#para: dancing with death

[corpse-a-diem]

Dancing With Death | Anita & Erin

TIMING: Current PARTIES: Anita (@gossipsnake) & Erin (@corpse-a-diem) LOCATION: Anita & Metzli's Home (Mansión Mexicana) SUMMARY: Anita teaches Erin how to salsa. It's a perfectly normal, uneventful date. Until it's not. CONTENT WARNINGS: wrspice (touching, kissing)

Anita was great at distractions. One might even say that most of her life was just bouncing from one distraction to the next, never allowing herself time to think about the space in between. So when a beautiful woman online mentioned a dire need for dance lessons… well that sounded like an exceptional distraction. A lesson out on the packed dance floor of some seedy downtown club would certainly be more lively, a private lesson at home would hopefully be a bit more intimate. Besides, both locations had ample tequila. 

Fortunately, her brooding and even-more-annoying-than-usual roommate wasn’t going to be around to bother them. After clearing an impromptu dance area by moving around the couch and coffee table from the main living room, Anita changed into a flowing but short red dress and went to the kitchen to pull out a crisp bottle of Casa Dragones from the freezer. In a house where both occupants had … unique diets, there wasn’t much else taking space in the freezer. 

Just after she had cut a fresh lime into thin slices, Anita heard the doorbell ring and smirked. 

__

Every intelligent thought in Erin’s brain was screaming at her not to go to some stranger’s home for dance lessons. Her mother had taught her better and Netflix documentaries had taught society better. But there was a growing, overwhelming need for something other than constant death gnawing at her insides. Anita seemed lovely and lively and alive. Something Erin had to remind herself she needed more of, now more than ever. So she donned a simple, silk black dress and some courage to possibly (definitely) embarrass herself in front of this total stranger. It was fine.

She’d found the address simply enough, thankful not to have to navigate around the mess that was Worm’s Row area right now. But the mansion she found herself at was definitely unexpected. How much did college professors make in this town? Footsteps drew closer after she rang the doorbell, and in the midst of briefly questioning her own career choices, the door opened. Erin’s eyes widened in delight as she set her eyes on Anita for the first time. At least if she was going to get murdered tonight, she’d be okay if it was by the woman in front of her. “Anita?” She cleared her throat after a second, remembering herself and holding a hand out. “Erin. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” She smiled, shaking her head slightly, glancing around the exterior of the home. “Am I still in Wicked’s Rest? Because you and your home are just—stunning. We don’t get nice things like this here.”

__

The look on Erin’s face as Anita opened the door made her smirk widen. It was rather refreshing to be around someone so expressive. It was a lot different than what she had been getting from her roommate. It was also nice to know that this woman, who was undoubtedly stunning in her own right, clearly found her attractive. That would surely make this night that much more interesting. “I am,” she reached out to meet the extended hand, “It’s equally a pleasure to meet you, Erin.” 

The question genuinely made Anita laugh and the blatant compliment caused a soft, satisfied blush to spread across her cheeks. “Well, see! That’s exactly the point. Wicked’s Rest deserves some fun and flavor in town. So I’ve done my best to bring a bit of Mexican beauty to town. Both with the house, and with my presence. After all, we all  deserve nice things every now and then, no?”

“Come, I’ve got some more Mexican beauty to share with you.” Turning with the comment, Anita walked further into her home leaving Erin and the open door to sort themselves out. Making her way through the initial foyer and heading towards the bar situated between the kitchen and dining area. “And by that, I mean the best tequila you’ve ever had.” The open-floor plan let the rooms flow into one another, and they were mostly decorated with vibrant (slightly suggestive) artwork and bold colors. There was also, however, a sprinkling of more macabre decorations. Some art that Metzli had brought home from their gallery. Some skulls or other bone fragments situated between vases of flowers and warm candles. 

__

Anita was just as charming in person as she was online—not that Erin doubted she would be. It was infectious and drew her into the home and after Anita.  She pulled the door closed, trying not to think about how Ted Bundy’s victims had thought he was charming too. But her hand was warm and the blush on her cheek from her words didn’t feel even remotely dangerous. She was worrying for nothing again. Erin smirked, considering her words. “You know what? We sure as hell do,” she answered enthusiastically, eyes drifting around her home. Definitely a varied taste, the style and semblance of pieces only reinforced the mental picture she was building about Anita. No complaints yet. “You know, something tells me you might be from Mexico.” A grin broke across Erin’s face and she peeled her attention back to Anita. “How did you end up here of all places?”

She watched the other woman, leaning against the back of a nearby chair. “The best? Wow. That I’ll have to see for myself.”  She said with feigned arrogance, straightening out her blazer as if she was preparing for the ordeal. “And I’ll have you know, I did do my dancing homework. Turns out practicing alone in your bedroom the night before doesn’t make miracles happen. Hopefully you and that tequila will though.”

__

It was always exciting when there was a quick chemistry with whomever Anita invited over on a given night. Some people were all talk where others followed through with action. Erin seemed like the ladder. “No? What gave me away?” Anita teased in response with a smirk. “But yes, I am. I take it you’re from here? The way you said we don’t get nice things here,” she offered as her explanation before the question was even asked. She poured out two shots of the tequila before reaching over to grab the limes and salt, talking while she did so, “I moved here for the teaching job and a desire for new challenges. I came to the US for college, down in the southwest. After I finished my PhD,” she shrugged as she looked up at Erin, “I study insects and their environments, I guess I just wanted some new material.” It was an oversimplification of reality, but that was what Anita excelled at. Luring people in with enough honesty to seem vulnerable without any of the actual risk. 

“Ay, warming my heart! A woman who does her homework,” she said with a smirk as she slid one of the shot glasses across towards Erin. “Well lucky for you, here’s your chance to see that for yourself.” Preparing for the drink with the lime and salt, Anita licked the back of her hand while keeping her gaze focused on the other woman before putting a shake of salt on her skin. “I promise me and the tequila will be far more thrilling than anything you’ve done alone in your bedroom.” With that, she licked the freshly placed salt off her hand, shot the tequila back, and then placed a wedge of lime in her mouth. The drink was smooth enough to take on its own in her opinion, but she liked the foreplay. 

Anita poured herself another drink, before shifting her focus to the pretense for their meeting. “What music did you play when you practiced? Music sets the tone you know.” 

__

“All my life,” Erin nodded. Her brows raised. “PhD? Shit,” she laughed softly, watching the apparently very well-read woman prepare the shots as she spoke. There was something so carefree about Anita, in the way she moved and spoke. And she was smart? It’d almost be annoying if Erin wasn’t so drawn to it. “A beautiful woman who studies bugs and their homes, on a PhD level, huh?” She responded, taking the shot glass offered to her. “I knew you were more interesting than Wicked’s Rest deserved.”

Erin appreciated the light and playful energy Anita brought, emphasized with every smirk and teasing lilt. She knew exactly what this visit was about, as did Erin. The promised reprieve from the shadows and hard, dark tones making themselves home in her mind felt like a true beacon in the night. Erin knew she needed this but until she felt her own cheeks burn pleasantly and turn up in a bright grin, she wasn’t aware just how badly. She kept her eyes on Anita’s, mimicking her motions with the salt and lime, knocking her drink back, which went down so much smoother than expected. “Oh, yeah.” She nodded, pushing her shot glass back towards Anita. “That’s good. You were right. Of course you were. Hit me with another while you’re at it?” 

Right. The dancing part. She smirked and moved around the table, phone in her hand until she was closer to Anita. “Well, don’t laugh at me but I started off with some classic Ricky Martin. Because he’s great, you know?” She laughed and felt the flush of the liquor shoot through her chest, then motioned to her phone again. “But then I wisened up because I could just hear you mocking me in my head and found a popular latin dancing playlist on Spotify.” She pressed play, letting the music fill the room and she looked to Anita’s gaze for approval. “Good? Yes? No?”

–

“Must be kinda nice, getting to know a singular place with intimacy instead of bouncing from one location to the next.” It wasn’t necessarily a fate that she wanted for herself, not that there was any way to change the past even if she did, but Anita did find the idea of a lifelong community to be exceptionally compelling. “Two, actually,” Anita stated with a sly grin. The clarification was not one she made often, not usually wanting to come off as bragging, but Erin seemed to be intrigued rather than intimidated which made Anita feel like she could perhaps brag a bit without it souring the mood. “One PhD for the bugs, one PhD for their homes.”

“My three favorite words,” Even with just the simplicity of their interactions thus far, Anita felt like she was getting to know the other woman quite well. She wasn’t presumptuous or pretentious. At the request, her fingers wrapped around the cool bottle and refilled both of their glasses. Acutely aware of the closing distance between them, Anita leaned towards Erin as she approached as if getting a glimpse at the playlist on her phone was somehow a necessity. “I mean, he’s an international sensation for a reason. An exceptional place to start if you ask me.” 

As Erin kept talking about the music choices, Anita picked up her glass again and shot back the second serving of tequila - this time without the salt and lime ritual. “I would never mock a gorgeous woman playing latin music, of any kind, mami.” As the playlist began, a grin spread across Anita’s face which was followed by a joyous laugh as she heard the sounds of Calle Luna Calle Sol fill the room, “Muy buena!” With the exclamation, she reached over and grabbed Erin’s hand pulling her out towards the makeshift dance floor in the middle of the living room. “Follow my lead, yes?” 

__

“It has its pros and cons. Just like anything.” Erin answered nonchalantly, eyeing Anita and trying to discern whether that was longing or general curiosity in her tone. She couldn’t help but grow more curious about the other woman from the simple statement though. How much of her life was hopping from one place to the next, like she’d implied? There was a level of anonymity that came with moving around like that and it was a point of note that Erin made sure to keep in her back pocket.  “The familiarity is nice, I will say that. But the other side of knowing a place that well is that the place knows you just the same.”

A genuine laugh shook her shoulders. She liked Anita already. “You’re very humble. I like that about you already,” she teased, reaching for the refill on her glass and trying not to think too terribly hard about how close Anita was to her now. The tequila would help. Anita’s infectious energy already was. She watched her down the shot without any assistance and knew immediately she couldn’t back down right in front of her. Anita was already ten thousand leagues cooler than she’d ever hope to be. So, with only the smallest hesitation, she knocked the glass back. Thankfully, Anita was already pulling her toward the living room and she hoped she didn’t see the painful wince that followed. 

A flushed warmth spread through her as the alcohol trickled from her chest, into her limbs as she readied herself in front of Anita. “Oh, with pleasure,” she smirked, desperately trying to think through the haze of alcohol and excitement swarming her insides. God, she was going to embarrass herself in front of this beautiful woman and there was absolutely no stopping it now. She kept a firmer grip on the soft hand that led her here, lifting it up into the air while her other hand moved to slip around her waist, resting it tentatively. Her brow raised expectantly and she watched for further cues from Anita, unable to tear the grin from her lips. “Like that, right?” 

–

“It’s easy to be humble when you’re so beautiful and amazing.” Anita’s tone and body language were as if she was telling a joke, but in reality she did believe what she was saying. She had been on her own in life for long enough to know that when it all came down to it, you had to be your own support system. She couldn’t afford to doubt herself so she simply didn’t. The night started to fall into place as the salsa music warmed the atmosphere around them as the tequila warmed the two of them. 

Anita took the lead, like she had so many times before. If she were focused on teaching true, technical salsa moves it would involve much less prolonged physical contact with anything other than their hands. Instead, she opted to teach her the more casual salsa - the one that wouldn’t be seen on the latin ballroom dance floor but the one that would be found at every Mexican party. “Exactly like that,” she encouraged, moving her left arm up into form while she let her right hand rest gently on the small of Erin’s back. 

After getting the hold set up, Anita took a moment to appreciate the closeness between the two of them, the soft blush that spread across Erin’s cheeks, the smallest specs of yellow in her beautiful blue eyes, and that adorable grin. She let the music dictate the dance, letting her feet and hips move along with the beat while she kept them in the basic form, “I know it's a cliche… but salsa is all about the spirit. You let the music take you where you need to be, it’s an intuition.” It didn’t take long before it seemed like Erin was starting to catch on, following right behind where Anita was leading. 

As the song began to reach a crescendo Anita applied a bit of pressure to her hand on Erin’s waist and gilded her to spin out, then released that hand while she stepped to the side and spun Erin around with a grin. Without missing a beat, she then pulled Erin back in with her other arm and gently dipped her down as the song began to fade out. Their faces were closer now than they had been all night, and Anita’s eyes jumped between Erin’s and her mouth - silently inquiring about closing the remaining distance between them. 

__ 

Alright, so maybe this wasn’t as painfully awkward on her end as Erin had built it up to be. People always told her she thought too much. Planned too much of her life out into neat lines that didn’t leave much room for anything else. But as Anita held her close, she remembered how good it felt to let those lines blur once in a while. “Cliche isn’t so bad sometimes,” she smirked, noting - with absolutely no complaint - how close they were now. Her first few steps were a bit of a stumble, but Anita was patient and gracious, taking her time as she followed her lead. Eventually the rhythm started to click, and while her steps were imperfect and more clumsy than her elegant teacher’s, she’d stopped thinking and just moved. 

“I absolutely had my doubts…” she started, moving effortlessly into the small spin, breaking to let out a laugh as she twirled back into her arms. “But I think you’re magic. I swear. It’s the only explanation,” she grinned bigger now, only needing Anita’s guidance sparingly at this point of the song. She was even a little disappointed when the music began to slow. Only a little bit, and just for a second, because she was close and looking at her like that after a final dip to end their dance. A chill smoothed along her skin, up her spine and despite the heavy warmth in her cheeks, her skin was suddenly cold. Her brain was fully off at this point and all too familiar signals went ignored.

Another song started playing, softer and slower than the previous one. “This was a cliche I was counting on, you know,” she murmured playfully, moving a hand to cup her jawline. Erin pulled Anita’s face to hers, pressing her lips to hers, finally. Softly, slowly at first. Wrapping her hand around Anita’s back, it was incredibly easy to lose herself in the moment–

SLAM!

A door shut in the distance, slamming so hard it felt like it shook the entire house. Erin jumped, dazed, her head moving to the source of the sound then back to Anita. “What was–is your roommate home?” She asked slightly out of breath. 

–

Not to discredit her own exceptional teaching skills, but Anita was quite impressed with how quickly Erin had seemed to pick up on the basics of the salsa. She didn’t seem to get upset or discouraged by small missteps like some might, instead she just moved on through them and let the music guide them from one step to the next. It didn’t take long for the movements to flow with little effort as their bodies stayed closed together as they danced across the living room. “Don’t discredit your own magic. It takes two to salsa,” she said with a smirk as she paraphrased the classic idiom. 

Anita was pleasantly surprised when Erin was the one to make a move and close the distance between their lips, something Anita had thought she would need to take the lead on. The kiss had been just as tantalizing as the dance and Anita kept one hand pressed firmly against Erin’s back as her other hand moved to her waist. 

But then, suddenly and abruptly, their lips parted and as Anita opened her eyes back up it seemed as though Erin had been startled by something. “My roommate?” She looked around the room and it was just as empty as it had been ten seconds ago. “No, they aren’t. And they aren't gonna be home at all tonight, I promise.” She didn’t know if Erin was rattled at the idea of someone walking in to see them kissing or if there was something else going on. She reached out to grab Erin’s hand to try and pull her back in, “We can just go back to the dancing if you’re more comfortable with that.”

__ 

Erin wasn’t sure if she should have been relieved by Anita’s response or not. The obvious distraction was there but the noise had startled Erin enough to pull her out of the moment. Leaving her now trying to discern the nagging prickle it’d left in its wake. Her eyes bounced around the room as discreetly and quickly as she could manage, fully braced for the jump scare that always came when a presence decided to make itself known. “You really didn’t hear anything?” She asked, settling her attention back onto Anita. Doors slamming or small objects falling from tables was something she had gotten used to over the years. As used to it as anyone could be, she supposed. But the fact that Anita hadn’t heard it at all alarmed her the most–those things weren’t just for her eyes and ears alone. The house was still now, silent but for the salsa music still playing defiantly in the background. She shook her head, at herself more than anything, slipping back into Anita’s embrace at her prompting. Not everything was a fucking ghost, Erin. 

“Oh, no,” Erin started, her smile returning along with the playfulness in her words. Eager to move on and forget it, the nagging only a small buzz compared to a moment before. “I definitely want to do more of that. For sure. Way more.” Her hand squeezed Anita’s assuringly. Erin moved them now, her other hand on Anita’s hip, pulling her forward as Erin walked slowly backwards in one motion.“We could definitely dance as much as you want too. You saw me out there a few seconds ago, right? I’m basically a pro now, thanks to you. I can hardly believe it myself. But I have one very important request.” A dramatic pause lingered in the air as she tugged Anita closer, as close as they had been dancing moments ago. The shiver returned and she ignored that too. Then finally, Erin gestured towards the tequila with a nod and an imploring smirk. “Can we please make some margaritas?”

–

“No, I didn’t hear anything.” Anita had no idea what Erin thought she heard and while she was glad that it seemed they were moving past it, she found herself slightly more on-guard listening more closely at the happenings around them. “Maybe it was that stupid dog, though,” she offered up as an explanation no matter how unlikely. “My roommate has a small, yappy little thing. Always getting up to trouble.” That wasn’t entirely true about Fluffy, but she wanted to offer up a reasonable possible explanation to ease the mood. 

As they got back into a more relaxed dialogue, Anita hoped that whatever had distracted her dance partner before wasn’t going to interrupt them again. With their bodies closer together now, that interruption drifted further and further from her mind. “Oh, absolutely! I mean we could go out to any of the dance halls in Mexico City tonight and you’d fit right in with the baddest of them.” Even though she had no idea what request was coming, Anita was fully ready to comply - she already had her sights set on how she was hoping this evening would go and didn’t want anything to keep that from happening. “Anything for you,” she said as she returned the smirk. 

Before pulling away, something that was unfortunately necessary in order to make some margaritas, Anita leaned in and kissed Erin again. Her teeth gently caught her lower lip as she pulled away to head towards the kitchen. “Come, I’ll show you how to make the best margarita you’ve ever had.” 

_

A dog. Right. People had dogs. There were more dogs in the world than there were ghosts (probably - Erin would have to ask Lil about that later). That should’ve been one of her first thoughts to begin with. She graciously accepted her own paranoia, alright with feeling a little silly now if it meant she could focus on the woman in front of her. She laughed. “Sounds like you and lassie are the best of friends then, huh?”

“Only fit in? I’d lead the crowd. An instant overnight sensation,” she teased further, but the smile and gentle tone that followed grew sincere. “That really was a lot of fun though. Especially once I stopped stepping on your toes. ” The way Anita carried herself, how eager she was to please and appease her guest, and the charm that left her as easily as breathing. Anita was very good at this and she didn’t doubt that Anita probably utilized those talents with others just as easily. Good. It made this simpler. Made it easier to know they could have their fun and she would leave without further implications once she left. 

She almost regretted her request when it was Anita who pulled away from her this time. Though she wasn’t far behind at all, missing her warmth the second it left. It was freezing in here. “Ah, you don’t say. Because it’s made with the best tequila I’ve also ever had, right? Funny how that–”

A figure darkened the doorway Anita slipped through and past without a glance. The first thing she saw was red–dark, thick trails congealing down the man’s neck, bloodying his shirt and arms. Piercing blue eyes shot through her like javelins, rooting her to the spot. They startled her more than anything. Erin felt her stomach drop. She felt… wrong. He felt wrong. She didn’t say a word, leaving Anita to whatever she was doing now in the kitchen. 

“Get out.”

The words were harsh. Demanding. Full of barely contained rage packed into two syllables. She flinched and stood dumbfounded. Afraid to move, afraid to call out for Anita. What would she even say? Fuck. Fuck. Well. So much for thinking she could attempt even a night of normalcy. There was no explaining this in a way she could come back from. When Erin didn’t move, the ghost rushed forward in a blur and she jolted back, feeling like she’d been dunked in ice water. “I said LEAVE.” His voice was no longer calm and the painting on the wall next to her flew at her feet, the glass shattering into pieces. 

–

“Eh, the little thing’s grown on me. Don’t tell my roommate that though, they’d never let me live it down.” Anita liked how easy the evening had been. She liked how the evening had just been simple and fun, spending time with Erin felt almost comfortable. As comfortable as Anita let herself get with humans, that is. “You’re absolutely right. We’d be the talk of the town in the salsa community - two gorgeous women dancing like we were born to do it? Unstoppable.” She said with a wide smile and a gentle laugh as she stepped into the kitchen. 

“I don’t know where the blender is so I’ll make us some on the rocks,” Anita had noticed that Erin cut out mid-sentence but had opted not to think much of it. She just wanted the night, the ease of it all, to keep going. So she began preparing the drinks, squeezing out fresh lime juice that she would later mix in with the tequila, some simple syrup, and triple sec. 

Just as she turned around to ask Erin if she wanted salt on the rim, Anita saw her standing in the living room looking like she had just seen a ghost. That was how people described it, didn’t they? A pale face and an expression somewhere between terrified and horrified. She turned away for a moment to wipe her hands off on a towel before planning to go over to her guest when she heard the sound of shattering glass. Quickly making her way over to Erin, Anita looked around the room but didn’t see anything. “Vaya, are you okay?” She wrapped her arm around Erin’s waist and pulled her away from the shattered glass. 

_

Erin didn’t realize her hands were shaking until she moved to pull Anita’s hands from around her waist. “No. No, I’ve got to–” She held onto one of her hands, trying to implore how serious she was. “We’ve got to go.” The spirit had disappeared when the glass shattered at her feet but she wasn’t eager to wait around to see what else it would do if she didn’t heed it’s warning. Her feet edged towards the entrance and she tried to pull Anita along with her. “Listen, I–I know this sounds nuts and you barely know me–and I can’t really explain without sounding even crazier, but–”

How could she explain this, if Anita pressed her further? She pulled away only to reach for her jacket. Even if she couldn’t persuade her, Erin knew she was getting the hell out of here. The house was quiet again, eerily quiet. She didn’t like it. “We have to leave. We just have to. It’s not safe. You can come with me, or you can go somewhere else, which I get, because I’m ruining what was supposed to be a really good night–” Jacket on now, she paused only to catch Anita’s eyes, her own pleading desperately. A long breath left her lips and she took another step back towards Anita. “Please trust me. Please don’t stay here.”

_

Whatever was going on, Erin’s reactions seemed truly genuine and Anita did not know how to respond to it all, which rarely happened to her. Cause, fuck, maybe Erin had seen a ghost? Not like she had any way of knowing but it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibilities. It was curious, though, that Erin wanted them both to leave. Maybe if Anita was not so well versed in the supernatural world she may have been more apprehensive, but this was a far more interesting end to the night than she had been hoping for. And, she was offering to let Anita go with her. Playing up the confusion a bit, she nodded along as Erin was pleading with her. “Hey, hey, it’s okay.” 

“Not safe?” There was undoubtedly going to be some kind of conversation about all this later, wouldn’t there? It was nice that Erin’s reaction wasn’t just to flee but to also get Anita out of whatever situation she felt wasn’t safe. Maybe it was just best to go along to get ahead of whatever was happening. As Erin went to put on her jacket, Anita downed another shot of tequila and then grabbed her cell phone and keys. “I trust you,” she lied, before grabbing a jacket of her own and heading towards where Erin was near the front door. When she got over to Erin, she reached out and grabbed her hand. “It’s gonna be okay. Let’s just get out of here. Take me wherever you think is gonna be safe.” Maybe there was still hope for the night being really good still. 

[fvckluca]

trigger warnings: parental death, car accident, mentions of the hospital, excessive drinking

apparently it was so sudden she wouldn’t have been able to feel any pain. luca wasn’t sure whether or not he believed that or if was just something that the doctors said to ease the pain. he had asked his mom to come to this shoot, it was one of her designs that luca had chosen to make into a reality and he was going to surprise her with it. he figured a bit of wind and rain couldn’t hurt, it’d still be safe to drive in. after all luca got to the shoot and back with no issues. he didn’t account for the frost in the road, didn’t even think about the fact that just because he’d made it there in one piece it didn’t mean she would be as lucky. when she was late, luca had been furious. he’d been trying to do this special thing for her and she couldn’t even show up on time, he was meant to be the favourite after all, he’d have understood if it was one of his sisters. 

he’d been getting his assistant to call her, telling her to keep trying when there was no answer. he had kept the shoot delayed, waiting for her to show so she could witness it all, be proud of him for making her creations a reality. it was two hours later, after luca had decided to send the production team home when he’d gotten the call from his father, urging him to come to the hospital. he refused to tell him what had happened over the phone, but the sinking feeling in luca’s stomach had told him it was his mother. he’d raced there as quick as he could, the drive itself being such a blur. he’d been too impatient to deal with the nurses, snapping unfairly at them and demanding they worked quicker so he could find his father. he eventually got to him, panic only settling in more when he saw the grief on his face. “a tree fell on the car, the storm knocked it down and the car wasn’t quick enough to get out of the way...she was dead before she even got here, son.” he heard his dad, but he couldn’t process or register a word he had said. that was his mom, his best friend, he was her baby. that couldn’t happen. “no. no she wouldn’t leave me.” he told his dad firmly. his sister tried to wrap an arm around him, but luca shook him off. “no- no i want to see her. mom! MOM!” he shouted, willing her to come out, to say that this was all some cruel prank.  he pushed past the nurses, and when he saw his mom lying there, motionless, only the shell of herself, he immediately ran back out again. he ignored the yells of his family, opting for getting out of the hospital as quickly as possible, he didn’t want to be around anyone right now. he threw up on the street, his body not knowing how to process this. this time around he called for his driver, just wanting to get home and be alone. he nursed a bottle and broke down with no one around, just sat on the floor of his kitchen. it was where he found himself still two days later, not answering his phone, not showing up to jobs, not opening the door. just laying on the floor of his kitchen, drinking away all the pain and sorrows, trying to numb it the only way he knew how.

[pilotstreets]

everyone in the work place desires me so bad y'all....i just had my first day at my new job and when i got home i immediately got another job offer. this is INSANE think of all the MERCH i can buy

[projectshadxw]

'TIL DEATH DO THEY APART || VENOM 3 LAST DANCE

De ninguna manera esperaba veneno como caballo.. me encanta. Estoy preparando mi dinero para esta película!!

no wayy I expected venom as a horse- i love it :0!!

[cielob03]

Art from April 2024. Just best friends who enjoy drinking, singing and dancing to death! Stay tuned! Because tonight, these two jazz demons will be the stars of the show! 🥴🥃🎤🕺💃 I didn't draw it as ship's material, but only as best friends with confidence, however, whoever wants to take it as ship's art, is free to do so~ 🤭💙 . . . [Diálogos].

Alastor: Cariño, ¿puedo tener el honor de bailar contigo?

Mimzy: Si mi pequeño gatito borracho puede seguirme el ritmo, sabes que mi respuesta siempre será, sí.

Alastor: (¿pequeño gatito?) ¿Qué tal una canción también? Me encanta la forma en que cantas.

Mimzy: Quieres todo el espectáculo, ¿eh? Bien, cualquier cosa para ti, cara de muñeca.

✨💙 I hope you like it! :3 💙✨

[babylon-crashing]

alejandra pizarnik's árbol de diana [completa]

1. He dado el salto de mí al alba, he dejado mi cuerpo junto a la luz y he cantado la tristeza de lo que nace.

I have leaped from myself into the dawn, I have left my body next to the light and sung the sadness of what is born.

2. Éstas son las versiones que nos propone: un agujero, una pared que tiembla …

These are the versions proposed: a hole, a shaking wall …

3. sólo la sed el silencio ningún encuentro cuídate de mí amor mío cuídate de la silenciosa en el desierto de la viajera con el vaso vacío y de la sombra de su sombra

only thirst silence no chance encounter be careful of me, my love be careful of the silent one in the desert of the traveler with the empty glass and the shadow of her shadow

4. AHORA BIEN: Quién dejará de hundir su mano en busca delbvtributo para la pequeña olvidada. El frío pagará. Pagará el viento. La lluvia pagará. Pagará el trueno.

WELL NOW: Who will stop plunging her hand in searching for the tributes for the forgotten girl? The cold will pay. The wind will pay. As will the rain. And the thunder.

5. por un minuto de vida breve única de ojos abiertos por un minuto de ver en el cerebro flores pequeñas danzando como palabras en la boca de un mundo

just for a moment in this short life to be the one with open eyes for just a minute to witness small flowers in the brain dancing like words in the mouth of a world

6. ella se desnuda en el paraíso de su memoria ella desconoce el feroz destino de sus visiones ella tiene miedo de no saber nombrar lo que no existe

she strips naked in the paradise of her memory she does not know the cruel destiny of her visions she is afraid of not knowing how to name what does not exist

7. Salta con la camisa en llamas De estrella a estrella. De sombra en sombra. Muere de muerte lejana La que ama al viento.

She jumps with her shirt on fire From star to star. From shadow to shadow. She dies a distant death She who loves the wind.

8. Memoria iluminada, galería donde vaga la sombra de lo que espero. No es verdad que vendrá. No es verdad que no vendrá.

Illuminated memory, gallery where the shadow of what I wait for wanders. It's not true that it'll come. It is not true that it won't.

9. Estos huesos brillando en la noche, estas palabras como piedras preciosas en la garganta viva de un pájaro petrificado, este verde muy amado, esta lila caliente, este corazón sólo misterioso.

These bones glowing in the night, these words like precious stones in the living throat of a petrified bird, this beloved green, this hot lilac, this mysterious heart.

10. un viento débil lleno de rostros doblados que recorto en forma de objetos que amar

a weak wind full of bent faces that I slice into objects to love

11. ahora en esta hora inocente yo y la que fui nos sentamos en el umbral de mi mirada

now in this innocent hour the one I once was sits with me on the threshold of my gaze

12. no más las dulces metamorfosis de una niña de seda sonámbula en la cornisa de niebla su despertar de mano respirando de flor que se abre al viento

no more the sweet metamorphoses of a silk girl sleepwalker on the edge of fog her breathing hand awakening like a flower that blooms in the wind

13. explicar con palabras de este mundo que partió de mí un barco llevándome

explain with words from this world that a boat left my self carrying me away

14. El poema que no digo, el que no merezco. Miedo de ser dos camino del espejo: alguien en mí dormido me come y me bebe

The poem that I do not say, the one that I do not deserve. Fear of being two the way of the mirror: someone asleep inside me she eats me and drinks me

15. Extraño desacostumbrarme de la hora en que nací. Extraño no ejercer más oficio de recién llegada.

I miss getting used to to the time when I was born. I miss not having to work anymore as a new arrival.

16. has construido tu casa has emplumado tus pájaros has golpeado al viento con tus propios huesos has terminado sola lo que nadie comenzó

you have built your house you have feathered your birds you've hit the wind with your own bones alone you finished what no one began

17. Días en que una palabra lejana se apodera de mí. Voy por esos días sonámbula y transparente. La hermosa autómata se canta, se encanta, se cuenta casos y cosas: nido de hilos rígidos donde me danzo y me lloro en mis numerosos funerales. (Ella es su espejo incendiado, su espera en hogueras frías, su elemento místico, su fornicación de nombres creciendo solos en la noche pálida.)

Days when a distant word seizes me. I pass through those days sleepwalking and transparent. The beautiful automaton sings to herself, it is loved, tells herself things and stories: a nest of rigid threads where I dance and cry in my numerous funerals. (She is her own burning mirror, she wait for cold fires, her mystical element, she fucks with the names that grow alone in the pale night.)

18. como un poema enterado del silencio de las cosas hablas para no verme

like a poem aware of the silence of things you talk so as not to see me

19. cuando vea los ojos que tengo en los míos tatuados

when you see the eyes I've tattooed on mine

20. dice que no sabe del miedo de la muerte del amor dice que tiene miedo de la muerte del amor dice que el amor es muerte es miedo dice que la muerte es miedo es amor dice que no sabe

she says she doesn't know about fear of death of love says she is afraid of death of love says that love is death is fear says that death is fear is love she says that she does not know

21. he nacido tanto y doblemente sufrido en la memoria de aquí y allá

I've been born so often and doubly suffering in the memory of here and there

22. en la noche un espejo para la pequeña muerta un espejo de cenizas

at night a mirror for the little dead girl a mirror of ashes

23. una mirada desde la alcantarilla puede ser la visión del mundo la rebelión consiste en mirar una rosa hasta pulverizarse los ojos

a view from the gutter a vision of the world resistance consists of looking at a rose until your eyes become dust

24. (un dibujo de Wols) estos hilos aprisionan a las sombras y las obligan a rendir cuentas del silencio estos hilos unen la mirada al sollozo

(a drawing by Wols) these threads imprison the shadows and force them to account for silence these threads unite your gaze with their sob

25. (exposición Goya) un agujero en la noche súbitamente invadido por un ángel

(Goya exhibition) a hole in the night suddenly invaded by an angel

26. (un dibujo de Klee) cuando el palacio de la noche encienda su hermosura pulsaremos los espejos hasta que nuestros rostros canten como ídolos

(a drawing by Klee) when the night palace blazes with beauty we'll bring together the mirrors until our faces sing like idols

27. un golpe del alba en las flores me abandona ebria de nada y de luz lila ebria de inmovilidad y de certeza

dawn ricocheting off flowers leaving me drunk on nothing and on violet drunk with languor and certainty

28. te alejas de los nombres que hilan el silencio de las cosas

you flee from the names that spin the silence of things

29 Aquí vivimos con una mano en la garganta. Que nada es posible ya lo sabían los que inventaban lluvias y tejían palabras con el tormento de la ausencia. Por eso en sus plegarias había un sonido de manos enamoradas de la niebla.

Here we live with a hand to our throat. That nothing is possible the inventors of rain knew this and wove their words into the torment of absence. This is why in her prayers sound like hands in love with the fog.

30 en el invierno fabuloso la endecha de las alas en la lluvia en la memoria del agua dedos de niebla

in the fabulous winter the lament of the wings in the rain in the memory of water in fingers of fog

31 Es un cerrar de ojos y jurar no abrirlos. En tanto afuera se alimenten de relojes y de flores nacidas de la astucia. Pero con los ojos cerrados de un sufrimiento en verdad demasiado grande pulsamos los espejos hasta que las palabras olvidadas suenan mágicamente.

It means close your eyes and swear not to open them as strangers outside feed on the watches and flowers born from your cunning. But with the closed eyes, with vast suffering, we must tempt the mirrors until all their forgotten words sound magical.

32 Zona de plagas donde la dormida come lentamente su corazón de medianoche.

Plague zone where a sleeping woman slowly eats her midnight heart.

33 alguna vez alguna vez tal vez me iré sin quedarme me iré como quien se va

one day someday maybe I will go without staying I'll go like one who's leaving

34 la pequeña viajera moría explicando su muerte sabios animales nostálgicos visitaban su cuerpo caliente

the little traveler died explaining her death while wise nostalgic animals visited her body, still warm

35 Vida, mi vida, déjate caer, déjate doler, mi vida, déjate enlazar de fuego, de silencio ingenuo, de piedras verdes en la casa de la noche, déjate caer y doler, mi vida.

Life, my life, let yourself fall, let yourself hurt, my life, let yourself bond with fire, with naive silence, with green stones in the house of the night, let yourself fall and hurt, my life.

36 en la jaula del tiempo la dormida mira sus ojos solos el viento le trae la tenue respuesta de las hojas

in the time cage the sleeping woman looks at her lonely eyes the wind brings the leave's distant answer

37 más allá de cualquier zona prohibida hay un es pejo para nuestra triste transparencia

beyond every forbidden area lies a mirror for our sad transparency

38 Este canto arrepentido, vigía detrás de mis poemas: este canto me desmiente, me amordaza.

This repentant song, peering out from behind my poems: this song negates me, it silences me.

[euphoricfilter]

like crazy mini series:

pairing(s): namjoon x reader, seokjin x reader, yoongi x reader, hoseok x reader, jimin x reader, taehyung x reader, jungkook x reader

genre: fluff || smut || angst || non-idol au || reincarnation au || strangers to lovers || established relationships || friends to lovers au || regency era au || gang au || college au || slight yandere au? ||

summary: the story of seven loves across eight lives.

word count: estimated 45k total

✧ mood-board : reaching for the stars

🪐 🌠 ∘₊✧─── *ੈ✩‧₊˚ ───✧₊∘ ✧ ˚ 　· 　　 . 💫

✧ part one

ੈ summary: the story of why you loved to dance in the rain.

word count: 14k

tags/ warnings: duke! taehyung, jimin, fluff, so much love, angst, death(s)/implied murder, mentions of blood, mentioned suicide, strangers to lovers, friends to lovers, smut in the forms of: implied loss of virginity, unprotected sex (don't be stupid, this is fiction), oral (fem receiving), multiple orgasms, creampie, cum play, talks of pregnancy and babies

✧ part two

ੈ summary: the story of how the universe sent you Namjoon

word count: 9.3k

tags/ warnings: gang leader! namjoon, fluff, a lot more love, angst, namjoon is tatted up, death/ murder, mentions of blood, mentioned sex trafficking, mentioned drugs, obsessive relationship, smut in the forms of: dom/ sub themes— kinda mean-ish dom! namjoon, lots of hickies, spitting in a mouth :), biting, strangely feral sex, pussy slapping, unprotected sex (this is fiction, don’t be stupid), pull out method (again, don’t be stupid), doggy style, squirting, the briefest ass play, implied/planned aftercare!! because namjoon isn’t heartless

✧ part three

ੈ summary: the story of how sometimes heartbreak hurts more than death

word count: ???

tags/ warnings: college bf! yoongi, fluff, a lot more love, angst, heartbreak, smut scene includes: public sex, protected sex (because that’s super cool!!), tongue technology master min yoongi, soft sex, multiple orgasms

✧ part four

ੈ summary: the story of when you seem to find out love just maybe isn’t meant for you

word count: ???

tags/ warnings: model! jungkook, baker! jin, hoseok!, fluff, more people in love it’s sick, angst, death/ murder (again), mentions of blood and injury, stalking, mentioned para-social relationship, smut in the forms of: ??? (gotta wait to find out ^~^)

✧ a supplementary story: you never walk alone

ੈ summary: the epilogue

word count: ???

tags/ warnings: ???

[beacarrot]

Saved by a Stranger. - Text dedicated to Liam Payne.

I needed to take some time to search for where my words have gone. In the corner of the room where I danced to the band's first songs about someone who could love me "more than this"? On the poster stuck next to my bed, which will be the way I remember him every morning? From the beats of songs that saved a life? Mine, and that of a few million across continents I still haven’t reached?

Memories don't connect to thoughts, the pain lost in the current of the most beautiful joys, the sweet years of genuine innocence. And right now, I want to scream so loudly, because no word can soothe my soul.

The sweetness colored in his voice can never be altered, not by the forces of evil, or by the relentless time. Fate is funny and irrevocable... life likes to throw curveballs. It turns long roads into spheres. All I know how to write about is inner death. I wasn't ready for what was to come...

Who could have guessed? "Life is like that." It could certainly be worse, but we never say how much better it could have been. We wait for the "worst", but we pray for the "best". And what will always catch me is seeing the writing: "1993 - 2024".

Death is what unites people, as it’s the only thing that awaits us all in the same way, walking silently by our sides.

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

Part specifically for Liam.

"If I try to scream and manage to get some sound out of my lungs, would you be able to hear me? I keep dancing in my room, this time more alone than ever. I wait for your return, which, mockingly, won’t come, but wait somehow comforts my small and now withered heart, like the curse of nostalgia that promises to bring back the old times but never does. I didn’t want to let you go, but I spent too much time endlessly planning how to chase success while breaking down in fear. Mapping an escape to the past when I felt I was no longer the same, locked in a lethal and vivid attachment.

I feel like I never really touched you, but even without the tips of your fingers, you touched the deepest, most intimate part of my heart.

Dear Liam, we are all proud of the love you spread throughout your years of life, how you lent your voice to tell stories wrapped in threads covered with solid gold. For being the 'Daddy Direction,' for the rumors of your spoon aversion that always make me laugh when I look at one, for your youthful and naive love for Batman, Toy Story, and plaid shirts! For always having been and always being our red...

You make me strong, and 14 years wouldn't last forever, not for me, not for you. The love and the tender way you always treated your admirers and fans warm me somehow.

Heaven could have waited a little, right? But it didn’t. I fall to my knees in a pleading prayer that when you open your eyes on the other side, peace will greet you, your sins will be healed with time, and that our love can reach you, soothing your soul, which will rest in serenity.

As long as we're together, it doesn't matter where I am, right? Nor where you are now.

I believe nothing is an accident for God, although I still can’t believe everything that has happened before my eyes and in my adolescence. I know it’s my duty to keep the part of your heart that you lent me, which now belongs to me. And even though it cuts like a dagger, my heart is filled to the brim with love.

Yes, I will be strong with every breath I take. Your journey ends here, but your legacy and history will span decades. Home is where the heart rests...

Rest in peace, angel."

VERSÃO EM PORTUGUÊS >>>>> (portuguese version)

Salva por um estranho. - Texto dedicado ao Liam Payne.

Eu precisei tirar um tempo para procurar onde foram parar minhas palavras. No canto do quarto onde dancei as primeiras músicas da banda sobre alguém que poderia me amar "mais que isso"? No pôster colado ao lado da minha cama, que será a maneira de lembrar dele durante todas as minhas manhãs? Das batidas de canções que salvaram uma vida? A minha e a de alguns milhões pelos continentes que eu ainda não consegui alcançar?

As memórias não se conectam aos pensamentos, a dor perdida na correnteza das mais belas alegrias, os doces anos da inocência genuína. E agora mesmo eu quero gritar absurdamente alto, porque palavra alguma inquieta meu espírito.

A doçura tingida em sua voz nunca poderá ser alterada, nem pelas forças do mal, ou pelo implacável tempo. O destino é engraçado e irrevogável... A vida gosta de jogar bolas curvas, transformando longas estradas em esferas. Tudo o que sei escrever é sobre a morte interna. Eu não estava pronta para o que estava por vir...

Quem poderia supor? "A vida tem dessas." Certamente poderia ser pior, mas nunca dizemos o quanto poderia ter sido melhor. O pior é uma espera, mas o melhor é uma oração. E o que sempre me pegará será ver a escrita: "1993 - 2024".

A morte é o que une as pessoas, pois é a única coisa que espera a todos de maneira análoga, caminhando silenciosamente ao nosso lado.

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

Parte especificamente para Liam.

"Se eu tentar gritar e conseguir que algum som saia dos meus pulmões, você conseguiria me ouvir? Continuo a dançar no meu quarto, desta vez mais sozinha que nunca. Espero por sua volta, que, desdenhosamente, não virá, mas de alguma forma consola meu pequeno e agora murcho coração esperar, assim como a maldição das nostalgias que prometem trazer os velhos tempos de volta, mas nunca o fazem. Eu não queria te deixar ir, mas passei tempo demais planejando incessantemente como perseguir o sucesso, mesmo me desfazendo em medo. Traçando uma fuga com destino ao passado quando sentia que já não era mais a mesma, trancada num apego letal e vívido.

Sinto que nunca pude realmente te tocar, mas, mesmo sem a ponta dos seus dedos, você tocou a parte mais profunda e íntima do meu coração.

Querido Liam, estamos todos orgulhosos do amor que espalhou em seus anos de vida, como doou sua voz para contar histórias que estão enroladas por fios cobertos de ouro maciço. Por ser o 'Daddy Direction', pelos rumores de sua aversão por colheres que, toda vez, me faz rir ao encarar uma, por sua jovem e ingênua paixão pelo Batman, Toy Story e camisas xadrez! Por sempre ter sido e ser o nosso vermelho...

Você me faz forte, e 14 anos não durariam para sempre, nem para mim, nem para você. O amor e a terna maneira com que sempre tratou seus admiradores e fãs me aquecem de certa forma.

O Paraíso poderia esperar um pouco, certo? Mas ele não o fez. Eu caio de joelhos em uma oração suplicante para que, quando você abrir seus olhos do outro lado, a paz o receba, seus pecados sejam curados com o passar do tempo, e que nosso amor possa chegar até você, acalentando sua alma, que descansará em serenidade.

Contanto que estejamos juntos, não importa onde eu esteja, certo? Nem onde você está agora.

Acredito que nada seja um acidente para Deus, embora eu ainda não acredite em tudo o que aconteceu diante de meus olhos e minha adolescência, tenho como dever guardar a parte do seu coração que você me emprestou e agora está dada. E, mesmo que corte como uma adaga, meu coração se encontra cheio até a borda de amor.

Sim, eu serei forte em cada respiração minha. Sua jornada acaba aqui, mas seu legado e história atravessará décadas. Casa é onde o coração descansa...

Descanse em paz, anjo."

[aceofturtles]

Desplázate para traducción español:

Something Blue

“The cap that Simon used to snatch off his head. Worn threadbare with age, moth eaten; he’d found it in a small box of his belongings in the attic of St. Hilarion’s, that his parents had never bothered sending for.

He remembers Simon. The Simon he knew in life, and the one he’d met in Hell. Both miserable. Both sorry. Both in pain.

He hadn’t known what to do with himself when he’d met the other boy for the first time. Hadn’t know what to do in death either.

The boy who stole his cap, because he fancied him. The boy who sent him to Hell, because he was afraid. It was all so... innocent, until the very end. Born a hundred years later, and maybe they’d have been sweethearts. Teased each other, and held hands in the Sun. 

Maybe he’d have run after him, instead of just freezing in place. Gotten his cap back. Then Simon would have said he looked smart, and Edwin would have flushed, and the two would dance around each other awkwardly until they kissed.

Edwin folds the cap, and sticks it into his jacket pocket.

Simon was his first chance for love. But it’s not a chance that he was ready to take.

And it’s not Simon he’s marrying.”

An excerpt from my Payneland wedding fic -Sixpence- on AO3

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56493166

Just thought it fit, here. Simon Appreciation Week 2024 Day 6; Blue Cap

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

Algo Azul

-La gorra que Simon siempre quitaba de la cabeza. Gastada y harapienta de edad, devorada de la polilla; la encontró en una cajita de las pertenencias del ático de la escuela San Hilarión, la que nunca habían molestados recuperar los padres.

Recuerda él a Simon. El Simon que conocía durante la vida, y también él lo había conocido en el Infierno. Los dos de lamentos. Los dos de dolor.

No sabía qué hacer cuando conoció al otro chico por primera vez. Qué pensar... No sabía qué hacer en el Infierno tampoco.

El chico que robía la gorra de él, porque le quería. El chico que le envió al Infierno, porque tenía miedo. Todo era tan... inocente, hasta el final. Si hubieran nacidos ellos un siglo después, tal vez podrían haber sido novios. Podrían haber coqueteados ellos, y tomados de la mano por el sol. 

Tal vez habría corrido tras él, en vez de inmovilizarse. Reclamaría la gorra. Después, Simon le diría que se veía muy bien, y Edwin se ruborizaría, y los dos con torpeza bailarían en torno entre ellos hasta besarse.

Edwin dobla la gorra, y se la mete en el bolsillo de la chaqueta.

Simon fue su primera oportunidad para la romanza. Pero no era una oportunidad que estaba listo para tomar.

Y no es Simon, lo quién él se casa.-

Un extracto de mi fic de boda Payneland -Sixpence- en AO3

Enlace: https://archiveofourown.org/works/56652328

Solo pensaba que esto encaja aquí. Semana de Agradecimiento de Simon 2024 Dia 6; Gorra Azúl

[ero-heart]

Deimos x reader but reader is an agent from some agency called Los Muertos that are in Mexico and they hunt down criminals but only does that escaped from mexico.

So deimos find his recruiter being brutally murdered by you as you done your mission and walk away but deimos grabs and tries to stop you and your like "señor déjeme ir no tengo tiempo para esto" or "señor por favor déjeme ir" and deimos doesn't let go so you just drag him with you.

(I'm not good with Spanish)

Reader is basically hank but if they were an agent

This took so long to make I had no idea how this could be done,, I am sorry if it’s not of your expectations!

Cw: violence, some gore, guns and cigarettes

GOTCHA!

(Deimos x Los Muertos Agency Reader)

(Platonic/Romantic) (mostly platonic)

“Haha! Nice! Now all we gotta do is-“

Deimos stared at his coworker’s lifeless body beside him, steam dancing from the hole on his neck from a bullet, definitely work of a silent firearm, given that no sound could be heard on the half second that he looked away from the recruit. Deimos frustratingly threw his equipment on the ground and cursed, he had fucked up. He couldn’t guide the newbie if he was *dead*. What will Doc say this time? He couldn’t get away with this forever, but no matter how much he made sure the coast was clear something ALWAYS happened to stack up the death count of newbies under Deimos’s watch. He looked around the roof to see if he could find the perpetrador, the coast was clear, he directed his gaze to the other buildings around him. What he found was a thin veil of smoke coming from behind the entrance hatch of another rooftop, lightly blown by the wind.

“Pff there you are..”

Deimos was keen on avenging himself for being screwed like this, uh? Yea his coworker too. Stalking behind a wall, Deimos had to come up with a way to get to the other building without being noticed and as quick as possible, before the stranger dashed off somewhere else. Noticing a very convenient bridge made of wood planks leading to his wished destination.

You had taken a smoking break after a long day of hunting and eliminating. It had taken three days to arrive at this corrupted town to finish your target, a fugitive that had heavily screwed your agency by leaking important data to the enemy, apparently he was on the midst of integrating on another group, well too bad, Los Muertos never left debts unpaid. You we’re tired, just the thought of sitting on the subway for three more days was exhausting and you were considering renting a motel room to spend the night, there should be one around the block actually if your memory is correct. Dropping the butt of the cigarette to the ground, you were ready to leave when you heard the cock of a gun, looking to your side, you were met with the muzzle of a ar-15. You sighed, looking at the other problem you had to deal with. Baggy clothes, slicked back hair covered with bandages and a cap, patchy beard growing along his face, this man was unkempt. He had a mustache growing from the corners of his mouth, reminded you of some of your coworkers. The stranger glared at you, not loosening his grip on the firearm.

“There you are you- you newbie killer!”

Deimos was definitely stressed, not having his cigarette break yet and it was starting to get to him. His target looked unsurprised by his presence, keeping perfect posture as they turned to face him. They reminded Deimos of AAHW agents, suit, tie, and all, only difference was the colorful embroidery on the dark suit of mythological sanguinary creatures, along with a detailed face paint resemblant of a skull, they also wore a fedora, shading most of their face features. The mysterious person looks Deimos up and down before speaking:

“Escucha no tengo tiempo para esto, amigo. Baja el arma.”

Deimos understood nothing the stranger said, staring at them confusedly while trying to decipher what those words could have meant.

“What?”

You realized that this man might have nothing in terms of knowledge about your language, which is bad because you knew barely nothing about his language as well. You both were unprepared for a situation like this. You couldn’t have expected for him to pull the trigger due to your lack of an answer, chuckling upon realizing that it had no bullets.

Deimos frustratingly threw the gun to the ground in a fit, cursing and grabbing on his hair. The stranger just laughed at him more before they started walking towards the exit.

“Hey! Hey! Hey! Where do you think you’re going? I ain’t done with you yet!”

Deimos jumped and wrapped his arms around their neck, making both fall onto the floor. The stranger tried their best to wrestle their way out of it but Deimos kept persistent. Sitting on their back, he pushed their shoulders to the ground with as much force he could master, he panted heavily, the amount of activity taking a toll on his lungs.

You felt yourself get anxious, normally you would stay calm in a situation like this but the lack of nicotine was making your hands tremble. You moved them towards your pant pocket, barely pulling the cigarettes out before the man slammed your shoulders harder onto the concrete.

“You stay there!”

“¿Ni siquiera puedo fumar en paz? Perro apestoso..”

You tried to take the cigarettes again as the man noticed what you were reaching for, he suddenly got quiet and did nothing as you, with some difficulty, opened the box and picked one stick with your mouth. You managed to grab the lighter from the same pocket, flicking it as the man spoke:

“Uhh.. are those cigarettes?”

You ignored him as you took a drag of the drug.

“Hey uhm, I can.. uh.. If you give me one of those I may let you live!”

Seeing you ignored him again, he just grabbed your own cigarette from your mouth, loosening his pressure on you as he put it between his own lips. You watched as he breathed the smoke in, then out. Mostly confused (yet relieved) that apparently this guy just needed a cigar to get off of your back, looking up at him looking at the distance, to the bright city that illuminated the two of you, he grumbled something you couldn’t understand, you just knew that there were some swear words sprinkled here and there. He still did not get off of you, you were stuck with this weirdo while he got on his smoke break.

“¿…Puedes darme un..?”

Might as well continue your smoke break along with the man.

I hope this was enjoyable lol I am not really satisfied with my writing but nothing practice can fix it! Hope everyone if safe and sound 🩷

[piro-piroooooo]

I was thinking of doing a Miku for the cultural Miku trend... but I'm already quite late and I've been thinking of some things...

I'm Mexican (hehe <3), but I don't see any point in drawing another adelita Miku, or a Miku dressed in any Mexican indigenous attire. I'm not part of any indigenous group, I don't understand those attires. I grew up and live in a poor small industrial city. Of course there is culture in here, but it doesn't look pretty. It isn't pretty colorful dresses, dances, rituals or an ancestral connection to our land and the gods that inhabit it. That can be found in the rural towns that surround my city, the ones that get tourists.

There is no specific cultural attire I can claim or use to represent my cultural experience. What should I dress my Miku in? The local soccer team shirt? The vests the local politicians are often seen wearing? Sure, I could do that I guess.

I'm not saying any of this to complain. Actually, quite the opposite. I love my ugly city. I love my ugly-looking culture. My culture looks like make-shift tents that house weekly farmer's markets. Children making memories of school in classrooms with cement floors and decades old equipment. Neighborhoods coming together to make anniversary parties for holes in the streets. It's showering with a bucket of water you heated on the stove and a recycled yogurt container because the government refuses to do anything about the water shortages. And there's a lot of happiness that can be found in this kind of life.

I used to be very bitter about the way my culture came to be. My way of life was created by a history filled with violence, colonization, and death. Me and the people around me are the result of europeans mixing with the native population. Our poverty and lack of indigenous cultural identity was caused by the explotation of this land and its resources.

Today the independence of my country is celebrated. I have a lot of feelings about it and at the same time I feel nothing. Of course, I'm bitter and angry about the history of my country and its current state. But also, today I went out to buy some groceries we needed to prepare pambazos and passed by a festival. People were eating good food, smiling, creating happy memories. There's joy to be found in this ugly small industrial city.

Maybe I will just draw Miku in my middle school uniform. Carrying that backpack too big for her, y una torta de buebito para comerse en el recreo.

Feliz día de la independencia de México :^)

[lulovesizzy]

I just wanted a long-haired, strong metalhead, who has a wine-red opal, plays guitar to travel with me along route 66 while we listen to our discography: house of the rising sun; losing my religion; Live and let die (GN'R version); Doll party; fear of the dark; dance of death; starman; rebel rebel; Love of my life, but I'm not thin enough for him to love me.

Eu só queria um metaleiro forte e de cabelos longos, que tivesse uma opala vermelho-vinho e tocasse guitarra para viajar comigo pela Rota 66 enquanto ouvíamos na nossa discografia: House of the rising sun; Losing my religion; Live and let die (versão GN'R); Doll party; Fear of the dark; Dance of Death; Starman; Rebel Rebel; love of my life, mas não sou magra o suficiente para ele me amar.

[dale-gekarios]

Latin Spell chants for BG3

I did not make this list! It was made by ExoZilla in r/BaldursGate3 but I wanted to share it here! This list is from early access, so it only has up to level 2 spells, but honestly the chants stay similar for higher level spells. Some of these might have also changed since EA so take that with a grain of salt, anywhere here’s the original post:

Disclaimer: I do not speak Latin. Some of my spelling/translations/syntax are going to be wrong. Most of them are from Wikipedia, random websites, and context clues. Also, if anyone knows the chants I wasn't able to translate/translate correctly, feel free to correct me.

Cantrips:

Fire Bolt- Ignis (Fire)

Ray of Frost- Glacies (Ice)

Acid Splash- Acido (Acid)

Blade Ward/Guidance/Thaumaturgy- Maior et Fortior ("Greater and Stronger")

Chill Touch- Timere ("Be afraid!")

Dancing Lights/Light/Produce Flame- Fiat Lux/Sol Invictus (“Let there be light”/“Unconquered sun”)

Eldritch Blast- Dolor* (Mental/Physical Pain)

Mage Hand- Veni et iuva me ("Come and help me!")

Poison Spray- Venenum (Poison)

Resistance- Resisto ("I resist")

Sacred Flame- Incende ("Set fire!")

Shillelagh/Flame Blade- Para bellum/Canto te ("prepare for war"/"I enchant you”)

Shocking Grasp- Fulgor (Levin or flash)

Thorn Whip- Flagellum, Flagello/ ?? verum (to flagellate, whip/"?? sweep")

True Strike- N/A

Friends- N/A

1st level Spells:

Armor of Agathys/Barkskin/Bless/Enhance Ability/Jump/Mage Armor/Shield of Faith- Macte virtute ("Be blessed with virtue")

Arms of Hadar/Inflict Wounds- Morere ("Die!")

Animal Friendship- Obedi me/Obeus temeum lupum ("Obey me"/??)

Bane/Ray of Enfeeblement- Tu est nihil (“You are nothing”)

Burning Hands/Scorching Ray- Ardere (To burn)

Charm Person- Impero te/Tempora muntante ("I rule you”/“Temporary change”?)

Color Spray/Blindness- Te occludo oculos/Caecus te("I blind your eyes"/"I blind you")

Command/Ensnaring Strike/Sleep- Impero tibi (“I rule you”)

Create Water- Lues/Aqua pura (Plague, pestilence?/“Clean water”)

Cure Wounds/Healing Word- Te curo/Vis medicatrix* (“I cure you”/"healing power")

Destroy Water- Arescere/Arere decimos ("Become dry"/"Become ten times as dry"?)

Disguise self- Mutatis mutandis/Omnia mutatio (“With things changed that should be changed”/“Change it all”)

Dissonant Whispers- Dolor ("Mental/Physical Pain")

Entangle- Voco vinae/Vinum est et gloriat ("I call forth vines"/??)

Faerie Fire- Te video/Ubi est ("I see you”/“Where are you?”)

False Life/Aid- Vitae extollato/Dum vita est spes est ("Life raised"?/"While there is life, there is hope")

Feather Fall- Non fit injura/Se neme ("There will be no injury/harm"/??)

Find Familiar/Goodberry/Moonbeam- Ex textura (“Weave from the outside”?)

Fog Cloud- Voco nubes ("I call forth clouds")

Grease- Voco arvina ("I call forth grease")

Guiding Bolt- Facula/Flagra ("Little torch"/"Blaze/be inflamed")**

Hail of Thorns- Dia denum (??)

Hellish Rebuke/Flaming Sphere/Spike Growth- Ira et dolor ("Wrath and pain")

Hex- Maledicus/Te exsecror (Abusive, scurrilous/“I curse you”)

Hunter’s Mark- Est praedae mae/Mos certa (“You are my prey”/"Certain death"?)

Longstrider/Expeditious Retreat- Proprae/Ocior/Citium (??)

Magic Missile- Tormentum (a piece of artillery/missile)

Protection from Good and Evil- Tueor/vincit qui patitur (To watch over, protect/“he conquers who endures”)

Ray of Sickness- Inficio ("Infect")

Speak with Animals- Amicus animales/Loqui ut tibi placet (“friend of animals“/“To speak as you please”?)

Tasha’s Hideous Laughter- Rezum teniates??/Reza sabuntat?? (??)

Thunderwave/Shatter- Detono (Thunder/"Expend one's thunder")

Witch Bolt- Harures (??)

*Non-Tav/NPC exclusive line

2nd level spells:

Blur- Incomodo?/Nullus sui ("Inconvenient"?/"None of him/her/them")

Darkness- Tenebrum/Umbra (Darkness/Shadow)

Darkvision- Lux en tenebra/Secretum curaro (“Light in darkness”/??)

Detect Thoughts- Video veritatem/Virtus est scientia (“I see the truth”/“Virtue is knowledge”)

Hold Person- Non movere/Ad lapide (“You do not move”/“To stone!”)

Invisibility/Pass Without a Trace- Evanesco/Invisibilis (To vanish, disappear/ self-explanatory)

Lesser Restoration- Te absolvo/Vincere est vivere (“I absolve you”/“To conquer is to live”)

Melf’s Acid Arrow- Dissolvae (Self-explanatory)

Mirror Image- Fronte nulla vides/Mundus vult decipi ("No faith in the front"?/“The world wants to be deceived”)

Misty Step- Inveniam viam/Ad alibi (“I will find a way”/"To elsewhere")

Prayer of Healing- Fiat voluntas Dei/Ad maiorem Dei gloriam (“May God’s will be done”/“For the greater glory of God”)

Protection from Poison- Résistance venenum (“resist venom/poison”)

Silence- Silencio (Self-explanatory)

Web- Voco arenea ("I call forth a spider's web")

[novella-writers]

THE IDEA: Dark academia but make it focus on music! Orchestras, theatres, plays, ballet, etc. Performers, dancers, musicians in a highly regarded school + theatre, honing prodigies, rising stars. Rivalries between lead musicians, affairs between musicians and dancers. Surrounded by money, the wealthy, nobilities; every conversation is a dance in its own, every word meaningful to assert oneself or find information. Tension and drama, love and hate thick in the air - and perhaps something even more sinister. Disappearances, tragic deaths, horrific violence; who knows what goes on when the curtain falls?

Hi all! I (21+) am looking for other people (18+) to rp something along those lines! Looking for something dark, gritty, drama fuelled, but with some fun, sweet stuff at points, and very open to smut! I have few limits and would love some darker stuff, but we can discuss details and boundaries together of course! I will say, my character is transfemme. I’m open to mxf, nbxf, fxf, all trans characters absolutely welcome. But if you’re uncomfortable with my muse being transf, I won’t be changing that lol. She’s a prolific child prodigy from a well know and highly regarded family, but surrounded by mystery and suspicion and perhaps has some sort of presence in an underground society/cult type thing.

Open to nsfw, preferably with a switchxswitch dynamic, and I don’t tend to rush into it or prioritise it over story. I write multi para responses and can be lengthy if I really get into it, so I’d prefer similar replies! (600+ words) Multi-muse is very welcome, any pairings, dynamics, types of characters all welcome! I write on discord or tumblr but I could be persuaded to write elsewhere too! Leave a like and I’ll reach out!🥀

Like if interested!

[tribbetherium]

'A dangerous duel turns into a dance of death as a yellow feesel (Mustelailurumys aureus) grapples a venomous golden-striped piedviper (Xanthophiomys atrox), undettered by its quarry's bold warning coloration. Descended from a few holdovers that survived the end-Glaciocene mass extinction, the carnohams have once again diversified to become Arcuterra's primary carnivores. Many have since grown and reached leonine proportions to become apex predators of herbivorous megafauna, while others became high-speed sprinters, specialized desert-dwellers, and even generalist omnivores that experiment on small amounts of plant matter to a mostly-carnivorous diet. But perhaps the most unusual are some very small and divergent species: the feesels (Mustelailurumys spp.), smallest of the extant carnohams, which have adapted to chase small prey down their burrows with short legs and long bodies. They live side-by-side along other, small slender-bodied carnivores, the basal fearrets that are the ancestral relatives of carnohams as a whole, but are distinguished by one remarkable feature: a mutation of their immune receptors that leaves them extremely resistant to the reactive, allergenic substances of burrowurm para-venom. As such, they regularly prey upon venomous burrowurms--ones that otherwise would have no other natural predators-- dispatching them with a powerful bite to the back of the neck. This resistance allows them to occupy an uncontested niche: by exploiting a dangerous prey species virtually untouchable to all others.'

-----------

[k-j-bowling]

Vash Fawley x Cassandra Vole comic+story on the dance club, English & Español.

English:

"You have my attention," said a high-pitched voice that lifted his gaze from the ground, as if it were a ray of hope. In a way, it was. Or rather, a miracle from start to finish. She had never found the emerald dress charming, perhaps because she never wanted to set foot in that place in the first place.

"So you want to dance with me? I mean. I didn't know that you…! – Vash, the boy with the huge scarf bit his tongue under the red fabric. No, he wasn't going to pry into her motives or mention the strangeness of the attention. He wasn't that stupid, his partner might regret it if he pressed her with questions! He himself had his reasons, and she hadn't asked anything until now.

As he extended his hand in invitation inside that ballroom, inside a simple mind, something whispered: "Maybe she's not so bad." (At this point the two are not dueling rivals so there is no clear picture from Vash on Cass)

Of course, for Cassandra, from whom those first words of tacit superiority came, the self-interruption did not go unnoticed. Although, of course, she was unaware of Vash's kind mentality and she herself was oblivious to her own motives. However…

"Huh, the cat finally got your tongue." – Accepting the extended hand with characteristic elegance, she guided the perplexed and excited boy without waiting, who happily adjusted his elegant suit.

But like a death foretold, that walk from the corner of the venue to the track was the only fluid movement they could make for the next half hour.

"By Merlin. Your steps are so pitiful. I can't believe your feet aren't two left ones" - Despite being able to feel the exasperation in the tone of voice, the girl's steps were still an uninterrupted guide for Vash, who couldn't coordinate the "one, two, three" without adding 3 totally unnecessary and shaky extra steps.

Español:

Tienes mi atención" , soltó una voz aguda que despegó su mirada del suelo, como si se tratase de un rayo de esperanza. De alguna forma, lo era. O mejor dicho, un milagro de principio a fin. El vestido color esmeralda jamás le había parecido más encantador, tal vez porque en primer lugar nunca quería pisar ese sitio.

"¿Entonces quieres bailar conmigo? Quiero decir. ¡No sabía que tu…! – Vash, el chico de bufanda de frondosa lana se mordió la lengua debajo de la tela roja. No, no iba a inmiscuirse en sus motivos ni a mencionar lo extraño de la atención. ¡No era tan tonto, su compañera podría arrepentirse si la presionaba con preguntas! Él mismo tenía sus motivos, y ella no había preguntado nada hasta ahora.

Mientras extendía la mano en invitación dentro de aquel salón de baile, dentro de una mente simple, algo susurró: "Tal vez no sea tan mala". (En este punto ambos no son rivales de duelos así que no hay una imagen clara por parte de Vash sobre Cass)

Por supuesto que para Cassandra, de quien provenía aquellas primeras palabras de tácita superioridad, no pasó por desapercibida la autointerrupción. Aunque, por supuesto, ignoraba la mentalidad amable de Vash y ella misma no reparaba en sus propios motivos. Sin embargo…

"Huh, por fin el gato te comió la lengua." – Aceptando la mano extendida con elegancia característica, guió sin espera al muchacho perplejo y emocionado, que acomodó alegremente su traje elegante.

Pero como una muerte anunciada, esa caminata desde la esquina del lugar hasta la pista fue el único movimiento fluido que pudieron hacer durante la próxima media hora.

"Por Merlín. Tus pasos son tan lamentables. No puedo creer que tus pies no sean dos izquierdos" – A pesar de poder sentir la exasperación en el tono de voz, los pasos de la chica seguían siendo una guía ininterrumpida para Vash, quién no podía coordinar el "un, dos, tres" sin agregar 3 pasos extra totalmente innecesarios y temblorosos.

By: Morf~