#saw them sometimes but had nobody to explain what the hell they were so he just. ignored them

[bugcatcherkit]

me every single day: guys he didn’t know what a spirit actually was. Guys he didn’t know what an exorcism was

[brights-place]

Ngl i never knew you wrote for my inner demons

Could I request a pierce x daemon reader who was like on earth before he and his friends got there they kinda just live next to ava

He been kinda my favorite besides Rhys

Pierce X Daemos! Reader

Pairings: Pierce X Reader

Warnings: Angst, Cussing, Fight scene, Pierce saying 'yes' A/N: *clears throat* AHEM AHEM! *clears throat again* Yes - Pierce doesn't speak much and it was known it was always hard to get him to speak up. - Noi though would bother pierce sometimes which worked but Noi would ask pierce if he had stories and would tell some when the others weren't around about him and his right hand when they fought in the battlefield - The both of them unstoppable with eachother as Noi would stare with sparly eyes at the blank faced pierce who explained a battle and how the both of them killed most of the defiers of Asch - Noi would ask Pierce questions yet when Noi asked if Pierce missed ‘his partner’ Pierce would say it was weak that he still would care for his dead partner - Noi frowned nodding listening to him as he said that they had to go now and check on Ava

- Pierce and the other daemos creature when they first went to ava's place smelled something familiar a scent of a fellow daemos but they didn't know where - The five of them wanted to investigate it but needed to follow the spirit - They forgot about the scent entirely after a few days and ere adapting with 'Eauarthhhh' - That was until the five of them saw you enter ava's apartment calling out to the girl "Ava wass up girlieeee- What the fuck" Your eyes were wide as they were still in their Daemos clothes as you were hit off the scent of magic and daemos blood as You paled the five of them standing up straight taking out their weapons - Asch eyes widened as leif spoke up "What the hell..." nearly dropping his sickles when recognizing the famillar face of the so called 'Human' - Soon ava came out of her room "(NAME)!" Y/n held eye contact with pierce the whole time as Y/N gave a shaky smiled "I'll come back another time... yeah yeah" - The five of them shared an stared before Asch tried to demand answers to ava who was confused until Rhys spoke up "That Human is-" Rhys got cut off by Pierce "Daemos..." - Ava was confused and denied it saying that you were like any other person - Everytime you tried to visit you felt like you were being watched which you were by the daemos men but mostly Pierce - You were obviously always try hiding beside Ava even though you were taller then her but it was awkward when maintaing eyecontact mostly with pierce - Ava asked pierce to hand you some treats that she made when she larnt how to bake to try do new hobbies so she made cookies and sent pierce off! - Pierce knocked on your door as you stared at him confused "oh- uhm pierce hello!" You welcomed him in with an awkward smile - He kept silent staring you down once he entered and sat on the couch while he sat on the one infront of you quietly - You were freaking the fuck out as he spoke up "You are one of us" you started to freak out more denying everything as he walked over and bent down to your height and held out his sword "How did you get to this place before us?" He questioned as you were waving your hands around telling him to stop - You decided to kick his chest as he was pushed away by the force

- nobody could move general pierce so when he saw you push him away with great strength his gaze hardened "You think I wouldn't have recognized my right hand?" Pierce stated as You looked away as you slowly sighed raising your hands and showing your f/c horns well horn your left horn was damaged and some part was cut off - "Pierce just listen" You started before he darted towards you with his sword "You have betrayed the prince it is my duty to eliminate all betrayers and enemies even if we were close" "I didn't betray you! you fucking left me out on the field!" "We thought you were dead" "WHO THE FUCK LEAVES THEIR PARTNER OUT ON THE FIELD?! WITHOUT CHECKING!" You shouted summoning a bladed fan weapon in both your hands taking a stance. - Your fans were coloured with f/cs and had elaborate patterns that glowed slightly as your horns and eyes glowed with pierces horns and eyes glowed in return

- Pierce glaring at you in return as you flicked your wrists as the fan slowly started to summon razor sharp projectiles to pierce who dodged them and hopped around your apartment the both of you shouting at each other well more like you shouting at him while he was slowly losing his patience - You quickly kick away from his attacks, and as he approaches again, you send your fan flying towards him. He raises his sword to block the attack, but the projectile manages to slip through his defense, scoring a direct hit. The razor sharp projectiles continue to fly through the air, which Pierce is able to dodge, but they still manage to cause several cuts. - "Pierce listen to me ACK- WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU AIM FOR MY NECK ASSHOLE?! I GET YOU LIKED MARKING ME BUT NOT WITH YOUR SWORD- HOLY SHIT WAIT!" You start to shout as he charges forward with his sword before pinning you against the floor the cookies ava got you long gone and probably fucking ruined - "Good job you win... You gonna kill me by hand" You glared at pierce as you stared at your former lover "This is the most I ever got you to speak" You snickered as he hardened his grip onto his sword "Do it" "Don't rush me" You glared up at him as you slightly made eye contact with him eyes softening - You stared at him as he slowly loosened his touch on his sword and laid his head onto your shoulder gripping onto you - As you froze for a moment before you clinged onto him tightly sobbing loudly as he kept quiet only shedding a singular tear as he held onto you in return Im so not sorry for this - Bright

reblogs + comments are appreciated ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

©brights-place 2023 — do not repost on another platform, copy, translate or edit my works! if you fit my DNI list please don't interact

[starstruckmoony]

Hello! May I request a muggle AU with Theodore, with this meet-cute prompt: "they're on opposite sides of a wedding party to the bride and groom" (prompt is from @/thewritersafterglow on Instagram). Thank you! I know this request is in good hands :)

aaaaaa thank you anon! <3 this is the first request i've got in a while (again tysm it made me very very happy <3<3) and i had lots of fun writing it so i hope it meets your expectations!

can't help falling in love.

masterlist , requests

pairing - theodore nott x reader

trope/tags - muggle!au, strangers to lovers-ish, fluff (side note - this isn't particularly realistic because i don't really know how weddings work in different parts of the world, so i kind of just went by how they function in my country and some bits and pieces i've managed to pick up from movies and such. i know it probably won't be accurate for everybody but i tried my best LMAO)

word count - 3k

warnings - language, drinking, smoking, cheesy at the end

when you recieved an envelope in your mail one fine morning in late may, you never would have expected it to be an invitation to your primary school classmate's wedding in the english countryside. you could still recall the wonderful memory of choking on your coffee and scaring the life out of your poor cat when you saw her name plastered in big letters in the center of the paper, right below a picture of her and her fiancé. it was a miracle how she remembered you existed. to be frank, you were kind of honoured, and you made sure to confirm your arrival almost immediately. hell yeah, you were coming. free food and alcohol? who in the right mind would pass on that?

so about three months later, sometime in mid-august, you found yourself inside of a crowded venue, sweating buckets in your silky green dress, without a fan, or anybody to keep you company. a few of your old classmates were there too, but not a single one of them bothered to offer you a greeting. what a bunch of arseholes.

you stood leaned against the wall in the very back where there were fewer people, attempting to cool yourself down by fanning the air around you with your hands as you waited for the godforsaken ceremony to finally start. to nobody's surprise, the bride was a little late, and the groom's family was in a mild state of disarray. it was kind of funny, but not as funny as it would have been if you weren't feeling so bloody hot. do they not have air conditioning in here? how do people get married in these conditions? and why does the best man look more terrified than the groom?

the loud sound of somebody's shoes scraping against the tiles right next to you shook you right out of your train of thought, and you placed your hand against your chest in horror, "jesus christ." you muttered under your breath, the unfamiliar man attempting to catch his breath scared the life out of you.

he glanced at you for a split second, appearing rather exhausted (aftermath of sleeping through five alarms and having to run to the venue because his friends were too lazy to wait for him), "sorry." he offered you an apology breathlessly, leaning back against the wall to steady himself. you thought that you were being overdramatic when it came to the heat and the current atmosphere of the wedding, but this man seemed to have surpassed you. he was rather handsome though, despite being drenched in sweat from what you assumed was running, also paired with the humid air inside. his eyes were strangely captivating, and he looked a little too good in that suit of his for it to be considereded legal. were you staring? you were probably staring. you trailed your eyes away, pretending to be entertained by the groom's father who was attempting to explain the situation to the guests. you cursed inwardly, realising that you'd be stuck in there for a long time.

you turned to the pretty guy again, deciding that you should, perhaps, talk to him, "you don't look like you wanna be here." fantastic start. those probably weren't the words he wished to hear in those circumstances, but your observations didn't seem to annoy him at all. he actually chuckled instead, "am i that transparent?"

"quite." you responded a little too nonchalantly than intended, taking a quick glance at the door in hopes that you'll see the bride come in. nope. you returned to your original position. how wonderful that was, more waiting.

"do you have any water in there?" the man spoke again, pointing at the purse you had tucked under your arm.

you took it in your hands and peeked inside, knowing that you most likely wouldn't have what he was asking for, "no," you shook your head, but continued rummaging through it, "i have this, though." you pulled out a tiny bottle of liquor and shrugged before shoving it into his face.

he didn't hesitate to grab it, he would have taken anything that was liquid enough. he drank it all, not that there was much, before handing the bottle back to you with a scowl. he coughed a little as the alcohol burned his throat, and you couldn't help but snort. 

"i don't know how smart that was." it wasn't, really, since it would only dehydrate him more, but it worked for the time being. he coughed again, falling back against the wall, finally able to breathe somewhat normally.

"you'll find out in a few hours," you didn't miss the smile that painted his features, and it encouraged you to carry on, "how do you know the bride... or the groom?" you questioned, wanting to keep the conversation going to kill at least some of the remaining time you had. you were bored out of your mind.

"the groom," he nodded briefly, "we went to college together, funny bloke, he invited me and my two other friends who are... somewhere in here," he stretched his neck as his eyes scanned the crowd for a short moment, "eh, whatever." he shrugged, and then reached into his pocket, but quickly retrieved his hand. it was still empty. you had assumed he reached for a cigarette before he was able to remember where he was.

"you won't go looking for them?" you queried, finding his neutrality over the whole situation slightly bemusing. it wasn't every day that a hot guy like him ditched his friends for you, and it was rather pleasant to think about. he was hoping he wasn't being so obvious about it, but you read him a little too easily.

"what, bored of me already?" he questioned, a hint of playfulness in his tone.

"i might be, now that you said that." you scowled in pretend disgust, drawing a breathless laugh from him. you shortly sunk into a not overly uncomfortable silence, both internally debating with yourselves about whether you should keep it going or not. you were kind of drawn to each other, after all. the consequence of attending a wedding without a date must have had an influence on it, you told yourself. he mustered a similar, lame explanation.

"i'm theodore, by the way." he decided to break the ice after a while, and you almost sighed in relief, "y/n." you shook his hand politely.

"nice wedding." he added, his face scrunching at the sight before him. the sarcasm in his tone was obvious.

"delightful, isn't it?" you offered the older lady that passed by you a forced smile, and then eyed her giant pink hat judgementally. you and theodore resembled a mean high school couple who had an opinion on absolutely anyone and everything, just standing there, laughing amongst yourselves and making fun of all the other guests and their stupid pastel outfits. it made sense why your classmates hadn't approached you, but you didn't let them occupy your mind any longer. you found yourself a like-minded companion for the night, one that was ten times funnier, and the prime example of eye-candy.

"imagine she never shows up." theodore said after you shamelessly fed one another with some interesting past gossip about the bride and the groom. judging by what he had told you, those two were a match made in heaven. and you could say that with your whole chest.

"god, don't plant that idea into my head. i spent my last three paychecks on this bloody dress." you snorted, dusting it off when you noticed that it had got a bit dirty.

"it looks perfect on you, though." theodore's little compliment took you off guard, and he must have noticed judging by the way he grinned.

"thanks." you felt yourself blush a little at his comment, and just as you were about to open your mouth to speak again, the bride's mother burst through the door, announcing that her daughter would be there shortly. you exchanged a relieved glance with theodore, fucking finally.

despite the long wait, the ceremony played out quite beautifully. the couple exchanged their vows, humourous and tear-jerking all at once. people laughed, people cried, somebody's baby did both. the best man hadn't forgotten to bring the rings, and the maid of honour looked happier for the bride than the bride. nobody backed out last moment, and nobody objected after the infamous "speak now or forever hold your peace". you left the venue with a smile on your face, pleasantly surprised.

theodore and his friends offered to give you a ride to an even larger venue where the reception was being held after you told them that you had arrived with a cab, and you happily accepted their offer. the two idiots he came with were just as unserious as he was, and you had soon found out that they all attended the wedding with the same intentions as you. eat food, get drunk (and then sleep in the car because mattheo wants to get wasted but doesn't want to run them off the road and kill somebody in the process).

the reception, thankfully, moved a lot faster than the ceremony. by some sheer dumb luck, you had been instructed to sit at the same table as theodore, lorenzo and mattheo. your shitty classmates were there too, so you assumed that the table was designed specifically for that - old friends from school that the newly weds didn't talk to very much, but still liked them enough to invite them.

so, after the grand entrance, loud clapping and cheering, a cute speech from the bride, more clapping and cheering, the best dinner you had had in a while, a few more emotional speeches, and even more clapping and cheering (hollering this time, too), the dj finally showed up. it was the part of the night you had been the most excited for. the first dance was absolutely beautiful and even brought a few tears to your eyes, but god, the moment you heard an onset of lower-than-nightclub-quality music blast from the speakers, your hopes had all gone down the drain.

the dance floor filled up in a matter of seconds, and you had never been more appreciative of the existence of wine. not a single song that was played in the span of fourty-five minutes was your cup of tea. and as different people's requests kept incoming, it only got worse.

theodore seemed to be having the same problem. mattheo too, considering he had about five shots in less than half an hour. lorenzo wasn't doing much better either. he was entertaining himself by making paper planes out of tissue paper and leaving them on the table like a strange art project.

"this music is terrible." theodore's voice was completely drowned out by the godawful sounds coming from the speakers, you couldn't hear a thing he was saying.

"what?!" you shifted a bit closer to him, covering one of your ears with your palm to subdue at least some of the noise.

"i said that this music was terrible!" he tried not to shout, but it would have been impossible for you to comprehend whatever he had said if he hadn't done so. yes, it was fucking awful. many people would disagree, considering how many of them were still on the dance floor, either fully wasted already or slowly getting there. at least the newly weds were having a good time, both slightly tipsy too.

"tell me about it!" you yelled back, rolling your eyes. you considered asking him to accompany you outside, for a smoke or something, though you didn't really need an excuse. anywhere would have been better than in there. but you chickened out before you were able to speak, continuing to sip on your wine in silence. silence, that was funny, mostly because of how unbearably bloody loud the music was.

lorenzo suddenly stood up, and he yelled something into mattheo's ear. the other stared at him in confusion, and then burst out laughing into his face. he turned to you instead, and you saw his lips move, but didn't understand a thing he was saying.

"huh?!" you and theo yelled out in unison, and lorenzo waved his hands dismissively at you, defeated. he pushed his way through the crowd on the dance floor and shuffled over to the dj. he threw an arm around the man, probably trying to make some friendly conversation. they seemed to be getting along.

perfect. you reached for the wine bottle, refilling your glass and taking large gulp. you were hoping that lorenzo had enough charm to sway the dj into playing something else. it took about twenty minutes of insignficant chit-chat for the man to finally nod and give him a thumbs up, and that's then the beginning of dancing queen blessed your tortured ears.

you gasped in shock, immediately getting up onto your feet and latching onto theodore's arm. he didn't really protest when you tugged at his sleeve and pulled him to the dance floor which got even more crowded than it was before. mattheo managed to fall out of his chair, but he followed the two of you and joined you in the mass of people.

"thank me later!" lorenzo yelled your way before a pretty girl grabbed his attention. the night got so much better from then on. the dj appeared to have whipped up a large playlist of abba's work, since the songs were playing one after another, each one bringing your mood up. you had completely blocked out anything that had happened before you heard the tune of the first song, and you had only returned to the table with theodore to refill your glasses before running back to the dance floor.

you couldn't recall the last time you had that much fun, singing your heart out, jumping up and down, showing off some ridiculous moves, letting theodore hold your hand and spin you around. the dj stuck to the same genre for a while, playing old pop songs, keeping everybody on their feet. some of them you didn't know, but you weren't about to sit back down after doing so for almost two hours, so you danced to them too nevertheless.

that is, until your legs started hurting a little too much for it to be tolerable and your throat had got a bit sore from belting several songs with the bride. your head was spinning too, courtesy of having so much wine. theodore took the opportunity to ask you to accompany him outside (because he really needed a cigarette) after some slow tune neither of you were familiar with had been put on.

you nodded your head took a hold of his hand as he led you out the door. you clumsily made your way down the stairs, laughing as you did so. the effects of alcohol were beginning to show themselves.

as fun as it was, getting out of there for a short while was a need. you slumped down onto one of the stone benches placed outside the venue, sighing comfortably as the chilly breeze of the night cooled you down.

you immersed yourself into another casual discussion, not a very significant one, as neither of you could even stand properly for too long without stumbling, but it was nice breather from the wild atmosphere inside. you liked talking to theodore, and even with your clouded thoughts, you knew you'd want to see him again after this. there wasn't a doubt in your mind.

"i thought i'd have to leave early." theodore laughed to himself as he took the last drag from his cigarette, and then tossed the burnt out stub onto the concrete.

"and make me stay here all alone?" you teased, although you probably would have left too if it wasn't for lorenzo and his skillful flirtation tactics or whatever the hell that was.

"who said i wouldn't bring you along?" his response made heat rush to your cheeks, and you put your head down with a breathless chuckle. you were quiet for a moment, trying to recollect your thoughts.

"you know, this might sound a little weird, but," you chewed on the inside of your cheek, not really able to think straight. you were tipsy, after all, "i'm glad i met you today," you tilted your head to the side, drunkenly observing him, "you're nicer than i anticipated." as backhanded as it sounded, that was the best you could do.

it was theodore's turn to blush after you said the words, and it didn't manage to go past you, despite him trying his hardest to hide it.

"yeah, i mean no– it's not weird, i'm uh," he trailed off, contemplating whatever it was that he wanted to say next. honestly speaking, he didn't know how to put it into words, "i'm glad we met too, you're–"

one thing that theodore hated was tripping over his words and not being able to be blunt with somebody he took a liking to, which is why he was so, very grateful to hear elvis' can't help falling in love coming from the inside of the venue.

you looked up at him when you realised which song it was, waiting to see if he'll ask you to dance. and he did, but he didn't lead you back in through the door like you thought he might. you stayed outside in the light wind, slowly swaying to the music, his hands on your waist and your arms around his neck.

you liked it better that way, just the two of you in your own little world with nobody else to disrupt you. you let your head rest on his shoulder, and his grip on your waist tightened just a little bit, like he was making sure you won't leave him. you smiled to yourself, god, that was the last thing you were planning on doing.

[ohdeerfully]

Hi! Can I request Alastor x NonBinary!Reader? Like how would he react/learn about it?

hii sure thing! heres some headcanons! i struggled to write a decent bit because i honestly dont think he would care (or understand) at all, but i hope you like 'em!

Alastor x Nonbinary!Reader

Alastor x Reader (headcanons)

TW: brief mention of transphobia, but nothing upsetting or graphic join my discord!

◈ ══════════ ◈ ══════════ ◈ ══════════ ◈

Tbh i dont think Alastor really understands the concept of gender outside of male/female

But he would support you either way

Probably finds out through one of the other hotel residents who correct him on a pronoun

Or he saw you looking at your body in the mirror, upset about something

“Why do you look so critically at yourself?”

You hesitated to tell him at first

I mean, he died in the ‘30s. People who died in the modern age are still super transphobic so you were terrified what he would think

You started with explaining how you felt dysphoric sometimes, like things in your body just didn’t fit

He made an awkward comment about how your figure was great, that you were a beautiful (man/woman)

Then you tried to explain how that was the problem, how you didn’t want to be labeled that way

 If you prefer to look androgynous, he would actually surprisingly understand the idea. Sort of. 

“Ah, like Angel Dust! Not an issue, my dear” obviously referring to the male with feminine features

I mean, kind of. Though you preferred not looking one way or another, you could tell he was trying his best to act like he understood

As an overlord in hell, he’s got much bigger things on his mind than worrying about what gender identity somebody else had. It wasn’t that big of a deal to him

Still, he makes sure those around you respect your identity because he knows it’s important to you. Demons in hell can be unnecessarily cruel, so he will hit them back with equal cruelty, either physically or verbally

Nobody can disrespect his partner like that >:(

Definitely the type to say something like “um excuse me she goes by they/them” 

He tries though

if you changed your name, it wouldn't take him long to catch on and kind of just forget your deadname

it isn't uncommon for people in hell to go by a different name, so this wasn't any different

Affirmations go crazy when he notices you feeling particularly bad about your figure

Though, he usually opts to just take you out to get your mind off of it 

He’s not the best at comfort, but you appreciate the gesture

Rosie has definitely made fun (polite) comments about you and him being a queer couple, though Alastor doesn’t understand these At All

“Huh :D?” is a general response from him

Again, whether or not he fully understands the concept of gender binaries, he would care for you just the same as before

[lesbianrobin]

non-exhaustive list of films that would cause eddie diaz to have a mental breakdown and/or cry so hard he throws up:

moonlight (2016). self explanatory.

the only son (1936). eddie might actually kill himself if he watched this. he would just be silent for like hours after watching and that night he would just stand in christopher's doorway watching him sleep for like minimum forty-five minutes. he would exist in a state of profound pessimism and melancholy until he saw buck again at which point he would forget about all of that and be normal. sometimes in his life he will randomly remember the only son (1936) and be like chris. you know that i'll be proud of you no matter what you do with your life right. all i want is for you to be happy. and chris will be like yeah.... why are you talking like we're in a movie and you have a terminal illness. and eddie's like i'm not talking like that i'm being normal. i'm a father. and chris is like ok weirdo. and eddie feels better.

the babadook (2014). self explanatory.

4th man out (2015). he would be like this movie is so dumb it's So dumb and then 1. cry when adam comes out to his mom and 2. get deeply invested in the relationship between adam and nick and when they kiss toward the end he'd be like YESSSSS but then when they laugh it off and say they're just friends he'd be like oh..... and feel really upset about it for reasons he cannot explain. he would rant to buck/chim/hen/bobby for like fifteen minutes about how the whole movie was CLEARLY leading up to a romantic conclusion between them and the writers were just being cowards for going with the best bros ending and buck would be like EXACTLY and everyone else would be like 👀😳 and hen would be like well i think they were trying to make the point that gay men can still have close intimate friendships with other men without it being sexual and eddie would be like okay well then those guys shouldn't have had so much chemistry!! and chim would be like yknow some might say that you and buck have good chemistry. and buck would be like we do <3 and eddie would be like hell yeah we do and they'd fuckin fist bump or something and the entire firehouse is like oh my GODDDDDD.

but i'm a cheerleader (1999). self explanatory.

brokeback mountain (2005). self explanatory.

captain america: the winter soldier (2014). eddie reacts So strongly to this movie and nobody understands it (including eddie) except for buck who immediately and instinctively understands that eddie is projecting onto both steve rogers and bucky barnes but only the sad lonely soldier losing himself and hurting the people he loves against his will parts + completely bypassing the hero parts. also steve's like "even when i had nothing i had bucky" and eddie is like hhhhhhhhh...

the pit, the pendulum and hope/kyvadlo, jáma a naděje (1983). okay look. i'm aware that nobody knows what this is. it is a short film inspired by edgar allan poe's "the pit and the pendulum" and auguste villiers de l'isle-adam's "a torture by hope." you should all go watch it but if you don't let me just tell you that eddie would have another panic attack and/or throw up.

the lord of the rings: return of the king (2003). self explanatory.

[cowboylikeyouu]

i'm watching supernatural for the first time and i've been keeping track of every time i cried so far, so welcome to

✨amy's spn cry counter✨

for it to count at least one actual tear has to roll down my face bc i tear up WAY too often and this list would never end if that counted.

i'm currently on s4 e19, so here's the cries up to that point and now i'll just start reblogging this whenever i cry again 🥱

(there were a lot of moments where i wanted to cry sooo bad but they were kind of TOO devastating to cry like idk sometimes i just get choked up and feel like someone stabbed me but can't cry whelp)

#1: season 2 episode 4

it wasn't a specific moment, pretty much just the complete weight of everyone's devastation & worry crashing down on me at once <3 sam's puppy dog eyes whenever he looked at dean were the last straw

#2 season 2 episode 20

when dean saw his mom again in the alternate reality or whatever it was

#3 season 2 episode 21

this one's obvious isn't it, SAM DIED !!! and we got a hug between the two (...that one of them had to die for, but hey, a win is a win) and them hugging always makes me wanna sob

#4 season 2 episode 21 (again)

i can't remember the specific thing that happened at the end of that episode but whatever it was it made me cry

#5 season 3 episode 7

when dean started explaining what's wrong with the car and told sam to fix it jesus i LOST it.

#6 season 3 episode 8

little sammy in the flashback scene, spending christmas alone??? i was a mess. young sam always makes me wanna strangle myself, the actor did SUCH a good job

#7 season 3 episode 11

this one's by far my fav episode so far (it's the groundhog day one) but GOD when they revealed that sam spent SIX MONTHS on his own after dean died??? and it's just??? completely glossed over?? like sure, they basically went back in time so those months don't really matter, but he still experienced them???? HE SPENT LESS TIME ON HIS OWN WHILE DEAN WAS IN HELL LIKE ARE YOU KIDDING ME????? idk that one messed me up

#8 season 4 episode 11

actually cried at something that happened in episode 10 (dean talking about his time in hell) but it was during the recap of that episode lmao somehow it hit harder the second time around lol

#9 season 4 episode 13

during the flashback to their time in high school when the teacher asked sam if he even wanted to take over the family business and little baby sammy was like "nobody's ever asked me this :( actually no, i don't want to"

#10 season 4 episode 16

the whole cas/dean interaction before dean went in to torture alastair. like "for what it's worth, i would give anything not to have you do this" ARE YOU KIDDING ME ????

[queers-gambit]

Creepy Crawlies

inspired by this image by @applegin

prompt: Aemond and Helaena witness how deep your fear goes.

pairing: Aemond Targaryen x female!reader featuring: bestie!Helaena

fandom masterlist: House of the Dragon

word count: 1.7k+

warnings: cursing, spoiler FREE, author has arachnophobia and projects in this, spiders (it's a warning to me), generally pretty docile. oh, and, i'm def pretending Aemond's just strong enough to carry a human, so, use a bit of your imagination.

#WhyPayForTherapyWhenYouCanWrite

In truth, you're not sure how or why it happened. Some said it was the Will of the Gods, others claimed it simply made-up, while others said it could've been your own mind playing tricks. Either way, every which way you turned, someone was there to discredit your fears.

It's not like you asked for this kind of humiliation! Honestly! Did people genuinely think you did this on purpose? Did they think you liked this? Being this way? As if it wasn't enough to have fear in general, but tenfold when nobody seemed to understand nor validate the way you were engulfed in anxiety.

Over all, the creepiest, fucking eight-legged, eight-eyed crawlie around. Something you regarded as Hell Spawn, others might call a spider. Either way, you despised the wee creatures - and though you understood boot crushes the little guy, the idea of being so close to one that you could kill it sent you into overwhelming panic.

Ah, fucking spiders.

Again, you're unsure how this fear developed but it was as if you woke up one day and couldn't stop screaming at the sight of the little creature sent from the depths of Seven Hells. Your older brother became the official "Spider Killer" of the family since you spent most of your time with him, but after getting married, your husband now assumed the role.

Years ago, both your mothers had agreed to a marriage arrangement to ensure loyalty from your House (should the time come), and six weeks after your 17th nameday, you were reciting vows to your white-haired lover. He held no quarrel with your fear, and in fact, he was the first to ever not make you feet at fault for it.

It wasn't Aemond's place to ridicule you. He's seen you with a sword, with a bow and arrows, hell, even with an axe - and sometimes, doing all of that while on horseback! He understood you to have no fear, and yet, when a spider comes in your vision, it was as if any and all rational thought vacates your mind. He's seen you throw-up from your anxiety, so, he quickly understood his role and never once complained nor belittled you for it.

Aemond didn't mind killing spiders for you. He could understand that you needed "proof" of their vanquish, showing the squashed bug on his boot, and only then would you breathe easier. However, if around his family, Aemond knew his sister, Helaena, would become upset by him harming - like alone, killing - any insect. She'd prefer them to be set free outside, and as compromise, Aemond would simply escort you out of the room to leave his sister time to collect her buggy friend. He'd walk you to the kitchens, fetch some water, watch you crack your neck, and then venture back to whatever gathering.

You always hesitated before returning to events. Most times, wherever you saw the spider is the exact place you avoid - almost as if there was an invisible fence keeping you away.

Aemond would pause you, slowly pick up his sister's jar, and show you the little fucker was safely inside with a screwed-on-tight lid. You didn't like it, Aemond knew that, but you both made an effort to actively not upset Helaena.

One day, when a thick hurricane ravaged the city, Aemond found you in the middle of lessons and decided to seek out his sister - never seeking Aegon out unless for family matters. His sister, as usual, was catering to her collection of insects, smiling when she saw him, and inviting him over. She mindlessly explained who was who to Aemond, telling him what they did or what their purpose was in an ecosystem.

He listened.

He asked questions.

He was a perfect brother.

And he didn't think you'd know where to find him on such a day, because the moment Helaena handed over a spider to Aemond, bidding he be gentle and not let Aegon near the creature (who had been in and out all day), there came a squeak by the door.

"Oh," Helaena frowned, seeing your frozen form. Her brother had told her of your fear, thinking she'd understand the best. "I-I can introduce you, if you want? Wi-Will that help? Will that help you feel safe?"

You paused, heart melting at her words. "Um... Uh, I-I don't, I, uhhh... I just don't know what will help."

"It's okay, darling," Aemond soothed, nodding at you, hands turning over to let eight-legs carry the spider around.

"Here," Helaena nodded, waving Aemond after her as she approached you. "Why don't you just watch, say hello? No touching," she promised, standing slightly behind you as if you block your exit.

"Um... I don't know..."

Aemond took slow steps, eye never leaving your face. You gulped as he took another step, and from here, he could see a sweat glistening on your forehead - so he took another step.

"Wait! Wait, no!" You begged, feeling Helaena's hands on your upper arms from behind. Aemond was too close now, and you couldn't look away from the arachnid crawling around his flesh. The same flesh you touched, the same flesh that worshiped you nightly, the same flesh that warmed your own in the night. "NO!" You sobbed, backing up so forcefully, you almost tripped over you sister-by-law. "No, Gods, please, no! NO! Just no! G-Get away from me!"

Helaena gasped your name, but your eyes were blown, hands shaking, throat swelling, stomach churning. Aemond spoke your name softly, frowning, but you could only pant as you leaned against the chamber wall beside the door. "We're gonna put her back now, okay?" He spoke softly, nodding slowly at you.

"Please, please, just kill it, jus-just get it gone!" You begged,.

"We'll get it away from you, it's okay," Aemond agreed, his sister quickly opening her jar to let her brother lower the bug into the glass. "It's okay, love, look, just look here." When your eyes flashed to his, then to the jar, he made sure to move slowly and shake the little Hell spawn from his hand.

"I'm so sorry," Helaena frowned.

"It's not your fault," Aemond promised, watching you as you tried to regain your breathing. "It's not her fault either..."

"Um," Helaena looked at you with worry, "m-maybe you'd like to see the others? I have ladybugs, grasshoppers, too. They're nice."

You gulped, "I-Is the spider gone?"

She held up the jar, turning for her little work bench and setting the jar in a satchel - out of your sight. "Is this okay?" She made sure.

"I-It can't escape?" You squeaked.

"No," the girl shook her head. "I'm sorry I scared you."

"No, no," you assured slowly, "it's me."

"Can I ask?"

You eyed her for a moment, "I don't have an answer... I've been like this since I can remember."

She frowned, glancing at Aemond. "Why aren't you comforting her?"

"She doesn't like to be touched like this," Aemond whispered.

"My skin hurts when I'm having these feelings," you admitted with a frown. "I just... You gotta let me calm down."

"Come sit?" Aemond offered, gesturing to the furthest arm chair from the work bench.

"I-I think I should leave. You guys were having fun and - "

"No, no, I want you to stay," Helaena insisted. "We can do anything else!"

"I'm so sorry," you sighed.

"Don't apologize," Aemond frowned, slowly approaching you.

"Aht!" You warned with a finger to halt him. "You're not touching me after a spider!"

"Oh, sweetheart - "

"No, no, no, no, wash your hands," you snipped. "I can't touch you, please, Aemond... For me?"

He sighed, but turned for the wash basin as Helaena lead you to the sitting area. She showed you her ladybugs and grasshoppers, and soon, you were giggling as the grasshoppers just bounced around like a little spring was on their legs.

Aemond eventually joined you, but he could see the panic in your eyes from still being in the same room, knowingly, as a spider. He understood why you wanted them killed instead of set free, and he would've done whatever it took to ensure your comfort. However, it could mean putting his sister's comfort at risk - and nobody, but Aemond, cared about Helaena's feelings.

So, when you married Aemond, you both understood that you two were essentially Helaena's keepers. If that meant capturing spiders rather than killing them, so be it, but Aemond hated watching you suffer. So, he pretended he was needed elsewhere with you to make your escape, and only when out of the room did he swear you took a breath.

"I'm sorry I couldn't kill it," he sighed.

"No, it's okay... Thank you for getting me out of there."

"Anytime," he nodded with a frown. "I wish I could've helped more."

"You help plenty," you assured. "I should learn to knock before entering rooms."

Aemond chuckled, "Yeah, as if that would ever happen."

"Hush." But then, you admitted, "I wish I didn't have this fear."

"Then you wouldn't be you," Aemond eased, letting his hand slide around your waist. "It's okay to be afraid."

"Yeah?"

"'Course," he smirked, "because your husband isn't afraid of a thing and can easily take on the Hell Spawn."

"See!" You cried with a gasp. "You know they're devious little fuckers, too! Sent upon mankind to repent for our sins!"

"Maybe that's why you fear them."

"Hmm?"

"You sinned big time in another life and now the spiders are sent, seeking atonement."

"Oh, ha-ha. Thought I married a Prince of the Seven Kingdoms, not a court jester."

"Perhaps, a bit of both?"

"You'd have to be actually funny to be a jester - OW!" You laughed when he pinched your ribcage to make you squeal. "Unfair advantage! You're so bloody tall and have an angle!"

"Hm," Aemond considered, shrugging with a relenting nod, and then stooped low to haul you over his shoulder as if a sack of flour - moving forward to your bed chamber.

"Aemond!" You squealed. "Put me down, this is not appropriate! You know I hate being man-handled! Oh, my God, please, love, there's people watching!"

"Then they can mind their own business, just like we are," Aemond grunted. "I am merely escorting my wife to bed so I can fuck the fear outta her all night."

"It's only past lunch, Aemond!"

"Then I know what I want for dinner," his other hand rose to give a playful swat to your ass; hearing you giggle as he turned the corner.

requesting rules and masterlist

HOTD masterlist

[darkchocolatedimples]

the tortured poets department (sponsored by my procrastination)

excuse my essays for each song the lyrics are so interesting to me so there’s like actual analyzation for each one.

fortnight - dex

that lingering resentment disguised by surface level friendship is that not literally him and sophie come on. “run into you sometimes, ask about the weather” the awkwardness!! “your wife waters flowers, i want to kill her” he was the #1 fitz hater for multiple reasons after all (although i think he was over it by the time keefe became prominent)

the tortured poets department - sophie

this is so keefe from her perspective come on “you’re in self sabatoge mode, throwing spikes down the road, but i’ve seen this episode and still love the show” “i chose this cyclone with you” “sometimes i wonder if you’re gonna screw this up with me. but you told [biana] that you’d kill yourself if i ever leave. and i had said that to [dex] about you so i felt seen. everyone we know understands why we’re meant to be.” also let’s be so real keefes drawing journals + goodbye letters, he’s giving tortured poet

my boy only breaks his favorite toys - fitz

guys he’s just a silly little boy with anger issues, and he’s MY silly little boy with anger issues stop hating him 😞 “the voices in his head called the rain to end our days of wild” “he saw forever so he smashed it up” he may have fucked up but it happens!!

down bad - dex

CUZ FUCK IT HE WAS IN LOVE!!! also if i may present to you: “i might just die it would make no difference” in the context that outside of sophie saw no purpose to his own life. he saw himself just as he is presented in the books: as her best friend and nothing more. so in losing that (blaming himself and his own feelings for it) what was left of him? who was left? sophie was also his ONLY friend. not to mention in the context of the fact that when he WAS presumed dead nobody cared, they still cared more about sophie.

so long, london - keefe

no not bc of london actually but because “and you say i abandoned the ship but i was going down with it, my white knuckle dying grip holding tight to your quiet resentment” is actually a direct reference to keefitz’ friendship falling apart as fitz got angrier and keefe got more closed off. “you swore that you loved me but where were the clues?” “im just mad as hell cause i loved this place” me when everglen is no longer keefes safehaven. nor anyone’s for that matter bc its haunted by alvars betrayal and alden’s mind break and fitz’ anger.

but daddy i love him - biana

“i just learned these people only raise you to cage you” “i just learned these people try and save you…cause they hate you” “dutiful daughter all my plans were laid…growing up precocious sometimes means not growing up at all.” i hate alden vacker. how do u manage to use and fuck up all ur kids by age 12 like wow. “i’ll tell you something about my good name: it’s mine alone to disgrace” she would 100% say this. she would also 100% say “im having his baby! no im not but you should see your faces.”

fresh out the slammer - keefe

sokeefe or keefitz take it as it comes. “in the shade of how he was feeling.” “as i said in my letters.” “my friends try, but i wouldn’t hear it…for just one glimpse of his smile” “swirled you into all of my poems” it’s so him it is truly.

florida!!! - keefe

THIS one’s about london! “well me and my ghosts, we had a hell of a time! yes i’m haunted but im feeling just fine” ethan and eleanor wright who?? “your home’s really only a town you’re just a guest in” candle shade/shores of solace type beat “i need to forget so take me to [london], i have some regrets i’ll bury them in [london]” “i don’t want to exist so take me to [london]” aw bae

guilty as sin? - dex

i don’t know how to explain but i just feel like this feeling of i shouldn’t be doing/feeling this the literal guilt and all these delusions and the sheer intensity of it all is just giving me dex. “this cage was once just fine, am i allowed to cry? i dream of cracking locks, throwing my life to the wolves or the ocean rocks” “i keep these longings locked in lowercase inside a vault” this must be the way he loves if he thinks so little of himself and doesn’t let himself have good things. “i choose you and me religiously” because at the end of the day when he makes a decision or chooses something or someone he puts his all into it.

who’s afraid of little old me - sophie

“you lured me and you hurt me and you taught me. you caged me then you called me crazy. i am what i am cuz you trained me.” all of it’s literally giving her growing into herself in stellarlune and making decisions on her own. SHE IS NOT A PAWN!!!

i can fix him (no really i can) - tam

idk its just giving him defending rayni with his life when everyone else including linh was like who tf is this girl.

loml - fitz

every sad pining song is fitz vacker to me. esp the refrences to the romance being dead but never buried... "still alive killing time at the cemetery, never quite buried...i'm your holy ghost" the way that sophie switched up on him in stellarlune (although i fully support her) didn't give him much time to recover. "are they second-hand embarrased that i can't get out of bed because something counterfiet's dead" give me heartbroken fitz!!! for once instead of angry fitz just give me tired, resigned fitz. "it was legendary, it was momentary, it was unecessary, should've let it stayed buried" is such a good summary of sophitz imo.

i can do it with a broken heart - linh

linh is so interesting to me as a parallel of fitz: meaning she, just like him, is always angry. however she masks it in smiles and kindness the way he never learned to, he just lashes out. this song feels like it’s talking about that mask: “i’m so depressed i act like it’s my birthday everyday” “i can read your mind ‘she’s having the time of her life’ …i can show you lies” “cause im miserable and nobody even knows” “i can hold my breath, i’ve been doing it since [i] left”

the smallest man who ever lived - keefe

it’s giving a letter to cassius/gisela/alvar. “and i don’t even want you back, i just want to know if rusting my sparkling summer was the goal. and i don’t miss what we had” “did you sleep with a gun underneath our bed?” “in 50 years will all this be declassified and you’ll confess why you did it, and i’ll say ‘good riddance’” “i would’ve died for your sins instead i just died inside. and you deserve prison but you won’t get time” “in plain sight you hid, but you are what you did. and i’ll forget you but i’ll never forgive.”

the alchemy - sophie

“cause the sign on your heart said it’s still reserved for me. honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?” aw sokeefe.

clara bow - biana

BIANA BEING COMPARED TO HER BROTHERS AND ALL THE VACKERS BEFORE THEM "the crown is stained but you're the real queen" "beauty is a beast that roars, down on all fours, demanding more...its hell on earth to be heavenly" i love her.

the black dog - fitz

bring back petty fitz!! i think the young girl not knowing the starting line could parallel with keefe not being able to understand things about telepathy that really connected fitz and sophie. i also think we could shift the angle and make it about alvars betrayal and how it sparked his angry trauma response. “you said i needed a brave man, then proceeded to play him until i believed it too.” “now i want to sell my house and set fire to all my clothes…even if i die screaming, and i hope you hear it.”

imgonnagetyouback - fitz

he is 100% this delusional. he's just like me. "you'll find that you were never not mine" "even if its handcuffed im leaving here with you." "told my friends i hate you but i love you just the same, pick your poison babe, i'm poison either way"

the albatross - keefe

“one bad seed kills the garden. one less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen.” “the devil that you know looks now more like an angel. i’m the life you chose, and all this terrible danger.” HE IS THE ALBATROSS. i can’t wait for the movie i want edits of him to this. ACTUALLY I WANT A LOT OF THINGS maybe I’ll make a separate post about that.

chloe or sam or sophia or marcus - keefe

you saw it coming. this song SCREAMS KEEFITZ. like- “you said some things that i can’t unabsorb…you needed me but you needed drugs more.” “changed plans and lovers and outfits and rules all to outrun my desertion of you.” “if you want to break my cold cold heart just say ‘i loved you the way that you were’” WHAT THE HECK DUDE IM SOBBING “back to the moment i crashed into you like so many wrecks do” that line solidified this as keefe’s pov for me. in conclusion. SOBBING.

how did it end - biana

i propose to you: not a relationship, but the vacker family falling apart and the way they became a huge subject of gossip in the lost cities. when alden’s mind broke, while fitz had turned to anger biana became depressed, and i think this song could relate to that as well. the whole part of “guess who we ran into at the shops” feels very much like conversations others would have about the vackers at the time and when alvar betrayed them. “soon they’ll go home to their [brothers], smug cause they know they can trust him.” and i think at the end of the day when all of it happened biana was just young and betrayed and lost, because she didn’t see it coming or understand why (who did?) “the deflation of our dreaming, leaving me bereft and reeling” “i can’t pretend like i understand, how did it end?”

so high school - biana

HER VIBES ALL THE WAY she’s so cute and lovely and i want this for her (and dex. specifically dex. not anyone else.)

i hate here - sophie

was leaning dex until “you see i was a debutant in another life but now i seem to be scared of going outside” but the whole idea of escapism applies to both of them. especially to sophie though when she lived with humans and was so alone because even her own family couldn’t understand her, and she canonically is a bookworm and probably found more comfort in those other lives than she ever could in her own. "I hate it here so I will go to secret gardens in my mind...i read about it in a book when I was a precious child" "ill get lost on purpose, this place made me feel worthless"

thanK you aIMee - tam

aimee 🤝🏽 the song parents. “everyone knows that my [sister] is a saintly woman. but she used to say she wished that you were dead.” “but when i count the scars there’s a moment of truth: that there wouldn’t be this if there hadn’t been you.” thank you song parents 🫶🏽

i look in people’s windows - fitz

i thought this song sounded so creepy till I actually listened to it and now the idea of like lowkey stalking someone just to see if they still care about you or have moved on is slightly making sense. "does it feel alright to not know me? i'm addicted to the if only." it's giving keefitz (when isn't it?)

the prophecy - dex

"let it once be me, who do i have to speak to about if they can redo the prophecy?" THIS JUST REMINDS ME SO MUCH OF THE BEGINNING OF STELLARLUNE WHEN HES LITERALLY MOURNING WHAT HASN'T EVEN HAPPENED TO HIS BROTHER YET i need more dex being the oldest sibling and shouldering that burden. the love-hate relationship with his siblings while simultaneously trying to make their quality of life so much better than what he had. also "a lesser woman would've lost hope, a greater woman wouldn't beg" is so him. he is so that middle.

cassandra - tam

"so they killed cassandra first cuz she feared the worst...do you believe me now?" "you can mark my words, i said it first. in a mourning warning, no one heard." tam when keefe joined the neverseen fr

peter - keefe

pls tell me you saw this one coming. "are you still a mindreader? a natural scene stealer, I've heard great things [fitz], but life was always easier on you than it was on me." "promises, oceans deep, but never to keep" "forgive me [fitz], my lost fearless leader...from when we were just kids. is it something I did?" i think I'm just in a constant state of mourning their friendship.

the bolter - keefe

obvious reasons but also "i can confirm she made a curious child, ever reviled by everyone but her own father." "hearts are hers for the breaking, there's escape in escaping." "she's got the best stories, you can be sure, as she was leaving, it feels like freedom."

robin - dex

had to do some research for this one but apparently its talking about preserving a child's innocence! for this reason it reminds me again of dex and his siblings because of the way he really wants to protect them from things that haven't happened yet (especially considering rex being talentless). "way to go tiger" definitely sounds like something he would say to them feeling all sentimental but then, knowing siblings, they'd probably grill him about why he's being nice 💀

the manuscript -

we know the drill by now, fitz gets all the breakup songs because they could be about sophie OR keefe. "afterwords, she only ate kid's cereal, and slept in her mother's bed" while the song is discussing reverting back to childhood habits in vulnerability, fitz's vulnerability made him angry (but it was still a big change from his regular self) "looking back might be the only way to move forward" I hope he does get to move on!!! im tired of the love triangle plot if we're not gonna focus on keefitz' friendship 😭

[misscherry-26]

The Billionaire and the Stripper.

CHAPTER TWO.

Summary: Billionaire businessman, Ari Levinson, seems to have everything he could ever want: wealth, power, and success. But beneath the surface, he is haunted by his troubled past and the demons that have plagued him for years. Y/N Y/L/N is a stripper struggling with dreams of a better life. She may not have much, but she knows how to survive and make the most of what she has. But when one night Ari walks into the club Y/N works at, he is immediately captivated by her presence and drawn to her in a way that he cannot explain. As they embark on a passionate and intense relationship, they must confront the challenges and obstacles of their vastly different lifestyles. Can Ari and Y/N bridge the gap between their two worlds and find a way to make their relationship work? Or will their differences prove too great to overcome, tearing them apart forever?

Pairing: Billionaire! Ari Levinson x Stripper! Reader

Warnings: Mature content. Mention of the objectification of women (slight)

Author's note: Back into writing! I missed it a lot, but life lately has been harsh on me so I didn't have time to sit and write. This one is short but honestly it's all I got for Ari. Good thing is we get to know him. No proofread. All mistakes my own. Let me know your thoughts about this chapter after reading. Enjoy it!!

Series masterlist.

ARI

Ari doesn't know why he still frequents these places. He should have stopped coming a long time ago. But he can't and he knows why. Here he does not care about his past, present, or future. Here is nobody. This is where his responsibilities, decisions, and thoughts vanish.

So after twenty minutes of waiting, it's more than obvious that the last thing he would want is to be able to release his frustration. If he had done it himself, he would have been faster.

But this woman, not only had the audacity to be late but also to insult him. Who does she think she is?

But whatever anger, perhaps, that he felt at that moment, vanished as he turned and saw her for the first time. The woman was young and beautiful. perfect. She was wearing black lace lingerie which was ridiculously covered by a thin robe of the same color, only more transparent, so he could see everything. Her eyes seemed to mesmerize him. And when it seemed that something inside it opened, a great gray mist covered it. And he went back to her original facade. To be an idiot.

"Not so brave now, huh?" Ari smiles playfully. "I'm surprised, for a moment I thought I had heard that wrong"

TWO HOURS BEFORE

Ari suddenly wakes up, his chest moving up and down faster. Again the same nightmare. Sometimes he just thinks about how everything would feel if he didn't have those nightmares. Those memories that long ago were real.

He wonders what it would feel like to be normal. To just travel around the world knowing those not-so-well-known places that save amazing stories. He did travel around the world, although those travels were work-related. Dirty work.

Fuck, he curses. He needs to distract himself again because he already knows, like every other night, that he won't be able to sleep again.

"So? Cat got your tongue princess?" he steps closer to the beautiful woman, gently caressing her cheek. But he quickly takes it off when he sees her closing her eyes. She is scared. He knows those gestures so well.

Ari is hit by another memory again—one when he is back to his teenage years.

“Fuck… Just get out of here.” he sighs. "I don't want it tonight"

The woman is about to say something but he doesn't give her the time and instead decides to hurry and get the hell out of the room.

Taglist (open): @bunnyforhim @wintasssoldier

@buckysteveloki-me @magnificentsaladllama

@yoruse @patzammit @moonlightdivine

@alessandraavengers @xx-rennyxx

[mephinomaly]

[TL] BIOHAZARD/Chapter 8

[ This post uses Ois~su ♪ ]

Time: A few minutes later

Location: In a private karaoke room in the back of the livehouse

Keito: What is this place?

Kaoru: You don’t know what karaoke is? You’ve probably never played around like this so you wouldn’t know, would you Mr Honours Student?

Keito: I know what karaoke is. I’m asking why there’s a room like this in the back of the livehouse.

Kaoru: Yumenosaki’s pretty strict on a lot of things, so we were trying to expand our horizons. This lesson room has all the proper equipment and soundproofing, but it’s never been that popular.

Koga: Hmph. Those Yumenosaki guys who were supposed t’be the ideal customer aren’t even interested in playin’ music.

Kaoru: Yup. That’s why we made it look like a regular lesson room, so it’s more accessible to the general public. It’s a new service we’re providing.

Koga: Ah~, so that’s what happened.

Kaoru: Almost painful to see how much effort I put into managing the place. I was trying to gather as much information as I could, working as hard as I could~.

In the end, this place became a safe haven for kids who felt they didn’t have a place in Yumenosaki, and for those who wanted to use the lesson room like normal.

That room was renovated, but nobody really used it so it returned to how it was before. We started running out of lesson rooms.

Ahh, this is super nostalgic… I was really giving it my all back then.

Koga: Shoulda tried harder in yer idol activities ‘n school work. Barely saw you at school back then, ya know?

Kaoru: Well, me back then didn’t have any interest in that sort of thing ♪

Kaoru: Oh~? That’s weird…

Keito: What’s wrong? Did you see something suspicious?

Kaoru: Sakuma-san was supposed to be waiting for us here, but he’s nowhere to be found.

Keito: …Sakuma-san? What does he want from me now?

Koga: Wait, Sakuma-senpai’s comin’ here?! Hahah! I can’t wait ☆

...I acted like such a sheeple back then, it’s embarrassing.

Kaoru: Aren’t you still embarrassing sometimes~?

Rei: Yo~.

Sorry for keepin’ ya. My bad my bad… Coupla scary people caught me~. Hadta to explain some stuff to them which took a while.

Haa, bein’ popular’s a pain.

Keito: ...

Rei: Oh, you actually came, bouzu. What a good kid you are.

Keito: You were the one who called for me.

Rei: Right, ‘course. You lucky you get to see me like this.

Ain’t you embarrassed? I beat you up so hard the other day you couldn’t even stand ♪

Keito: ...

Rei: Uwaa…. Noooooo~, I was sooo embarrassing back then~...

Why was I acting like that? I should have had more tact!

Koga: ...Is that you, Sakuma-senpai?

Kaoru: Ahh, it’s like we’re right back there.

Rei: Indeed… It seems you’ve come to grips with the current situation. We are looking at ourselves in a ghost-like state.

This is hell of earth, having to watch myself act so embarrassing for such a long time. What sort of crime would you class this as?

Koga: Hn, you’re just reapin’ what you sowed. I live my life stayin’ true t’what I believe, nothin’ I’d be embarrassed by people seein’.

Koga: Kyaaa! Sakuma-senpai! Kyaaaa! I-i-i-it’s a privilege to be able to meet you like thissss![1]

Koga: ...

Rei: You’re amazing, Koga, so mentally strong… How can you not be embarrased after seeing that?

Koga: I am so sorry that was extremely embarrassing of me.[2]

Kaoru: Uwa, Hearing Koga-kun use keigo is such a treat.[3] Whilst I’m not as bad as you two, I would rather not have my immature past self put on display for all to see.

But why’s this happening? I guess it’s part of the AIIE project.

Rei: Umu… At the moment, I haven’t any more guesses.

I suspect that, since we are all connected to the same device, our dreams are being mixed together.

Koga: Do you think so? Aren’t dreams supposed t'be more of a private affair?

Rei: Well, this is technology that not much is known about yet.

Kaoru: Now I feel like I’m going to regret taking part in such a questionable experiment.

Rei: We cannot turn back the clocks now. All we can do is adapt to this current situation in as little time as possible.

[ ☆ ]

he speaks formally here

he speaks formally here too. He says ‘gomennasai, hazukashii desu’. Just so you know

keigo is polite speech!

Chapter 7

Chapter 9

[vera-deville]

Vera's Hauntober 2023

Day 6 - Fog (Osamu Dazai)

09/23/2023 - 09/26/2023

Pairing: Osamu Dazai x Reader

Word Count: 1,044

Warnings: Dazai's shenanigans

Gender: Gender Neutral

Taglist: @animusicnerd, @leonistic, @pyroxeene, @savanaclaw1996, @thequeenoffishburrito, @ellssbellss, @reshi-galaxy, @hanafubukki, @hitoshislover

It was a Monday morning.

A cold, chilly Monday morning. And it was 7:00 A.M. on top of that. And it was foggy as hell.

Dazai hated the fact that he and his partner had work to do so early in the morning when they could have just skipped work and stayed tangled up on the bed all day. But work was work, and with a fastidious partner like Y/N, it was a miracle he was even allowed to wake up at 5 in the morning instead of 4.

He also hated the fact that now that they were done with their mission, instead of going back home, they had to go back to the ADA. "For paperwork," Y/N had said. Grumbling to himself, he let his eyes rake across the figure to his right, the one driving the car. Posture upright, hands firmly gripping the wheel, eyes steadfast on the road, never wandering.

Until they noticed the chocolate irises staring at them.

"What?" Y/N asked.

"I'm not allowed to look at my lovely significant other?" Dazai replied, cheekily.

"Well you better keep you eyes on the road. As the person sitting at the passenger seat, you therefore have the responsibility of watching the road and letting the driver know of any and all obstacles that may occur."

"But why would I want to look outside when all there is to look at is fog and nothing but it?" Dazai said, pouting a bit. Making sure that Y/N was at least watching him from the corner of their eye, he continued, "Besides, there's a much better sight inside the car~"

"Put a can on it Osamu. We're working right now. Be professional." Y/N chided.

"Actually, we're driving." Dazai said with a smug grin.

"During work hours, while driving to work. There's no way around it."

Sometimes, Dazai wondered if perhaps Y/N was related (even if it was distantly) to Kunikida. It sure would explain a lot. The only difference was, it was a lot more fun to rile up Kunikida than Y/N. Y/N was way too stoic for Dazai's onslaughts of teases.

Bored out of his mind, Dazai rest his arm on the window, staring out into the cloudy nothingness. As though Y/N could sense the boredom radiating off him, and more importantly, decided to do something about it, they turned on the music. Dazai didn't have a particular favorite type of music. As long as it sounded good, it was good. But he did happen to favor Y/N's tastes in music. It suited them rather well. Well enough for him to lightly bop his head along to the beat.

That is until he saw something up ahead.

"Hey, what's that up ahead?" He asked, pointing off to the distance. Y/N slowed the car down to a stop, squinting, but barely being able to see anything past the hood of their car.

"Where? I can't see anything with all this fog."

"Right there, see? Just drive up a little further, and you'll see." Dazai insisted, no longer slouching against the window in boredom.

Still squinting, Y/N followed Dazai's words and drove further little by little until eventually, they also saw what Dazai was talking about. There was something up ahead (albeit, with some distance between them and the thing). "I can't tell if that's a tree or a person. They're not moving, so it's not helping. What do you think?" Y/N asked.

Hearing no response, Y/N looked to the passenger seat, only to freeze in their seat. The hands they kept steady on the steering wheel only tightened, the sound of leather being gripped falling on deaf ears.

Dazai was gone.

Nobody was in the passenger seat.

Flipping their head left and right and every other way, Y/N tried to find some semblance of their boyfriend somewhere. Nothing. Just the damned fog.

He wasn't anywhere near their line of sight, and just for a second, Y/N wondered if they'd just hallucinated Dazai and had been talking to themselves the entire time.

"Osamu?" Y/N managed to find their voice. "Where are you?" "This isn't funny Osamu!" By this point, Y/N had started trembling in their legs. Whipping their head back to where the figure was, up ahead, Y/N decided to drive a little closer to the figure, just to make sure that it was nothing but a tree.

Except as they were driving ever so slowly towards the figure, said figure started moving.

Towards them.

By this point, Y/N was shaking in their seat, but they still tried to make out the figure through all the fog. They couldn't see any distinctive features, but they could see one thing for certain.

It was human.

Y/N gave up on trying to search for Dazai, as they tried desperately to bring back the feeling in their legs and rev back, but nothing seemed to be working out in their favor. Looking frantically up at the figure slowly approaching them and back down at the pedals and back up at the figure and back down at the pedals and back up-

The figure was now bolting towards them.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Y/N screamed. It was nice knowing this world. Sure life had its ups and downs, but in the end, it wasn't so bad. It would have been nice to see Dazai one more time though. And the ADA. And Chuuya. He's a pretty fun guy once you get to know him. Not that she'd ever tell Dazai that-

Eyes scrunched painfully shut, Y/N waited. For what, they had no clue, but certainly death would have been the finale. Except, nothing happened. No sound. No doors being pulled off their hinges. No painful grotesque death.

Just, nothing.

Gently peeking one eye through the barricade they created across their face with their arms, Y/N looked ahead, only to see that the figure was gone.

Struck by another wave of sheer panic, Y/N whipped their head around like a rabid dog, searching for the figure, only to see a deranged mad man pressing his face up against the passenger side's window.

Y/N screamed again.

Dazai.

Author's Note: Oh my hobgoblins, did I have fun with this-

I knew that I wanted to write some sort of shenanigan, courtesy of Dazai, for this fic regarding the fog and all. But the problem was that I had forgotten what shenanigan I planned on writing. Oops-

So I ended up asking a beloved friend of mine for ideas to write (he's also a BSD fan, courtesy of me), and he suggested this masterpiece. I've gotta admit, during this event, this is definitely my favorite fic so far.

Fun fact, but back when I was first planning this event, my friend actually gave me an idea for one of the future fics in Vera's Hauntober 2023 (spoiler alert, the fic idea he gave me was for Hitoshi Shinsou). Considering that this is my first ever BSD fic (that I've actually posted, that is), I've gotta admit, it didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would.

See you in the next fic!

Masterlist Hauntober 2023 Masterlist

[nomoreusername]

that way

Pairing:Sonya x Aris

Summary: Despite the way they look at each other, Sonya knows she'll never fully have Aris's heart.

He doesn't love me. I know that. I know that Rachel will always have his heart. I know that he’ll always only ever want her. I know that he’ll never fall in love again.

But I swear to god he looks at me a little too long. Sometimes I swear that we could be more.

As I sit here, cleaning him up a little bit more after WCKD took their frustrations out on him, I swear there's something there. Even if they aren't as strong, there's just something about this moment that says he has feelings for me.

Nobody would be back for a while. After all, they had a plan to make. They had a friend to get back. It was just him and I, completely alone.

Seeing him wince and pull away as I held the rag to his lips, I set it down since there was no more blood left. While he definitely had cuts and bruises, it was clear where they were and how far along he had had them now.

“Are you feeling any better?”I asked.

“Yeah. As good as I can right now,”He shrugged.

“I take it that’s not much?”

“It doesn't really matter. I’m alive, aren't I? We're actually alive and out,”He pointed out.

“I know. Six months of hell, and now we just have live? It's insane.”

“So are a lot of things in our lives though. At least they'll actually calm down,”He pointed out.

“Yeah. It's gonna feel weird, but it's still good,”I agreed, looking up just to end up meeting his gaze. Not looking away, we held eye contact. Feeling my breath hitch in my throat, I was sure he felt it too. I was sure he knew just friends wouldn't look at each other like this. I don't even know what this is, but it's there. It's there, and it's not platonic. It's something else, something different.

With my eyes glancing to his lips for just a moment, when I looked up I saw him doing the same. Just as I was about to risk it and lean forward the curtain opened. Snapping our heads to the door, we saw Harriet, just standing there as if she didn't break our bubble.

“Am I interrupting something?”

“No,”Aris shrugged, already having moved on. With my heart cracking in my chest, I couldn't find any words.

“I was just coming to say dinner is ready,”She explained, walking back out. With the silence returning, we just looked at each other again.

“I uh, wish Rachel was here. To see this,”He whispered.

“Yeah. That'd be, yeah,”I whispered back, staring at the ground so I wouldn't start crying.

“I’m going to dinner,”He said slowly.

“I’ll meet you there,”I nodded, still not looking up. Hearing him stand, when he walked out I wiped my tears from my eyes.

Just friends. We will always only be friends, no matter how we look at each other. No matter how long we hold our gaze, Rachel will always be first.

We will never be more than what we are now.

Friends that know something is there.

[utilitycaster]

Was reading your thoughts RE Laudna and Imogen last night and something hit me this morning. I think as well as not wanting to be alone, Laudna’s relationship with Imogen has some foundation in obligation/sense of debt (Imogen saved her from some people, is the first friend Laudna’s ever had). Given that Laudna’s longest “relationship” was Delilah, I can see her having trouble shedding a more transactional view of relationships, even as she goes on to make actual friends.

All of which makes the convo she had with Ash potentially pretty damning; Laudna hates feeling indebted to other people, even people she is as fond of as the Bells. Likewise, Ash seems to pick up on this immediately, while Imogen seems completely unaware of it.

Thinking it about it like this, I think Laudna’s actions make a bit more sense; not only did Imogen help bring her back to life, she banished Delilah. Even if she felt it was worth push back (and the incident with the Gnarlrock I think only reinforced for Laudna that if she steps “wrong” Imogen’s friendship can and will be withdrawn), she owes Imogen so much, more than she can probably ever repay.

(RE the Gnarlrock; I’m not trashing Imogen or how she reacted - it makes sense given her character and backstory. But it’s one of those things that reminds me of my first impression of them; they’re best friends the kids are best friends; all-consuming codependency, certainty they’ll be together forever)

I have to admit I'm not quite following all of this so let me know if I misinterpreted you.

Laudna's feelings towards relationships are a little tough to get a bead on because sometimes she does very childlike things - her belief her dolls are alive, her flippant attitude towards Delilah, her complete shutdown when Dusk asked her out - but I think she does understand that relationships aren't purely transactional. Marisha explained it as sort of an extreme version of when your friends take care of you after a night of too-heavy drinking; you feel kind of embarrassed and like you were a burden, but you do understand that they do it because they care.

With that said: I do think Ashton does see a lot of relationships as transactional following his abandonment by the Nobodies, and I think is discomfited by the fact that he does things for Bells Hells because he likes them and not as a give and take, despite his original intentions. And so I do agree that they are able to easily understand Laudna's feelings here, and I'm not sure Imogen does.

I do have to say: I have been quite harsh on Imogen this past episode, not (in my opinion) undeservedly, but I think if Laudna is thinking this way...that's even worse, and I'm not sure I'd go that far. Like, I saw someone say that Imogen kept pushing back whenever the party brought up their concerns (which were fairly measured; Orym is pretty generous in his criticism given that he, his husband, and his father-in-law were all killed by Otohan) and so Laudna understood this and knew not to push it. The fact is, it's a red flag that it took more than several party members pointing out the Ruby Vanguard's body count to shut this line of inquiry from Imogen down. I think if Laudna is tiptoeing around Imogen because she's scared Imogen with withhold her affections...I mean, that's how people behave around their abusers, which I don't think is an appropriate analogy. I think the idea that Imogen is just too insensitive and self-absorbed to realize what she's saying, and both she and Laudna are both too scared of conflict to be able to unpack any negative feelings they may have, is a much more generous read.

[koco-coko]

Risen / A Renegades fanfic

Chapter 1: A Lonely Grave

previous chapter, next chapter

As the Renegades underwent many, many reforms, such as a decrease in power that the council had, better laws, a reinstatement of the Miranda Rights, and so much more, Riley spun a keyring around her finger. Ever since she got promoted, days have been the same. She used to dream of working so closely with the dead, but it was cruel what they did to her. ‘Her skills would be useful here?’ Ha! She wasn’t even allowed to examine them. For now, she mainly sat at the desk in the small cabin that the Renegades transformed into a quaint office space, waiting days on end for a visitor that she could guide to a grave. Malcom was the one who did all the fun stuff. Tearing them apart, stuffing them, making sure they didn’t look like they were decapitated. Sometimes he let her help, though, by sending her to get an extra pair of clothes or hold the cotton used to stuff the corpses for open-casket funerals. Those were Riley’s favorite part, actually. Learning about all the heroes and villains that passed on. It was just so strange and weird that it piqued her interest just right. 

Of course, nobody else saw that. Hell, they thought Malcom and her were the creepy ones, lingering by the door of every funeral with their figures covered in black. Even among the Renegades, they thought she was a weirdo. So what if she was? Did it really deserve being called creepy behind her back?

Lazily, she flipped through the pages of her occult practices. Sometimes, she wished she could go out into the graveyard and summon the spirit of those unjustly killed. Especially Winston. What happened at the arena filled her with so much rage Riley could’ve swarmed the city with an army of the undead. But she didn’t. She would just stay as complacent as she always was.

The door opened. “Hi Malcom,” she mumbled. He was back earlier than usual. He usually came back for the night shift while complaining about how boring patrols were.

“It’s… not Malcom,” a girl’s voice said.

Riley instantly sat up, slamming the leather-bound book closed. She pushed it aside in a rush. “Magpie!” Riley shouted. Then, she covered her mouth. “Maggie. Sorry. It’s Maggie. Maggie, right? Yeah. Maggie,” she repeated the name a few times.

“Uh, yeah. Maggie,” she responded, scuffing her shoes against the old wood floor. She looked nervous, but Riley couldn’t tell about what. She was just happy to have a visitor. (Especially one that wasn’t sobbing their eyes out!) Maggie had a single flower in her hand and shifted anxiously on her feet. She didn’t want to be here at all.

Awkward silence filled the room. Only Riley beating her hands on the receptionist desk interrupted it.

“So, um,” Riley spoke up after a minute or so, “I thought you quit the Renegades. What’ca doin’ here?”

Maggie’s shoulders tensed and she looked away. She tried to shrug it off. “I could ask the same for you. I thought you were in cleanup crew,” She would slowly approach the desk. She had to look up to see Riley sitting on the tall chair. Maggie could hear the clerk’s legs kicking the desk. 

“Oh, right! Yeah, I used to be, but I got promoted! Thunderbird came to me and said something about ‘Due to recent events, we need more hands on deck to take care of the graveyard. Would you mind?’ and then I said ‘Absolutely!’ and now I’m here!” she explained. “So, once again, why are you here?”

Maggie ignored most of what she said, much to Riley’s dismay, and simply looked off to the side. Her hands were shoved deep into her pockets. “Yeah, cool, great,” she spoke absentmindedly, “Um, anyways, is it true that Callum Treadwell is buried here?” her brows knit as she said the name, uncomfortably with just mentioning it.

“You mean Wonder Boy?” Riley smiled. With every word, it looked as if Maggie wanted to crawl out of her own skin and escape. Riley was always very happy-go-lucky when it came to mentioning the dead, but even she could feel the girl’s sinking heart. “Uh, yeah, I think we have him. Do you want me to bring you to him?”

—

The Gravekeeper led her down the hill the small, wooden building lived atop. From the top of the hill, it seemed as if the black metal fencing attached to cinder blocks went on for miles over the horizon. It wasn’t a gloomy day, even though that’s what Maggie believed it should’ve been. It should’ve been pouring rain in the dead of night– Her heart told her so. The Gravekeeper didn’t say a word as she twisted a key into the iron gate and pushed opening the creaking doors. 

Maggie’s mood seemed to infect Riley, spreading onto her skin and causing her to walk softly on the dirt. Maggie felt her feet sink into the fresh patches of it. How many bodies were really hidden under the grassy path? Stones surrounded them for miles, but none of them were anything special to note. Bouquets and teddy bears littered about most of them, but occasionally there would be a lonely grave with nothing to its name. The pair kept walking. Maggie watched Riley closely, scanning each detail that she couldn’t see before. The collar of her dress, the dress socks and shoes that were already filthy, the belt around her waist with a keyring, book pouch, and lantern dangling off the sides. The most noticeable was the metal, latched bracelet that had a coffin charm attached to it. Even with a fancier outfit, she was still the same Riley– obsessed with the macabre and all its eccentricities. 

Her shiny metal bracelet shone in the sun. Maggie couldn’t help that the latch started to jiggle a bit, loosening as she concentrated on it. It’d sell for a good hundred at the pawn shop, at least. Maybe she could trick two hundred out of that sucker. Then Riley stopped. “You said Callum Treadwell, right?” She asked, turning around. She began to fidget with the little bracelet on her wrist. “Um, since the sun is setting, I’m not supposed to leave any visitors in the dark, so, um, I’ll just stand here. If you want me to turn the lamp on, just shout,” The Gravekeeper stepped aside and faced the other way, revealing the full tombstone. Maggie’s eyes widened.

It should’ve been bigger. It was simply a plague in the ground with a flower laying next to it. Where was the statue honoring him? Where were the ceremonies? Where was anything to celebrate him? Did they really just see him as nothing but another dead guy? The floats of villains that he got lumped into were insulting enough, but this? This was disrespectful! This wasn’t right! She had to punch something, steal something, do anything but look at the name carved into a rocky plate. 

Callum Treadwell. Alias, Wonder Boy. 

A true wonder among us.

Her jaw clenched tightly. How dare they. Nothing about his sacrifice, his life, not even his birthday. Her grip tightened around the petite rose in her hands, snapping the stem.

“Did you know him?” Riley whispered. The setting sky was now a deep shade of purple. How long was she standing there? Why did she feel these strange little wet streaks down her cheeks? “Sorry,” Riley forced a nervous laugh, “Malcom says I shouldn’t talk to visitors about this stuff, but…” She turned to face Maggie. Her eyes were watering as well. “I knew him, too. And I really admire what he tried to do.”

Maggie stared at the Gravekeeper. Someone else knew Callum. Someone else cared. She didn’t know if she felt jealous or thankful. On one hand, she wasn’t alone. On the other, she preferred to be alone. “Yeah. He really was a great guy, huh?” she said, slowly placing down the flower over his name.

Riley wiped her face with her sleeve. She had to try to be professional, even if she really couldn’t. “It’s a shame, really. Tragic they didn’t build some sort of memorial.” Maggie nodded with her. Riley stood by her side, staring down at the name. The dirt was soft beneath them. Twilight was turning into dusk quickly. Riley reached for the lantern on her belt and turned the knob. It was designed like an old-fashioned oil lamp but had the same functionality of an automatic, modern version. “I’m supposed to kick you out now, but I don’t feel like it,” she admitted, holding the light up to her face. Maggie watched pink bloom on her face. It got worse when Riley noticed her staring and they locked eyes. “Malcom won’t be back until nine, so I’m on patrol duty until then. It’d… um, It’d be nice to have some company,” Riley said, fiddling with her bracelet again, “If you want to stay, of course. This place is a bit sad.”

Maggie kept her gaze on Callum’s grave. Magpie always worked alone. Things were better that way. She survived all by herself, and there would never be someone to lean on. She learned that solitude really was the best for her. Even so…

“Sure. I got nothing better to do.”

Besides, maybe Maggie could get some information out of her. That helmet had to be somewhere. Even better, Ace could be buried here, too.

[iviarellereads]

Harrow the Ninth, Chapter 37

(Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For detail on The Locked Tomb coverage and the index, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(Ninth House icon) In which the Emperor opens up to Harrow about some of the big questions.

The wait until the fight is agony, but at least there are finally organized lessons for Ianthe and Harrow, particularly in the River creating wards without the body's resources. Strangely, there are no ghosts in the epirhoic. Augustine says they're scared.(1)

When the Emperor offers again to have Harrow locked in with him when the RB arrives, Harrow asks him why he locks himself in an airless room when the RBs strike. In response, he asks Harrow what happens when a Lyctor enters the River. She says the secondary soul activates, to defend the body with the sword.

He explains that when he did the Resurrection and reignited the central star of the Nine Houses system, he became linked to Dominicus. If he dies, the light goes out, the Houses die again, for real. Harrow says, so the star would become a black hole?(2) He confirms, and says Harrow might be the one Lyctor who can truly understand the meaning of apocalypse(3) as this would be. Not a flashy, fiery death, but a sunset without hope of morning.

Both of you fell into silence. "If I fought the Resurrection Beast I'd leave my Houses to die," he said. "If I fought the Heralds, I might well go mad, which would be the same thing. So I'm shut in here--walled in, really--to prevent the Nine Houses becoming none House, with left grief."(4)

Harrow asks one more question: who was A.L.?

God looks astonished and asks Harrow if she'd rather go through the easier questions, like where babies come from. He's even got a book that can help with that one, and are she and Ianthe being safe?(5) Harrow carefully enunciates that she and Ianthe are not being intimate, they're not romantic, they're not even really platonic...(6) Teacher apologizes profusely, and Harrow asks forgiveness and retracts her initial question.

No, says God, he can talk about her. Perhaps it's time for Harrow to know about A.L.

He pronounced her name, as both his wayward saints had, as two clearly separate letters: you could hear the A and the L. He said, "It stood for a couple of things. a joke, mostly. I often called her Annabel Lee. Annie Laurie.(7) When I first met her I just called her First, One.(8) She had a real name, but I buried it with her, and nobody says it anymore."(9)

She was his bodyguard, before the cavaliers. His guide, his friend, at least he hoped it was so. A.L. was the first Resurrection, his "Adam" in a way.

Harrow interrupts to ask what destroyed the First House. "Rising sea levels and a massive nuclear fission chain reaction ... it all went downhill from there."(10) Harrow isn't quite sure what to make of the first details about the pre-Resurrection she's ever heard.

A.L. helped John learn to live again, and be God. But she was no normal human,(11) and there was a price for the sin of the anger she and John shared, in some ways. She died after the first RB hit them.

"I understand why cavaliers primary carry their House titles," said God. "It makes sense. But it is a corruption of the original. D'you know why you're really the First? Because in a very real way, you and the others are all A.L.'s children ... There would be none of you, if not for her."

He goes on to say he thinks A.L. would have liked Harrow, and that Harrow would make a hell of a daughter. Sometimes he wishes she were his.

Harrow shatters the glass table, kneels in the shards, prostrates herself before him. This moment of approval by one in authority over her is the undoing of her restraint. She admits that she opened the Locked Tomb. He says she did not. She admits every step of it, and what she saw, what her parents did when they found out, and she asks if she killed both her fathers that day.

God says no, she didn't, very gently. He insists she can't have done what she claims to have done. He made the blood ward, him alone, and it would never have opened for anyone else.(12) Harrow clams up, the uncertainty of insanity making her doubt herself again.

God tucks a tendril of hair behind Harrow's ear, and then his eyes widen, and he asks who's been tampering with her temporal lobe. Harrow has a seizure in response, if by seizure you mean she stands up, turns around, and walks away without another word.

As the door closed you might have heard, "Damn it, John--damn it." But the last thing you were going to do was trust your own ears.

=====

(1) The RBs sure terrify the pants off me, who can blame the ghosts? (2) Interesting. So far all indications are that the Dominicus system is very like our own, and our Sun wouldn't be able to form a black hole. It wouldn't even really be able to make a supernova, it's much too small. It's possible that Dominicus differs from our Sun in some meaningful way, or that the necromancy of it all could affect things. Also, black holes don't just mindlessly suck in everything in a certain range. I mean, consider that there's a giant black hole at the center of our galaxy, and the galaxy is still spinning billions of years later. A black hole still only has the gravitational pull of the mass that went into its singularity. (3) Technically, despite our modern use of it to mean catastrophe and destruction, "apocalypse" derives from words about revealing or uncovering. The Book of Revelation (no S here) was translated from the Koine Greek apokalypsis. It can be any disclosure of divine mysteries to a human, in dreams or visions or visitations. This is definitely the sort of thing Muir knows and might use intentionally to open up interpretations. (4) For all the puns and references in this book, this, this is the first one that made me put my ereader down calmly and walk away so that I didn't throw it through a window. None pizza with left beef is a classic and ancient meme. If you don't know about it, it's even on Wikipedia. (5) The question of whether Harrow and Ianthe are having sex or not is eternally fascinating to the fandom at large and eternally amusing to me as someone who doesn't particularly care about the answer. Is this John operating with knowledge of what goes on on his ship, or is he projecting his affairs with his Lyctors this last myriad of years? I suppose we can say with some confidence that he knows about reproductive safety since Dios Apate, Minor was obviously not the first time and so far he has no children in evidence. (6) Methinks the lady doth protest too much. [suggestive eyebrow waggle] (7) We already covered Annabel Lee, but Annie Laurie is a very old poem by William Douglas, also about the woman he loved. (8) That's a weird name even if you've been in Star Trek fandom in the last 20 years with Seven of Nine such a popular character. (9) That's awfully sad, but it makes sense. Grief is an odd old friend. (10) Rising sea levels and nuclear war… that feels a little too familiar. (11) Just what might that mean? (12) That's odd, because we know very well that it DID open.

[golbrocklovely]

Thank you for your response, although i have to disagree with one thing. Because after everything i saw it really doesn’t look like fans do not want to hate on Sam, hell, i’ve seen plenty hate for Sam, especially on Twitter. F.e when Katelyn and Sam were still together and people found out about them, it wasn’t only Katelyn that received hate, Sam has been trashed as well. Most of the tweets aimed at him were saying how horrible of person he is for doing that to Kat, how he is a liar, because he said that he will Marry Kat and now he is with another woman. If anything i’ve seen almost nothing but hate for Sam lately.

Like f.e even comparing to what i see regardless of Colby and Malia and what i saw when it came to Sam and Katelyn. Cause when it comes to CnM relationship i mostly saw ONLY hate for Malia, people claiming that she is controlling colby, that she is toxic and that poor colby have no idea of that and that “they hope he will realize soon” (such a clownshit). But on the other boat i saw both parties receiving hate.

Although ofc that it’s not a competition and both boys unfortunately receive hate every day for basically breathing air and i think that some fans needs to seriously grow up asap. Those men are not their toys.

maybe i didn't explain myself enough. what i was trying to say is that while sam, in the past, didn't get hate for things that this fandom would hate colby for, once he broke up with kat and started dating katelyn, that was the first time i actually saw real vitriol for him. on top of actual critiques/calling him out for things.

but even now, since he's broken up with her, things have turned back in his favor. not completely, of course. but hell, ppl were cheering him on for the way he was responding to katelyn and her tomfoolery lol and weirdly i think that behavior exhibited by him made certain fans like him again. bc he was petty and mean… like they are.

this fandom, since kat and his' breakup, has been weirdly wishy washy with him. bc sometimes they love him DOWN and it don't matter what he does, but then other times they think he's a terrible fucking person and name call him to hell. i mean, prime example was when kat released her songs. of course you had ppl hating on kat, and that was dumb bc she's allowed to say how she feels about her own breakup, but then you had ppl full on defending him and acting as if she shot him or something. but then there were fans that were also calling him out for being a pos and not doing enough during the relationship. but eventually that slowly fizzled out. then tides turned on him when he took katelyn to the same date spot he took kat first. and this cycle of liking him then hating him went back and forth until he broke up with her. now you have fans saying he does all the work for snc and colby's not pulling his weight.

it's weird. the only real time i saw ppl question him was when he was with katelyn. every other instance ppl treated him the same as usual. idk if it's bc ppl just hated katelyn so much that they eventually had to take it out on him bc how dare he choose her over kat or if it was something else entirely. but it was very odd to see him actually get real hate for merely dating someone, when that has been happening to colby for years now.

as for malia and colby's relationship, both of them have had terrible things said about them. with malia, it's mostly about her looks. for colby, it's tearing down his personality or his choices. or just in general making fun of both of them as a couple for being cringy and in love with each other.

and like you said, truly nobody in this situation deserves hate. not the girls, or snc, or kat for that matter. snc did nothing wrong except love someone that fans didn't like. i know i've been yelled at before on here for bringing up sam's inability to be critiqued by the fandom bc "what do you want? both them to get hate???" and it's like… no. i don't want anyone to get hate. but if you're gonna hate on colby for something that sam IS ALSO DOING, keep the energy the same. that's all i ask. or at least admit you have a bias towards sam and nothing he does is wrong, but everything colby does is.

(not saying that's what you think or that you're yelling at me lol just talking about past convos i've had on here).

or, crazy concept, if everyone could just stop hating and be nice to snc, the ppl you're supposed to be FANS OF, that would be nice too.