#which is not a reflection of the band

[jackinalex]

Do I remember someone finding cpw on a dating app last year? Or was that someone else?

No clue, sorry.

[delusionalbitchinthehouse]

Just Dew walking around at night, thinking.

Dew is much fonder of the Ministry's grounds than people assume. Especially at night, when everything is washed in silver light, the calm and quiet delectable after a day of the usual bustle.

Not that Dew doesn't bask in the soothing routine of daytime either ; there is something so comforting, so domestic about the familiar sound of cheery conversations and hurried footsteps, the rustling of fabric following giggling Siblings, the sight of golden light splashing grand corridors, illuminating stained glass windows, projecting colorful shapes on passing faces, the distant sound of music being played somewhere bouncing off the walls, muted singing rythming the hours.

Yes, Dew loves the Ministry during the day, but night holds a special place in his heart. The time of darkness, only disturbed by the occasional midnight mass, is one in which the fire ghoul finds unmeasurable solace.

He slips out more often than not at this hour where the moon is queen of the sky, finally able to borrow the sun's shine for a few hours. It's peaceful, grounding in a way Dew needs more than he originally thought.

The gardens welcome him like old friends, branches extended like beconing arms. Dew brushes careful fingers along the velvety petals of well-cared for flowers he couldn't name, but admires all the same. Their scent is heavy in the dark, as if to make up for the way moolight tampers the vibrance of their colors. Dew pauses in front of a fountain, the water dripping from a woman's tipped glass weaving a soft melody for no one but the nocturnal creatures.

Dew supposes he is one of those.

Sometimes, in summer, whichever earth ghoul takes care of the garden under the blistering sun will stop there, sit on the stone ledge and splash water on their face, the back of their neck. The memory of droplets clinging to Mountain's lashes as he does so flashes in Dew's mind. The fire ghoul dips a few fingers under the shivering surface, unbothered by the cold.

He moves on, passes under an arch to access the vegetal maze. A wonderful place in itself, high hedges almost masking the sky, wild flowers allowed to curl within it, bright splotches of color amongst the fairly uniform green. One could easily get lost in here, the intricate paths as confusing as can be, but Dew has trudged through it far too many times not to know where to go. Bats fly past him, and Dew makes a note to take Swiss with him next time. Not only would he love it, the mystery and dark corners to explore appealing to him, but the multi ghoul might also be able to snatch a great picture of the flying creatures, and that would be a nice little gift for Phantom's ever growing bat-related stuff collection.

Cumulus walked Dew through the maze in between the two legs of their first tour together. She had linked their arms together, talked and talked and talked while they tried to find their way. It had been a lovely evening, all giggles and shared stories. Dew holds the memory close to his heart as he reaches the well in the middle of the maze.

Sheltered from the wind that starts to wistle high above, Dew dugs a coin out of his pocket. His wish is always the same. Saftey. For his pack, more than for himself. The coin makes a soft splashing sound when it reaches the bottom of the well.

Finding his way out is easy. Dew emerges from the hedges' benevolent protection, hair going wild now that it's fully exposed to the night breeze's playful fingers.

Primo's rose garden is just as beautiful as it was when the man was alive. Various kind of rose bushes clearly tended to with the uttermost care, a legacy more subtle than songs played time and time again. Even as he takes time to admire the sight, Dew is here for a purpose. He's looking for-

There they are. Standing tall in their ceremonial robes, imposing and regal but not too frightening. Primo's eyes are crinckled in the corners, repressed smile softening the lines of his face, Secondo, for all his severe expression, has his hand welcomingly outstretched, and Terzo, lips faintly curved up in a barely-hidden grin.

Hidden warmth, forever captured in stone.

As always, there are offering layed at their feet. Dew straightens a potted plant that tipped over. Siblings and ghouls alike came to pay their respect, as they so often do. Dew himself brought what he always brings : candles, ones he carefully crafted, mixing scents and colors he knows the Papas would have liked. One for each, protected in glass jars to make sure they'll burn as long as possible. Dew kneels at each of the former Papa's feet, lighting the candles while muttering quiet prayers for their peacful rest, mixed with thanks and apologies.

His heart squeezes painfuly when he notices that someone weaved a guitar string around Terzo's ring finger. Dew decides he'll go check on Omega soon, for it has been too long since he last did.

The lake is the fire ghoul's next stop. Chain or Mist might be there despite the late hour, but they won't surface even if they are, seeking the same solitude as Dew. The waters are calm, dark and decievingly invitating. Dew knows they are frigid at this time of the night, something that wouldn't have bothered him in his water days. Midnight swims were a common occurence then, racing Mist and cackling loudly. Standing on the dock, Dew let the vague melancholy clutch his heart. It's more of a gentle hold than an iron grip now, a part of him he will remember fondly as he moves on.

A shiny rock catches his eye, so Dew picks it up for Rain, who will know how to appreciate it.

His feet take him to the chappel afterward. There are dents in the outside walls, many occurences of ghouls climbing it to access the rooftop leaving marks. It has a very nice view, Dew recalls, which Aurora had been delighted to be shown. Both the sky and grounds visible in their full glory. Dew crosses the constantly open threshold, looking up at the high ceilings, the chandelier Sunshine once swung from with manical laughter, to poor Copia's horror. Dew huffs upon recalling that, the sound too loud in the empty space.

The rosay tucked under his shirt presses against his skin, gentle reminder. The rosary Ifrit carved at his bedside, waiting in anguish to see if Dew would pull through, if he would survive the elemental transition against all odds.

Hands skimming along the pews, Dew walks through rows of vacant seats, humming a song under his breath, delighted by the way it gently bounces off the walls.

The walk back toward the ghouls' wing makes Dew pass the old tree under which lovers so often whisper promises, tying ribbons to the low branches. They sway with the wind with all the grace of materialized hope and dreams. Dew spots the windchime Cirrus found half burried in the woods, restored and hanged here. Its sounds follows Dew until he reaches the back door Aether and him slipped through so many times, high out of their minds, giggling and trying to be quiet - to no avail, as a disgruntled Alpha would inform them the morning after.

Dew isn't really surprised, when he finally crawl back to bed, to find Rain and Swiss curled there already. They barely stirr as the fire ghoul wedges himself in between them, simply arranging their limbs to accomodate his presence.

Sleep comes easy to Dew.

[ivan-fyodorovich-k]

kinds of WWII re-enactors

Man who's actually mainly into cars and has a jeep, or a truck of some kind, and decided to buy the costume to accompany it. This man also goes to a lot of car shows. This man re-enacts Americans, and is overweight. Closely related, man whose father fought in some war and inherited some military artifact like a rifle or an artillery piece. This man usually re-enacts Americans but sometimes Germans. This man is overweight.

Man who served in the military and desperately needs to be around people who will be impressed by that. This man often hates young men and always hates democrats. This man is in late middle age or old and often overweight. He is usually dressed as an officer.

Man whose favorite television show is Band of Brothers. This man re-enacts the 101st Airborne Division but not the 506th because that's too obvious. This many comes in many ages and shapes. Closely related, man who plays a lot of WWII video games. This man comes in many shapes and is in his 20s or 30s.

Man who is obsessed with guns or militaria more generally and needs to air out his collection a couple times a year. This man can be found in all uniforms. He is middle aged and overweight.

Man who desperately wants to be in the army or is currently in the military. This man is somewhere between 17 and 30 and is physically fit. This man re-enacts Germans. This man gets a little bit turned on when the lady tells Gerard Butler to come back with his shield or on it when he watches 300.

Woman who is a little past her prime but can pull off being sort of attractive in a niche way in 1940s clothes and makeup. This woman is middle aged, is a civilian or in the USO, and comes in many shapes.

Woman who is an influencer on Instagram who takes pinup photos. This woman can be found near the men who have vehicles, which is very exciting for them and very uncomfortable for her. But she wants that post engagement and is very good at pretending she didn't hear that comment. Closely related, woman who likes cosplay. This woman can be found anywhere and comes in many ages and shapes.

Woman who is following around the physically fit Germans. She re-enacts a nurse or some German auxiliary. This woman is physically attractive, and also gets a little bit turned on when the lady tells Gerard Butler to come back with his shield or on it when she watches 300.

Communists. These men and women look exactly how you think, talk exactly how you think, and re-enact exactly who you think.

[halfdeadwallfly]

you know it's past sleep time when you close your eyes and hear brass bands and the wordless voices of political commentators

[sc3n3kitt3h]

doodles !!!!

[combinado]

The Longest Johns - White Frontier

[lobpoints]

Clawing at people making them understand that Angela didnt wear the exact hairband as Carmen since it is literally the point of the symbolism surrounding said hairband

[metroid-fusion]

okc radiohead and kid a/amnesiac radiohead were just making THE most unsettling promotional and supplementary material that ever existed and it was because theyre british

[thermodynamic-comedian]

peepaw jumpscare

why's he always look so silly

[johndonneswife]

from The Surrender Theory by Caitlin Conlon

[disco-cola]

Actually the band I was there to see when I saw type o for the first time was one of the Bands I was hyper fixated on and that was nancy. My dancing face lasted about 10 years. I managed to work my way up into the first row at the show which was general admission at the Bomb Factory in Dallas.

The girl who was standing next to me started talking to me and we hit it off like crazy right off. So we decided we were going to link arms so that no one could pull us out of the front row and believe me lots of people tried. So we're standing there waiting for the show to start and I don't even know what I was doing or what I was thinking but I was looking somewhere else. Suddenly I heard the girl go: OH. MY. GOD.

I looked up and saw Peter for the first time--- right in front of us towering over us. That was definitely something I never ever forgot. That was 30 years ago. And it's still one of the best shows I've ever been to.

you saw them live in 1993 oh my fucking god 😭 vicariously living through this message! if i had managed to work my way to front row i would have just yeeted myself at josh at this point but they all were damn fine that year physically and musically 😩

[bloodyke]

sad that my spotify stats dont paint my full listenkng picture bc i spend a lot of time listening to youtube and bandcamp songs and i wish i could put all the data together in one place to have an accurate picture 😔

[jlf23tumble]

saw another absurd receipt anon that's been going around surrounding AOTV and I swear to god why does people post these kind of things and the fact that it's so detailed and indepth, also insider info, it's so fake and I don't get why people bother to post them, why, for clout?? Receipts like those always causes hysteria and endless discussions, it's dumb tbh

anon 2: jen have you seen the anon who’s apparently watched aotv? i really want your thoughts on that i don’t know what to think or what to believe but i’ll be really disappointed if what they’re saying is true

+++++++++++++

I'm just gonna group these together--I've been out today, and it took me a while to figure out what everyone was all in a lather about, but it looks like a lot of other people have answered this, and a lot more coherently than I ever could! Check out this one, this one, and this one! And my tags!

[outeremissary]

The funny thing about growing up with my parents who had Extremely Strong music opinions is that now I have really bizarre unfounded reactions to people saying things about music or my music taste in my presence. A coworker said he'd assumed I was into alt rock and I had the most intense automatic feeling "oh my god... everyone thinks I'm a poser"

[fuiru]

A 44 year old man goes to a K-Pop Concert

I promised you a report on the K-pop concert that I, a 44-year-old accountant, went to a couple of weeks ago with my wife and daughter in Toronto. So here it is.

The band we saw were Ateez. They're my daughter's favourite band and my wife's second favourite. I know most of my mutuals are similarly aged like me and may not be familiar with them so let me give you a brief primer on Ateez.

Imagine the most attractive eight men you can think of, just unfathomably beautiful specimens of aesthetic perfection, and make them sing songs that somehow combine the subjects of 'dancing like nobody is watching' with 'we live in a dystopian hellscape that we must all work together to overthrow'. Give them an ongoing music video story lore that literally nobody - not even the band themselves - understand, so that online discussion of their visual motifs looks more like the fevered rantings of a conspiracy theorist, complete with speculation about alternate realities and time being a Moebius strip. There is also a giant sand timer, for some reason.

That's Ateez. That's what you need to know.

Now, K-pop concerts are very different to the gigs I've been going to for the last 28 (!) years. There's no support act, for a start. Also the band perform for like, three hours, with breaks for costume changes and interpretive dance. Furthermore, hanging above everything is the constant looming threat of mandatory military service.

So this being my first such concert, I wasn't sure what to expect. What happened was difficult to explain, but I will try as I am already six paragraphs into this write-up and I'm too invested to stop now. Here goes:

In his Wicked + Divine comics series, Kieron Gillen places modern pop icons as deities, feeding upon and gaining strength from the worship of their fans at the altar of musical performance. I thought I understood that metaphor. I thought I understood it AS a metaphor. I was wrong, because that night Ateez WERE Gods with a capital G and we were their worshippers, a crowd emanating adoration (in the religious and non-religious senses), bestowing strength upon them and gaining their strength in return.

If that sounds weird, it probably is. But as pointed out above, I have lived over four decades and never yet experienced anything like the overwhelming passion of that crowd, the utter abandon with which they conveyed their love for the band.

"But Fuiru, what of the actual music?" you ask. Thinking back, there was a moment in one of their songs - I can't remember which - where I watched the stage, and the people around me, taking it in, and I thought, "Man, I just love Music". But that doesn't answer your question, sorry.

Ateez's music is bloody great. As a tiresome indie/rock/metal kid I'm resisting the urge to add the usual tiresome indie/rock/metal caveat of "...for pop music" because honestly that does it a disservice. They have some genuinely amazing songs. Halazia is an absolute fucking masterpiece that descends into furious hardcore breakbeat. Bouncy is a big, brash racket that somehow is also a perfect pop song. Utopia, Wonderland, and Guerrilla are similarly superb. The obligatory boy band slow number is represented by Dancing Like Butterfly Wings which will make you cry because you will forever associate it with your twelve year old daughter being pointed to and waved at by her favourite Ateez member (Seonghwa) because of her Seonghwa-branded lightstick.

That might just be me, though.

So in summary: being a 44 year old dad at his first K-pop concert rules and you should endeavour to partake in the experience if the opportunity arises.

Finally, for any Atiny reading this: my bias would be San or Seonghwa but my wife and daughter said they were taken so it’s Mingi. My concert outfit (designed and created by my offspring) reflects this.

[harmonysanreads]

sunday with a singer! darling, one who had escaped from him almost seven years ago, and disappeared off the face of the galaxy. imagine his reaction when he gets word of a famous belobogian band on the radio soon after it’s connections to the IPC were restored, comprised of a woman named serval landau, and a *very* familiar young woman, with an even more familiar voice.

- (…could i be ✨ anon?)

Curtain Call

yandere!sunday x reader

cw(s) : yandere, written before 2.2

wc : 2.6k

You have the power of democracy by your side ✨ anon and I have no choice but to adhere to public demand :] Even though you mentioned a female!reader, the direction of the narrative didn't necessitate that specification, so the reader is gender-neutral! But they have been called ‘babygirl’ once.

“How can the bird that is born for joy

Sit in a cage and sing?”

— William Blake

You've avoided all shades of white and blue since the dawn of this day.

Serval regarded your pertinacity with a voiceless breadth of intrigue, before yielding with little to no resistance. A smidgen of guilt had briefly permeated your consciousness upon the vague shadow of a pout on her face, you recalled her enthusiasm passed through plans of matching outfits on your debutante from days now labeled as the near past. She picked herself up quickly though, her free-spirited ideals would not be compromised by some mere color choice.

It was difficult to not admire her. Lamentably, it is much easier to cradle the preachings of an unrestrained life than to actually act upon them — and by doing so, shouldering the frigid reality that came with such a life. As a child of frozen terrains although, frigidity must be Serval's playground, you eventually conclude. That is hardly the case for you, but you'd rather swallow whole chunks of ice than pin the blame on yourself alone for that apparent incapability.

You aren't at fault for your paranoia in embracing freedom, but you are resolved enough to try breaking away from its clutches. But just as tattoos sink deep beneath skin, that anxiety stubbornly clings to your psyche and the memories of the past nurture and allow it to fester. Which is why, you must avoid any shades of white and blue, at least until the dawn of tomorrow graces Belobog. Be it a superstition with no rational ground or scientific explanation, you decide to believe firmly in your gut.

The walls of the makeshift back-room muffle the chorus of the crowd outside, but it is enough to comfort you that your long held wish did come true. The single light bulb hanging beyond the door of the room serves as the sole source of luminescence, although it is barely helpful, the light bounces off from your back and reflects a scarcely tangible silhouette in the mirror of the dressing table. Glitters of dust floating around are illuminated by that light, abandoned furniture peek beneath their veils from your peripheral — they exclaim what this room's previous purpose had been.

Neither the modest setting nor the small trinkets spread across the dressing table come close to what you had a taste of ; glimmering surfaces, brands of beauty products worth a man's life savings and silks of no contender would mock this shack, if they could. But your heart soaks in solace whenever that irritatingly bright light flickers and mellowed cheers of the crowd permeate the room's thin walls, not because you lack taste in life, but because you recognize the futility of vanity.

“You did amazing there, babygirl!”

Your vision stutters at the impact of firm touch, you feel arms rest atop your decolletage, a shadow cloaks your reflection in the mirror. The cool touch of metal upon your left shoulder and a distinct streak of blue masquerading among blond locks of hair draw out a breath of relief from your lungs. But a faint twist engulfs your gut the very next second, you recall asking for a moment of quietude vividly.

“I don't think my performance was as great as you say, Serval. And whatever I achieved, it wouldn't have been possible without you guys.” your fingers twiddle with your sleeves, your eyes find interest in an abandoned nail polish.

You peek up in time to meet the rockstar's stare through the mirror, with some wrestling with the light, her disapproval shines through to your eyes.

“Nonsense, you were the star of today's show. Give yourself some credit, would ya?” your cheek soaks in the pinch before your brain can decode her words, you muffle a whine in protest.

“Okay, okay! I'm sorry.” your hand quickly soothes over the tempered skin when her fingers retreat, that's the extent of ‘retaliation’ you offer Serval, having accustomed yourself to her spontaneity in the interim of your stay under her care.

“I saw you look... pretty unnerved after the performance, so I came to check.” you scratch your cheek, eyes darting upwards to find her face shielded by your hair. You cannot pinpoint why, but for a second it seemed like she struggled to find footing with her phrasing of words. You've never heard her falter, at least in speech, but the waves of conversation swallow that momentary observation just as quickly.

Instead of being candid, you take a different turn, “You know, I wasn't lying about being grateful to you all. To perform on a stage without any rules was a long held dream of mine,” you feel gooseflesh bloom across your arms as tip-toeing touch descends to your sides, something within tempts you to curl in on yourself but you force your breath to finish. “If it hadn't been for your help, I would never succeed in fulfilling it.”

Serval hums in understanding, the timbres of it traverses from your skull and extends to your nerves. Her arms rest snuggly around your waist and you swallow dryly. Serval always wrapped her arms around your shoulders whenever she felt the need to and the fact that it made your head nearly spiral with questions didn't require to be stated. Only now do you reckon the slumbering atmosphere, without the jeer and cheer of the audience, you felt Belobog's cold biting into the tips of your fingers. You told everyone to not disturb you — your mind echoes without clarification.

“Is it because of that husband of yours?”

Your shoulders tense and for a litany of reasons, most obscure enough to be dismissed as misnomers produced by your instincts, none but one potent enough to be addressed. “Well yes… I told you about a man, but I don't remember specifying that it was a ‘husband’ responsible for my situation.”

Your words materialize as half confused and half laden with caution, you'd told Serval a few things about your predicament — nothing groundbreakingly detailed, just enough to earn a portion of her empathy. It kills you to follow tactics that enticed you to your doom, but what is life, if not a series of trial and error? It's best to apply the teachings of a manipulator than to continue being manipulated for eternity. But of course, you'll admit, such carefully taken steps still don't lessen the likelihood of meeting a dead-end to zero. How unfortunate.

It's Serval's turn to tense, but it's so quick you're left questioning whether it really happened. “Ah, but there was a ring on your right ring finger when you first came here! And the ‘man’ in your stories didn't seem to be different persons. So, I took a guess…”

An awkward chuckle leaves the rockstar's lips and you blink. She's right, you were still wearing your wedding ring when you came here ; an amateur mistake, you should've left it at some abstruse corner of the Dewlight Pavilion. You glance up at your reflections on the mirror, Serval was now mimicking your previous antics, a painted nail against her cheek albeit, the opposing light veiled her expression from recognition. One of her arms was still around your waist, loosely this time.

“I didn't say anything offending, did I?” the mechanic mutters tentatively. You take a deep breath and exhale, vacillating between the multitude of scenarios conjured by your lingering paranoia. But if it's Serval, you give it more thought, there was no tangible reason as to why she of all people would bring this up with malicious intent — or at least, none that you could come up with. She was likely merely concerned for your well-being, a big sister's instincts perhaps.

“Not at all,” the three words are uttered with more difficulty than needed but the effort is proved worth it when she relaxes and returns to embrace you with gusto.

This time you can feel her touch vividly across the bare skin of your midriff, a reminder of your present dress up automatically causes blood to rush to your face. The matching crop-top with Serval was hardly the most revealing thing someone had worn in this universe, but it was the boldest you'd been with your attire. You think you saw her gaze tilting at the sight but the only way to affirm it would make things further awkward. As you melt upon recalling that you'd sung your lungs out with this on in front of a crowd, the rockstar chimes in again.

“Ah right, I almost forgot why I actually came here. I have a gift for you!” you blink out of your stupor to hear shuffles, a bottle of hairspray is knocked to the ground due to her movements. The object clamors down and rolls a few feet away but Serval pays it no attention, you quirk a brow at her sudden briskness. “Close your eyes.” she lulls sweetly, you obey despite your state of disorientation.

You feel the faint brushes of her fingers first, then a noticeable weight around your neck, fastened a little too tightly. After she beckons you to open your eyes, you scrutinize the object through your reflection on the mirror and recognize it to be… a choker. It's heavier than what you recall chokers to be, its body is painted in baby blue and when you turn your head the light bounces off its surface to reveal golden outlinings. Three small wings curl around the white tassel hanging from the middle, you find the wings to be unnervingly soft when your fingers brush across them.

The choker looked expensive, despite its somewhat gaudy appearance and it didn't seem like something aligning with Serval's tastes. But most importantly, there's blue and white in it — the two colors you'd been stubbornly avoiding. Your mind spirals, you clearly remember telling Serval that you didn't want to see those two colors today — or, did you? Perhaps it was your mind weaving its own narratives in the flurry of adrenaline? A chill rears its grotesque head, a panic you can't quite push down despite your mind adapting to give her the benefit of the doubt, your breaths lapse unevenly.

“For being such a darling member of Mechanical Fever, a token of our friendship. I didn't know how else to thank you, so I got this instead.” Serval's voice yanks you from the edge of a panic attack, you force yourself to breathe deeply. You turn around when you notice the absence of her shadow, finding her retreating into the shadow of the half ajar door.

You remain seated on the juncture between light and shadow, returning to face the mirror after the rockstar settles on a stool. “I should be the one saying that and… you didn't have to give me this, but I appreciate the gesture nonetheless.” your thumb and index fingers twiddle with the pure white tassel.

Her words seem to make you forget about your earlier paranoia, nostalgia cascades down your soul as you recall the fond memories inherent to Belobog. Destiny's game is truly difficult to comprehend, to think you'd find an actual home so far from your supposed one.

You add without waiting for her reply, “When I first came here, I was so scared and paranoid. I couldn't sleep the first night and I wanted nothing more than to flee the next morning. I really mean it when I say I couldn't make it without your and the others' help.”

Your palm cradles the beat of your existence, the thin fabric of the crop top does little to muffle your heart's clamorous prance.

“Thank you, thank you so much for everything.” your pour as much gratitude from the river coursing through the recesses of your soul in those words. Your chest constricts as you sigh, you remember all the faces that are now known as familiar and random instances buried deep in your memories. Perhaps it's the naturally cold weather of this planet that plays a part, but you furrow your brows as inexplicable sorrow engulfs your heart.

“I, too, hope that you've had a wonderful experience on this planet.”

A much younger you used to judge the victims of stories for choosing to freeze than to flee in the face of candid danger, vowing to not follow in their footsteps should you meet such a predicament one day. Your heart would shatter to incorrigible bits if it hadn't been so viciously twisted, you realize how futile promises are at the thin line separating life and death.

Your body flinches from its hunched position to meet watchful golden eyes, shielded by the door's shadow. You blink a multitude of times, as if that'd make his poised presence disappear, as if that'd affirm that you were simply in the grips of anxiety and Serval would return to reprimand you back to reality.

The warmth drains from your body when he's still there, sitting in front of you with a mocking serenity — you've never hated the vice grip he maintains on his composure more than this moment. Why, how, when and what conjoins his name to frame a myriad of questions, each being answered by none other than you the very next second. Your ears twitch when you catch voices at the end of the hallway, the actual Serval and others must be retreating. You might be a deer inches away from the tiger's jaw, but you'll not go down without a fight, at least.

“If you're planning to scream, I'd advise against that.” Sunday calmly states, your breath catches in your throat. “The choker on your neck has a shock mechanism and it can be activated in various ways. Namely, any time you raise your voice above the coded decibels and the voltage will increase the louder you scream.”

Your hand flies upwards towards the cursed choker and you wrestle a breath in disbelief, you were made a fool of and quite exquisitely. You realize you should've listened to your gut instincts when you still had the choice. Sunday raises a gloved palm when you restlessly tug at the thing, “Don’t bother, it can only be taken off with a password.”

A password only he knows, you conclude. It was not news to you that his sanity is loose from the hinges of his soul, but never would you have expected him to go this far. You glare at your husband, though it looks more like a gazelle's helpless stare as it struggles in the jaws of a predator. The voices from the hallway disappear entirely, you'd told them not to look for you so they'll not return, you feel your eyes moisten as you realize you're stuck alone with Sunday.

“Why—” you choke.

“I understand that you must have a lot of questions,” his words are half resignation and half cheap empathy. “But it is not your turn to speak, for there are more pressing matters at hand.”

Sunday stands up, brows scrunching at the dust floating around the room. “The matter of your possible unfaithfulness is one thing,” his hand grips the handle of the door and you flinch. “But performing in front of so many people without any consideration of how far it'll spread, or choice of attire,” your body erupts in shudders upon feeling his pointed stare, the expanse of your exposure finally registering.

“Truly unbefitting of my spouse.”

But it's not his judging gaze that has your nerves frayed, it's the hints of genuine disappointment that borders on anger leaking through his words that makes you feel parched, makes you want the earth split in half and take you from this situation. Your experience with Sunday has taught you that he has the patience of a saint, but none of those memories reassure you that it's boundless. You realize that you've never actually seen his face contorted in ire, no matter how defiant you'd been. Aeons, you wish it stayed that way forever.

As the shadow of the closing door engulfs your form and leaves the rest to interpretation, the last thing you see are his darkened golden eyes — you're certain that, that was the instance the last spirited part of you died.

rest in peace i guess