#the case of the Thistle Killer

[ineffabletwaddle13]

The police (plus Holmes and Watson) decide someone should act as bait to catch a serial killer who has been targeting young women. Maybe one of them could disguise themself as a girl? When Holmes approaches Watson he just says “no” before Holmes even says anything

[t1meslayer]

It's peanut butter jelly T1me!

... Alright, now @alchemicallymoon doesn't have to call the authorities.

You know the drill — go check out my latest Dungeon Meshi fanfic, "Peanut Butter & Jelly." Then click that button down below to read my completely overindulgent author's commentary!

Dungeon Meshi... Ah, Dungeon Meshi.

I wrote my first DunMeshi fic "Scrambled Eggs" when Trigger's anime was beginning to air. Maybe this was a silly idea given it's a post-canon event, thus alienating the people who might've been curious to join community spaces after watching the first couple of episodes. However, I read through everything before the anime started on the recommendation of friends (including my collaborating body of spiders @trybard) and fell deeply in love.

No joke, some things in that story changed my life at the exact moment I needed it. I couldn't hold myself back when it came to appeasing the DunMeshi faithful among us.

And hey... It worked out! "Scrambled Eggs" became my most successful fic of all time, sitting at over 250 Kudos as of this writing.

I can't judge any fanfiction.net metrics because that site doesn't even have a Dungeon Meshi tag... But that's a whole other story.

That Farcille story was not the only idea I had logged in my Notes app, but needless to say that success did encourage me to continue sooner rather than later.

... Perhaps a little bit later following self-imposed hiatuses for my poll-winning Stardew Valley fic "How You Get The Girl" and the first part of my ambitious Pokemon Scarlet and Violet fic "Fallout." But I have also been doing some Meshi writing for the Dungeon Meshi Cookbook Zine?

That brings us to "Peanut Butter & Jelly." I believe it's mandated by law that all DunMeshi stories are named after a relevant food item or monster within their narrative.

In this case, the titular sandwich was my inciting incident. I've recently found myself working retail for the first time, stocking shelves at a major brand store. One day I was pushing merchandise on the aisle with peanut butters and jellies and thought, "Senshi would make a killer PB&J."

My first developmental task was deciding what kind of monster could be cooked into the sandwich. One early source I came across was a blog for fantasy author Alex Maven, in particular the article "TENDING A GARDEN OF TERROR: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO PLANT MONSTERS IN 5E DND." This introduced the vegepygmy:

I haven't played much Dungeons & Dragons outside a "Gaming in American History" class during college, so I can't say I'm an expert in the subject. But I gathered through Maven's site and fandom projects like the Forgotten Realms Wiki that vegepygmies are forest-dwelling, humanoid rot creatures created by exposure to Russet mold spores who tend to use basic tools such as slings. They can drop skins upon death, which Maven describes as an item that "looks like a furry patch of mold. It has not much use to leatherworkers but can prove to be really useful to alchemists, healers, and medicinal experts."

A few details were simplified for my fanfiction (let's call those "creative liberties" ala Ryoko Kui's unique takes on classic monsters), but the gist still felt right: forest creatures using a weapon that fires small projectiles.

What better projectiles to find in a forest than hard-shelled nuts?

I imagined something like walnuts, but the semantics don't really matter. For the most part this was set-dressing to write a story in which the main party gets to interact, unlike my isolated Farcille piece. That's where this became a "lost chapter" set prior to the discovery of Thistle's home on the Dungeon's bottom floor.

I channeled my best Ryoko Kui absurdist cover art for the featured image, though using digital collage. Originally I planned to use full color, but a fun idea came later to desaturate things for more accurate manga sensibilities:

For comparison

The impetus to write this piece when I did was two-fold. On one hand, I had time to kill during production on "Fallout," and it only felt right to do a bit of extra prep for another Dungeon Meshi zine application I've had my eyes on.

On the other hand, I became obsessed with DunMeshi's second ED for a good while. Especially this frame with Kabru's party, and the implication that Rin is constantly on the verge of wiping her entire team on accident:

Kabru fic one day.

Later I became obsessed with DunMeshi's second OP. Long-time fans may remember when I had matching levels of anime opening brain rot for my Jujutsu Kaisen Satosugu fic "Infinitesimal Distance."

Obsession, it turns out, can be good for creating silly art.

I tend to give myself a challenge for each fanfic to help further my craft. This time, the challenge was to capture these wonderful characters in a way that matches the rhythms of the original series. I pulled from the styles of a few older pieces to differentiate stages in what Alchemically put as the manga's "kill-cook-eat" formula:

The brief Laios battle uses a Falin flashback ala the manga's Living Armor arc. I used text formatting and alternate tense to separate this moment as in my Splatoon fic "Yesterday is But Today's Memory." ... Also the action is almost directly lifted from my friend's Stardew Valley OC Lotus fighting a skeleton in "Willow."

I used a bit of funky text placement with sub- and superscript formatting to convey motion with details like Izutsumi's yawn in the post-battle cooldown period, like my ScarVi fic "Paradiso."

Senshi's cooking segment is vaguely reminiscent of the recipe at the start of my Breath of the Wild fic "Recipe to Please a Princess." I used blockquotes to convey Senshi instructions as "narration," interspersed with character reactions and interplay.

Finally, I discovered that you can set a "Heading 3" HTML format over empty text to create double-lined dividers. Thought that would be a fun way to present the final ingredients list (sans nutritional information - I'm barely qualified enough to write a recipe without looking up guides on how to make peanut butter and how to make jam).

Speaking of that splash screen... We should talk about the stand-out part of this fic.

My drawing!

That's right, I draw now. Expect to see a lot more funky stuff.

I took a figure drawing class hosted by one of my friends recently, which coincided with seeing fics written by lovely folks like @flutefemme and @duelbraids that utilized custom artwork. Extra special shout-outs to duelbraid's "Splatsville Daily's Concert Review" for inspiring this artwork insertion via a whole Getty Images pastiche.

Incredibly cool idea!

Go follow them. I'm not asking.

For my sandwich art, I looked at references for braided challah and whole grain breads (since I figured that was more natural for the setting than a "Wonder Bread" look), and drew those overtop the shape of stacked slices using real-life bread reference. The knife and plate are also based partially on utensils I used for reference.

My backdrop is simple, meant to look like the plate is atop a transition point between patches of tall grass and worn pathing in the forest clearing within which our scene is set.

Creating a recipe title card ala banners in Dungeon Meshi's anime (used to great effect with bits such as the dragon meat bundles rolling past Senshi) and an ingredient list ala the manga came later.

However, I do think it's fun that the titles look imposed over the food, rather than blending too much into the background.

===

Bonus content for those still reading along:

You can see me practicing bread on the opposite side of the page in this sketchbook. Plus, my "Fallout" teaser image is bleeding through.

===

In terms of actual writing quirks I'll be brief. My favorite part of this piece is the smaller arguments and references throughout.

Laios and Falin's childhood village having no magic uses, which means no ice cream [ :( ]. This points to the negative reactions people had when Falin discovered her own magical aptitude.

The introduction of Laios' party ending with Izutsumi just being. Izutsumi. I'd draw later attention to an "Izutsumi thinks about herself" joke with some fun gender(tm), but this early moment was meant to convey my intentions for capturing DunMeshi style.

Yes, Laios talking about using mold powers to regenerate limbs is a reference to Resident Evil Village. No, I have not played most Resident Evil games.

Chilchuck's laughter being stylized as "nahaha" draws a connection to Izutsumi's similarly smarmy sense of humor. It's also a reference to how PokeMas wrote Rika during a story event around the time I was writing this. I feel like those characters sound similar!

Marcille does ritualistic morning hair care. IYKYK.

Izutsumi flies across the sky like a startled cat in an old cartoon.

Chilchuck is tired of everyone using his lockpicking set for odd jobs like mimic meat retrieval and walnut cracking.

Laios wants to get Namari some slings to inspect!! I just think they were really chill buds, actually. He'd probably get her hyperfixations, even if he doesn't get armor.

Marcille's holier-than-thou speech about assuming there's some sexism in Senshi's Scooby-Doo party division is cut off by Chilchuck digging into the idea of the Canaries existing at all. What are they, some kinda Suicide Squad?

Izutsumi is always hesitant about their food. Luckily, this is perhaps the least monster-filled meal yet - unless you're Laios, using leftover Changeling sauce that was meant to be an ointment. He's a freak like that.

Food opinions: Senshi likes crunchy peanut butter. Marcille cuts the crusts off her sandwiches.

I actually presented a poll to my beta reader wondering whether Chilchuck or Izutsumi would chuckle first at Marcille using the term "nut butter." Izutsumi won handily.

Most divorced dad definitely made his daughters sandwiches. That's, like, the one real divorced dad meal I'd expect.

For those in the know on events in the manga, Laios noticing some droppings on the floor is a pretty solid indication of what story beat the gang is approaching within the fiction...

Finally, I know one of peoples' favorite parts about "Scrambled Eggs" was the sheer amount of food-related descriptors. I'm not sure I had quite as deft a hand this time around since most of my energy went toward dialogue interplay, but hopefully you still got your money's worth!!

[nade2308]

This fic needs a few pointers before reading:

1. When we watched Crossing Lines, me and Thistle started brainstorming a version where there is an additional team member that will bond with Carl.

2. Thus Mac was born. We needed another European imp, and given I live in Europe just not in the EU zone, was the perfect excuse to mold a character based on someone outside of the EU that got a chance to work with them, thanks to the similarities of the serial killer cases with a case from her country.

3. Her name is Makedonka Jankovska and she goes by "Mac" to be easily remembered and pronounced. More background will follow in the fics I have written for them both that are alternative versions of some of the episodes, and they will be put in a series (the order will be determined once I post all fics).

4. The non-con is implied, nothing is explicit, and it is also something we came up based on how skittish Carl was when Genovese was around.

5. I had so much fun building this world around Mac and Carl (and for the sake of the plot and implications, some events were/will be altered to accommodate that).

Happy reading!

@thethistlegirl

[thecrimecrypt]

Crimes That Shocked Britain (Edinburgh)

Child Killer Robert Black On 8 July 1988, Caroline Hogg, 5, was playing at the fairground on Portobello Promenade. Only, after riding the carousel, the little girl disappeared. Playmates had spotted her walking away with a 'scruffy' man who had paid the 15p for her carousel turn. Ten days later, her naked body was found in a Leicestershire ditch.

Susan Maxwell, 11, had been killed in similar circumstances a year earlier. Police linked the cases and in 1990, they got a breakthrough.

Delivery driver, Robert Black was caught with a 6-year-old in his van in a Scottish borders village. Detectives then spent four years piecing together his past movements.

It turned out that the day Caroline vanished, Black had been delivering posters nearby. In 1994, Black was jailed for life for the abduction and murder of Caroline, Susan, and Sarah Harper, 10, in 1986.

In 2011, he was convicted of the 1981 sexual assault and murder of nine-year-old Jennifer Cardy. Police suspected that he'd actually murdered many more, but they will never know for sure. Black died at the age of 68 behind bars in January 2016.

Burke and Hare Irishmen William Burke and William Hare met in 1827 when Burke moved into Hare's Edinburgh boarding house. On 25 November 1827, an elderly lodger died owing Hare £4. Burke and Hare stole his body and sold it to anatomist Dr Robert Knox st the Royal College of Surgeons.

In early 1828, another lodger was dying of a fever. The men smothered him, selling his corpse to Dr Knox for £10. Burke and Hare murdered 16 people over the following year, selling their corpses.

The body of their final victim, Mrs. Docherty, was discovered before Burke and Hare sold it. In court, Hare blamed Burke, in return for his freedom. Burke was hanged in January 1829. Hare fled Scotland and Knox was cleared.

Murder of Suzanne Pilley On 4 May 2010, Suzanne Pilley, 38, vanished while making her way to work in Thistle Street, Edinburgh.

A murder inquiry was launched police suspected Suzanne's ex-lover and colleague David Gilroy, Suzanne had recently ended their affair. Officers believed jealous Gilroy lured her into the office's underground car park as she arrived for work, then dumped her body in the countryside.

In June 2010, Gilroy was charged with murder, later convicted, and jailed for life. In 2012, his appeal against the sentencing was rejected. Despite searches, including an area near Loch Long, Suzanne's body has never been found.

Donald Forbes In 1958, Donald 'Ginger' Forbes was sentenced to death for murder. He'd bludgeoned nightwatchman Alan Fisher, 66, to death while robbing a fishing factory.

Only, public letters of support for Forbes poured in, and his sentence was reduced to life. He was released in May 1970. Weeks later, he stabbed ex-soldier Charles Gilroy, 27, to death during a pub brawl.

With the death penalty now outlawed, Forbes was convicted of murder, sentenced to life again. He was released in 1998, only to be jailed for 12 years in 2003 for running a cocaine and cannabis factory. Forbes, 73, died in 2008, handcuffed to a hospital bed.

World's End Murders In October 1977, Helen Scott and Christine Eadie, both 17, were raped and killed after a night at Edinburgh's World's End pub. For decades, the case went cold - until a forensic review found a DNA profile, matching Angus Sinclair.

Sinclair had been serving life since 1982 for raping and indecently assaulting 11 girls. He'd received another life sentence in 2001, after DNA matched him to the 1978 murder of Mary Gallacher.

In 2007, he stood trial accused of murdering Helen and Christine, with his late brother-in-law Gordon Hamilton, who'd died in 1996. The case collapsed, Sinclair was acquitted. However, in November 2014, Sinclair was re-tried, finally convicted, and jailed for life.

[lexie-squirrel]

Sherlock Holmes (1954) (Episodes 11 - 20)

Продолжаю смотреть замечательный сериал 1954 года! Здесь даже экранизировали несколько каноничных рассказов, тогда как в первом моем посте из канона было экранизировано только относительно знакомство Холмса с Уотсоном. А здесь сразу с одиннадцатого эпизода,The Red-Headed League, была экранизация “Союза рыжих”. Интересно, что до этого я видел только гранадовскую экранизацию, так что было любопытно взглянуть на другое прочтение классики. Началось тут все, кстати, со стрельбы Холмса в помещении, что Уотсон аж весь пене для бритья из ванны выскочил, а будущий клиент свалился под их дверью. Забавно, кстати, видеть историю про Союз рыжих в черно-белом варианте, где рыжие, в общем-то и не заметны. А, еще тут был забавный момент, где Уотсон шумно отвлекает Клея в магазинчике, пока Холмс там шарится. Двенадцатый эпизод The Case of the Shoeless Engineer немного вольно экранизировал “Палец инженера”, только здесь незадачливый инженер потерял не палец, а всего лишь ботинок. Сам сюжет был передан довольно точно, не считая ботинка и того факта, что инженер сбежал вместе с девушкой, но в отличии от каноничного рассказа Холмсу дали проявить себя, да и вообще в финал добавили хоть какой-то экшн. Тринадцатый эпизод The Case of the Split Ticket снова оказался по самостоятельному и довольно-таки легкому по настроению сценарию. Началось тут вообще с того, что Холмс вытащил у карманника украденный бумажник и собирался незаметно вернуть его владельцу, но его-то как раз и схватили, пока он в панике звал Уотсона - Уотсон же ушел в фейспалм. Сам же сюжет крутился вокруг лотерейного билета, честно порванного на три части, вот только один из владельцев обрывка пропал. Девиз этого эпизода - “Ловкость рук и никакого мошенничества!” Ну, ловкость рук - это про Холмса, а вот мошенничество-то здесь как раз было, пусть и не с его стороны. В четырнадцатом эпизоде The Case of the French Interpreter, как можно догадаться, из названия вольно экранизировали “Случай с переводчиком”, заменив греческий на французский (видимо, актеров, владеющим французским было проще найти, чем владеющим греческим), но это была не единственная вольность - например, клуб “Диоген” присутствововал, но вместо Майкрофта членом этого клуба был сам Шерлок (а Уотсон шумно искал его там среди лиц, закрытых газетами, пока не гаркнул: “ХОЛМС!”). Этой истории, кстати, приделали счастливый конец - для всех. Пятнадцатый эпизод The Case of the Singing Violin был о том, как молодую девушку пугает по ночам призрачная игра на скрипке и другие ужасы. Холмс же тоже взялся за скрипку - когда сначала походил вокруг спящего в кресле Уотсона, а потом осторожно достал из футляра скрипку, занес смычок - и!.. К счастью, Уотсона разбудила не сомнительные звуки скрипки, а выстрелы на улице. Но забавнее было то, что Холмса в финале этого эпизода в самый ответственный момент злодей случайно запер в шкафу. Что было бы, не появись вовремя Уотсон со своим карающим кулаком возмездия! Шестнадцатый эпизод The Case of the Greystone Inscription был, по сути, экранизацией “Обряда дома Месгрейвов”. Только без Месгрейвов. В общем-то, общего тут только поиски королевских сокровищ по древнему стишку. Холмс тут в начале соблазнял Уотсона холодным лобстером с помидорами, а тот на него дулся, потому что Холмс канонично выстрелял инициалы VR на стене. В семнадцатом эпизоде The Case of the Laughing Mummy Холмс и Уотсон собрались на рыбалку, но это им было не суждено - их отвлекло дело о смеющейся мумии, хотя звуки, которые она якобы издавала похожи не на смех, а на мелодичные завывания. В этом эпизоде Уотсон, кстати, сверзился с крыши в кусты, а Холмс наверху это далеко не сразу заметил... Восемнадцатый эпизод The Case of the Thistle Killer был гораздо серьезнее предыдущих, ведь сюжет крутился вокруг маньяка, душителя одиноких женщин, и Холмс, Уотсон и Лестрейд решили заманить его в ловушку в парке. Соображал тут Холмс долговато и дело чуть было не закончилось еще одной жертвой. У дев��тнадцатого эпизода было многообещающее название The Case of the Vanished Detective - и сюжет не разочаровал, ведь тут пропал Холмс и его отправились искать Уотсон и Лестрейд, пользуясь его собственным дедуктивным методом. Правда, Холмс появился уже на пятой минуте эпизода, но он был в маскировке и его даже Уотсон не узнал. В общем-то, они чуть было не провалили Холмсу все дело. А еще в конце благодарный человек, чуть не ставший жертвой убийцы, решил обучить Холмса искусству кукловодства, и Холмс тут же начал вникать. Разносторонний человек, что и говорить. Двадцатый эпизод The Case of the Careless Suffragette опять был со странным сюжетом - и не только потому, что он был про суфражистку (которые тут показаны немножко туповатыми, пусть Холмс и разделяет их взгляды на голосование женщин) и про русского бомбиста, но и из-за взорвавшегося крокетного мяча, убившего члена парламента, над чьим местом смерти, припорошенным его прахом, Холмс, Уотсон и Лестрейд потом по очереди играли в крокет, не отвлекаясь от обсуждения... В общем, я все еще в восторге и продолжаю запоем смотреть этот сериал, хотя и понимаю, что так он очень скоро кончится.

[celticbarb]

Book: A Killer in the Crystal Palace

Author: Deb Marlowe

Series: The Kier and Levett Mystery, Book #1

Publisher: Dragonblade

Overall Rating: 5 Stars

Blog Rating: 5 Saltire Stars

This is the first book that centers around a Great Exhibition that is ahead of its time and displays much technology ahead of its time.

London 1851

In the Kier and Levett Mystery series, it centers on Miss Kara Levett The attractive and intelligent daughter of a baron and an exhibitor herself, she happily demonstrates her intricate detailed automatons and case clocks and wows the crowds. So intelligent she is not a woman looking for a husband, sitting at home doing needlepoint, or creating dinners menu’s and household chores for her staff. No, this woman was discovering and creating things that no one else has ever done before.

The problem is she is a woman and many of the all male merchants are jealous of her amazing talents and want her out of The Great Exhibition period. They use the sorry excuse she is female, as if being men make them smarter and better which is simply not the case. Feeling this should only be a men’s only club and a woman should not be allowed in at all! Except for one man by the name Niall Kier, who is very impressed by Miss Levett’s amazing talent and feels she deserves to be part of the Great Exhibition as any man. To Niall, it’s about the talent not who did the work, of course he’s not a stuffy Englishman either!

Niall Kier’s homeland is Scotland and his trade is a blacksmith and he also creates and forges amazing pieces. Therefore making iron broches plus creating this breathtaking piece with enormous gates designing a thistle. A thistle became Scotland's national flower and emblem in the 13th century by King Alexander III. However he became the one man who is impressed by Kara Levett’s skills and intelligence of this sweet English rose. He also seems to be her champion and gets her in The Great Exhibition much quicker then if she did this on her own.

Now Kara did notice a one armed man was watching her intensely but the next time she sees him he has her arm automaton and is dead. Well all the jealous merchants at the Crystal Palace are already accusing her of murder it was a quick way to disqualify her from the exhibition! Her creation had not been made for a human man; it was only created for her display. Of course it makes her the prime suspect and Scotland Yard is not helping at all. Furthermore they do not know anything about this man, not even his name. The only one believing her is Niall as the others are accusing her just to get her out of the exhibition which really turns Niall’s stomach. As these men don’t care about ending an innocent woman's life just to remove her from the Exhibition. It was absolutely cruel, callous and ruthless, so Niall becomes her champion and becomes Kara’s only defender yet will it be enough?

Do Niall and Kara become partners looking for the true assailant and murderer? Yet time is of the essence and Scotland Yard just wants to wrap it up quickly not caring if they have the right assailant or not. What everyone doesn’t know is Niall has some secrets of his own and they are running out of time. Can Niall keep Kara safe or is she off to Newgate? Read this fascinating novel and find out!

This is the first book in “The Kier and Levett Mystery” which will have you wondering who did this ghastly crime of murder. There are many clues within this story but which is the correct one? It is definitely a who done it type of novel that will have readers glued to their seats!

Deb Marlowe wrote a brilliant murder mystery I couldn’t put down. Historical mystery readers will absolutely love this story from start to finish. I can’t wait for the next book in this exhilarating story. There were times I couldn’t help but get chills due to the realism of this fantastic story. A book I look forward to reading again as it was that great! A book I highly recommend!

I received a complimentary ARC copy from Dragonblade Publishing through Netgalley. I voluntarily agreed to read, review and blog an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts, ideas and opinions are my own.

Buy Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Killer-Crystal-Palace-Levett-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0BQ4HMQ56

[drarryspecificrecs]

H/D Wireless 2022 : (fics only)

@hd-wireless || official masterpost || AO3 || ∑ = 58 works (art, fic, podfic) The Mods : @candybarrnerd, @gnarf & @maesterchill Banner © : @iero0 (official banner) + @honeyrinee's sweet lips on my lips

★ The playlist : Youtube | Spotify

Across My Memory by @cluelesspigeons [E, 4k] ♫ Once Upon A December (2017) by Christy Altomare

Anymore by @famoustruth [T, 2k] ♫ Anymore (2021) by Jeon Somi

Away by @sky-is-torn [T, 16k] ♫ Sleep on the Floor (2016) by The Lumineers

Become a man, but I need a man by @somberraven [E, 5k] ♫ Stay with me (2015) by Sam Smith

Bright Side by @floydig [T, 2k] ♫ BRIGHTSIDE (2022) by The Lumineers

Butterflies in Winter by Justlikewriting [M, 19k] ♫ Suspirium (2018) by Thom Yorke

A Case of You by @epitomereally [E, 97k] ♫ Blue (album) (1971) by Joni Mitchell

Closer by @pennygalleon [M, 5k] ♫ Something to Talk About (1991) by Bonnie Raitt

Delicate Dealings by @drwhoisginnyholmes [M, 11k] ♫ Delicate (2017) by Taylor Swift

Draco Malfoy Absolutely Does Not Need to Be Loved by Harry Bloody Potter by @nv-md [E, 18k] ♫ Midnight Sky (2020) by Miley Cyrus

An Emerald In The Sky by @corvuscrowned [M, 6k] ♫ Lost in Time and Space (2018) by Lord Huron

Everything We Have by @thesleepiesthufflepuff [E, 5k] ♫ Heart (2016) by Sleeping At Last

Eye of the Storm by @stargazing-enby [?, 26k] ♫ It’s Alright (2018) by Mother Mother

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not by @sleepstxtic [T, 5k] ♫ Careless Whisper (1984) by George Michael

The Heart and the Salt of the Soul by @cupofsquirrelfan [T, 23k] ♫ Like I Can (2014) by Sam Smith

I Wanna Be On You by @thebooktopus [E, 6k] ♫ Dance to This (2018) by Troye Sivan ft. Ariana Grande

I Won't Let You Fall Apart by @xanthippe74 [M, 49k] ♫ We're In This Together (1999) by Nine Inch Nails

I'll Be Loving You (Always) by phdmama [T, 10k] *restricted ♫ BWU (2016) by Tegan and Sara

if the world was ending by @talkingtravesties [M, 4k] ♫ If The World Was Ending (2020) by JP Saxe - Kurt Hugo Schneider cover

In Free Fall by @kbrick [E, 81k] ♫ Bonkers (2009) by Dizzee Rascal

The Island Assignment by @makeitp1nk [E, 10k] ♫ Yonaguni (2021) by Bad Bunny

Just Between Us by @phoebe-delia [T, 13k] ♫ All Too Well (10min vers. - Taylor’s vers. - 2021) by Taylor Swift

Kept in Cages by @sweet-s0rr0w [E, 76k] --- ART by @ihopeyoubothstaysafefromharm ♫ Dela (1989) by Johnny Clegg

Lights Down Low by @skeptiquewrites [T, 4k] ♫ Sign of the Times (2017) by Harry Styles

like freedom by @softlystarstruck [M, 4k] --- ART by @babooshkart ♫ Dead of Night (2019) by Orville Peck

Meet Me at Midnight by @the-starryknight [T, 56k] ♫ Sunlight (2019) by Hozier

Mens Rea by @lqtraintracks [E, 3k] ♫ Laid (1993) by James

Nothing compares by @maesterchill [T, 3k] ♫ Nothing Compares 2 U (1990) by Sinéad O'Connor

Open Fire by @slytherco [E, 38k] ♫ Lion (2017) by Saint Mesa

The Pact by @meandminniemcg [E, 12k] ♫ Deep Water (2019) by American Authors

Paper Rings by @lettersbyelise [E, 50k] ♫ Paper Rings (2019) by Taylor Swift

Plant your hope (rain down on me) by @bluesundaycake [M, 9k] ♫ Thistle and Weeds (2009) by Mumford & Sons

Put Some Time Aside (To Fall Apart) by @gryffindorhearts [T, 3k] ♫ Mansion Door (2018) by Shakey Graves

Say You Will by @janieohio [M, 3k] ♫ Grow Old With You (1998) by Adam Sandler

The Siren and the Sailor by @gracerene [E, 13k] ♫ The Siren and the Sailor (2010) by Kristin Allen-Zito

Staring Into Open Flame by @lumosatnight [E, 25k] --- ART by @kairennart ♫ Arsonist’s Lullabye (2014) by Hozier

Stuck Inside the Silence by @bunnimew [T, 2k] *restricted ♫ Papercut (2015) by Zedd ft. Troye Sivan

Take the Moon by @tackytigerfic [M, 15k] ♫ 4-Hour Store (2003) by The Handsome Family

taste you like a drug by @drarryruinedme7 [E, 3k] ♫ Daddy Issues (2015) by The Neighbourhood

Ties and Knots by @iero0 [G, 2k] ♫ Mr. Brightside (2004) by The Killers

To Make A Way by @cavendishbutterfly [E, 5k] ♫ chinese new year (2014) by SALES

To the dust again I fell by @steampunkserpent27 [M, 2k] ♫ Wishing Well (2012) by The Oh Hellos

Two Found Souls Swimming in a Fishbowl by @quackquackcey [E, 10k] ♫ Wish You Were Here (1975) by Pink Floyd

Wild Things by @coffeedrgn87 [E, 118k] ♫ Main Title (Wild Things OST - 1998) by George S. Clinton

You Don’t Owe the World a Thing by @orpheous87 [T, 17k] ♫ Celadon and Gold (2020) by Maggie Rogers

You Know the Feeling by @sorrybutblog [M, 12k] ♫ Official (2019) by Charli XCX

—

✔ other fests in 2022 ✔ fests in other years ✔ H/D Wireless : 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

(Bee-Like) Robber Fly - Laphria aktis (?)

Tuesday’s post presented an insect that is more passive to humans and was brought to Canada in order to help manage the spread of thistle. It also represented a new addition to this blog as a new variety of Fly. Today’s post has relatives on this blog, but this individual is a new specie, and while it can be beneficial to the wilderness or a garden, it can also target beneficial insects. Don’t blame it though, it’s just hungry and can’t be too picky about what it wants to eat. By waiting patiently on a perch, this Robber Fly suddenly rushes when a suitable snack flies or walks in view, upon which it pounces, snares and jabs the prey using its sharp mouthpart. This individual has gotten quite a haul in the form of a captured Beetle! This catch is likely beneficial as swarms of Leaf Beetles at this time of year can have a good appetite for leaves and flower parts. As mentioned in previous posts, these Flies like to use aggression when hunting and given that these Flies like to capture prey in mid-flight, it’s remarkable how they can strike in a weak point which such accuracy. In this case, bypassing the armor of the Beetle and going straight for the softer body! It’s no wonder that these Flies are also known as Assassin Flies! I’ll reiterate as I have before: take good care when handling as their jab is unpleasant. Just like the other Laphria spp. cousins on this blog such as the Bee Killer, these Robber Flies tend to be associated with the capture and predation of Bees. As you can tell, they also greatly resemble Bees: some with a rotund body, some with hairs similar to common Bees, and some with a combination of both. 

Speaking of the hairs, we come to how this specie was identified. I wish I knew then what I know now with regards to this eye-catching, golden plumed hunter. I’ve settled on L. aktis for now, but it could still be L. sericea since they both sport those golden hairs on their thorax and abdomen and look extremely similar otherwise. If you take photos of an insect like this, be sure to get close ups of the abdomen and the appendages at the very end. In males (which this one is), those appendages are the key to identification. Specifically, they are abdominal forceps which are used during mating. Between L. aktis and L. sericea, there are subtle differences between the shape, contour and position of the forceps to tell each specie apart. If you’re curious, I refer you to this publishing I’ve been using in addition to cross-referencing with pictures on Bugguide (the L. aktis page has a great description on the differences). After staring at Fly butts for several days, closely examining the forceps, I've settled on an identification on this, but I’m happy to be proven wrong if new information comes to light. I’ve learned my lesson and I’m thankful that it was a male that flew nearby. Females of both species lack the terminals forceps used in identification - instead having an ovipositor - and cannot be distinguished from photos alone. Quite a mouthful, but I hope all this information serves you well. Happy hunting for bugs!

Pictures were taken on June 11, 2022 with a Google Pixel 4. While linked above, for your Laphria identification needs, refer to this publishing. May it serve you well. 

[ineffabletwaddle13]

Holmes tapping his fingers on things such as a book, his lip, his tummy, a piece of paper, a picture frame, his thigh, plus tapping his pipe on a map.

Holmes in the books by Arthur Conan Doyle also taps his fingers on things a lot:

The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington plans: “He sat lost in thought, tapping his fingers on the table”... “ tapping the furniture”

The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax: “his long, nervous fingers tapping upon the arms of his chair"

His last bow: “Holmes, tapping the valise”

The Adventure of the Empty House: “More than once he fidgeted with his feet and tapped rapidly with his fingers upon the wall”

A Study In Scarlet: “He gnawed his lip, drummed his fingers upon the table, and showed every other symptom of acute impatience”

The Problem of Thor Bridge: “in his nervous restlessness, he could not sit still, but paced the carriage or drummed with his long, sensitive fingers upon the cushions beside him”

[caiternate]

@gideonseymours and i decided that our harrow the ninth literary commentary was looking a little lonely, so, here you go, a complete (to the best of our knowledge and ability) literary commentary for gideon the ninth. as in the harrow commentary, we’ve done our best to compile and source all the quotes and references and left you on your own for the memes. please let us know if there’s anything we’ve missed!

this does include mild spoilers for harrow the ninth; be warned.

p. 40: “…with trump and timbrel.” though the words sound biblical, the main places where this specific phrasing comes up are in “rebecca’s hymn,” an original poem from sir walter scott’s novel ivanhoe (1819), and in the hymn “king jesus hath a garden,” translated from dutch by george woodward.

p. 131: “Fiat lux!” in english, “let there be light!”, from the third verse of the book of genesis in the latin vulgate edition. palamedes is using it a little sarcastically, as camilla catches on to what he’s saying about the weirdness of the different ages of things in canaan house. on the next page, they have a fun exchange where camilla says “swords don’t lie,” to which palamedes responds “no. but they don’t tell the truth either,” which, while not a reference, is a fun piece of foreshadowing, if you’re into that sort of thing.

p. 131 “impossible, warden.”...”improbable, warden.” recalls the classic sherlock holmes-ism “when you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth” (from the case-book of sherlock holmes, 1927). camilla’s other exclamations in this scene also have a definite watsonian vibe. they’re such nerds and i’m obsessed with them. 

p. 138: It is finished! this showed up in the harrow commentary, too. it’s the most common translation of τετέλεσται, jesus’ last word(s) before dying on the cross in john 19:30. 

p. 173: “Light is the paper-killer.” could be a cute joke on “fear is the mind-killer” from frank herbert’s dune. certainly on the line between meme and serious reference but i guess if gideon is getting frontline titties of the fifth[1] on pluto, palamedes might have read dune. 

p. 241: “The die is cast.” this is the english translation of “iacta alea est,” julius caesar’s famous declaration when he led an army across the rubicon river to kick off a civil war. it’s an appropriate quote for the necromancer of the second, but whether it’s a deliberate reference or an idiomatic use is unclear. 

p. 311: “Let the dead reclaim the dead.” a paraphrase of the phrase “let the dead bury their dead” from mumford and sons’ “thistle & weeds” luke 9:60. 

p. 367: It is finished! see note on p.138.

p.378: “you are an intellectual cretin and a dog in a manger…” the ancient greek fable of the dog in the manger describes a person who neither uses nor allows other people to use a particular resource. it falls into the middle ground between idiom and reference, but it is an obscure enough pull that, whether or not palamedes was intentionally quoting aesop, we found it helpful to gloss. 

p. 398: Palamedes surveyed his work, and he saw that it was good. the second half of this line is a recurring quote in the creation story in genesis 1. the entire line is found at genesis 1:31. this is, as far as we can find, the only biblical reference given in the narration rather than in dialogue.

p. 438: “The land that shall receive thee dying, in the same will I die: and there will I be buried. The Lord do so and so to me, and add more also, if aught but death part me and thee.” the longest and most obvious bible quote in the book: ruth 1.17, douay-rheims translation. commonly used in wedding vows and repeated by harrow on page 380 of harrow the ninth.

[1] nav, you ass, that’s not even a real publication

[hannigramficrecs]

Do you have any good crossover fics you'd recommend?

I just read a really good venom/hannibal crossover the other day LOL here are some recs:

Thistle and Wildflower by snapdragonpop007 [words: 4,570]

Will stared at Hannibal with wide eyes. For quite possibly the first time in his life he understood just what Morticia meant when she told Will over his mother's casket you'll know when you see them.

The Jealousy Game by blackcrystaly [words: 2,143]

Will told to his lover while they waited for dinner to be ready that an FBI agent who came to help with a case invited him on a date.

The Lithuanian Diet by DreadPirateRoberts [words: 3,076]

After a lovely couple move into the area, Joel and Sheila Hammond find out that their neighbors have more in common with them than they first thought.

Suit Up by SLq [words: 2,351]

Will and Hannibal are being held hostage in a warehouse. Will did not sign up for this James Bond shit.

Good Man by kitsunechibiko [words: 358]

“Fuck.” Beverly turns to look at Will when they abruptly stop their walk to Jack’s office. He looks horrified. “What?” “My dads!”

These last two are more venom-centered fics, but there’s hannigram in them as well! 

To Dine so Dark by jesso [words: 7,271]

Anne invites Eddie to a dinner with one of Dan's friends from work. It's not until he's halfway through the meal that he realizes what's in the food.

A Hunter's Feast by Razzledazzy [words: 4,038]

His work interviewing serial killers causes him to meet many strange people and make even stranger friends, but how is he supposed to explain that he knows the texture and the taste in his mouth, regardless of how fanciful the presentation on the plate in front of him appears?

[agentrouka-blog]

Do you think Jon gonna mate in his wolf form? It's a theory by a jonsa shipper. There was haggon who mates with sly in one-eye. I don't want that for Jon and Sansa bcoz it's disgusting and traumatic at same time.

Hi anon!

I have never read such a theory. 

Are you sure you didn’t mistake simple foreshadowing for Jonsa (with a post-resurrection Jon) for a case of bestiality?

Actually, it’s Varamyr, who we met in ASOS with the rest of the Wildlings, who uses the wolves that way (wolf on wolf, mind!), and it’s considered an abomination. Varamyr reflects on the teaching Haggon, his warging mentor. The entire prologue of ADWD is a big soup of mirrors and foreshadowing but also a big laundry list of the ways in which warging is actually a power that can easily be horribly abused.

People are not necessarily wrong to mistrust wargs. 

Varamyr is a special case because he is downright pleased to abuse his power:

warged into he dogs to murder his younger brother because he was jealous of him when he was only six

steals Haggon’s “second life” by forcing him from his intended animal and murdering his human body.

violently forces the warging onto his animals, none of them want it

uses his animals to attack and threaten people, 

mates in animal form (male and female) which is a form of bestiality and of sexual abuse because obviously he’s still a third party forcing himself in on the act

threatens many women with his shadow cat in order to rape them and father children on them that he doesn’t take care of

hunts and eats human beings while warging

wargs into Thistle, who has saved his life and taken care of him, to steal her body when his own dies, it is a vicious fight during which Thistle destroys her own body just to force him out

 And in all of this he is filled with nothing but self-pity.

Varamyr reflects a LOT of characters who abuse their power or drift into dangerous behaviors while warging. Bran and Arya are both going down dark paths. Robb was deeply unsettled by what he did with Ghost. Dany is a kind of Varamyr. Tyrion certainly is. Plus, all the Starklings will eventually break with their mentors and make their own Interpretation of their teachings. (Ygritte, Littlefinger, Three-Eyed Crow, Faceless Men, etc etc.) 

Jon, one might speculate, will be most affected by this aspect:

“They say you forget,” Haggon had told him, a few weeks before his own death. “When the man’s flesh dies, his spirit lives on inside the beast, but every day his memory fades, and the beast becomes a little less a warg, a little more a wolf, until nothing of the man is left and only the beast remains.”

Varamyr knew the truth of that. When he claimed the eagle that had been Orell’s, he could feel the other skinchanger raging at his presence. Orell had been slain by the turncloak crow Jon Snow, and his hate for his killer had been so strong that Varamyr found himself hating the beastling boy as well.

Basically, if Jon spends time in Ghost, his strong emotions will be preserved, his more refined behavior dulled. The text specifically uses “the beast” and “the wolf”, so we’re likely to slip into Beauty and the Beast territory with this angle. So yes, it’s probably going to affect his interactions with Sansa. And yes, One-Eye and Sly appear to be sibling wolves, which might be ist own hint at Jonsa.

Does that mean Ghost will try to mate with Sansa? 

NO! What the hell? No! Obviously not!  Nothing in the Prologue even suggests that. 

The only one who does crap like that is, I think, Ramsey. 

Jeyne pulled her wolfskins up to her chin. "No. This is some trick. It's him, it's my … my lord, my sweet lord, he sent you, this is just some test to make sure that I love him. I do, I do, I love him more than anything." A tear ran down her cheek. "Tell him, you tell him. I'll do what he wants … whatever he wants … with him or … or with the dog or … please … he doesn't need to cut my feet off, I won't try to run away, not ever, I'll give him sons, I swear it, I swear it …"

Rowan whistled softly. "Gods curse the man." (ADWD, Theon I)

Even Varamyr didn’t do that. That’s Ramsey’s thing. GRRM is not going to turn Jon into something worse than Ramsey. 

Will Jon mate with some wolf while warging? I mean, Ghost has been running around unsupervised plenty of times, if he had the urge (and a direwolf at hand), he’s free to get busy. But we have never seen another direwolf in the text, even though they are said to live beyond the Wall. And since it’s still a gross thing to do, I really don’t think so. 

Jon as Ghost is likely to be a foil to Varamyr. He will want to protect Sansa. He will be emotionally attached to Sansa. And while Jon has some deep-seated issues with resentment and anger that we have seen come out as violent outbursts, they were never directed at women ever. Jon, Ghost and Sansa coming together is likely to be a healing experience for them, not a source of more trauma.

The bigger issue will be Jon outside of Ghost. Life will be more complicated, more restricted and filled with new burdens, new trauma. Bran was a grump when he woke up from his coma. Now multiply that by Jon. That's the real “Beast”.

[moonlitwordsandlilies]

in the details with the devil

the pastel yellow canaries chipper song surrounded Caleb.  slowly breaking down into an almost hellish symphony of unrelenting, taunting. Even the sun seemed to burn and scorn him on what normally would be an almost perfect day but today clearly wasn’t going to be normal nor perfect. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Her once again and his heart dropped into the cracked weed riddled sidewalk beneath him. An all-consuming sense of panic flooded him as his legs cut through the air in a desperate attempt to flee.

Whatever was following him lingered like a shadow. A pale, ungodly tall shadow. With hair the color of dried blood almost touching the dull ground at the same time it seemed to frame a pair of pitch-black eyes.   There was something disturbingly wrong about Her. Caleb was unsure if it was the air of refinement seeping through her every movement or the look of cold hunger in her eyes that could only belong to a predator stalking their prey.

Was this death slowly getting ready to make its move or was this something else entirely. That thought stayed in his mind like a thorn in his side.

Without realizing it his legs felt weak as his nerve endings started screaming fierily. He had to put an end to this game of cat and mouse, but how?  

Caleb’s answer came not in the form of a sanctuary but instead the glossy warm brown walls of Mc. Thistle’s book emporium. Caleb crashed into the rickety wooden door so hard for a second, he swore the small bell-shaped glass panel built into the wood almost shattered.  The door gave way dramatically leading to Caleb slipping and falling like an old cartoon character before landing on the hardwood floor with a sickening thud. Panic still clung to him as he forced his now aching body upwards. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he dashed to the very end of the store making the hundred or so identical mahogany bookshelves blur past.

Pushing the faces of the startled customers out of his mind, instead Caleb focused on his hallow footsteps and the hair standing up on the back of his neck like a threatened cat. Caleb darted into the slim yet comforting alley of bookcases. Finally, he collapsed into a scrunched shaking heap as his heart slowed down to an acceptable speed. Through deep breaths a calmness appeared like an odd warm embrace that had been missing since this morning.  

The sound of books being opened, and pages being flipped with a crisp rustle filled the store. A few sun beams made almost fairy-tale like markings on the floor.  This is it. This bookstore was Caleb’s Eden even just for a few minutes longer it remained a paradise. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and in this case the end came slowly. Starting with a shift in the environment. The room became tense like a horror movie leaping off the screen. A high-pitched humming filled the spaces in-between shuttered gasps.  The world crumbled around Caleb as everything clicked fatally late.

 No. no. no. not them god not them!. Caleb’s mind screamed at him.  he should have listened it wasn’t a joke every word about the boss being the devil was true and now Caleb was going to face Satan’s own flesh and blood.  

The humming stopped making a sharp chill run up his spine. Without thinking he backed up causing books to fall like fresh rain nocking many lose pages free.

“the bible really you’re trying to scare me off that badly, I will have you know most of it is lies! I never fell” said a cold voice with a bit of a bite near the end.

“you... you... Satan spawn!” bleated Caleb.

“I was wondering how long it would take you” they paused “I’m in fact yours truly Lucifer”

All the colour drained from his face as he stared into her eyes.  His throat became dryer then sand as he toyed with the idea of death, mostly his own. For a second Caleb got up the courage to ask why lucifer was there but he knew of his unpaid debt. So instead, he choked out a “what are you”

Lucifer looked down at the shaking man only a few feet away from her. She strode towards him allowing wisps of almost golden hellfire to nip at her heal before spreading to the lose pages.

“I’m an angel. but not like the ones you know for I am an original. You see I am hell born.” her voice was proud and stronger then ever.

A soft sound filled the awkward silence, it was animalistic like a bird getting ready to soar into the sky. Soon a black mass rose from lucifer’s back like an ice burg peaking out of the sea, it all blended together blocking everything in Caleb’s eyesight except for lucifer, like huge inky silk curtains. There was something alluring about it though as if he were in a daze but the longer, he gazed the more the blob took shape into four pairs of thick midnight-black wings; every feather was perfectly groomed. Unfazed by the spectacle she just put on, Lucifer let out the same bone chilling hum as before.

Caleb found this hum oddly comforting, and motherly with a frosty touch to it.  If this was the last thing he heard, it seemed fitting as if it were deaths lullaby luring him to the eternal slumber that awaited. A second sound joined, the humming turning it into an orchestra of sorts. The sound was the slithering of a dark emerald, green snake longer than both of his arms combined.  There where whispers of spoken words between pet and master and Caleb heard a single name Apple. Then the snakes focus snapped back him to with a killer look in their eyes before it spilled down her arms and shoulders like liquid metal.  before Caleb could blink a cold leathery feeling wrapped around him getting tighter gradually. A shrill hacking sound filled the room as a pale-yellow canary’s feather fell from the snake’s wide-open mouth.  

 “you know. Angels are like canaries, pretty little songbirds trapped in a grand cage although, two birds managed to break free of that cage. but don’t worry about that you’ll meet them very very soon. “Lucifer half mused half declared.

With that time slowed down as Caleb’s last moments came and went. Ending with a single snap followed by a painful squeeze and pop.

Everything went black and weightless ...

[ksj-com]

The Purge Night-

Gunpoint

- Pairing: Hoseok x Reader

- Genre: ThePurge!AU, Hitman!AU, violence, smut, gore

- Warnings/Tags: pre-meditated murder, dark web hitman mention, (kind of?) slow burn, killing, fantasizing about ripping out someones diaphragm, soft Hoseok, crying reader, eventual smut, fucking over a kitchen counter, light spanking, marking hickeys 

- Word Count: 3649 words

- Summary: There are a lot of black market jobs that really come to life during the purge— including hiring a hitman. When Hoseok sees his target for tonight, will he pull the trigger or make an exception for you?

|| Masterlist ||

A/N: Thank you to my bestfriend Jasmin (aka @pjm-com) for writing out my idea for this story for me because my mentality to do ANYTHING today was not having it. If you like this story, check out her writings because they are amazing 

     Hoseok was excited for tonight, something he could feel in his veins weeks before the actual day came. He spent the prior hours preparing his weapons for that night to keep him alive, and that thought alone made him laugh. He was untouchable. He wasn’t marked by anyone else, but he was known to be dangerous in every way possible which meant work would be heavy in the towns over. The towns who had never seen his face, who hadn’t experienced him standing over someone about to blow out their brains.

     On purge night, there were two types of services that people could order. A protection service, in which someone would be posted outside your house to keep the crazy killers outside. There was another service as well, but it was highly illegal and fortunately for Hoseok, it was his full time job. Even sitting at his computer now, he’s searching through his e-mails on targets he has to kill before the week is up and oddly enough there is only one scheduled for tonight. A sick twisted smile forms on his face as he realizes that, he can take his time with you tonight. He could make it as quick as he wanted, or watch them die painfully tonight. 

     “This poor mother fucker,” he says as he leans back in his chair as he sipped on some alcohol. He’s already thought of five ways he can obliterate the body, man or women, he didn’t care. He could cut the sternum right under the chest plate and flip the diaphragm back, watching them struggle to breath without the main supporting muscle. But he’d save his sick fantasies for later before he gets too excited, and opens the e-mail. No specific information, no specific way to kill, just an address and a photo was all he needed to get the job done. Turning off his computer, he gets up and goes down into a secret room and is flicking the lights on to reveal an armory that he keeps just for his job. It paid in heaps of cash, which was why he had the best weapons known to man, some he’s been saving for special occasions.

     He moves towards the room with familiarity, knowing where everything is as he pulls out a bag that he’s had ready for weeks now. Unrolling the small bundle, Hoseok spreads it out on the table to show two of his favorite weapons. The Ruger SR40c which had its own silencer. It was one of the most dangerous handguns out there and he was honored to have it in his possession, right next to a needle that he can inject into her jugular vein to paralyze her. With confidence, he brings the gun into his view before putting it in his stomach holster that keeps the gun strapped to his back, before pocketing the needle. He’s leaving the room quickly to walk into the main portion of his house and shut it down for the night. He lived in a penthouse on the seventh floor of a large building in the city so he was not worried at all about someone waiting for him to get home. 

     In no time he’s pulling the work address up on maps and making his way down to his car in the parking garage, a black Cadillac that has aided him through many drive-by shootings. He gets into the car and immediately locks the doors out of habit before setting his phone on a mount and pulling out of there. Lucky for him, the house was one in the suburbs not even five minutes from here and given the timestamp in the information file, as he pulls up to the office building and spots his target getting into her car. 

     You hadn’t even seen him following you, and he’s already suspected you’re an idiot— case in point. He’s following you a few cars back to the house that looks nicer than he expected. He wasn’t usually supposed to ask questions on the job, but why would someone want you dead? Pushing the thoughts out of his head, he decides to turn off the main road and find a spot to park in the woods near your house. He could climb in the window when it was safe and slit your throat, or do something else if his mind thought it up. He watches you walk into your house, eyes over your shoulder every few minutes and the clock on his wrist tells him that it’s five minutes till the alarm is supposed to sound. He gets out of his car and starts treading through the thistle and branches to arrive at the edge of the forest right in front of your house. 

     His instincts kick in as he drops to his knees, another figure dressed in a suit and tie just like him, walking up to your house. Hoseok felt anger bubble in his chest. This was his kill, his money, and before he can plan on torturing the other hitman, a thought racks his mind. You fucking idiot, he thinks. That’s not a hitman, but a protection agent and it was like the devil had put this glorious opportunity right into his hands. He takes his gun out of the holster, glad that the agent had chosen to park far away, so it would make it easier for Hoseok to drag his body away. He’s lifting up the Ruger, aiming straight at his head, and he’s thanking the heavens for his silencer because within a split second the man is collapsing to the ground with a hole in his head. 

     Scanning the area, he doesn’t see a soul so Hoseok decides to move quickly since you’re already inside your house. He drags the agent back to his car after searching his body for any documents of concrete evidence that he was assigned to her house. After finding nothing, he shuts the car door and turns to her house before walking the same path the agent had moments ago. His knuckles knock on your door formally, a smile on his features as you open the door with wide eyes. “Miss Y/N?” He calls, extending his hand. You take it cautiously before nodding. 

     “Yes, that’s me. Are you my agent?” Hoseok nods and she’s ready to open the door to let him in before her eyes are fixed on something behind his shoulder. He turns around ready to whip out his pistol before he sees a toddler running from a girl’s car, whom he could only assume to be his nanny, up the stairs and to his mother. She coos at him happily, swinging him up in her arms and planting kisses all over his face. Hoseok can’t help but crack a smile at how happy you both looked together. A happiness he hasn’t felt in a long time. 

     “Hey sport, how was day camp?” He decides to do an outside perimeter check right as the alarm sounds, the boring speech filling his ears. Before rounding himself back inside to meet you guys eating at the dinner table. It must’ve been leftovers since he’d only been outside for all of six minutes, but your kid was chowing down either way. She turns to Hoseok, a soft smile on her face and he can tell she’s tired and worn out, and a little hint of fear lies in her eyes. He’s upset for a second, that he’d be leaving this kid without a mother since the contract only instructed you. He mentally slaps himself in the face. He’s here to kill you, not feel sorry for you. “Would you like any?”

     He shakes his head, putting his hands up. “No thank you, Miss. I already ate. Sit there and enjoy it, I’ll protect you.” She nods and continues to eat, making small talk with her kid about his day. Hoseok tunes it out, because he knows if he pays too much attention to it, he’ll start freaking out. It took him years to get over the death of his wife and kid. Five long years and he’s still scrambling to put his heart back into his chest. 

     He decides to watch the front door while they eat, and she’s getting him ready for bed. He’s doing a check of the halls and the bedrooms trying to find a place that he could hide in plain sight for later. While he’s in her bedroom, looking out her window to make sure no one was haunting the streets before he hears a soft hiccup behind him. You shut your door after tucking in your son, sobbing into your hands before your eyes are wide open at his figure in your room. 

     “Hey, I was just looking out your window to make sure no one’s waiting to ambush you… everything okay?” He asks in the softest voice possible. You look like you’re about to break apart right in his view and before he can ask again, you’re pressed into his chest crying. He short circuits with you in his arms, and he does the first thing he can think of which is holding you closer and sit on the bed. “Hey, it’s okay to let it out.. what’s wrong?” You’re gasping for air in his chest, hiccuping every so often as he rubs your back in rhythmic circles. 

     “It’s just.. my son.. He’s my everything and I’m barely s-scraping by to take care of him,” you sob and he sits there listening. “My fiancé was killed in the purge three years ago and it’s just been so hard without him.” Hoseok feels a jab of pain in his heart at your words. It’s something he knows very well, a pain he felt every night for the past five years.

     “That must be hard.. My wife and kid died in the purge as well, five years ago and that’s why I do what I do today.” He lies a little. The real reason he kills is because he has revenge for the world, cause he’s mad at the world. He screams at the stars every chance he gets, tears in his eyes asking God why he took the only thing keeping him going. They never respond back. Maybe they never will. “I want to protect people to make sure no more loved ones get killed in these sadistic games.” She offers a small hum as an answer, pulling away to wipe her tears before quietly apologizing. 

     “It’s just. I can’t protect him, not like you could. Please, keep him safe.” She’s begging him, tears in her eyes and streaming down her face. Maybe Hoseok breaks in that moment, a small piece of the wall he’s built is crumbling right now. He nods, thumb reaching up to push the tears away. “Even if you have to sacrifice my life over his, please make sure he’s safe.” Hoseok makes a promise to not touch a hair on that child’s head, no matter what happens tonight. He lets you lay in his chest as your breathing slows, and to his surprise you’re asleep within minutes. 

     Setting you straight on your bed, he makes sure you’re warm and cozy before shutting the door and sighing. It kills him on the inside but he walks into your boy’s room, and watches him for a while. He babbles in his sleep, a few words that Hoseok can’t understand. One does tear him a new one, your son mumbling ‘dad’ in his sleep. Hoseok can’t stay any longer but he vows to protect this kid his life if it’s the last thing he does. Pushing the thoughts out of his head, he goes downstairs to check all the doors and windows but the street stays surprisingly empty. That didn’t matter, because the killer was on the inside. 

     Now, as he sits and watches TV comfortably in your home, he wonders if he’ll be able to do it. Kill you in your sleep after you just cried in his arms. After he realizes you guys share the same pain, he won’t know if he has the heart. If he declines the job, he’ll be fired but maybe it’s worth it. A couple hours pass and it’s nighttime now, and Hoseok decides to go up to your room, to watch you for a while. You twist and turn in your sleep and as he inches closer, he’s afraid to wake you up. He kneels at your bedside, needle in his hand but he hasn’t removed it from his pocket. Your face is soft and free of stress lines as it rests against your pillow, hair fanned out against the sheets. The stains of your tears are evident on your face and it takes everything in his power to not wipe the remaining residue away. 

     Before he gets too far, your eyes open lazily before fixating on his figure. You don’t flinch cause you have great faith in how well he would be able to protect you, and you end up offering him a small smile. “Is everything alright?”  As if on cue, her kid starts crying and you’re suddenly on high alert.

     “He’s fine, he’s fine,” Hoseok calms you down instantly since he’s sure no ones in the house. He watches the look in your eyes return to normal and he fights internally with himself. “I’m sure a bad dream or something. Go check on him, I’m going to use the bathroom, okay?” You nod and he steps aside to let you tend to your kid while he slinks into the nearest restroom. He’s honestly nervous right now as he splashes water onto his face. He’s killed people without any mercy, and he’s wondering why the hell he can’t do it. Why he wants to stay outside your door and protect you every night. He opens the window once he decides that he can’t do it, and chucks the needle as far as he can away from the house. After slamming it shut, he pulls out his phone and deletes any trace of himself on the profile as much as he can in that time amount. He texts one of his close friends, asking him to wipe all his accounts clean before he steps into the hall. 

     After seeing your son asleep and your bed empty, he decides to trail downstairs and he spots you in the kitchen with your arms crossed as you wait for the coffee to be done brewing. He joins you in the kitchen and you guys sit in silence for a little bit. “Would you like a cup?” Hoseok nods and you pour him one, pushing the creamer and sugar towards him before making one of your own. 

     “You’re not going back to bed?” He exhales, and you shake your head. 

     “I wanna stay up with you. I can never sleep on nights like these, and I want to be awake should anything happen.. if that’s okay.” Hoseok nods and mixes the cream and sugar together before taking a drink. You sit at the island with your coffee in hand, as you sip from it momentarily. “Sorry for dumping all of that on you.. That’s not professional.” Hoseok shakes his head, leaning against the counter that you were sitting at. 

     “Don’t be. It’s good to know at least someone shares my grief.”

     You laugh softly at that before you exhale, shrugging. “I don’t know.. It’s just been so long since I’ve had a man in my house, or even someone to talk to. To hold me. It’s different, it’s not something I’ve had in a while.” Hoseok nods, looking at you, hyper aware of everything you do from flickering your eyes back and forth from his own and his lips, to your fingertips idly playing with each other on the table. Something in Hoseok snaps and he pushes his face forward to kiss you, something that almost makes him laugh. He was planning on killing you tonight, and here he is kissing you over your counter.

     He’s surprised as you kiss him back with fire, the same amount he had given you. He pulls away, your foreheads together as he laughs into your mouth, kissing you again before pulling away entirely. “I’m sorry,” he breathes. “I shouldn’t have done that.” You shrug as you get up, rounding the corner of the island before running your hands up his chest. He’s watching you with lust and fire as you shake your head.

     “It’s okay..” You were feeling some sort of way with him, and maybe it was desperation or lust but you wanted him. “This is the first attention I’ve had in three years.” His hands are on your hips as he pulls you closer into his chest, no restraint as he kisses you again. Your hands are around his neck in an instant, pulling your faces closer as you kissed him hungrily, wanting to diminish all space between your chests. “Just touch me,” you mumble and his last rope of control snaps as he grabs your thighs and sets you on the counter, pushing his dick into your core. You moan against his lips at how fast this was happening but you couldn’t care less as his hands are pushing your shirt up and over your head. He’s feeling your hips and your back while you’re undoing his tie, throwing it to the floor before working on his buttons. 

     Hoseok’s mind is spinning as he’s unhooking your bra and discarding that to the floor as well with his shirt too. Your tongue is licking up into his mouth which he takes the opportunity to lightly suck on it, making your legs tremble as you feel yourself getting more wet. “God, you’re just perfect,” he groans as he picks you up again and sets you down on the ground, one last hungry kiss to your lips before turning you around. “Gonna fuck you real good over the counter.” You whine in approval and push your pajama pants and underwear down in one go, kicking them around your feet while Hoseok’s working on his buttons. 

     “Hurry,” you breathe, and within seconds you feel the head pushing into you making your head drop into your arms. He doesn’t start out slow, and you thank god for the stamina he has gifted this man because he’s pounding into your pussy hard. “Holy shit,” you moan, your voice bouncing with each thrust into you while his hands grabbing handfuls of your ass. You’ve been so touched starved that you could cum right now if you think about it, but you wanted this to last as long as you could keep it. Hoseok’s bent over your figure, hips shoving you against the counter tops as he’s kissing your spine and marking your shoulders by biting and sucking wherever he could. 

     “You’re really fucking tight,” he growls giving your ass a playful smack and you moan into your own hand, careful not to wake your son. He’s not giving up, if anything he’s moaning louder into your ear as he picks up the pace, thrusting harder into you reaching spots that are making your toes curl into the floor. 

     “O-oh fuck.” You whine, eyes screwing shut as you slam back into his cock so he’d reach farther in you. That earns louder groans from the both of you, and his thrusts are getting sloppier by the second while your stomach is convulsing in pleasure. “I think I’m gonna come soon..”

     Hoseok hums in agreement, growling loudly as he starts to speed up, getting louder. “F-fuck me too.. I wanted to last longer but holy hell,” he whines. With one more slap to your ass, you’re cumming on his cock, clenching around him with a loud cry. Soon enough he fucks you through your high, and he’s cumming inside you, filling you up as he’s moaning into your ear. “Fuuuuck.” He drags it out, chest heaving as he pulls out of you and watches his cum drip from your pussy. He doesn’t hesitate to turn you around, pulling you into a kiss that was filled with passion. One you could feel when his lips first touched yours. 

     You both laugh embarrassed as you pull away, Hoseok cleaning you guys both up as you pull your clothes back on a little awkwardly. Hoseok wanted to stay here. Fuck his penthouse, fuck his job. He had enough money to support you and your boy if he’d give you a chance. He kisses your lips again, holding you close as you’re smiling into his lips. You guys make your way to the living room so he can keep an eye on you, a movie on the TV. No one really says anything for awhile until you speak up, voice wavering.

     “Maybe you’d want to protect me next year too? And the year after that?” Your voice is uncertain, and Hoseok’s eyes are wide as he looks down at you. He presses his lips against yours again, softly before he’s nodding against your forehead. 

     “Of course I will.. for however many years you’ll have me, I’ll stay.” 

     Hoseok found the last pieces of his heart he was scrambling for, something to fill the void. His heart was overflowing in competition now that he had you, and had a little boy that he could protect too. As you lay there in his arms asleep while he watches the windows, he plays with your hair gently as he thinks. Now he can stop screaming at the stars, because the motivation to keep going lies in his lap.

[sherlockholmes1954]

The Case of the Thistle Killer

Sherlock Holmes (1954) Episode 18:

Lestrade is instructed to recruit Holmes to help find the Thistle Killer after the sixth murder. The police make preparations to catch the killer at Xerxes Park, where Holmes finds him in a surprising disguise.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/bpmCmhSQKRE

Dailymotion: https://dai.ly/x1zwxzi

Archive.org: https://archive.org/details/SherlockHolmes1954/Sherlock+Holmes+18+The+Case+Of+The+Thistle+Killer.mp4

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[detoksikacija10]

Detoxing Diet - What Benefits Can One Receive From It?

Every detoxing diet you will find may have some variations from one another. Some programs may completely restrict food consumption, while some will advice you to definitely eat simply just vegetables and fruit. This is actually the usual scene once you start having a detoxing diet system. Whichever you are taking, each one of these will give you for the wonderful benefits to be cleansed from inside.

Bodies are constantly bombarded by numerous toxins along with other dangerous substances, also it does its best simply to flush this stuff out. Having a detoxing diet, the body will get a lot of assist in naturally eliminating these culprits. Could also be some negative effects when you initially do this cleansing program, like when you're accustomed to consuming coffee every day, then you will have to exert efforts simply to withdraw from something are utilized to doing, which is not easy. This might appear just like a torture for most of us, but case normal and signs and symptoms of withdrawal will progressively subside. When your body will get familiar with the brand new routine, you'll feel much more and better energized.

Fatigue and lethargy is frequently regarded as mainly brought on by constipation. Having a детоксикация на организма diet system can help cleanse the colon area, and may enhance your signs and symptoms of constipation. I remember when i had this room mate who had been regularly taking narcotic discomfort killers for over a year due to a recent injuries. It had been this drug that made him constipated more often than not. As soon as she carried out with her medication on narcotic discomfort killers, she immediately attempted stepping into a detoxing diet. She experienced enhancements in her own health like eliminating her narcotic dependency, and she or he doesn't experience being constipated any longer. She presently will get her colon cleansed and undergoes detoxing each time she'd difficulty in bowel motions. She felt really cleansed from inside and felt a lot lighter after you have right into a detoxing diet.

Despite the advantages that detoxing diets offer, a lot of people say they possessed a general sense of weakness within the first week from the program. Associated with pension transfer diets such as this, food intake is reduced, which can definitely modify the body's performance and balance. The key here's to understand how to prolong the results from the foods you take in. Those who have a problem with reduced calorie intake condition that distributing out meals into smaller sized portions during the day is preferable to just using the major meals on their own. This enables these to benefit from the benefits that detoxing diets have to give you and keep the meals intake exactly the same. Experts on this sort of diets state that as lengthy as the quantity of calories drawn in every day remains constant, then distributing out meals during the day will pose not a problem.

The additional water consumption related to detoxing diets is simply normal, because this is needed eliminate whatever impurities you've in the human body, also it can also grant you smoother bowel motions. The greater water you eat, the greater the body can eliminate individuals toxins in the human body. It will help your kidneys function more proficiently in cleansing your blood stream and excreting waste material using your urine.

Another advantage of having right into a detoxing weight loss program is liver regeneration, which isn't really recognized to lots of people. Including milk thistle like a supplement is extremely suggested when having a cleansing program. It can benefit with ale the liver to heal and regenerate itself. And even though it might not cure any liver disease, it can at any rate assist in preventing them from occurring when coupled with the kitchen connoisseur.