#ruse writes

[isolasea]

That's the same strategy used in romance, wouldn't you agree????????

femme fatale akechi on tv going you see i had to go on romantically-coded dates with the thieves' leader it was sooooo crucial for the job

[topaz-mutiny]

"Seeing from his violent demeanor that he was English" is still probably one of the best (funniest) lines in Dracula, but I love how this part of the Post Script contrasts with the rest of the letter Sister Agatha sends.

The main body of the letter is to the point and polite on all matters (makes sense as it seems this part of the writing was overseen by our good friend Jonathan himself, though he's too weak to write) in contrast to the Post Script where Agatha adds in details that are emotionaly powerful and some aren't necessarily sordid but would absolutely be of concern.

Jonathan has nothing on him, he is shouting and in a rush, he has a frightening delirium, delirium can last and reemerge a long time into the future, he rambles about terrifying and grotesque subjects when in the throes of his brain fever (which is an old-timey way to describe a lot of mental illnesses and behaviors), and all of this overcomes a frailty and physical weakness from whatever else he's been through that causes him to otherwise be bedridden.

Even half of that could erode trust in someone. But as told in the rest of the Post Script:

He's recovering, he's gaining more lucidity, the Sisters notice his lucid moments are punctuated by gentleness and sweetness (hard to trust at first likely, due to frequent relapses, and the Sisters are eventually convinced a lot of his prior behavior was caused by the fading brain fever and not by his inherent personality), he is a cherished patient of the Hospital of St. Joseph And St. Mary, and it seems the staff are enamored with how often and with such love he talks about Mina, such that this spurred Sister Agatha to make the Post Script in the first place because it's the first thing she mentions.

[pwurrz]

Quincamo Week Day 1 - (Winter) Domesticity:

“mr. quincy..?”

it had only been a few mere minutes since quincy left the bed, but already a certain serpent was calling for him, his voice thick with sleep.

quincy had left their shared ‘nest’ of blankets and warmth to brew yakumo some of his favourite tea, monopolizing one of the rare moments yakumo was awake and slightly coherent. usually, during his brumation period, the serpent would sleep for days at a time, and the rare occasions he did wake up, he was sluggish and fighting off sleep; barely able to keep his eyes open for long enough to drink water before falling back into a deep sleep.

this was the second winter the two of them had spent together, and quincy had grown to enjoy their little tradition. winter, aside from kleinmas, was a slow and uneventful season, mainly consisting of daily patrols through the mountains to make sure any adventurous souls hadn’t tried to cross the barrier he put in place to keep the elemental spirits at bay. coming home to yakumo was a welcome change in his now stagnant and familiar routine.

however, the weather was getting steadily warmer as of late, signalling the end of winter and thus, the end of yakumo’s brumation. which explained how he had enough energy to make his way, albeit slowly, out of bed and into the kitchen.

quincy turned at the sound of shuffling footsteps to see a very sleepy and very disgruntled serpent standing behind him, yawning widely in a way that showed off his fangs. donning one of the forest guardian’s soft, oversized sweaters, a plush eye mask that had been pushed up into his messy hair, and a pair of fuzzy, slipper-like socks on his feet, yakumo was the pinnacle of comfort.

“the bed started to get cold..” another yawn. “what are you doing?”

quincy gestured towards the boiling pot on the stove, which made yakumo pause and blink a few times, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes before peering around the larger man to follow his movement. though, as if he couldn’t help it, he soon wrapped his arms around quincy’s waist, mirroring the habit quincy had of standing behind yakumo and embracing him while watching him cook.

apparently, the serpent was feeling enough like himself that he started to fret over being taken care of. it made quincy smile, even if it was troublesome, to see the younger man acting like his usual self again.

“is that.. my favourite? y-you didn’t have to-” yakumo starts to protest, but he’s cut off by quincy turning around and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. it makes the serpent stop in his tracks, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion while a blush quickly rises on his cheeks. his response is so unbearably endearing, it makes quincy want to kiss him again. and so, he does.

without waiting for yakumo’s brain to catch up to the affectionate gestures, quincy turns around once more and begins pouring a cup of tea for the both of them.

“i wanted some tea. figured i should make some for you as well.” the forest guardian responded, nonchalant in the way he usually was when he did something nice for yakumo. a little white lie goes a long way in situations like this. “come on, let’s get you back to bed. i’ll brush your hair while we wait for the tea to cool.”

the smaller man smiled softly at the mention of quincy brushing his hair. it was no secret he loved having his hair played with, and he would let out small noises resembling purrs when anyone so much as touched his head gently.

“a-alright..” a third yawn. yakumo had definitely used up his small amount of energy by this point. “but just you wait… i’ll return the favour… s-soon..”

quincy chuckled, careening a quickly fading, sleepy serpent back into his side so he wouldn’t accidentally tumble over or trip over his own feet.

“i’m sure you will, little serpent.”

[cb-writes-stuff]

So, I might have done a thing on a serious, non-fandom post.

I don’t think anyone there knows what ISAT is. Or that “The Cursing of Château Castle” isn’t a real book series.

I have no regrets.

[finalgirlsamwinchester]

assorted quotes from the introduction of Monstrous Children and Childish Monsters: Essays on Cinema’s Holy Terrors

[quailxcrossing]

thinkingg..............i might want to post some AU content on here. bc my posts are just seen by my awesome friends n moots and most of them can't see my AU work...but they have no idea the beloved antics i put in my AUs.................i want yall to see the waffle fries human au SO bad

[stupidsexygrizzop]

you know what i'd love to see in woe.begone? two people that everyone spends a whole season assuming are iterations. they take full advantage of being completely visually interchangeable with only small personality quirks to tell them apart.

and then it comes out that theyve been regular identical twins the whole time

[happypartytrain]

i fought with my schedule for months, but it's here and i'm at a loss for words. you can finally read my deep dive into apollo here. thank you SO MUCH for listening to all my stupid rambles over these last few months -- i have never felt so welcome in a fanbase in my life <:)

[imagine-your-nonhuman-fo]

I'm sleepy, which means I'm imaging curling up with dilf alien f/o, we're in a circle bed/nest there's a translucent canopy to keep the bugs out because the balcony door is open letting in the pleasant breeze, and despite it being warm f/o has his wings wrapped around me and the little one in my arms to offer extra warmth despite the soft fuzzy blankets pulled over us

The little one is letting out meaningless little chirps and other sounds in his sleep little wings that can't even lift him yet twitching and flapping drawing a chuckle from his father who mutters about the little one dreaming of flying in the sky

F/o is struggling to stay awake because work keeps him gone longer than he'd like and he appreciates these little moments so much and wants to stay up as long as possible to just bask in this moment

F/o instead nuzzles his beak against my cheek in his best imitation of a kiss

[wooawi]

Lila is either some run-of-the-mill kid who thought it’d be fun to fib for popularity and happened into being targeted by a local hero who cannot stand a few white lies… or she’s a genuine evil mastermind who was dumbed down by whatever air François Dupont is breathing.

Either way, the way she’s written in Miraculous is not indicative of the manipulative genius she’s painted as. She’s supposed to be someone who excels at crafting lies and luring her prey into an extremely complicated web, but she was caught by a false mirror. A false mirror someone of her proposed caliber would’ve clocked immediately. She should have a habit of checking her surroundings for traps and potholes, after all her main talent is creating them. She should be able to enter the mind of her opponent and predict what their next move will be. She should’ve seen that false mirror coming from a mile away.

Even if she hadn’t, Sabrina had suddenly deviated from the plan, exited a hostile space (the classroom) to trap herself in a smaller and more closed room (the bathroom), and started talking about whatever “proof” she has. Is she hiding from her enemies or is she confronting them?

If she enters the bathroom, she’s likely going there to be alone, make herself smaller, cry out her feelings and panic in isolation. But if she turns around and starts arguing, she’s looking for a fight. Either to convince Lila to fess up or threaten the girl into doing so. She would’ve done that in the classroom in front of witnesses, not in a secure location away from prying eyes, alone with her enemies.

Which means this temporary bathroom isn’t a safe location. It isn’t away from prying eyes or ears. There’s something not right. Lila should be careful of what she says and keep going with the plan as if nothing has happened. Cajoling Sabrina and trying to comfort her (read: gaslight her) should be top priority. She is working under Marinette and the stress has manifested into a mental breakdown, the poor dear :’(

It was even hinted that Lila was contemplating the events with her slow walk down the stairs. She was analysing the situation and trying to fix the plan in her head. And you’re telling me that crucial moment of thinking culminated in Chloe-style interrogation in what is clearly not a secure space?

I need this show to be honest with me. Is Lila actually just a normal person who got too deep into shit she was not built for?

[burstfoot]

O wise one in the ways of vessels, what is your verdict on Whisperain/Dusk and Dusk/Deepcolor?

Whisperain/Dusk: Oh REALLY good... I'm a sucker for the drama of reincarnation immortal/non-reincarnating immortal... @000yul's art of them has also completely sold me!! Deepcolor/Dusk: Much less interesting to me, seems like it's just 'they're both artists'. Deepcolor doesn't do much for me when taking her out of the context of the Iberia/Aegir plotline, so putting her with Dusk who's entirely unrelated doesn't work as much as Whispy/Dusk for me

[radicalhighway-moved]

watched suicide squad hell to pay just to see if there’s any shot of finding a suicide squad thing that Doesn’t suck ass and let’s just say: challenge FAILED!!!!!

[hallowed-nebulae]

saplings and branches

[in which a fae investigates and causes exciting new interpersonal problems for everyone. @beastenraged ]

It's hot out today, in Radiant Garden. Sweltering, even, if you're some of the less sun-inclinded residents, a kind of heat that sinks into the bones.

Not that anyone would notice, of course, in Midgar, or in the Faewilds. There are far too many trees and haphazard buildings and shadows being cast for it to be too hot, of course.

Now, the residents of Midgar and the Atrium have been all shaken up, recently -- some travellers arriving from beyond the rift, beyond this world, causing chaos and ripples in their wake even without trying!

The Faewilds, though -- the Faewilds are unbothered. The fae are unbothered -- a strange occurrence, uncommon yes, but not impossible, and not never-before heard. Most fae hear the news and think little of it, as fae tend to do.

Not so for Feo Ul, however. Feo Ul is intrigued.

Flitting this way and that, a fae is neither uncommon nor common in Midgar -- Feo Ul is more common than most, their insatiable curiosity often drawing them towards Midgar where the other beings live, the non-fae and fae-touched and fae-born all.

Nothing new here, nothing new there, not there either -- but oh, there! A new face, one they've seen before. The face is older, the hair is longer, the eyes are yellow, but Feo Ul knows that face, don't they? An older, different version of their dear sapling Xehanort (what a cold sapling she is! Not calling on them once!), but a Xehanort nonetheless.

A sane person would watch and wait and consider the points that this is a different Xehanort, and that Feo Ul's sapling has not even become their sapling yet in this time. But -- that is a sane person, and why should fae play by men's rules anyways?

"There you are!" They shout, triumphantly, appearing in a burst of light before this yellow-eyed Xehanort. He startles, and the others by him (two Dream Eaters, that almost-Darkling Ephemer, and that strange not-quite-godling with red eyes) do the same, but why should Feo Ul care about that.

"Can I. . . help you?" Asks the Xehanort, raising a brow.

"How cruel!" Feo Ul cries. "I wait for my lovely sapling to call upon me, and you've simply left me waiting and waiting! My sapling has no regard for his lovely branch, none at all! Such a cold and cruel and heartless thing he is!"

Xehanort scowls, then. "Excuse me?"

Feo Ul sniffs, unheeding of his expression or the thoughts of all the others. "You may be excused if you apologize." They say, very graciously. Not even calling on them once! "Though I suppose I should be harrassing your younger self -- but she's still young, and you can't expect buds to be as responsible and polite as flowers are."

The not-quite-godling chirps at them, and Feo Ul waves a hand at them. "Oh don't you worry, little one, your branch will find you when they need to." Such is the way of Fate and Miracles, after all.

Then they turn back to that Dream Eater that isn't quite so light-blinding. "And you! What a lovely sapling you look like! Have you any fae friends, then?"

The Dream Eater -- the girl, perhaps -- looks at Feo Ul oddly. Perhaps she's confused? She must be young, then, or perhaps there are no fae in whatever world she and her kin are from (though that does not excuse her sapling for being so cold to her). "I don't . . . are -- do Moogles count?"

"Moogles?" Feo Ul taps their chin. "An odd sort, but I suppose. . ." well. Moogles are better than nothing. They nod, decisively. "Moogles are far stranger than fae, but they shan't steer you wrong. Mayhap they'll teach you manners, so you don't become so cruel and cold to your dear branch."

And with that, Feo Ul settles into their decision. This is a strange bunch, but this conversation alone has been more fun than the past two weeks -- these newcomers from beyond the rift may even share their stories! What a wonderful thing that would be! (And if they are unused to Feo Ul's presence, well -- they shall adjust. Eventually.)

[impishtubist]

AU where Harry doesn’t die at Godric’s Hollow - but Voldemort isn’t defeated, either. Sirius arrives to find Voldemort in possession of his baby godson and refusing to give him up (b/c, shit, that’s one powerful baby, and Voldy wants to harness that power!). 

No one knows that Sirius isn’t the traitor. It’s easy enough to explain to the remaining DEs - all Voldy has to say is that he’s the only one who knows that Sirius was working for him, and they’d all believe him. Voldy blackmails Sirius into playing along. He’ll keep Harry at his, idk, lair or whatever, but Sirius can also live there and raise Harry IF he goes along with the ruse that he was the Secret Keeper who betrayed the Potters and IF he allows Voldy to spirit Harry away whenever he wants to study him/his magic.

So now Sirius is pretending to be a Death Eater, has to allow the whole world (including Remus) think he’s a traitor, has to keep himself from murdering Wormtail (unless Wormy is off living as a rat somewhere??), and has to keep Harry safe while secretly trying to figure out how tf to get them out of this situation.

idk is this anything

[ghostradiodylan]

What if you finally got to share earbuds with your crush but the music was bad? And you were The Music Guy but you had to pretend you liked the bad music, just like you had to pretend you liked Kaylee and Caleb Hackett? Awkward.

[agentplutonium]

wanting attention and wanting to yap but not having enough close mutuals to justify subjecting them to The Horrors that is Sleepy Pluto (tm)