#this movie has had me on chokehold for the last 3 days

[freshlypizza]

Watched Wonka the other day and all I'm gonna say is Wonka/Ethan and Noodle/Hannah

DO YOU SEE MY VISION

[brainless-393]

Fuck it I’m posting my music yap session EARLY mueheheh

THIS SHIT IS LONG IF YOU READ ALL OF THIS WHY AND HOW THE FUCK

yap session 😼 was gonna write more but nahhh that would be toooo much

Ok first artist/ band: Lemon Demon/Neil Cicierega. Words and actions cannot express how much I love this mans music. I will only talk about my favorite songs from a few of his albums. 

First song, Soft Fuzzy Man from the Spirit Phone album. This song has been my top song for 3 years. I never get tired of it. I can somewhat relate to it in a way, which is hard to explain. The somewhat desperation to be noticed and love by someone while being different from other people (how I personally view it). Its honestly one of the best songs in the album.

Second song, Action Movie Hero Boy from the Dinosaurchestra album. Although not being one of the most iconic songs in the album like Fine, The Ultimate Showdown Of Ultimate Destiny, or Dinosaurchestra parts 1-3 it is still my favorite in that album. It kinda catches that somewhat childhood like feeling of wanting to be the hero in a movie for me and its a sorta silly song that has a good tune. 

Third song, Really Cool Wig from the Nature Tapes album. God I feel like all of the songs in that album are either a fever dream or just weird but a banger (Two Trucks for example). Neil has probably made history with his weird songs. I personally like Really Cool Wig because its just a honestly really good song, funny lyrics, and a catchy beat.

Fourth song, Satirists Love Song from the View Monster album. I honestly don’t know how to explain this song and why I like it. I just always lived how it seemed slightly different from the other songs in View Monster.

Fifth song, Ode To Crayola which is a single i’m pretty sure. This song is just good. All Neil does is talk about his love for crayons and thats amazing.

Sixth song, my all time favorite, Geeks in Love (which I think is in Damn Skippy but is a single on Spotify?? Don’t remember). This song was what really got me into Lemon Demon when I started listening. Although I have been exposed to his music before I wasn’t really interested until a few years ago and I heard this absolute masterpiece. Its honestly such a relatable song. And its exactly what the songs title is, geeks in love. An absolutely great song, listen to it if you want. 

(Fun fact I have 82 lemon demon songs in my playlist and listen to all of them every day. I also have the spirit phone vinyl:3)

NEXT BAND!

Good Kid

I am excited to talk about this band. I got to see them live with another band I like. Most of their music is nice, upbeat, and good listens. You’ve probably heard their cover of ‘From The Start’ which I love. All of their songs are honestly good. I have a album on a vinyl and cd and absolutely love it. Definitely recommend you listen to Mimi’s Delivery Service. This is probably one of their best songs next to Summer and Bubbly. I probably have about 170 dollars worth of merch from Good Kid… might show it some time

NEXT ARTIST/BAND

Hot Freaks

My oh my have this band had me in a chokehold this year. I absolutely love their music, most of their songs are very catchy and have a few unique styles. My favorite song, Boyfriend from their Hot Freaks Forever album gives me Spamvil vibes… idk why. I could say more but I’ve been yapping too much and trying to hurry this up. You probably have heard them before since they have a few really popular songs (I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend, Puppy Princess, and a few others). 

NEXT ARTIST/BAND

WillyRodriguezWasTaken 

underrated band? Artist? I forgot. Got into listening to them last year and like their music a lot. Might mot be your type since most of their music has a distorted ish filter over it that might annoy some but some might like. If interested I recommend listening to their song Vampira first, probably their best sounding song. My favorite songs from them is either City Pop Lullaby or Power Walker

NEXT BAND

Glass Beach

Started listening to this band a few years ago. I quickly got into their music, it just was slightly relatable music and had nice sound. My favorite song, Cold weather from their first album I think really stuck with me. It honestly felt very relatable for me when I was in a tough situation for a long time. Honestly give the song a listen its genuinely so good. Their other song that I like, Jhariah Dies And Goes To Hell, which features Jhariah unsurprisingly. It’s honestly an amazing sounding song with amazing switch ups in tempo, feel, and sound throughout the song. 

NEXT BAND

Phoneboy

Words cannot describe how happy I was when I heard about this band opening for GoodKid on their concert. Their music is mainly about love, breakup or a fee others things. If curious about this band you should probably listen to their song, Hey, Kid! From their first album. It’s how I started listening to them and it’s a great song to just overall listen to. Most of their songs have an upbeat tempo besides for a few when there is a tempo change. When I got to see them in concert I got an autographed vinyl and balled my eyes out and I got tossed a pair of heart shaped glasses after the concert. 

I think I’m gonna wrap this up ngl this is a huge ass yap session 

[rinsarchive]

NINE PEOPLE I WANT TO GET TO KNOW BETTER!

thank youuu vish for the tag, @morkofday! if you're looking for a good cdrama to watch, i recommend 'to the wonder'! hope you have an amazing day <3

last song: please please please by sabrina carpenter, which is my best friend's favourite song atm and i miss him so i gave it a listen!

favourite colour: bottle green <3

currently watching: we are, wandee goodday, my stand in, my love mix-up, love sea, his man, and rewatching hidden love <3

last movie: i'm pretty sure that it was lord of the rings: the two towers!

currently reading: before the coffee gets cold by toshikazu kawaguchi, which i'm really enjoying! i think it's a really cool concept and kawaguchi is an incredible storyteller.

sweet, spicy, or savoury? for me, it's definitely savoury! i do like sweet but i cannot handle spice at all, which sucks bc most enjoyable meals are spicy dkjfhs!

relationship: single, always <3

current obsession: omg, it's always lord of the rings. i've had a hyperfixation on it since i was about nine years old! other than that, not much has me in a chokehold recently! i am really enjoying the shows i'm watching, though. i guess they're the closest thing to being my current obsession!

last googled: how to spell the name of the author of the book i'm reading!

currently working on: reorganising and resleeving all of my kpop photocards as well as making personalised pc wishlists for oneus, ive wonyoung, and boynextdoor. it's taking a while bc i keep putting it off but! that's what i have going on rn khdfks

nine tags: @cankersoregirl, @pharawee, @ryansjane, @vertiny, @guzhufuren, @moonkhao, @thasorns, @alienwlw, @lunaylin <3

[albonoooo]

got tagged by @wanderingblindly, thank you my beloved <3

what colour are your eyes?: a mixture of blue, green and grey that looks puddle-coloured most of the time.

tell me about your pets/your dream pet: after 15 wonderful years, our family dog paul (i named him that when i was five lol) unfortunately passed away in august 2023, i loved that dog more than most people. (there were some pictures of him here, but i got nervous that someone i know might see this so i removed them lmao). i'd love to get a dog or a cat at some point later in my life, but not now or any time soon.

share some interesting fact about yourself: i'm genuinely incredibly boring, so much so that i had to ask for help to find an answer here. the council decided on the fact that i know how to ride and own a motorcycle and am also a member in an mf in my hometown.

what was the first fandom you were a part of?: i guess the first time i was properly involved with fandom in any capacity was during my teen wolf days.

do you have any phobias?: i don't know if it's bad enough to be considered a phobia, but i'm terrified of heights. there have been several instances of me breaking down crying despite trying to keep it together while being in very high places (usually while having to climb dodgy stairs in very high buildings, among other things).

are you a picky eater? if so, what food can't you stand?: YES! and i hate it because it's so so limiting and annoying. i am incredibly sensitive regarding taste and texture and i have to physically force myself to hold back visceral reactions to foods i don't like. it'd probably be easier to list the foods i can eat tbh.

do you eat the burger and fries at the same time or one after another?: first some fries, then burger, fries, burger, fries, finish the burger, finish the fries. anything else is weird (what the fuck do you mean you eat them completely separately, liquid???)

winter or summer: winter all the way. i sweat easily, my body generally doesn't cope well with heat and i prefer bundling up and being a little cold over feeling too warm.

favourite fanfiction tropes: i LOVE a good au, any au really, but especially the cute ones. i'll read almost anything at least once and so there's just too many things i have read and enjoyed to list here. also, anything with an enemies to lovers situation. i am a sucker for that.

are you studying or working? what do you study/is your job?: both! i'm a full-time student (english major, history minor) and i am one of the student assistants in the english department's student office. i've also had other, less fun part-time jobs in the past.

what is the last country you visited: the netherlands and belgium during a day trip (by motorcycle) in june or july last year, i think.

what country would you want to move to after retiring?: i've haven't ever even considered living that long. i've always had a fascination with ireland and scotland, so based on looks and vibes alone i'd go there. or somewhere with solid winters, like a scandinavian country or finland.

who was your first crush?: hannes (played by nick romeo reimann) in the vorstadtkrokodile movies. i was ready for marriage, dreaming up a life together and everything. it also lasted until i was like 12 years old, so about six years in total. he really had me in a chokehold.

how did you get into f1 fandom?: after my interest was peaked by f1 edits that randomly popped up all over my social media one day (thank you algorithms), i did what i always do when something like that happens and opened tumblr to see what's up. and then i got stuck lol.

i have no clue who has or hasn't been tagged already, so feel free to ignore this!! @hrhgeorgerussell @bright-and-burning @borntogayz @lil-italian-disappointment @liamlawsonlesbian @piastrisms

[hauntedfoxhut]

DARLING OMG AAA OK OK SO I SAW YOUR REQUESTS IPEN,AND YHAT YOU WRITE FOR MYSTIC MESSANGER,that game has me in a chokehold the last 10days since I started playing,I'm still not done I have today and the final day I'm Litteraly so scared of what's gonna happend but that aside

I wanted to request something with zen, so maybe zen x reader and the one bed trope if you know,it can be in form of hcs or scenario or whatever makes you comfy babe <3

Have an amazing day don't forget to eat and drink love you♡⁠(⁠>⁠ ⁠ਊ⁠ ⁠<⁠)⁠♡

(」°ロ°)」Aaaaaa darling i’ll call you zenny anon!! I don’t write since (￣ω￣;) honestly a very long, time but I promise that I tried my best (≧◡≦) ♡ I wrote with neutral pronouns because you didn't specify hope you like it 🫶🏻🫶🏻

Zen x Gn!reader

•One bed trope!!

Since you joined the RFA and your apartment/Rika’s apartment almost exploded, everyone from the group made you move to Zen’s house, and as an musical singer living with Zen was sorta of a professional support.

Was easy for you two to sleep together because you both sleeps like rocks and looks like a hurricane passed trough the room because you two always drop the pillows and the blankets!

It’s weird because Zen talks while he’s asleep sometimes, but no big deal he just murmur about thinks like “I’m so handsome” “I’m perfect” and the cutest one “cuddle please”!

It’s funny when you both have to practice because he’s so into the drama actor and you’re just singing like a pretty bird on the window, you really take your career as a hobby but Zen just keep getting hypnotized.

Once you gave him a free entry for one of your shows, he loved it, he just kept staring at you every time you appeared, that boy definitely started to fall for you right after that show.

After all that stuff you decided to stay a bit more of time at his house, you even matched your schedules, so now you have lunch and dinner together some days per week, very cute btw.

Now you do everything together, Zen even had auditions to join you in the shows, he really likes being around you, and you can’t deny that’s impossible not fall for him.

You both started to give hints about your feeling, but even being tattooed on your foreheads you kept going slow like just kisses on the cheeks, cuddles sometimes while sleeping together, movie nights, holding hands and etc…

But one day he decided to move forward and make a bold move, he just said “I love you”, you were cuddling to fall asleep and he just BOOM 💥 he fell asleep right after releasing that bomb, but…

what do you think? Do you love him too?

Sorry if it’s a bit short ~(>_<~) but i really tried my best after all this time (¯ ³¯)♡ hope you liked it luv u❤️❤️

[ncytiri]

nine people i'd like to get to know better

going through all the little tag games my mooties have tagged me in <3

for this one, i was tagged by @squiremaximus, thank you evan!! 💓

three ships: FINNREY! ALL DAY EVERY DAY!!! along that same vein, lucy/maximus from the fallout show, and jake/neytiri from the avatar movies <333

first ship: probably anakin/padmé?

last song: american requiem by beyoncé!!

currently reading: still reading the bts biography... i would be reading more but destiny has me in a chokehold currently :/

currently watching: star wars: the bad batch, grey's anatomy, manhunt, and under the bridge!!

relationship status: single

current obsessions: fallout, the bad batch, and destiny 2!

currently craving: nothing rn because i just had a delicious pizza pie from a local pizzeria that opened up here not long ago!!!!

fave color: purple!!! but also big fan of pink, blue, and green :D

tagging - @mercyedes, @vvanessaives, @quickhacked, @hollytanaka, @reaperkiller, and anyone else that wants to do this!! (ofc if you were tagged already and/or don't wanna do this, that's completely fine <3)

[imagine-you]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

tagged by the lovely and talented @jozstankovich (check out their fics at @mrprettywhenhecries @seanfalco and @myherokatsuki)

1.how many works do you have on ao3? I currently have 41

2. what's your total ao3 word count? 842,003 (I think I broke the million mark when I wrote for bandom...but those fics are gone and dead and never to be resurfaced again...please)

3. what fandoms do you write for? a lot of them. stranger things, the walking dead, true blood, harry potter, marvel, the umbrella academy, the last of us, various horror movies, etc.

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Boys Like You (Steve Harrington/Reader)

Meet Me Under the Stars (Daryl Dixon/Reader)

Baby, You're a Haunted House (Billy Hargrove/Reader)

Somebody to Love (Diego Hargreeves/Reader)

Living As Foes (Eddie Munson/Reader)

5. do you respond to comments? why or why not? Yes. I love comments and they fuel me to write more, but sometimes I'm not caught up on responding, mostly because I get super depressed and withdraw.

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Maybe You're My Event Horizon? It's Negan/Reader and set before Meet Me Under the Stars and ends on a very sad note.

7. what is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? All my fics generally have happy endings, so most of them.

8. do you get hate on any fics? Not recently, no.

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind? No. I did, but now it's just not something I want to write/read.

10. do you write crossovers? whats the craziest one you've written? Yes. Maybe my Umbrella Academy/Danger Days crossover? I've got to finish that one. It's probably the only Robert Sheehan related fic I'd actually be able to finish if I shifted the focus on to Party Poison/Reader...because I'm evil.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of?

12. have you ever had a fic translated? Yes.

13. have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes! We didn't finish it, but joz and I started one.

14. what's your all-time favorite ship? Oh gosh, I have so many, I don't think I have a favorite. If I'm reading fic, lately I am partial to Charles Xavier/Erik Lehnsherr (that whole friends to enemies to lovers thing has a chokehold on me). Writing, I've been more partial to Eric Northman/Reader lately.

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? probably my crossover fic with joz, because it was a lot of fun, but I just have trouble with anything Robert Sheehan related now.

16. what are your writing strengths? Maybe plotting stories? I've been told that I'm really good at dialogue and that it feels like readers are eavesdropping on an actual conversation between the characters, so that was super flattering.

17. what are your writing weaknesses? getting depressed and not finishing fics lol and probably describing things or like getting *too* caught up in the details and not realizing I just need to move on with the story.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? It depends on how it's done.

19. first fandom you wrote for? Bandom 🤫

20. favorite fic you've written? I have a very special place in my heart for Baby, You're a Haunted House, so maybe that one.

tagging: all my writer friends who see this and want to do this!! no pressure!

[asteral-feileacan]

☁️, 💌 and 🪐 please!

Thank you! :D

☁️ - What made you choose your username?

I love this one, and I finally get to drop my username lore! This is actually quite a bit of history, so buckle up.

As a child, I was obsessed with Lassie, which is something that not a lot of people seem to really know for some reason. Anyway, my Lassie is actually split between the 1994 and 2005 movies, although I only saw the 1994 version later in my childhood and grew up with the 2005 one.

This obsession was so much so that whenever little me played make-believe, I would call myself Lassie and, well, it just kind of stuck and wouldn't go away. So when I eventually joined the internet at a once-questionable age(which started out fine because I was only using educational sites, but I still ended up on Discord just under the age requirement a couple of years later XDD)

At this time, "Lassie" for some reason morphed into "Lasspeep" and "Lassie Peep" - I think this was because of my parents, but I have no idea why XD So those variations were my usernames as I started to use the big scary internet. Eventually I did drop "peep", but Lassie has such a chokehold on me that I still use it, especially on Discord.

Fast forward to about a year or two ago, and I was looking for a name with more oomph behind it for my profiles on Tumblr, AO3 and FF.net. I had been going by Kit-Kat-of-Midgard, which I didn't really like, and so I started trying out a lot of things - username generators, random word lists, etc, but nothing was clicking. Then in a stroke of inspiration, I decided to go back to my roots, as it were. I used to use Google Docs as a kind of social media before I joined Discord, and to differentiate between the people in the group, we all picked colours and fonts to type in. Mine was cornflower blue, and that led me straight to the cornflower. While I was on that topic, I found its family name, Asteraceae, and that piqued my interest, but it still wasn't quite right. When I kept reading, I came across the order Asterales, which IMMEDIATELY made me go, "yep, that's the one."

So I had the base, and at some point I shortened it to simply Asteral. I really loved that, but I also wanted a second part, to get a message across that showed more of who I am. This one was a LOT easier, I have to say. I'm Irish, so I decided I'd go for an Irish word, and the struggle was just to figure out what word that would be.

SO I grew up being brainwashed into loving the band a-ha(I still love them), and it was a known fact that my favourite song of theirs is Butterfly, Butterfly. So my brain gremlins picked up my last remaining braincell, and translated "Butterfly" into Irish, which Google Translate(I don't speak Irish, sorry) told me was "féileacán". So, boom. Asteral Féileacán. Unfortunately, for the most part, the sites I'm on don't allow me to include the fadas, so it shows as Feileacan instead. Rest assured that the correct way is lurking somewhere behind there! But that's the admittedly long-winded explanation behind my usernames and why they're connected by a string.

💌 - How many unread emails do you have right now?

Oh. Oh no. I have several email accounts... in total, I have 337 unread emails spread out across four different emails, though they're mostly from automatic mailing lists from YouTube or AO3. My professional email account is paid much more attention, so it has no unread emails. >:) Rest assured that I will now be clearing out all my emails.

🪐 - Name three good things going on in your life right now.

Aw, this one is sweet <3

Theatre. I'm having a lot of fun engaging in theatre for the first time in my life through King Lear - I know I won't shut up about it, but I'm honestly really excited, and rehearsals are honestly the highlight two days of my week.

My writing spark. Writing has become fun again, and because of that, I've been able to post what I'm working on with less fear. This is huge for me because I stopped posted for years, and even though I was still working on things, I wasn't working on them in a capacity that was satisfying to me. I'm doing much better now, and a lot happier with what I'm doing.

Being connected outside of the internet. I have to say that this past year('23, so far '24) has been amazing. I got the chance to meet people IRL and make friends, I've been changing my very hermit-like habits and getting out more, and while it hasn't always been easy and I'm still struggling a lot with numerous things, I think I'm in a better place than I would have been two years ago. <3

[starrypawz]

Tagged by @moonisthedoor

tagging if you want @kruk-art @mihqorio @impossible-rat-babies @myrkulyte @beholdme

𖦹°‧★ Favourite song(s): Oh man this is always a hard one I'll give you a few that seem to have had me in a chokehold for various reasons

Twin Skeletons Fall Out Boy (this one just came back and hit me like a truck a while ago as I was so obsessed with that song when the album came out)

The Funeral Yungblud (Just ough also Gerry coded af)

King Florence + the Machine (It's been over a year and it's still got me good)

Psychopomp Hozier (I think it's my song off the new album but also I haven't had the emotional strength to listen to the album again as i listened to it beginning to end and it wrecked me)

Don't Fear the Reaper Blue Oyster Cult (my forever number one, my ride or die, my rotten solider my good time boy the fact i got obsessed with this song at age 11 is probably a good sign i'd eventually become a goth yes i am aware it is not a goth song ok but the vibes ok it's THE VIBES)

Black Me Out Against Me! (This song came and kicked me in the face and I went thank you)

Big Bad Wolf In This Moment (How did I not know this band existed until recently I have no idea but it's so my vibe I'm almost mad about it I also want to steal all Maria Brinks makeup looks)

Flesh babychaos (can't describe what it is it, just vibes good and it legit made me get tingles)

𖦹°‧★ Favourite colour(s): black, grey, purple, silver, turquoise

𖦹°‧★ Currently Watching: (Go watch Emily she's a great youtuber to watch if you like casual chatty alternative subculture themed videos)

𖦹°‧★ Last Movie: In terms of cinema movies The Barbie Movie it was very good, I don't think I've actually really watched any movies on streaming lately

𖦹°‧★ Sweet, spicy or savory: Sweet tbh but also the best combo is sweet + savoury and you can fight me on that (salted caramel though)

𖦹°‧★ Relationship Status: single, and likely to stay that way and i'm good with it

𖦹°‧★ Current Obsession: fandom wise still mostly TMA, FHR and The Passenger, although apparently Eddie and Elio are coming to the surface again. and then apparently my brain has been going on a bit of a philosophical/spiritual kick currently you're all getting subjected to I guess it's what happens when you finally get medicated for adhd and your brain goes OH GOOD I CAN THINK THE BIG THOUGHTS NOW AND NOT GET DISTRACTED and the autistic part of my brain is like 'I have control now >:3'

Also after playing the demo a while back I'm like 👀 at what's wrong with sunny day jack (I can't believe i've essentially gone a bit googly eyed over a big buff clown man but also)

𖦹°‧★ Last thing I googled: killstar top with mask so i could show a friend a shirt i own

this is the shirt btw

[malfoysgem]

Cupid’s Chokehold || D.M x fem!reader

summary: draco writing a letter about his new girlfriend to his mom <3

year and blood status: 6th year and half-blood

warnings: fluffy draco, idk what else

a/n: i was inspired by Cupids Chokehold / Breakfast in America 🤍😊

“it’s been some time since we last spoke and this is gonna sound like a bad joke, but momma i fell in love again. it’s safe to say i have a new girlfriend.”

draco was writing a letter to his mum about his new girlfriend. he thought she was perfect in every way, shape and form. she had luxurious wavy hair with gorgeous glistening eyes. “she’s got eyes comparable to sunrise.” her eyelashes curled in the most perfect way, her pink plump lips were beautiful. “she’s got a smile that would make the most senile annoying old man bite his tongue.” she has the best personality ever, she’s funny and nice and she takes draco’s sarcasm very well. “she’s got the cutest laugh i ever heard.”

they were made for eachother.

“and i know it sounds so old, but cupid got me in a chokehold. and i’m afraid i might give in…”

around others, draco may be seen as very sarcastic and rude because that’s what his father taught him. but, around y/n he is a whole different person. he does anything she wants and he is the sweetest. some people are even happy when he’s with her because then he’s not his usual mean self.

“i know i’m young but if i had to choose her or the sun i’d be one nocturnal son of a gun.”

draco would choose his girlfriend over anybody. (besides maybe his mom.)

a couple days ago…

“hey malfoy, we’re throwing a party later tonight. do you wanna come?” theo asked draco “oh.. i’m sorry mate i don’t think i can make it today. i promised y/n i would go to hogsmeade with her.” draco replied to him. “oh.”

“and i know you read the last letter about that girl that didn’t last long. but i promise this is on a whole new plane, i can tell by the way she says my name.”

“i love you draco” y/n whispered to draco smiling…

astoria never treated draco how y/n does. she just wanted him for his money and nothing else, y/n is completely different. she only wants draco for him, not for his money or his fame. draco loves her for that.

“anytime i’m with her i cherish the moment. call it dumb call it luck it whatever you call it but everywhere o go i keep her picture in my wallet.”

draco heard his door open and he immediately looked up to see it was his girlfriend, y/n. “hi dray” y/n smiled “do you want to hangout with me? my friends are studying but i finished all my studies.” she said

“of course i want to hang out with you my love” draco smirked

days earlier..

draco was with his friend at the three broomsticks just talking and having a little drink.

when it came time to pay draco pulled out his wallet.. theo who was next to him had a quick peek of his wallet and saw he had a picture of his girlfriend. “oh my merlin you even carry a picture of her in your wallet?” theo laughed. “yes? call it dumb or whatever i don’t really care.” draco replied confused and a bit angry.

“i really like her mum. anyways i’ve got to go, i’m about to watch a muggle movie with y/n.”

that’s where draco ended his letter…

🤍taglist: @arzfia @yiamalfoy @orc-luv @havenchy

(if your name is crossed out then i couldn’t tag you and you should probably check your settings :) also if you want to be added or removed from my taglist just message me <3)

a/n: umm this kind of sucks haha

[allthefakepeople]

Do you have smau recs? Asking for a friend.

oooh hi darling anon

i've literally been so deep in smaus the last few days but i have definitely have some to recommend. i also have no idea if any of these people are on tumblr as well so if they are please let me know so i can give them some love/credit here as well!

almost every thing by @wilmonseuphoria (kastin) is so great. they have 2? completed and like 3 incomplete ones going on right now but they're all fabulous

almost is never enough by

@in_amor_veritas (veritas) is super good as well, it is also ongoing

description: Simon, slightly bitter ex-musician, starts a new job to pay the bills. There he runs into old classmate Wilhelm. After a breakup Simon pursues a friends with benefits relationship to which Wilhelm agrees. Cue miscommunication and pining as they try to deny their true feelings.

to the one he loved in secret by @EDVINRYDlNGS (malia) had me in a chokehold so badly i didn't go to bed till 4:30 last night (it's also completed)

description: an enemies to roommates to lovers wilmon au. wille doesn’t have anywhere to go, nowhere to stay after he gets kicked out of their house after coming out to his parents. as a (very) last resort, wille ends up moving with simon, who he can’t stand

they also have another one that's currently ongoing

tales of the heart

description: an enemies to lovers wilmon au. wille and simon are two actors that swore to never work together again, until they’re cast to play lovers in a movie together, no longer being able to avoid the inevitable

the curtains must go by @wilmonamonos (caleb) is another one that i eagerly await updates for

description: — An angsty and ridiculous AU about Wille and Simon being front window neighbors and hating each other for different stupid reasons.

but i'm sure there's so many more out there, i'm just getting started in what i've discovered.

if anyone has any recommendations i will happily take them!

-miels

[kuroosdarling]

Happy sleepover saturday Aims! What are some of your fave fics that your moots have written and why?? I need some recs lol

ooo !!! happy sleepover saturday nonnie <33 EEE im so excited for this hehe

sorry this took so long !! here are a few of my fave fics by some of my moots <33 all of my moots are seriously so talented 🤧 if i could fit every single one on here i could !!! love all of you sm <3

RECS:

please respect the rules of their blogs before reading and interacting with their fics <333

first convention by @sweetkoshi - akaashi x reader

this one is so much fun to read lol. kat's characterization for akaashi is spot on and i love the idea of him wandering around a convention. also all the descriptions in this fic are so good it feels like you're really there walking around the con hehe she’s an amazing writer! also PLEASE check out her nanami fics.. lowkey debated tagging them all but omg they’re all so good.

you'll never be rid of me by @myheroesaretired - ex! gojo x reader.

PLS okay so this one had my heart racing lowkey lol. i just love the idea of ex!gojo coming to save the day. i'll eat it up every time especially if dear nesi is writing it!! all her fics feel like a lil movie playing in my head. i literally go through her masterlist all the time bc i love the way she writes !’

we’re gonna be the talk of the town by @mattsunkawa - suna x reader: royalAU

okay so !! echo is a fantastic writer and her royal AUs are always so amazing. the descriptions in this piece are all so beautiful. honestly all of her writing is!! everything she writes will easily captivate your attention and have you wanting more. you’ll never be disappointed reading echos fics and she’ll have you falling in love with anyone she writes for (even when it’s her beautiful angsty ones).

vows - kuroo x reader by @hyeque

SCREAMS. okay so risu always writes so so well!! i love reading anything she writes, she's amazing fr. but this one left especially such a lasting impression on me lol. its so raw and beautiful and i just love rereading it hehe. marrying tetsu is literally the dream <3 and the way risu writes him ??! even better !!! please check out all her fics, you’ll fall in love with each one.

okay, bambi by @jeankirsteinsgirl - jean x reader

holy. moly. this story has me in a chokehold fr. aims writes so beautifully and i hang on to every word she writes. im in awe of how well she captures each and every scene. i connect to this story so so much. i’ve never felt so heard and understood in my life lol. seriously my favorite series ever. i’ve reread it like 5 times and i’ll still go back and read it. it’s such a place of comfort and feels so safe even though it deals with darker content. like it literally changed my life lol. i can literally go on and on forever but i highly suggest this series, even if you aren’t in the aot fandom.

ferris wheel first kiss by @writingbymoonlight - kuroo x reader

EEEE okay so i literally adore this fic with my whole heart LOL. it's just so so precious. going on a date with kuroo at the amusement park?? yup sign me up!! such a lovely fluffy lil fic that makes you feel all warm<3 luna is the queen when it comes to slice of life !! she’s such a spectacular writer! also check out her suna fic omg !! i almost tagged that one but i had to go with our bby kuroo <3

daydream in blue by @ohtokki - semi x reader

eee !! this one is so fun and amazing lol making semi semi feel pretty?? SIGN ME UP. laura really has a way with words and captures every moment so well!! i honestly have reread this a few times just because of how much i love it. & all the details that go into it OMGGG <3 everything she writes will have you simping for character you didn’t know you needed to be simping for !!

daydreaming by @epkatn - hinata x reader

i looove this fic sm !! everything K writes has such a nice flow and the level of detail that goes into it is so so beautiful. this fic especially was so cute n fun to read. i’ve def reread this one a few times hehe all of her works are so spectacular and she really is an amazing writer <3

flicker by @kurootosis - kuroo x reader

okay so to this day, this fic is one of my fave kuroo fics ever lol. the way lem writes, especially kuroo, feels so real and authentic. this fic had me at the edge of my seat the whole time i was reading it. so many emotions and the pay off was so worth it OMG. i’ve reread this one a few times and im gonna go back to reread it again (also bc i don’t think i reblogged it from her new blog </3)

when you get jealous by @meloomi - sakusa x reader

okay!! so this fic had me falling in love with omi lol. the way that mizu writes her man is SO SO GOOD. you can feel the love she has for him pour into every word fr. this fic was just so cute and i loved rereading it hehe mizu is very talented and i always get excited when she posts!

blanket burrito by @cup-of-fluff - bokuto x reader

please !! this fic had me fall in love with bokuto all over again pls. i literally love him and when i first read this i had to wrap myself up in a blanket too. (was bummed that bokuto himself didn’t do it for me but whateves </3) hehe luna is so so talented and i love reading her works !!!

morning glory by @lunaevangeline - atsumu x reader

aaa this one was literally so fun and cute to read. domestic atsumu >>> !!! luna has sm amazing fics it was hard to pick just one but tbh i think this one was one of the first i’ve read from her so it feels fitting hehe. she is such a wonderful writer!!!

i hope it’s okay i tagged you guys <3 i love reading all your works!! i love all my dear moots and if i didn’t get a chance to put you on this post, i’m sending you extra smooches because you are all so talented and i cherish y’all sm <33

come to the sleepover!!

[kiwi-tai]

9 favorite shows as gifs

Thank you for tagging me @willkimurashat @eva-neill-green @fujihime-litg @mrs-youcef

This is once again in no specific order because they’re all very different shows and all top tier imo.

1. Parks and Recreation

My favorite sitcom I have rewatched it soo many times and was so sad when it got moved to streaming on Peacock but then my cousin got Peacock and now I leech onto their account to watch it.

2. Schitts Creek

Elite sitcom! So funny, so heartfelt, Dan Levy you are my fav nepo baby and I accuse nepotism for this show. And Miora Rose iconic.

3. Space Force

Another tragic betrayal from Netflix by canceling this show. I love Ben Schwartz and space.

4. The Get Down

This was the first betrayal I ever experience from Netflix and you may be saying hey I’ve never heard of The Get Down before we’ll it’s because it featured a fully poc cast and told a beautiful story of the start of hip hop and fall of disco from the perspective of young teens from the Bronx in the 70s and Netflix didn’t promote it at all. It was directed by Baz Luhrmann ya know the guy that did Romeo and Juliet with Leo DiCaprio. This show was beautiful and amazing and I cried when I found out they canceled it. Still the story ends pretty well with only a slight cliffhanger that Baz later clarified what would actually happen so if your looking for a show to watch I very highly recommend this one . It’s incredible, the soundtrack is amazing, there are lgbt characters, I mean I can’t ever say enough.

5. Once Upon a Time

The chokehold this show had me on since I was 11. Unparalleled. I love everyone in this show like family, each character means so much to me it’s insane. Last season was eh they were trying too hard to keep it alive but that’s shows now a days. Gif of the queen herself.

6. Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin

Speaking of shows that had me in a chokehold the orginal pretty little liars was one of them. I was obsessed and they lost me the last few season after trying to hard to keep the show alive. A good show has an ending you don’t have to keep adding more to it. That being said I did not think this reboot/spin-off would be good but oh boy is it. I mean there is a slasher killer, it’s beautifully shot, and the cast is great.

7. Derry Girls

I absolutely love this show! I love everything about it. I pretend I have an Irish accent every time I watch it (sorry to any Irish followers but I think it’s a pretty decent attempt). This show is hilarious and I can’t wait to watch the final season.

8. Shadow and Bone

This show led to a downward spiral into the Grishaverse series and I am perfectly okay with it. I am still read every book in the series I’m on the final six of crow book rn. This show is soooo good I cried first episode for some reason. The cast is so hot. The characters and storylines are everything.

9. New Girl

Last but not least, this show is iconic. The friendships, the jokes, everything. Love it.

Omg I’m editing and adding a tenth because I can’t believe I forgot it

10. DEADLY CLASS

This!!! this show is one of the greatest shows to ever exist and I’m sooooo mad it got canceled. It’s based on a comic it’s one season I highly recommend despite the cliff hanger (because technically no cliff hanger if you jsut look up what happens in the comics). I love this show so much I did write a fan fic about it on Wattpad it’s called Medusa if you want to check it out. Literally Marcus (pictured above) the most incredible and stupid character ever I love him; the sass he has amazing. You will love all the characters as much as you hate them sometimes it’s great. Lana Condor is in it and so is Benedict Wong. If you like marvel movies the Russo brothers are producers.

Tagging whoever wants to join!

[i-just-look-at-pictures]

tagged by the incredible @loveisalwaystheanswer, along with a couple of others so huge thank you! But I am VERY boring.

three ships: My ships (and I use the term loosely because I am not a fan of the diehard shipping culture) are entirely inadvertent. They get under my skin until they are all I can think about, most usually when one of them is dead. Three at the minute are: Tommy and Grace, Peaky Blinders - Quelle Surprise! Honestly, I'm like Joey in Friends with Titanic, I can't talk about these two without getting emotional. Their ending will forever make me angry. Oliver and Connie, Lady Chatterley's Lover - the remake still has me in a chokehold. My all-time iconic ship, Laurie and Amy from Little Women. I have loved them since watching the 1949 film when I was little and that love only grew with the recent remake. Timothee Chalamet and Florence Pugh, what is there not to love? first ever ship: My first EVER ship was entirely inappropriate. My Mum did not understand that Buffy the Vampire Slayer was extremely inappropriate for a four year old and I used to watch it on a Thursday night on channel 4, with my big sister. I swear I should have been in bed! But I started on S5 and LOVED Buffy and Riley with all of my little heart. I sobbed like my pet rabbit had died when she did not reach the helicopter. That being said, being an adult, Angel and Buffy forever break my heart and Riley gives me the ick. last song: Songs really help me write and at the moment I cannot stop listening to Medicine by Daughter. If I was a video editor I would make an edit of solely Grace Burgess to that song because bestie was failed by EVERYONE in her life. Also, not the question but not PIMP by 50 Cent is my all time favourite song for reasons I cannot articulate. It just sounds like Dopamine. last movie: I started watching The Pale Blue Eye with Harry Melling and am saving the second half for when my partner goes back to work after his break because he didn't enjoy it as much as I do and it kills my vibe! Recently I have also watched some INCREDIBLE films Lady Chatterley's Lover, All Quiet on the Western Front and the Knives Out films. currently reading: I have just finished my degree and I cannot look at another book for the time being but my most recent and enjoyable book was Sons and Lovers by D H Lawrence or The Gathering by Anne Enright. currently watching: I am attempting to rewatch Wednesday. I didn't get the hype AT ALL and I really wanted to. I am also rewatching the Alienist. I will be restarting Peaky Blinders soon because I need to dissect Series 3 to carry on with the fic. The things I do for you guys. currently consuming: I have just finished my breakfast at lunch time and I had. Avocado on toast with bacon and a poached egg. currently craving: Fun fact, I have been a vegan for the past seven years but I also have a very complex health condition (utterly irrelevant but have the background anyway) that my diet was exacerbating. I have recently gone back to eating 'normally' and what a whirlwind. I cannot stop eating sausages and I eat them for at least one meal a day, I wish I was joking, I am having them for tea or chicken fuck me, how good is chicken?!

[hearthomelesbian]

thank you @icemaiden for tagging me!

last tv show: lately i've been watching a lot more movies than shows, but I've been watching star trek voyager and enterprise when my friend watches it on the tv! seven of nine my beloved! t'pol my beloved! the last movie i watched was addams family values though bc i hadn't seen either addams family movie before, they were both a lot of fun 🥰

last song: i've been listening to helena by mcr 😳 they released the foundations of decay and it reminded me that i like their music so i had helena on loop while i did some sewing until my cat sat on me and i could no longer sew bc she sat on my arm 🐈◼️

currently watching: i'm not really in the middle of anything rn but i'm planning on watching the second season of russian doll soon! lotr is also on the watchlist bc i have not seen it yet but i want to make a day of it, ive only seen the first and i was so tired at the time that i was falling asleep on the couch towards the end

currently reading: i'm currently in a constant state of rereading the webnovel omniscient reader's viewpoint because it has my brain in a chokehold and i am constantly thinking about it. kim dokja <3.... i downloaded the epub so i can bookmark my favourite bits and flick back and forth between parts 💕

thank u again kaaju for tagging me! i'll tag @suhaylahs @potsherd @hiperbaton @zhuhongs @thecrusher @1864th if they would like to do this! 💗

[deejadabbles]

The House of Anubis (Atem x Reader Halloween Special)

Part Two: The Shadows

One //// Two //// Three (coming soon) ///

Summary: The house was large, a manor, really. Imposing, yet striking more aw with every turn of a corner. You had never thought you’d be dragged back into the family business, but your brother needed you, and so too did his latest project. It stood alone among the trees, yet, you never felt alone when inside. Hairs prickle on the back of the neck, shivers run down spines, and hands fidget with every unoccupied moment. And the thing- or rather, person, who simultaneously eases and worsens these feelings? Atem, a man who was just as mercurial as the house itself, all smirks and light comments one moment, then lingering stares and strange musings the next. So the real question remains, will you uncover the secrets both the man and the manor are harboring?(A Halloween mini-series inspired by the show ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ and the movie 'The Frighteners’. The Reader x Atem themes are, admittedly, light as this mostly focuses on a spooky haunted house story, but the romantic undertones are there. Gender-neutral reader.)

A.N. HAHA look at me, actually getting this chapter done just in time to end Halloween on a good note! I can't believe I did it, but I'm proud of myself. We still have a chapter (maybe even two depending on how the ending goes) until we get to the end of the miniseries, but I hope this is creepy enough to spice up your Halloween! I also hope everyone had a good holiday in general, whether you stayed in watching movies, dressed up with a friend/loved one, or actually managed to get some treats! Also @ohyema and @itachified figured I’d tag you so you wouldn’t miss this <3

Happy Halloween!

You swiped at your forehead yet again, clearing off more sweat gathering there. Why exactly had you picked the last hot day of the season to do this?

Oh well, at least it was done now, you told yourself as you leaned back, stretching your muscles and looking over the work. It was only a temporary ramp, laid over the crumbling front steps, but it would serve its use: helping your brother get inside so you could both be in the house even before he was recovered. Just because he couldn’t lift anything didn’t mean he couldn’t help.

After weight testing the ramp to your satisfaction, you tucked the few tools you dug out for the job back into your belt. However, before heading into the house, you took a moment of respite, wandering over to the small wicker table that would likely need to be repaired or thrown out. You were surprised and lucky to find that the local gas station actually sold your favorite drink and took a long swig of it after sitting down in the equally disheveled wicker chair. With a long exhale you scanned the grounds around you, the forest, the forgotten flower beds that would need cleaned up as a bonus selling point, the weedy grass in between.

Despite the unkempt appearance, it was still peaceful. More peaceful than you felt inside the house anyway. Though, admittedly, the isolation that you disliked inside the manor persisted out here in some ways. Cars rarely passed on the road, not that you could see it from the house, the woods walling the grounds made an effective barrier, almost letting you wonder if there was anything beyond them at all. But there was, and out here you could tell that. Birds sang, squirrels and other critters nested in the trees, and there were houses somewhere in the distance. It was easy to shake aside any foreboding or negative musings out here.

Allowing yourself a few minutes more, you closed your eyes and took in the smell of the approaching autumn. It would only get chillier from here, but today the breeze felt nice and you only made yourself get up from the seat when you found yourself edging dangerously close to a nap.

With a sigh you grabbed your drink and headed inside, annoyingly aware of the work that still needed to be done today. You had left the doors open but shut them tight behind you since you would be occupied inside for the rest of your would-be work shift. The music you were playing from the boombox was louder now of course, but you didn’t bother turning the volume down since your next project was in the library.

As usual, you passed through the conservatory to get there and hoped that the room would wash a calming mood over you. The garden-like room was quickly becoming your favorite in the whole house. Perhaps it was how open the room was, easing the trapped effect big and old manors tended to have when you were alone in them. Or maybe it was just the peaceful sound of nature on the other side of the glass walls doing their job.

Either way, passing through the conservatory and even lingering there a moment didn’t help you. The moment you shut the door to the study behind you something seemed to tighten around your whole body, making you quite aware of the deeper breaths you had been taking since resuming the renovations.

You felt stupid for it, knew that your unease was the same unease you felt in any other large home. Having no one else around just made the wide and vast rooms feel more...void-like. Knowing that there was room beyond room around you just...empty, devoid of anything but chairs and paintings and figurines atop mantels; that you were the only living thing moving from room to room-

You shook your head, wanting to slap yourself. It wasn’t a new feeling, and you told yourself you should have gotten over it by now, this weird uneasiness of voids and empty spaces. Of being completely alone.

Of course, your next task surely wouldn’t help your discomfort.

It was only your second day of actually working on the house, but you told yourself you couldn’t put this next task off for the third day or the day after that. Surely the worst part would be cleaning up the blood, which you had done on the last visit. Surely climbing up that ladder and patching up that window wouldn’t be terrible.

So why did you find yourself standing at the bottom of the ladder, staring up at the cracked pane for nearly five whole minutes?

You swallowed down the lump in your throat, honestly, there was nothing to be scared of, it’s not like the ladder caused your brother’s heart attack. Forcing yourself to take a deep breath, you reached out, fingers closing around the metal step.

Something crawled up your spine.

Something so tangible your body jerked, but you knew nothing was behind you. No, no it was just cold. But why was it so intense? You shivered next, still paused in your act of climbing the ladder- why was it so cold all of the sudden. You forced yourself to look up, eyes crawling up the ladder toward the window, images of what might meet your gaze playing in your mind.

But there was nothing, just the cracked pane and the sunlight seeping in through the stained glass. Still, you were finding it hard to breathe even as you tried to ease the breaths out in a calming manner. You had just fought off another shiver, when something gave a shout somewhere behind you.

A gasp almost escaped as you wheeled towards the door that led to the study. Someone had called your name. Your heart was thundering in your ears now, breaths getting caught in your lungs. Another beat, your breath holding as you simply stared towards the door and the call from the other side. Then, the voice said something else.

And your lungs released their chokehold on you. It was just Atem. Or at least you thought you recognized that sultry baritone. Seriously why the hell were you so damn jumpy?

With a ragged sigh, you all but stormed towards the study, passed the room, and stepped out into the conservatory. Atem stood there, by the glass door that led out to the grounds, looking cautious as he peered into the home. He flashed you that small smile when he spotted you.

“I thought I would ask permission before entering this time, since I startled you so badly during our first meeting.”

You actually found yourself snorting at that, “Thanks, but you can always use the doorbell you know.”

“It’s broken. Has been for years.”

“Of course it has,” you sighed, actually vaguely remembering the note to fix it being way down at the bottom of your brother’s to-do list. Then, after realizing that he was still waiting for permission to enter (what was he, a vampire?) you waved for Atem to follow you. “Come on, you can help steady the ladder while I patch the window.”

He complied wordlessly, and as you slipped into the study, you remembered how you wanted to scold him about shutting doors properly. Just as you started to look over your shoulder though, you heard the soft click of a latch behind him. Satisfied, you just gave an approving nod without even turning as you both entered the library.

Perhaps it was still your own lingering apprehension, but you were acutely aware of the way Atem seemed to stiffen as you approached the spot. His eyes drifted up the wall beyond the ladder, as if he was taking stock of every inch of it, waiting for it to do something. Maybe brother was right, maybe Atem was a bit traumatized from finding him mid-heart attack. No one could blame the man, heck, just the knowledge that it happened here was freaking you out. Enough to make you a jumpy cat at every cold breeze and knock, at that.

“You okay?” the question was out before you even realized you wanted to ask it, but it felt right.

Atem’s eyes flicked away from the wall to gaze at you from their corners, “I will be. Just...promise me you’ll be careful.”

You gave a shrug, hoping to lighten the mood, “Come on, not like this spot in the house is a heart attack inducer or something, I’ll be fine.”

To further lighten, you stepped towards the ladder, facing your own hesitation head-on as you prepared to climb.

“That’s not what I meant, not exactly.”

Atem’s voice was low, and it almost seemed to tickle your ear despite the fact that he hadn’t moved closer. When you looked over your shoulder his gaze was steady, boring into you with something too gentle to be intensity, but too binding to be soft.

“Just be careful while you’re in this house,” he continued and you couldn’t break his gaze even if you wanted to. “This place...it has a bad habit of collecting accidents. Just...please be careful.”

Your throat was dry, so dry you didn’t bother trying for a verbal response. Instead, you just nodded after a moment, and something in your chest seemed to release when another smile lifted Atem’s lips at the agreement.

Despite how odd that moment might have been, you still took comfort in Atem’s presence as you turned back to the ladder and began climbing with care. Some part of you still expected something to happen with each step you took, but you were able to push the paranoia to the back of your mind.

After the hurdle of the climb was over, the actual patch job didn’t take more than a couple minutes, just gluing the cracks so they didn’t spread further and taping up plastic. The pane was a simple square, easily replaceable much to your relief. You were just about to climb back down when something else caught your eye.

Oh, you almost forgot about the odd tears you had seen on your first visit, but up here they were almost at eye level. Seeing them up close was even more odd. There were two tears in the wallpaper in the small space between the window and the bookshelves. They weren’t warped or bubbled enough to be moisture or water damage, besides that there weren’t any other signs of that on the walls. You ran your fingers over the tears, feeling the rough texture of the thick paper. The edges weren’t clean, they were frayed, stressed, like something had swelled underneath until the paper burst. Again your mind went to water damage, but you had never seen it do something quite like this, and surely it would have bubbled up further down the wall.

“Is everything alright?” Atem called from below, snapping you out of your baffled wondering.

You shook your head, “Uh, yeah, just trying to figure out what caused these marks. Always have to watch stuff like this, houses will give you signs of problems if they can.” Another motto your parents had left with you and your brother, though you supposed it was true in a way, you always had to look closer at these things, in case they were symptoms of a worse issue.

But, since you couldn’t find anything wrong besides the cosmetic damage, you opted to leave that for further investigation on another day. Besides, you were still a bit eager to get down.

You climbed back to the ground with ease and found Atem waiting patiently with his hands tucked in his pockets. It was only then that you took real notice of the man’s clothes: a plain black turtle-neck, and dark blue pants that weren’t as casual as jeans, but not dressy either, honestly you weren’t sure what kind of pants they were. He looked cozy in them at least, which, despite the heat of today, would be useful as fall continued.

“So, what’s next?” Atem asked with polite curiosity.

“I’m heading upstairs now, there’s a support beam in the attic I need to check on and a leak in a sink that should be taken care of before it gets worse.” You hefted a bag of tools over your shoulder.

He followed beside you as you headed towards the library door that led to the entry hall and the main staircase. At least the architect of this place had the common sense to make most rooms accessible from most parts of the house. You had been in several from the victorian era that were like mazes to get through, that had rooms you could only open after jogging through four other rooms.

The second floor of the house wasn’t as grand as the first in terms of decor or originality. In fact, most of the rooms were rather standard for a place built in the 20s, though still emulating the victorian style. The third floor wasn’t much either, though it had a nice loft above a den-like area that could definitely be the envy of any kid’s room. Heck, even you caught yourself daydreaming about how you would have decorated the space as a kid. Most of the third-floor rooms were cramped compared to the rest of the house, ceilings angled as the roofs neared their peak, spaces narrowing as the craftsman style made the rooms more haphazard than the first and even second floor.

The only access to the attic was via the second set of stairs in the house, the narrow servant’s stairs near the back. It was even more cramped up here, despite the fact that there was literally nothing but cobwebs, dust piles. and some minor debris from the house chipping and flaking away with age. Anyone on the tall end of the spectrum would have to crouch the whole time they were up here or risk banging their heads into the rafters and ceiling frames. You noted that Atem was short enough to avoid that problem altogether, though that wild hair of his was likely collecting some cobwebs.

He was rather quiet, another note made as you shuffled your way across the attic.

“I replaced this support beam the other day,” you started, if only to have some form of conversation, “it was the next pressing thing on the to-do list, but it’s been a while since I’ve done a repair that important so I want to keep checking on it.”

“You did such a thing by yourself? Isn’t that dangerous?” Atem asked, and though you couldn’t see his face as he walked behind you, you were sure his eyes were a bit narrowed in a silent scolding. “I never thought work like this should be done alone, yet you and your brother seemed determined to do so.”

You flashed him a rather flippant scowl over your shoulder, “We’re not stupid, yes, we do prefer to do things with minimal help, mostly because of cost, but we do hire other people when we need to.” You had reached the beam in question, and inspected it carefully as you continued, “There’s this kid- well, teenager, in town he had already agreed to help when it was needed, so he helped me with this.”

Atem apparently didn’t feel the need to reply and you took another minute to look your work over in silence. Then, satisfied, you looked back at your companion. He didn’t seem to be quite there, mentally speaking, he was gazing at nothing in particular and only blinked himself back into the moment once you gave a gentle call of his name.

“Sorry, I was just thinking. Well, at least you have help when you need it, I can’t imagine how upset he would be if you got injured while having over his project.”

You snorted at the thought, though you supposed your brother would be beside himself if you got hurt. Big brothers were always expected to be protectors, but that went double for yours. He had taken the role as your guardian very seriously after your parents were gone.

“Never mind him,” your tone was light again, still trying for that easy air, “ I’ll be beyond pissed if I have to join him in physical therapy.”

Moving on, you ducted past the beam, and Atem jerked out of your way as you headed towards the stairs.

“So, Atem, I really don’t know anything about you yet, mind if I ask some stereotypical questions?”

He made a small scuff of a laugh, “I don’t mind, ask away.”

“What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a historian. You made a joke the other day about me being an Egyptologist, I’m not, I simply know quite a bit about history in general.”

“So you, what, mostly do stuff online? There can’t be much call for a historian out here in the middle of nowhere.”

“I manage. You could say that I don’t need much to get by, and live a rather quiet life.”

As you two came to the door that opened to the stairwell, you took a moment to look back at Atem. He hadn’t really answered the question, though you supposed it wasn’t much of your business if he didn’t want to. Hell, for all you knew he wrote historical erotica and was too embarrassed to admit it. You had to hide your smirk at the thought as you turned to march down the stairs.

“Are you married? Seeing anyone in this teeny little town?” you asked next, though you were worried the loud creaking of the steps under your feet would drown out his answer.

“No, I don’t tend to get out enough to date. And you?”

If you hadn’t asked the single or taken question first, you’d be tempted to tease the way his voice went up a notch when he asked you. “Nope. Been single for over a year now, but that’s okay, he was an ass you made me seriously reconsider my dating priorities.”

“I see...”

You thought you heard Atem take a breath, ready to say something else, but a noise from your phone interrupted him.

“Right on time,” you said, taking a quick glance at the screen, then, seeing Atem's curiosity you waved the screen displaying your brother’s name and message, “He’s giving me a one-hour warning before his therapy is up so I know when to head that way. Should give me just enough time to fix that pipe.”

You notice a slight fall in Atem’s expression, “I did not realize you would be leaving so soon, I suppose I should have visited earlier.”

Though you weren’t sure why, something akin to guilt started itching at your chest, especially since he was seeming to avoid your gaze now, opting to look at the hallway walls instead.

“Well, if you’re free tomorrow, both of us will be here all day,” you suggested, even as you turned into the master suite. “Now that I put that ramp in, we can spend most of our free time here. Besides, I know big bro will be happy to see you, he’s pretty certain that he traumatized you last time you saw him.”

You were happy to hear Atem chuckle at the words. “You can assure him that it takes more than that to shake me, at least now that I know he’s alright.” Right when you reached the bathroom door, Atem stepped slightly in your way, making you halt. “I will be sure to visit you both tomorrow, until then, have a good day,” he ended the parting words with your name and a nod of his head, though his eyes lingered on you, trailing over your face for a long moment before he stepped back.

“You too…” the words lingered after him and his rather abrupt goodbye as he headed out of the room, only giving you a smirk over his shoulder as he went.

He had done that during your first meeting as well, suddenly taking his leave as if his time here had always been pressed. Then again the man had a life of his own, work or errands likely calling his attention.

Shaking it off as the man just being ‘a bit odd’ as your brother had said, you went ahead and stepped into the bath to wrap up the day’s chores. As you crouched near the sink and dug out the needed tools, you tried to listen for the front door, but there was only a soft thud somewhere in the distance. That made sense though, sound rarely traveled well through homes like this.

Much like the window patch, this was an easy fix, just replacing the gasket that had worn down in the past years, and you had bought the part in the city earlier that day. You hummed to yourself as you worked and barely more than ten minutes later you were done. You noticed a knot forming in your shoulder from the awkward position, and tried to stretch it out as you reached up to turn the faucet on. After letting it run for a bit you were sure the leak was fixed and climbed to your feet. Stretching again, you took in the bathroom’s design, hating how much it would cost to repair everything else in here.

Alexander Hawkins had apparently wanted to feel like the royalty he snatched treasures from, because his master bath was reminiscent of a pharaoh’s bathhouse- or at least what you imagined one looked like. Turquoise mosaics made up the sink, backsplash, and countertops, the walls were painted with a pattern resembling flower bundles, and decorative pillars flanked the bathtub. To top it all off the tub itself was large, with two steps leading up to it, golden faucets, and depictions of Isis and lotus flowers on the sides.

The problem was that time had not been kind to the delicate materials, and numerous cracks littered the tiles and mosaics making up the room. If big brother wanted to keep the design intact, it would cost. Still, the bathtub was in working order, and it was only the outside tiles that needed replaced, that was a plus.

Oh, the thought of a shower was inciting. your shirt was sticking to your back and you felt dirty from the sweat you had collected while working outside. You were going out to eat again tonight, and the thought of going out like this really did not appeal. The tub was clean, showing that your brother had probably used it several times after getting dirty himself. And besides all that, you did have a towel and spare shirt in your backpack downstairs.

You checked the time on your phone. If you hurried, you could get just clean enough and still only pick your brother up only a few minutes late. You at least had the decency to shoot him an “I’ll be late” text as you bolted for the stairs. You snatched your backpack up and headed back up the stairs in record time.

It was only when you reentered the master bedroom that the eerie emptiness of the house started to creep back upon you. It wasn’t so bad with Atem around, having another person made the whole house feel more...alive. But you forced the uneasiness to the back of your mind as you slipped the sticky clothing off, you only had to deal with it for a few more minutes, you could handle that.

The tub didn’t have a curtain, relying on the sheer size of the tub to catch all the falling water, so you just stepped in and turned the golden faucet on, instantly singing as the water hit your bare skin. You reveled in the rain-like droplets, closing your eyes and simply letting it wash over you. You let yourself have this for a while, long enough for steam to build up and cloud the mirror over the sink and then some. But, unfortunately, you couldn’t relax for long, time wasn’t on your side after all.

So with a final rinse, you turned the knob and let the water roll down your skin down the drain, before stepping out. You had to be wary of the time floors, now slick with the condensation of your hot water. After thoroughly patting yourself down with the towel, you walked to the vanity where your new shirt and the rest of your clothes lay.

Your fingers had just touched the fabric when something cold ran up your arms

You froze, just like in the library, something intense and unknowing wracked your senses. It made the hairs on the back of your next stand up, your skin shiver and crawl. Before you could even think as to why, your eyes were darting up to the foggy mirror- and your heart nearly stopped in your chest.

Something had clawed at the glass.

No- no. You took a step back, shaking your head as you clamped your eyes shut. Don’t be stupid, nothing had clawed at the glass! You took a calming breath before opening your eyes and looking at the streaks closer. You were thoroughly scolding yourself now, they were just finger marks, likely having been there for years since the glass hadn’t been cleaned in all that time.

Of course, that’s why they were, there was even a spot that looked like a palm below the streaks. It was the same as drawing on a mirror with water then blowing hot breath on it, it was bound to leave marks. Still, the fact that you were so jumpy was off-putting in of itself, why did this place have that effect on you.

“Christ, what’s wrong with me?” you snapped to yourself. Then, in an irritated move, you swiped your hand across the mirror to clean off the rest of the steam-made fog before snatching up your clothes.

Crack!

Something flashed just above your hand and you reared back with a cry just as a shard of glass shattered on the turquoise sink! You nearly slipped on the tile in your frantic move, but just managed to catch yourself on the counter. Heartbeats were thundering in your ears again as your eyes snapped back up to the mirror.

There, right across the middle in a jagged slash, the glass had cracked, leaving the top half to fall free and nearly impale your hand. You let out another curse under your breath, only then realizing that your breaths were coming out in something just short of frantic heaves. With another step back, slower this time, you closed your eyes, keeping your hand clamped over your heart as you calmed your breathing.

Your sense came back with every breath and once they were under control, you forced your mind to start thinking rationally again. Just like the ‘claw’ marks, the breaking had to have a logical cause. The glass was old, yes, that was it. It was just used to years of the temperature only changing slowly over the seasons. Your hot shower, the drastic temperature change, must have stressed it, and your irritated rubbing was the last straw. That had to be it. You told yourself as much even as you opened your eyes and looked at your jagged reflection.

“Just being jumpy,” you assured yourself in a whisper, the half-face in the mirror staring back at you just like any normal broken mirror would.

Still, once you tore your gaze away from it, you were practically tripping as you yanked your clothes back on, and didn’t look back as you sprinted out the door.

One of the only spots in the village of Hartstown was a mom and pop diner that had specials labeled things like “kettle-me hungry soup” and “sandwich supper surprise”, but the restaurant was decent enough despite its nonsensical wordplay on the menu. Though you had ordered something safer than a surprise sandwich stuffed with lord knew what, you were still picking at your plate with a disinterest that had little to do with the meal.

The scene of that glass shard falling kept replying in your mind, not only that, but your reaction to that and practically everything before it. Maybe it was just the AC unit near your booth, but you thought you even felt a phantom of the shivers that had crawled up your spine during those uneasy moments.

“So, as you might have guessed, I’ve definitely decided to head to LA and dance naked in front of Scarlet Johansson!” your brother proclaimed from the seat across from you, which promptly caused you to blink back into the moment.

“Wait-” you shook your head and finally looked back up at him, “what the heck are you going on about?”

With the good-grace of a toddler, he rolled his eyes at you, “Finally I get your attention, I’ve been rambling nonsense for the past two minutes!”

“Sorry,” your voice sounded more defeated, more tired than you meant it too, and you tried to give him an apologetic smile to strengthen the word.

At that, his brows actually drew together a bit, his eyes gaining a more serious look, “Are you okay?” he asked, tone low, gently nudging, “You’ve been off ever since you picked me up, you’re starting to worry me.”

You opened your mouth, intending to brush his worry off with a ‘yeah’ or ‘of course’, but the words didn’t come. Instead, you finally set your fork down and said, “I don’t know. I… can I ask you something, even if it sounds stupid or silly?”

“I think I got desensitized to silly questions that time you asked me why dragons aren’t real when you were four.” He was grinning now, obviously trying for an easy air, but it only lasted a second before he dropped the silly smile and leaned in. “Come on, you know you can tell me whatever. What’s wrong?”

“Have you...since you’ve been working on this house, have you noticed being more...uneasy, or jumpier? Like does the place make you unsettled at all?”

His brows were furrowed again as he thought the question over. He took his time, maybe looking over all the days spent there, or maybe just trying to figure out the best answer that wouldn’t upset you. “Well, not really. I don’t feel more jumpy necessarily, but… okay, this may sound stupid but, I actually started having these weird dreams about the house. I don’t remember my dreams a lot of the time but these were like...super intense. But I just figured I was stressing over getting the renovations done.”

He thought for a moment again, actually biting his lip before continuing.

“Actually, now that I think about it, I had the weird dreams not long before the heart attack. Maybe they were signs of my health taking a big drop, you know stress or whatever?” His eyes, which had been staring unfocused at the pine colored table, now snapped back up to you. “Why do you ask? Been getting weird vibes from the manor or something?”

Suddenly feeling more embarrassed than before, you picked up your fork again, only to resume batting your food around. “I’ve just been acting kinda jumpy and nervous when I’m in the house, that’s all.”

“Weird, that’s not like you,” concern and even a little interest was apparent in his voice, “heck whenever mom and dad moved us to a new project you were never afraid or skittish of exploring the old places. And I can’t remember how many times I woke up in the dead of night and had to drag you back to bed.”

“I know, it’s why I’m weirded out by the way I’ve felt while in the manor. Doesn’t make sense...” He didn’t say anything at first, and when the silence persisted for a few beats longer, you took a deep breath and put on your biggest smile for him. “Eh, doesn’t matter now, I’m sure it’ll get better now that you’ll keep me company while I work.”

He stared back at you for a bit, eyes narrowing some to show just how unconvinced he was. Still, he let it drop and gave a shrug. “Yup, thanks for putting in that ramp, I think making myself useful will help my recovering go by faster.” Then, obviously deciding to let you move on from the topic, he snatched up the dessert menu tucked between the salt and pepper shakers. “Anyway, if you aren’t going to finish your food, we have to get something in your stomach. You want some cake or ice cream?”

The next day began a repair project sure to be a lengthy one. After talking it over you and your brother decided that working on the grand staircase should be the next task and you were dreading the days upon days it would take to get everything he wanted regarding the staircase done. Well, at least you had help.

“Bring your end to the right just a tad, Max,” you said, making a slight motion with your hand so he wasn’t in doubt on if you meant your right or his. “That’s it, perfect!”

The son of the local hardware store owner was impressing you more and more as the day ticked on. He was a surprisingly capable and had good intuition on what needed to be done as you two worked together. Heck, when he helped you install that replacement beam you hardly had to coach him at all.

“Yes yes, you’re both doing an amazing job! Looks great!” your brother called from his lounged position in the entry hall.

Seeing as how you and Max were crouched in the cupboard space under the stairs, he had made camp on the other side of the opened door with a cup of coffee and some cookies Max’s mom had baked for the three of you. He had also made a habit of gloating for the past fifteen minutes. After screwing brackets to the planks you and Max cut to size, there wasn’t much work for your brother to do, something that he was all too willing to make comments on.

“Oh shut it, before I kick you in your bad leg,” you grumbled as you twisted to the side to screw in the wooden brace you and Max were holding under the step.

“That, kiddo, is sibling abuse and I will not have it from my servants,” he replied, doing a terrible impersonation of an English Lord.

He jumped in his chair when you kicked a stray L bracket at your foot through the door and towards him, promptly causing Max to stifle a snort.

After that “attack” he managed to remain silent as you and Max continued to work, at least for a while. Sometime later there was a knock on the front door, one that echoed so cacophonously, that poor Max gave a start, knocking his head into the underside of the stairs. Your brother called for whoever it was to come in, and the door creaked open with a groan.

“Atem!” he called to the visitor, and though you couldn’t see from your spot in the cupboard, you heard Atem give a warm hello in return.

“I see you’re doing well, I’m glad,” Atem went on and you could just see his figure as he stopped beside your brother’s seat.

“Yup, just have to get these limbs healed up,” he wiggled his cast-coated arm and leg, “after that I’ll be back on the job. And I hear you’ve met the kiddo,” he waved his good hand towards the cupboard, causing Atem to lean down a bit and peer through the door, “and the kid in the back is Max.”

“I have a name too, jackass,” you scolded, before drilling in another screw. He had always made a bad habit of introducing you with the nickname.

“The stairs needed to be repaired?” Atem stepped closer to look over your work with curiosity, though he didn’t enter the space for fear of getting in your way.

“Not dire ones, no, but we noticed some weak points in the wood and figured adding some braces to the steps would be a good call.” You turned to repeat the drilling process on Max’s side, but just managed to catch a glimpse of Atem’s face falling into a slight frown.

“This looks like it will take a while,” Atem muttered and you looked over your shoulder to find his eyes wandering up the many steps.

“It will, especially since the second flights will be harder to get to,” you waved a bit to indicate how the stairs split into two and turned opposite each other halfway up, indeed dreading the chore, “But I think it’ll be worth it, it pays to assure buyers that their grand lavish staircase won’t collapse on them.”

“You’re not going to work into the night, are you?”

At the question, you again looked over your shoulder, almost giving him a raised brow, “Uh, probably not, Max here has school in the morning and we actually like to have a thing called dinner. We’ll be here for a few hours though.”

Atem nodded after a pause of consideration, “Good, it wouldn’t be wise to work so late.”

That comment struck you as odd too, but you brushed it off and turned back to your work. There was silence behind you for a bit, but another glance at Atem showed that he was looking the stairway over with careful consideration. Then, as you and Max moved on to attaching the next plank, your brother decided to distract Atem by waving him back over. Judging by the low tones, you figured he was thanking Atem for saving him that day. Your suspicions were confirmed when Atem simply smiled at him and assured that he was happy he started stopping by the house so often.

You started to tune out the conversation a bit as they chattered, working to get the next brace up before the shake in Max’s arms started to get worse. Once that was done you gave the kid a sympathetic smile.

“Ready for a break?”

He nodded, obviously grateful you had noticed his need for one, poor kid must have wanted to avoid looking like a whiner. When you two stepped out of the cupboard you saw your brother chatting Atem’s ear off and, though he looked attentive to the conversation, you couldn’t help noticing that Atem was looking more worn than the previous time’s you’d seen him.

After tossing one of the homemade cookies to Max and biting into one yourself, you held the plate out to Atem, “Cookie? They’re fresh and super yummy.” You wiggle the plate to further entice him, earning a smirk in reply, despite that he seemed even more haggard now that you were looking at him up close.

“Thank you, but I’ll have to pass,” he actually took a step back then- and you almost dropped the plate when he stumbled a bit, your instinct to jump forward to help him taking over. He held up his hand the moment he straightened, a silent assurance that he was fine to pair with his thankful smile. “I’m actually feeling a bit under the weather all of the sudden,” he looked to each of you in turn, his eyes holding an apology, “I should be going, the last thing I want is to make anyone else ill.”

You took a step towards him even as he stepped back again, the man was practically worsening before your eyes! “I can walk you home, if you want, make sure you get there okay.”

“No, that’s alright,” his smile had fallen now, though you could tell he was still trying to put on a grateful air.

“Need medicine from town or anything? We can go pick some up for you,” your brother offered next, leaning forward in his chair and watching Atem just as carefully as you.

Again Atem shook his head, “I’ll be fine, but thank you.” He gave a look towards the sitting room, one that was a bit anxious. “Do you mind if I use the kitchen door?”

“Uh- yeah, yeah sure,” your brother insisted, waving Atem in that direction, “feel better soon, dude.”

Atem didn’t say any more to that, just nodded his head in thanks and ducked into the sitting room. You tried to listen to his footsteps as he retreated through the house, but rugs must have muffled his feet. At least you didn’t hear him collapse on the ground.

You and your brother exchanged a look and a shrug, before Max chimed in with, “That dude was weird.”

Again, your brother shrugged, “Wonder what made him feel sick all of the sudden,” his eyes flickered down to the cookies, “I mean, the cookies aren’t that bad.”

“I don’t know,” you signed, then set the plate back down on the end table beside him, “Sucks too, I think he was looking forward to seeing you again.”

“Well, at least we won’t stop coming around any time soon.”

You nodded at that, and the conversation seemed to move on as your brother asked Max to go refill his coffee cup. You quickly offered to do it instead, your mind still occupied with Atem’s odd demeanor and wanting to check on something. It wasn’t until you were turning towards the kitchen that you realized the path Atem had taken was an odd one, as there was a door beside the main stairs that led almost directly to the kitchens. He really must have been out of his head with his sudden illness.

That made you more concerned though and you found yourself double-checking the route he had taken to the kitchen just to make sure he hadn’t fallen on his way out. He hadn’t, but you still scanned the grounds through the kitchen windows as you poured your brother’s coffee, just to make sure. You didn’t see anything resembling a body out there either, thank goodness.

Despite having that assurance, however, you found yourself unable to shake him from your mind, even as you went back to work.

Several days passed, two of them spent at the manor, and not a word was heard from your repeat visitor. The previous day you were there, before you began the day’s work, you had even taken a walk in the forest bordering the manor to see if you could find his house and check on him. The search yielded nothing, and you had to tamp down the worry you felt for the rest of the day.

Honestly, the concern you felt for him was a little surprising, you barely knew the man but couldn’t seem to get him far from your mind. If it wasn’t mulling over how...mysterious he was, it was something else like this.

Now it was the third workday at the manor later, and you were hoping he’d show up today. If he just had a cold or felt bad from the changing seasons, surely he would be better by now. Even aside from your aforementioned worry, you felt his absence particularly bad today, as it was the first time all week that you were alone in the house again.

The stairs were all reinforced now, and today your brother had opted to stay at your shared airbnb seeing as how he couldn’t help much with your project today. You wanted to get all the work needed on the staircase done now, and that included sanding down every step and revarnishing them. It was a necessary task to recapture the manor’s original sparkle, but you didn’t relish how much time it would take.

At least the loudness of the sanding belt gave some form of distraction, you hardly ever had time to think about how empty the house was over the noise. No, instead you found yourself constantly looking over your shoulder and taking periodic breaks to check if the house really was empty. You were sure you were just expecting to find Atem leaning against the banister, waiting until you took notice of him before saying anything.

But no, time ticked away and no matter how many times you checked, Atem was nowhere to be found. You worked anyway and took a break to go get some food and check on your brother before going back to finish the job. You were thankful that the house had plenty of lighting because you noted the setting sun as you parked your car in the driveway again. Though you did want to groan at having to be here so late, you were determined to get it done.

There was still plenty of sunlight as you unlocked the front door, but even still, when you opened it you felt the urge to shiver.

Memories of the broken mirror in the bathroom came back to you and gave you pause, the door only half-open. You stood there on the stoop, staring at nothing and only able to register the shiver and those memories. This was ridiculous, the mirror was just a mirror, and nothing strange had happened in the manor that you couldn’t explain away.

Taking a calming breath, you pushed the door the rest of the way open. A vision of someone or something standing on the other side flashed in your mind, but you released a hard huff of air when nothing but the large entry hall greeted you.

You still fumbled a bit frantically for the light switch on the wall beside you, even as the day’s dying light filtered in through the window at the top of the stairs. Again you scolded yourself, rubbing a hand over your face as you all but slammed the door behind you and told yourself to stop being paranoid.

After that, you wasted no time in getting back to work, determined to get the varnishing done so it could dry overnight. This work was quieter than the sanding, but you played your favorite playlist on the boombox to keep distracted. The light outside the window slowly faded until only the lights on the chandelier lit your way, but you didn’t mind. The trees surrounding the house might be particularly foreboding at night, but in here you could easily put such things out of your mind.

At one point you found your eyes closing of their own accord and only snapped them open when your hand felt wet, a result of touching the still wet varnishing in your sleepy stupor. Thankfully two steps after that incident you were finally gloriously done!

With a stretch and a yawn, you took real notice of just how exhausted you were, though little else could be expected after considering how many hours you had worked. Just as you were hating the idea of the drive back to town through the pitch-black roads, your phone rang.

“Hey, how's it going, close to done yet?” big brother asked after you answered.

“Just finished, actually-” a yawn broke the words, causing him to chuckle on the other end.

“Sounds like a good thing too, you sure you’re okay to drive back? Those country roads can be dangerous at night.”

You almost shrugged before remembering that he couldn’t see it through the phone, “I mean, I don’t have much of a choice, not like I want to crash in one of the dust-filled mattresses upstairs.”

“Well, there’s one bed there suitable for human slumber,” he said with a hum, “I cleaned the mattress in the master suite and put spare blankets and pillows in the closet, in case there was ever a night like this and I just needed to crash.”

The sheer magnitude of your exhaustion showed in your cry of relief at the words, “I think I’ll do that, then, because I’m so tired, I could probably curl up on the stairs if I didn’t have a way home.”

“Go for it! Catch some sleep and I’ll see you in the morning, k?”

“Okay, goodnight.”

A tired brand of excitement took over at the promise of immediate sleep, so much so that you almost jumped on the still wet steps before remembering that you would have to take the servant's stairs. That wasn’t a far walk though, and just a couple of turns after the stairs you were in the master suite. Indeed there were blankets and pillows tucked away in the closet and you dug them out greedily before throwing them on the bed. You didn’t bother undressing, considering you didn’t have PJs anyway, and just crawled under the chilly covers, tucked in, and closed your eyes.

Warm took over soon, and with your music still playing downstairs, you were able to drift off rather quickly.

The night ticked on, your sleeping form peaceful from exhaustion even after your playlist came to an end and silence filled the halls. Silence, all except the old grandfather clock ticking in the entry hall. Nothing stirred in the lounge or the kitchen. Nothing shifted in the conservatory besides the crickets resting on the weeds outside the window.

Nothing within the halls of the House of Anubis moved. That is, until the shadows came.

Moonlight had bathed your sleeping form for over an hour, but once the moon crept higher and disappeared above the window, shadows slowly filled the room. You slept on peacefully, even as something scraped behind the walls- claws dragging, searching. Something whispered, something growled as it dragged itself closer to new flesh; a new victim.

The shadows were its paths and something shifted beneath the thick wallpaper of the master’s room. Its claws scraped just enough to make you stir for a moment, but it wasn’t enough to wake you, even as the wall above your headboard started breathing. A hiss, and the walls looked more like cloth as something that vaguely resembled a hand moved under it, and down closer to your peaceful form.

In slow, almost labored movements the hand- the boney claw tried to reach out, straining against the wall like rubber, desperate to reach you- desperate to tear and squeeze the life out! It growled again a beast fighting to grab hold of its meal-

Then it reared back and hissed as even darker shadows grabbed hold of it.

There, in the far corner of the room, something shifted in the dark, sharp eyes glowing as the darker shadows chained the creature, yanking it back from you even as it snapped and hissed and spat. Atem stepped out of the shadows then, hands tucked in his pockets as he glared at the thing hovering above you.

“You can’t have this one, I won’t allow it!” he said in a voice low and cold.

With nothing but a thought, more shadows crept into the room, spiraling out from his own shadow like tendrils until they wrapped around the creature. It fought even though it was no use, it was still too weak to stand up to him and Atem knew it. Soon enough with a snarling whine, it retreated, back to the dark hidden pit it came from, leaving Atem victorious.

He closed his eyes, their glowing irises fading as the shadows settled, blending into the natural shapes on the walls as if they were never there to begin with. He sighed as he opened his eyes again, gaze landing on your form. It wasn’t surprising that you didn’t wake, even if you did you’d find an empty room. Still, Atem almost wished you had, almost wished you had seen the creature hovering over you so you would finally have the damn good instincts to stay away from this place at night!

He bit back the bitter thoughts, he couldn’t blame you, not really, and he should just be thankful that you and your brother hadn’t decided to live in the house while restoring it. Even still, his worry simmered in his chest, causing him to step across the room until he was by the bedside. You looked so calm, tranquil, even...vulnerable.

He hadn’t realized he was reaching out to touch your cheek until his fingers were hovering just a hair away from your soft skin. He let it linger there for a bit, on the verge of touch, until he closed his fist and pulled it back with a shake of his head. He was such a fool sometimes. Even after all this heartache, he still found it hard not to get attached, not to cling to every positive force that he encountered.

Even still and even considering the fact that the creature wouldn’t dare return that night, Atem settled down in the armchair beside the bed, and watched over you until sunlight creped over the windowsill and filled the room.