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carpexdiemm05 · 6 months ago

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Never After (SGE x Reader) - Chapter 3

Also read on Wattpad!

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I wasn't sure why six wolves needed to punish Sophie instead of one, but I assumed it was to make a point.

They bound her to a spit, stuffed an apple in her mouth, and paraded her like a banquet pig through the six floors of Malice Hall. Lining the walls, new students pointed and laughed, but laughs turned to frowns when they realized this freak in pink would be one of their bunk mates. The wolves towed whimpering Sophie past Rooms 63, 64, 65, then kicked open Room 66 and flung her in. Sophie skidded until her face smacked into a warted foot.

I hastily slipped inside the room before the wolves could slam the door on my neck.

"I told you we'd get her," said a tall girl with greasy black hair streaked red, black lipstick, a ring in her nose, and a terrifying tattoo of a buckhorned, red-skulled demon around her neck. The girl glared at Sophie, black eyes flinting. "She even smells like an Ever."

"The fairies will retrieve it soon enough," said a voice across the room.

I swung my head to an albino girl with deathly white hair, white skin, and hooded red eyes, feeding stew from a cauldron to three black rats. "Pity. We could slit its throat and hang it as a hall ornament."

"How rude," said a third.

I turned to a smiley brown-haired girl on the bed, round as a hot air balloon, chocolate ice pop in each stumpy fist. "Besides, it's against the rules to kill other students."

"How about we just maim her a bit?" said the albino.

"I think she's refreshing," said the plump one, biting into the ice pop. "Not every villain has to smell and look depressed."

"She's not a villain," the albino and the tattooed girl snapped in unison.

Sophie wriggled from her ropes and stood, scanning the dorm. A moment later, she gasped. "Where's the mirror?"

"Let me guess," the tattooed girl snorted. "It's Bella or Ariel or Anastasia."

"It looks more like a Buttercup or Sugarplum," said the albino.

"Or a Clarabelle or Rose Red or Willow-by-the-Sea."

"Sophie." Sophie stood in a cloud of soot. "My name is Sophie. I'm not a 'villain,' I'm not an 'it,' and yes, I clearly don't belong here, so—"

The albino and the tattooed girl were doubled over laughing. "Sophie!" the second cackled. "It's worse than anyone could have imagined!"

"Anything named Sophie doesn't belong here," the albino wheezed. "It belongs in a cage."

"I belong in the other tower," said Sophie, trying to stay above their cattiness, "which is why I need to see the School Master."

"'I need to see the School Master,'" the albino mimicked. "How about you jump out the window and see if he catches you?"

"You all have no manners," snarfled the round girl, mouth full. "I'm Dot. This is Hester," she said, pointing at the tattooed girl. "And this ray of sunshine," she said, pointing at the albino, "is Anadil."

Anadil spat on the floor.

"Welcome to Room 66," said Dot, and with a swish of her hand swept the ashes off the unclaimed bed.

Sophie winced at moth-eaten sheets with ominous stains. "Appreciate the welcome, but I really should be going," she said, backing against the door. "Might you direct me to the School Master's office?"

"Princes must be so confused when they see you," said Dot. "Most villains don't look like princesses."

"She's not a villain," Anadil and Hester groaned.

"Do I have to make an appointment to see him?" pressed Sophie. "Or do I send him a note or—"

"You could fly, I suppose," Dot said, pulling two chocolate eggs from her pocket. "But the stymphs might eat you."

"Stymphs?" asked Sophie.

"Those birds that dropped us off, love," garbled Dot as she chewed. "You'd have to get past them. And you know how they hate villains."

"For the last time, she's not a villain," I said, folding my arms.

The three witches blinked, as if noticing my presence for the first time.

"Who are you?" Anadil asked hostilely.

"Y/n," I replied. "And there's obviously been a mix-up here. I mean, there were three of us children kidnapped this year. Not two. So if you could just point us in the direction of the School Master's office, it'd be very appreciated."

Hester scowled. "Are you. . .friends with this pink thing?" She nodded at Sophie.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes."

"Are you sure we can't kill the princess?" said Anadil.

I stepped forward. "There will be no killing so long as I'm around."

"Then leave."

"Where in the woods do you come from, loves?" Dot asked, diffusing the argument.

"Who the hell knows," I muttered.

"I don't come from the woods," Sophie said impatiently.

Three girls gaped with identically confused expressions.

"What do you mean you 'don't come from the woods'?" said Hester.

"We come from Gavaldon," Sophie said. She sounded close to tears.

"You three seem to know a lot about this place, so I'd be thankful if you could tell me wher—"

"Is that near the Murmuring Mountains?" asked Dot.

"Only Nevers live in the Murmuring Mountains, you fool," Hester groused.

"Near Rainbow Gale, I bet," said Anadil. "That's where the most annoying Evers come from."

"Sorry, I'm lost already," Sophie frowned. "Evers? Nevers?"

"A sheltered Rapunzel locked-in-a-tower type," Anadil said. "Explains everything."

"Evers are what we call Good-doers, love," Dot said to Sophie. "You know, all their nonsense about finding Happily Ever After."

"So that makes you 'Nevers'?" said Sophie, remembering the lettered columns in the stair room.

"Short for 'Nevermore,'" Hester reveled. "Paradise for Evildoers. We'll have infinite power in Nevermore."

"Control time and space," said Anadil.

"Take new forms," said Hester.

"Splinter our souls."

"Conquer death."

"Only the wickedest villains get in," said Anadil.

"And the best part," said Hester. "No other people. Each villain gets their own private kingdom."

"Eternal solitude," said Anadil.

"Sounds like misery," said Sophie.

"Other people are misery," said Hester.

"Gavaldon . . . is that by Pifflepaff Hills?" Dot said airily.

"Oh, for goodness' sakes, it's not near anything," Sophie moaned. She held up her schedule, "SOPHIE OF WOODS BEYOND" at its top. "Gavaldon's beyond the woods. Surrounded by it on all sides."

I glanced down at my schedule. At the top, however, was only my name. There was no "of woods beyond" attached to the end.

Just Y/n.

Not even a last name.

"Woods Beyond?" Hester was saying.

"Who's your king?" asked Dot.

"We don't have a king," Sophie said.

"Who's your mother?" asked Anadil.

"She's dead," Sophie said.

"And your father?" asked Dot.

"He's a mill worker. These questions are quite personal—"

"And what fairy-tale family is he from?" Anadil asked.

"And now they're just plain odd. No one's family is a fairy tale. He's from a normal family with normal faults. Like every one of your fathers."

"I knew it," Hester said to Anadil.

"Knew what?" said Sophie.

"Readers are the only ones this stupid," Anadil said to Hester.

Sophie's clenched her fists. "I'm sorry, but I'm not the stupid one if I'm the only person here who can read, so why don't you look in the mirror, that is if you could actually find one!"

I ran my fingertips across my lips in thought.

Reader.

Why didn't anyone here seem homesick? Why did they all swim towards the wolves in the moat instead of fleeing for their lives? Why didn't they cry for their mothers or try to escape the snakes at the gate? Why did they all know so much about this school?

"What fairy-tale family is he from?"

My eyes found Hester's nightstand. Next to a vase of dead flowers, a claw-shaped candle, and a stack of books—Outsmarting Orphans, Why Villains Fail, Frequent Witch Mistakes—was a knurled wooden picture frame. Inside was a child's clumsy painting of a grotesque witch in front of a house.

A house made of gingerbread and candy.

"Mother was naive," said Hester, picking up the frame. Her face struggled with the memory. "An oven? Please. Stick them on a grill. Avoids complications." Her jaw hardened. "I'll do better."

My eyes shifted to Anadil. A bracelet made of little boys' bones was clasped on her roommate's wrist.

"Does know her witches, doesn't she," Anadil leered. "Granny would be flattered."

The poster above Dot's bed showed a handsome man in green screaming as an executioner's ax sliced into his head.

WANTED: ROBIN HOOD

Dead or Alive (Preferably Dead) By Order of Sheriff of Nottingham

"Daddy promised to let me have first swing," Dot said.

I looked at my three bunk mates in newfound clarity.

They didn't need to read the fairy tales. They came from them.

They were born to kill.

"A princess and a Reader," Hester said. "The two worst things a human can be."

"Even the Evers don't want her," said Anadil. "Or the fairies would have come by now."

"But they have to come!" Sophie cried. "I'm Good!"

"Well, you're stuck here, dearie," Hester said, plumping Sophie's pillow with a kick. "So if you want to stay alive, best try to fit in."

"No! Listen to me!" Sophie begged. "I'm Good!"

"You keep saying that." In a flash, Hester seized her by the throat and pinned her over the open window. "And yet there's no proof."

"Hey!" In a flash I was across the room, yanking Hester away from Sophie, who fell to the floor with a gasp.

I gripped Hester's shirt and shoved her up against the wall. "Stay away from her."

Hester struggled. "Who do you think you are?"

"I said. . ." I slammed Hester's head against the cinder and she yelped.

My eyes flashed. "Stay. Away," I repeated in a low voice.

Something had changed. Hester's eyes widened and she nodded rapidly.

I released my grip, and she slumped against the wall, gaze still trained on me.

I turned to Sophie, who threw a hand over her mouth.

"What?" I asked.

Anadil and Dot's jaws were dropped. They looked almost. . .terrified.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"Your eyes," Sophie whispered. "They're glowing."

A commotion clamored outside the room, and the girls' heads swiveled to the door. It flew open with a crack and four wolves thundered in, grabbed us by the collars, and hurled us into a stampede of black-robed students. Students rammed and elbowed each other; some fell beneath the herd and couldn't get back up.

"Where are we going!" Sophe yelled.

"The School for Good!" Dot said. "For the Welcomin—" An ogreish boy kicked her forward.

As I watched another student take a tumble, I clung to the wall even more.

***

Each school had its own entrance to the Theater of Tales, which was split into two halves. The west doors opened into the side for the Good students, decorated with pink and blue pews, crystal friezes, and glittering bouquets of glass flowers. The east doors opened into the side for Evil students, with warped wooden benches, carvings of murder and torture, and deadly stalactites dangling from the burnt ceiling. As students herded into their halves for the Welcoming, fairies and wolves guarded the silver marble aisle between them.

I followed Sophie, grumbling, as she moved to the aisle seats, trying to get the attention of the Good fairies. I opened my mouth to tell her it was useless, but a hand yanked the both of us under a rotted bench.

Agatha tacked us in a hug.

"Agatha!" I gasped. "You're here! And. . ." I surveyed her outfit. "You're wearing pink."

"I know. It's horrible. Listen, I found the School Master's tower! It's in the moat and there's guards, but if we can just get up there then we can—"

"Hi! Nice to see you! Give me your clothes," said Sophie, staring at Agatha's pink dress.

"Huh?"

"Quick! It will solve everything."

"You can't be serious! Sophie, we can't stay here!"

"Exactly," Sophie smiled. "I need to be in your school and you need to be in mine. Just like we talked about, remember?"

"But your father, my mother, my cat!" Agatha sputtered. "You don't know what they're like here! They'll turn us into snakes or squirrels or shrubbery! Sophie, we have to get back home!"

"Why? What do I have in Gavaldon to go back to?" Sophie said.

Agatha blushed with hurt. "You have . . . um, you have . . ."

"Right. Nothing. Now, my dress, please."

Agatha folded her arms.

"Then I'll take it myself," Sophie scowled. But right as she grabbed Agatha by her flowered sleeve, she stopped cold. I listened, ears piqued, trying to hear what Sophie did.

It was then that Sophie took off like a panther. She slid under warped benches, dodged villains' feet, ducked behind the last pew, and peeked around it.

Agatha and I followed, exasperated. "God," I said. "I don't know what's gotten into yo—"

Sophie covered my mouth, and it was then I heard the sounds. Sounds that made every Good girl bolt upright. Sounds they had waited their whole lives to hear. From the hall, the stomp of boots, the clash of steel—

The west doors flew open to sixty gorgeous boys in swordfight.

Sun-kissed skin peeked through light blue sleeves and stiff collars; tall navy boots matched high-cut waistcoats and knotted slim ties, each embroidered with a single gold initial. As the boys playfully crossed blades, their shirts came untucked from tight beige breeches, revealing slender waists and flashes of muscle. Sweat glistened on glowing faces as they thrust down the aisle, boots cracking on marble, until swiftly the swordfight climaxed, boys pinning boys against pews. In a last chorus of movement, they drew roses from their shirts and with a shout of "Milady!" threw them to the girls who most caught their eye.

In the decayed pews, the villains booed the princes, brandishing banners with "NEVERS RULE!" and "EVERS STINK!" (Except for weasel-faced Hort, who crossed his arms sulkily and mumbled, "Why do they get their own entrance?") With a bow, the princes blew kisses to villains and prepared to take their seats when the west doors suddenly slammed open again—

And one more walked in.

Hair a halo of celestial gold, eyes blue as a cloudless sky, skin the color of hot desert sand, he glistened with a noble sheen, as if his blood ran purer than the rest. The stranger took one look at the frowning, sword-armed boys, pulled his own sword . . . and grinned.

Forty boys came at him at once, but he disarmed each with lightning speed. The swords of his classmates piled up beneath his feet as he flicked them away without inflicting a scratch. Sophie gaped, bewitched. I hoped he'd impale himself. But no such luck, for the boy dismissed each new challenge as quickly as it came, the embroidered T on his blue tie glinting with each dance of his blade. And when the last had been left swordless and dumbstruck, he sheathed his own sword and shrugged, as if to say he meant nothing by it at all. But the boys of Good knew what it meant. The princes now had a king. (Even the villains couldn't find reason to boo.)

Meanwhile, the Good girls had long learned that every true princess finds a prince, so no need to fight each other. But they forgot all this when the golden boy pulled a rose from his shirt. All of them jumped up, waving kerchiefs, jostling like geese at a feeding. The boy smiled and lofted his rose high in the air—

I saw Sophie move too late. I ran after her but Sophie dashed into the aisle, leapt over the pink pews, lunged for the rose—and caught a wolf instead.

It gripped her hair and pulled, dragging her back to Evil. Sophie screamed. "Hey!" I launched myself at the wolf and wrapped my arms around his neck. Then I pulled. Hard.

He wasn't fazed. He reached behind and grabbed me, yanking me around to his front. Sophie was long gone by now.

I writhed as the wolf's enormous hand closed over my throat. My feet shot out, catching him in the stomach, and I was dropped to the floor, coughing.

His claws dug into my upper arm like knives. I screamed, kicking to get away from him, but that only made his claws tear into my skin even more.

Then I bit his other arm. The bitter taste of his blood filled my mouth and he yelled, releasing me.

I breathed heavily and scrambled away from him, but my arm began to itch. I looked down where the wolf had sunk his claws into me.

The wounds were stitching themselves up until the skin was clean and pristine once more.

My lips parted in shock. I swiveled my head to Agatha, who was staring at me with her jaw dropped. Then I was being dragged away again, this time by three wolves.

"Hey!" I wriggled and struggled, but their grip was too strong.

I locked eyes with the blond boy across the room. He was staring at me, baffled.

Then the doors to the theater slammed shut, leaving me to be taken down the hall by the wolves.

#school for good and evil #school for good and evil x reader #soman chainani #sophie #agatha #hort #hester #tedros #anadil #dot #reader insert #x reader #reader #fanfiction #rafal

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greenthena · 2 months ago

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You did NOT prepare yourself, kids. Get a glass of something tasty and strap the fuck in.

1. whats your favorite thing in your room?

wine

2. how tall do you wish you were?

six foot

3. what color is your hair?

red

4. whats a rare fear that you have?

peeing in a broken elevator

5. are you single?

yes

6. has your heart ever been broken?

yes

7. what was your favorite thing as a kid?

dragons

8. favorite coping mechanism?

fanfic

9. whats your favorite love language?

touch

10. how often do you get nervous?

always

11. if you had three wishes, would you use them?

12. if you could be fluent in any language which one would it be?

reading facial expressions

13. where do you wish to live?

somewhere colder

14. what’s something surprising about you?

i like getting olfer

15. when did you last shower?

last night

16. when did you first join tumblr?

last year

17. do you want any tattoos? if so, where, what, and why?

yesp. yes? yesp. legs. torso. snakes and sigils. they're cool.

18. whats the most prominent dream youve had?

naked at school, fuckin hate that one

19. whats your dream job?

teacher

20. whats your ideal date?

jan. 15

21. what do you wish you could do better?

communicate

22. what country would you live in if you could?

france

23. whos the best person you know?

my kids. both of them

24. have you ever walked into something you shouldnt have?

yep

25. whats your favorite holiday?

halloween

26. when have you been most embarrassed?

yesterday. i will not elaborate

27. whats your favorite halloween costume?

crowley. no. witch? no. all of them.

28. what are you best at?

bullshit

29. do you know how to tie your shoes?

yes.

30. do you have siblings?

no. no cousins either.

31. if you could know one thing about the future what do you wanna know?

NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

32. whats a dealbreaker for you?

likes the idea of me.

33. whats your favorite current class?

English methods in my MAT programs

34. how many people have you dated?

35. how often do you wash your hair?

every day. short hair.

36. do you daydream? what about?

yep. girls. magic. whatever story im writing

37. where do you go to be alone?

my car

38. which parent do you like more?

39. whats the one standard you hold yourself to?

to thine own self be true

40. whos voice do you enjoy?

freddie mercury

41. if you could announce one thing to the world what would it be?

Heteronormativity is a plague

42. whats one thing you wanna do but havent yet?

get a grown up job

43. what do you wish you never did?

get married when i was 21

44. do you believe in life after death?

ask me tomorrow

45. do you prefer book over movie?

eh?

46. whats your favorite season?

fall in theory. spring in practice

47. whats your favorite time of day

MOON!

48. do you have a beloved stuffed animal?

absolutely

49. whens a time you wish you acted differently?

i have social anxiety so literally every day

50. what’s something you wish that you never bought?

the idea of marriage

51. do you have your own room?

yes

52. whats your favorite book?

something my terry pratchett or madeline miller

53. who’s someone you hate?

not worth my time to say

54. whats your best hottake?

we should read because it's fun. learning is good for humanity not just for getting a job.

55. whats your favorite game?

rummy

56. whens a time you felt real genuine fear?

anytime i worry about my kids

57. are you a morning person?

58. do you drink enough water?

yes

59. how different are you from the little kid you used to be?

growing back to that person

60. do you enjoy tumblr?

yep

61. have you ever had a tumblr experience that made you wanna delete the app?

nope. yes. yah. but no.

62. whats your least favorite game?

dating

63. were you a markiplier fan?

64. how do you respond to compliments?

i know i AM amazing.

65. whats something that would make you fall in love?

social awkwardness and infodumping

66. do you believe in marriage?

eh. my parents have done well. me? not so much

67. do you have a crush on someone?

68. do you like tumblr?

sure??

69. were you a voltron stan?

70. whats your favorite ship?

aziracrow

71. whats your favorite song?

bohemian rhapsody, danse macabre

72. do you like loud crowds?

to observe, yes.

73. have you ever created conflict on purpose?

why would you even ask that/

74. how do you sleep?

with six pillows and a plushie

75. do you bite your lips?

76. do you use chapstick?

yep

77. do you have any pets?

houseplants????

78. what color are your eyes?

green

79. what’s something you wish you could change about yourself?

regret

80. have you ever had surgery?

81. whats your least favorite animal?

cockroach? mosquito!

82. whats something that youre really bad at?

letting go

83. do you have an sqishmellows?

84. do you enjoy fast food?

salt and fat? hell yah

85. do you like soda?

yep

86. what grade are you in?

old

87. do you wear any jewelry?

RINGS!

88. what socials do you use?

this one

89. whats your lowest grade in school right now?

90. whats the latest youve stayed up till?

no sleep only sleep

91. did you ever have bangs?

yah

92. what trends did you hate?

mmmmmm

93. whats your favorite item of clothing?

shorts. socks? doc martens!

94. do you like dinosaurs?

yes.

95. whats your opinion on body hair?

it sure do exist

96. whats your least favorite time?

noon

97. do you make a wish at 11:11?

98. do you have your phone on military or regular?

regular

99. have you ever been to church?

yah

100. are you lgbtq?

very

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permanentreverie · 2 years ago

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books read in 2023

1) get a life, chloe brown -> talia hibbert: jan 1 - 3

2) the night circus -> erin morgenstern (reread): jan 9 - 11

3) lost in the never woods -> aiden thomas: jan 6 - 15

4) on earth we're briefly gorgeous -> ocean vuong: jan 12 - 15

5) clap when you land -> elizabeth acevedo: jan 17 - 18

6) comfort me with apples -> catherynne m. valente: jan 18

7) not here to be liked -> michelle quach: jan 19 - 23

8) night sky with exit wounds -> ocean vuong (reread): jan 25

9) time is a mother -> ocean vuong: jan 27

10) anatomy: a love story -> dana schwartz: jan 28 - 30

11) babel, or the necessity of violence: an arcane history of the oxford translaters' revolution -> r.f. kuang: jan 24 - feb 2

12) next of kin -> hannah bonam-young: feb 3 - 4

13) tokyo ever after -> emiko jean: feb 5 - 6

14) once upon a broken heart -> stephanie garber (reread): feb 2 - 6

15) the ballad of never after -> stephanie garber: feb 7

16) tomorrow, tomorrow, and tomorrow -> gabrielle zevin: feb 7 - 11

17) tokyo dreaming -> emiko jean: feb 11 - 13

18) the cruel prince -> holly black (reread): feb 15 - 16

19) the no-show -> beth o'leary: feb 17 - 20

20) time is a mother -> ocean vuong (reread): feb 20

21) sweet bean paste -> durian sukegawa: feb 22

22) before the coffee gets cold -> toshikazu kawaguchi: feb 24

23) the wicked king -> holly black (reread): feb 23 - 24

24) the queen of nothing -> holly black (reread): feb 25 - 26

25) tales from the café -> toshikazu kawaguchi: feb 26 - 27

26) daisy jones & the six -> taylor jenkins reid (reread): feb 28 - mar 2

27) before your memory fades -> toshikazu kawaguchi: feb 27 - mar 4

28) ninth house -> leigh bardugo: mar 3 - 6

29) hell bent -> leigh bardugo: mar 7 - 9

30) a good girl's guide to murder -> holly jackson: mar 10 - 11

31) portrait of a thief -> grace d. li: mar 12 - 15

32) good girl, bad blood -> holly jackson: mar 15 - 18

33) the last children of tokyo -> yōko tawada: mar 19

34) tiny pretty things -> sona charaipotra & dhonielle clayton: mar 20 - 21

35) the youthful you who was so beautiful -> jiu yue xi (reread): mar 22

36) shiny broken pieces -> sona charaipotra & dhonielle clayton: mar 23 - 24

37) the scarlet pimpernel -> emmuska orczy: mar 25

38) as good as dead -> holly jackson: mar 26 - 28

39) addicted to you -> krista ritchie & becca ritchie: mar 29 - 30

40) one of us is lying -> karen m. mcmanus: mar 30 - 31

41) kill joy -> holly jackson: apr 2

42) carrie soto is back -> taylor jenkins reid: apr 1 - 3

43) human acts -> han kang: apr 4 - 6

44) tender is the flesh -> agustina bazterrica: apr 6

45) this time it's real -> ann liang: apr 6 - 10

46) idol, burning -> rin usami: apr 11

47) i'll give you the sun -> jandy nelson: apr 12 - 14

48) the boundless -> kenneth oppel: apr 14 - 17

49) the great gatsby -> f. scott fitzgerald (reread): apr 17

50) beautiful little fools -> jillian cantor: apr 18 - 19

51) schoolgirl -> osamu dazai: apr 20

52) the witch haven -> sasha peyton smith: apr 22 - 23

53) the witch hunt -> sasha peyton smith: apr 24 - 27

54) a little life -> hanya yanagihara: apr 28 - 30

55) beach read -> emily henry (reread): may 1 - 2

56) no longer human -> osamu dazai: may 2 - 3

57) my dark vanessa -> kate elizabeth russell: may 3 - 4

58) the setting sun -> osamu dazai: may 5 - 6

59) the bridge kingdom -> danielle l. jensen: may 5 - 8

60) king of pride -> ana huang: may 8 - 10

61) happy place -> emily henry: may 11

62) the vegetarian -> han kang: may 10 - 12

63) the red palace -> june hur: may 14 - 17

64) the traitor queen -> danielle l. jensen: may 13 - 22

65) the sky is everywhere -> jandy nelson: may 22 - 23

66) beartown -> fredrik backman: may 24 - 25

67) deathless -> catherynne m. valente: may 26 - 28

68) notes on an execution -> danya kukafka: may 29 - 30

69) once upon a k-prom -> kat cho: may 24 - 30

70) almond -> sohn won-pyung: may 30

71) the white book -> han kang: may 31

72) my mechanical romance -> alexene farol follmuth: may 31

73) a room with a view -> e.m forster: jun 4

74) the poppy war -> r.f kuang: jun 5 - 6

75) the dragon republic -> r.f kuang: jun 7 - 10

76) the drowning faith -> r.f kuang: jun 11

77) the burning god -> r.f kuang: jun 11 - 15

78) emma -> jane austen: may 30 - jun 16

79) greek lessons -> han kang: jun 16 - 18

80) when marnie was there -> joan g. robinson: jun 18 - 20

81) bandstand -> richard oberacker: jun 21

82) white nights -> fyodor dostoevsky: jun 21

83) twisted love -> ana huang: jun 20 - 22

84) twisted games -> ana huang: jun 27 - 28

85) the bloody chamber -> angela carter: jun 28 - 29

86) my deepest secret -> hanza art: jun 22 - 30

87) coraline -> neil gaiman: jun 30

88) twisted hate -> ana huang: jul 1 - 3

89) sadie -> courtney summers: jul 4 - 5

90) twisted lies -> ana huang: jul 5 - 6

91) take a hint, dani brown -> talia hibbert: jul 6 - 7

92) better than the movies -> lynn painter: jul 16 - 17

93) act your age, eve brown -> talia hibbert: jul 18 - 20

94) beyond the story: 10 - year record of bts -> kang myeong-seok & bts: jul 17 - 20

95) love and other words -> christina lauren: jul 19 - 22

96) diary of a void -> emi yagi: jul 23

97) in five years -> rebecca serle: jul 24

98) us against you -> fredrik backman: jul 24 - 25

99) sirena -> donna jo napoli: jul 26

100) small things like these -> claire keegan: jul 26 - 28

101) exit, pursued by bear -> e.k. johnston: jul 28

102) red, white, & royal blue -> casey mcquiston (reread): jul 29 - 31

103) conveniance store woman -> sayaka murata: jul 31

104) the hurting kind -> ada limon: aug 2

105) one true loves -> taylor jenkins reid: aug 2 - 3

106) the deep -> rivers solomon: aug 6 - 7

107) all the lovers in the night -> mieko kawakami: aug 9

108) caraval -> stephanie garber: aug 6 - 10

109) we hunt the flame -> hafsah faizal: aug 16 - 18

110) we free the stars -> hafsah faizal: aug 18 - 19

111) i'm glad my mom died -> jennette mccurdy: aug 20

112) the ballad of songbirds and snakes -> suzanne collins: aug 21 - 22

113) kim jiyoung, born 1982 -> cho nam-joo: aug 22

114) legendary -> stephanie garber: aug 11 - 24

115) king of wrath -> ana huang: aug 23 - 24

116) the sisterhood of the traveling pants -> ann brashares: aug 27

117) out on a limb -> hannah bonam-young: aug 29 - 31

118) the winners -> fredrick backman: aug 1 - 31

119) the second summer of sisterhood -> ann brashares: aug 28 - 31

120) girls in pants: the third summer of the sisterhood -> ann brashares: sep 4 - 5

121) forever in blue: the fourth summer of the sisterhood -> ann brashares: sep 5

122) strange the dreamer -> laini taylor: sep 3 - 9

123) crying in h mart -> michelle zauner: sep 9 - 10

124) sisterhood everlasting -> ann brashares: sep 7 - 11

125) finale -> stephanie garber: sep 13 - 14

126) little thieves -> margaret owen: sep 11 - 16

127) les misérables -> victor hugo (reread): apr 3 - sep 18

128) business or pleasure -> rachel lynn solomon: sep 17 - 19

129) out there -> kate folk: sep 23 - 24

130) wuthering heights -> emily brontë: sep 18 - 24

131) painted devils -> margaret owen: sep 20 - 27

132) the foxhole court -> nora sakavic: sep 24 - 27

133) the raven king -> nora sakavic: sep 27 - 29

134) the hate u give -> angie thomas: sep 29 - oct 2

135) the king’s men -> nora sakavic: sep 30 - oct 3

136) the dead romantics -> ashley poston: oct 4 - 5

137) a discovery of witches -> deborah harkness: oct 6 - 12

138) mexican gothic -> silvia moreno-garcia: oct 13 - 14

139) the haunting of hill house -> shirley jackson: oct 15 - 18

140) the girl from the other side (vol. 1 - 11) -> nagabe: oct 19

151) fourth wing -> rebecca yarros: oct 22 - 26

152) king of greed -> ana huang: oct 26 - 29

153) yellowface -> r.f. kuang: oct 30 - 31

154) a curse for true love -> stephanie garber: nov 1 - 3

155) a study in charlotte -> brittany cavallaro: nov 5 - 7

156) dracula -> bram stoker: may 5 - nov 8

157) the joy luck club -> amy tan: sep 9 - nov 9

158) the murder of roger ackroyd -> agatha christie: nov 9 - 10

159) the last of august -> brittany cavallaro: nov 10 - 12

160) kamila knows best -> farah heron: nov 12 - 13

161) the case for jamie -> brittany cavallaro: nov 14 - 15

162) a question for holmes -> brittany cavallaro: nov 16 - 17

163) howl’s moving castle -> diana wynne jones (reread): nov 17 - 18

164) if we were villains -> m. l. rio (reread): nov 18 - 19

165) masters of death -> olivie blake: nov 20 - 22

166) jane eyre -> charlotte brontë (reread): nov 22 - 29

167) the name drop -> susan lee: dec 2 - 3

168) divine rivals -> rebecca ross: dec 6 - 7

169) the lightning thief -> rick riordan (reread): dec 9 - 11

170) the sea of monsters -> rick riordan (reread): dec 12 - 13

171) the titan’s curse -> rick riordan (reread): dec 14

172) the battle of the labyrinth -> rick riordan (reread): dec 16 - 18

173) the last olympian -> rick riordan (reread): dec 18 - 19

174) a study in drowning -> ava reid: dec 23 - 29

175) little women -> louisa may alcott (reread): dec 21 - 29

176) shadow of night -> deborah harkness: nov 1 - dec 30

177) the upside of falling -> alex light: dec 30

178) slade house -> david mitchell: dec 31

179) much ado about nothing -> william shakespeare: dec 31

180) romeo and juliet -> william shakespeare (reread): dec 31

#books read in 2023

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williamsockner · 2 years ago

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Urban Fantasy Bingo

1. Main character dates a serial killer but the show thinks he’s just a complicated bad boy 2. Codependent siblings 3. Rampant unintended homosexual tension 4. Incest 5. Creepy dolls 6. Exploitative shots of dead teenage girl’s corpse 7. Narrative unsympathetic when bitchy teenage girls gets murdered 8. Parent or significant other in law enforcement 9. Shady big pharma 10. Ugly and/or disabled girl with no personality flaws 11. Amnesia 12. Black best friend (bonus points if gay) 13. Love interest with no personality besides fucking and sports 14. Love interest with no personality besides being embroiled in supernatural bullshit 15. Someone dies during sex 16. Main character commits rape but narrative refuses to acknowledge it as anything but angsty manpain behavior 17. Randomly excellent episode in an otherwise lackluster show 18. Writer’s room fetishist on display 19. Bodyswap/bodysnatch/shapeshift/possession 20. Everyone cares about the blood feud 21. Hundred-year-old urban legends or local history shockingly relevant to small town youths 22. Narrative clumsily attempts to make serial killer sympathetic 23. “the ugly one” played by a hollywood ten 24. Mortal threat to a character’s life during a sports game 25. Murder at prom 26. Super special chosen one and/or ancient prophecy 27. Writers convinced that remorse is the same as redemption 28. Love triangle 29. Snarky put-downs towards clear sources of inspiration 30. Love interests swap because the bad boy character was too interesting to the audience 31. Musical episode 32. Fictional classic monster actually existed in-universe 33. Character witnesses an alternate timeline where they didn’t exist and/or died 34. Character comes back as a ghost but gets no speaking lines so the show could save on the acting fee 35. Evil twin 36. Reincarnated true love 37. Super sexy high femme who’s actually 200 years old 38. Manic monster dream girl 39. Weird hybrids 40. Masquerade ball 41. Characters in class receive a lecture on a topic relevant to the episode 42. Flashback episode 43. Villain has a weird kink 44. Illegitimate lovechild 45. Abusive parent has a favorite child 46. Someone cuts their palm for a blood sacrifice 47. Someone sacrifices a pet for an evil ritual 48. Black witches have more power 49. Scene at the morgue 50. Teenage alcoholism 51. Regular alcoholism 52. Visible manifestations of someone’s guilt and/or plot exposition in the form of dead loved ones 53. Dead perfect significant other 54. Characters get caught doing something and give transparently fake names of celebrities or pop culture references 55. Musical sequence that exists only to show that an actor can dance, sing or play an instrument 56. CPR brings someone back to life and doesn’t break any ribs 57. Character discovers secret power at last second before they almost die 58. Secret society has a ritual to decide who is the head honcho monster 59. Incongruous musical choice 60. Someone has a dark side/evil blood/a prophecy that they’ll go evil 61. Someone turns into a violent sociopath because they lose their soul and/or humanity 62. Somebody bleeds out the eyes or mouth, or has a nosebleed that someone else has to call attention to 63. Significant other hunts what you are 64. Halloween episode 65. “You tried to kill me and that takes grit, I’m proud of you” 66. “There’s nothing on the other side when you die” especially if we know ghosts exist 67. Inconsistent ghost rules 68. The enemy of my bigger enemy 69. Head in a box 70. Cold opening of teenagers getting eaten because of a dare, bonus points for haunted house 71. Racist one-off criminal encounter 72. “Cool costume, bro” to an actual monster 73. Halloween costumes significant to role character plays in the story 74. Wise mentor figure with colorful past and parental affection towards protagonist 75. The one normal guy who keeps getting pulled into bullshit 76. Everybody in the cast dates each other as the writer’s room tries to figure out what the fans want 77. Immortal character put in a box 78. Non-human has to pass as human…badly 79. Ancient character has to adjust to modern day 80. Random regular human with an axe to grind 81. Bait and switch big bad at the end of the story, turns out to actually be a main cast member having a meltdown after taking out villain 82. Head of the secret council actually an evil puppet master 83. Police scanner 84. Debilititis 85. People randomly discovering superpowers around puberty 86. Character that main character hates for no good reason turns out to be evil all along 87. Plot-relevant celestial event 88. Someone telekinetically forces people to turn their guns on each other or themselves 89. Badly-pronounced French 90. The apocalypse originates in this small podunk-ass town 91. Unreasonable hometown pride 92. Latin as the mother tongue of magic 93. Local police covering up for high monster murder rate 94. Single parent is overworked medical practitioner 95. Guardian is not yet ready for this level of responsibility 96. Someone turned out to have a child they didn’t know about 97. Weird pregnancy (bonus if no sex actually happened) 98. Someone’s kid gets aged up to skip working with a child actor 99. Somebody sends their child “away” to keep them from getting embroiled in the bullshit and then they get embroiled in the bullshit anyway 100. Descendants of an immortal 101. Resurrection with no consequences 102. Resurrection or healing with consequences will haunt the protagonist 103. Protagonist has at least one dead parent 104. A friend of the main cast dies in the pilot 105. Candlelight vigil for a high school student 106. Fucked up mother-son dynamics 107. Daddy issues 108. “Fear makes the meat taste better” and/or “I like to watch them scream” 109. Souls get sold and/or girls get married to Satan 110. Deal with the devil turns you into a ticking time bomb 111. “you worded your wish wrong” 112. Alternate reality without magic 113. Real-world religions or spiritual practices treated as monsters of the week 114. All myths contain a grain of truth 115. Someone attacks a wedding 116. Mundane who really wants to be a monster 117. Redhead 118. Feral child raised by wolves 119. Bitchy cheerleader 120. Characters go undercover at a school 121. Mental institution episode 122. Protagonist framed for murder 123. Cold open of dog-walker getting eaten while dog runs away 124. Show starts off with missing or murdered girl 125. Animal motif or animal companion 126. Non-human but non-animal sidekick 127. “The council sent me to give you exposition” 128. Secret society of hunters 129. The Corporation 130. Death by bees 131. Jumpscare 132. Douchebro thinks he’s getting seduced but is actually about to get eaten 133. Siblings have pronounced disagreements over how to feel about their absentee parent 134. Deep South 135. Magic can solve everything except cancer 136. Beautiful sprawling mansion 137. Musical sequence intercutting one couple having sex and someone else dying or doing something else dramatic 138. Safehouse and/or bunker 139. “s/he was just trying to protect you” used as a justification for abjectly abusive parenting 140. Family with oodles of generational wealth 141. Groundhog Day Episode 142. Random skull in dark place 143. Someone punches a mirror 144. Black blood 145. Weird eye color signifies supernatural status 146. Wicker Man episode 147. Pagan gods 148. Faith healer 149. Couple going on a date gets eaten 150. Someone gets murdered in a church 151. Villain boasts that “maybe that works on wimpy monsters, but not me” 152. Chasing the murderer through a house of mirrors 153. Diner 154. Episode titles named after songs or famous books 155. Supernatural war 156. Getting out of a Faustian bargain 157. Someone wakes up tied to a chair at an insane dinner party full of corpses

#this bingo list made possible by our extensive research into #charmed #teen wolf #grimm #witches of east end #riverdale #mayfair witches #supernatural #pretty little liars #trollhunters #ahs: coven #wolf pack #haunting of bly manor #hemlock grove #vampire diaries #first kill #lockwood & co #carnival row #anyway you're welcome!

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imasallstars · 3 months ago

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PROFESSOR PINYA SPECIAL MISSIONS

In order to celebrate the Anniversary, Professor Pinya has released a bunch of missions! Clearing these missions will give you points you can feed into the Pinya Pods to release his brethren…. There are point milestones for every Pod, including special tickets for a special gacha you can pull on.

※ some of the missions are RETROACTIVE, so you will not need to do them again ※ the pool of available cards in the special PINYA BOX include every PERMANENT card and every LIMITED card UNTIL the 5th MEMORIAL GACHA

DAILY MISSIONS (resets 00:00 JST)

Clear 1 LIVE

Send 1 LIKE to a ROOM

Clear 1 BUSINESS

Pull once in the LOCAL GACHA

Pull once in the TRAINER GACHA

Do your FREE 10-PULL

CAMPAIGN MISSIONS

Achieve PLAYER LEVEL 10/20/30/40/50

Achieve the Newbie/Standard/Up-and-Coming Producer Titles

Clear 5/10/15/20/25 SONGS

Awaken 5 CARDS

Purchase 3 SONGS from the JUKEBOX

LEVEL UP an card until LEVEL 50

Obtain a CUMMULATIVE SCORE of 5 000 000

Spend a CUMMULATIVE AMOUNT of 100 000 MONEY

Clear a MASTER+ LIVE

Clear a WITCH LIVE

Clear a GRAND LIVE

Clear a SMART LIVE

READ a CINDERELLA THEATER COMIC STRIP

Obtain the 8TH ANNIVERSARY OUTFIT from the DRESS SHOP

Check out the PHOTO STUDIO

Play in the GAME CENTER

Clear 3/6/9/15/21/27/36/45/54/66/78/90/108/126/150 LIVES

Clear 3/6/9/15/21/27/36/45/54/66/78/90/108/126/150 BUSINESSES

The campaign will run until October 6th 23:59 JST!

#deresute campaign #anniversary campaign

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lunaarmy · 2 years ago

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Just watched the SGE live action adaptation. And all I have to say is that was Percy Jackson bad. It was so God awful and agrivating to watch. It felt so rushed. It seemed like they tried to smooth aspects of three books into one short movie. The only characters I felt kept it alove were Tedors and Agatha. Sophie's acting was awful, which is sad because I love Sophia in Beetlejuice. There was zero character development, and everything was do jumpy. Plus, they made the Nevers seem insane. The witches of room 66 were done so dirty. Hester is conniving, a well-adjusted villain who actually thinks. Where were Anadils rats?!?!?! They were supposed to be the mean girl nevers, but they ended up being insane girls who couldn't be taken seriously

I expected it to be bad, but not that bad. It's so disappointing, especially for how much I love the books.

#agatha of woods beyond #school for good and evil #tedros of camelot #agatha of camelot #agatha of gavaldon #agatha x tedros #sge tedros #sophie of woods beyond #sophie of gavaldon #lady lesso #clarissa dovey

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confuseuniverse · 2 years ago

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"The coven everyone fears and yet wants to be in. The clique that doesn't give a damn what you think. The sinfull, sinistral, all-around-original Three Witches of room 66"

SGE 3, The Last Ever After

#sge books #sge movie #sge #the school for good and evil #hester #anadil #dot #soman chainani #badass #witches #coven #dovesso #lady lesso #clarissa dovey #agatha of camelot #tagatha #agatha x sophie #yes i'm tagging everyone so the coven witches get recognition #because they're awesome

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the-witch-of-woods-beyond · 1 year ago

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“The sinful, sinistral, all-around-original Three Witches of Room 66.”

- hester of ravenswood, the demon: last ever after, ch. 12

#the school for good and evil #a world without princes #the last ever after #quest for glory #a crystal of time #one true king #the school for good and evil aesthetic #the school for good and evil moodboard #the coven of room 66 #hester of ravenswood #hester of ravenswood aesthetic #hester of ravenswood moodboard #pinterest #moodboard

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masterwords · 2 years ago

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chill out

Summary: Derek and a friend make some pot brownies to help chill Hotch out. (Post Route-66)

Pairing: Hotch/Morgan

Words: 3.6k

Warnings: a lot of talk about marijuana, grief, pain, doctors

Notes: Is this a crack-fic? I dunno. Maybe. The idea started with the @yearoftheotpevent February prompts "established relationship" and "different"...and kind of spiraled from there with a lot of help from Harry Styles. If you haven't read prior stories involving my delightful (slightly evil) OC Coleen, here is a bit of history: the high price of shame

The house, modest from the outside, was nothing like Derek expected as he approached. Its bones screamed mid-century rancher, single level, low ceilings. But from the moment he was in the entryway, he realized how wrong he was. The hallway, beset with a hanging lamp in shades of deep brown and gold, opened up into a sunken great room with a vaulted ceiling and a wall of windows overlooking the city, at least once you got past the sizable estate that stretched out emerald green for ages. David Rossi might even be impressed with this.

"You live in a house..." he mused, stepping down into the main area and peering around at all of the impeccable mid-century details that would have made Carol Brady's knees buckle from sheer joy. He grew up fantasizing about houses like this as he wandered through his modest inner-city Chicago home with neighbors close enough to hear your dinner prayers unless you whispered. This was the stuff of sitcom families, well-to-do but parading as somehow being middle class. His socked feet sunk deep in the burnt orange shag carpet that didn't look a day past being straight from the showroom and yet he couldn't think of a single place you'd get something like this nowadays. And he'd looked, too, for one of his properties that had bones like this. No, this was original. "Where do you want these?" He gestured to the grocery bags in his arms full of all sorts of baking supplies and a bottle of wine for good measure. With a sneer she gestured toward the kitchen.

The kitchen. He'd always loved to picture his mom in a kitchen like this, a kitchen like she deserved. Throwing together a pot of chili or a peach cobbler with counters stretching as far as the eye could see. More cupboards than you could ever fill. Hell, he would have settled for a dishwasher or a sink that didn't back up once a week though. Probably Coleen wasn't as well-acquainted with a plunger as Fran Morgan had been.

"Not what I pictured..." he said, finally, setting the bags down and emptying them on the counters. Coleen snorted at his candor.

"What did you expect?”

“Always had you pegged for someone who lives in a cave. You know, big bubblin' cauldron over open flames...some ancient book of spells on display, eye of newt and some gnawed on bones...a raven or some shit boppin' around...that sort of thing.” He spent too much time with Spencer, being able to pull all of that out of thin air. He really needed to find new friends. Or introduce Coleen and Spencer, perhaps...let him off the hook.

“Us modern witches keep all of that in the basement."

He smiled at that and shook his head, admiring the carpentry of the cupboards while she sorted the groceries and made sure he brought exactly what she'd asked. “You didn't bring Aaron.”

“He's sleeping. Lazy bones.” The last bit Derek said softly, and it was her turn to smile. Derek, for all of his biting jokes at her expense and excess nervous energy over this undertaking, adored Hotch. Which was why he was there in the first place. The two of them were otherwise not frequently able to find much common ground. She reminded him of George Burns playing God, or the Devil, maybe both and she left him feeling ill at ease. In turn, all of Derek's sunshine made her uncomfortable. It wasn't that they didn't care for each other, but without Hotch being present they quickly found that they had little in common.

Until Derek mentioned Hotch's heightened stress and anxiety, his return to work taking more out of him than they'd anticipated. Of course, Derek had tried to talk him into taking a full six weeks of leave but that had been vetoed quickly. As soon as he was able to fake his way through a fitness for duty exam, he was back. Add to that the ongoing situation with Sean's sentencing and it had become something of a perfect storm. He hadn't ever been very good at relaxing, but it seemed that now he couldn't even begin to figure out how...and each doctor's visit ended the same way. Find a way to lower your stress or you're going to end up back in the hospital. Or worse.

Well, Coleen understood worse. She'd lost a husband to that. Maybe her favorite one. So, when she approached Derek quietly while Hotch showered after physical therapy and told him she had just the thing, he couldn't say no. He knew what it meant; he'd heard all of her tall tales and her interesting medical theories. He also knew it came from a place of love, and he had started feeling bleak about the whole situation. He probably would have tried anything, so really, this was fairly benign.

Just some hash brownies. Besides, the woman was ancient...she had to be doing something right.

Derek had intended to bring Hotch along, figuring a visit might do him some good. But after a morning spent at physical therapy and then breakfast with some of the ladies at a chic little cafe afterward, he could scarcely keep his eyes open let alone stay upright. Derek insisted he be home and sleep. With Jack being out of town with Jessica's side of the family for the whole weekend the house was blissfully quiet. Just Hotch and Clooney, two old men and their favorite blankets in an empty house.

“He did great in the pool this morning,” Coleen said, tapping an egg on the rim of a bowl with one manicured claw. Her red nail polish was the color of blood. “Haven't seen him so spry in a long while now.”

“It's coming back slowly.”

“He's old, let the poor creature take his time.” She took a drag on the joint she'd lit without him even realizing it, holding it tenderly between steady gnarled fingers. Did she just roll it? Did she have it in her pocket? It was like magic, the way it appeared out of nowhere.

Derek didn't like the sound of healing slowly, but he had no control over what she said nor how Hotch healed. He had no control over anything much these days.

“You'll want to watch me make these, dummy,” she said, snapping Derek from his spiraling thoughts. “I refuse to write it down for you. This recipe dies with me.” She offered him the joint with a caustic, dangerous smile. He would take it, just a little, just for now. You can't make brownies like this without being a little high right?

“I wouldn't be able to read it anyway,” he croaked, leaning over her shoulder expectantly while he locked the burning lemony smoke deep in his lungs. She was so tiny, a little bag of bones, it didn't take much for him to completely engulf her. She didn't seem to mind. “I can't read Latin.”

Coleen smirked and whisked the eggs and sugar together, the yellow bowl huge in her thin little arms. “I in malam crucem.”

“Whatever you say, lady.” He didn't really want to know what she said, but he could probably ask Reid later to give him the cliff's notes version. He knew it was nothing good, probably the Latin equivalent of go fuck yourself. Frowning, Derek moved to examine the ingredients on the counter that he hadn't brought, the key component being a brick of hash the likes of which he hadn't seen since his beat cop days. “What about the leeches? Thought all you old timers used 'em.”

“What in the heavens would he need those for?" She paused for effect before continuing. "The leeches are mine. How do you think I've managed to maintain my youthful glow all these years?”

“Sorta figured you for a bathing in the blood of your enemies type.”

Coleen sniffed indignantly and turned away from Derek to reach up into her cupboard for a small glass jar way in the back. The kind she had to shoo other things out of the way of before her claws could grip and pull. It was a jar of what looked like some kind of honey, thick and dark and odorous. God, the things he could say about that, how putrid and horrific it looked, but he kept his mouth shut.

“I'm moving this as soon as you're gone, so don't go getting any ideas.” She smirked and Derek rolled his eyes dramatically. He didn't even really know what it was except that it looked potent and a little scary...he had only enough experience with marijuana to have enjoyed it a few times in college after he blew out his knee and had to recalibrate his entire life's trajectory. He'd gone off the deep end for a short time before pulling himself together. It was a rough time, one that didn't garner him much favor in his mom's eyes. Of course, his time as a cop (and now this) showed him that what he'd considered the deep end was nothing but a shallow and tepid kiddie pool. From what Hotch has divulged of his own troubled youth, he had far more experience with the stuff (and possibly worse, though he'd spared Derek any specifics), and a lot more hate than love in that old relationship. All in all, this had been a hard sell.

“I work for the government. You think I don't know all the best places to get this shit? Come off it. You're gonna have to produce a lot more than that to shock and amaze me, Methuselah. Now show me how to make these brownies before he wakes up from his nap and I'm not home.”

They quieted after that, the snips and snaps dying down while Coleen shared with him a recipe that she'd held close to her for decades. Her sister had asked for it once and, though Coleen wasn't exactly beaming with pride over her response, she'd more or less said over my dead body. Of course, her sister having been dipped in the same scalding solution of genetics as Coleen herself said she could arrange that and though Coleen couldn't prove it she thought maybe she'd tried once or twice over the years. And good for her, too.

If she knew how readily Coleen was willing to give it up for that sack of bones snoring beside a german shepherd across town, her sister would have a few harsh words to say. The thing was, she was soft for Hotch and she simply couldn't help herself. Maybe he reminded her of her favorite ex-husband, the damn fool who went and died on her long before she was ready for him to be gone. Who bought her flowers and saw to her every need, with never a cross word. Who spoke gently in direct opposition with his size and intimidating demeanor. He was an accountant, a big burly man who had to have his suits custom made, who captured spiders beneath glasses and released them out the backdoor rather than smashing them. A gentle giant.

She wouldn't admit it, but she was soft for Derek too. And the minute they came into her life, she was theirs. Hotch and his unruly black hair pushed up in tufts, walking slowly with his hand pressed against his scarred stomach like he was holding his insides where they belonged. Considering how often they'd nearly been spilled; she couldn't blame him. He approached the pool apprehensively, studying his options, looking for the path of least resistance. She could tell he wasn't someone who was used to obstacles in his way, and when they appeared they weren't there for long. She'd almost slithered from her side of the pool to him, to offer to help, but there was Derek coming up behind him from out of nowhere, hand on his hip...he didn't really do anything, she had noted. He just offered support. Hotch set his features and gripped the metal railing, leaning heavily against it while he stepped one foot after another into the pool and she caught that little slip of a smile when his body was weightless and in his control again.

Yeah, she liked him. A lot. And she had a feeling a lot of people behaved similarly to that...he was frustratingly endearing and handsome to boot. A combination she'd never been able to resist. Besides, how else would a scowling curmudgeon like him have landed this hunk of chiseled marble standing in her kitchen, zipping up his worn-out old motorcycle boots? She could think of a thousand more fun things a ball of energy and stamina like this could have been doing with his Saturday morning, and he was here learning how to make brownies from an old lady. Hook line and sinker.

“Take this,” she finished, snapping a thick layer of plastic around the little pink tupperware of perfectly cut brownies. “And this.” She handed him a log of what looked like frozen chocolate chip cookie dough. “Just slice off enough for one at a time, it'll keep for months in the freezer. For desperate times.” She winked at him.

“Thank you,” he replied sincerely, not a hint of his usual sarcasm. “Really appreciate it.”

(x)

“You two conspired to drug me?” Hotch asked, wrinkling his nose at the tub of brownies on the counter. He knew even before asking what they were, the smell was that strong. He hadn't woken up from his nap long before Derek walked in. Still groggy, he wasn't sure he had the capacity to make a good decision here.

“To help you.”

“Right.” Hotch sighed, lifting the little tub and turning his face away as the smell smacked him right in every one of his senses. “Wow. Did you use Willie Nelson's recipe?”

“Funny you mention Willie. She said he actually uses her recipe. Guess one of her ex-husbands was some old Hollywood bigwig type and they had this party at their place and...”

Hotch was blinking slowly, staring at Derek with a look of utter confusion on his still exhausted face. “Who are you?”

“Hey. She's your friend.” As if that answered for all the rest of it, Derek huffed and popped open the container. Hotch nearly gagged on the smell. “Come on. You've been a huge stress monster and your doc said he'd give you a medical green card to help with the stomach pain anyway. We gotta find you a way to relax before your heart pops like a fuckin' water balloon, baby. Give it a shot?”

“Define a shot.”

“One bite. They're gonna be really damn strong, I don't think you could handle more than a corner...”

Derek extended what was more or less a glorified crumb, the corner of one thick dark brownie broken off. It was crusty and smelled absolutely green in spite of the deep, dark chocolate color. He hesitated.

“And if I hate it?”

“I got orange juice in the fridge, that'll take the edge off if it's bad. And I'm gonna be right here stone cold sober the whole time. We can go take a shower, lay in bed, sleep it off. You trust me?”

Hotch frowned, but took the bit of brownie between his finger and thumb anyway. “Implicitly.” He looked doubtful but he meant what he said. He trusted Derek with his life and, though the brownies looked and smelled dubious, he wouldn't start faltering now.

With one last worried glance at Derek, a chance to tell him to stop, he popped the bite into his mouth and washed down the foul flavor with a glass of water, shaking his head. “Disgusting.”

“I don't think the flavor is supposed to be its selling point.”

It wasn't. Not by a longshot. They wouldn't be winning any county fair awards unless the judges were looking for the best and fastest high...then it was a blue-ribbon recipe. It didn't take long before Hotch was melting into the couch, his entire body languorous and vibrating at a slow, steady rhythm set by the pumping of his heart. The ache in his chest that had been there weeks now, since before he collapsed in the conference room, dissipated gradually. It didn't quite vanish, but it moved around, seeping into quiet places where it could rest.

Clooney began sniffing around in the kitchen, ill at ease with a familiar old smell he was trained to detect which struck Hotch in such a silly incongruous way that he let out a little chuckle. That chuckle, from deep inside his chest, grew in strength until Derek noticed and smiled in return. He'd been busying himself with some case files, hoping that Hotch would just ease himself into oblivion happily and without his constant vigil. That would only make him nervous and question every tingle, every wave. Probably set off a panic attack. This way he just rode the surf on his own.

“What's so funny ya old geezer?” He plopped down beside Hotch, wishing he could enjoy some of the brownie himself. It was so tempting. But he'd promised...not this time. Not until they knew if it was going to be okay. Coleen had warned him that she was making them half strength but it would still be potent and had the potential to expose some nervousness that even Hotch's vault kept locked up tight. Some latent paranoia, or disastrous memories of he and Haley...or maybe something worse. Something he couldn't even put his finger on. That fear had crept up on him the first time he got high, the thought that it might unlock memories of his own childhood, the crystal clear night sky over a dark cabin...if Hotch kept anything like that locked up, he'd rather it stay that way. The threat loomed dangerously over his head but was assuaged by the gentle laughter he heard coming from the couch.

Now he just wanted to join him. Be in that delicate, happy place with him.

Hotch licked his dry lips and let his eyes close for a moment while he lazily sorted through his word bank. It had been a long time since he'd been high and even longer since he'd enjoyed it. This was such a strange mellow feeling, warmth spreading like musical notes through his sinew.

“Clooney,” he started, smiling. “He's sniffing out your supply Agent Morgan.”

Derek laughed and made a high-pitched whistling noise, drawing Clooney's attention to him immediately. “Forget it buddy. Lay off my stash.”

Clooney's tail wagged and he nosed at the counter, right below the offending Tupperware. Dog hadn't been with the Chicago PD for years now, but his training was solid, not easily forgotten. Old dog and his old tricks. “Busted...” Hotch whispered, leaning against Derek.

First Hotch just sat there, quiet, still as a mouse. Staring at the ceiling, and then at the television that was turned off, zoning out. Derek wondered what he was thinking but was too afraid to ask. After a while, he spoke softly of small things. What would Jack think about his dad being high as a kite? Would he try to steal the brownies? Would the team know what he was doing? What if he got drug tested?

“Green card,” Derek reminded him thoughtfully. “Your doc's already got it in the works. I don't think there's a single person that's gonna mistake you for a burn out. Stop trying to find ways to let your anxiety creep back in...”

“Maybe you could turn on some music?”

“Yeah. I could do that. Any requests?”

Hotch shook his head and let the smile smooth out his features again. “Surprise me.”

Flipping through records, some crisp and new still in the plastic and others worn soft at the corners and smelling like the dust of decades gone by, Derek settled somewhere between his taste and Hotch's. The opening notes, deep and broody, made him long for a nibble. Just a corner. He wanted to feel what Hotch was feeling, he wanted it so badly.

“You think you're gonna be good to ride this out?”

Hotch laughed a little in spite of himself. “Why? You want to join me?”

“I doooooooo...” Derek whined. “I really really do.”

“You don't have a green card,” Hotch said, his tone a gentle mockery of something serious. He didn't pull it off well, not when his entire body was melting into the couch cushions while Jim Morrison's voice slithered and slunk through the room all heady and dark. “What if your boss finds out?”

“He's a pushover. Kinda think he's a burnout, too.”

A kiss, quick and soft, took Hotch by surprise. Made him grab hold, fists twisted in Derek's t-shirt, holding on for dear life. He just wanted more of that. His eyes went wide at the sudden bright burst of expectation. They hadn't had much of a sex life lately, and the feel of Derek's breath rushing over his skin startled him in all the best ways. Maybe Derek having a little bite wouldn't be the worst thing in the world...might make it easier to drag him into the bedroom to mess around for a while without Derek stressing out over hurting him. After they got some food, though. He was starving. “One bite. This stuff could likely knock both Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg out.”

“What, just cos it knocked you on your ass? I'll be the judge of that...” Derek announced striding confidently into the kitchen, but he was good.

Only a bite.

For now.

They had all weekend.

#aaron hotchner #derek morgan #clooney the dog #hotchgan #hotch x morgan #tw: marijuana #yotp 2023 #criminal minds #fanfiction

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valentine-escape · 9 months ago

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Room 13

After trying some rooms in Burgas and Sofia, it was time to give Varna a chance!

We were met with free drinks and snacks and all the surroundings revealed the creators' love for escape rooms and how they're pretty much absolute geeks, just like us.

While our game master was preparing us for the game, the owner actually walked in and explained that their rooms were specifically designed so that their success rate is 50% and said that based on our almost-non-existent experience, we'd probably not escape Room 13, which was our first choice, because... well, because, look at me. I didn't care, so despite the inauspicious pep-talk, we delved into the story of a witch that makes dolls out of children.

We were immediately plunged into a world of mystery and intrigue. The immersive ambiance engulfed us, transporting us to an attic ripe with potential surprises lurking around every corner (I guess Room 66 II prepared me to always expect an actor to jump out of nowhere). The attention to detail in the decor contributed to this, but it was s o h o t. I am no escape room designer, but I'm sure there's a way to get more air into the room, so players can enjoy the game without waiting for it to be over and leave.

One of the standout moments during our adventure in Room 13 was encountering a prop that took us by surprise—a mirror with a hidden video inside. However, a slight mishap occurred when I inadvertently triggered an error message by tampering with it using a magnet. This unexpected turn of events added a humorous twist to our experience, highlighting the interactive nature of the room. Because no one seemed to be tracking our game, this wasn't addressed in any way, ahahaha.

I guess it then goes without saying that an aspect in need of remedial attention is the presence of a dedicated game master who closely follows the progress of each team, especially when something like this happens. While the two allotted clues were helpful, there were instances where additional guidance would have been beneficial, particularly with puzzles that proved less intuitive or logical. Having a game master on hand to provide timely assistance could ensure smoother progression through the room and enhance overall enjoyment.

We were bitterly disappointed when they walked in and asked us to leave the game before we had finished - based on our previous experiences, we were taught by other game masters to spend every second enjoying the experience, riddles and decors, in lieu of rushing. Had they been spoiling us unnecessarily? We didn't know, but it hurt a little to travel to a different city just to be asked to leave without seeing the end of it. There was no team registered after us, so they reset the room and we tried again. We didn't have to pay the full price, I guess that counts for something. And, hey, we escaped eventually, but overall the experience was kind of marred by the unexpected surprise, even though the owner had warned us.

Despite the drawbacks, Room 13 is an exhilarating escape room experience that challenges participants to think creatively, work collaboratively, and immerse themselves (all but) fully in the unfolding mystery.

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countrymusiclover · 2 years ago

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65 - The Life We Choose

Part 66

Her Life Means Everything

@mrs-fanfiction-2001 @the-big-bad-klaus @dragonixfrye @samsgirl93

- So I decided to just skip the Star Wars episode even though I really wanted to write for it. My mind just had no inspiration so this is the new chapter enjoy

Maddie’s POV

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes I sat up in the bed climbing out of the bed shrugging on some blue jeans wearing one of Klaus’s shirts that I had slept in the night before. Letting my hair fall down my shoulders I opened the door seeing my husband talking with someone on the phone. “Sweetheart, slow down. What are you talking about? Someone raised another monster and then you were turned into pandas.”

“Nik, what’s going on. Are they coming back home?” I asked entering the room listening in on the conversation with my vampire hearing. Our daughters and Josie had gone to look for Lizzie to bring her home from a weird witch cult.

He put the phone on speaker, sitting it down on the table in the middle of the art study. Little Henry was asleep in another room and Landon had left the school for a few days. “The girls are coming back, Maddie. But we might need to prepare the school for another attack. Here’s your mother’s, Hope.”

“Mom. Dad, don’t freak out but we got drugged and there was this Star Wars thing that in the end told me what we have always been regretting. I have to become a Tribrid like Nikola.” Our young daughter explained where I met my husband’s nervous gaze on me.

Running a hand through my hair I didn’t want to hear what she was saying. Everyday a small part of me beats myself up for Nikola dying right in front of Klaus and I. We had to watch our child die even though she came back just like we did. “We will talk through that when you all get back. But under no circumstances will we say that is our only option.”

“Mom, it’s the truth though. Landon and Nikola are soulmates. But our Tribrid blood can kill him.” She tried to say until I raised my voice.

Hitting my hands on the wooden table I shouted towards her not wanting to have this conversation over the phone. “No! Hope Andrea Mikaelson. You and the girls get back here. Do you understand me. You are not becoming the Tribrid yet!”

“Alright we will see you when you get home.” Klaus picked up the phone and hung up the call sensing that I was letting my emotions get the better of me. “Come here, Mads.”

He wrapped his arms around me tugging me into his chest seeing some tears starting to slip down my face. Flinging my arms around his neck I started crying, clutching the fabric of his jacket in between my fingers. “I don’t want them to have to turn to save others, Klaus. They are my children…They deserve everything good in the world!”

My mother said that a parent would do anything for their child. To keep them safe, to see them smile and everything above that. He broke the hug and still kept one hand on my lower back with his other wiping away some falling tears. “Maddie, listen to me. We will not let anyone hurt them. It doesn’t matter who comes to stand against us. I swear to you that I will tear the world apart to ensure that our daughters will be safe.”

“Yeah but we can say that all we want but can it really happen….can that be so true just as your family says always and forever.” My voice cracked a little while I gripped his shirt in my hands. They trailed up messing with the dog necklace that he kept wearing because I enjoyed playing with it when I was bored. “We may be immortal but even we have limits, Nik….I am terrified that we might not get any more good days…like the day the girls were born, the day we were wed…everything since the day we met!”

He cups my face in his hands, resting his forehead gently against mine releasing a breath. “Then let’s shove those fears deep down. I’ll take you back whenever you want. You know all you have to do is ask, love.”

“Show me the moment you fell in love with me. I want to see when we were less stressed and innocent before the girls come home and it all goes into the back of my mind for months.” Wrapping my arms back around his neck, closing my eyes feeling him enter my mind.

Laying on my stomach on my bed I was just staring up at the ceiling super bored out of my mind. Surprisingly today was pretty normal for the town of Mystic Falls and to be honest it annoys me very much. Lifting my head up I heard someone knock on my window so when I turned my head I saw Klaus sitting on the window seal. “Klaus, what on earth are you doing. You’re gonna fall from there.”

“If you’re worried about me dying Maddie in case you’ve forgotten I am already dead.” He pointed out sending me a half smile still just sitting on the seal waiting for me to open the window.

Getting to my feet I shake my head unlocking the door pushing it up allowing him inside even though he could have easily gotten through on his own. My mother had invited him already so that wasn’t a problem at all. “Hah hah yes I am aware, Nik. Now what are you doing here in the middle of the night? My mother will consider this creepy and that you are trespassing.”

“Let’s aim to change that shall we, Maddie. May I come inside or am I forced to remain outside and just look at the beautiful blonde through some glass?” He asked, giving me the deep blue doggy eyes, making my heart skip a beat at his words.

Turning my head back towards the door to my bedroom I smiled taking a few steps back letting him inside. “Come in, Nik.”

He vamped in front of me where I lifted my head up a little. “The reason I am here in the middle of the night is because I want to show you something. Take my girl somewhere for a little adventure. Do you accept?” He extended his right hand waiting for me to put my hand in it and I slowly did.

He squeezed my hand gently in his vamping us outside the house where I closed my eyes, flinging my arms around him, not opening my eyes until it felt like we weren’t moving. “Klaus!”

“Open your eyes, Maddie. Trust me you’ll enjoy this.” He whispered in my ear where I felt his arms wrapping around my waist as I opened my eyes sucking in a breath seeing the entire town of Mystic Falls so tiny from where we were standing now.

Lifting my head up my nose brushed against his seeing that we were standing on the top of the clock tower in the middle of the town. “I can’t believe you brought me up here. You better not let me fall.”

“I wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing, love. I must say you are making me fall in love with you by not being terrified up here.” He shrugged his shoulders where I wrapped my arms around his neck smiling. “Not afraid of such a life with a supernatural hybrid and all.”

Meeting his deep blue eyes I leaned up on my toes kissing him slowly where he deepened it. “Klaus, Elena always freaks about this crazy life but I am just choosing to accept it. I accept everything that comes with being you, Klaus Mikaelson. No matter what happens in our lives.”

Footsteps rushed through the mansion where we broke from our mind dive seeing the door get opened in a panic noticing it was Alaric. He bends over out of breath since he was a human trying to tell us something. “Maddie - Klaus, I….there…was…an attack at….Mystic High….Malivore…is…here.”

Comments really appreciated ❤️

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