#promises to kill the man who was responsible for his death at the funeral and actually does so at the temple later??? wild

[theinfinitedivides]

Bullett Raja has no plot whatsoever except for the fact that it has Saif Ali Khan and is, by extension since he is one of the most versatile twink/twunk energy producers i've seen to date, gay af and i consider that canon, tyvm

[targaryen-dynasty]

REWRITE THE STARS.

Aemond Targaryen x Baratheon!Reader

Aemond arrives at your betrothed‘s funeral. And after being denied your hand in marriage once, he does not come to leave without you.

WARNINGS: angst? mentions of death, mentions of war, hinting at murder, kinda dark Aemond, female reader of House Baratheon (no mentions of appearance)

WORDS: 1.5 K

NOTES: Wow, feels weird posting something without smut lmfao. But… 👀 It‘s not mentioned, but someone particular and very jealous might have killed Lord Rosby, seeing that his House had deflected to the Greens at the very beginning of the war.

The body of your betrothed had not even been lowered into the ground by the time the enormous wings of Vhagar casted a dark shadow over the castle of Rosby. 

He had been drowning in his own blood after being struck in his throat by a crossbow from one of the so-called Black’s, or so you have been told, and while the image of it had been quite unsettling, the funeral itself was not too bad. 

Lord Rosby was many years older than you, and you had been betrothed not long before the war started. The Lord himself had asked for your hand in marriage, and with your father still having four more daughters to spare for any kind of political alliance, he had all too eagerly agreed. 

Much to the disliking of the prince, who dismounted his large beast at this very moment. 

He had convinced your father to support Aegon in the war of succession by promising to marry one of his daughters. You had been standing next to your father while your sisters stood lined up for Aemond to choose, and even after stating more than once that you hadn’t been free to marry anymore, the besotted prince had just reluctantly agreed to take the hand of your older sister Floris in marriage. 

Marrying a young prince of a House as noble as House Targaryen seemed far more appealing than marrying an old lord of House Rosby, and for the short time Aemond had stayed in the Round Hall of Storm’s End, it seemed you two had shared the same resentment towards the man sitting on the throne right next to you.

The envy you felt towards your sister had been eating you alive, so much that you had requested for your belongings to be moved to the castle of Rosby just so you didn’t have to endure seeing her face any longer. That your betrothed was not even there at that time just made it better.  

Now your father – and possibly you as well – had to experience the consequences of his pride and stubbornness first hand, it seemed. 

Upon spotting the large dragon in the far distance, a few members of House Rosby had taken their leave to go into hiding, but you and your father stood strong, despite the risk of being bathed in Vhagar’s flames sooner than later. 

For your father, it might have been the belief in his allegiance to the King, but for you, it was your House’s words, ours is the fury – and your fury was solely aimed at the man responsible for your misery. 

The rustling and shuffling behind you indicated that the few people, that had remained at the funeral side, bowed to the approaching prince, their mumbled courtesies not prompting you to turn around. 

“Lord Borros,” his voice was cold and calculated, dragging a shiver down your spine. “I assume you know what I came here for.”

Your father sighed, barely audible to anyone other than you, but even then you refused to acknowledge what was happening behind your back. It was not your place to speak, as you knew you had little say in the matter. 

The steps of Aemond coming closer could be heard, his presence suffocating. "‘Tis clear that she is not to wed Lord Rosby anymore. He was slain in battle, and his death has rendered the marriage pact void,” he stated the obvious, not mincing any words. “I desire to take her hand in marriage now.”

“Lord Rosby is but a day cold in the ground. It is hardly fitting of us to discuss marriage before he is even laid to rest,” your father scoffed, the sharp edge to his voice causing the hairs on the back of your neck to stand. “Besides, I have already given you the hand of one of my other daughters, Prince Aemond. Your House might do as it sees fit, but mine will not, and one wife is more than enough.”

At his bold statement, your body went rigid, more so as you merely heard Aemond humming in return. 

After that, a short silence descended upon the courtyard.

“Do not allow your foolish pride to cloud your judgment, Lord Borros.” You raised a brow at that, curious to find out what direction this encounter was meant to take. “You will not gain anything by denying it.”

Not watching the moment the knights lowered your betrothed’s body into his final resting place, you turned around. Your eyes drifted from the ground up to the prince standing not too far away, his lips curled, and a steely stare solely focused on your father. 

“Your other daughter is of no interest to me.” His face was unmoving, and his voice as sharp as a steel dagger. “I have made clear what I wanted when I first set foot in your halls, and now, I have come to take it.”

When Aemond turned his focus on you, you could feel his penetrating gaze weight over you, the intensity of his good eye being enough to make you shiver. Yet, there was something about him that lured you in, a pull that was impossible to resist. With the way his lips pulled into a smug smirk, you knew he had noticed the turmoil raging within you.

Aemond jutted his chin forward, addressing your father while looking at you. “I will take her with me with or without your blessing.” The cold determination with which he spoke had your blood running cold. “You may not have the power to deny me the chance to wed her, Lord Borros, but ‘tis your choice whether you allow it to happen in your halls.”

Gathering your thoughts, you raised a hand to stop your father from speaking even before he had opened his mouth, yet you averted your gaze down to the ground, not able to meet either of their gazes. “The war has already been harsh for the Stormlands and the entire Realm, father. I have seen men return, bearing corpses of husbands and sons,” you said, keeping your focus on the ground beneath your feet with your voice unusually stern. “If this is the only way to bring peace to our people, then so be it.” 

You glanced at your father, and the scowl on his face was almost enough to make you retreat. 

Ours is the fury, you remembered. 

“The Lord Paramour of the Stormlands does not bend to the whims of some Targaryen–” 

“Enough, father,” you interrupted him, your voice stern once more. “The Stormlands have been bleed dry, peace is what matters. If my hand is what Prince Aemond desires, he shall have it.”

Your father grunted in disbelief, not expecting you to speak against him and surrender so easily. 

Aemond’s eye drank you in once more, and the smug smirk his lips had held before had returned, adorning his chiseled features. “Very well,” the Prince Regent declared, moving toward you with a hand outstretched. He intended for you to place yours in it, which you did after a second of hesitating. 

Before he led you towards the beast waiting outside the castle’s walls, Aemond turned to look at your father one last time, the smugness fully taking over his stance and demeanor. “I suggest you start preparing for the wedding, my lord, that is, if you wish to retain the title you currently hold.”

The threat hung in the air, gagging you and making it impossible for you to breathe. You did not meet your father‘s eyes, for you were certain the disappointment flashing in them would burden you even more. 

Silence surrounded you two on the walk towards his dragon, safe for the ‘you chose wisely,’ he had mumbled as you passed through the castle’s gates. These three words had your eyes widening, regarding the prince carefully. 

There was a strange lightness in your stomach as you approached the looming presence of the prince‘s beast, happy and afraid for what was to come at the same time. Were you meant to follow the same tragic path other women that had married a Targaryen prince had taken? Or would your future look different? 

An unfamiliar heat emanated from the dragon the closer you got, pulling you out of your thoughts. There was little time for you to adjust to its presence before your now betrothed urged you to climb the ropes leading towards the saddle on its back. 

“I will be right behind you,“ he said, a poor attempt to calm your fluttering nerves. 

With a bow of your head, you hesitantly reached for the thick ropes and started climbing the beast, the act itself proving to be a great challenge.

Aemond strapped you to the saddle, sitting behind you to keep you steady and supported while the dragon moved to ascend into the sky for your flight to King's Landing.

And with one look over your shoulder, you saw the castle of Rosby and its village disappear in the far distance. 

You had yet to find out if you had made the right decision or not. 

[scullycockstrap]

i love how steven takes upon himself the duty to negotiate the terms of their arrangement with khonshu after witnessing how it happened in the first place.

my take is that steven had finally understood his purpose within the system — which wasn't having a normal, simple, happy life — but be able to deal with what marc could not. steven saw marc's trauma (it's their trauma, but he wasn't the one who lived throught it, so he didn't carry the same scarring from it) and the way it influenced marc's perception of himself and his decision making, and how shitty both were.

even mortally wounded, marc's guilty was so great he was about to take himself out of his mysery before khonshu spoke and, even after listening to his offer, marc wasn't sure if he wanted to live. of course the instinct to live kicked in, but i think the promise of reparation was what convinced him. for a man who killed his brother and who was responsible for innocent people's death, maybe the idea of becoming the "final word against the evildoers", as khonshu said himself, looked like a way to redemption.

steven immediately recognized the god's manipulative discourse and how he used it against marc, so he put himself between them as a shield.

for what i could gather, as an alter, steven had been serving the system in a way to give marc some sort of respite. when they were kids, where marc believed to be bad, difficult, unworthy and careless, steven was organized, smart, cautious and pliant. their mother's ressentment didn't diminish when steven was fronting, but i bet his behavior placated her enough to protect them from her outbursts (the memory depicted on the show aside, i don't think steven's fond memories of their mother are fabricated, not that she treated him with love, but with less cruelty)

maybe when marc left home, steven went dormant, only to be awakened again years later, at the funeral.

but now, at the present moment, conscious of who he is and what he is a part of, as an alter, steven assumes the protector role — as a fighter too — but mostly as a form to shelter marc's deep self-hatred and malignant self-shame from the world. he wouldn't let khonshu or anybody else exploit marc's wounds anymore. and, by doing it, he's giving marc time and space to heal.

[geoffreymccullum]

Thinking about Priwen becoming Geoffrey's found family and how he grew up through the ranks, through the years, with his brothers-in-arms. Thinking further about Geoffrey losing that connection in a way when Eldritch dies and he becomes their leader

Priwen is still there for Geoffrey - as he is for them - from life until death for a man like him, but things are different now. He has an image to uphold, responsibilities- lives to carry on his shoulders. Geoffrey is their family, but he's also their boss

Gone are the days of bullshitting in Priwen barracks. Now he's making funeral arrangements for a rookie barely grown into his uniform, who was fed the same promises when Geoff was his age. He can't cry; he can't show weakness. Give them rage. Show the boys there can be righteous retribution. Shape it into a weapon. Kill the leeches.

There's a tiredness in Geoffrey's eyes that didn't always used to be there. The family he would once confide in are worried, but he keeps to his office, keeps pen to paper and a sword as sharp as his word.

There's him and there's them. He, alone, is the foundation. If he were to crack, it would all come crumbling down

Enter Jonathan.

This is such a long winded way to say I thought about what Jonathan and Geoffrey could be to each other. Like a home and a hearth; you can't have one without the other

It's the idea that Geoffrey doesn't really have a true home anymore. Wherever he goes, Priwen follows. Of course there's pride in it- Geoffrey's never been so damn proud of anything else in his life, but being at the top gets lonely.

Jonathan is like home to him. He provides a genuine safety, a comfort that Geoffrey has so long gone without. He is the shelter each night Geoffrey is nothing but relieved to return to from the unending darkness.

In return, Geoffrey is his hearth. He is the warmth Jonathan can no longer feel, he is the light in the darkness, he is the spark that makes Jonathan feel alive

[skelebellie]

say hello to the rebirth of my hazbin hotel hyperfixation!!!! (this is definitely not related to severe trauma to the church i swear officer)

introducing Cecil (sona) and Petra (oc). i put some info on the images if you want to look their but if you want to here my manic rambling click the spoiler below. but i do have the other four horsemen designs lined up, as well as another oc (this is basically bible fanfiction).

i have so many sketches i have been planning this for too long

CECIL OF PESTILENCE

LIVING LIFE

Cecil grew up during the 1930’s and 40’s, and by today’s standards, was autistic. Their ‘strange’ mannerisms and fixation on understanding how the body worked lead them to being labeled as ‘insane’. Despite that, their father had enough wealth to force them into an arranged marriage, where the few interactions they had with the man lead to abuse and arguments. A proverbial echo of their own father. Luckily for them their husband got his lustful fixings from other woman, and Cecil was able to avoid any intimate interaction with him. However, they found solstice and safety as working as a Mortician to their grandmothers funeral home. There they honed their knowledge. Nonetheless, they desired more, and the raving concept of a 1950’s nuclear family did nothing to help them attain a higher education. So, in a desperate attempt to satiate the itch, they turned to disposing of bodies for local crime organizations. This allowed them to run experiments and explore areas they typically weren’t allowed to as a plain mortician.

In 1951, they met Petra, an albino woman who came into funeral home to organize a funeral for her (certainly not first) deceased husband. She was surprised to see that the head of the funeral home was a woman, and the two hit it off. Petra was delighted to meet someone who had such a strange interpretation of death, illness, and sickness. However, their time in the living world was cut short. One night, after performing an autopsy on a ‘donated’ body, Cecil’s husband discovered what they were doing. In a rage he killed them before using the funeral homes tools to dismember them and disposed of their body in a local landfill. Their body has never been found.

TIME IN HELL

Cecil landed in hell in 1957 following their death. Body stitched together like a makeshift zombie, an echo of the illegal cadavers they obtained as well as the dismemberment that took place. They fell down clutching a 1950’s gas mask, almost like a comfort from the living world. While initially scared, they knew how to avoid confrontation. They had spent their life dealing with members of the mafia and gangs, so they knew how to pass off as a frail woman. Nonetheless, they were happy to have not ended up in heaven. After being raised with god as a reason for abuse and discipline, they couldn’t dare think of staying in such a hypocrital paradise. Cecil was delighted to see all these new ‘specimens’, their anatomy much different than the cadavers they had previously worked on.

However, they still were very powerless upon arrival. It’s fortunate that the friend they called Petra was actually Pestilence, one of the Four Horsemen of the (currently on-hold) Apocalypse. Despite Petras responsibilities, they came to Hell and tried to make sure they one and only friend survived and could live semi-comfortably. Their friendship being as strong as to form a deal between souls. The two promised that they would always be there for each other, even in death (litterally). Heaven, upon finding out that one of the ‘neutral’ celestial bodies was spending time in Hell got increasingly nervous. So, as to not allow Hell to have an upper hand, they killed Petra during an annual extermination. However, their deal remained, and the title of Pestilence transferred to Cecil, though severely weakened.

Over the last 40 years the name Cecil has been spreading, albeit only to a small sect of desperate sinners. ‘On Clarence Street, in the south side of Hell is a small store known as Cecils Curiosities and Oddities. If you ever find yourself at the end of your rope, go there.’ Though, be careful. Cecil is rarely one to make deals for a soul, but dont be surprised if you end up with a missing body part. You wont die- but the higher the ask the higher the cost. Cecil loves to explore demon kind.

At the beginning of the Hazbin Hotel timeline, Cecil found themselves passing a Vox Tech store. A small add ran- one for a hotel for the rehabilitation of sinners. To their surprise, they saw a flash of a certain black, white, and red cat in the background. One which they were far too familiar with and had been missing for months. It didnt take long for them to stomp their way to the hotel, looking for who they called ‘Huskert’. Much to the annoyance of Husk, a certain lab-coated sinner had found him once more. One who had saved his life during the disappearance of Alastor, and begrudgingly, stuck around.

While Cecil doesn’t want to be redeemed, they admire Charlies ambition. They have been pretty bored, and can only let Rosie dress them up for so long before they need new stimulation. Husk, not 100% certain as to what the Radio Demon had planned for him, asked Cecil to stick around. ‘As fucked up as you may be, I know if I got shot you could patch me right up.’ So, after some convincing (and begging from Charlie), they decided to stay as an impromptu doctor. As long as they were at the hotel no one would die of grave injuries, internal or external.

PESTILENCE (PETRA)

The Four Horsemen are one of the few celestial bodies which can travel between the realms of Heaven, Hell, and Earth. Though, they typically spend most of their time on the mortal realm, often indulging in observation as they watch humanity go through stages of sickness, war, famine, and death. Petra, however, was seemingly obsessed with humanity. They were never one to visit Heaven or Hell unless one of their siblings called for them. After the whole ‘Apocalypse’ was put on-hold, they’ve spent their immortal life as a married wife to whatever old-human was festering with illness before they died, resulting in a long line of fortune. Though, it seems as if no one can remember them for long. At the height of the Polio pandemic, and after another entertaining show of sickness, Petra stepped into the closest funeral home in order to burry the man. As much as they didnt mind throwing the old sap into a river, their older sister Death would give them quite the earful.

However, they were delighted to see a small human woman running the funeral home. A rarity in the 1950’s, especially with everyone wanting that disgustingly perfect family life. A glimpse into their soul showed something a tad bit different than the typical human. A person obsessed with thinking that they have a sickness and should be cured, but enamored with death and illness. Though, Petra knew this ‘sickness’ was just a swap of wires, they were fascinated with this double bladed human. The two, much to Petras surprise, hit it off. Unlike most humans Petra could talk for hours about the spread of plagues, the sweep of civilizations, end of life through a simple rat, and this little thing known as ‘Cecil’ looked enamoured.

For the first time since their creation, they felt understood, looked at.

But their time was cut short, upon finding that their one and only friend was ‘missing’. It didnt take them long to realize they had been disposed of. Much to their despair, they couldn’t kill the shitty husband, rules put in place to prevent the Four Hoursmen from interfering with humanity. But they knew Cecil wouldn’t be in heaven, no- that higher realm wouldn’t be able to handle that. So despite their better judgement, they went to Hell. It was a bit of a surprise, but Cecil seemed surprisingly okay with it, as long as Petra remained their friend. Petra spent the next 20 years guiding Cecil, making sure they lived semi-comfortably and teaching them about the intricacies of sinners lest they loose their soul. While they may go months apart, Petra was always there at the yearly exterminations to make sure their friend wouldn’t perish.

However, Heaven did not stand idly by as one of the powerful ‘neutral’ celestial bodies began spending more and more time in Hell. So soon after the stomped out uprising of Hell as well? Fear gripped the heavenly body, a Horseman could not take sides with Hell. Thus during the next extermination, Petra was killed, a shaking Cecil hidden in an alleyway forced to watch the one person they loved ripped from them. Though, their deal remained. They would remain with each other, even in death.

With a Horseman gone, tides began to shift in the mortal realm. So, as to prevent this from happening again, a new Horseman was created, known as Conquest. Made from the ashes of angels and humans, Conquest took the place of Pestilence. But they seemed… weaker than the original Horseman. Nonetheless, Heaven was to blind to see their hypocrisy, and the remaning three original siblings of the apocalypse have stayed in the mortal realm.

[spiralling-thoughts]

My ocs

Jade shimmer 15 y/o and Leo Glynn 12 y/o

Leo and jade were district 1 tributes during the 7th hunger games, Leo resorted to begging while in the zoo and often quietly clang to jade he didn't know her prior to their reapings but she's the only one from home that he had and jade equally felt as though Leo was her responsibility and promised to protect him to the best of her ability (wow almost like she didn't lose her humanity when cornered right gaul?) jade stragity was a reverse of Johanna 's, she pretended to be strong and intemedating so that others consider taking her out last she was an actor in district 1 community theater and managed to use her acting skills to get food Wich she shared with Leo and a 12 y/o girl from d3 , a blind girl from d5 and a 13 year old boy from district 8 , when the bell rang jade grabbed a sword and tucked Leo behind her and would scream and yell at anyone who got close to her and would threaten them but after some kills it became clear she can't actually fight so the boy from district 9 disarmed her and slit her throat using a sickle her last words were telling Leo to not open his eyes so that he doesn't see her die Wich he did he kept his head low and couldn't move from fear and as such didn't see the girl from d7 coming to strike him in the head with her axe they placed 13th and 12th . Some capitol folks were bummed about jade's death they found her "entertaining" and "added some drama to the games" , while they were disgusted with Leo and said he hadn't "lived by the standerds of district 1) as he was a orphan boy that wore oversized clothes and sandles, jade family came to arrange her funeral and her mother couldn't believe that lifeless body was her daughter, while Leo's funeral was arrennged by velvreene s family and they along with facet and Leo's friends and the man he worked for attended his funeral

[lunarmoonanons]

Fire and Salt chp4

🌕 🌖 🌗 🌘 🌑 🌒 🌓 🌔 🌕  

At the day of her aunt’s funeral, YN tries to process her emotions. Grief and guilt eat away at her stomach as the family she wanted so much to be together grieves. 

🌕 🌖 🌗 🌘 🌑 🌒 🌓 🌔 🌕  

Masterlist 

Death was such a funny thing. You are gone, but your body is still here. At least your family could have some closure and pretend you can hear them say goodbye. That really can’t happen if the body left is a burnt skeleton locked in a stone casket. YN was grateful she never saw the body of her aunt, so that the memory of Laena’s face would be from when she met her on her 7th nameday, not of a blackened skull. 

YN stood with her family as they prepared to toss the casket in the seawater, her small hand holding onto her father’s folded ones. Her little brother Jace had already been grieving from the loss of Ser Harwin, and Luke had been in a sad state since the news of death arrived. The faces at the funeral were solemn. YN looked to her grandfather and grandmother, then to her cousins who were barely holding back their tears, then resting on the face of her uncle Daemon. 

She held back her own tears, and slight anger at the insinuation of her granduncle Vaemond. His glare at her brothers was not missed, and YN briefly hoped he’d fall into the water. She chose to ignore her rage, and kissed her father’s shaking hands to comfort him. The chuckles of her uncle Daemon unnerved her, but this day was not about her. 

As they pulled the heavy casket to the waters, YN kissed the tips of her fingers and blew it toward that direction. Mentally asking any god out there to welcome her aunt Laena. A guilty feeling clawed at her throat and burned in her tear ducts. YN blamed herself. If she was not so selfish to want her cousins here, the gods would not have killed her aunt to bring them. 

As soon as the service was over and everyone was talking above, drinking and socializing, YN stared at the water. Occasionally flicking her eyes up to see Seasmoke in the air. Her thoughts were stopped when her grandfather came to stand next to her. 

“Still in love with the sea, my darling?” He asked, only receiving a shrug in return. “It is good you love the sea and high tide YN. It shows great promise for your future. As the lord of the tides, Lucerys will rule the seas and will require your guidance as a shipmaster.” Corlys promised her, hoping she’d be more amicable to sharing the seat with Luke. He would have Driftmark, and she would be in charge of their fleets. 

“I don’t deserve it…” YN whispered, causing the man to frown and kneel to her. 

“Why’s that my darling?” His gentle tone and soft touch brought the girl to hiccuping tears. Her guilt finally overflowed. “YN. YN what is it?” 

“It’s my fault. I didn’t listen when papa said that Rhaena and Baela could not come to Westeros, but I pestered and was selfish. So the gods killed their mother because of me.” YN hiccuped, trying to wipe her tears. “Even now I’m being selfish. This day should be about Baela and Rhaena’s grief, but I’m crying. I’m a spoiled, stupid girl.” 

“No. No my darling you are nothing of the sort. You could not have killed Laena. This was a tragic loss, an act out of human control, it was not your fault.” Corlys tried to comfort her, smoothing his thumbs over her brown, wet cheeks. She wrapped her arms around his shoulder sniffling away her sobs.

When she finally stopped shaking, YN pulled away and kissed his cheek sweetly. She looked at her brother who was near her cousins, deciding she should offer them condolence. “I’m going to talk to Baela and Rhaena. I promise I won’t dissuade Driftmark, but you should talk to Luke about his responsibility. He doesn’t feel well.” 

Corlys nodded to the girl and stood tall, letting her make her way over to her cousins. Eyes on her silver white curls. As YN got closer, she passed by her other grandfather and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, as she always did, before continuing onward to her cousins, passing by the stares of the queen, and her uncle Aemond. Once she was there, her grandmother had already wrapped her arms around them. YN patted Jace’s arm in sympathy and went to the two girls. 

The three of them turned to YN, Rhaenys smiled kindly at her granddaughter and reached her hand toward her, ushering her toward them. YN tentatively walked forward, kissing her grandmother’s cheek. 

“Hello grandmother, hello Rhaena, hello Baela.” YN smiled. Taking Baela’s hand. 

“Hello YN. Come sit with us.” Rhaenys rubbed the girls back. 

“You two look taller from when I last saw you. I’m glad we kept writing to each other. Better to be friends than strangers when we meet again.” YN offered her cousins. 

“It’s to see your face again cousin.” Baela said, smiling only slightly when YN rubbed her thumb over Baela’s hand. “I missed you since you saw us in Pentos.” 

“I’m happy to see you again YN.” Rhaena said, her lip starting to quiver in grief. 

“How are your dragons? Are you going to claim Vaghar?” YN asked when she saw, hoping to take her cousin's mind to something a little more positive. “There’s no one else here who could match aunt Laena but you. I think you’ll be an excellent dragon rider.”

Rhaena smiled, and rested her head on her sister’s shoulder, Baela offering her little sister some comfort and smiled at her in support. “Do you really think so, YN?”

“Of course. Don’t you agree, grandmother?” 

“Indeed. Laena would be proud to see you claim Vaghar.” Rhaenys smiled. “One day you will ride Vaghar above High tide, as one of you three sit on the driftwood seat.” 

“You’re silly grandmother. Lucerys will have the seat, he can bring heirs to driftmark and I will head the ships.” YN gasped to herself and turned to the girls. “You two can join me on the seas. If I never claim a dragon, you two can watch the skies and I the sea.” 

The three girls giggle, not noticing their grandmother appearing disdained at the thought of Lucerys having the seat that should rightfully go to one of these girls. But YN did not seem to care about High tide, or at least heading the house. 

After a time, YN went to look for her father, seeing him waist deep in the water swaying slightly. She couldn’t tell if he was crying, or if he was drunk, but her grandfather seemed upset to see him like this. And before she could fetch him herself, Corlys angrily told Qarl to fetch him. Catching the eye of Aemond, YN walked over to him but was stopped by her uncle Daemon. The tall man was so strange. He made no effort to speak, he only stared at her face in curiosity, smiling at the belt where she would keep her thin sword. 

“You have your mother’s eyes.” Was all he said before walking away. 

Shaking off the strange encounter, YN finally found Aemond standing closely to the stairs. 

“Aemond.” He turned to her and gave a small smile. Trying his hardest to seem adult and regal, when all he wanted to do was run around on the rocks with YN. 

“Hello YN. I am sorry for the loss of your aunt.” Aemond offered. 

“Thank you. We haven’t been able to write yet, and I wanted to know how you've been. How has your search for a dragon gone?” She asked, her sweet smile that graced her smooth light brown cheeks causing the boy to blush slightly. 

“It’s uh.. Gone well. In fact I think I’ve just found a candidate.” He said, looking at the sky where Vaghar flew, YN pulled her gaze up then snapped it back to him. 

“No.”

“No?”

“No. Vaghar is meant for Rhaena to claim. She was her mother’s dragon, and now Rhaena should claim her. How could you think to steal that from her? She’s just like us.” YN scolded him in whispered tones. 

“Why should I care about her? I have a right to claim a dragon.” He postured and fed his ego. 

“Maybe you do, but it’s a horrible thing to do to someone who's been in the same ship we’ve been in. Rhaena has had no dragon her whole life, just as we have. I’d think you should have more empathy for her. Be happy that there is a chance for one of us to have a dragon.” YN said, before touching his cheek. “You’ll have a chance one day. But don’t step on others to get the chance.”

Aemond watched her leave. YN was truly too kind. But his mind was made up. Too long did he suffer ridicule from others at the lack of a dragon, too long did he feel unworthy of a Targaryen title. YN would understand once he had the dragon. He was doing this for her, he would be worthy of her and father would elect to bethrothe them when he had the largest dragon under command. 

YN would understand. She’d have to.

[bracketsoffear]

Under the Whispering Door (T.J. Klune) "Welcome to Charon's Crossing. The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through.

When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead.

And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he’s definitely dead.

But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.

Hilarious, haunting, and kind, Under the Whispering Door is an uplifting story about a life spent at the office and a death spent building a home."

The Alchemist (H.P. Lovecraft) "

The story is recounted by the protagonist, Count Antoine de C, in the first person. Hundreds of years ago, Antoine's noble ancestor was responsible for the death of a dark wizard, Michel Mauvais. The wizard's son, Charles le Sorcier, swore revenge on not only him but all his descendants, cursing them to die on reaching the age of 32.

The protagonist recounts how his ancestors all died in some mysterious way around the age of 32. The line has dwindled and the castle has been left to fall into disrepair, tower by tower. Finally, Antoine is the only one left, with one poor servant, Pierre, who raised him, and a tiny section of the castle with a single tower is still usable. Antoine has reached adulthood, and his 32nd year is approaching.

His servant eventually dies, leaving him completely alone, and he begins exploring the ruined parts of the castle. He finds a trapdoor in one of the oldest parts. Below, he discovers a passage with a locked door at the end. Just as he turns to leave, he hears a noise behind him and sees that the door is open and someone is standing in it. The man attempts to kill him but Antoine kills him first. His dying words reveal that he is none other than Charles, who actually managed to successfully fabricate the elixir of life, enabling him to personally fulfill the curse generation after generation."

[meekmedea]

⭐️ keyboard conversations and/or wisteria blooms decorate our home! ⭐️

I think I said most of what I have to say about in another universe, wisteria blooms decorate our home in this ask here, but feel free to let me know if you wanted anything more specific from the fic :)

Ooh keyboard conversations!!! My first fic for the fandom...

Hmm... it's been some time since I wrote it, but I do remember how much music I'd pulled into it.

Fun fact! All the piano pieces named are actual songs. And Sonata X, the piece that Coriolanus and Clemensia cringe at the thought of being performed is the tenth piece from a collection called Sonata and Interludes by John Cage. What makes the piece a bit more special from your usual piece is that you've got a prepared piano where you essentially temporarily alter the instrument by placing things between the strings.

There's also an earlier scene where Clemensia is angry at him and they make things up when he joins her at the piano, transposing what she's playing to a higher pitch before they eventually end up playing a duet together. This one was highly inspired by this piano scene from Corpse Bride. In a way he's playing the higher pitch notes - sounding more optimistic + asking to be forgiven, while her lower pitch voices shows how she feels.

Piano/Music is sort of how they communicate - both with each other and a reflection of what they're feeling. Like how Clemensia plays angry/volatile/melancholic music after the 10th games.

Relationship-wise between Clemensia and Coriolanus, while the fic tags them as platonic, I want to say it's not very clear cut because I wouldn't say it leans completely to romance either.

Coriolanus is a bit hypocritical/biased and because we mostly read from his pov, we never really know how it looks from a different perspective. So he'll call it friendship, but get jealous over small things, he's oddly protective of her, 'jokingly' promise to kill her husband if the man doesn't treat her right...

Whether he refuses to admit his feelings or is genuinely oblivious to his own thoughts/actions is left up to interpretation.

Though near the end, that ambiguity begins to slip. This is one of my favourite parts that takes place after Clemensia's death:

Coriolanus goes to her funeral because it is expected. People would talk if he didn’t. He empties the decanter in his study that night - because it has always been more than just that. 

Just the mention of it being 'more'. Like more what?

And we can see the impact on him with her death -

She is gone and so had any thoughts for mercy.  The man isn’t allowed to live, nor his mistress. He arranges for it to be anything but painless. 

While it's never confirmed who's at fault for her death, l like to think that for Coriolanus, that's not the point. It's more of - she had to die, so now so do you and your mistress, for all the heartache/pain you caused her when she was alive. But don't get me wrong, if he does ever figure out who's responsible - the culprit isn't getting off easy.

[starry-blue-echoes]

au "Koichi the younger brother of Hol Horse" + au "Kochi dies but is reborn as act 3 with a hole in his chest in the alley of ghosts"

Hol Horse decides there's no more danger and is like "what if I leave my brother in this town with my new friends and go off to work?" and leaves (maybe this goes into one of your au "Hol Horse in part 5 works for Passion")

And of course. Kira Yoshikage himself in Morio. The man who later kills Koichi, but gets payback.

Imagine the horror everyone will feel not only from Koichi's death, but also from realizing what Hol's reaction to his brother's death will be when he finds out about it. No one called him about Koichi's death; everyone felt bad.

And then Koichi is reborn in Haunted Alley, and that makes everyone panic even more.

Y E S

Y E S

OH ABSOLUTELY THIS IS AN AMAZING IDEA

Just. Hol Horse had heard about RHCP and the Stand Arrows and came running. He helps guide Koichi and the other kids, Josuke and Okuyasu get to meet Koichi's funky morally grey brother, and it all goes great! He stuck around for a few more days after RHCP's defeat, but he felt confident that it was safe once again in Morioh now and things would be calm. The two bros promised to call every few days, and went about things as they usually did

And things are fine for weeks after that (RHCP was beaten sometime in mid/late May and Centipede Shoes happens somewhere after June 24th and before July 1st). Sure there's the occasional Stand User that pops up and stirs up trouble, but nothing the kids or Jotaro can't handle

And then one day there's a phone call. Or to be more specific, he doesn't get a phone call. Hol Horse waits for hours, but..... Koichi never calls him

At first he brushes it off. Maybe Koichi was busy or got roped up in more Stand shenanigans. He'd probably call tomorrow to make up for it.

But then he doesn't. Okay, a little weird, Hol Horse would think, but maybe it just slipped his mind.

The third day he gets anxious enough to be the one to initiate the call.

Hundreds of scenarios were running through his head. Maybe Koichi was hurt, maybe he got kidnapped, maybe he went missing, maybe he was-

Dead.

The word echoes in his head as his aunt is sobbing on the phone, her words barely coherent but enough that Hol Horse can understand the meaning.

His baby brother is dead. Murdered days ago, with the killer nowhere to be found

He'd heard about the killer. About the ghost girl Koichi had met, about how they were probably responsible for all the missing cases, the anxiousness and questioning he'd had, wondering if Morioh was even as safe as he thought-

Well...... the answer was obvious now.

He drops everything to go back to Morioh. Screw whatever mission he was on, screw whatever target he had, he needs to get back right now because he's already too late, the least he can do is be there for the funeral and to protect the rest of the kids.

Hol Horse would immediately bar the kids and any other underage Stand Users from getting involved after this, a rule he only enforces more after he learns about Shigechi. Because that's what they were. Kids. Three 15 year olds who'd barely started high school, now two 15 year olds who are now going to be burdened with the weight of a dead best friend and a 12 year old for the rest of their lives

But then it turns out Koichi isn't as dead and gone as they thought. He was still dead, very much so....... but he was here.

And Hol Horse would be torn. On one hand he wanted, he needed, to hunt down the piece of shit who'd killed his baby brother. He needed to find Kira and make him pay for the pain he'd caused, and he was going to be sure his death was a slow, agonizing one.

But on the other....... that isn't what Koichi needs right now. Koichi needs stability and security and someone to be there for him. The kids all have their lives and can't dedicate every moment to be with him but...... but Hol Horse can. And he does. Every step of the way, every new ability, every nightmare, every flashback, Hol Horse is going to be there with soft words and gentle hands to comfort and hold him

And if we throw in the Hol Horse In Italy Looking For Polnareff, this could add an interesting spin to that. For one, if he went undercover before Part 4, Sorbet and Gelato wouldn't be dead yet so his bond with La Squadra as a whole would probably be different. Still a bit distant because of Hol Horse's intentions, but that's cleared up much faster and easier when a few years down the line La Squadra decide to turn against Passione

But when this happens......... ho boy

If we make this at the point where relations are a tad strained with everyone but Pesci, this is probably going to just add more to that tension. At first it would be fine, Hol Horse requesting a couple weeks off because of some personal issue arising, maybe even coming back early because "it figured itself out faster than I thought" and things going fine...... but then a few weeks later he suddenly gives Risotto a notice that he's going to be gone for a bit and then just. Fucking off to who knows where for several months straight but still sending them money to help pay bills every few weeks(he probably got some kind of job in Morioh, maybe thanks to the SWF which essentially boils down to "compensation for tracking down and securing dangerous Stand Users")

And what if when he goes back....... he ends up bringing Koichi with him. Yes Italy isn't the safest and given Hol Horse's position he's probably in even more danger but..... while Kira's gone, that isn't going to just magically erase all the anxieties Koichi's been having. Maybe Italy can be a bit of a change of scenery, just to help him cope and process in a place that isn't full of memories, at least for a couple years. He still keeps in very close contact with his friends of course, something made easier by the fact he doesn't need to sleep and thus can bypass the issue of inopportune timezones, and it's a simple few days of flying to visit, so he's able to keep those bonds without too much issue

and when Pesci accidentally stumbles upon something he shouldn't...... what if instead of Hol Horse's plans to find the Boss, it's instead Koichi. Maybe he mistakes him as an enemy and attacks, nearly getting a bullet in his skull from a partially conscious INCREDIBLY protective Hol Horse who really shouldn't be moving right now. I do think Pesci would agree to keep this secret, and now at least Koichi has another person to talk to :D

hmmmmmmm....... maybe to tie this in to the rest of the Act 4 AU when Giorno's existence comes to attention, Koichi ends up taking the job to show that he's grown and more capable now. Not in secret of course, he tells Hol that he wants to do it and they have a LONG talk and set up all sorts of contingencies in case anything goes wrong

And massive shocker here, Things Go Wrong

[rappaccini]

rereading spider-geddon #5 to see if margo has any lines (she does not😔) and... yeah. to get it out of the way the sv writers absolutely read this for atsv insp because it's where the miles->gwen<-->hobie love triangle comes from, and also where margo first appears....

i fucking forgot this is the event where miles keeps making heart eyes at gwen like he's the protagonist of his own soap opera. and the whole time gwen is just like 'k. anyway. the mission--'

he lets out a melodramatic ~nOoOo~ when she 'dies.' he says some cheesy shit about her being a ghost. he starts swinging when otto says they need to keep focus.

i should mention that hobie appears to be callous about her 'death' too.

because when gwen turns up with reinforcements and miles is possessed by the poltergeist of sitting in a tree again...

... hobie instantly kills the vibe by blasting past him to hug her.

which, 1) hobie does care! he cares a ton! he's just pragmatic. and he was right! she did want them to keep moving.

2) this is so fucking funny. miles it's been three years since you two last spoke, you can't even drive yet and she's a felon and a college dropout, get over it she's not into you. 3) .... yet she's responsive to hobie? 👀

(... also interesting that atsv took this story beat: a moment where a person in the love triangle appears to die, someone else flips out over it, the death is revealed to be a fakeout, and one side of the love triangle gets a shippy moment where someone's relieved the not-dead-person is okay. only in atsv, miles is the one with the death fakeout, gwen panics, and they get a moment after he makes it out... and here, gwen is the one who nearly dies, miles panics... and gwen and hobie get the shippy moment. damn gwiles really don't have shit do they. damn near every single meaningful moment is a ripoff of another relationship one of them has with someone else.)

also. spider-gwen: ghost spider #4 takes place DURING this issue. never actually read them like that before, and man.

the implication that gwen and hobie stayed together during the fighting the entire time, and even during the funeral.

the parallels in hobie leading the funeral and gwen spreading the news to the bereaved.

and then. when they're saying their goodbyes, miles give her another Look.

and gwen swerves him for hobie. it happens again!

the finger guns. the shoulder touch. gwen confiding in him about the alternate world she fell into and what happened to her there (aka gwen telling hobie about the gwen/mj dimension aka the first person gwen voluntarily comes out as queer to to is hobie). the promise to be there for each other when they need help or emotional support and find some time to play music/just have fun together again. how sad she gets when he leaves.

i am so mad they never follow up on this.

… kinda hate that the sv writers def read this and somehow concluded that gwiles was the romance and hobie was friendzoned, when it could only be more the reverse if gwen and hobie made out on panel.

[mollybecameanengineer]

The Home Front

Summary: Mulder, Scully, and William have been kidnaped and their deaths faked. How do their friends and family react?

word count: 6,138 | Teen | MSR | @today-in-fic

Read on AO3 or check out the first chapter below the break

This is part of an episodic series called A Second Chance. All the episodes are collected, in order, using AO3’s series feature. The concept of the series is to rewrite seasons 8 and 9. It deals with Mulder’s return from the dead, the birth of William, and Mulder and Scully trying to juggle family life with impending doom.

If you don’t want to read the whole thing, but want to read this story, here is what you need to know…

Previously on A Second Chance: After Mulder returned from the dead, he moved in with Scully. (Reentry). Scully, while pregnant, was infected with the black oil and somehow neutralized it (Immunidad). The Cigarette Smoking Man (and a new syndicate) learned of this, and became interested in Scully’s baby. After William was born, Mulder and Scully were determined to keep him safe (Sinister). However, after they learned that not only can William neutralize the black oil if infected, but he was also immune to the Super Soldier virus, Mulder planned to go on the run with William, leaving Scully behind due to the chip in her neck (and therefore her ability to be tracked). However, the Smoking Man got to them first. Mulder and Scully agreed to go with the Cigarette Smoking Man because he promised that he would keep them together and protect them from the alien colonists (who want to kill Mulder, Scully, and William) in exchange for letting him make a vaccine from William’s blood. (In the Space of a Day) When Maggie discovers that her daughter and family are missing, Skinner and the rest of the crew start a search, only to find evidence that Mulder and Scully ran, but died in a car accident. This evidence was planted by the Smoking Man and his associates, but no one knows that, and Mulder and Scully don’t know that everyone thinks they’re dead. Meanwhile, Mulder, Scully, and William leave with the Smoking Man, (Loss) who takes them to a remote military installation in Oregon. There, they are given base housing, and William is examined by the medical team. After exploring the facilities, Mulder and Scully decide that Scully will work with the team to develop the vaccine, while secretly trying to find a way to make William no longer immune, and thus no longer special. (The Gilded Cage) In their prison, Scully discovers why William is immune to the virus: he has defective white blood cells. This means that it’s unlikely that anyone could acquire an immunity like he has. In addition, he is immunodeficient. Just when Mulder and Scully start to plan their escape, Krycek appears. (Milestones)

June, 2001

“I’m not going.”

Frohike sat, with his arms crossed, glaring at Byers and Langly. The former was dressed in his usual suit, though one of his darkest colored ones, while the latter was wearing his dress t-shirt: which was still a shirt bought at a concert, it just didn’t have any holes in it.

In response to Frohike’s declaration, Langly threw up his hands. “Whatever, dude,” he said, before walking away.

“Melvin.” Byers walked over, and placed a hand on Frohike’s shoulder. Frohike had to suppress the urge to shrug him off. “I know you don’t believe that it was Mulder, Scully, and William in that car. I understand your doubts, and I promise we won’t stop looking until you’re satisfied. But,” Byers took a breath. “You should go to support Mrs. Scully. I know you don’t agree with having a funeral, but she’s grieving, and we are the closest thing Mulder has to family at this point. If we don’t go…” Byers trailed off. 

Frohike sighed. He understood what Byers was saying: if they didn’t go, it looked like they didn’t care. And Frohike cared. Since they’d gone missing last month, Frohike had tried to come up with any angle that might shed light on what happened. And while the dental records of the body in the burned up car matched his friends, they could be faked. It was all too convenient. He hated that Mrs. Scully had the bodies cremated before he could do a thorough examination. 

It all seemed like a show to make them stop looking.

Byers was still looking at him, a stern expression on his face. “Alright,” Frohike relented. “I’ll go.”

Byers smiled. “Good. We leave in ten minutes.”

***

It was a sunny day. 

Skinner stood next to a folding table that had been placed on the dock. It held pictures mostly of Scully, from childhood on. There were a couple pictures of Mulder, always with Scully, obviously snapped when he participated in some Scully family function. There was only one picture of William. He was in Scully’s arms, Mulder was sitting next to her on their couch. They were both smiling for the camera, which Skinner assumed Mrs. Scully had been wielding.

There was also a large flower arrangement and before that an urn. 

“I know Dana buried him the first time,” Mrs. Scully’s voice came from behind him. “But she wanted to be cremated and put to rest like her father. And I thought he’d want to be with her.”

Skinner nodded. Not to mention there wasn’t much left of them after the car fire. Skinner pushed the gruesome image out of his head. “I think you’re right. Mulder loved your daughter very much.”

“I know. And she loved him. And William –” Mrs. Scully’s voice caught. “Excuse me,” she said, walking away, wiping at her face. 

Skinner sighed, turning his attention back to the pictures. What a loss. Skinner had hoped, before Krycek had brought them the news that the Smoking Man was after William, that the birth of their child might bring Mulder and Scully peace. That their relentless searching would come to a close, and maybe they would be able to rest. To enjoy being a family.

But less than two weeks later they were dead. He supposed there might be a kind of peace in that, just not what he’d hoped for them. 

Skinner could feel tears welling in his eyes, and he blinked them away. He needed to be strong today for Scully’s family – they didn’t need his blubbering. 

“Good afternoon all, if you’ll take a seat, we will get started,” the priest said from the front of the gathering. Skinner recognized him as the same priest that had visited Scully when she was in the hospital. At least that meant he knew her – Skinner hated funerals where it was clear the officiant had no knowledge of the deceased. 

Turning his back on the pictures, walked over to the cluster of chairs where the funeral would take place. 

***

Charlie thanked God that Tara had gotten Bill out of the apartment.

The funeral was two days ago, and their mom had asked them all to help pack up Dana’s apartment. The landlord had asked if they could be out by the end of the month, which gave them a couple weeks. However, Charlie was leaving in a couple days, as was Bill and his family, and it felt wrong to leave his mother to this alone. 

So they’d all come over, but Bill just won’t shut the fuck up about how Mulder had been the cause of so much despair for their family. Charlie got it – if Dana had never joined the FBI, if she’d never gotten involved with Mulder, she and Melissa would likely be alive. But, right now, it really wasn’t helping. 

Thankfully, Matthew needed to run off some energy, so Tara convinced Bill to take him to a nearby park. Charlie didn’t know how she put up with his older brother, but thankfully he listened to her. That left Charlie with his mother and Tara, trying to sort out his sister’s life. 

“Are you going to take the fish home?” Charlie asked. 

His mom sighed. “I think so. They were Fox’s. Dana brought them from his apartment after…” No one liked to talk about the fact that his sister's partner had been dead twice, so his mom didn’t finish the sentence. “Anyway, Dana said they were important to Fox, it seems like I should take them and try to keep them alive.” 

Charlie nodded. He looked around the tank, trying to figure out how they were going to get it and the fish (still alive) to his mom’s place. 

“Anyway,” Mom said. “You should look through Fox’s clothes and see if there is anything you want. He was shorter than Bill, but I think his clothes might fit you.”

Charlie wasn’t too sure about that, nor was he thrilled about taking a dead man’s clothes, but it was an excuse to get things packed up and off to Goodwill. 

In the bedroom, Charlie started pulling Mulder’s things out of the closet. He had a lot of nice suits, but, as Charlie suspected, Mulder had longer arms and legs, and a smaller waist. Well, someone would get use out of them, he thought as he boxed them up.

Moving to the dresser, Charlie opened up the first drawer, and then slammed it back shut. Shit, he thought, then slowly opened it again. Sitting there, on top of his sister’s underwear, was a bright pink vibrator. The kind that’s shaped like a penis. Jesus Dana, this is more than I needed to know, Charlie thought, as he wondered how to dispose of this. 

“Hey, Charlie, I was thinking –” Tara’s voice stopped short as she saw what was in the drawer. 

They both stared at each other a moment, then at the vibrator. “Well, at least it’s not your mom finding this,” she said in a low voice. 

Thank god for small miracles. “Yeah, should we, like, look for more sex stuff?” Charlie whispered back. “So Mom doesn’t find it?”

Tara nodded. “I know I’d prefer if my siblings found this kind of stuff, rather than my parents.”

Charlie grabbed one of the big black trash bags, and gingerly threw the vibrator into it. “I’m guessing no one at Goodwill wants a used one of these.”

Tara laughed. 

After a careful search, they’d disposed lube and expired condoms (which explained William), two smutty novels, five vintage issues of Playboy (which Charlie felt a little bad about throwing away, but with Tara standing right there, he didn’t want to leaf through them to see why Mulder had kept these issues from twenty years ago), and VHS with the title Hand Solo, which was clearly a Star Wars porn parody. 

Charlie kind of wanted to keep the tape. Maybe he’d fish it out of the trash when no one was looking. 

“Well, hopefully that’s all of it,” Tara said, tossing some non-sex related trash on top to hide the contents. 

“Yeah,” Charlie said, going back to what he had been doing, going through Mulder’s clothes. He found Mulder’s drawers, and started pulling out ratty sweats, boxers, and socks, and dumping them in the trash. As he worked, a wave of grief hit him. He’d only met Mulder once, at Christmas in 1998. He had shown up with Dana, late. The combination had riled Bill up, and generally made things a bit uncomfortable. But he seemed like a nice guy, and his sister seemed happy with him. 

And now they were both dead, along with a nephew he’d never met. He’d never met to become distant from Dana, but he lived in Seattle and she was here. And neither of them were good at calling. So they’d grown apart, if not on purpose. So now he got to learn about her by clearing out her apartment. 

Charlie sighed and stuffed more of his sister’s life into the trash. 

Continue Reading on AO3

[beardedmrbean]

A stranger lured the 9-year-old boy off a Chicago playground into an alley with the promise of giving him a treat. Then, in a gang hit that made national headlines for its brutality, he fatally shot the child in the head.

Five months after the horrific slaying, prosecutors said the boy's father, Pierre Stokes − in an act of revenge − shot the girlfriend of one of the men responsible for his son’s death, and her two adult nephews.

Now, exactly seven years later, Stokes faces life in prison.

At the time, prosecutors said, Stokes' crime was the latest in a years-long gang war involving multiple family members being targeted, injured and slain on each side of the battle that began in at least 2015.

After deliberating for several hours, a Cook County on Oct. 26 jury found the boy's father guilt of attempted murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and a gun charge in connection to the March 2016 triple shooting.

A park, a basketball and an alley execution

Tyshawn Lee, 9, was sitting on a swing at the park down the street from his grandmother's house on Nov. 2, 2015, when a man approached him, dribbled his basketball, and offered to buy him a juice box.

The man, who would later be identified as Dwright Boone Doty, then led Tyshawn to an alley, where police said he shot the child in the head several times at close range.

“It was one of the most evil things I’ve ever seen,” the Rev. Michael Pfleger, a Roman Catholic priest who presided over the boy’s funeral Mass, told the Associated Press after the killing. “I was over there and to see a young boy laying in an alley next to a garbage can with his basketball a few feet away, this assassination of a 9-year-old child took violence in Chicago to a new low.”

In October 2019, Doty was found guilty of first-degree murder in the boy's death. Illinois Department of Correction records show Doty remained housed Wednesday at the Pontiac Correctional Center where he is serving a 90-year sentencing for the crime.

'Vigilante justice is not justice'

Investigators said Tyshawn was executed by gang members to send a message to his father, who prosecutors said was an alleged member of a rival gang.  Tyshawn's killing drew national media attention and highlighted ongoing savage warring factions in the Chicago area.

Stokes' crime took place months after Tyshawn's death, when he encountered Doty's girlfriend, "looked straight at her, threatened her and fired six shots," according to the Chicago Tribune.

“Vigilante justice is not justice,” Assistant State’s Attorney Melanie Matias told the jury during closing arguments of Stokes' trial at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, the outlet reported. “Street justice is not justice.”

The motive

Prosecutors said Doty and fellow gang member Corey Morgan − also convicted for his role in Tyshawn death − believed Stokes’ was responsible for an October 2015 shooting that killed Morgan’s 25-year-old brother and injured Morgan's mother.

Initially, prosecutors said, the plan was to kill Tyshawn's grandmother to send a message to Stokes before the boy was targeted.

Shell casings at the crime scene and the gun used in the boy's killing would eventually be linked back to Morgan and his brother who purchased the gun from a man in New Mexico.

Morgan was sentenced to 65 years in prison for his role in Tyshawn's death and another co-defendant, Kevin Edwards − the getaway driver − pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in exchange for a 25-year prison sentence.

DA: Stokes faces 31 years to life

Online records showed Stokes remained jailed without bond Thursday.

A Cook County District Attorney's Office spokesperson told USA TODAY Stokes faces 31 years to life when he is sentenced.

Sentencing is set for Nov. 20th.

[radiantbard]

Synopsises are as follows:

Vampire AU:

Zoro is a vampire hunter, determined to make a name for himself, competing against Kuina to see who can do it first. Then Kuina is killed by a powerful elder vampire and Zoro goes after him for revenge. It doesn't go well. Zoro is defeated and turned against his will, while his sire tries to escape his own fate, having violated a rule of The Masquerade, the set of rules that governs vampire society. He and his sire are brought before a council of the city's elites in order to decide their fates. His sire is put to death, but before Zoro can also be executed, Sanji steps in to take responsibility for him. What follows is Zoro trying to navigate his new life while getting swept up in a brewing power struggle between the Camarilla (the old, aristocratic vampire order), the Sabbat (essentially a vampire death cult who reject the Masquerade), and the Vinsmoke family, who believe it is their right as vampires to rule over humanity, longing to return to a time when they could keep humans as cattle. Takes a lot of inspiration from the TTRPG Vampire: The Masquerade.

Figure Skating AU:

After Kuina's untimely death at the hands of a terrible car accident, Zoro becomes the legal guardian of her seven year old daughter, Yumi. After about a year of night terrors and a lack of interest in literally anything, Yumi one day expresses an interest in figure skating. After a quick search, Zoro finds a highly sought after teacher in Vinsmoke Sanji, a retired, but highly decorated skater. At first, Zoro and Sanji don't see eye to eye, as Zoro thinks Sanji is a hardass who is too hard on Yumi, and Sanji thinks Zoro is an overbearing softy who is holding his student back. They eventually hash it out and smooth things over. Having never been interested in the sport before Yumi was, Zoro decides to do a little research on her teacher and discovers that Sanji was forced into retirement at the height of his career due to a horrific injury from a very serious fall. Slowly but surely, the two men bond and Sanji becomes invested in Yumi's budding talent. Oh, and Sanji and Zoro fall in love.

Modern Fake Dating AU:

After the death of his paternal grandmother, Sanji is expected to return home to Louisiana for the funeral. Zoro invites himself along as "moral support" even though really he's just interested in seeing New Orleans. Upon arriving, Sanji is immediately beset by his father, who begins to pester him about marriage to a girl Sanji has been promised to since they were kids. Sensing Sanji's discomfort and feeling extremely jealous, Zoro takes matters into his own hands and reveals that he and Sanji are dating. The only problem is that they aren't. They must now keep up the charade as real feelings begin to blur the line between fact and fiction.

Regency AU:

Sanji is a disaffected, depressed nobleman who lives alone on his family's winter estate. The estate is run by a skeleton crew (as in the bare minimum, not literally skeletons) when Zoro, a strapping young coachman is hired on. At first, Zoro rarely sees Sanji, almost believing the rumors the gardeners tell him that they're serving a ghost. That is, until one night, while Zoro is practicing, he sees Sanji wandering alone in the garden. Slowly but surely, through months and months of Regency era yearning, they fall in love. When his family come to join him at the winter estate, his father informs him that he is to be married to Pudding, a young daughter of the Charlotte family. Determined to keep the man he loves, Zoro devises a plan for them to run away together. Sanji is ultimately disowned by his family, and he and Zoro make their own way in life.

[forensicated]

Smiffina Episodes - Episode 258

Today it's Kerry's funeral.

Everyone's starting their day in different ways. Andrea's is with her Editor who is asking her to take a camera to the funeral. She refuses but agrees to use her phone to take pictures. Yvonne and Honey are hiding in the locker room as they get ready and grieving their friend in the light of the revellations. Gabriel is sat staring at the casing of the bullet that killed her.

To actually attend the funeral Sun Hill are not allowed to be told which church it actually is happening at ahead of time and they're having to take roll call of everyone who is attending for strict security given that the sniper might be targeting them. They're all complaining - though it stops as they arrive at the church and see it is surrounded by armed officers.

Smithy is trying his hardest to put on a brave face. That basically means he's standing to attention constantly, staring ahead, not meeting anyone's eye and as quiet as he can get away with being. He's clearly not happy seeing that Gabriel is down to make a reading towards the end of the service. Gina keeps checking in with her boy to make sure he's okay. "You don't have to hide it from me, Smithy."

On a personal note, this episode (and the others that show police funerals) are done beautifully. My cousin was a police officer and it is not disimilar to how his funeral was. The level of respect that they show their fallen colleague is unbelievably touching.

Smithy is in charge of the bearer party and has to place Kerry's police hat on her coffin. He arranges them so that they can lift out the coffin, Gabriel at the front as the officers carry the coffin into the church. He follows the coffin inside, leading the rest of the mourners - with Andrea noticably putting her phone'discreetly' back into her pocket.

Gina reads the eulogy for Kerry, making a point of saying whoever was responsible for her cowardly death will be caught. Gabriel steps up to read Autumn Rain, his hands shaking before he even starts. As he reads he starts to cry, his voice cracking several times. As the camera pans around his colleagues, it's clear that most are very uncomfortable - not least Rob, Phil and Gina. Smithy however looks absolutely furious.

The next day, Andrea looks through the pictures she took. She does several trope like stares into the distance looking guilty and even makes steps to delete one - but doesn't complete it. She is met by Honey and Yvonne who discuss Gabriel's behaviour at the funeral yesterday, with Yvonne saying she doesn't know why he was behaving like that. He crosses their path and Yvonne points out it's not even as though 'they were best friends' and Andrea suggests grief affects everyone differently. Yvonne wishes he didn't as it "was supposed to be Kerry's funeral, not The Gabriel Kent show."

Gabriel is dealing with a rather irritating man making a complaint that he has been in four times to report ASB and noone has attended. He walks off and is found by June taking time out, staring into space in the middle of a corridor. June promises to deal with it, leaving Gabriel to walk smack bang into Smithy who stares intimidatingly at him - stopped from making more of it by Gina appearing and literally leading him off with her arm around him. Smithy is furious. "He's taking something that isn't his." "Smithy, listen to me as a mate. Gabriel isn't worth it."

A rather amiable old cat burglar is up to his old tricks and his playful light complaints to June and Smithy make Smithy smile again! :) It's been a while, it's good to see it! Even if it's not all the way there.

"What do you expect me to do? Retrain? Man the supermarkets at the checkout? I don't know anything else, June!"

Sat in the cafe to meet her editor again, Andrea deletes the pictures. She tells him that the pictures didn't come out - he tells her not to go native on her. Bruce tries to strong arm her and she threatens to quit.

At Kerry's unofficial memorial drinks, the relief turn up to find Gabriel having had a head start on everyone else. He tells everyone he lays awake at night, unable to sleep, just thinking about what he lost. "She meant so much to me..." Gina literally holds onto Smithy, trying to give him unspoken support. Gabriel talks over Smithy, insisting on getting the first round in, he then turns and holds his own pint up, making a loud toast to Kerry. Gina is trying her best to support Smithy.

The girls laugh at memories of happier times with Kerry with Smithy getting increasingly annoyed at Gabriel nodding along and making out like he was there. Gabriel continues to wind Smithy up to the point where he launches at him, telling him that she hated him and it was him (Smithy) that was there when she was shot, when she was at the hospital and when she died. Gina tries to stop him and Smithy growls that Gabriel is making out like she is his (Gabriel's) loss. Gabriel smarmily tells Smithy he was and Smithy goes for him again, pulled away by Jim. Gabriel literally beams as he tells the shocked relief that Kerry was pregnant when she died - and that it was his baby, clearly loving every second of having something over Smithy with Kerry.

[delicatebluebirdruins]

there was a fandom wiki for game scripts and its no longer around it got closed down and I am sad (one of the scripts they had was RE7 and apart from 2/3 small mistakes it was all things heard or seen in the game) sad to see it go

in other news I was hoping the heroes wiki had quotes from ethan winters in re7 and they do (they did describe him as a fairly good looking man so there is that)

“ Okay, fine! „ ~ Ethan getting a handgun, ready to fight Mia. “ Look, officer. [...] Now do you wanna see my name in the obituaries? Or do you wanna be a hero and save my life? „ ~ Ethan to David Anderson. “ A f**king pocket knife? „ ~ Ethan to David Anderson. “ What am I gonna do with a knife? „ . “ Who builds this s**t? „ after opening a secret passage. “ That is not groovy. „ to Jack during their chainsaw fight. “ Do me a favor and stay dead. „ after he defeated Jack the second time. “ Well. That's special. „ upon seeing Marguerite's new form. “ Just f***ing stay dead – OK? „ after killing Marguerite. “ This is getting old, Jack! „ to a fully mutated Jack during their final battle. “ What the hell is she? Now what did she do to you? „ to the real Jack about Eveline infecting the Bakers. “ Okay, you little b**ch. Where the f-ck are you!? „ speaking of Eveline. “ I'm not playing. „ to Eveline, showing her the syringe. “ Playtime's over! „ before defeating Eveline. “ I told you I'd send help. And I always keep my promises. „ fulfilling his promise to Zoe. 

  “ What? Why?! „ to Chris, after the latter shoots "Mia". “ You're kidding me! „ upon seeing Uriaș. “ I do too. Once we get out of here maybe you’ll get to meet them. „ to Elena. “ Why is everyone dying on me!? This is...this is just too much. „ mourning Elena's death. “ Bunch of crazy witches... „ freeing himself from the Dimitrescu family. “ Go ahead, do your worst! „ response to Alcina swearing vengeance. “ I'm sick of bugs. „ upon defeating Daniela. “ Looks like your outside matches your inside now, psycho witch. „ to Alcina upon her transformation. “ You're the one who's cursed. „ upon defeating Alcina. “ I'll just be taking this... „ taking Salvatore's flask. “ In death as he was in life. Disgusting. „ Ethan upon defeating Salvatore. “ Eat s**t! „ ~ Ethan defeating Uriaș. “ What do you care, Chris? You killed my wife, you son of a b***h! „ ~ Ethan to Chris in Heisenberg's factory. “ Damn straight we will. And when I find Miranda... she's a dead woman. „ ~ Ethan to Chris, becoming allies again. “ Your funeral! „ ~ Ethan before defeating Karl Heisenberg.