.” You said quietly. You laughed at yourself.

You kicked off your shoes and pulled the blanket off the back of the sofa. Not a chance you were going into your bedroom alone tonight. You looked around for the remote but couldn’t find it. “Fuck it.” You situated yourself and closed your eyes. You were mostly asleep when the tv turned on. You must have been laying on it. You checked the cushions but didn’t find it. The input changed several times. You rolled your eyes, “You passed it up. Netflix is input 2, Lok.” When you looked down the remote was on the coffee table. “Yeah, I’ll put on Orange is the New Black. We didn’t finish the last season on account of you being dead and all.”

You turned on your show and hoped it was Loki’s ghost you were talking to and not something else given this land’s history. When you lay back down on the sofa you could have sworn you felt your hair move. You tucked it behind your ear and pressed your rings into your palm. “I love you too.”

[gaylotusthatexists]

For the sanders sides prompt, could you do demonic/ ghostly possession? Any characters are good!

red eyes and dark shadows

fandom: sanders sides

pairing: dukexiety (could be read as romantic or platonic)

prompt: demonic/ghostly possession 

trigger warnings: blood mention, murder mention 

word count: 2232

a/n: this is written for the @badthingshappenbingo​! actually it’s been a concept i’ve been meaning to explore for a while so! thanks for requesting it haha, had a lot of fun with this

ao3

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Virgil asked, ducking beneath a plank of wood as he followed Remus into the abandoned house, sat just on the edge of their village.

Remus smirked. "Of course it's a good idea!"

"I dunno," Virgil murmured, glancing around at the house. It was dusty, and dark, and had a horrible smell, like somebody had died in here and their corpse was still rotting somewhere close by. Somebody probably had died in here, given the police tape outside the building, remnants of a long since abandoned case, and the fact that nobody had lived here for decades. God, somebody had probably been murdered in here. "This place doesn't seem very safe."

"Eh, I come in here all the time," Remus said, beginning to walk up the stairs.

Virgil cautiously followed, cringing as the stairs made a creaking sound when he stepped on them, feeling as though they were this close to breaking. He breathed in and out to compose himself, before continuing his journey, trying not to think about how these stairs could give in, resulting in him falling to his certain doom. He told himself over and over that, if Remus had come here so often, then it must be safe, right? Remus was still very much alive, at all. Although, it did concern Virgil that Remus had come here before, frequently - what was he even doing here all the time?

Probably trying to summon something. Just like he was attempting to do now. God, how had Virgil managed to get himself roped into this? He loved Remus, he really did, but... he didn't particularly like his way of doing things. Definitely wasn't a fan of the chaos Remus always seemed to cause. Mundane chaos, of course - Virgil thought, at least - but it seemed as though something much worse was about to happen. Virgil couldn't shake the feeling away, couldn't silence his brain screaming as him to run, to abandon Remus and let him do the whole 'demon summoning' thing.

Although, Virgil had to admit that the whole 'demon summoning' thing did intrigue him, sorta. Like, logically he knew that demons weren't real, and at most all this would be is chanting, being disappointed, then probably being arrested by the police for trespassing. But, of course, part of him did believe in demons and the supernatural and ghosts and everything - mostly the part in his brain that conjured up demons at night so he couldn't get to sleep because if he closed his eyes the demon sitting in the corner of his room would most certainly murder him, but there was also a part of his brain that couldn't help but think that the existence of demons would be so fucking cool.

"You still have the book, right?" Remus asked, stopping at the top of the stairs.

Virgil took off his backpack and opened it, taking out a large, old book, the pages yellowing and delicate. His friend Logan had lent it to him, without Virgil explaining his intended use - trust Logan to own some ancient demon summoning book.

"Nice," Remus said with a grin, opening the door into another room, seemingly falling apart. The roof had a giant hole in the corner, allowing the moonlight to flood in, and also allowing birds to fly into the room. Remus ran into the room, scaring away the birds, then turned back to Virgil. "You can read it, right?"

"I mean, it's all in latin," Virgil said, slowly stepping into the room and joining Remus. "I can try."

"Good, you're reading then," Remus decided.

In the centre of the room, Remus had drawn a pentagram with some sort of bright red substance - paint, probably, but Virgil had his doubts. He'd also set candles around the pentagram, which he began to light with a lighter. Part of Virgil wanted to take the lighter away for fear that Remus may end up burning the house down - it was built entirely from wood, this entire place was a fire hazard - but didn't want to risk getting burnt himself. Besides, Remus must have known what he was doing, right?

"Where'd you get all this red paint from?" Virgil asked, finding the silence as Remus set everything up to be rather awkward.

"I never said it was paint."

Virgil blinked. "Oh. Uh. What is it then?"

"Blood, obviously," Remus said.

Virgil wanted to assume that Remus meant fake blood, but part of him was convinced otherwise. "Blood?" he repeated. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to dig any further.

"If we're gonna summon a demon, we might as well do it properly," Remus said, lighting the final candle and standing on the opposite side of the pentagram to Virgil.

Virgil breathed in. "Yeah, uh, about that... have you thought about what's gonna happen when - I mean, if we manage to summon a demon?"

Remus nodded. "I've been fantasising about this for years," he said, an excited glint in his eyes.

Virgil tried his best not to be alarmed at that. "Alright, uh..."

"The demon should stay trapped inside the pentagram," Remus continued. "After that, uh, we have a demon."

"Okay..." That didn't sound like much of a plan, but Virgil decided to give Remus the benefit of the doubt. This would be fine. Demons weren't real, anyway, it wasn't as if anything bad would happen.

"Read, then," Remus instructed.

Virgil opened the book, beginning to flick through the pages. "Uh, what page?"

Remus shrugged. "Any will be fine, I think."

Virgil stopped at a random page and read the words, not entirely sure if the pronunciation was right but it was worth a shot. Part of him hoped that he was reading it wrong, because then on the off chance that demons were indeed real, there was less of a chance of him successfully summoning one.

The pentagram at his feet began to glow. For a moment, Virgil stopped reading, a little shaken. That... He must have been imagining that, right?

"Carry on!" Remus shouted.

Virgil cleared his throat, then continued to read. He felt the wind pick up around him, blowing through his hair and causing a few of the candles to flicker out. He figured that was probably just a coincidence, even though that day hadn't been particularly windy - in fact, it has been a pretty warm, summery day. But it must have been a coincidence - half the roof was missing, it made sense.

But then the candles relit themselves and the pentagram began to glow again. Virgil had reached the end of the page. He glanced up from the book, noticing a shadow beginning to form inside the pentagram, a cloud of darkness slowly rising. Virgil dropped the book on the floor in shock, cringing at first at the sudden crash but thinking afterwards that maybe that was good, maybe that would stop whatever was going on. Maybe the dark figure standing in the pentagram, an almost humanoid being, shifting on the spot and changing form every two seconds, would go away.

Remus grinned. "We did it!" he exclaimed, excitedly.

Virgil stopped back. "Uh, what- what exactly did we do?"

"We summoned a demon!" Remus said, bouncing up and down on the spot. "We actually did it, Virge!"

Virgil tried his very best to remain calm, but couldn't stop his arms from shaking. "Wh-What do we do now?" They couldn't just keep this demon around, could they? Christ, the demon could kill them at any second. How had they even done this?

Remus hummed, standing still for a moment. "Huh. I don't know. I didn't actually think we'd get this far."

Virgil's eyes widened and he leaped back again, backing up towards the wall. The book was on fire. Shit. Fuck - the whole room was built out of wood, this-

"Remus, we really should-"

Remus fell to the floor. The shadow had disappeared. But the fire didn't appear to be calming down any time soon. Virgil rushed over towards Remus and hoisted him up, leaning his body against his own. Remus was unconscious - great, just great. They had to get out of here, before they both burnt alive. Virgil attempted to carry Remus out the room and down the stairs, moving slowly underneath Remus' weight but escaping from the fire nonetheless.

But before they made it out, Remus' eyes opened, and his body heated up, forcing Virgil to let go at the sudden heat against his skin. Remus rose a few feet into the air, his eyes glowing red. That... That wasn't natural, was it? That shouldn't be happening.

"Remus, we really should-"

Remus shot down towards Virgil, grabbing his arm and digging his fingernails into his skin, causing Virgil to cringe from the pain. He still couldn't stop shaking. At any moment, he figured he'd probably start crying. He tried to repress that.

Remus wasn't looking like himself, not at all. Well, the red eyes probably said enough, and the fact that he was hovering in the air, his hair floating around him. But he also had black marks beginning to appear on his skin, drawing in over his face. He grinned, and Virgil noticed that his teeth were now pointed - not teeth, fangs.

Virgil tried to move, tried to run away, but he was frozen in place. He tried to call for help, but no words came out. This... This wasn't good. Fuck - he knew this had been a bad idea. He'd told Remus over and over again that this was a bad idea, and yet here he was, probably about to be killed by Remus, or... or by whatever had taken over Remus' body.

This wasn't Remus. This... This was the shadow demon, wasn't it? It must have taken over Remus' body. That was... Well, it wasn't exactly a logical explanation, but it was the only one that made sense. Remus was fucking possessed by a fucking demon. Brilliant.

Darkness escaped from Remus' mouth, heading closer to Virgil himself. Virgil held his breath and back away as much as he could. Just before the shadow reached his skin, he finally found the strength to pull himself away from Remus and dart out the door, tripping over as he ran out into the front garden onto the cold, hard concrete.

He scrambled to his back, trying to sit up and look at the building. The top floor was completely on fire now, and the house seemed close to collapsing. Maybe... Maybe that would be good - it would get rid of the demon, at least, but... Remus was still in there. He may have turned into a demon or whatever, but... it was still Remus. Virgil's best friend. If the building collapsed, then Remus would die as well.

Well, not anymore. Remus - no, the demon came flying out the house, straight towards Virgil still laying on the ground. He tried to back away, but Remus grabbed his shirt, pulling him up and holding him in place. Virgil really was crying now - perfect. The building behind them collapsed, a raging fire still burning. Virgil could hear sirens in the distance, so perhaps somebody had already seen the fire and alerted the emergency services. But, in all honesty, Virgil had more important things to be worrying about than the burning house, like the fact that an actual demon was about to murder him.

"Remus," he said, one more time, "you-"

And Virgil fell to the floor, a sharp pain soaring through his spine upon contact with the concrete. He looked back up at Remus, who's eyes had stopped glowing red now, thank God. His face was right above Virgil's, their noses almost touching, and that's when Virgil realised that Remus had fell on top of him, his hands resting either side of Virgil's body. He looked... confused. Scared.

Virgil shuffled out from under Remus, getting up into his feet, and helping Remus up afterwards. He glanced behind Remus, seeing that shadow demon again, escaping into the sky. It was gone. They were... They were safe.

Virgil threw his arms around Remus, but Remus pushed him back, moving away from him.

"I-"

"Remus," Virgil breathed. "You're..."

Remus brought a hand up to his arm, rubbing it gently. "I'm sorry. That- That was a bad idea."

"Yeah, no shit," Virgil said without thinking, immediately regretting it as he saw Remus flinch. "I- I mean... We should get out of here."

Remus was shaking. Actually shaking. Virgil had never known Remus to be so afraid of anything, afraid of himself.

"Y'know, fire and all," Virgil said, gesturing to the fire behind them, illuminating the night. Virgil stepped towards Remus, gently taking his hand. "Also, pretty sure the cops are coming. So, y'know, we should probably scram."

"I could have killed you," Remus said, quietly.

Virgil didn't quite know how to respond to that, so instead he just dragged Remus away from the scene, quickly picking up speed and running back towards his own house. Remus followed, but stayed quiet.

Before Virgil got home, he stopped, going to sit down on a bench on the side of the street. He pulled Remus close to him, hugging him tight. Remus' face was wet with tears, and the shaking had only gotten worse.

"No more summoning demons, yeah?" Virgil asked.

Remus chuckled lightly, but it came out as more of a sob. "Yeah. Agreed."

[tanakavox]

Christmas hunt part 3

Junior found himself pacing back and forth in his office like a caged animal. Something big was coming his way, he just knew it! The only time he felt this way was whenever… “SHE,” came around, and that was always followed by complete and utter hell afterwards. Junior had to force himself to stop pacing around and found himself pouring him a glass of something stiff before hurriedly knocking it back.

“Alright, you need to calm down Hei,” he spoke aloud, a hard edge to his tone as he knocked back another glass, “freaking out isn’t going to solve anything, so just. Calm. Down.”

Unfortunately just as Junior had managed to get his nerve under control, it instantly spiked back up when one of his flunkies came running into his office looking like he’d seen a ghost.

"Boss," He cried out, "There’s this Faunus kid that came running into the club! AND HE CLAIMS TO KNOW YANG XIAO LONG!”

The silence was deafening as his flunkie made the announcement, only to be broken by the sound of shattered glass as Junior let the empty glass in his hand slip out of his grasp. His face paled and his blood ran cold, flashbacks of his bar being destroyed several times over playing through his head like watching old film footage.

"No… it can’t be…”

-Main Lobby-

Zwei was sitting in a booth, currently demolishing a plate of wings and pounding back a shot of warm sake. He had arrived at the club roughly ten minutes ago, only to be greeted with open hostility from the bouncer.

“This ain’t a place for kids,” he stated in a condescending manner, “Why don’t you run along and go sing some christmas carols with the other little boys and girls your age?”

Zwei merely gave him an unimpressed look, not even bothering to rise to the obvious bait before simply flaring a little aura out. The bouncer tenses upon realize the “kid,” was a huntsmen, and his face lost all color when Zwei said:

“That anyway to talk to the brother of Yang Xiao Long?”

Which was how he found himself quickly escorted into an MVP booth and given access to, “The Good Shit.” The men escorting him told him that the Boss would be down shortly, and so Zwei found himself simply killing the time by eating his food and warming himself up with some sake. 

Shortly after finishing his wings, he was joined by a very large and very nervous looking man who sat across from him. Zwei cooly looked the man over before knocking back another shot of sake, letting out a content sigh before he addressed the broker.

“Junior, I presume?”

The aforementioned Junior visibly flinched as if he was physically struck, before his face settled into a hard look as if he was getting down to the business.

"That’s me, and I'm just going to cut to the chase kid: who the hell are you and what’s your connection with that blond hellion?”

Zwei couldn’t stop the smirk forming on his face at the apt description of his sister. Looks like his sister's reputation was still well known at The Club.

“I’m her younger brother.”

Zwei’s smirk morphed into a full blown shit eating grin at Juniors reaction to his reveal of being Yang’s brother. His eyes had nearly bulged out of his head in shock, and the man looked like he was about to have a heart attack at any moment.

“Her younger brother,” he cried out in a panic.

“Yeah, younger brother. You deaf or something, or just particularly slow?”

Junior squeezed his eyes shut and let out a miserable groan as he found his hands automatically coming to meet his already aching head. Blondie was bad enough whenever she came around, and Romans red pain in the ass was just as bad(if not worse) whenever she stopped by, but there was another one of these little shits?! 

‘Brothers above, what did I ever do to deserve this,’ Junior internally cried to himself, before he opened his eyes to address the amused Zwei in front of him, who was now gingerly sipping on his sake instead of pounding it back.

“Look, just,” Junior started in a tired tone, “tell me what you want so I can get you the hell out of my club.”

Zwei rolled his eyes at the melodramatic man in front of him, before he got a serious look on his face and decided to cut straight to business.

“I’m gonna keep this short and to the point: I need to know where I can get a Playstation Five.”

“...What.”

“Brothers, I’m starting to think you’re honestly slow! I said, I need to know where I can get a Playstation Five! Try and keep up Junior, geez.”

“...You didn’t order one ahead of-”

“No, I did not order one ahead of time,” Zwei angrily growed out, “otherwise, you think I’d be coming to you asking?”

Junior quickly held up his hands in a placating manner, desperately trying his best to not anger the young huntsmen in front of him lest he end up with his establishment destroyed again.

‘Of all times I need Miltia and Melanie the most, and of course they’re on holiday leave!’

“And before you ask why I’m going out of my way for this, it’s because I’m trying to get one of these stupid consoles for my newphew for Christmas.”

If Junior wasn’t about to have a heart attack before, then he certainly felt like he was about to now. 

“Di-did you say, nephew,” he managed to stutter out.

“Yes Junior. Nephew. As in, the son of my older sister. You know, I was just giving you shit about being slow before, but now I’m truly wondering if you have some kind of learning disability.”

But Junior ignored Zwei’s insult as he was too busy internally swearing upon every single deity known to man, women, and Faunus alike. First, he learns that there’s a third little demon child to complete a twisted trio, but now they’re breeding?!

“Gods above, what poor bastard did she have to coerce spawning a brat with her,” he all but spat out, “can’t imagine how much of a little shit that hellspawn is to deal with!”

In a span of seconds Hei “Junior” Xiong realized that he had made two monumental mistakes. The first mistake was saying what he just said aloud instead of in his head like he had intended to. The second mistake?

“...What did you just say about my nephew?”

Was that he said what he said aloud in front of the last person he should have ever said that in front of. The temperature of the bar dropped to match the near frozen weather outside, as Zwei leveled a cold glare that sent chills down Juniors spine. Zwei calmly finished drinking his Sake, keeping eye contact with the now terrified Junior before gently placing his glass down…

THUMP

...Before slamming his hand down hard against the shared table between them. The force from the impact vibrated the whole club, while the table made a loud cracking noise as if it were being broken, though it had appeared to remain perfectly intact. Zwei slowly rose from his seat, face carefully blank as he continued to stare down the cowardly information broker in front of him.

“I asked you a question Junior,” Zwei ground out in a dangerous tone, “I said: What. Did. You. Say. About. My. NEPHEW?”

Junior broke out in a cold sweat as he began trying to stutter out an apology. No longer was he praying that his precious club would survive the night, he was now praying that HE would survive within the next five minutes.

“I-I DIDN’T MEAN IT ALRIGHT,” he cried out fearfully, trying to back away only to find that he merely backed himself further into his booth. “LOOK, I KNOW WHERE YOU CAN POSSIBLY GET ONE OF THOSE STUPID CONSOLES ALRIGHT?!

“...I’m listening.”

“There’s a raffle being held at the Franklin Mall tomorrow afternoon around two! They have three consoles available to win and if you’re lucky you might be able to get your hands on one as well!”

“...That’s all you know?”

“That’s all I know, I swear!”

Zwei continued to stare down Junior for several more seconds, before letting out an annoyed sigh.

“A raffel? really,” he muttered to himself, “of course, why not? Typical Rose luck I supposed, but I guess it’s my only option left.”

Zwei let out another sigh, before pulling out some bills and throwing them on the table. 

“Lien for my food and the table, should cover most of the costs… I think.”

Junior didn’t even attempt to reach for the bills, still stricken with fear of the Gods put into him by the younger huntsman in front of him. Zwei rolled his eyes at the cowardly man in front of him, before he started walking away.”

“Thanks for the info Junior,” he called out over his shoulder, “Might come pay you another visit sometime. Until then, Merry Christmas.”

Junior finally allowed himself to slump in his seat, his heart was pounding so fast that he thought it was going to leap out of his chest and his clothing was drenched in sweat. It was at that moment the table that Zwei had slammed his palm into let out an ominous groan, before it split perfectly in half: one half landing on the now empty seat where Zwei was seated and the other on top of Junior.

The table landed on Juniors stomach, knocking all the air out of him and causing him to cough and wheeze for several minutes. Junior let out a pathetic whimper at everything that had happened to him in the past half an hour and once again wondered which of one of the brothers he must have pissed off in another life to deserve this treatment.

“Yeah, Merry Christmas…”

@thatorigamiguy did the edits. Thanks bro.

[ninbayphua-moyan]

An Instant’s Beauty: A Moment’s Eternity

I cannot sleep deep in the night; I rise and sit to play my lute. Thin curtains mirror the moon bright; Clear breezes tug my lapels mute. A lonely swan shrieks over the plain; Hovering birds cry in north wood. What do I see pacing in vain? My heart is grieved in solitude. [1] 

Warm morning sunlight streamed in through the lightwell, painting the dimly lit room in a dreamy pastel gold, quite like that of a faded photograph. The balmy Penang air was steeped in the fresh, earthy petrichor of a recent shower, blanketed with a sense of Saturday languidness. A gentle breeze, pleasantly cool against my skin fleeted through the wide-open windows, carrying with it the alluringly sweet scent of frangipanis.

          I flipped the century-old poetry book, its yellowed leaves a beautiful contrast against the teal-blue covers. White silk cords stitched together the pages in a butterfly binding whilst faded black ink encased in vermillion frames marked each leaf, punctuated only occasionally by an ink wash painting of landscapes or plants and animals. Reflexion. I placed the book back down on the table and picked up the brush. Dipping the tip in freshly grounded black ink, I started copying the text.

          I remember a sense of meditative calm seeping into the room against the backdrop of gently rustling palm leaves and running water. The way my hands traced the familiar characters with controlled ease and precision. The movements of the brush long since deeply ingrained into muscle memory from years of practice. Stroke after flowing stroke danced gracefully across the beige xuan paper, each carefully crafted character a painting of woven words. It strikes me now, as I pen my memory onto paper in Bute Park, how similar writing is to calligraphy. Even though it bears a certain form, each writer brings with them their own flair as they string together the words and weave them into a tapestry of thoughts.

          A ripple in the tranquil air.

          The soft fluttering of paper-thin wings. A shimmer of blue at the corner of my eye.

          Propping my brush against the holder, I looked up to see a beautiful blue butterfly flitting in through the window bars. It hovered by the inkstone momentarily before finally coming to a rest on the wooden brush rack next to it, the erratic beating of its wings slowing to a stop. Brilliant hues of cobalt and azure scales glistened as it sat there peacefully basking in the warm tropical sun. Watching the butterfly, I couldn’t help but wonder if the old folklore A-Poh[2] told me was true – that butterflies were the souls of deceased ancestors visiting the living. Wouldn’t that be nice if it was real. Then I’d be able to tell A-Gong[3] all about getting into university; about how part of me was glad that I got accepted but also about how another part of me didn’t want to go since I’d be leaving home for three years straight. What if everything changed whilst I was away? The places I’ve known since childhood…the familiar faces I’ve grown up with…If only the butterfly really was A-Gong. He’d be able to give me some advice.

          A tantalising aroma of freshly steamed glutinous rice dumplings wafted through the air, successfully drawing me out of my musings just as the clock struck noon.

          “Jia-bui-lo!” [4]

          Scurrying feet on creaking floorboards could be heard all over the house as my siblings and parents made a beeline for the dining hall. I looked away from the butterfly and smiled at A-Poh who was standing in the kitchen doorway. She beckoned me over with a toothless grin, her eyes crinkling into two half-moons as she motioned at the large bowl full of steaming glutinous rice dumplings in her hand. Getting up from the Luohan bed[5] where I sat cross-legged, I joined them at the dining table where Di-Di[6] and Mei-Mei[7] were already sat with their chopsticks at the ready, excited grins plastered across their hungry, eager faces.

          I take a seat next to A-Poh, and, picking up my chopsticks, took a bite out of the dumpling in my bowl, its familiar flavours instantly crashing over my taste buds like waves washing up against its shores. A groan escaped my lips as I relished each mouth-watering bite. The savoury note of succulent pork belly marinated in soy sauce and five spice; umami-rich dried shitake mushrooms with its juicy and chewy quality; firm-textured salted duck egg yolk that gives the dumpling a briny aroma whilst its bright orange-red hue creates a pleasant splash of colour against its otherwise brown and black counterparts; the refreshing sweetness of the water chestnuts, a crunchy nuttiness amidst the softness; soft, sticky golden brown glutinous rice encompassing it all, delectably infused with the subtle fragrance of its bamboo leaf wrappings and rich flavours of its fillings from the hours of steaming…ah…these tenderly wrapped packages of love though plain in appearance were worth more to me than gold.

          I was still half way through my first dumpling when another newly unwrapped one plopped into my bowl. Quickly swallowing my food, I tried protesting only to be shushed with another mouthful of rice being forced into my open mouth and a fond pat on the cheek. I shook my head in resignation whilst my siblings sent me cheeky looks before sneakily scooting closer to our parents. There was no stopping A-Poh now that she was on the rampage and those little troublemakers were smart enough to know to stay out of arms reach of her stuffing chopsticks. The rascals. Di-Di even has the audacity to stick his tongue out at me which was obviously returned with an eye roll.

          Little did I know then that these habitual banter, familiar aromas, and accustomed faces would be what I would miss most after leaving. Everything was as it should be; and everyone was where they belonged. In that instance, surrounded by dust particles glimmering in the golden tropical sunlight, it was as if a spell had been cast that would make today go on eternally. For a moment, I let myself believe in the enchantment; that tomorrow will never come and the flight ticket to London was nothing but a forgotten fantasy…

          Bzzz.

          Bzz. Bzzzzzz.

          Bzzz.

          I instinctively reach for my phone to turn off the alarm that pierces the heavy veils of sleep. However, when I open my eyes, I’m met with an unfamiliar white ceiling instead of the usual worn wooden beams. For a moment, I lie there, disorientated before realization sinks in. Cardiff. I am in my flat in Cardiff and the weight I felt on my stomach wasn’t Hua-Hua[8] but rather, my laptop which was still perched on its spot from yesterday’s all-nighter. I must’ve dozed off at some point.

          Slowly sitting up, I gaze around the silent room. Its bleak white walls; books and worksheets sprawled messily across the covers; steely early morning sunlight filtering through the narrow window into the dingy room; folders organized in a nice pile on the desk...My wandering gaze comes to a grinding stop when it lands on the calendar next to the neat stack of folders.

          February 7th.

          I sigh. Looks like I’ll be celebrating both my birthday and Chinese New Year alone this year…

          The frigid February air is still bitterly cold despite being swaddled from head to toe in layers upon layers of coats and scarves. Miserably, I trudge onwards along the banks of the River Taff. Razor sharp winds slice at my cheeks leaving behind searing scars. As the last remaining trickle of warmth leave my body, my mind shuts down and I plod along the cobblestone streets mechanically, limbs and face numb from the biting cold.

          A lukewarm breeze flutters by, stirring my slumbering senses. Bit by bit, warmth seeps back into my frozen limbs and my foggy mind clears as if waking up from a trance. Glancing around, I spot the words Marchnad Caerdydd [9] and realise I’ve arrived at the market. I shake off the remaining frost induced spell and venture into the quiet maze of stalls, trolley in hand.

          The smell of freshly baked bread and pastries wafts through the crisp air, tinged with a breath of floral sweetness. A range of raw meat laid out in clear glass cases bathed in neon pink lights line the murky grey brick walls. Whiffs of coffee beans tickle my nose whenever a dull-eyed person shuffles soullessly pass me in the near vacant market. Stall owners sit spiritlessly at their stalls staring lazily into space. It was almost like walking into a ghost town.

          A splash of colour.

          Turning around, I see a stall filled to the brim with a rainbow array of fruits and vegetables. A refreshing sight in the seemingly deserted marketplace. The sudden craving for something sweet results in me buying a bag of strawberries before wandering on.

          As I nibble away happily on the strawberries browsing through the stalls up in the gallery, I was suddenly struck by a sense of déjà vu. Bit by bit, the scene before me starts to change. The glaring daylight fades away into the tranquil darkness of night and the dusty marketplace roof is now a sky full of twinkling stars. A magnificent full moon shines softly against the vast velvety void, casting a gentle glow on everything below. Towering, lush palm trees replace murky grey brick walls and the cobblestone floor is transformed into a well-travelled dirt road. A lively buzz fills the now soothingly warm tropical air as a familiar sight begins to emerge in the distance. For there, at the very end of the road, stood Penang’s bustling night market, glowing and glittering like a chest of magical gems in the blanket of darkness.

          Brightly lit stalls sheltered by rainbow umbrellas formed a colourful labyrinth, drawing people young and old towards those warm lights like moths to a flame. The sound of street vendors hollering out their wares permeated the air, mingling with the cheerful haggling. Weaving in and out of the throng, I hurried over to the food stalls section. Bellowing clouds of smoke imbued with the irresistible aroma of Asian street food rose into the night air and my mouth began to salivate.

          As memories melt into ink and reconstruct themselves as words on the page, I am suddenly reminded of Lauren Elkin’s essay on being a flaneur.[10] Wandering through the streets of a city, uncovering its secrets and crafting it into a tale for the shelves. Having read Virginia Woolf’s Street Hunting, it’s fascinating to see not only the difference between Penang and London but also her contrasting writing style.[11]

          A familiar smell wafted down the street. I snapped out of my trance and made a beeline towards a stall tucked away in the corner. An old couple stood amongst bamboo steamer baskets selling staple dim-sum[12] delicacies. Noticing my arrival, the old woman hurried up to me and enveloped me into a bone-shattering hug.

          “Nai-Nai![13] Can’t – breathe –”

          She lets go of me with a laugh, grabbed my hand and quickly led me inside. As she busied herself fawning over me, Ye-Ye[14] quietly filled up a bowl and placed it in front of me with a kindly smile. I looked into the bowl to find it full of crystal shrimp dumplings[15], my favourite dim-sum dish.

          I picked up a piece of dumpling with my chopsticks and take a tentative bite, my mouth immediately exploding with flavour. The saltiness of grounded shrimp marinated with soy sauce and sesame oil contrasting exquisitely against the unique juicy sweetness of fresh prawn; a thin yet sturdy glass-like wrapper encapsulates it all with delicate pleats, creating a tasteful balance between the plainness of the dough and the richness of its fillings. Ah…heaven in a bite-size bundle.

          Ye-Ye and Nai-Nai smiled fondly as they watched me wolf down the shrimp dumplings with the same unrestrained gusto I’ve had for the past nineteen years. We reminisced about the past, laughing at funny memories whilst savouring the simple dim-sum dishes, and I couldn’t help but noticed how time had flown. Just yesterday I was barely tall enough to reach their knees; today, I stood half a head taller.

          “How long?”

          “Three years.”

          Minutes pass, neither of us uttered a word. Then, Ye-Ye gently ruffled my hair, the same way he’s been doing since I was two, only this time, the smile on his face seemed tinged with a hint of melancholy.

          “Silly child.”

          My nose soured at the affectionate nickname and I quickly tilted my head back to stop tears from falling. The stars seemed strangely lonely that night.

          “Still such a cry-baby.”

          “Am not!”

          Hastily blinking away the tears, I got up and enveloped Nai-Nai in a tight hug.

          “Take care.”

          I nodded, not trusting my voice. After a few pats, we broke apart and I turned to head home.

          “We’ll save some shrimp dumplings for when you come home!”

          I dared not look back so I raised my hand and waved farewell instead. Until next time.

          Strolling down the five-foot way, I paused in front of a pair of ventilated timber doors. Mythical creatures of Chinese folklore embellished each panel. The dragon floating reverently amongst wispy clouds, each delicately carved scale shimmering with contained power. Opposite it, perched nobly on golden branches, was its gentler feathered counterpart – the phoenix, its wings spread wide, ready to take flight. Under the moonshine, it was as if those gilded bodies were suddenly brought to life. Their once dull sheen now aglow in brilliant shades of scarlet, orange and gold, almost as if they would burst into flames at any moment, just like in the myths of old, and be reborn from the ashes.

          As I gazed at the exquisite carvings, entranced, an old memory resurfaces. Same door, same carvings, but a very different time. I was a lot shorter for one, and I wasn’t alone. The large calloused hand that held mine was wrinkled and dry like the pages of an old book. Where a finger was supposed to be was stump, the only remains of a work accident in his youth.

          I tugged at the hand and A-Gong glanced down, a gentle smile on his weather-beaten face. Seeing the question in my doe-like eyes, he laughed. “These?” he asked as he lifted me up with one arm whilst running his other hand over the carvings which glittered under the setting sun. “These are spirit guardians sent by the Jade Emperor to watch over our household.”

          “Howshowld?”

          “Family,” he chuckled and tweaked my nose. I giggled, playfully reaching out my stubby fingers to grab his beard. Still laughing, he pushed open the heavy, half-a-century-old doors and we entered the house.

          Standing in the living room, the sounds of mirth slowly faded into silence and evening sunlight was replaced with the darkness of night. Without bothering to turn on the light, I walked over to the Luohan-bed and struck a match, lighting the wooden lantern. A pool of golden light was casted around the table where a flight ticket to London sat, my passport placed neatly beside it.

          I sighed.

          Sinking down into the cushions, I glanced at the clock. Five hours. Then it’s goodbye for a very, very long time. I gazed absentmindedly around the familiar room as my mind takes a trip down memory lane: mornings sprawled across the brightly coloured majolica tile floor trying to trace its intricate patterns; Evenings spent watching A-Poh wielding her embroidery needle with decades of practiced ease; A-Gong playing the erhu[16] on peaceful nights…ah yes, the erhu. Closing my eyes, I could almost hear it. The bamboo bow strung with horsetail hair traversing between two silk strings as A-Gong’s fingers dance deftly along its slender neck producing a vast array of tunes: one moment tender and sombre, the next sonorous and joyful.

          “Mmmreeoow?”

          I opened my eyes and found myself gazing into the forest-green orbs of a young calico sat patiently on my lap. Snuffing out the lantern, I laid down and wrapped my arms around Hua-Hua as she snuggled against my chest.

          An intoxicating sweetness tickled my nose.

          I glanced over at the potted plants to find the tan-huas[17] blossoming. Head propped against the pillow; I watched as the tightly rolled petals bloom in slow motion. Its fiery red tendrils unfurling elegantly to reveal a profusion of feathery white petals, much like a swan ruffling its wings, about to take flight. In the darkness of night, its snowy petals seemed to glow from within, as if made of moonbeams. With moonlight streaming in from the lightwell above, even the floating dust particles were transformed into shimmering stardust dancing in the quiet night air.

          Yet, as enchanting as it was, I couldn’t help but remember that it would all come to an end very soon. By dawn, before the sun’s first kiss, its lustrous petals would be shrivelled up and a withered carmine carcass would be all that remains of its snowy beauty from the night before; its lingering exotic fragrance a ghost of its twilight arrival. There’s an old saying A-Gong used to describe the tan-huas blooming: an instant of beauty but a moment of eternity. Even though beautiful things don’t last forever, they live on eternally, etched into our deepest memories. Just like the tan-huas, my time left on this quaint little island was coming to an end. By dawn tomorrow, I too would be gone; and though I’d be leaving this cozy old house I called home, I’d take with me its memories, just as the scent and beauty of the tan-hua lingers on forever in the memory of all who witnessed it.

          Listening to the rustling palm leaves and soothing gurgle of running water, tension oozed out of my body as my muscles relaxed. The tranquillity of night imbued with the intoxicating sweetness of tan-huas calmed my racing thoughts and my eyelids started to droop. Just before being lulled to sleep by Hua-Hua’s soft purring, I caught sight of a glimmer of azure amongst the radiant white blooms. The fluttering of delicate wings; quiet footsteps; something warm being tucked around me; and the familiar scent of incense from eleven years ago accompanied me as I drifted off to sleep.

NOTES:

[1] Ji Ruan, ‘Reflexions’ in 300 Gems of Classical Chinese Poetry, trans. by Yuanchong Xu (China: Peking University Press) pp. 88-89

[2] ‘A-Poh’ means ‘grandmother’ in Hainanese

[3] ‘A-Gong’ means ‘grandfather’ in Hainanese

[4] ‘Jia bui lo!’ means ‘time to eat’ in Hainanese (one of the Chinese dialects).

[5] ‘Luohan bed’ is a traditional Chinese furniture equivalent to the modern sofa-bed. It is made of wood, often containing a low wooden tea table set in the center.

[6] ‘Di-Di’ means ‘younger brother’ in Chinese 

[7] ‘Mei-Mei’ means ‘younger sister’ in Chinese 

[8] ‘Hua-Hua’ means ‘flower’ or ‘patterned’ in Mandarin which is a reference to the calico cat’s tri-coloured coat as well as the fact that calicos are called ‘Yin-Hua-Bu-Mao’. The naming is also a pun and an allusion the association it has with the memories her grandfather and his favourite flowers – the tan-huas.

[9] ‘Marchnad Caerdydd’ means ‘Cardiff Market’ in Welsh.

[10] Lauren Elkin, ‘A tribute to female flaneurs: the women who reclaimed our city streets’, in Flaneuse: Woman Walk the City, (London: Chatto & Windus, 2016)

[11] Virginia Woolf, 'Street Haunting', in Selected Essays (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), pp. 177 - 187

[12] ‘Dim-sum’ is a style of Chinese cuisine that’s prepared in small bite-sized portions served in small steamer baskets or on a small plate. It is also a metaphor in this story for a Chinese saying: 麻雀虽小，五脏俱全 meaning ‘small as it is, the sparrow has all the vital organs’. Just like dim-sum, the narrator’s happiness comes from a seemingly insignificant object such as a bowl of shrimp dumplings.

[13] ‘Nai-Nai’ means ‘paternal grandmother’ but can also be used as a general reference to or a friendlier and more affectionate way of addressing an old woman which is often used to show the closeness of the relationship.

[14] ‘Ye-Ye’ means ‘paternal grandfather but can also be used as a general reference to or a friendlier and more affectionate way of addressing an old man which is often used to show the closeness of the relationship.

[15] ‘Crystal shrimp dumplings’ also known as ‘Har-gao’ are a staple dim-sum dish made of prawn semi-translucent wraps kneaded from flour. In Chinese culture, dumplings are normally associated with togetherness and reunions since the wrapping of dumplings is a group activity that is usually done with family which helps emphasizes on the sense of belonging within the narrative.

[16] ‘Erhu’ is a traditional Chinese two-stringed fiddle.

[17] ‘Tan-hua’ also known as Epiphyllum Oxypetalum is a species of cactus found in South America and Southeast Asia that blooms rarely and only at night. In the Chinese culture’s language of flowers, the tan-hua means ‘an instant of beauty, a moment of eternity’, meaning beautiful things don’t last forever but they last forever in our memories.

Author's Notes:

Back with Part 3 of the short story slash prose pieces from uni series (this part was also written in second year lol) The story is back to the present, picking up a year after that rocky start in Part 1 and A-Yun is now in her second year of uni reminiscing about the time leading up to her departure for the UK. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading Part 3~

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 4 

Since exams are over and graded and I've officially graduated, I can finally post my work online without having to worry about Turnitin picking it up as plagiarism because apparently you aren't allowed to plagiarise yourself according to university which is absolutely ridiculous but I'm not the one making the rules here so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Also, please don't reupload my works without permission.

[meangirlsx]

The Whole “Being Dead” Thing: Beetlejuice x reader (part 2)

Pairing: Beetlejuice x reader Word count: 1884 Warnings: Major character death? You are the major character. But it’s Beetlejuice so your story continues as a ghost. Your death is not described. Request: Hello💚 can I request beetlejuice x reader in which the reader moved into the maitland‘s house but after a while dies there too because of an accident or something so basically ghost!reader x beetlejuice

Part 1

——

“Barbara? Adam? What’s going on?”

Barbara took your hand gently. “Y/N… You’re dead. I’m so sorry.”

The words barely processed in your head. “I’m...dead?”

They nodded. You felt Adam place his hand on your back. Having both of them with you was good, at least. Their touch was comforting.

The thought made you realize their touch felt different, now. It felt more real than any time you’d touched before, which made sense, you thought. It felt like how you imagined it would if you had met them when all of you were alive.

“What happened?” you asked.

“You don’t remember?” Adam replied.

“No. I’m not really sure what I remember last…”

“That’s probably for the best,” Barbara said. “It’ll come back to you eventually. Don’t force it.”

“My family… My friends…”

“They’ll be okay,” Barbara said. “They got to spend time with you right before it happened. You got to say goodbye.”

“We can show you how to check in on them later,” Adam said. “Let’s get you settled for now, though.”

“Why are we in the attic? Did I die here? I thought you woke up as a ghost wherever you died.”

“We brought you here,” Barbara said. “We wanted you to be with us and be somewhere you felt safe when you woke up.”

“How did you know that I…” You trailed off, but they knew what you wanted to ask.

“Beetlejuice warned us,” Adam said.

“He knew?” But you realized you didn’t need an answer. Of course he knew. He always knew when someone was going to die. “This is why he was acting so weird.”

Barbara nodded. “He wanted you to have time with everyone you cared about.”

“He couldn’t just tell me?” You shook your head, more for yourself than for them. “That would be a huge problem, wouldn’t it? Shouldn’t warning me at all have been a huge problem?”

“He said he would never forgive himself if he knew you were going to die and he didn’t find a way to let you say goodbye to everyone.”

You heard the door open behind you and turned to see Beetlejuice standing in the doorway. In front of him, he held a bouquet of black roses.

You stood there for a moment, frozen. So did he.

You broke first. You crossed to him and just collapsed into him. You heard him snap his fingers, then his arms were around you, holding you tighter than ever before. For the first time since you’d met, he felt distinctly not cold to the touch. He wasn’t exactly warm, either, but he felt real, like the Maitlands had.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” he said.

“No. You gave me time to say goodbye that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. Thank you.”

Part of you wanted to stay there in his arms forever, and it crossed your mind that technically, you could literally stay in his arms forever, now, if he would let you. But you pulled away.

You glanced behind you and realized the Maitlands had left. Then you noticed the bouquet floating beside your head. Beetlejuice pulled it from the air and held it out to you.

“Um, these are for you. It feels kind of dumb, now, giving you flowers for your own death, but—”

“No. They’re perfect.”

“I just wanted to do something. They don’t need water. Or light. Or anything, really. Netherworld flowers.”

You took them from him. “Thank you.”

Then, after a long moment, he said, “I’m sorry.”

That took you by surprise. “What for?”

“I could have told you. I should have told you.”

“You would have had to face some sort of punishment, wouldn’t you?”

“Only if my mom found out.”

“That’s not worth the risk. What good would it have done? You helped me say goodbye. That’s the most important thing to me. You couldn’t have done anything to stop it from happening. I would have just been dwelling on my own death for a week. That would have been awful.”

He sat down on the step beneath the door. “I’ve never been this close to someone before they died.” He stared down at his feet. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this close to someone, actually.”

“This is new for me, too.” You sat down beside him and reached out to take his hand.

“I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have told you how I feel if I had known this was going to happen.”

You loosened your grip on his hand. “Are you taking it back?”

“No!” he said, too loudly. He realized and lowered his voice again. “No. I just don’t want to pressure you. You just died. Death changes things. You might feel differently. You might not want to be in a relationship, now. Death is forever. And I don’t mean you’d be committing to me forever, obviously. Only as long as you wanted. But death is enough on its own. You don’t need me making it more complicated.”

“You’d be helping me figure this all out no matter what, wouldn’t you?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then, if anything, I think I could use you now more than ever. I’ll need someone to help me through the whole process. Someone who can help me when I miss everyone. Someone who can help when I remember what happened. Someone who can be there for me when it all sinks in… I’d like that to be you. I want to be with you.”

“Adam and Barbara already claimed showing you how to check in on people. They made that very clear to me.” He took your hand in both of his. “But I’m good for the rest. I’m with you. The whole way.”

You heard a thud come from downstairs, catching both of you off-guard.

“What was that?” you asked.

He stood, and you followed. When you reached the living room, you saw that Adam and Barbara were already there, and they looked a little peeved.

“Movers,” Barbara said.

“They’re like vultures,” Adam added.

“Movers? Already? How long has it been?” you asked.

“Time moves differently when you’re dead,” Beetlejuice said.

“It’s weird and disorienting,” Adam said.

Barbara touched your arm lightly. “You get used to it. I promise.”

“Your family collected all your stuff,” Beetlejuice continued. “So you don’t have to worry about that. This is a family moving in.”

“Is this how you guys felt when I moved in?” you asked.

“Maybe a little,” Barbara said. “But we knew we were going to like you right away. And your movers weren’t so loud.”

“There’s a man and a woman,” Adam said. “They’re definitely a couple. But they also seem like business associates? We’re not sure. It’s strange.”

“And they have a teenage girl with them,” Barbara said. “Lydia. She just lost her mom. She doesn’t want to be here.”

“She just lost her mom and they’re moving?” you said.

You looked up at Beetlejuice. He looked as distraught as you felt, and you hadn’t even seen the girl, yet.

“Can we...help her, somehow?” you asked.

“We can at least try, right?” Barbara said.

Suddenly, every part of you felt exhausted. You weren’t quite sure how that was possible, since you no longer had a body, but that didn’t change how you felt.

You leaned against Beetlejuice. His arm hooked around your waist before he said anything, and you gripped his jacket.

“You okay?” he asked, almost whispering.

“I’m tired. How am I tired?”

“Let’s head back to the attic,” he said, and you all did.

“What am I supposed to do about being tired? Do ghosts even sleep?”

“You don’t technically need to, but you can,” he said. “You’re going to be fine. This happens sometimes with newly deceased. Do you want to go rest?”

“I guess? Where do I even do that?”

Barbara and Adam smiled at each other, then at you, just like they had done earlier in the week when you told them you weren’t sure Beetlejuice would have feelings for you. You weren’t sure what that meant for this situation, but you knew it at least meant you would probably like the answer.

“I have a house,” Beetlejuice said.

“You have a house?” You couldn’t believe it. “Then why were you always at mine?”

“Your house had you,” he said. It was simple and innocent and you were sure he didn’t realize that it would sound as sweet as it did. “Barbara and Adam live there, too. We’ll show you.”

He snapped his fingers, and you were all in what looked like your living room, but not exactly. The decor was a mix of yours and the Maitlands and something else entirely that you guessed was Beetlejuice’s choice. None of it matched, but something about it made you feel at home. It was like the room itself was telling you that you all belonged there, welcoming you to your new home.

“We’re in the master bedroom, if you ever need anything,” Barbara said.

That made sense, you figured. They would have been in that room when they lived in the house.

“And your room?” you asked, turning to face Beetlejuice.

He didn’t say anything. He just had you follow him until you were at the door to what appeared to be your room. You looked at him.

“You stay in my room?”

He smiled at you. “It’s not like I’m here that much. I’ve usually been in your old room. With you.”

That was a good point, which prompted you to smile back at him.

You went inside and saw that the room was almost exactly how you had it. The only difference was an occasional striped item similar to the pieces that stood out in the living room.

“I can move into the guest room,” he said. “It wouldn’t be a problem. You should be in here.”

You walked around the room slowly, taking it all in. “Or you could stay here, too.” You said it quietly, a little nervous to make the suggestion. You had technically just started dating, but you had spent so much time together before, and it didn’t seem to make much of a difference if you lived in two separate rooms in the same house or the same room, especially considering you probably wouldn’t spend too much time there, anyway.

He took another step into the room and closer to you. “Do you want me to?”

“I wouldn’t mind.” You sat down on the bed. “If you wanted to, I mean.”

“It would be an honor.” He took a seat beside you. “You should really rest, now.”

“You’ll stay?”

He reclined back into the bed. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

You let yourself get comfortable next to him.

“And we’ll talk to Barbara and Adam about helping Lydia once you’re feeling better.”

You rested your arm over him and closed your eyes.

This new life – or death – would take a lot of getting used to, but you were glad to have him guiding you through it. You didn’t know what to expect, but at least you’d have him by your side. Barbara and Adam, too. Really, in some ways, it wasn’t all that different from the life you knew before, and that was enough to ease your mind for now.

——

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In honor of the New Year and as of right now, three people who have voted (3 for Yuki, and 1 for Emi and Joan), I’m letting you guys see character designs more in style for their respective shows with some more information! Remember, questions are encouraged and you can vote multiple people if your interest isn’t cleanly split!

Yuki is actually half Russian on her mother’s side! She’s also completely fluent Japanese, English, and Russian!

Her quirk is called Winter’s Aria, which has a base form of mutation but can branch out into an emitter and transformation type. In short, her internal body is nearly completely frozen, maintaining a temperature range between 27-29 Fahrenheit or -2.7 to -1.6, which is the mutation part. She has a health usage license to maintain her body temperature so long as she does not damage or injure people or property using the emitter properties of her quirk. The emitter part allows her to control the atmosphere and ice in various forms, in action this allows her to create ice and control these elements so long as they maintain a cold temperature. She cannot control water unless it approaches freezing or below. Her control can be strengthened when she sings, which she rarely does with an audience due to social anxiety, but can accomplish great feats. Such as creating a polar vortex, but it would require a great amount of vocal and emotional power to do so. Transformation turns her whole body to ice and lowers the ambient temperature as a matter of course.

Her quirk is a combination of her parents and their grandparents.

Mother: Frozen Heart (nearly identical to Yuki but somewhat weaker and without the musical part). 

Her father: Winter’s Heart (his internal organs are frozen and he exudes a cold temperature uncontrollably but can control and create ice directly from his body) 

Her mother: Seasonal Change (she can control the atmosphere around her in a limited function, usually generating winds or altering the clouds, which allows her to instinctively know the exact atmospheric weathers)

Father: Musicality (The ability to create a musical in his environment through song, often with unintended consequences)

His Mother: Perfect pitch (Exactly as it sounds, she can sing perfectly any note within reasonable human range)

His Father: Musical Theatre (He can compel his environment to become a musically inclined environment, though not always guaranteeing that people sing)

Emi!

This is her first wanted poster for the crime of stealing an emerald from a jeweler’s workshop that was owned by a Celestial Dragon to be set into a new necklace, hence the high price. But she absolutely insists that it wasn’t theft since the emerald wasn’t the Celestial Dragon’s in the first place. And yes, I am avoiding drawing their full bodies for the time being in the One Piece art style until later!

As a fun fact, she doesn’t actually know her name, so she simply shortened her name from “Emerald”. And as a bonus, she can create either two fans or an umbrella for combat and defense. The fans can create blades of energy and the umbrella can fire either a beam or shots of energy. I repeat, this isn’t a crossover with Steven Universe, but it is inspired by the ideas in that story. An astute reader will know why Emi is firm in her belief that she didn’t steal the emerald, but is very insistent on not showing her features unless absolutely necessary. No one knew she was sentient before this point and it’s not due to a devil fruit, either. She’s curious and enjoys fixing things, usually after taking them apart.

Joan!

This is her first bounty poster as well! You’ll notice that this poster has her name wrong! That’s because the marines mistakenly thought her name was ‘John’ and took her height and pre-teen frame as an indication she was male. The ‘Spade’ was added since ‘John’ is a very common name in the hopes of setting her apart from other wanted pirates who happened to be named John. The Spades did not take this well, though Joan thought it was humorous, so they took to loudly calling her ‘Little Queen’ to fit the card theme of the ship and crew. This exact picture was taken when she was pushing a barrel onto the ship. The bounty is exceptionally low for the Grand Line and the Spade crew at the time, because her position on the crew was unknown and she hadn’t been seen fighting in any capacity. Her position in fact being assistant cook where she helped prep and cooked herself from time to time, a necessity for a crew with a prolific eater like Ace on board. She also stuck close to Ace to prevent him from falling overboard or into his food when he has a narcolepsy attack, being one of the few who can manage not to be stabbed when reaching near his food. She does not willingly fight, but she does know some self defense from both her father and official classes at the private school she used to go to.

Her talents lie in the field of cooking and knifework with a soft spot for food sculptures and desserts. She is also quite intelligent and skipped grades in part because of her prolific height (as she otherwise would have stuck out in her classes to the detriment of her social life, which suffered anyway because of her height and appearance). She doesn’t have a devil fruit, but her curse personifies emotion into objects or physical transformations, of which her current one is a combination of hunger and fear.

As a New Years bonus, here’s the pictures I mentioned previously in the style of their respective shows! Mostly, I haven’t gotten one for Calypso yet since she’s not a wanted criminal, if ever. But I will have a fun fact for her at the end!

Originally, Halia was going to be called Joan too! But I decided two characters with the same name was a bit confusing and went with a Hawaiian name meaning “in remembrance of a loved one” after her late father, who died before she was born. Her step-father does not like her mixed heritage and her mother agreed to refer to her as “Hailey” on most cases so she wouldn’t stick out too much as a child in Galar, which only mostly worked.

Isabella looking appropriately classy and, as a fun fact, I didn’t realize how simple Ouran’s style was when I started this picture. Everything looks like it’s cotton and there’s hardly any jewelry to be seen, which is probably as a limitation of the mangaka and also because it’s from the POV of Haruhi, who doesn’t care about such things. So I literally didn’t have any easy to find references for silk, gold, or gemstones. 

And Isabella is actually childhood friends with Haruhi, as her godfather was a work friend with Haruhi’s mother before she passed who kept in contact with Ranka because of Haruhi and Isabella’s friendship. Isabella acts like an annoying older sister to Haruhi who is ready to spoil her, if only Haruhi didn’t object literally every time she tries. This includes wiping away her debt to the host club, which Haruhi feels honor-bound to fulfill despite the dubious circumstances, so yes, the plot will still happen.

And for Calpyso! She actually does have a devil fruit! The Lonely-Lonely devil fruit, which in essence, can make her unnoticeable. It’s considered cursed since most fail to control the fruit and die from natural circumstances, usually starvation or illness from going completely unnoticed by anyone. Like, one got stranded on an island with no food sources and another was accidentally shot and only had their body discovered after the fact. It renders the user a ghost of their world, earning her the name “Ghost of Paradise Lost” on her file in the Marines, and when utilized to the full effect, lets her walk through objects. With careful control and physical contact, she can bring others with her into this state, but they must not draw attention to themselves (talking loudly or touching other people) as the effect is lessened to a sort of mild ‘notice-me-not’ type of deal. But they can’t be taken with her to pass through physical objects or disappear completely like she can herself. She enjoys scaring people with her fruit powers and wears sea stone earrings when needed to ensure she remains mostly noticed in conversations or meetings, particularly if those involved have trigger fingers. She also carries a truly prolific amount of knives. Just in case.

Vote here! 

 https://strawpoll.com/uzvpd982z