#the witch lead them to monty

[paintedwingz]

something something, their lantern being left in hell symbolising that this is the last time either of them will be left in the dark with no hope of making it out. something something maybe this symbolises the end of the pain and suffering that comes with dying

[ace-and-the-rpg-horrors]

i feel like some of the fandom is a bit harsh on Monty... like, trauma is definitely not an excuse, but it does give pretty much all of his actions an understandable explanation?

like... Monty was actively being abused by Esther in practically any scene they were together. he said something she didn't like, and she yelled and grabbed him threateningly. both of the times she transformed him, from crow to human and then back again, she literally stabbed and ripped him up in a really gory way.

i sure wonder why an evil witch's familiar who's constantly treated like that would follow her orders even if he disagreed with them!!

and considering that Esther is potentially one of the only humans Monty came into contact with before meeting the others, and she's like that - he turned out alright, didn't he? he's petty, a bit rude sometimes, and takes things personally, but generally, he's a shockingly decent person.

yes, he didn't take it well when Edwin rejected him. but, as others have pointed out - how was Monty genuinely meant to know any better? he had lived his whole life as a crow in a cage too small for him, where the only person he knew was his extremely nasty and cruel owner. and then, all of a sudden, he's forced into a new body and has humanity thrust upon him against his will. he explicitly expressed this discomfort himself when Esther degraded him for getting "too emotional" for her liking.

"i never asked to be human. with all these... feelings."

even after the bitterness of the rejection, Monty never actually wanted to hurt the Dead Boy Detectives. turns out, he didn't even know that Esther's plan intended to end them completely, and was so horrified upon finding out that he made an attempt to lead them to safety, which was, by the way, putting himself at massive risk. Esther already punished him likely under the assumption that he just didn't put enough effort into manipulating them - can you imagine what she'd have done to him if she knew about his last-minute attempt to actually save them?

of course, i don't think Edwin was wrong for not forgiving Monty. he deserved that. Monty still helped in the scheme that aimed to destroy him. he also fully deserved to reject Monty if he wanted to (conversely, i do also see people say that Edwin "could have handled it better," but honestly, i don't know if it's just me not being neurotypical or something, but i genuinely do not see how Edwin could have been nicer about it? he was straightforward and polite, then afterwards, still tried to be Monty's friend until the betrayal.)

however, Monty was still very much a victim himself, and any harm he did was not from his own will, instead motivated by fear of the terrifying witch who had him fully reliant upon her, often through both verbal and physical force. Esther never hesitated to hurt him. he was painfully aware of that. she didn't care about him beyond how useful he could be. and when he failed at that, her reaction was violent.

but he didn't have anyone else.

[deconstructthesoup]

Thinking about how if Jenny did come to London with the others, and if Monty does manage to turn back into a human and ends up joining the agency... there's seven members of the agency. Which means that there's one that matches up with each member of the Endless.

Edwin---well, that one's obvious, isn't it? He's come face to face with Despair, walked in her domain, stared her in the eyes as she quietly declared that they were friends now. He is, at his core, deeply and profoundly sad, and there's no denying that. Until Edwin allows himself to be happy, Despair will always have her hooks in his heart, and even when he's free of them, she will always linger in the faintest parts of his ghostly aura, will always be there whenever he travels through a mirror.

Charles... oh, Charles. We all know which of the Endless he would be the most affected by, don't we? He claims that he can't say he's in love with Edwin back, but the minute those words left his mouth, Desire was up there in their domain, cackling at how fucking idiotic this boy is. If we get a season 2, we will absolutely see them taunting Charles, purring into his ear that they know how much he's been ignoring his own desires and wouldn't it be nice to just acknowledge it, darling? Edwin was able to tell you, why can't you just say it back?

Crystal already feels as if she's losing her mind half the time, and doubly so now that she's fully warring with two very separate sides of herself. Would it really be a stretch for her to try to help a lonely-looking girl with wild red hair one night, only to touch her and immediately get pulled into a world that is a riot of color and confusion and things that don't and shouldn't exist? Delirium would probably be kind to her---her default state tends to be kind, even if not everyone sees it that way---but I doubt Crystal would have a good time there, even as Delirium compliments her on her name and proudly proclaims that she's a shiny rock and a pretty building and a football team and a flying machine all in one.

Niko's lost somewhere right now, and we all know she has a long journey home. I don't think it would be unlikely for her journey to eventually lead her to a palace with a roof made of stars, or a library full of every book that has ever been written---and every book that never has. And Dream might see this girl who doesn't belong in his world, but who can't take his sister's hand, and show her the way back to her friends. After all, she's lost so much and is still full of so much hope, and how could Dream not admire someone like that?

Monty... well, he spends all his time looking up at the stars, and not just because they sparkle and shine and all of his crow instincts say that they're treasures meant to be plucked from the sky. He wants to know the future, his future, to find out whether or not he can be something other than just a witch's pet. And maybe, some of his wanderings will one day lead him into a labyrinth, and he'll come out the other side in the garden of Destiny. Will Destiny let Monty read from his book? Probably not, but I think being there might be comfort enough.

There's a slim chance of Jenny ever meeting Destruction, but they are more similar than you may think. Jenny, like him, is a prodigal who left her post, whose life always seems to fall apart, who struggles with a whirlwind of emotions that she can barely comprehend. And while he's off in a secluded land, finding new ways to channel creation rather than the purpose he was made for, she's rebuilding her life, as crazy as it may be.

And, well... we all know who the Night Nurse works for.

[blackbat05]

A New Feeling

Fred Weasley x F!Reader

Plot: An accidental trip to the newest department at the Ministry leaves Fred Weasley with a new feeling and wanting for more.

Genre: PG-13

A/N: Felt like writing something on a whim. Here's to new beginnings and fresh starts! Hope you enjoyed and thanks for the support!

"Why are we even here George?" Fred bemoans as he unwillingly drags his feet behind his twin.

"Hey, I don't like this any more than you do." George stares at him accusingly. "But we have to submit these permits on time if we want to expand the shop." George sighs. "It's the sacrifice of spreading joy."

They squeeze themselves into the elevator with the other Ministry employees, the metal box taking them down to the lobby.

George throws a hand forward to block his twin as Fred is about to step out.

"What gives?"

"I don't think you need to meet Monty. Especially not when you purposely gave him a fire breathing candy that nearly burned half his insides. We need this permit."

"That's because he's a git." Fred rolls his eyes as he sees the mentioned employee entering the office. "He was harassing the witches at the shop! What was I supposed to do?"

"Fine! Just be somewhere else. I'll let you know when I'm done." George coaxes him before leaving to persuade Monty to expand Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. Perhaps it was for the best. George was always better at business talk with important wizards and witches.

Making himself sparse, Fred ambles down the hallways that were bustling with Ministry employees from various departments. He finds himself at the end of the many rooms and sees a lone ancient door tucked near the emergency staircase. That's strange. Fred's been here a couple of times but he has never seen that door, or what was behind him.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Fred takes long strides to the mystery door and finally gets a clue of what is behind it. In bold, it read: Ministry of Magic Library and Archives.

Fred turns the knob and the door disappears momentarily, allowing him to step inside.

It felt like he had entered a different realm. Bookcases towered over him as he walked deeper into the library. The number of books was a never ending maze. The smell of old pages demanded patrons to show respect to the sacred place.

"Hello!"

Fred jumps slightly and bumps into an employee who stares at him curiously.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The employee chuckles. Fred can't help but to not notice the scent of strawberry wafting through the air. "How can I help you?"

Fred is rooted to the ground and for the first time, speechless. Her smile was infectious and the sunflower yellow robes seemed to magnify her beauty by miles.

"Well... I'm just... uh... waiting for my brother. I decided to explore the level." Fred explains. "This is new." He waves a hand around the library.

"You're sharp." She remarks and Fred feels oddly proud. "The library and archive room just opened six months ago. After the war, the Ministry felt that it was important to preserve the history and remember what everyone fought for." She leads Fred further in and his footsteps no longer feel heavy. "We have books on different subjects and from all over the world. Minister Shacklebolt felt it was important to learn from our counterparts."

They stop at the fifth shelve and with a wave of her wand, a book floats down.

"And by all subjects, we mean everything." She passes Fred a book titled 'Potions and Pranks by Momo Kohuro'. "Mahoutokoro certainly had a knack for producing students extremely proficient in potions. I think you would have liked it there."

"You know me?" Fred says dumbly.

"Of course." She smiles. "I just thought you have enough attention for the day- entire lifetime actually. I didn't want to freak you out." She refers to the wizards and witches who are unabashedly staring at their conversation.

"You and your family were very brave."

Fred's pride had grown exponentially and he had no idea how he should continue without looking like a fool.

"Um, do you think you could show me around the rest of the library? And maybe help me check out this book?"

She nods and leads him around the library and archive room until closing time.

"Thanks. I really enjoyed it."

"I hope I didn't bore you with my incessant talking. I just really like working here. Thanks for being such an amazing guest." She beams and his heart skips a beat.

"Come back anytime."

Fred leaves the library and heads back to the lobby where George is impatiently waiting for him.

"There you are! I thought you fell down the toilet. What took you so long?"

"Just got lost." Fred says simply, his brother's veiled insult flying over his head. George doesn't question Fred's odd behavior.

"We got the permit! But Monty wants us to both sign the papers even though I clearly know my signature would suffice." George purses his lips. "Maybe you were right about Monty being a stuffy old git."

"Uh huh." Fred says absentmindedly.

"Okay, that does it. What have you done with my brother?"

"Nothing! We can come down tomorrow right?" Fred asks.

"Tomorrow is a Saturday." George deadpans. "Tell me what the hell happened while I was away!"

Fred speed walks to the exit with his twin determined and hot on his heels. "Come on, we need to get back for stock taking."

"Not until you tell me what happened!"

The scent of strawberry still clouds his mind. Fred makes a mental note to get her name when he drops by the library tomorrow.

[ghostpaynes]

Thinking about how angry Edwin can gets in moments of (rightfully mind you) being hurt. How he was ready to say (again rightfully) nasty things to Simon but then was taken out of the situation seeing that he didn't mean to and that he chose even a little to forgive him which lead him to move on.

(And if you say he didn't why would he offer to get Simon out if he didn't forgive him? Why would he want to help if he was still holding to that wrong)

And thinking about Monty and how he yelled and was so angry and after reflection he probably regretted it because now real Monty has nothing. He has no friend and no witch to be a familier too. He's truly alone. And even if he betrayed him there was still sincerity and regret. And this witch killed two of his friends one of which as far as he knows doesn't get the chance to have another life.

I also don't think it's to far out of range for them to carry a book that might have the grusome spell Monty went threw to become human and then a bird again. But that is something better he doesn't know

[crowpickingss]

Fangs

monty x gn! vampire reader

summary: basically what happens in dbd but slightly altered

warnings: angst, explicit language

a/n: long Monty fic because I feel like we don’t have enough this really focuses more on the reader though

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

A vampire living among humans, seems impossible. Well for you that’s not the case. Port Townsend was filled with supernatural beings. From witches to ghost, the supernatural outweighed the humans.

Your diet consisted of mainly blood. You would drain the blood out of animal meat from the butchers. It was that butchers place that led you to meeting Charles. He was nice, funny and full of references you didn’t understand.

He introduced you to Edwin. You felt you clicked more with Edwin. Maybe it was the fact you died the same year or the fact that your humor was very matched. Edwin found that your vampiric ability’s would be useful to cases and invited you to join the dead boy detectives.

One day when You, Edwin and Nico were researching at the Library you bumped into a new face. You fell in love the moment you saw him, sadly he seemed more interested in Edwin.

You slowly became closer with Monty. One day when you were laughing at one of his jokes he noticed your fangs. He was curious and asked about them which ended up leading you to confess your secret about being a vampire.

You had expected him to turn away but he instead told you his secret. You felt even closer after he confessed you both knew a secret that if it got out would cause you both a lot of trouble.

One night when you were sleeping Edwin burst into Nicos room. He seemed upset so you did what any friend would do, pester him until he spilled why he was upset.

He told you all about Monty, the kiss and his feelings for Charles. You felt a little hurt that Monty had kissed Edwin but right now you were focused on cheering your friend up.

You explained that you would try everything to get Monty and Edwin to be friend and you would help Edwin to confess to Charles.

The next day Monty came up to the rooftop this time with a case. You followed him into the woods listening to him talk about Gladys. Eventually you split up Charles and Crystal going one way and You, Monty and Edwin going another way.

You were trying to get them to talk the entire time but they wouldn’t say a word. Eventually you fell silent and eventually they made up. Just when you thought all was well The Cat King had to show up and ruin everything.

The look of betrayal on Edwin’s face shattered your heart, it obliterated Monty’s. The Cat King walked by and spilled another secret this time it affected you “I can’t believe you, you knew he was a crow and you let it happen” Edwin was mad and betrayed “I’m sorry Edwin, I didn’t think it would blow up like this”.

Edwin stormed off and went to find Charles to warn them about Monty. You tuned to The Cat King who looked smug as ever and lunged at him. He dodged before you could do any real damage.

He disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke leaving you and Monty behind. He looked defeated a small stream of tears running down his cheek. You pulled him into a hug hoping it would calm him down.

You held his hands “Monty, no matter what happens I’m here for you” He pulled you into the hug this time “Thank you, I’m going to find Esther now” You nodded and turned away.

You didn’t bother trying to find Edwin. You walked back to Nico’s and just stayed there. When they came back they were more flustered than ever. Crystal explained everything which made you feel guilty about not staying. You started apologising to the point where the word sorry didn’t sound like a word.

Edwin groaned a mix of annoyance and frustration painting his face. Charles knew you didn’t mean any harm and he hated seeing Edwin mad “Edwin cmon mate forgive em we all mess up once” Edwin took a deep breath “Toying with my feelings isn’t just a mistake Charles” You wiped a tear that almost fell from your eye “Edwin, Monty actually liked you a lot and what you did at the swings was a dick move”

Edwin groaned again “You don’t need to remind me” You crossed your arms “I’m only being mean because I’m looking out for you and Monty” Charles, Crystal and Nico all said goodnight and left you and Edwin in the hall alone “Edwin I really liked Monty, a lot and I know you like Charles but you don’t need to be so harsh”

Edwin sighed “He’s a bloody crow and he lied to me, I have every right to be mad at him” you pinched the bridge of your nose “Look just promise me you’ll make up tomorrow, he really cares about you Edwin” He rolled his eyes but gave you a look that said he agreed.

However you didn’t see Monty the next day. You went out searching but he was no where to be seen. Defeated you walked back into the apartment and saw Nico and some lady standing in Crystals cleared our apartment.

You approached Nico very confused. She explained what had happened to Edwin and you were shocked. You sat down by the door waiting for them to return.

Fast forward a little bit to when they returned it was a very wholesome moment everyone was cheering and smiling well except for the night nurse but she didn’t look like the lady to do so.

You begged Edwin to help you search for Monty he reluctantly agreed but after a while there was no trace it was like he vanished.

As you were all saying your goodbyes to Crystal you couldn’t help but feel off. The whole place felt different but you couldn’t tell why. It wasn’t until it exploded that you actually understood why.

You helped Nico and Jenny out of the destroyed butchers shop. Crystal came running back as Esther came out holding the two ghost boys in a locked box.

She walked off all high and mighty leaving the four of you to recover. You, Crystal and Nico all huddled up after talking a break to calm down. They would go get intel on Esther while you were tasked with figuring out what you were dealing with.

You hid outside of her house and looked through the window to see the medieval torture device set up in her living room. She turned to look directly at you causing you to duck. You watched as she released the ghosts. Tying Edwin to the machine and chaining Charles to her kitchen counter.

You also saw a crow in its cage, a small piece of hope hit you. It was likely that the crow was Monty. Nico and Crystal came back and helped to defeat Esther. Esther was able to get one final blow before she died hitting you right in the stomach.

Edwin and Charles helped carry you back to the shop entrance. Her magic caused you to feel weak and frail. When you left the house, Monty followed not leaving your side.

Crystal carried a couple of books about witchcraft hoping it had a cure. She found one and with the help of Edwin and Charles performed it causing all the pain to go away by the wound to stay.

When you were feeling better you let Monty claw his way up your arm. You took the book that Crystal put on the ground and started searching for the spell Esther used before.

You almost cried when you found it. The spell seemed simple enough after a couple of minutes back and forwarding you mustered up the courage to turn Monty human.

It happened and was quick and easy and hopefully painless. Monty returned in the blink of an eye. You hugged him really hard as he regained the ability to become human.

He hugged you back harder thanking you a million times “Monty, I know Edwin wasn’t into you but I am so I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go out?” He smiled softly “I would love too” You smiled showing your fangs.

—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—•—

[reallifetangent]

Just saw someone on TikTok saying the "You could live a thousand lives and never deserve that boy" saying that Cat King, Monty and Charles don't deserve Edwin and I've never seen so much bullshit in my life (as far as I can remember)

How come you throw down 3 character arcs and ignoring at least Charles' temper and context to put above on a pillar one character who has bad things as well.

Post was in Spanish, I'm translating what it said with the colors.

Sorry for the random rambling/texts, I had to get it out of my system and sorry if I had wrong stuff

Obviously spoilers about the whole series

Cat King: he started wrong and pressured Edwin on things he didn't know

There's an analysis post here that explains why the punishment made sense. Edwin was warned of not messing around with the cats. Cat King of course had moments where he made Edwin obvious and clearly uncomfortable, and either stopped there or stepped back. Even between all his flirty aura and wanting to play and be loved by this Twink Ghost, he still respected Edwin and was pretty much consensual (the bracelet not because again, it's just the punishment because of what Edwin did to the cats), like proposing counting cats instead of pleasing him physically as soon as he realized Edwin wasn't in that lane.

By the end of the season, he's the one that changes the less respecting from where they started (I think). He's still a flirty, charming, iconic, still respecting and asking for the hug, this time only calling him from the distance because he knows the context, they're mourning Niko, he can't be that flirty or attention seeker, he knows how much she meant for Ed. The flowers scene where it's both flowers for him but also for her (the flower's meanings about rebirth, purity, innocence. I think it's how Niko was for this world, but also huge kudos to this Reddit when I was looking for the flower scene)

Monty: tricked Edwin so the witch could have her revenge.

Monty is a Crow Familiar. He ofc owes loyalty to his witch. He was turned into a human with the condition of helping his master. And he catches feelings. He's been a human since what? Less than a week? He gets hooked by Edwin. He loves Edwin. When they kiss and Edwin says he doesn't love him back, he's hurt. And he's Esther's familiar. What did she do once she didn't get what she wanted? Plan on revenge. He's still hurt, he thinks Edwin didn't care about his feelings. He even said they shouldn't be friends anymore.

Damn, he even went along deeper even thinking that they wouldn't get the case since they were Ace Detectives, until he heard that the fungus ate ghosts/spectrals so this wasn't an easy revenge. He tried to lead them/him away from it. Then Cat King interrupted and well, shit went down. More hurt feelings, more disgraces. He gets back to Esther who dislikes that her dear crow familiar was on the side of Edwin and caught feelings. He didn't want to feel like that, he didn't ask to be hurt, didn't want to be human and have feelings. Ofc he couldn't be with Edwin as long as Esther is his witch, she still has control over him. And yet he tried to go against her orders. He even helped Charles getting away on last ep.

Charles: said cruel words, wishing he never died and throwing in his face that Ed would never be able to keep the group together because he can't and he lacks Char's charisma.

Charles was fresh from living on a loop that caught him because his reaction to trauma was too strong. He had to live(?) and watch over and over again a family suffering for the exact same thing that reminded him his living life. Even worse, he had to experience on bucle him trying to stop it just to be interrupted and made him watch it until the father was done, looking at the corpses and then the gunshot. Tell me about feeling helpless and useless when you are stuck on a loop where your attempt of trying to help it's not working and you are seeing it over and over again. Ofc he was more than upset for not being able to help, to stop Crystal from getting hurt, from Edwin lying to him because Ed was troubled in his mind, and Night Nurse reminding him the physical violence he lived, how he died.

Charles and Edwin died at 16. Sixteen. How many things they could've experienced but never happened? They'll never get to grow up. He died and he never had a chance to stand up against his dad and protect his mom. He lost the chance to keep the bullies away from others. He lost all the sensations, he lost most of his senses. Not being able to enjoy things because he can't feel them. He misses spaghetti, he said he might miss kissing (he and Crystal kissed, he said he didn't feel anything but well, as long as she does, he's okay with it). He misses being able to have people his age to hang around. And everything was taken away from him.

Ofc he tries to be positive about it, he tries to be useful to make up for not helping when he was alive. He didn't want to be like Brad and Hunter, but he wanted to be that cool guy loved by everyone and was an actual good person. You can't hold on a smile for too long without it turning into a fake one after having all of that. All those years he shoved away the familiar violence, until he had to live it again, two times, and see that he couldn't stop it. He's hurt by everyone (Edwin lying to him, the whole Crystal's case still unsolved, etc), and he reached the limit. Are you telling me he would just smile again and pretend it was nothing? He'd been doing that for so long, and now he was unable to hide it again.

And last but not least, Edwin.

Edwin Payne, sassy Edwardian Era Teenager who has an ego so big you can see it from space, plays hard to get on the cases, thinks he's better/smarter than anyone (one thing is being it, other is claiming it), thinking everyone is on his same level or page (the whole Does that look blue to you? We have the same left! Implying that what he says and knows are too obvious that forgets not everyone thinks like him. I relate to that soooo bad) Shoved away more than once Crystal, has more salt than the Dead Sea, calls out more than once Charles for trying to keep Crystal around, when Jenny was calling Crystal out for running or whatever he was shocked that Crystal wasn't paying attention to him like how dares she ignore me. And don't get me started with invalidating everyone's feelings when they said they were hurt or living a nightmare... We got it. Hell was a literal hell. But you're dealing right now with a girl who's around 16-18 and you're trying to solve her case, not a competition about "Who suffered the most".

Ofc at the end of the season he's finally fond of Crystal, he was finally accepting her as part of the team even without her powers, he's now able to express better his feelings, better at setting and saying things and stop assuming everyone is on his same level, he starts caring about people like Monty (even after breaking his crow heart, he apologizes and tries to explain that he was new to that as well and things could've been with them staying as friends until Cat King made his entrance and the reveal, Cat King with the whole Cat Mouse Game he was able to again, start accepting he has feelings and being the way they are is not bad, able to set boundaries, even allow himself to play silly things like actually counting the cats.

Edwin had to go through a lot of things to be able to actually be open and grow as a character. I feel everyone likes Edwin at the end of the season or praise his Salty Sassy Edwardian Teenager phase, and it's not bad, but please do not throw down other characters to get him higher. Or at least, don't throw them down like that. Do not treat him like it's flawless, just because you like his flaws.

I mean, I feel like I'm not writing nothing we haven't seen, like stating the obvious. Maybe a rewatch to see better the character arcs?

[matrixaffiliate]

Mistletoe

New Story! FFN and AO3

For the amazing @midnightelite ! Part of the Potterverse Gift Exchange.

The McKinnon's New Year's Eve party is the stuff of legends, but Marlene is far more focused on one Sirius Black.

Mistletoe

The McKinnon's New Year's Eve party was the sort of event that witches and wizards looked forward to all year. Budding DJs sent auditions to Angus, knowing the gig could fill their schedules for the rest of the year. Catering businesses sent Elspeth invitations to try new menu items and free birthday dinners. Friends and family blocked out their schedules after Christmas to come help the McKinnon's clean and set up for the party. And anyone who received an invite the beginning of December moved mountains to ensure that they could attend.

Marlene enjoyed the controlled chaos her parents orchestrated for the party every year, but she loved the few day of preparation more. The quiet lead up before the storm of people and music and food. She especially loved that only their closest friends and family came to help clean and set up for the party.

This year that included the Potters, as always, but the Potters included one more than the normal three.

Marlene had invited Sirius Black to this party every year they'd been at Hogwarts, but this year, their sixth year, was the first that he could come. The Potters had invited him to help prepare for the party, and to Marlene's delight, he'd agreed.

Marlene shifted the boxes in her arms as she walked from the shed in the back garden to the house. The sun peaked out from behind the clouds as snow crunched beneath her feet. The boxes blocked her view of the house, but not the sound of laughter coming from within. She reached for the door, trying to keep the boxes balanced in her arms. Fate had other plans. Marlene swore as the boxes tipped off balance, sliding forward. She lunged forward, hoping to trap the boxes between her chest and the door, but she forgot she'd been in the process of opening the door.

It played out in slow motion. The door swung open. The boxes fell forward. And Marlene braced for her own impact with the floor.

That didn't come.

Instead of hardwood floor, she impacted with strong arms that steadied both her and the boxes in her arms.

"Don't move."

"Sirius?"

"Really, Marls, there are better ways to get my attention than throwing yourself at me under the mistletoe."

Marlene rolled her eyes, stopping for a moment to look at one of the several sprigs of mistletoe her parents kept around the house. "Trust me, I don't need mistletoe as an excuse to kiss a bloke."

His body shook with his laughter and Marlene privately admitted that she wouldn't mind one bit if he took the mistletoe above them as an invitation to kiss her.

"Noted. Hold on."

With a strength Marlene didn't realize he had, Sirius lifted her and the boxes from their precariously balanced position, set Marlene down in the entryway, took the boxes from her arms, and carefully placed them on the floor next to her.

"Thank you." Marlene tried to shake the desire to be back in his arms.

"Any time, Marls." He winked at her. "All good?"

"Yeah." She swallowed as his eyes traced her face. He took a step closer to her and Marlene couldn't stop from doing the same.

"Sirius, my boy? Did you find that broom?" Monty's voice called from the dining room.

"Here." Marlene spun to the hall closet and pulled out the broom. She turned to hand it to him and gasped when Sirius was right in front of her.

"Thanks." His fingers wrapped around hers instead of the broom, and he stepped closer.

"Of course." She barely heard her own voice.

"Sirius?" Monty called again.

Annoyance flickered across Sirius' face for the briefest moment, and Marlene agreed. She loved Monty like an uncle, but right now she wanted to see what would happen if Monty forgot he needed this broom.

Sirius slipped his hands from hers to the broom and stepped back. He gave her a smirk as her turned towards the dining room.

"Mistletoe isn't all bad." He winked at her.

"I never said it was bad." Marlene grinned. "Only that I don't need it as an excuse."

"Good to know." His gaze went heated for a long moment before he disappeared down the corridor, leaving Marlene short of breath for several moments after he was gone.

The rest of the days leading up to the party found Marlene watching Sirius, and most of the time without realizing it. To be fair, most of the time she looked up he was watching her as well. When she met his gaze he'd smirk and wink at her before going back to whatever task he was engaged in. But Marlene rather preferred when she would look at him and he wasn't already watching her. There was a presence to Sirius when he wasn't aware he was being observed. It lacked the cockiness he put forward, and instead he exuded a quiet confidence in every task he took on. There was so much more to Sirius, and every time she watched without his knowing, she learned a bit more about the man he hid behind his mask.

New Year's Eve finally came and Marlene was a bit sad it had. She'd enjoyed Sirius being around her home, and after tonight he wouldn't be around at all until the next year. Sure she'd see him at school, but it wouldn't be the same.

Marlene watched Sirius laugh at something Remus had said, his head back, his smile lighting up his face, it was exactly what she'd come to know as him in these last few days with him. And it embodied how over those days, she'd shifted from seeing him as one of her most fit friends, to seeing him as something more.

"Marlene?" Her mother tapped her shoulder. "Will you please grab another platter and bring it out here?"

"Sure." Marlene smiled as her mum hugged her.

"Thank you."

She took one last look at Sirius and turned down the corridor to the kitchen.

"Running away from the party?" A voice she had come to recognize asked as she pulled the platter from the cupboard.

Sirius leant against the door frame as he smiled at her.

"Running errands for the party would be the more accurate descriptor." She smiled at him, setting the platter on the counter.

Sirius moved slowly to her side, his eyes not leaving hers. "That's a relief. I was worried the famed Marlene McKinnon hated her own party."

Marlene laughed and reached behind her to hold the counter, her heart beating so fast she worried she might pass out.

Sirius didn't stop his advance until his hands were covering hers. His body was so close, filling her senses with his scent, the sound of his breathing, the intensity of his stare.

"You said you didn't need mistletoe." He brought his forehead to rest against hers. "Is there something you do need?"

"To kiss a bloke?" She chuckled. "I prefer to want to."

His nose brushed hers and her eyes closed of their own accord. "Do you want to?"

"Yes."

She expected him to rush her. To kiss her like every other sloppy teenager. But she quickly realized why Sirius' reputation preceded him.

Sirius' lips were soft, as they slanted over hers, caressing, savoring, stealing not only her ability but her desire to breathe air. Marlene wanted to breath this kiss for the rest of her life. His hands shifted from covering hers on the counter, sliding the length of her arms, one tangling in her curls and the other wrapping around her waist and pulling her into him. Marlene's grip shifted from the counter behind her to Sirius' hair, her nails dragging against his scalp. Sirius growled and shifted the kiss, pressing her against the counter as he increased their pace, his hands holding her tighter to him.

That was where her brain decided to catch up with her.

"Sirius." She broke their kiss, but her voice came out in a breathy moan that Sirius took as an invitation to move his lips to her neck.

Merlin and Morgana why did he choose to do this when her mother was waiting for her?

"Sirius." She tried again. "Let me get this platter to my mum and then we can find a better place to snog."

He grinned against her neck before nipping at the skin beneath her ear. "Afraid to get caught?"

"No, but if we get caught there's no way we'll be able to sneak away."

"Touché." He brought his lips back to hers in a slow slide. "Lead on."

Marlene didn't remember untangling herself from Sirius, or where her mother was when they dropped the platter with her. But she definitely remembered pulling Sirius into the green house at the back of the garden.

"I thought you didn't care for mistletoe." Sirius teased as he pulled her down to the bench in the back.

Marlene glanced up at the sprig hanging above the bench and laughed. She didn't know her parents put it up out here too.

"I never said I didn't like it, only that I don't need it's excuse."

Sirius cupped her face and smiled the brightest smile she'd ever seen on him. "I happen to be rather fond of the tradition."

Marlene snaked her hands around his neck and pulled him close. "Then per tradition, I think you have to kiss me."

He did just that.

[ask-andrew-montrose]

It is a beautiful day for a date, and as Will and Andrew are walking past some young couple, they both get startled: a wizard suddenly falls on one knee and starts serenading to his witch in the middle of Hogsmeade. Will grabs Andrew's hand tightly, squinting at such a public display of— of— Gah, whatever this is. What did the guy even pull that lute out of!

Once they are far enough that they can't hear the lute and its high-pitched owner, Will clears his throat, stops, and turns to Andrew.

"Monty, do you sing by any chance or play any instruments?"

He hopes the question is not as obvious as it sounds to Will's own ears. Or even worse than obvious — that it sounds like Will is fishing in the most undignified jelly manner. Which he is, of course. Fishing that is. He can't help but greedily want all the attention. And if Andrew happens to do some romantic gesture in addition to answering — all the better.

Montrose pleasantly threads his fingers back with Will's in return, enjoying the touch until -SQUEEZE. He raises a brow at the oddly strong reaction from Will until his eyes trail upwards and spot the cause. He winces at the sharp screeching of the wizard currently playing the lute. If that's what you wanted to call it.

Whatever the wizard was doing, it was frankly much more similar to the noises coming from the Owlery that morning, if Montrose had to think about it.

Despite Montrose hiding his various judgements, Will was not so sly at hiding his emotions. Montrose watches (with slight perspiration) as his prefect squints, but also take in the scene quite attentively, almost greedily. Knowing him, Montrose feels something pinch in him at the longing in Will's eyes, and his question that comes next.

Montrose considers Will's words before stopping abruptly and spinning Will into his arms. It's silly, but he gives Will a small look as if to say "Trust me."

He takes Will's hand in his, the other placing Will's arm around his neck as Andrew's comes to Will's waist. Montrose grins, leading them both into a soft swaying motion to the music. They dance to the lute, and Monty continues to sway Will in his arms even after the music stops (thankfully). Finally, he answers as they dance:

"Musically? Not much for it. I do play the cello, occasionally."

He dips Will without warning, before leaning down to press a soft kiss to his lips. Grinning a bit, hoping the fox was only surprised in a good way.

"....As for singing, I'll always sing your praises. How cute you look right now, for example. Or...how lucky I am to have you..." He murmurs gently, before swinging Will back up to his arms before he says,

"...And how you deserve far better than lousy lute playing."

[jazz-bazz]

after putting this off for a month and a half, it’s finally finished!! Hypswissalps Knight AU was born from talking with @jimothybarnes (who also edited this bless his heart 🖤) and @revengeghoulette and @to-spread-the-ministry 🖤🖤

also this was supposed to be a gift for @hypnoneghoul tummy eviction day 😬 look how that plan turned out 😂

this is made with Hyp’s permission, not only for the fic in general but also a couple little things in here

SO DONT BE WEIRD PEEPS

Trees In The Garden

(i have no idea how to title)

The war is finally over, Mountain hears from the gossip vines in the castle—the castle staff sure are chatty people—that the enemy and the court settled on their disagreement and has come to a compromise. That means his loves will return soon, his fierce Hypnone and dearest Swiss, both fought on different fronts in the war. Hypnone leads the army as the Knight Commander, and Swiss, nicknamed the Pirate Prince, leads a few stealth ships to sabotage and spy on enemy naval forces, while their kingdom’s main ships act as the diversion.

Their respective journeys back would take more than a few days, so Mountain busies himself with restocking the healing ointments and calming teas for the returning knights. He knows they will need it, war is not easy on the body or the mind, and Mountain, while he is no fighter himself, is partly responsible for the health of the kingdom’s officials. This includes but is not limited to, the royal family, the castle staff, any guests they might have, and the soldiers. Which means his job will get busier once everyone returns.

It’s a good thing is he’s not going to be dealing with them directly. That’s the healers’ job, Omega, Aether, and their trainee Phantom. Mountain’s job is mostly making the ointments and medicines and teas for the healers, as the Royal Apothecarist, and he is going to need a lot. Other than that when there’s no war, which is usually the case, he just helps the witch twins Cirrus and Cumulus with their potions and spells as a trainee witch.

After several days of stocking up and coordinating the return of the army with the healers, speeding up the growth of his medicinal plants using his magic to create even more ointments and teas, he finally hears the bells signalling their arrival. He’s not the only one to then run from wherever they are from to greet the knights, and in the distance he sees Prince Rain on his steed and finally his darling Hypnone riding gracefully on his mare Monty (named jokingly after him), smiling bright to the cheers of the crowd.

Mountain shoulders his way to the front with the healers, claiming that they need to assess the army’s conditions and determine who’s going where and for what, though in truth that’s the healers’ job and not his. He just needs to see Hypnone and hold him in his arms. Now that he’s back, half of Mountain’s heart is full again, and they only need to wait for Swiss and the navy.

“Hypnone! How are you, my little rowan tree?” Mountain asks as soon as he’s cleared by Omega and Monty is taken by one of the stable hands.

“Mountain! How many times do I have to tell you I am NOT little, you are just a giant so everyone’s small to you,” Hypnone smiles and reaches up for a kiss, which earns them cheers from everyone in the vicinity, “Anyways I’m good, still intact and whole, except for the part of my heart taken by Swiss. He should be back with the navy in a few more days.”

“Thank goodness! Now let’s go back to the cottage, I have some teas for you and I also have the ingredients ready to make your favorite for dinner,” Mountain says while pulling on Hypnone’s arms in the direction of the cottage they share in the castle’s garden.

“Wait, wait, I have to report to the Quee-,” Hypnone starts.

“That can wait for tomorrow. Besides, wasn’t Prince Rain there with you, he can go report to his sister about whatever it is you people have to report to the Queen. First order of business is cleaning up, then dinner and rest. Everything else can wait.”

“Well… I guess Rain can do it. Oh and don’t let me forget to share the gossip with you over tea,” Hypnone smirks.

“Gossip you say?” Mountain quirks an eyebrow, “Let’s go then, there’s no time to lose!” They both laugh as they cross the town square and then the castle courtyeard before reaching the door of the cottage.

Mountain the proceeds to boil some water for the tea while Hypnone changes into comfortable clothes, washes his face, and gets ready to just chill with Mountain.

“Tea ready, I have your favorite here, now spill. The gossip not the tea.“

“Thank you Mounty,“ Hypnone smiles softly, “You remember the scrawny fire ghoul who said he’s on some kind of personal journey bullshit?“

“Oh, Dewdrop? Haven’t seen him in awhile but yeah, does this have anything to do with him?“

“This has everything to do with him,“ Hypnone laughs, “He said he’s the son of some lord right? Turns out he’s the son of the Fire Lord Alpha, basically the king of the fire ghoul clan we were fighting with.“

Mountain gasps dramatically, “So all this time, we thought he’s some kind of merchant Prince Rain fell in love with, but he’s also a prince? Well that would be good for alliance though.“

“I know, right?“ Hypnone whisper shouts, “Not only is he a prince, he’s the crown prince, Mounty! If he and Rain ends up marrying, imagine all the things we can do! The alliance and partnership and everything!“

“So what did this have to do with the war?“ Mountain tilts his head.

“Oh there was a misunderstanding, Lord Alpha thought his son was kidnapped by us, because one of his traders saw him here. And let’s just say the fire ghouls are very territorial and possessive, and that his partner Delta is the more rational one.“

“Ohhhh, so that’s why you had Rain come to the field with Dew halfway through the war, now I get it. And what happened after they found out?“

“Rain asked Alpha‘s official permission to court Dewdrop and yeah, expect a royal wedding sometime soon!“

“That is so sweet! I’m so happy for them,“ he sighs, “I should get started on dinner, you stay there and rest, okay?“ Mountain stands up, gives Hypnone a small kiss on his forehead, and heads into the kitchen.

A couple days later, the bells ring again signalling the return of the rest of the army, namely their naval forces. The same process then happens with the healers and it takes some time before the pair finally spots Swiss unboarding his ship Tajka and joining the line of people waiting to be assessed by the healers.

Once Swiss passes the initial health check, he sees Mountain’s head sticking up above the rest of the crowd, the dork waving his hands as if he’d be hard to spot otherwise. Then he sees Hypnone running in his direction. He then has a few seconds to prepare himself before Hypnone jumps at him and hugs him tightly, “Hey rowan tree! I miss you too sweetheart.“

Mountain then arrives and scoops them up in his arms for a group hug. “Bamboo tree! How are my boys doing?“ Swiss laughs, prompting the other two to follow.

“Better now that you’re back, ebony tree,“ Mountain smiles, “I cooked Hyp‘s favorite when he got back, now it’s your turn, come on.“

Upon reaching their cottage, Mountain starts preparing dinner while Swiss and Hypnone stand to the side watching him and chatting, about their journeys back, their respective rides Monty and Tajka—there’s talk of upgrading Tajka with some magic which Swiss is excited about—Mountain’s witch training, and the batch of recruits Hypnone will have to train next month.

Dinner is then eaten in a comfortable silence, with loving glances and smiles. After that the dishes are left for the next morning because all three are too eager for their evening couch cuddles and subsequent kissing that will undoubtedly happen.

“Who will wear the dress in the royal wedding do you think?” Swiss starts from his place sandwiched between Mountain on his back and Hypnone in his lap.

“Bet it’s Rain, that ghoul can rock anything he’s wearing and he’s not opposed to wearing dresses. Besides, Dewdrop should wear some very tight pants to accentuate the barely-there ass he’s got going on,” Mountain muses.

“Hey! Do not disrespect the Dewdrop ass!” Hypnone exclaims, ever the defender of Dewdrop’s cake, “It might be small but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. But I agree with the tight pants thing, that would make it show even more.”

“Speaking of royal weddings, I’m in a sappy mood right now, what do you say we do a vow renewal again this fall?” Swiss grins, with eyes full of love.

“Oh, like we do every summer since, I don’t know, the first ceremony 4 years ago?” Mountain taps Swiss’ nose.

“Like you don’t melt at the thought, Mountain. I know you secretly love it too. And yeah, I’d love to do that.”

“Then it’s settled. Also anyone want to make a bet with me on when the royal wedding is gonna happen?”

Two ‘No!’s are heard in response to the question, because nobody should ever make a bet with Swiss.

[dionysia-does-stories]

The Tale of The Rabbit of Caerbannog

Cringetober 2023, Day 17: "It was a dark and stormy night. . ."

On AO3

Rating T - 592 words - Monty Python and The Holy Grail

Summary: The rabbits of the forest of Caerbannog tell the tale of the night when one of their own became the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog.

Story:

“It was a dark and stormy night.” they whispered, many voices becoming one voice. Their breath was a wind that battered its way through the trunks of the old Caerbannog forest. 

“The dark was complete black. There were no stars. There was no light. Nothing existed in the woods. We ourselves stopped existing in that dark. 

“The storm was unexpected. A shattering of meteorological forces that was everywhere and nowhere. We dragged ourselves through thick air. The atmosphere was laden with water and electricity. Our fur clung to our trembling bodies. Our long sensitive ears were deafened by the greatness of the thunder.

“We were rabbits before that dark and stormy night. Now we are something else. A rabbit can fight, but doesn’t. A rabbit runs. A rabbit hides in the burrow. We were born with sharp teeth and sharp claws. But they weren’t meant to taste blood. They were to dig and chew and build the burrow. We were architects of safety before we were remade as machines of war.

“We have tasted blood.

“It was a dark and stormy knight who stumbled through the forest then. He was huge (as all humans are huge). Slow (as all humans are slow). His clanking metal skin would be warning enough any other night. But the thunder had been so loud and the storm so sudden.

“Many of us were out on the forest floor foraging for food. Among them was a new mother from our burrow, a lovely lady fair of feature. The storm frightened her (as it did all of us). She tried to calm her heart and find her way home. She was blinded by the darkness (we all were). She was deafened by the thunder (we all were). She was unable to smell anything but the drowning rain as it poured into her. 

“The knight came upon us. He was a lumbering useless fool. But he was hungry. He grabbed at any of us within his reach. His meaty arms flailed. His grotesquely bent fingers grabbed.

“We ran. We’re rabbits. We ran. We are the fastest creatures on the forest floor. Faster than wolves. Faster than human witches. Faster than human gods. But the storm. The knight kept pace with us in the storm.

“He followed us through the shrubbery. He followed us to the burrow. The lady fair was the last of us to make the dive. He saw her bright white fur, even in the darkness. We thought we escaped him into the safety of the burrow. Until, the knight began to dig.

“He dug up the burrow. He dug up the children. He laughed. His laughter was like the thunder. He grabbed the lady fair’s kit, crushing it in his terrible human hands.

“As her kit drew its final breath, something changed within the lady fair. She raised her nose to the heavens. Her ears alert and haunches raised to fight. She called to any god listening to give her the power to kill any knight who crossed her path.

“Her call was answered.

“A violent new strength took up residence in her body. The lady fair’s teeth and claws had a new purpose. She devoured the knight. Blood mixing with the downpour of the storm.

“She made a new burrow, a giant burrow. Where we are all eternally safe. A burrow big enough that knights could walk right in. And her God would lead the knights to her. Wolves to the slaughter. Entertainment to satiate her bloodlust.

“But there is never enough knight’s blood spilled to appease the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog.”

[ask-elland-n-will]

It's been a tumultuous few days leading up to the holiday, filled with parties, cheer, warmth and happiness.

In fact, it's been quite unlike a happiness Andrew has ever known. The holidays he had experience before being happily abducted by the Abbots was nothing like what the family had shown him just in the past few days. He didn't mind being stuck with them whatsoever, and minded even less to be stuck with his favorite redhead.

Once we got a few quiet moments, he very pensively took out a small wooden and carved box, on the top - a very small fox.

He had been lost in thought over the past few months, mostly about Will. Each time his mind had wandered, he found his hands needed to be put to use as well to help him think. So he took up wittling, and each time he thought of Will, he would carve at the same time.

Carefully, he puts the gift on Will's bed for him to find when he returns from the last minute errands he and Elland had gone on.

Next to it, a note:

My Fox,

A small token to show just how often you have been on my mind these past few months. This started out as a hunk of wood, but quite like me, became something more refined and more special all because of you.

You've made this year, and this Christmas, unlike any of the others. I hope you know how special you are to me...but if you do not...open this box and a song will play for you to remind you.

Merry Christmas Fox.

Your Monty

*upon opening the box, you find a melody fills the air that sounds quite similar to this song:*

Just as expected, Andrew has no problems integrating into the Abbott's household. Will's parents must have felt that if their son brings a boy over for Christmas to stay with them the entire time, then it is not as simple as "Els crashing for a weekend" or "Allegra wants to bake something."

His mother sees Montrose and how he behaves around them: a little unsure, clearly nervous and so obviously in love with Will that she instantly knows: they need to keep that boy. And keep they do, with chats, food, celebrations, party games, meeting all and every one of Will's relatives who are always all over the Abbott manor this time of year. Invited or not, staying over in numerous guest chambers or just popping in to wish Merry Christmas. Will has the pleasure of watching Monty deal with two of his aunts that even he isn't sure are his aunts, nor if they are different people or the same witch living in two different bodies.

William's father watches Montrose and twirls his ginger moustache, hiding a smile before inviting the lad for a talk. Will isn't worried about that in the slightest. He's sure his papa might only give Andrew the slightest of scares to see if the Ravenclaw can stand up for himself with dignity. And then there would be an embrace. Will is pretty sure that it's going to be even more of a test for his crush than the stern talking. But his parents better rip that plaster off right away: Andrew will be hugged in this household whenever either of Will's parents thinks he needs a hug.

At some point, Will also has to have a talk with his parents about giving Andrew some space. He knows they must have recognized Andrew's last name and that's why they were anxious for a time before they interacted with Andrew themselves. It's not surprising, considering that they work for the Ministry and Will has heard rather unsavoury things regarding Andrew's family before. The little snake isn't even sure he wants to ever meet Andrew's father. Or brother. Andrew hasn't talked about his mother much but Will hopes that there are at least some good memories in that head of his in connection to her.

Whatever his parents heard about Andrew's family must have left an impression on them because upon the initial introduction and seeing how different Andrew is, his parents go into an obvious protective mode, spoiling the boy with attention to the point of Will hiding Monty in his wing of the manor under different pretences. Not that Mr. and Mrs. Abbott are not considerate people. But Will has a sneaking suspicion that since he is the only child and his parents always wished to have more, Andrew's presence makes them feel complete. And what better way to make sure that Andrew stays than to make sure he feels included in all the family traditions?

And so he is involved in everything the Abbotts do, from eating breakfast to riding horses. Will manages to catch only one hiccup during their happy Abbott activities, when his parents organize an ice slide one crispy snowy morning. He doesn't know why Monty clammed up and held back the entire time but he made a little note to come back to it. Later. The look in Andrew's eyes is akin to that he has whenever Will mentions something that reminds the Ravenclaw of the events from his past. The Slytherin would never push but his heart aches: he hopes that someday Andrew will see the Abbotts as his own family, too.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

William leaves the manor for half a day on Christmas Eve to go see Elland's family back in London. He's been doing it every year since they met, and both he and Elland put on a little show for de Strontiums every time. Technically, Cyrus is also a part of that but the redhead insists that he performs separately so that he has at least four people in the audience who he can surprise with his tricks. His parents more than his wizard friends but everyone knows how deep Cyrus gets into his little passion projects. Will does charm the entire room to be fireproof, of course, and for once Cyrus doesn't complain: he's had plenty of accidents as a kid to know that some injuries stay with you for the rest of your life.

The prefect floos back to an empty manor. His house-elf informs him that everyone went out for a walk since the weather is so nice, and Will smiles at the thought. Seems like his parents kept Andrew busy. He just needs to change and go find— Oh?

William instantly knows who the little box is from. The wizard sits down and takes it into his hand, brushing his fingers along the carved wood with bated breath. He didn't know Monty could do that. The little fox looks so cute that Will lets out a quiet "aww", impressed and deeply touched. Of course Monty would get him— no, make him something fox related. Not to be the one to spoil his own surprises, Will reads the note before opening the little box that he has already sworn to treasure forever and ever.

The wizard isn't sure when his eyes started to fog up but he has to stubbornly wipe the happy tears away not to let any of them fall on the parchment. This Christmas truly is unlike any other. This time last year he never even imagined being this happy. Moving past his unrequited crushes. Being with somebody who likes him back. Likes? Well, they haven't talked about it yet, but William has moved past that stage a while back. Perhaps even happier things are bound to happen this Christmas. He is sure Monty feels it as well, after meeting Will's family, after being unconditionally accepted by them as if Andrew is their own son.

Will lifts the lid of the box by the fox's cute little snout and the music indeed starts playing, perfectly Christmasy, making Will giggle and swing a little in place in rhythm to the music. Clever Monty using his clever Charms. Music touches his heart as much as the words did and Will ends up spending a few more minutes just sitting on the bed sobbing, stubbornly wiping the tears away: he is happy, why is he crying!

One of the older house-elves that has known Will since he was a baby apparates into the room with some lavender cupcakes on a plate and a fresh cup of tea. They all know what their young master needs when he is in such a state. Gestures like this one, without ever being asked, are a normal occurrence, and Will nods through tears, letting the elf go with a smile. The elf bows and says before disappearing:

"The young master should know, everyone s' gathered by The Tree outside if the young master wishes to catch up."

That's right, he came here to change! Will does so in between the cupcake bites and his Earl Grey, finding the warmest clothes he can because who likes being cold on a day like this? He will not be replying to Monty's note. Instead, Will is going to find the Ravenclaw and tell him all he thinks about him, and his sweet words, and his thoughtful present! Silly Andrew. His Monty. The one person Will loves.

[necrosemancy]

TIMING: Current LOCATION: Bigfeet’s Adventureland PARTIES: Monty @howdy-cowpoke & Rosemary @necrosemancy(+ Hector) SUMMARY: Hector and Monty run into Rosemary at the park after she’s been ditched on a date, and they all try to make the most of their time there. Monty isn’t doing so great, though. CONTENT WARNINGS: Emotional abuse/manipulation, PTSD

Nearly every moment that Kaden wasn’t home was spent trying to satisfy Hector’s need to explore and experience things, and Monty found himself being dragged out of the house each day on some new quest to have fun or get into trouble, which were not always mutually exclusive. For someone who valued privacy and quiet as much as he did, it was a bit taxing on the younger of them, especially when the subject of an amusement park was brought up. 

“You can’t be serious,” Monty complained, shaking his head and turning away from Hector’s phone. The man huffed out a breath, straightening up and giving Monty an exasperated look. 

“Of course I’m serious! I’ve never been to a theme park!” 

“Isn’t that stuff for… you know…” 

“What? Kids? Monty, you need to learn to live a little, my friend. It’s for anyone who knows how to have fun.” The cowboy sighed, recalling his time with Kaden and Mack at the winter festival. Technically, most of those things had been ‘for kids’, but they’d had fun nonetheless. As long as there wouldn’t be singing… 

“Ugh, fine. Fine. But I am not going on any zip lines,” he argued, shaking a finger at Hector. The older zombie beamed.

“That’s what you think!” 

Several hours later the pair were in the park, just stepping off of the alpine coaster. Monty stumbled a bit, rattled by the sheer speed of that thing and the sharp turns he’d been sure were going to fling him straight into tree trunks, clinging to Hector’s arm for support. He was cursing under his breath, which was of course making Hector laugh something fierce. “You’re still such a big baby,” he teased the other in their shared language, leading him away from the coaster and toward where the game stalls were set up. “What if I win you a massive stuffed Caprifang, ah? Will that make you feel better?” Monty hissed out a sound of disbelief, untangling himself from his friend and leaning against one of the stools set up in front of this particular game. 

“I can outshoot you any day, Hector. You know that.” Hector grinned, nudging him with his elbow. 

“Prove it then!” He looked at the person running the stall, giving them a nod and pulling out some cash. There were a few other people to his left, and he caught the gaze of a pretty blonde woman, who was immediately graced with a charming smile. “Ahh, miss, you want to take on my friend and I here? He is bragging too much about being a crack shot. I think we ought to take him down a peg, no?” Monty huffed again, waving a dismissive hand in their direction. 

“Don’t drag her into this,” he griped, picking up the cheap plastic rifle and waving it threateningly at Hector.

—

She couldn’t believe it. She just couldn’t believe it. 

Rosemary had been stood up. At an amusement park, of all places. 

No, to say that she had been stood up made it seem like the stranger she’d matched with on a dating app hadn’t even given her a chance. Somehow, that wouldn’t have bruised her ego nearly as much. Instead, Trevor had played exactly one carnival game with her, got pissed off that she beat him at smack-a-squonk (which she could only assume was Wicked’s Rest’s version of whack-a-mole), and had left her there. At an amusement park.

Amusing, wasn’t it?

Rosemary huffed, as she pressed on his contact and sent him a dozen middle finger emojis before deleting the app on her phone. She hung her head in defeat as a tight sensation needled at her chest. No, no, no. The witch hastily looked up at the sky, willing whatever tears the blow to her pride had conjured to evaporate into the autumn air. Really? Trevor? She was going to be upset over a man named Trevor? No. Scratch that. She was not going to be upset over a man, period. 

She decided she would have fun to spite Trevor. What she needed was some overly sweet carnival treat and another game. Maybe not smack-a-squonk though- she felt a kindred spirit in those sad little creatures. 

Ten minutes later, Rosemary had a funnel cake, and her sights on a game. She was fishing cash out of her wallet when someone a few spots down smiled at her. She glanced at his friend who looked like he might be praying for divine intervention to save him from a day at the park. The witch handed the cash over to the person running the stall and flashed a grin back at the both of them. “I could use some good competition.” She moved over to the set up beside theirs. “I’ll warn you though, your friend may be a crack shot, but I’ve scared off my competition for the day by beating them at another one of these games. So I might take both of you down a peg.” She managed a laugh in spite of herself. “I’m Rosemary. What’re your names?”

—

“Oh, is that so?” Hector chuckled. “Well, Romero, I’m Hector, and this little bundle of sunshine is my friend Montaña.” 

“Monty,” the younger of them quickly interjected, pushing the muzzle of the water gun against his friend’s shoulder and giving him a shove. “And you could not hit a can of beans from twenty paces, if I remember right. I do not think Rosemary will have to try very hard to beat you.” He broke into a smile, looking past Hector at the poor woman that was being subjected to their asinine behavior. “Please, don’t mind him. He thinks he is funny.” Hector snorted in protest, picking up his own carnival-caliber gun and assuming the stance. Monty rolled his eyes and raised the brightly-coloured rifle to his shoulder, looking down what should have been a sight, but was just a beaten up nub of plastic. Helpful. The carnie running the stand waited for a couple other folks to join the lineup, took their money, then announced to all that the game was about to begin. 

“Hit the most targets to win!” they announced, gesturing at the backdrop of little bullseye targets that were moving left, right, up, down, and even in circles at all different heights and distances. Mm. Seemed easy enough. A loud bell broke the hush that’d fallen over the small gathering of strangers, and the place was very quickly drenched in a chaotic spray of water guns. 

Monty aimed, fired, and watched with a pleased huff as the small target flopped backwards. A ticker in front of where he stood clicked up to one, and he didn’t have time to wonder how it was keeping track as he moved to the next target, then the next, and the next. 

Hector wasn’t doing quite as well as his counterpart, but he still heard the satisfying click of his ticker counting up good shots… as well as Rosemary’s. It kind of sounded like she was beating him. Rats.

—

The witch was getting a blessed reprieve from her delightfully shitty day with her new company. A more genuine laugh bubbled up as she listened to the two bicker over names and who was the better shot. Having fun almost made her forget about Trevor. Almost. 

“Nice to meet you both,” Rosemary smiled. “I’ve never been much of a shot, but I’ll try to give you a run for your money.” 

She wouldn’t have to try too hard, as it turned out. While she may not have been a spectacular shot, what she lacked in accuracy she made up for with enthusiasm. Carnival games were never well made- and games like this with little toy water guns always seemed to work slightly askew. The aim was hardly as true as it could have been. Not that she noticed. This particular game served as a wonderful outlet to get out her frustrations of being abandoned not even an hour in to her date. All Rosemary had to do was imagine the man’s smarmy little face on the targets, and she watched as her points ticked up, up, up. 

She glanced over at the other two as the time on the game clock kept ticking down. She couldn’t tell if they were beating her or not, but she was pleased to find she didn’t care. She was starting to enjoy herself again. Not long after, the bell sounded to announce the game was over. She glanced down the row to see how they’d fared. “Who won?”

—

Hector should’ve had better aim, all things considered. But he’d been out of practice for a while, he would argue. Murder had become a thing that was much harder to get away with as the century had marched ever onward, so killing a guy for picking a fight with him in a saloon was something he’d not done in decades. He still had weapons, of course, they just never saw much action. Monty, however, had made a point to keep up with his skills. And living and working on farms… there were all sorts of predators to protect the livestock from. Particularly on his own farm, here in Wicked’s Rest, where giant vampire creatures would swoop out of the sky and carry off whole heifers. He’d always been a better shot than Hector, and he’d retained that skill through constant use and practice. And today, in this ridiculous theme park at this ridiculous stall with his ridiculous friend and a few strangers, he saw the fruits of those labors. The person running the stall was checking their tickers one by one after the game ended and the water shut off, moving down the row until they’d checked all of them. Then, they walked back up the row and stopped in front of Monty, flashing a grin at him. Somewhat unexpectedly, they reached for his wrist and grabbed it tightly, sending a shock of fear through him. But his arm was only lifted into the air as they loudly pronounced him the winner, by a margin of thirteen. 

Letting out the breath he’d sucked in so sharply, the zombie let his gaze slide over to Hector and Rosemary. He gave a small shrug, lowering his arm again. “Told you,” was all Monty said, albeit with a very self-satisfied smile. Hector rolled his eyes, holstering the water rifle and stepping back from the stall.

“See, now he has got an ego about it,” he complained to Rosemary, shaking his head. “That is no good! Listen, what kind of these games are you good at, señorita? We need a rematch. If I cannot show him a thing or two, then you must!” Monty was laughing now, distractedly looking at the prizes he was supposed to pick from. He didn’t really want any of them for himself, but there was one that he saw that reminded him of someone else, so he pointed at it. The gamemaster nodded and plucked it down from the wall, passing him the cartoonishly pink and sprinkled donut. Hector raised a brow at the choice (though Monty suspected he might have had something to say about anything that he chose), and Monty gave him a knowing look. “I know a young woman who likes sweets very much. I think she’ll like this,” he explained, tucking it under his arm and focusing his attention on Rosemary. “Miss, you do not have to play along with his games if you don’t want to,” he apologized with a smile. “But if you are fine with it, I would love to see you beat him at something else.”

—

There was a delicious moment of anticipation where everyone waited to see who the winner of the game was. The carnival worker made a great show of it, keeping them all in suspense, until he stopped before the man named Monty and raised his hand in victory. Rosemary clapped, happy to see if it hadn’t been her who had won, at least it was one of the two new friends beside her. 

It didn’t surprise her that Hector continued to give his friend a good natured ribbing. It was clear the heckling didn’t bother Monty too much. Rosemary watched, amused as the man took hold of the giant squishy donut. “If you two don’t mind some extra company, I’d be more than happy to tag along for a few games.” Spending time with two friendly strangers seemed a better option to her than stewing on her failed date. 

“Well, I was good at what was essentially whack-a-mole before. Good enough that my competition got their ego in a twist about it. Or maybe he was just really bad at it… who’s to say really!” Rosemary shrugged. “I’m pretty decent at ring toss games, too.”

—

There was a claw hammer in his hand, gripped so tightly it made his muscles ache. There was dirt and hay beneath him, knees pressed into the hard-packed earth trodden by hundreds of feet and hooves and paws. Between those knees, the warm body of a living creature that was thrashing and yelping and trying to get away. Monty’s arm lifted the hammer high, a scream building in his throat as he brought it back down. The man between his legs screamed in unison, bright blue eyes watching the hammer as it came down to strike him in the temple. 

There was blood, splattered across the hammer’s head, his hand, and his thigh. Its warmth didn’t compare to the heat of the flames that licked at his heels, already consuming the silent, twitching intruder’s legs. 

“Maybe not whack-a-mole,” Monty suggested thoughtfully. “Ring toss, though, I bet I could beat the both of you at that, too.” This was a lie. Monty was terrible when it came to throwing horseshoes, another activity burned into his mind from that night as he’d run past it — past Daisy and Felix and Wynne who had been playing it when all hell broke loose. But at least there wouldn’t be whacking involved. 

—

She couldn’t deny that she was grateful her new companions had decided against smack-a-squonk. The foam approximations of everyone’s favorite cryptid just looked so pathetically sad, and bopping them over the head felt as though it added insult to injury for the poor little creatures. Even if they were fake. 

Rosemary raised an eyebrow and grinned at Monty. “You’re pretty confident, aren’t you.” She glanced to Hector and held up a hand as though to tell him a secret that the other would hear anyway. “Tell me, is he always this confident he’ll win? Is he one of those people that’s just freakishly good at everything?” 

She spied a ring toss game a little ways down the row of flashing lights that drew in new contestants to play their games. “Aha- there. Ring toss. We’ll see if you’re as good as you claim. “ the witch teased as she headed in the direction of the booth. 

—

Monty shrugged in a noncommittal sort of way, trying not to let his thoughts wander further into the dark, fiery hole they were creeping over the threshold of. He could still hear Daisy’s laugh, could still see her standing there with her hands on her head as she watched her horseshoe completely miss the mark, thudding into the grass after it sailed over the stake in the ground and clattering into Monty’s that sat a few feet from the target. That hadn’t been on the night of the party, but some other warm, sunny summer afternoon when he and the farm hands had arranged a lunchtime feast for all. She’d turned to look at him, exasperated but amused, and wearing the smile he’d give anything to see again. 

“You know, he’s usually not,” Hector answered Rosemary, giving his friend a genuinely curious stare. “And the only things he’s freakishly good at, as you say, involve farm work. As far as I know.” Monty fought back the sense of dread that was climbing up his spine as he saw Daisy’s smile turn into a look of horror. His mind was combining the two memories, intermixing them in a way he really wished it wouldn’t. She was staring past him, and then screaming—

“Perhaps I am more complex than you remember,” he answered evenly, following after Rosemary as she spotted the game. Hector looked a bit surprised but was quick to bring up the rear, rubbing his hands together conspiratorially as they all came to a stop in front of the ring toss. Monty had very little faith in his ability to land a single one, but that was far from the most pressing thing on his mind right now. They all paid the fee for the differently colored rings, and bracing the donut plush between his knees, the cowboy gathered his rings up and stood ready. 

He tried not to pay attention to the way he was certain he could smell smoke.

—

She caught a glimpse of Monty in the corner of her eye as she started away that caused her bright smile to dim. The man looked lost in a memory as his body mechanically walked forward in the direction Rosemary was leading the pair. She turned her gaze ahead as she tried to decipher just what she might have done to inspire such an unfortunately melancholic looking mood. Was it Smack-A-Squonk? She worried her lip between her teeth as she walked, forcing herself to dismiss the thought. It was fine. She hadn’t upset anyone. Nothing was wrong. She was overreacting. 

“See,” she chirped cheerfully as Monty responded in a tone too even for Rosemary’s liking. She definitely upset him with Smack-A-Squonk. Godsdammit. “He contains multitudes.” The witch wiggled her fingers for emphasis. She handed the carnival worker a handful of slightly wrinkled bills before scooping up her stack of rings. “I heard there’s a strategy to this. Middle row is usually best, and if you kind of throw like it’s a skipping stone…” she snapped her wrist as she let the plastic ring fly and grinned at the sound of the plink as the ring found its home around the neck of a bottle. “Ta da!”

—

Hector looked impressed at Rosemary’s successful throw, wearing another grin as he forgot all about his troubled friend that stood on his opposite side. Taking her advice on the toss technique, the man tried to mimic what she’d done, but his ring just clinked loudly between bottles before falling to the floor. “Puta madre,” he cursed with a laugh. “You make it look so easy, señorita. Doesn’t she, Montaña?” Monty was staring at the bottles in a way that could be misconstrued as focused or determined, but in reality was just dissociative. Memories from the night of the fire were rushing back and overwhelming him, so much so that he could almost remember what it felt like to have his heart race. He felt eyes on him and absently threw a ring, watching with disinterest as it bounced off a bottle and dropped out of sight. 

The horses! Wynne had screamed as Monty and Kaden had bolted past the trio. He’d lost Daisy then — he never saw her after that moment of brief, shared terror. She’d stayed to get Felix out of danger while Wynne raced to help them with the horses, and that had been that. He hadn’t even been able to find any remains once the fire had burned itself out. She was there one moment, gone the next. The closest thing he’d had to family since he’d arrived in Wicked’s Rest, ripped away from him. His memories of her only haunted him, providing no comfort or happiness. Just guilt. 

“Oye,” Hector said for the second time, nudging Monty in the arm. He and Rosemary had already gone through all of their rings (and Hector had only managed to get one of them around the neck of a bottle), and Monty hadn’t really moved or spoken after throwing his first. “¿Estás bien?” The younger zombie blinked, shaking his head and glancing down at the rings gripped tightly in his left hand. 

“... no,” he answered, shoving them unceremoniously into Hector’s hands instead. Plucking the plush he’d won earlier from between his knees, he held it to his chest as he looked past Hector to find Rosemary. “I’m sorry,” he apologized to her, a frightened expression on his face. “I’ve got to go.” 

“Go? Go where?” Hector interrupted, sounding annoyed. Monty didn’t answer, just giving him an exasperated look and turning to hurry away, not caring if Hector followed or not. He was a grown ass man, he could find his own way back to the cabin. Maybe his new friend Rosemary could give him a lift, he thought bitterly. Which wasn’t fair, this reaction wasn’t her fault… he knew that, but still. Keeping his head down, the cowboy disappeared into the crowd. 

Hector, abandoned and frustrated by it, gave Rosemary a shrug. “Well… I guess that means you win.”

—

There was a plink and a dull thump as the little plastic ring Monty threw glanced off the bottle and landed in the patchy grass below. The witch continued to throw, and had thrown her third ring when she paused, glancing back to the quieter of the two men. 

He was still staring at the bottles, but Rosemary couldn’t tell if he was looking at the bottles, or through them. Distracted, the woman half heartedly tossed her last two rings, not caring when they didn’t land. Her attention was caught by the distant, haunted expression on the man’s face. “Your friend,” she asked Hector softly, concern tinging her voice. “Is he okay?”

After a few minutes Hector had managed to pull Monty back into the present with them. The poor thing looked terrified. Rosemary’s face creased with concern. She barely knew the man, but she knew that kind of fear. A rush of words and passed off game pieces, and Monty vanished into the crowd. The witch lurched a step after him on the instinct to try and fix whatever was wrong, but she stopped. It wasn’t her place. Monty likely wouldn’t want a stranger in that moment. 

“You should go check on him.” She said quickly, turning back to Hector. “Make sure he’s ok. I didn’t mean to crash your afternoon, and I’m really sorry if tagging along upset him.” She blindly snatched her prize from the carnival worker. The small plushy key chain of a cat grinned up at her, oblivious to the emotionally charged moment it was crashing. She hastily shoved it into her bag. “It was really nice meeting you, really.” Her gaze flickered past Hector, trying to track the clearly upset man through the crowd to no success. “Again, I’m like. Really sorry.”

—

“Ah, no, it is not your fault,” Hector sighed in response to Rosemary, shaking his head and glancing in the direction Monty had scurried off in. “He has… been through a lot, lately.” There was sympathy in his tone, but it was edged by something sharper, something venomous. “I thought coming here would take his mind off of things. It seems I was wrong.” Brandishing another disarming smile, Hector gave Rosemary a nod and held out his hand to shake. “It was nice meeting you, too. I hope you can still make the most of your evening, date or no,” he said with a chuckle. “I will go tend to my friend. Take care, Rosemary.”

Leaving the woman alone in the park, Hector wandered his way back to the parking lot, not in any particular kind of hurry. He searched lazily for the truck they had arrived in, and was pleased to see it still sitting in its spot. Rounding the bed, he came to a stop on the driver’s side of the vehicle, rapping his knuckles on the window. Monty, who was sitting inside the cab and staring off into space gave a start, gripping the steering wheel tightly as he whipped his head around. Hector frowned, then opened the door. “Get out,” he commanded, moving out of the way. Monty hesitated, which earned him a decidedly annoyed sigh. “I said get out, Montaña. You are in no state to drive.” Slowly, Monty obeyed, hopping out of the truck quietly and keeping his head down. As he stepped in front of Hector, a hand came out to grab at his arm. He jumped again, almost yelping reflexively as he caught the other’s hardened gaze. 

“Do not embarrass me like that again,” Hector growled. Monty nodded, dropping his chin again as he was released and scurrying around to the other side of the truck. His hands shook as he reached for the handle to climb into the passenger’s seat, and he made sure to keep his attention focused out the window to his right rather than on the man now backing out of the parking space, lest he earn himself any more lecturing that evening. 

He just hoped that Kaden would be home by the time they got back.

[rocasterum]

Dead Boys Detectives final thoughts

27092024

i finished the show last night at midnight and it left me buzzing! i loved every aspect of it, Crystal's dynamic with Charles, the slow build up of Edwin's coming into the understanding of who he is and who he loves as well as the confession, i havent enjoyed a confession this good in ages where yes it took a lot of courage to get his feelings across but it looked and felt so easy for Charles to understand it and take it all in as it is and accept him and his feelings for what they are ' have forever to figure out what this is between us' just paraphrasing it since everything is all jumbled is the best open ended rejection i've seen and it's so well delivered and would have loved to see them explore it in future seasons but we all know that won't happen sadly. i loved Esther as the final boss she is just so good at delivering her lines and straight up being evil for the sake of it! yes Cat king told us the why she became a witch but that really is just that, it doesnt absolve her of all the horrors she put people through and the pleasure she gets from it. i've missed a good villain who is just that, a villain and goddamn was she a great one.

i love how the show didnt shy away from giving Crystal something to think about other than being a mary sue with powers that just come in handy at any moment but actually make her a flawed character who wasnt really someone good in the past and used her powers for her own gains, that she learnt to accept her past and work on her present as well as showcase her struggle throughout the show in getting her memories, fighting off david and failing a lot of times as well as how she gained her powers back. I was one to hate on any Netflix female lead character because of how they would write them as all powerful righteous quirky female characters who do no harm but no Crystal did harm but she did as much if not more good as she did harm because she's just a teenager! they are all teenagers navigating a chaotic world. and i really love the actress's portrayal of her and just how she delivers her lines with raw emotions, loved her a lot!

this one is personal but call me prude i dont care however i really loved the minimal PDA and sexual actions in the show it really made it feel comfortable to watch and the kissing scenes were there to aid the narration, Crystal and Charles's relationship as well as Monty and Edwin's they werent just kissing scenes for the heck of it for the viewers to take pleasure in but for the characters to develop and grow

now to my favourite characters Niko! i kinda laughed at the understandable lack of proper manga and anime references due to liscening and copyrights issues but they did their best in showing her nerdy shut in style as well as make her a character who grows out of her hikikimori problem into someone who loves to help everyone despite failing at times, they didnt make her stupid comic relief but an actual smart awkward female character, a good friend to Edwin i honestly loved every scene of them both together.

the cat king was a fun watch whenever he came on screen and he had his own goals instead of just 'use him to progress the plot forward', he did what he did and he was the start of the main storyline of the show Locking the boys in the town as well as kickstarting Edwin's journey in self discovery. and his final interaction with Edwin was really lovely and sincere.

Am quite upset knowing that i will never see the cast again because netflix cancelled the show but in another hand am satisfied with this one season, they told everything they had to tell about the characters each one of them was given the spotlight they deserved even Tragic Mick and it ended well for a season. Aside from the ending where they show Niko and the dandelion folks who were funny to me btw, unlikely friendship haha, i could live with just one season.

i would love to see Niko come back and for Edwin to have his friend around, they make a great quadra team with their own respective personalities but i am satisfied with just this one season in fear that netflix would ruin the show like how they did with Umbrella Academy. Honestly if it werent for a tumblr post talking about Dead Boys Detective i would have never given it a chance or had this much fun watching it. Loved it to bits! ps: i also really like how all the actors are adults, they looked like teens so i had to google their ages considering the issue film industry is going through with child actors exploitation and all so am glad they hired adults to act in this. also didnt Finality? i forgot her name the one who came with the Night Nurse in the end to let the boys continue their work say the same sentence Tragic Mick told to Niko before they went to help out the boys at the witch's den? i really loved that tid bit, i loved the dialogue, gosh i love the scriptwriting of this.

[pomegranate-vinegarete]

I had this idea for an au where lunar is like the daycares virtual helper made by moon or Monty to help entertain the kids and find information in the daycares database like allergies or games to play. Eventually they develop enough that they start being a person with thoughts feelings and opinions of there own. They either become lunar, Monty makes them a body and they act like lunar in cannon. Or on the angst route no one recognized that lunar was becoming there own person and they proceed to treat lunar like a code or algorithm, causing lunar to act out witch leads to them being deleted, as they seem to be malfunctioning and aren't helping anymore.

[wipbigbang]

The final round of art claims is open at @wipbigbang! We have all sorts of great stories left in multiple fandoms, and we'd love any type of fanart for them: traditional art, digital art, fanmixes, moodboards, fic covers/chapter headers...any kind of art you can imagine!

The synopses are located at https://wipbigbang.dreamwidth.org/173272.html

The form is located at https://forms.gle/yyxkCxyXJopMTyUs8.

The 100

#145

Title: devil's gonna get me one of these days

Pairing/Characters: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Raven Reyes/Octavia Blake, Marcus Kane, Jasper Jordan/Monty Green, (minor) John Murphy/Emori

Rating Mature | M

Warnings/Tags: Chooses not to use Warnings

I'm choosing not to use archive warnings because there is major character death but it happens pre-story and the characters reappear as creatures. Age gap relationship where one character is undead/immortal. Non-graphic violence. Poisoning. Minor character death. Spooky stuff including ghosts, witches, and vampires. General religious content in the form of the corrupt preacher trope.

Summary: AO3 Summary: Twenty years ago, the small Southern town of Arkadia experienced a tragedy: the murder of Jake Griffin by his wife, Mayor Abby Griffin.

Sixteen months ago, another tragedy: a ritual murder at the Griffin house.

Fourteen months ago, a third: the drowning of two young men out at the river.

Bellamy Blake has a connection to all three. On the night before Halloween, a chance meeting with a stranger at a bar leads him to a crisis of identity and faith. As he tries to overcome his demons once and for all, his friends plan a solemn, celebratory event for Halloween night.