#i’m supposed to be using the phone a lot more for work but the lady training me usually handles the phone 🥲

[circeyoru]

Inhumans Among Humans _ Part 2: Prey Becomes the Hunter

[Sung Jinwoo x Alter AU Shadow Monarch Female!Reader - Romantic | Monarch Change AU] Request Base ― Teaser/Prologue ― Part 1 ― Part 2 (here) ― Part 3

You eyed your bank account with a grimace. This was not going to fly. You’re not going to last. Looking around again at what was supposed to be a dingy old tent in a forest, now with the appearance of an apartment you wish to own yourself. It was only possible with the System’s powers, a sub-space of some kind, like the penalty realm or dungeons you were sent to.

While your situation as a weak Hunter had improved and you were at least maybe B-Rank or the like, your situation outside of fighting left a lot to be desired, to put it mildly. Your real home was still a tent in a forest away from the city, always subjected to the ever-changing weather and the forest animals that might fight you for food. Your parents were still demanding money from you after taking care of you for all these years. You couldn’t even afford to finish school.

“Life is hopeless.” You slumped on the couch with a pout. You stared out the window at the scenery the System set as a morning sky with clouds that moved so slowly. “System, can you cheer me up with something?”

[WHAT DO YOU DESIRE?]

“I want to change that command phase to ‘Wakey-wakey’ please.”

[NO.]

“Can’t say I didn’t try…” Your eyes followed the fluffy white clouds for a few moments before you tore your gaze away from the sight to your phone, you had to join some raid since you were never going back to that usual group that abandoned you in the gate. Then you found one, “This seems promising…”

That was how you were signing an obviously fraudulent contract, but you needed money desperately and some random team wouldn’t be too bad. Money was money and you couldn’t afford to be picky at the moment.

“Welcome to the team, little lady. I’m Hwang Dongsuk, the raid leader for this team. No favours just cause you’re a girl. As long as you carry our bags, help mine some crystals, and provide just a little support if we ever need you, then the money will be paid.” The man greeted you with a confident grin. “Man’s honour.”

“I am in your care.” You smiled back.

So started the raid in a C-Rank gate. There wasn’t much interesting to note as you were always in the back of the group. Their teamwork was surprisingly good, though that was to be expected since they had been working for a while from the looks of it. You might have hinted at an ambush when only you sensed something off. But otherwise, that was the gist of it.

“Ah, you idiot. How many times have I told you to double-check everything!” Dongsuk’s shouting brought you out of your daze.

His teammate, Lee Chul-Jin, smiled and bowed his head in apology. “Sorry, sorry, leader. Won’t happen again.”

Dongsuk sighed and turned to you. “Sorry, we need to head back out and retrieve it from our van. Can you stay behind and wait here?”

In here? With the dungeon boss? You blinked and eyed him. Something about the situation was eerily familiar. “Is it wise? The boss is here.”

“It looks like it’s sleeping, as long as you’re quiet, you won’t be hurt and it won’t wake. We’ll be right back.” Dongsuk didn’t leave much room for negotiations as he and his team were already walking away. Your bad feeling was proven right when the second they were away from the room, the only visible entrance was bombed and caved in.

“Abandoned again.” You clenched your hands with a frown. Behind you, the giant spider rumbled awake. Your other side switched over with teary eyes, you looked back. Gone was the feeling of betrayal and sadness as survival was more important now. You sniffed and blinked away the tears yet to fall, dragging out your weapons. “This is a small room for something so big. I have the advantage…”

Just as you were about to deal the killing blow, your dagger couldn’t even cut through its legs that it used to block your attack. You backed up. It was as hard as steel, its legs were like shields. Even though there wasn’t much space to manoeuvre around, it could block off attacks. Maybe… only one at a time?

“Come.” You called upon your new companions. Your shadow grew and your knights materialized and stood protectively in front of you. You glared and pointed your dagger at the spider, “Pin it down.”

Your Shadow soldiers moved with haste, immediately taking their station and using their respective weapons. You watched as they tried to do damage, but some were unfortunate to have been killed by the legs and acid that shot out of its mouth. It didn’t matter since your Intelligence Stat was high and you had MP left to repeatedly resurrect your Shadows. 

As they were doing their job, you took a few steps back and then dashed forward, with your momentum, you ran up the walls till you were above the spider. Its attention was focused on your Shadows and it was the perfect time.

One strike. My win is its death. In mid-air, just as gravity pulled at your body and you relented, you pulled out your bow and arrow. With barely an aim, you shot at its eyes, the only soft spot you could observe.

[SKILL: DEAD SHOT IS ACTIVATED.]

As the arrow pierced through its eyes, it wailed and chaotically slammed its body against the walls from pain. During your free-falling, Igris caught you in his arms and landed at a safe distance from the dungeon boss. You nodded at him to put you down before you exchanged your bow for your twin daggers. You ran at the thing again, coming up to its neck and landed on its back. A prominent blind spot. You dug your daggers into the spider as much as you could to prevent yourself from falling over.

When you got your bearings, you got up and ran towards its neck. Your eyes glowed and you swiped both of your daggers at its neck. The head came flying off and landed in front of Igris’ feet before the blood poured out from the two openings. You stood victorious atop its collapsed body. “Off with your head…”

The system notification popped up in front of your face and you awed as it told you you had levelled up again. Words of congratulations also praised your victory; you turned away with a faint blush. But then at the perfect moment, the rumbles of a wall being destroyed rocked the cave and so sooner did the perpetrators appear from the dust cloud. You immediately had your Shadows disappear into the darkness while you waited patiently.

“Still alive?” 

“What, those guys are still alive?”

“Is the boss dead?!”

“What happened?”

“Did they kill it by themselves?!”

“Was that spider just big and stupid?” The C-Rank magician, Jo Gyu-Hwan, blurted out.

“No way… Since when did she have such cool-looking daggers?!”

You looked at them with a narrowed gaze, gripping your daggers tightly. 

[EMERGENCY QUEST: KILL THE ENEMIES.] THERE ARE ENTITIES NEARBY THAT INTEND TO MURDER THE ‘PLAYER’. SLAY THEM AND ENSURE YOUR SAFETY. IF THIS QUEST IS NOT COMPLETED, A PENALTY WILL BE ISSUED AS A RESULT. ENEMIES REQUIRED TO BE KILLED: 9 ENEMIES KILLED: 0

You flinched at the new screens. Killing enemies? In order words… You looked up to the raid team that welcomed you with smiles just hours ago, now grinned with malice and lust. Yes, you’re ruthless when it came to raiding dungeons, but that was only because you were killing monsters, not humans. That’s… No way could you…

[IT’S KILL OR BE KILLED, DEAR PLAYER.] - COMPLETE THE QUEST

“But killing…” You tried reasoning with the System before you were rudely cut off with a magical shot in the gut that knocked you into the walls. “Ah!”

[COMPLETE THE QUEST. THAT IS YOUR ONLY WAY TO SURVIVAL.]

From time to time, the System has been by your side. Since the beginning, after you woke up from the Double Dungeon, it was with you every step of the way. Not even your own parents were there for you and everything you have right now was because of the System and its doing, every time you listened and did as it instructed, you gained something one way or another. This time. This time shouldn’t be any different. 

What it said was right; hunters hunt and kill. If they were this familiar and smooth in their operations, they must have done this before. They were experienced in killing other Hunters. You shudder to think of the poor Hunters before you, naively thinking they would be paid for their services to them, only to end up dying for cash. You’ll put an end to this on top of protecting yourself.

“You brought this upon yourself…” You muttered as you got up, brandishing your blades. “I see who you are…” Focus on the, no, your survival of the fittest no matter what. Only the strong have a say in things and you were seen as weak so you were nothing more than a pushover. “You are my enemy.”

“What? Think you’re rough?” They laughed.

“Ohhh~ I’m so scared of a little girly~ Hahaha!”

“She’s gonna kill us with her charm! Run!!”

In the blink of an eye, you stood behind them. As you flicked your blade from the blood, a body fell down to the ground, and screams of panic echoed in the cave. An eye for an eye, tooth for tooth. The world hasn’t treated you kindly in life, but the System granted you your guiding light and hope in the darkness. So you have to treasure the life you have now. And live on! “That’s one.”

ENEMIES REQUIRED TO BE KILLED: 8 ENEMIES KILLED: 1

“You little bitch!”

You leaned to the side as another magic attack came at you, your head tilted back to the side as you stared coldly at them from the corners of your eyes. You needed to deal with mages first since their long-range spells are a hassle to you and advantageous to them. The farther you leaned to the side, the farther your body weight shifted, you caught yourself in the right moment before launching right at the group again.

Dongsuk came to the front of the group and held up his shield in front of him in an attempt to block you off, “She’s an assassin class! She must be a false ranker! Don’t let your guards down!”

You merely ran up his shield and leapt into the air, giving you a perfect view of your targets. You threw the dagger at the mages’ neck and heart before landing on your feet. “Magic’s annoying, isn’t it?”

ENEMIES REQUIRED TO BE KILLED: 6 ENEMIES KILLED: 3

The entire time, it felt like your body was running on auto. You could have had your Shadows do the deed, but you did it yourself instead. Your hands pulled out your clawed metallic fingertip caps. You waved it around while you bounced from one wall to another to dodge their attacks. All the while, your threads were scattered around them, entrapping them. You paid no mind to those that were cut through like butter, screams that were cut short and red blood covered the ground like spilt paint.

ENEMIES REQUIRED TO BE KILLED: 2 ENEMIES KILLED: 7

“You’re a monster…” You eyed the last member; you had half a mind to leave the leader for last. You exchanged your fingertip caps for a dagger coated with a poison effect. In the blink of an eye, you were standing behind him, your eyes wide, staring at him unblinking before inserting the blade into his neck, you observed how the poison entered his bloodstreams and spread, imprinting his wound with branches and branches.

“Get away from him!” It was only when Dongsuk came running at you that you removed the dagger from the dying man’s neck and pushed the body right into Dongsuk, who caught it on impulse. He stopped in his advances, kneeling on his knees, “You’re sick.”

ENEMIES REQUIRED TO BE KILLED: 1 ENEMIES KILLED: 8

You backed up step by step until the darkness of the cave masked your presence. Dongsuk threw the body away and equipped himself with his shield, releasing his {Empower} skill that made his body as strong as steel and practically impenetrable. Not one second later, his shield and sword were suddenly broken into bits and he was defenceless.

Dongsuk screamed and backed up, his eyes darting around, “Okay, okay! I give! I surrender! Don- Don’t kill me! If you spare me, I’ll give you anything! I’ll give you money! Have all the essence stones and mana crystals!”

“...Tanks are strong because they protect the team, they stand at the front with their shields to protect. However, they heavily rely on the same team to do more damage. Because once the defense is done in…” Your presence was detectable to Dongsuk on his right. “The team dies. That’s why Hunters have each other’s back, you see?”

“Ha… Yeah… I’ll correct my ways… Just spare me, you’re a young lady, you don’t want to be in deep waters, right? Listen. If you kill me… My little brother… He’ll definitely come for you if anything happens to me…” Dongsuk’s form shook, his eyes widened when you were just in front of him. He took his chances with what remained of his sword and tried to plunge the broken blade into you.

However, you merely raised your arm and blocked him with your forearm. Only, there was a layer of armour that was invisible to the naked eye, worn since you had your little Job Change Quest. Your arm pushed forward and slammed Dongsuk into the wall just as you were in the beginning of this bloodbath. “And you even said you’ll correct your ways…” Your eyes narrowed, “Though it’s not as if I’d let you off the hook…”

With his last bit of rage and injustice, he screamed at you, “Do you even know who my little brother is―”

His head rolled off his neck and fell to the ground.

ENEMIES REQUIRED TO BE KILLED: 0 ENEMIES KILLED: 9

QUEST REWARD ‘EMERGENCY QUEST: KILL THE ENEMIES’ - COMPLETION CONDITIONS HAVE ALL BEEN MET. WILL YOU RECEIVE THE REWARD? YES                NO

You blinked at the System window. As if a switch was flipped, you flinched and robotically turned your head to the carnage you delivered. Your breath hitched and you backed up, dropping your bloody dagger that disappeared, returning to your inventory. “What… What have I done… I really did… I killed…”

[IT WAS KILL OR BE KILLED, DEAR PLAYER. DO NOT PUT TOO MUCH THOUGHT ON IT.]

You sighed, still you thought back to what Dongsuk said. Someone would come for you. “Even when I leave this gate, the Hunter Association would definitely ask what happened and interrogate me… I’ll be marked a killer and sent to prison for the rest of my life! What do I do? I’m toast either way!”

[SHADOW EXTRACTION CAN BE USED ON THIS TARGET.]

“Huh?” You turned to the new windows. Sure enough, more window screens popped up over the corpses at the turn of your gaze. The same message appeared over and over for every one of them.

[SHADOW EXTRACTION CAN BE USED ON THIS TARGET.] [SHADOW EXTRACTION CAN BE USED ON THIS TARGET.] [SHADOW EXTRACTION CAN BE USED ON THIS TARGET.] [SHADOW EXTRACTION CAN BE USED ON THIS TARGET.] [SHADOW EXTRACTION CAN BE USED ON THIS TARGET.] [SHADOW EXTRACTION CAN BE USED ON THIS TARGET.] [SHADOW EXTRACTION CAN BE USED ON THIS TARGET.] [SHADOW EXTRACTION CAN BE USED ON THIS TARGET.]

A wicked and unethical thought came to mind. You didn’t dwell much on it and only spoke the word. “Arise.”

Note: A bit shorter than the last one, but here it is. I only realized this hasn't been updated for a month. Totally slipped my mind. Hope you enjoyed this one.

On another note, there's actually a short imagine I wrote with Solo Leveling x Kpop Demon Hunters. No ending, just some setting and whatnot. Would you guys be interested to catch it out?

𝕮𝖎𝖗𝖈𝖊 𝖄.

My Works: MASTERLIST *(regarding requests, check the Masterlist to see if it’s opened or not and other info related before sending one. Thanks.)

Taglist: @rozuburedo @ariseverdark @skylar896 @o-qi-shisme @stoats-a-dork @daiyanomochi @snowy-violet @sleepyamaya @thetruepair @aixaingela @weponxwrites @nk1023 @mariajgn-blog1 @floralcharmer @whocaresim18 @yanderelver @soft-dots @genniecokkie @midorimashintaro707 @kazudare @yoonseokerist @kyreahnvae @amayakurusu13 @pokemonaora @misakicchi @e-23-2001 @baleria @nshasy @mysticalwonderlandnacho @solojklins @darkness-of-the-sakura @time-shardz @frickpickle @stormnightingale @deputy-videogamer @tanspostsblog @cupid73 @blxuqueenie

[kawacake]

OFFSIDE CRUSH | “HOW DID I BECOME A PR MANAGER?!”

Masterlist , Next

yourinstagram

Liked by, Dailysoccer, BlueLockOfficial, Clutchyoichi, and 1,325,975 others

yourinstagram I just got here… WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO FIX 100+ INTERNET PROBLEMS BECAUSE OF THESE BOYS! HOW DID I BECOME A PR MANAGER?!

View all 71,225 comments

Dailysoccer You’re going to bring an even brighter future for these boys even though you’re behind the camera most of the time Good Luck

yourinstagram THANK YOU SO MUCH😚

megumonster Were apologizing in advance

yourinstagram WHO EVEN GAVE YOU YOUR PHONE??

sleepyseishiro are we not supposed to have our phones…

yourinstagram HOW DID YOU GET MY INSTA?!.

reoofficial Idk man I think we stressing her out a tad bit idk tho🤷🏻

clutchyoichi tad bit is an understatement

yourinstagram yes indeed, tad bit is an understatement..

-

Ego greeted you at the entrance with his assistant by his side, “Follow me.” He said as you nodded your head and followed him and the lady that stood beside him, the three of you made your way down an empty hallway. 

Your mind raced, you were happy this was like your second real job as a PR Manager but this time the pay was really good and he said you just had to keep a few boys in line and if you could do that then you’d fit perfectly for the job, it didn’t seem tooo hard it’s just a couple of boys that play soccer what’s the worst that could happen? 

“So this will be your room, it has its own kitchen and shower, it has plenty of space.” He said opening a door revealing the room you were supposed to be staying in. “I originally was looking for a man to take this job so there aren’t really any feminine hygiene products here but if you’re in need of any just let me know and I’ll let my assistant know and she’ll just run and get you anything that you need.” Ego explained as you just nodded your head at him only catching a few things he said due to how fast he was speaking.

“With that I’ll have the rest of your suitcases dropped off at your room in a few so you can unpack but in the meantime I’d recommend you go talk to the boys, Anri Take her to The Boys chamber.” He basically commanded the woman as she nodded and motioned for you to follow her. 

“I have a question.” You say cracking your knuckles, “hm?” “How many of them do I have to keep up with because he said boys but he never said how many.” You said, but the woman only stayed quiet, only irritating you because you hate being ignored especially when you want to know something, but soon you arrived at an area that read something like ‘common room’.

The doors slid open revealing a bunch of boys sitting around on their phones, watching tv, or just chatting with one another. “THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE.!” You thought while walking where all of them could see you. 

“This is Y/n L/n she will be the PR Manager for the majority of the men here till we find more people that are willing to take the job so she won’t have to do much work.” Anri explained as the boy’s eyes looked over at you who stood right beside Anri. “After I take my leave, which will be now, you'll have time to bond and get to know each other.” She says as she waved everyone goodbye as the automatic doors opened then closed as she exited the room.

“Well..I’m Y/n like she just said what do you wanna know about me.” You said struggling to figure out what to say. “How old are you?” A guy with orange hair asked, “I’m 19 years old.” You say taking a seat in one of the empty chairs. “Just tell us random stuff about you so we don’t have to just ask random stupid questions off the top of our heads.” Some dude with long under lashes said with a sassy undertone. 

“Sorry princess,” you scoffed out rolling your eyes as he just scowled at you “But I’m not from Japan I went to both high school and college in America then I moved to Japan because I finished college early because I went to a high school that provided college classes and stuff blah blah blah now I’m here.” You say refraining from talking about your past too much as the boys just stared at you with a blank expression. 

“Okay y'all go I literally don’t know any of you guys names.” “OKAY SO I'M BACHIRA…”.

After his introduction everyone else gave their names and something about them and soon the boring atmosphere that was once there when you first got there was gone and replaced with a fun exciting one where everyone, well almost everyone had started giggling making jokes and even getting each other’s numbers. You had gotten very fond of a few of them.

They even told you the crazy scandals they had going on and how they needed a PR Manager because without one they’d be so fucked because none of them has a filter.

But the fun had gotten cut short by Ego popping up on the tv telling them they had to practice and you had to unpack but that didn’t stop you from making a small plan with the few people you grew fond of. 

“Okay so after practice we always get our phones back I’ll text you then you give us the okay if we could come to your room or not.” Bachira explained as you nodded your head but Isagi, and Reo looked a little concerned but Nagi on the other hand looked as if he didn’t even know what was going on.

“And what if we get caught?” Reo asked “NO ‘WHAT IF’ we’re not going to get caught.” You say now standing up shoving your phone in your back pocket “Jesus.” Reo also says standing up along with the others “Welp see you guys later.” You wave at the group heading for the exit as all of them said bye as you walked out.

-

BlueLockOfficial

Liked by, yourinstagram , ShadeRoom, reoofficial, and 3,157,315 others

BlueLockOfficial Bringing light to one of our new staff members Y/n L/n Blue Locks New PR Manager she has been a great person to be around today as she met the boys and other staff members. Even though her job is mainly to work behind the scenes she’ll likely also be in front of the camera! Treat her with kindness and respect and let’s all appreciate her for the work she’s going to put through as the PR Manager❤️.

View all 1,632,368 comments

yourinstagram Ego couldn’t have Wrote this…

shidousins be grateful we didn’t even get a post like this and we’re literally the main attraction 💔

megumonster yawl I think I like this PR Manager

yourinstagram don’t let ego see this he like seeing yall miserable 🥀

yourinstagram WAIT. WHO TOOK THAT SECOND PICTURE 💔

sleepyseishiro Me. You fell asleep while unboxing all of your belongings

yourinstagram I feel…betrayed…

User975368 Who even is this girl

sleepyseishiro if you took the time and read the caption you’d know…

reoofficial ⏰☕️

yourinstagram so sassy with it

Fun Fact:

1. They made a sticker of y/n sleeping on her countertop and she still doesn’t know about it.

2. Bachira made a shirt with the picture of y/n sleeping.

3. Rin pretends as if he hated being called princess by y/n but he lowk thought it was cool.

Taglist 🏷️: @inojinieeee

[crepezinhos]

hello hello, i really love how you write yandere scara!! we love a miserable, loser, simp, and lovesick scara in this household!! 😍 i hope you continue to make more yandere scara content in the near future because i am very much obsessed with how you write him! i especially really love how you write him as a crazy rich guy that would 101% spoiled his lover rotten to the core 😍 (idk, it just seems very hot to me). keep up the good work and please continue feeding the hungry pigeons 😋 (its me, i am the pigeon)

Me and My Husband

(REQUEST #5) POV: How does Scaramouche act as a husband for his so-loved and traumatized reader after the so-awaited marriage? (Or just YandereHusband!Scaramouche thoughts)

⚠️ WARNINGS:

— Mostly a SFW post, but there are explicit NSFW parts

— Reader is FEMALE and uses SHE/HER pronouns

— This is a Yandere work, so there is a lot of toxic and manipulative behavior.

— Contains mentions of depression, self-hatred and suicide.

— Reading of the original post and prequel is absolutely advised

You really thought that this whole idea of marrying someone by force was going to be terrible. You now thought of Scaramouche as this maniac who just wants to abuse you until death, but he actually proved to be the complete opposite of what you thought. You didn’t know this at first, but during the actual marriage, he took every single word from the priest to his heart as he stared at your fake smile. He was truly determined to follow all those duties of a husband in the traditional church even if you would not follow the rules of a traditional wife.

As soon as you arrived home after all that partying and drinking, you smile faded away and you went to rest in your bed. Scaramouche even tried sneaking closer to you when he went to bed too, but you stopped him right he away and made him sleep in the corner of the bed, turned away from you.

As expected, things started off really bad. You would flinch to his touches, look away from his eyes, not smile at anything at all... you were crushed and exhausted in any way. The fact that society criticized the way you acted in that marriage and that paparazzi would never leave you alone was genuinely making you think about ending your life.

“What’s so special in that girl, Kuni?! She’s a talentless designer and an indecent lady who’s most likely a filthy gold-digger! She doesn’t even try to hide it, Kuni.” You heard his mother, Raiden Ei, scream to Scaramouche during a discussion in her office that you weren’t supposed to hear.

Incredibly, Raiden Ei did not know about the deal behind your marriage.

“I’m sorry, I’m just very surprised that someone so demanding as Kuni fell in love with such a random person... I mean, Kujou Sara has liked him ever since they were kids… so I don’t know why he didn’t choose her…” Yae Miko, another powerful economist in Japan, commented to you in a party.

“It is a pity that Kunikuzushi didn’t mind your status when he chose to marry you.” Kujou Sara insulted looking up and down at you, clearly offended by your existence.

“So many women begging to have a chance with him and he decided to marry a robot 😭🙏” A comment on a TikTok post talking about Raiden Ei’s son’s marriage.

That specific comment on the internet made you cry for barely an hour. You really wish you could scream at everyone how you do not give a shit or that the marriage was forced upon you… or the energy to smile at cameras and make it look like that you and Scaramouche are doing fine, but you simply couldn’t, and you didn’t have anyone to vent to anymore. Your boyfriend got mad at the way you simply broke up with him and cut contact and your friends didn’t understand your change in mood too and decided to let you go. Your parents were the only ones, aside of Scaramouche, who understood you, but they couldn’t do much for you rather than answer your phone calls and visit you every once in a while to check up on you.

“Y/N? What’s wrong?” Scaramouche suddenly opened the room’s door with a plastic bag in his hands and met your crying figure, getting extremely worried at it. “Hey… no need to cry…” He whispered as he kneeled down by your side and hugged you by your neck, reassuring you that you weren’t alone. “Here… I brought this for you if it might make you any happier...” He whispered as he pulled the same plastic bag to give it to you.

Flowers, sweets, souvenirs, jewelry, tickets to things you like and many other kinds of gifts were brought to you in a daily basis, and they incredibly made you smile sometimes, you loved sweets after all…

But yes, his willingness to spoil you was the first step to get your life back in track.

Your honeymoon was wonderful and beautiful. Two weeks in Paris in first-class private planes. You didn’t think much about why Scaramouche chose that place until your guide brought you to the mansion of one of your favorite designers, Chiori, during an expedition day. You were barely panicking as you said your first words to her, but that awkwardness soon ended. Scaramouche quietly watched you talk to her about fashion all day, extremely proud of himself for making you truthfully smile. According to Chiori in a private conversation with him that happened after you met her, you had good ideas in mind for fashion, but none of it was somehow innovating. Those words of confirmation made Scaramouche finally go to the next step, which was giving you all the power you needed to start your own business.

Keeping someone busy with any kind of work might make a depressed person’s life have a meaning, such as owning a project or taking care of a pet.

Because of the influence your upcoming business had with the Raiden bank and family, it was successful in its opening, but it obviously decreased due to the lack of innovation. It didn’t matter to you, after all, you never wanted anything huge, but you were relieved to have some power in your hands after having it all destroyed by Scaramouche previously.

Seeing that your self-esteem was slowly getting better, he finally begun going for the next and final step, which was the riskiest and hardest one… getting intimate. All that Scaramouche wanted in change of all those efforts he did for you were the bare minimum crumbs of your love. Yes, he hates himself that much. Don’t blame him, you were the first person to make him feel love after 20 years, so he doesn’t want to let go.

But, there was a problem, Scaramouche does not know how to get intimate. Now that touching and kissing you were more like a right rather than instinctual actions, he felt like he would pass out any time he touched you for more than 3 seconds.

The first time you kissed him was an absolute heart attackto him. You two were just peacefully sitting in the bed while he talked about the truth behind his relationship with Kujou Sara, when you suddenly leaned close to him and shut the space between your faces. He paralyzed, his heartbeat accelerating the more time you spent there, savoring his lips, but he still did his best to give in and not let go of that opportunity tou gave him. He incredibly started moaning due to the pressure you were putting on him and the arousal he got from the forming heat of your mouths. He genuinely needed to hold his heart with a hand to not pass out with the feeling of you pushing him down on the bed.

He doesn’t understand why he’s so nervous about something he dreamt for over three years now, nor why were you doing it. In your perspective, it just happens that you haven’t had sex in a year and simply wanted to feel that pleasure once again.

Just like he promised, he submitted to every single thing that you did to him. He was so nervous and taken aback seeing you grind your hips on top of his crotch as you unbuttoned his shirt that it even made toy feel guilty for him. His dick got hard so quickly that he really thought it was an orgasm. He didn’t even dare say it ask anything, he was too happy about you doing such an intimate thing with him to care about the answers of his questions.

He literally had to cover his eyes with a hand to not have a heart attack with the view of you taking off your clothes on top of and with that sly smirk in your face. Since you could tell he was nervous, you decided to start the actual thing as soon as you got rid of all the clothes even if you’d have a lot of fun teasing his ego. Scaramouche would never know it, but he was the last thing that went through your mind at the moment. All you thought of was your boyfriend’s sex and how he knew exactly where and how to touch you. Since you really wanted to feel that feeling of being touched by your ex’s hands again without being caught, you leaned down and grabbed one of the pillows above Scaramouche’s head and gave it to him to cover his face. He obviously submitted to that choice too and hugged that pillow against himself like he needed it to live. Now you really were enjoying the moment as you begun touching yourself all around your body like it was his hands doing so, betraying Scaramouche right in front of him.

In the end, it was a relieving experience for you but it was heaven for Scaramouche. Even if he watched lots of porn, he believed that sex didn’t feel that good since none of the women in it would ride dicks as greatly as you did. He thought that maybe he felt that much pleasure because it was you doing it, a person he loves, but he preferred to stick with the idea that he had just lost his virginity, so it made sense for him to act like that. After that night, his love for you grew massively. Expect to receive gifts every day of your life now, because he couldn’t wait to be intimate like that with you again. Since he had no idea how to do it nor how to have the courage of asking for it, he hoped that those little souvenirs would somehow drive you to ask for it. He would let control when and how you two did it forever if it was the only way you accepted to have sex with him.

God… he was so in-love with that intimacy… why did you turn that switch on on him?

Luckily, the more you two had sex, the more you’d feel comfortable with Scaramouche himself, so, when finally gave him the chance to top you, he was nervous about how clueless he actually was. So many parts to touch, kiss, lick and suck… so much praising that had to be done… so many kinks and details he had to keep in mind... seems like all those hours of watching porn thinking about you were useless. He also thought women felt pleasure with anything related to dicks due to how submissive they act towards it, and his awkwardness of seeing you naked below him, just waiting for him to begin, only contributed him to thrust you very poorly. Men in porn don’t make noise, so he didn’t do it too. Men in porn don’t touch and wouldn’t even get close to the woman they were fucking, so he didn’t do it too.

It was… terrible.

It was so terrible that it made you stop making effort of liking it and stop him.

“What’s going on? You’re quiet as a bush… do you not like it?” You asked neutrally, making him stop moving.

It didn’t matter anyway since he was going so slow and weak, thinking that would be enough to make you act like those prostitutes, that it barely made difference to you.

“N-No..! Of course I like it! D-Do you… not like it..?”

“No…” You answered immediately, making him panic in embarrassment.

“Oh… hum… h-how can I make you like it..?” He asked, afraid that you’d give up on letting him top.

Unfortunately, you two had to stop the whole moment so you could teach him how to touch a woman, not figuring out why was he acting so weird, but, luckily, he learned it quite fast. He did not want to disappoint you in such an important thing for your relationship. He was doing good with physical intimacy, but when you asked why was he so quiet again and told him to get those moans out of his mouth, he started to really fuck you. He was so surprised at how good sex made him feel that he would not blink at all. He wanted to hear every single high-pitched moan of yours whenever he thrusted you precisely. He wanted to watch and appreciate how every single part of your body reacted so tenderly to him. He wanted to feel the warmth of your soft skin against his, the physical contact you two shared.

The fact that you even willed to have sex with him was enough to make him cum.

He was so whiny and shaky after his hard orgasm that you immediately laid your both corpses in the bed to rest. You were so satisfied and even surprised at how well he did, it even made you accept the fact that it wasn’t your boyfriend who did it, and, yes, Scaramouche, a man who you promised to hate for the rest of your life.

Scaramouche’s needy soul had no words to share but he made sure you wouldn’t move an inch out of his grip that night.

But, do you really think he is always cute like this? Of course not! After all, you’d only have sex with him when you wanted to, which means it was once in months. His jealously is the biggest factor for your unhappiness in that marriage. He literally gets violently angry any time a man even dares to look at you, and would never blame you for it. You could spread your legs to a man and have sex with him while degrading Scaramouche’s morals right in front of him that he’d say that you’ve been seduced and manipulated to say such things. It would always create very awkward situations with architects, mailmen, waiters and engineers, who sometimes would even decide to keep a better distance from you two and you hated it. You couldn’t really live your life happily like that as an extroverted person. He still was rude and cold to everyone, just like when you met him, even with maids that were extremely loyal to your privacy in the home. Some of his workers and ex-workers even reported to the internet how Scaramouche wasn’t a pleasant boss and colleague at all. You tried telling him multiple times that he should treat his employees better, to avoid things like that and ruin his reputation, and try making new friends, but he claimed he didn’t need anyone else now that he had you by his side.

The only two people he treated well instead of you were your parents. He knows just how important they are for your mental health, so keeping a good relationship with them would help keeping the marriage good in a way. What if your parents started believing that marrying Scaramouche wasn’t that nightmare you told them to be because of his great behavior towards them? It would influence you to keep going, wouldn’t it?

Well… even if he denied the idea of opening himself to more people, you could see that he was unintentionally improving his behavior towards new people every day, but very slowly.

Sometimes he would also get really mad when something went slightly wrong with his work, career or your relationship. You’d usually get really scared when he started having an anger attack in your bedroom and would find anything distracting to do while you listened to him scream and discount his anger in the walls or objects of the room. He would always leave the room and run to you crying and whining like a child, begging for your forgiveness as he kneeled in front you and hugged your legs, but that wasn’t enough to make you feel more comfortable around his presence for the next hours or even days.

“Y/N, please, open the door! I didn’t mean to scare you, I just want you to love me too..! Why can’t you see it..?! What am I doing wrong?! Please… talk to me..! Let me see you..! Let’s sit down in the bed and talk about it, ok..? Please..? Y/NNN!” He screamed, cried, whined and begged at the bathroom’s door as he pulled and pushed the doorknob multiple times and banged at it, desperate to reach and feel you, who had locked yourself inside there half an hour ago after Scaramouche started acting violent towards you during a fight about your lack of response to his demonstrations of love.

When you two were being flashed by cameras and recorded by microphones, he’d also get extremely defensive of you and would not let you answer weird questions at all, claiming that those stupid journalists have no reason to be making such questions towards you and that they were all just greedy for any kind of secret.

Scaramouche did not fear that you’d tell them about the truth of your marriage, he just craved for your attention and company 24/7.

People on the internet eventually reached the conclusion that Scaramouche was the kind of man to act all tough and hard towards anyone instead of his wife while you were a social butterfly. There were even clips on YouTube of Scaramouche’s mood switch to prove that theory across gossip pages.

And, well, they weren’t wrong at all.

Marrying someone as insane as Scaramouche definitely does not feel like a burden, but it doesn’t feel pleasant at the same time. Your heart would always find itself craving for that feeling of love you once felt for you boyfriend and denying Scaramouche, no matter how well he treated and spoiled you. You’ve already gone through those dark memories, but sometimes they still haunt your nights and dream, especially the triggering memories of that day behind the tree and your marriage. You’ve always wanted your marriage to be a dreamy and unforgettable event with all your family and friends, including Scaramouche, everything in white and a smile that simply couldn’t be wiped out from your face. All you had with Scaramouche was a beautiful performance of architecture and money.

That comparison made you sob whenever you thought about it.

Scaramouche’s behavior was slowly getting repetitive and even boring, no matter how much he tried to innovate. Your life would start to step back again if you didn’t do anything about it.

— Will you try making your relationship with Scaramouche better? Or even… real?

— Will you think about your ex-boyfriend (any character you want) so much that you can’t handle the pain in your heart anymore, run back to him, find out that he still loves you too and run away from the country? Making sure Scaramouche never finds you again? Or does? He would get really pissed but really sad too…

— Will you get your revenge on this monster that broke the happy girl you once were, forced you into a loveless marriage and even made you have suicidal thoughts because of the low self-esteem he brought you to have unintentionally? By either making go to jail for his crimes or using blackmail to force into an open relationship where he’d know with you were going out with?

— Will you simply give up on making things better and kill yourself? It would lead Scaramouche to suffer eternally, no matter if you died or not.

It’s all up to you at 3:19 AM, staring at a wall of your room while you were supposed to be sleeping, feeling Scaramouche’s nose on your shoulder and hands around your waist as he peacefully slept.

Don’t forget to like and comment if you liked it <3

Original Post, Prequel

Taglist: @alatusorrow @the-stinky-winky @kindofshyent @kindofscenic @iruma-chan @sunflower0sky

[kurishiri]

official IkeVil JP twitter role-played with fans as Roger

translation may not be 100% accurate or contain creative liberties. Please reblog, not repost!

and here are some of my favorite responses and some tidbits about Roger (and some others, through his eyes) 🥹👌 also I wouldn’t consider these spoilers; they’re more like bite sized fun facts you might find in a random scene in some random side story or event or something lmao also I don’t like the green gun emoji on my phone so I’m using the beer one instead.

1. Roger is trying to get along with Alfons (it’s not working so well though I guess, haha)

💬: Roger!! Have you been getting along with Alfons recently?

🍻: That’s always my intention, but whenever I see him he gives me a kind of disgusted look. So maybe he’s just shy or something.

2. maybe Victor is trying to get everyone drunk…?

💬: Roger, have you gone out to drink with Victor before?

🍻: I don’t think Victor really drinks outside. If anything, he’s the one bringing some good booze back to Crown for us. Could it be — he’s scheming something and trying to get us drunk?

3. Roger can crack a joke 😂👌

💬: I kind of just ate this without knowing what that liquid is, but what is it, actually? 🧪

🍻: That’s a love potion. If you drink it you won’t be able to think about anything but me——just kidding.

4. Roger and Ellis are the strongest!

💬: Who is the strongest in Crown?

🍻: Me, followed by Ellis. You wanna compare our strength now with an arm wrestle? Though I reckon you wouldn’t be able to win against me even if you used both hands.

5. Roger’s worst fight with Alfons

💬: Please tell us the worst episode of a fight you’ve had with Alfons〜!!

🍻: Once during a mission we got into an argument where Al and I almost died — that day I’ve never seen Victor look that quietly angry before.

6. drinking with William! (they’re the older bros of the group)

💬: What do you talk about with William when you drink with him?

🍻: Will knows a lot, so we’ll talk about all sorts of stuff. Like how Victor’s overworking himself, or how Jude’s got bad feet, or how Liam hurt himself again——wait, what are we, their guardians?

7. Alfons bombed the drinking date

💬: Hey Roger, what sweets do you like? Other than Alfons’ scone.

🪞: Are we talking about me? Oh, that’s my handmade scone that I put a lot of love into. Don’t you feel naughty with just one bite? What do you think is in it?

🍻: Hey, you, get out and go somewhere else already.

8. drinking with Elbie!

💬: Have you drank with Lord Elbert before? 🥺🍻💚💙

🍻: I have, yes. But I can never tell whether he’s drunk or not.

🪞: That’s because he always looks drunk.

🍻: Oy, Al, what are you doing here? Tonight’s supposed to be just me and the lil lady, so don’t get in the way like that. Shoo shoo!

9. Roger doesn’t just drink beer (surprise surprise!)

💬: What do you like to drink other than beer?

🍻: I also drink whisky, though I always prefer beer. What about you, lil lady?

10. Roger comforts you after a long day of work

💬: Roger, I finally finished work…

🍻: There, there, you did well. I remember your efforts very well. Good job today.

11. Jude and drinking, according to Roger

💬: When you’re drinking with Jude, have you seen him when drunk before? I want to know what he’s like when he’s drunk.

🍻: Can’t say I’ve seen him drunk before. It seems like that guy always got a calm look on his face, no matter how much he drinks.

12. what Ellis is like when drunk

💬: Cheers! I have a question, what is Ellis like when drunk?

🍻: Ellis isn’t that weak to alcohol… but he becomes a bit more fluffy than normal, I guess. But he can walk back to the castle just fine.

13. trying to get Ellis drunk…?!

💬: I heard Ellis is a little weak to alcohol. Have you taken care of him when he was drunk? Also how many cups does it take for him to become drunk?

🍻: Pfft, haha… Are you trying to get Ellis drunk? I’ll have you know Ellis is like a cute younger brother to me, so I won’t tell. I have taken care of him though——let’s leave it at that.

14. who can hold their alcohol in Crown?

💬: Who is the worst at holding their alcohol in Crown?

🍻: I think everyone in Crown is pretty good at holding their alcohol. But should we put that to the test? …No way, this really isn’t for me to gather information on them?

15. he be takin care of Crown when they’re drunk

💬: Who do you drink with most often? And have you taken care of someone when they got drunk!?

🍻: Taking care of someone… Ellis — no, Al, maybe? Oh, and also Jude… whoops, can’t say any more than that, or he’ll be after me.

16. what Harry drinks

💬: I always get the impression Harry drinks strawberry milk a lot, but when it comes to alcohol, what does he drink? I want to know 🦊🍸

🍻: Harry likes whisky soda. It goes well with chocolate, and I’ve seen him eating it together with the drink. Noww then, now that I’ve told you some important information, you’ll stop that lying fox from eating too much sweets for me, won’t you?

17. Roger’s advice for those who simp to the point of illness 😆

💬: My friends love you to the point they might be a little ill, Roger. They love you so much it’s too much for me to handle. Is there medicine to make them feel better?

🍻: I can introduce you to a doctor I know who has some good medicine. Want me to? His name’s Roger Barel.

18. he cooks?!?!

💬: I want to eat a meat entree with you, Roger! (this is sausage and roast pork that I made) 😋🍽️🥩✨ What’s your favorite type of meat? And what other foods do you like?

🍻: I would say steak, but any meat is good. But I also like salty things too. Sometimes I make things that go well with alcohol. Want some?

19. oh..? 😳

💬: Yippeeee✨✨✨ it’s everyone’s older brother Roger!! Congrats on your main story🎉💕 I really look forward to this summer! (I have 🦑 with beer)

🍻: You have as much excitement as Victor! For sure, look forward to it. I’ll make it a summer you won’t ever forget.

20. Roger’s recommended drinks

💬: I want to know your drink recommendations!

🍻: Mine is beer, beer, and more beer. Ah, having some ginger ale in between seems pretty good too.

21. he drinks with Ellis and Jude often!

💬: Out of the members of Crown, who have you been drinking with recently? Have you drank with them several times…! 🍻✨

🍻: I go out to drink with Jude and Ellis quite a bit. Well, I think I prefer drinking together with you the most though.

22. he loves meat at the end of the day eheh

💬: I’m thinking of drinking with you tonight🍻 What do you eat (snack) with alcohol? I’m thinking chips goes well.

🍻: My favorite is salty meat. But chips go well with beer too. Should we order some?

23. Roger’s advice for those who just turn the legal age

💬: I’ve turned the legal age, what do you recommend for a first timer…? Was your first drink a beer…?

🍻: At first, you should go for drinks that don’t have high alcohol content to see if you can drink it or not. Other than that, drink together with someone. For example, with me. And of course, the first drink I had was beer!

24. Roger’s favorite drinking partner is… ✨✨

💬: Is there anyone you want to drink alone with?? What types of things would you talk about with them!?✨

🍻: The one drinking in front of me, right now.

[lz-didyounotice]

“ It was quite a sunny day today”

This gif doesn't belong to me.

Heyyyy! 'sup, let me give you a small temporal paradox with a reader meeting 9th while traveling with Bow tie man. Hope you enjoy it.

Plot hevealy inspired by this work by : @am-i-obsessed---maybe : "Wrong Tardis".

Warning : english is not my first language, so please be indulgent. Might contain a little bit of ansgt, but a lot of comfort for our doctor.

Froggit-

------------------------

The TARDIS had made a strange calculation once again. The Doctor found himself on Earth, in London, yet unsure of the reason behind his visit, still attempting to pick up the signal.

While examining the screens and discussing the matter with his temporary companion, Jack, the doors unexpectedly opened on their own, despite being locked. A female voice called out, leaving him uncertain how to react. The man beside him mirrored his expression before attempting to prevent the stranger from entering.

"Doctor! I thought you were only picking me up at seven; you’re early."

Turning toward the door, the Doctor watched warily as a woman with (h/c) hair approached the console, attempting to send a message to what seemed to be a friend.

"You're awfully quiet, are you okay, darling?" Finally looking up from her phone, the girl realized the situation she had stumbled into. Lifting her chin, she found Jack’s chest mere centimeters from her nose. "Jack? How are you here?" It had been a while since she had seen Jack. His appearances had dwindled after the Ponds began traveling with the Doctor.

“And who might you be, beautiful lady?”

At that moment, she realized her mistake. Looking past the captain, she saw someone she didn’t recognize at first. His hair was too short, his ears larger, and his style vastly different. This wasn’t her Doctor and his gaze indicated that he had never met her before. She had entered the wrong TARDIS. At least with Jack's presence, she assumed he was still with Rose, but she didn’t seem to be with them.

Deciding to take responsibility, she assumed a different identity, at least temporarily. Using a past name seemed the safest option. Neither of them would recognize her if something went wrong.

“Sorry for the intrusion. Name's Sunny. I’m a 'future' friend.”

“Sunny? What a wonderful name. Well, I suppose you already know who I am, but I'll introduce myself anyway. Jack Harkness. Pleasure to meet you.”

Extending his hand, she accepted it with a slight smile. She had forgotten how charming his younger self could be.

“Pleasure to meet you too. So, tell me, what brought you both here? I can only imagine some kind of Sontaran planting a bomb again.”

“Again?” asked the Doctor, now fully turned toward her.

“Spoilers,” she said with a small smile as she examined the younger Doctor. Even with a different face, he was still mesmerizing. She wondered what his smile would look like if he wasn’t frowning so much. She wanted to kiss his forehead, smooth it from any wrinkles.

“We have picked up a strange signal in the middle of London.”

“Never would have thought to be called a strange signal.”

“How could you be the signal?” Asked Jack, now leaning against the rail.

“Your little emitter is dying in my pocket. Distress signal, I guess. When you left me, you were going to look for a new one.” As she put her hands in her pockets, she pulled out a small phone wired with other components.

Approaching the console, she gently brushed it, lingering with a small smile at the old console. “Hello, old girl,” she thought, before handing the device over to the Doctor for analysis.

“How come you have this? I haven't finished this prototype yet.”

“Told you, future friend.”

And there it was, the smile she had been looking for. She almost wished she had met the Doctor sooner to see more of it. Sensing the tension, Jack excused himself, wanting to “explore” for a bit before returning to his time.

-------------

The sound of the sonic made her feel dizzy. The silence felt weird, at least to her. The Doctor hadn’t met her yet, after all, but here she was with a younger version of himself, filling her chest with butterflies .

“So, tell me, why would I give you this sort of device? Do you get lost so often that I need to provide it?”

“Kinda…”

“When are we meant to meet?”

“Hey… Spoilers, darling.”

“And why do you look at me like that?”

“Like what?”

“What are we? Obviously, we are not just friends with those eyes.”

If only he knew. Fiddling with the three rings on her hand, she smiled, thinking back to her “wedding.” It was under weird circumstances, yes, but she couldn’t have wished for a better way. The Doctor, River, and her, before the universe.

“That’s for me to know and you to find out...” Fully turning to face him, she took his hand, their ringed fingers intertwining as if they were always meant to be. “You know what? I suppose I could give you a small glimpse into the future. I’ll give you three questions. Of course, I won't provide anything that could disrupt your timeline. I'd be an awful partner if I did.”

“Partner?”

Looking at his hand in hers, he wanted to ask about the rings. Why were there three, and not one? Was she married to multiple people?

”Why three rings?”

“A promise for each heart. Two were given to me by the man I love, and the last one by a particularly dashing anthropologist.”

“What promise did you make?”

“I promised to always come back to them, no matter what life brings. To love them until the end of the universe without doubt. To love them until I truly die.” As she spoke, he could see the affection she held for those individuals. It wasn’t just promises; she had already fulfilled them before and would do so again if needed.

Thinking back to what was just revealed, he felt his ears burn. Two rings for two hearts . That man was him, at least his future self! Looking at her with wide eyes, he slowly pointed at her and then himself, still unsure of the implications. Her smile melted his hearts as he realized he had guessed correctly. He couldn’t wait to meet her again, but the fact that she had made such a promise meant something significant had happened.

“Something happened, didn’t it?”

“Not in the way you might think.” Lifting her free hand, she cradled his face, brushing his cheek affectionately. “I made this promise on the day of our first encounter. It wasn’t easy for either of us, but there was only one way out of that situation. And I'll have you know it wasn’t your fault. Years from now, you still think of that day as a dark one, where you lost someone once more. To me, it was one of the brightest days in the universe. That day, I finally had a purpose, something to keep going. And I think you tend to forget how powerful your name can be, how much hope you give by simply giving others a way to shine.”

---------------

She went to release his hand, but he held onto it, wanting to savor the moment a few seconds longer. It felt weird, he never had met her before, but here he was trying to make her stay.

“How long until I meet you?”

“I thought I only gave you three questions.”

And there it was, that pleading look he gave her when he wanted something. Those two blue eyes piercing her heart with curiosity, wanting to know more about their first encounter.

“It's going to be a while before you find me, and a brief trip to France to meet me for the first time. And when I say we’re going to meet again, I might have to relearn how to be myself before catching up with  you.”

As she finished her explanation, she heard a faint and familiar whirring noise from the other side of the TARDIS doors. Giving a final smile to the Doctor, she kissed his forehead before finally letting go of his hand.

“Well, this is my leave. See you soon, Doctor…”

And as the TARDIS doors closed, the man beside the console was left in daze. Confused yet excited by this new encounter. This woman was someone he would travel with, fall for, and marry. But what struck him the most was what she had implied: they would meet again and again, yet she would forget it at some point. It pained him a bit to know, but he couldn’t wait to meet her again.

As Jack made his way back, “Sunny” was nowhere to be seen. In her place, a grinning doctor, holding the now repaired device in his hand. Thoughts of a brighter future flooding his mind. 

—---------------

Bonus : 

“(Y/N) I found what we were searching for !” Did Your doctor exclaim, meeting your gaze with a bright and excited smile. The one you always loved to see. “Also found a yellow note with a sun on it, not sure why, don’t remember putting it here.” 

Giving you both, you smiled at the small note. A sun circling a small sentence. “ It was quite a sunny day today”.  Smirking silently, you finally brought the device to your now empty pockets, and folded the small note to put in your phone case.

“Come here bow tie maniac” Reaching for his bow tie, you planted your lips on his forehead before kissing him on the lips. 

“How come I didn't know you had worn leather jackets before ?” Did you ask him with a teasing tone.

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷🪷

500 for 🪷:

---

Not that his mother poses the same concern as that potentially stalkery girl. She obviously doesn’t. Chris is just desperate for a third person to be here. Denny is really charismatic and kind. He’s great at diffusing tension. That’s what Chris needs right now. MLM lady amounts of diffusers, actually. 

He orders tea for Mom. Shannon? Mom? What do you call someone who is your age and hasn’t parented you in sixteen years? There’s no etiquette guide for this situation. Whatever. He brings it to her, sits across from her, opens his phone, and stares as the little ping representing Denny slowly gets closer.

“Uh, Chris?” She asks after accepting her tea.

He looks up from his screen at her. She’s got this sort of expectant look in her eye. Yeah, Chris gets it. He’s not really talking. Not about anything. The thing is, something’s going to happen. This is going to go away. He’s felt it before. That rush of hope. The thought that somehow, some way, she’s back. He trusted it, for the moment it lasted that time. He doesn’t want to surrender his wits entirely to it this time. 

Whatever this is, who knows how long it will last?

“Yeah?” He replies.

“Uh… I don’t know a lot about you,” she says. Her fingers clutch the hot cup of tea like it’s her only source of comfort. 

Chris thinks of the way he used to go talk to her gravestone. He told her a lot of things about himself, over the years. He stopped, though, after the whole Kim thing. Not visiting. He just stopped talking to her. Something about it felt tainted. He supposes he didn’t need to. She was never listening. She didn’t even know she was dead.

“What do you want to know?” Chris asks.

Her brows crease a little at that. She looks sad.

“Everything,” she says. “Anything?”

Chris thinks. He doesn’t know what to say. It’s not like he’s married with children. But he has accomplished things, he supposes. 

“I work nearby,” Chris says. “At an engineering firm.”

Her mouth parts in surprise. “You’re an engineer?”

He nods. “Went to school in Pomona. Cal Poly. Got in other places but didn’t want Dad to have a stroke before he turned forty, so I stayed nearby.”

“Wow,” she smiles. “You’re brilliant. I mean, I always knew that. But… Wow.” 

Chris feels his cheeks heat a little. He shrugs. 

“I mean… I’m fine. It was hard. Not like I flew through it.”

“Even more impressive, then,” she says. 

What else can he even tell her? He has to be careful. How much of his life does he actually want to give away without encroaching onto the family territory. He spends a lot of time with Dad, Buck, and Josie. With his cousins.

[slutforsilverfoxes]

What Happens in New York…

You took in a deep breath as soon as you crossed through the back door of the restaurant and into the parking lot, arms outstretched while you enjoyed the brisk New York air, and declared, “I gotta get me a new job.”

“What?” Sean, your best friend and roommate of several years, taunted from behind you, making up for your head start in a few long strides. “Waiting on rich people not cutting it for you anymore?”

“Waiting on rich, crusty old white men and their wives who seem to drop in age each year isn’t cutting it anymore,” you corrected his statement. “Now gimme that helmet,” you demanded with grabby fingers. “I wanna go home, watch Marvel movies, and finish that bottle of wine we opened on Monday.”

“Speaking of old white men,” the blonde started with a laugh, tossing you your helmet before sitting astride his motorcycle and strapping his own on, “my brother’s in town. Mind if I stop by to say hi?”

“Ah, yes, the G-man,” you nodded all-knowingly, tucking your legs up under you and getting settled behind Sean’s lithe body. “Is he seeing anyone?” Sean purposefully revved the bike and pretended like he couldn’t hear you, so you tapped aggressively on his visor until he turned to give you the stink eye. “I said is he seeing anyone, you dick?”

“What’s it to you, huh?”

“Well, the way you describe him, he’s probably got a nice pension and benefits going with all the hours he works. I could make a cute housewife!”

“Funny,” your best friend deadpanned. He used his foot to raise the kickstand before guiding the bike out to the main road. “Too bad for him, ‘cause you’re my cute housewife.”

“Gross.”

His ensuing laughter got lost in the New York traffic.

—————

“Do you wanna come in with me?” Sean asked as you hopped off the bike and stretched your legs outside of the precinct.

“Nah,” you shook your head in response and pulled out your phone. “You go ahead and see big bro. I’m taking full advantage of my allotted yard time.”

The blonde rolled his eyes and pressed a kiss to your forehead. “You’re a riot. Be back soon.”

“Don’t get in a fight,” you called out lazily amid a yawn, breathing in the cold winter air to ward off your exhaustion.

Several minutes later, you were scrolling idly through your phone while you waited for your friend, leaning against his bike for support and stifling yet another yawn when the hairs at the nape of your neck stood at attention, and you suddenly felt the clarity of alertness.

“Hey there,” a voice called out from nearby, and you studiously ignored the lackluster greeting. It was followed by a whistle that was evidently supposed to woo you, and you resisted the urge to roll your eyes, stuffing one hand into your pocket and letting out a disgruntled noise when you weren’t rewarded by your headphones. “This your bike, little lady?”

“Why, you in the market?” you barked back, finally raising your gaze to meet that of an NYPD officer.

“Maybe I am,” he responded with a smile that set you even more on edge. “Wanna take me for a test ride?” His buddy behind him laughed at the innuendo, and this time you did roll your eyes.

“Hard pass.”

“C’mon, baby, you look like you could use some fun in your life,” he continued, and when he took a step closer, your hackles rose. Deciding that my best friend’s brother is an FBI agent wasn’t going to cut it, you answered coolly, “My boyfriend’s an FBI agent working in your office up there, and I don’t think he’d take kindly to you propositioning me outside your precinct. Honor and integrity and all that, right?” You forced your mouth into a smile that dropped when the officer removed the badge pinned to his jacket.

“I’m off the clock, sweetheart. And I don’t see your boyfriend anywhere.”

“Turn around.”

The rumble of an unfamiliar voice had you looking over the officer’s head to find the frowning visage of a handsome brunette with striking features. Sean came to your side protectively, murmuring, “Hey, you okay?” as the officer turned to look up at the imposing older Hotchner and stammered, “I’m- I’m sorry, I didn’t know she was with you.”

The brunette tilted his head to one side and narrowed his eyes, and the air around him positively crackled with power. Quietly, he challenged, “And why should that matter?” As the officer opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, he took a step closer and dropped his voice even lower. “Go home to your wife, Officer-” His eyes darted over to the name tag before continuing, “-McNally, and be ready for a disciplinary hearing at some point this week, because I will be speaking to your supervisor directly.”

He nodded deferentially, refusing to make eye contact, and tried to scurry away, but Sean’s older brother barked, “Officer McNally! Isn’t there something you’d like to say to my girlfriend?”

“Sorry!” he called sheepishly, heat rising to his cheeks despite the chill outside. “Sorry, ma’am, won’t happen again.”

Sean and his brother watched until the officer and his friend had turned the corner, then directed their attention to you. “I hope that wasn’t your introduction to New York’s finest,” the older Hotchner remarked with a frown, holding his hand out to you. “I’m Aaron. Your boyfriend, apparently,” he tacked on, lips twitching to fight a smile.

A blush crept across your cheeks as you took his hand. “Y/N, Sean’s best friend. Sorry about all…that,” you said through a laugh, gesturing broadly at the scene that had just taken place.

“Please don’t apologize. It’s nice to be name dropped for a good reason,” Aaron responded warmly, this time allowing his mouth to turn upward in a genuine smile. Sean coughed pointedly beside you and you hurried to pull your hand from his brother’s grip, your face growing even warmer at the realization you’d been standing there holding his hand for several seconds like an absolute buffoon.

“Home, Sean- we should- gotta go,” you stammered out, wincing at your brain literally short circuiting from a single touch.

“Wow,” Sean breathed out through a laugh. “You actually broke her, Aaron.” Turning to you, he faux-whispered, “So you really do have a thing for older guys?”

“Woah, hey!” You yell to be heard through laughter in the present. “You did not say that,” you call your best friend on his bullshit, pointing a fork threateningly in his direction. Aaron gently lowers your wrist as you continue, “And I wasn’t that awestruck, okay? He was handsome, but I wasn’t like, drooling, guys, c’mon-”

“Maybe just a little,” your fiancé teases, eyes widening playfully when you turn the silverware on him next.

“Derek.” You turn to Aaron’s friend and declare, “You’re getting upgraded to best man and young Hotchner over there is being relegated to flower girl.”

Sean winks at you from his temporary spot on the floor where he’s regaling your friends and families with the story of how he introduced you two- at least, his version of the story. “Just so you know, I happen to look cute in a dress.”

“Have some more champagne, honey,” Aaron instructs with a smile as he refills your flute. You dutifully take a sip and mumble around the glass, “You’re not giving this speech tomorrow, Sean.”

“Speech?” Your best friend barks out a laugh, and you narrow your eyes at him in suspicion. “Baby girl, I’ve got a whole PowerPoint documenting your journey into the family, don’t you worry. Pictures and everything.”

“Aaron,” you whine. “Make it stop.”

“You really know how to pick ‘em,” Aaron laughs before pressing a kiss to your pouting lips.

“Clearly,” you grumble. “You Hotchner men will be the death of me.”

—————

[A/N: Why did I write this? Who’s to say? I love a lil brother vibe, might have to explore more of Sean’s bff as Aaron’s girl 👀 Hope somebody enjoyed this crack]

AH tags 🖤 @gothwifehotchner

[the-sappho-of-lesbos]

Hiya

I was wondering this since Im in my single era but want to have some hope that it could change

Could you tell the story of how you and your gf got together?

I actually get a little embarrassed about how we met lolol.

So I was in a discord server for Australian lesbians (no longer in that one ) and when I joined I noticed she had a Pokémon avatar photo so I was initially intrigued because I always love a nerdy lady.

We talked a little and become friendly but not friends.

She was talking a lot in the server about being sad over her ex so I ended up reaching out to her privately so she could talk about it and I was like offering her books and stuff that I thought would make her feel better.

Started developing a slight crush on her on more but more of a curious crush not a full blown crush.

Then I asked her if she wanted to watch a studio Ghibli movie with me. (It was howl’s moving castle). The player was acting all funny when she tried to share her screen so I actually secretly watched it on my phone while she was playing it so we could still watch it together. I think we also watched Princess Mononkoke but I can’t remember if that was before or after we started dating.

We continued talking after that.

One night we were in a group voice chat with some other ladies on the server (I would also drop whatever I was doing to join in on a VC if I noticed she was there lol). After everyone else had left we stayed on. I can’t remember what we were talking about but I remember going on about how I was really ugly and she ended up confessing to me. We stayed up for hours talking at that point.

I told her I liked her too but we both didn’t want to commit to anything until we had met in person.

Not long after that she caught a plane to my state to visit for the weekend. We spent the weekend together and decided to make it official.

And now it’s been 2 years! (As of yesterday lolol).

There have definitely been a lot of challenges on my end. Just because I didn’t anticipate how badly some of my illnesses would react to being in a relationship. I would get so stressed and overwhelmed and my OCD was in full swing. I was doubting EVERYTHING. All the time. I got in my head about us being compatible or not being able to share interests that were important to me. Worried if we wanted different things. I was too scared to tell most people I was even in a relationship because my ocd had convinced me they would die if they found out. I had so many unrealistic and fictionalised ideas of what a relationship was supposed to be and I was always comparing myself to couples online to see if I was feeling what I was supposed to. Do I love her enough? Is this what being happy is meant to feel like ? Am I really a lesbian? Am I doing something wrong? Will this last?

I’ve gotten a lot better at it but it’s still really hard and overwhelming at times. I’m so lucky that my gf and I are both so mental health informed though because we are able to show up for each other in the areas that we need.

And I know I love her and that even if we don’t work out I won’t lose her because she is my best friend.

All of this probably makes it sound super dramatic but we actually have a very chill and easy relationship in those two years we have only had one argument and it was just because we were super overstimulated and both of our respective ways of handling stress were kind of incompatible.

I do think the biggest barrier in our relationship is our distance and my mental health. But all in all I think we handle it pretty well! ♥️

I wish you lots of love and I hope you have a wonderful day ♥️♥️

[villainsview]

Chapter 3

That's Life

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Three more days passed. Erick was getting used to the chain, but didn’t move around much beyond shuffling from the corner he’d nestled himself in to the bucket and back again. I kept him mostly fed on the leftovers of my takeout meals and refilled water bottles. I didn’t want to waste too much resources on him until I was sure Allard agreed with the new price, but he hadn’t gotten back to me about that yet.

The boy had gotten much quieter since I took out some frustration on his hand. His only questions were on the subject of the time after waking up, or if he could have more food or water. Initially he was worried that I was going to kill him because I showed my face. I told him the police wouldn’t be able to catch me anyway, but he still didn’t seem very convinced. Maybe that’s why he was so quiet?

Whatever, I wasn’t gonna start complaining about that now. Unfortunately the peace and quiet was broken by my phone, and it wasn’t even Allard with his confirmation, it was an unknown number.

I sighed before picking up.

“Hello?”

“I’m looking for someone to get their hands dirty for me,” a deep, female voice replied. I raised a brow, not recognising it…her.

“How’d you get this number?” I checked.

“Peter Allard gave me your card—”

“I don’t have a card.”

“Well it was actually a greasy napkin that he’d scribbled your number on because the idiot doesn’t keep paper at hand,” the lady said. I could almost hear her rolling her eyes.

“Yeah that sounds like Allard,” I said, “I suppose you’re not his bookkeeper?”

“No I— Listen, can you do a job for me, or not?” the woman asked, trying to get back to business.

“I’m kinda in the middle of a job right now though, but I’m hoping to be finished by the end of the week,” I said.

“That won’t do. I need this done quickly.” She sighed, sounding rather impatient.

“I could multitask, but it being a rush job will cost you extra,” I said, smelling a little extra cash coming my way.

“Hm…fine. I’ll text you the details. Let me know if you’re up for it. You’ll have two days to complete it.”

She hung up without warning. Talk about demanding... I shook my head a bit, before checking the text that arrived almost immediately after. She’d enclosed some addresses and a picture of her target, asking to bring him to a specific address within the two day limit. It was all in the city. That should be doable…

“You behave yourself, I’ll be back soon,” I said, glancing over at the boy in the corner.

“Y-yes, sir,” he replied quietly, quickly nodding, “um…c-can I have some water while you’re out?”

“Whatever,” I said, tossing a bottle and a granola bar in his direction,

“I’ll be back soon, no need to make it last.”

“Thank you, s-sir…”

I ignored him, closing the side door of my van and opening the garage door so I could drive out, making sure to lock it properly behind me.

I forgot to ask for her name, but the lady from the phone wanted me to grab the guy from the picture in her text. He didn’t seem too important to me, but why she wanted him wasn’t any of my concern, nor did I care. I just had to find the right supplies, find the guy, truss him up properly and hand him over.

His name was Mike Tracy, he was an accountant of some sorts. So I planned to grab him after work. He usually worked overtime, so he’d be tired, and hopefully wouldn’t notice me following him. In my van at first, then, after spotting an opportunity I parked up ahead in an alley and waited for him. It was so easy. I just had to grab a hold of his arm, pull him into the alley, wave my gun at him, explain it wasn’t a robbery and force him into the van.

He wasn’t a lot of fun. Crying a bit, asking who I worked for…I told him to shut up, putting my hand on his throat and managing to block enough blood flow to his brain for him to pass out so I could tie him up for the road in peace.

It being just after rush hour made for nice and quiet traffic, giving me a smooth drive back to the storage lot, smooth jazz playing on the radio as I cruised over quieter and quieter roads until there wasn’t a person in sight. I unlocked the gate surrounding the lot, leaving it open as I rolled my van inside. I’d be leaving soon anyway. Just had to pick up another passenger, and better restrain Mr Tracy.

I cranked the radio up a bit, leaving my van running as I opened the garage door. It seemed Erick had been curled up in his corner, probably trying to catch some sleep, though he sat up alarmed as the door loudly rattled as it opened. Recognising me, the teen pulled his knees closer to his chest, wrapping his arms around them as he shrunk a bit, giving me the usual fearful stare.

“On your feet,” I said as I approached him.

While he scrambled to pick himself up, I reached for my gun. I had put all my supplies in the van, so I needed him to behave during the couple feet towards the vehicle. However, when he spotted the gun, he freaked out, shaking his head and backing away until the chain nearly tripped him up.

“W-wait, p-please!” he said, “p-please…d-don’t kill me!”

I smirked. Of course he was still scared of that. I’m usually always right. I stepped closer to the teen, watching him unsuccessfully attempt to blink away the tears that were already rolling down his cheeks as he pressed himself against the wall. I hadn’t even switched the safety off , but the kid either hadn’t noticed or didn’t know much about guns as he sobbed some more pleads while I slowly pressed the barrel against his throat, shushing him slowly and repeatedly until he started holding his breath in an attempt to be quiet.

“We’re gonna go for a lil drive,” I said, “and you’re going to behave, right?”

He quickly nodded, choking back a sob as I put a little pressure on his throat with the gun.

“I can’t hear you…”

“Y-yes sir…I-I’ll behave!” the teen whimpered.

Satisfied with his answer, I nodded, stepping back and handing him the key to the padlock holding the chain in place.

“Free yourself,” I said, “put the chain in the van. Now!”

The teen jumped, nearly dropping the key as he shuffled over to the piping and shakily unlocked the padlock, holding it in his hand as he bunched up most of the chain in his arms, the other end still connected to the shackle around his ankle. He glanced over at me as he held the chain, and I gestured towards the van with my gun, following closely behind him as he headed out of the garage.

I put a hand on his shoulder, making sure he wouldn’t try anything stupid as I pulled open the side door, sliding it aside to reveal Mike Tracy, looking none too happy as he had woken up to find his necktie stuffed in his mouth, kept in place with a strip of tape. Erick froze, staring at the man a moment before shooting me a confused look.

“Just get in,” I said, giving him a push and climbing in after him.

I pulled my bag from behind a struggling Tracy, grumbling at him to shut up while I pulled out some leftover rope and tape. It was easy to push Erick against the floor so I could tie his hands behind his back. I used the chain to wrap around his ankles a bit before padlocking it to the ring bolted to the floor so he couldn’t kick around. It seemed he was too stunned about the whole situation to struggle much, though he protested when I picked up the tape to gag him.

“N-no, wait! S-sir, please, I—”

Smack!

The back of my hand collided with the side of his face, the teen promptly shutting up as the satisfying smack rang in our ears. He took a shaky gasp of air as I grabbed his jaw.

“I said behave!” I hissed, using my teeth to tear off a strip of tape and smoothed it over the teen’s lips.

I shoved him to lie down, giving Tracy another kick for good measure, before packing up the rest of my things and heading off to the address I was given.

The address was that of an office building in the south of the city. It looked pretty run down, but also abandoned. The lights on the parking lot didn’t work, meaning it would be easy to move around unseen from the road.

I checked my phone to double-check the floor I had to go to, before scouting the entrances to see how I would get Tracy inside. The emergency exit was the only door that was unlocked.

I returned to my van, sliding open the side door and looked over my prisoners. Tracy still had some fight in him, while Erick tried to avoid looking at me. I grabbed at his shirt, forcing him to sit up.

“Not a single peep from you while I'm gone or so help me!” I growled.

The teen quickly nodded, shuffling backward as far as the chain let him after I let go again. I needed both my hands to manage Tracy with his struggling and shaking his head. I ignored his muffled bitching as I cut his legs free, before dragging him out of the van and closing the door. He tried to dig his heels in as well as call for help as I dragged him towards the building, but there was no one around to help him.

“Come on!” I growled annoyed, pulling him through the door and finding the stairs to go up to the second floor.

There was a light burning in one of the old offices, dust crunching under our shoes as I used Tracy as a shield, forcing him to walk in front of me. You can never be too sure after all. We turned the corner, the light flickering strangely, before I realised it came from a couple candles, dripping hot wax all over a dusty, cracked desk.

In a significantly cleaner-looking chair sat a tan woman with bright red lipstick. Her long, brown hair was braided atop her head, but I couldn’t get a good look at her face as her eyes were hidden behind a pair of black shades. Steel-toed biker boots were resting on the desk near the candles, dark blue jeans hugging her legs and hips, disappearing seamlessly underneath a black leather jacket with elbow padding. In her hands, clad in fingerless leather gloves, she was holding a small device, pressing a button on the side as I walked in with Tracy.

“Seven hours to spare,” she said.

I recognised her voice from the phone call.

“Impressive.” she added, pocketing the stopwatch and getting up.

She wasn’t taller than me, but still tall for a woman. She looked at Tracy, gesturing for him to come closer. He didn’t move, however, so I pushed him forward. The woman caught him, putting a hand under his chin.

“Kneel.” she ordered.

Tracy seemed to melt as he promptly dropped to his knees. The woman bent over, still holding his head up with her hand under his chin.

“Look at you. That’s not how you wear a necktie~” she said, pulling the tape off of his face and prying the tie out of his mouth. Tracy coughed as she stepped back, tossing the tie aside.

“Isn’t that much better now, hun?”

“P-p-please Miss Thorne! I-I’ll get the money, I-I swear! I just need more time!” Tracy began pleading, “M-Mr Allard said I had until the end of the week!”

So her name was Thorne? I wasn’t sure if her name rang a bell. Maybe Allard mentioned her before? It didn’t matter. As interesting as she was, I never planned to stick around.

“Can I get my money now? I got other things to do,” I said.

“All in due time~” Thorne said, unzipping her jacket and shaking it off.

Underneath she was wearing a very revealing tank top, her collarbones and chest decorated with an elaborate butterfly tattoo. I would’ve turned around for her privacy, but I didn’t know her well enough to turn my back to her, so I focused my gaze on the sharp-looking ornament dangling from her earring instead, remaining vigilant as she did turn around to put her jacket on the chair, revealing the gun tucked into the band of her jeans.

“I know what Peter said,” she continued, turning back, “but you know how he is.”

She pulled out her gun, the mechanism clicking loudly as she loaded it. Tracy panicked, sobbing something about his mother while Thorne aimed the gun at him. I noticed I was slowly moving my hand closer to my own gun, just in case. And sure enough, with a deafening blow, she pulled the trigger. In a reflex, I pulled out my own gun before his lifeless body even hit the floor, but Thorne had already lowered hers again, wiping some blood off of her tattoo.

“Relax,” she said, spotting the gun in my hands as she looked back up, “you know Peter can lose his patience sometimes~”

“And then he calls you?” I asked, lowering my gun, but not putting it away just yet.

“I’m usually more subtle, but this was a rush job,” Thorne said, “you smoke?”

I sighed, pulling my pack of cigarettes from my pocket and opening it to offer her one. After she took one, I grabbed my lighter, flicking it on and holding it out towards her so she could light it. She took about three quick drags, before handing it over to me, her lipstick staining the filter.

“Here, you finish it. I’m trying to quit actually,” she said, pulling a grey backpack from behind the desk, handing that to me too, “here’s your money. If you clean up the body for me you can sell his organs. I’m sure that’ll provide adequate payment.”

“Only if I can remove and preserve them in time,” I said.

“Well, can you?”

I looked down at Tracy’s body and sighed.

“Yeah,” I said, “I know a place.”

<Prev | Masterlist | Next>

[maxmayfieldswalkman]

depression rant <3

idk sometimes i would like for just one thing in my life to go well. like literally not even my playlist is working right now. 700 songs off of my 1200 song playlist i listen to everyday disappeared so i have to make a new one. and the new one is only showing up on my phone, not my ipad. and i can’t fix it.

and as much as i wish he was, i really don’t think my crush is into me too. i don’t think im likeable. im not pretty enough to attract anyone (girls aren’t even in the picture at school because it’s literally a catholic school in the midwest everybody is homophobic and guys either chose the prettier girls or date someone outside of our school). and even if i was attractive i don’t think my personality is enough. i’m too quiet and anxious at first for anyone to stick around and get to know me. there will always be someone better in comparison. and yk what even if i did manage to find someone who liked me back they would probably leave the second they found out im really not comfortable with having sex any time soon (if ever) at all. i’m just gonna die alone with my dogs while my sisters live their happy lives with their families.

and none of my friends even care about me outside of school. they talk to me when i’m in their classes but outside of school i’m not getting invited anywhere. and when i do get invited somewhere, like to hang out at my “best friends” house for example, her neighbor she’s friends with conveniently is coming over and she couldn’t figure out how to say no so they’re just talking the whole time and i’m just there in the background. or i’ll try to make plans and then they’ll cancel on me 30 minutes before they’re supposed to show up 4 times in a row. because their’s always something better to do.

and my head hurts all of the time and i went to a neurologist for it but i basically have to try a bunch of pills that almost definitely won’t work before i can get to the stuff most likely to be effective because the stuff that will probably help is more expensive and my insurance won’t cover it if i haven’t tried the stuff that won’t work and is cheaper. and i had a headache all day during my family gathering for my moms birthday because i used a shampoo that smelled a little bit and i felt like throwing up from it, and my mom had to wash my hair over the sink like a baby half way through the day because it was so intolerable.

and on top of that i couldn’t even get my mom a good present for her birthday because i dont have a job to be able to afford anything and i couldn’t go shopping with what little money i have because i dont have a drivers liscence and none of my siblings live close to home anymore so i had nobody to take me shopping. so everybody got her a really nice and thoughtful present and i got her fucking flowers because that’s the shitty daughter i am i guess.

and my dog has had a lot of spine issues because she’s a hot dog and they’re really prone to back injuries. and she’s been acting really weird the last week and i’m worried she’s gonna get hurt for like the 7th time. and it feels like nobody but me and my mom take it seriously because my older sisters will pick her up like it’s no problem even though every time she gets picked up a lot she gets hurt some time soon after. and my fucking grandma invited her to jump up on the couch when nobody was paying attention (she absolutely cannot jump on couches for the rest of her life, every time she does she gets SUPER injured) but i couldn’t say anything because she’s an old lady so i was just on the edge of a panic attack the entire day even though i just wanted to yell at her because she completely ignored us EVERY time she comes to visit. literally every time she’s here my dog ends up jumping on a couch and is hurt and crying in her bed unable to move days later. and it seems like im the only one who cares.

and on top of that it’s now one in the morning and i have to be up in 5 hours to take the psat which im gonna fail because im horrible at standardized testing and theyre online now which means i really can’t focus at all and im just a lost cause.

i give up trying atp.

[evanslittlecorner]

“Hey you! Yes you! Do you want money? Do you want stability? Do you want to go to hell? Well boy do I have the job for you! Here at Rosey Posey Cafe it is our pleasure to serve a variety of guests magical drinks that you could only dream of!”

“Any human above the age of 18 may apply!”

“You don’t need any experience!”

“I’ll teach you how to read if I have to!”

“If any of this has interested you please call this number and we’ll schedule your interview for as quick as tomorrow! Hope to hear from you!”

You half expect this to be a scam. A weird, furry based scam due to the talking anthro cat from the commercial, but a scam nonetheless. Still, you do need a job, even if it’s fake there’s no harm in trying, right? Right. The start of the number is weird as, well, hell, but that’s to be expected from a hell run business you guess. You’ve yet to really visit hell since the rifts opened up last year but you’ve heard it’s actually pretty nice

You grab your phone from your bedside table and give the weird cat-lady a ring “HELLO!?” Ow, hi, you’re calling to ask about the job position “Oh, my ad worked?!? Yes! So, when can you come down for an interview?”

And the rest is history, well, recent history you guess, seeing as this is your first day. Turns out the cat-man-demon who runs this place was being super legit. Actually, what is his name? “Oh, I don’t think you could pronounce it, but in english I go by Evelyn or Ms. Rose! It’s so so nice to have you as a part of the team!” You’ve heard, repeatedly, ever since she hired you on the spot “Well it never hurts to say something twice!”

Your new boss is more than a bit odd, the whole human sized tabby cat thing aside she’s just, really friendly? To the point it almost seems like she’s fucking with you but…you don’t wanna be rude but there doesn’t seem to be a lot going on behind those eyes. You ask Ms. Rose if your training will start soon “Yes yes yes! Ok, question before we start. Do you know how to read?”

Yes “Perfect! I have a little booklet on how to make all the drinks we serve here. You don’t have to memorize it by any means though, I want this place to have a nice relaxed vibe so there’s no rush. I mean, don’t make a demon wait 10 years for their drink but aside from that you can take your time. Here’s the booklet! There’s rules at the top and two lists below it. One is alphabetical so you can search drinks by name, and the other is based on flavor profile so if someone wants to spice it up a little you can search by the flavors they like”

“If you have any questions you can let me know, but there are a few things I need to show you” He walks me through how to use the Fizzer, which is just a carbonator, the hot plate and sauce pan used for warming, and the blender, each explanation coming with a long warning about how it could interact with my “frail human body” After Ms. Rose finishes telling me about all the tiny pieces I could wind up as if I could somehow fit my entire body into the blender he takes a moment to think

“I’m pretty sure the rest is self explanatory but I’ll be here to chaperone you your whole first day, and never be afraid to ask me for help!” You thank him and ask when the store will open “Hm? It’s been open this whole time!” …Aren’t those open and closed signs supposed to say the opposite of what you are on the back?

“.”

“.”

“.”

“Fuck” Your boss walks dejectedly to the front door and flips the “we’re open!” side of the sign to face outside “Well, I guess we just opened!” She laughs as she springs back over to stand beside me. While we wait I take a second to really just admire this place, it’s a small cafe but it’s incredibly cozy. There’s a lot of dark wood work and fluffy pillows, even a few blankets in a basket with a “please return after use” sign above an empty one beside it, and the whole place just smells…warm?

You’re knocked out of your thoughts by the front door bell chiming “Hello! How can we-oh, it’s you” Ms. Rose’s voice drops all cheer as she greets…Oh my god, it’s Jean Laurent, why the fuck is your first customer a movie star!?! Jean fucking Laurent saunters up to the counter “Hey Evelyn~” “Laurent” Jean laughs “So cold” his gaze shifts over to you, looking you up and down

“Who’s this?” You feel like a deer in headlights, you were ready to serve weird demons not Whole Ass Human Celebrity Jean Laurent “They’re my new employee, and I’ll thank you not to fuck with them” The venom in your bosses voice snaps you out of your little trance, looking over to him you see that his eyes have strained into small slits and his ears are angled back against his head

Ok! Um, you ask what Mr. Laurent would like, he chuckles “Oh please, there’s no need to be so formal. I’ll have my usual, cutie” You can feel your face betray you as all the blood in your body seems to drain into your cheeks. Ok, focus! He wants his usual? Oh, here we go, Jean’s order. Ew. It doesn’t look good but if that’s what he wants then you guess so

You glance back up at your boss. She really doesn’t seem to like him. Huh, you know you probably shouldn’t but you have a feeling she’d get a kick out of seeing him gag a little bit. You fain a bit of cluelessness as you look through the drinks you could make. A Sucker punch looks like it could get a reaction out of him, it’d probably piss him off though. What should you make him?

[hannahwatcheshorror]

LAST SHIFT (2014) REWATCH

An unfortunately unmemorable movie about… Oh, no, what was it about again? That’s right, a cop completing the final shift (or Last Shift) at a station that is totally NOT haunted. Has its main premise been done before? Yes, but technically not like this. I mean. I think you might be happier watching Annabelle (can’t believe I said that), but probably just settle on a Manson family documentary and call it a day (or if you want a TV show, The Following, that was a pretty messed up show).

⭐.5

Trigger Warning Suicide, Urination

We start out with a woman named Jess on the phone with her mother right before her first shift of work. Her mother is imploring her not to go in for her job but Jess tries to reassure her that “most cops don’t even see any action.” Either way Jess hangs up on her mom and goes into the police station where she is informed she will be doing the Last Shift. The station is being shut down (there is a brand new station up the street) and Jess has been instructed not to leave this old station for the duration of the night (she is also waiting for some hazmat guys to come collect garbage). Things aren’t going very smoothly though, Jess receives a 911 call from a girl who sounds like she is really in trouble but they get disconnected. All calls are supposed to be rerouted to the new police building though… There are also noises happening throughout the building and a strange man who breaks into the station briefly before the lost girl calls again. This time Jess gets a name, Monica.

Monica needs help but doesn’t know where she is just that she is at a ranch with pigs. They get disconnected again and there isn’t much Jess can do. Next the strange man breaks in again and this time she arrests him but oh, no! She gets locked in the cell with him! And there is someone or something out there messing with her?! Oh, my! There is this spooky scene with a flashlight that isn’t terrible. Jess gets on the phone and calls her superior but only leaves a voicemail telling him she loves her job. Huh? I’m not entirely sure, buddy, I might mention the bloody faces you saw… But that might just be me! Anyway, we find out about a Manson type family, the Peymons who were a cult that did some killings like little evil fucks. They were once in this prison and had killed themselves inside (also Jess’ dad died that night somehow? He too was a cop). When Jess gets another call from Monica she recognizes the song and thinks that Monica is being held hostage by the remaining members of the Peymon family.

It is also around this point in the very obvious haunting that Jess decides that she is being pranked by her higher ups (she is a rookie after all so everyone is above her). An officer arrives to check on her and she tries to blame him but he is a sweety. His name is Officer Price and he used to work with Jess’ dad and tells her the story of the night he died. THE GASP I GASPED when Officer Price turned around and he had a hole through the back of his head. He was dead the whole time. He walks away and vanishes into thin air and leaves Jess even more confused and afraid. She gets another call from Monica and this time she thinks the girl is gonna get away but after the line cuts Jess calls dispatch and they inform her that Monica died a year ago to the Peymon family. Dispatch also lets drop that the location she is at is low-key haunted but she kind of already knows that by now. 

Surprise! Another person shows up, it is one of the Peymon followers/family members or whatever. She is there to celebrate the anniversary of his death by killing herself. WACK. The phone rings and Jess yells at the fake Monica who just laughs at her and then a creepy and crackly lady comes out of the desk to scare Jess. Deciding it is time to leave, Jess attempts to exit the building but is stopped by the building, even when she fires bullets at the door. The ending really comes off the rails a lot and I am not sure what to tell you folks because the movie is just a lady walking around an empty police station and the end is pretty much the same only there are a few more people scattered about.

Basically, she gets a call from her dead dad who tells her to be brave and stay, then she sees visions about the dead Peymon cult, then members of the cult come for the ghost of Peymon so Jess has to go around shooting them all (with the quietest gun I’ve ever heard). Finally Jess gets shot by her boss, she is startled and looks over to see that the Peymon cultist that she shot was really the hazmat guy she had been waiting for since the top of the movie. She had imagined that they were her foes. Then at the very end she sings the song and the Peymon ghosts come for her and take her away. What? I have no idea.

-----------------------HANNAH WATCHES HORROR--------------------

[asinfullangel]

9 Wheel

“Try your luck, but remember that the house always wins in due time.”

What could be fun when you are on vacation in the city of sin beside relaxing in a pool or off doing some shopping. Why not try your luck at one of the slots or gaming tables, we talk all sort of payment and if you’re lucky double your winning. Just remember when to stop and pull away before you lose it all… thought, we got to make a living too and your misfortune becomes part of someone’s paycheck.

So then, what do you see happening when a few buddies out having fun on their little bros trip do when they or someone accidentally bet too much on a game of roulette? I’ll tell you of course. These men arrive in town to enjoy the weekend to themselves and possibly get lucky with some chicks. The group’s treasury/the one in charge of their party funds may have a little gambling problem and one dealer could see this clear as shiny gold. So with a little help from a server (and a share of the pull from this guy) this man was separated from the group over to the dealer’s table without a notice from his mates.

“Welcome, welcome lucky guests to our little oasis and city of sin. I don’t suppose you feel lucky because lady luck may just bless you, but don’t let such a blessing get to your head.” A few flicks and twists of his hand were enough to keep this unlucky man's eyes on his hands then to the cards that appeared like magic. “Care to play and see if you win big or lose a little too much? I promise my game of roulette is fair in luck and fortune.” The dealer flick around with a chip between his fingers before a roulette mable appeared in its place. The man had some cash out and the dealer made the exchange from cash to chips quickly. His bet was placed along with others that soon took notice his table was open. The cash and chips came pouring in, players left and right getting some luck or misfortune from the wheel while the man of interest was on a roll.

It was maybe an hour before one of his buds felt like they were missing something (hint, it was when one of them asked for some more cash). A few phone calls later led them back to the hotel they checked in this morning to find their bud still at the same table, a few chips shorter than when he began. (Now you are caught up and now to finish off his losing streak.) “Sir, I do suggest you withdraw your chips before the house claims the last of your chips.” His friend was trying to pull him away, but he already placed his bet and the roll went rolling… “Sorry sir, no luck. I suppose you are all out of luck.”

The bros were halfway into dragging him away from the table (most likely to fuck his ass and literally once in the hotel room), but the dealer chime in with a stack of cash now on the table. “I suppose you don’t wish to try your luck with our new full refund spin policy.” They halted and turned back to face this blond hair dealer. “You’re bud did spend quite a lot that I’m sure you would enjoy to have back, every last dollar he practically threw at me. Just note that if you fail then he’ll be in debt to us.” He sent the ball rolling and spinning the roulette as if his eyes were tempting this desperate man to take the deal… The dealer got a yes and heard had a bet. The wheel spinning slower by the seconds with the ball bouncing between the allies till… “How sad, I guess that greedy Mammon had his eyes on your wallet today. Now then, secretly.” Fingers snap then one tall giant of a hunky secretary guard came up behind the group and ate them debtor in a few gulps right there & in front of the group. “Sorry boys, cousin policy, but don’t be afraid to try your luck and spend a few. Otherwise I hope you don’t mind that we keep your bud for a while, I know the guard and I are going to work him in until his debt is paid off.” The men had to walk away seeing that they can’t do much now. The dealer took a break to spend some time with the security guard and his new guest (as his tail wiggle happily in his pants).

[hailsantabook]

Chapter 3: Love

Chapter 3

Love

I loved the rain.

I loved the cleansing effect it had on the world around me, the calmness it brought to my mind when I watched it fall through the window. Coupled with a soft warm blanket and a hot cup of tea, rain-watching became a spiritual experience for me, something special between me and God alone, a moment of connection in the peaceful ecstasy of the falling droplets of life.

I hated thunderstorms.

The shattering tear of lightning through the sky, the rumbling ground, the dark clouds that shrouded the world in a short burst of chaotic fury. The roaring winds, the near demonic whistling through the trees, the shriek of thunder and the crackling flashes through the sky.

Ten years ago my father came up behind me during a thunderstorm, and put a heavy hand on my little shoulder. “Imagine it being ten thousand times worse than this.” He said, a smile on his face as he gazed at the downpour. “That’s what Armageddon will be like. This is only a mere fraction of what Jehovah will do.”

“Is Jehovah making the rain scary now?” I asked in the typical childish mindset.

“Yes, Jehovah does all of this, both directly and not.”

My little heart sank, because this was terrifying, and I thought I was supposed to find comfort with Jehovah.

“Daddy, why does Jehovah do scary things?”

“To remind us of his power, so that we fear him.”

“Fear him?”

“Yes.”

“Why does he want us to be afraid?”

My father chuckled. “When Daddy tells you to do something nicely, you don’t always do it, do you?” I shook my little head. “But when Daddy gets his belt, you listen, right?”

I nodded.

“It’s like that, son. This is just Jehovah’s belt, making sure the world knows his sovereignty and never forgets it, even if we claim to.”

He patted me on the shoulder and walked away. 

I’ve been terrified of thunderstorms ever since.

🎅

I was staring at my new work schedule. My first work schedule. Trisha had sent it to me through text.

I told her to give me as much time as she could, that I was ready and willing to work hard.

I had Mom look at the schedule so she’d know when to drop me off at the mall each day. She lowered her eyebrows.

“A lot of these days overlap into your service days, Kai.”

I nodded. “I can do both, I end service around 12, so I can get home, get dressed, and be at work by 1.”

“And then work until 8PM? I don’t want you burning yourself out with your first job.”

“Come on, I can do this Mom!”

“I have no doubt that you can, I’m saying after a couple days of this you won’t want to.”

Dad joined the conversation not long after, walking into the kitchen in his typical buttoned-up attire.

“How’d the job hunt go, Kai?”

“Really good. I start working at the arcade tomorrow.”

“Great!”

“I’m trying to help him balance his work schedule with his service schedule.”

“Always important, and how’s that going?”

She showed him the phone. “With service included he’s gonna be working from 8am to 8pm four days a week. That’s not even including meetings or studies. Can you please explain why that’s a bad idea for someone his age?”

“Well, Kai, you can’t slave for two masters.”

“I’m young and spry though, right?”

Mom patted my head condescendingly. “Yes but you’re not superman. You’re gonna have to either cut back on work hours or cut back on service hours.”

“Well now, he won’t be cutting back on any service hours.”

“Oh come on Tim, he’s more than excelling in service.”

“And it should stay that way, shouldn’t it, Margaret?”

“What about a compromise?” I piped up, “I could do letter writing to make up for any time lost.”

“Well, letter writing is not a replacement, Kai. Don’t you want to go to Bethel someday?”

“You do letter writing too, Dad. I saw a lady with one of your letters out in service the other day.”

“Oh really now?” Dad was intrigued, as far as I knew he never got to interact with anyone he sent letters to before. “What’d she say about it?”

I thought back to that day. “She didn’t say anything about it, just said she got a letter in a yellow envelope after her husband died.”

“Ah, yes, I think I remember her.”

“Well, why can’t I just do letter writing to make up for any service time I miss out on if you can?”

Dad rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged in Mom’s direction.

“Eh, fine. I don’t see why not.”

I was happier than I thought I could be with that. I took my phone back from Mom and informed Trisha that the schedule would be perfect for me.

You asked for a shit ton of hours, glad I could provide.

That night, Dad taught me how to get addresses to send letters to. First, we looked through the obituaries, and any addresses provided to send flowers or mail to, we jotted them down next to the names of the surviving family members.

I wrote them by hand on a sweet flowery letterhead, folded them up and added a brochure before sticking it inside an envelope and slapping it into a pile.

Dad patted me on the back once he was sure I had gotten the hang of it, and he left the room, giving me the freedom to either continue with letter writing or do something else for the night. I decided I’d do just one more, for a Mrs. Henrietta Finkle-Gates who had passed just yesterday.

Survived by her wife, Abigail Finkle-Gates.

I paused.

We share the good news to everyone, right?

But, could I really promise Abigail that she’d see her wife again in paradise if God never approved of their marriage?

I was biting my nails more than I realized.

I went to Dad, showed him the obituary, and asked him what I should do.

“Just move on to the next one, son.” He said, leaving it at that.

But it felt wrong to just decide that this woman didn’t deserve to know God just because she had taken the wrong path in life.

So I asked Mom.

“It’s not your place to judge her heart, Kai. If you feel compelled to write to her, do it.”

So, I did.

I wrote to her about Paradise, about the resurrection hope, about everlasting life in perfect health.

And I didn’t mention Jehovah’s stance on homosexuality once.

🎅

Trisha had her hand on her hip while she watched me wiping snot off the joystick of an arcade machine. I had gloves on, but it was still nauseating me, so I turned around to look at her and caught a cheeky smile on her face. 

"So when's your boyfriend coming around again?" 

My heart jumped at that. "Boyfriend?" 

"The tall guy you're always leaning on and hugging."

"Oh, that's Alan, he's my best friend.” I turned back to the machine and decided it was clean before clarifying, “but we're not dating."

"Ohhh. That's right, JWs don't do the whole same love thing."

"It's very much looked down upon, yeah."

"Don’t you like him that way though?"

"Um, I don't swing that way."

"It's just, guys don't typically get physical with each other unless they're, yanno, dating."

"We're just really affectionate guys."

"Would you be offended if I called bullshit on that?"

"I'm not offended, I just don't see why you think there's something between us."

She was closer now, looking at me head on. "You're not the kind of guy to look people in the eye when they're speaking to you. Nothing wrong with that, but, when he speaks, you look at him, you look him straight in the eyes."

I shrugged, noting that my eyes were anywhere but on hers. "I feel comfortable with him."

"You're telling me you've never once had a romantic thought about him?"

"You kissed?!"

"We were kids though, practicing for girls. It lasted like a second."

"And how many girls have you kissed since then?"

“Well, none, but-”

“So your only kiss ever was with him?”

"Look, I admit Alan and I are pretty close, maybe unusually close. But there's nothing romantic about our relationship."

"What do you feel when you touch him?"

"Idunno, warmth, comfort. Like, home, if home were a person."

"You blind? That's love, kid."

"Well I never think about him naked or being intimate or anything."

"That doesn’t matter. What do you think about then?"

"I think about the future, maybe getting a house together, yanno, a bachelor house. We could both be pioneers and we'd get to spend every day together."

"Is your gaydar this broken?"

"I'm not in love with Alan!"

"But you do love Alan."

"As a brother, yeah."

"You don't see it?"

"See what?"

"You love him."

"As a brother."

"Kid, listen. I was raised Catholic, alright? I know the mental hoops kids in denial will go through to convince themselves that they're not queer. But it catches up to you one day whether you run from it or not, and being authentic is the only way to make sure you're not caught off guard when it does."

"Look, even if there was something between us, we’d never be able to be together anyways.”

“All I’m saying is to look inside your heart and decide for yourself what this is before you walk away from it for the sake of your religion. I’ve seen too many people deny who they love for the sake of the satisfaction of those around them.”

I took a moment to think about what she had said. I concluded pretty quickly that she was crazy; of course I didn’t love Alan romantically.

Didn’t I?

Getting called out on it shined a light on the state of my heart in a way I had never contemplated before.

I adored Alan, sure. I loved being around him and I was sure he felt the same. I felt giddy when I saw him, and sure, maybe I touched him a bit too much.

But I couldn’t help it. He felt like home to me. He felt like the warmth radiating from a fireplace in the dead of winter. He smelled like fresh brewed coffee on a cold morning and hot chocolate in the blizzard of the evening. He looked like the future, he looked like paradise, he looked like the missing half of my soul.

I could feel my heart gently dropping at the conclusion. Was that the only reason I wasn’t allowing myself to admit to this? Had I already sinned within my heart just for contemplating the matter?

And if this was love, what was I going to do about it anyways?

I pictured, for the sake of experimentation, his lips on mine, like they had been all those years ago for a mere second or less.

His lips on mine, his lips caressing my own, kissing me softly, inhaling me while I breathe him out.

That was all it took.

I opened my eyes, my heart racing.

I looked into my own eyes in the reflection of a game’s black screen.

Maybe, I did like Alan.

🎅

Nothing was the same after that.

I was too nervous to even text him after work, feeling like he would somehow be able to tell from my messages alone that I was starting to think of us differently.

My phone’s home screen being of us didn’t help my self accusations. How could you have been this stupid? This entire time you’ve been falling for him. Probably been tempting him too with how oblivious you are.

And if I was in love with him, what did that say about me? I never thought of myself as gay, I’ve always found girls cute, I think. I didn’t really think about girls, or guys, or romance in general. So, what was I? Bisexual? Was there another label for me? Should I even be contemplating a label at all? Was God watching me and shaking his head while I ran circles around my own mind?

Dad would kill me, he’d murder me if he found out his only son had the hots for his best friend. Mom would cry herself into a bottle of wine. My sister would never look at me the same again, the entire congregation would look at me differently if they found out.

Just as I was texting Mom to inform her that I was ready to get picked up from work, Alan messaged me.

Guess who just got Blue Life Destruction II!

I gulped. Alan would be so disappointed with the way I had started thinking about him. 

Don’t let it in, Kai. I let it in, and it’s been eating me alive ever since. 

If only I had listened to him, I thought. But no, I just had to go and make things difficult for myself.

I struggled to even string enough thoughts together to respond to his message.

It’s me, in case you were actually wondering :)

 I wasn’t, but goddamn, he was adorable.

Sweet, wanna bring it over tomorrow?

Tomorrow? What time?

I’m off work tomorrow, so, after service? ;)

Winky face? Come on Kai!

Alright ;)

Shoot, now he was using it too!

I shook my head at the rising heat in my cheeks. I did it, I let it in, just like Alan told me not to. And now I was falling head first into something I couldn’t control anymore.

I couldn’t stop thinking about him as I walked through the mall. Every thought of him made my heart skip a beat, everywhere I looked I remembered us walking through this place, sometimes even holding hands. People probably mistook us for a couple on multiple occasions and I had been none the wiser.

This was my fault, I didn’t struggle with same-sex attraction, Alan did. I just got careless, and now we’re in this mess.

But, was it really so wrong to just be in love with him?

Sure, it might hurt if he went on with someone new, especially if he ended up leaving the truth and dating a man, I’d feel completely betrayed. But in the meantime, would it be wrong just to admit my feelings for him?

It’s Jehovah’s command to never lie, isn’t it? That’s what I’ve been told. Men in the bible had been killed for lying, and I’d certainly be lying if I said I didn’t at least like Alan in a sort of romantic sense.

So, I had to admit it then. I had to admit I had feelings for him, at least to myself.

🎅

I was in the car with Mom, probably looking like a sad broken dog since she kept turning in my direction, each time nearly saying something but each time turning back to the wheel and ignoring the temptation to do so.

Within several minutes, she broke the ice. “What’s getting your goat, kiddo? This ain’t like you.”

I shrugged. “Just, hard day is all.”

“Well, if you wanna talk about it I’m here.”

I sighed. My mom was the one person in my life to always be on my side, and I was blessed to have her. If I could be open and honest about anything with anyone, it would be her.

“Homosexuality is condemned in the bible, right Mom?”

“It is. I’m guessing you heard about the incident with Alan?”

I perked up my ears and turned to her. “Incident?”

“He didn’t tell you?” She looked surprised.

“I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about.”

Mom raised her eyebrows and took a quick breath. “Maybe I shouldn’t tell you then, but, Alan’s mother came over today and asked me for some advice. She had found some… questionable materials in his bedroom. Nothing pornographic, some magazines and the like, featuring, well, men.”

“Is he gonna get punished for it?”

“Probably not. He just needs some counseling.”

“Do you think Alan is gay?” I didn’t know if my mom knew, but I know she didn’t know I knew.

“No, he’s a curious young man, everyone has one moment or another where they wonder what it’s like to indulge a fantasy. We’re human.”

“Mom, what if I was gay?”

She looked a bit surprised, but ultimately kept her cool. “Well, do you think you’re gay?”

“Uh, a little, I guess.”

“A little as in, you think you might be bisexual?”

“Maybe?”

“Well, Kai, no matter what your feelings are, remember that it’s the act that Jehovah condemns, not feelings, not dreams, not even thoughts.”

“But I shouldn’t even think about it, should I?”

“You can’t always control your thoughts, kiddo. Direct yourself away from unclean thoughts but, you don’t have to constantly police your own mind.”

“What if I did, you know, act on it? What would happen to me?”

Her tone suddenly became decently stern, and she turned to look at me, having stopped at a light. “Kai, if you ever act on anything like that, you come talk to me first, alright? Don’t tell your dad first. He doesn’t have… a filter with stuff like that.”

“You saying there's stuff dad does have a filter with?”

“He’s a difficult man, but a good provider. None of us go without because of him. Everyone serves a purpose, Kai.”

Some part of me felt like “he serves a purpose” wasn’t a good look for Dad as a husband, but she didn’t need to tell me twice to keep this newfound desire of mine a secret from him.

🎅

Alan had been whisked away by virtual cowboys, traversing the wilderness of the old west on a massive black and white stallion he just bought since he couldn’t stand to steal one.

His fingers found home on the controller once more. Though the game allowed for mass amounts of violence and destruction, Alan played as a good boy, helping people instead of hurting them and playing more of a vigilante hero than a murderous psychopath.

I’d play the murderous psychopath if he’d let me play, which is exactly why he wasn’t letting me.

Regardless, I respected his privacy, unlike his mom had.

Unlike my mom had, to be fair.

“How was work today by the way?” Alan piped up as he picked virtual flowers in a virtual field.

“Oh, it was fine. My boss slash coworker Trisha had to help a kid climb out of the basketball game cabinet.”

“How’d he get in there at all?”

“Climbed in when nobody was looking I guess. Didn’t get hurt thankfully.”

“Gotta love how unintentionally suicidal kids are.”

“The guy I replaced came in today asking for severance pay, Trisha just kinda laughed him out.”

“The guy who disappeared?”

“Yeah, Trisha was pretty sure he was dead but I guess he just went off on a bender and didn’t even realize how much time passed. Left without any issues though so that ended up being uneventful. What about you, how was your day?”

“Oh, nothing much happened.”

“Oh?”

“Well,” he paused the game, “had a bit of an issue with my mom today.”

“Yeah?”

He tried to wave it off, but didn’t return to the game. Instead he turned to his fingers, suddenly finding a strand of straying skin infinitely more intriguing than the screen in front of him.

“Mom found some pictures under my bed. Pictures I shouldn’t’ve had anyways.”

I already knew what all of this was about of course, but I couldn’t help but to pry a tad. “Pictures of?”

“Men, nothing nude, but men I found… attractive, in one way or another.”

“Oh.”

“It felt like since it wasn’t graphic it was fine but, Matthew 5:28 states that even gazing lustfully at someone means you have committed adultery with them.”

“Well, surely having some pictures of guys under your bed isn’t the same as sleeping with a guy.”

“But Jehovah has stated that it is as bad. That’s what that scripture is saying. I’m a sinful man, Kai. And, I don’t know if I’ll ever be normal.”

Jehovah was speaking through him to me. No matter what Mom had said, gazing at someone with lust was a sin, plain as day.

Alan knew that. I knew that.

So why couldn’t I get him out of my head?

Without thinking much about it, I blurted out, “hey, we haven’t had a sleepover in a while, you know?”

He chuckled and returned his attention to the TV, resuming the game. “We’re a bit old for that, wouldn’t you say?”

“I wouldn’t say. Why not? We got that congregation picnic tomorrow, so you could just ride with us!”

“Well, alright, if your folks say it’s fine.”

“We can walk down to the corner mart, get snacks, binge SPURRED!”

“Heh, would your Mom let us make a pillow fort in the living room?” He was smiling, and I felt good for getting that smile out of him.

“She didn’t mind it ten years ago, I’m sure she won’t mind it now.”

🎅

“Are you boys seriously building a pillow fort in the living room?” She said it with amusement rather than true judgment. She was holding back an erratic chuckle when she caught sight of Alan crouched inside the fort like a caveman.

“Hey, would you rather we grow up too fast, or too slow?”

“Sometimes too fast and sometimes too slow.” She picked up one of her tasseled throw pillows that had unceremoniously dropped to the ground, and tossed it to Alan. “You boys want anything special for dinner?”

“Nah, we’re gonna fill up on sweets and popcorn.”

“Well I don’t want you both sick at the picnic tomorrow so could you at least promise me you’ll eat a vegetable at some point tonight?”

“Do fried mushrooms count?” I asked, turning to her as I laid a big sheet over the pillow towers we had erected.

“They stop counting as vegetables once they’ve been battered and fried, Kai.”

“Fine, we’ll swap popcorn for kale chips, that good enough?”

“Replace candy with fruit and you’ll make me even happier.”

“Not happening.”

She shrugged. “Jehovah can’t say I didn’t try.”

I returned my attention to Alan, who was currently inside the fort, dumping a bag of mixed candies into a big blue glass bowl.

Alan never had much of a sweet tooth, but he knew I did. He knew all my favorites, namely anything containing chocolate or at least tasting like chocolate, and gummies of every shape and flavor.

He was more into the savory; popcorn, chips, and yeah, he even liked the kale chips my mom kept around. He liked pistachios, and sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and almonds. I could hardly stand most of it, but he loved it, and it was vice versa for him as well.

The graphic violence didn’t perturb Dad in the slightest however. Violence only bothered him if it was in a videogame we were playing, and since there was no magic in the show it was pretty much considered fine in this Jehovah’s Witness household.

Alan’s family didn’t feel the same about it though, so we usually only got to watch it together at my place.

More than once as we stayed up into the night, our fingers slid against each other as I’d reach for a kale chip or he’d sneak a candy, and I tried to pretend that my heart wasn’t aching for those moments to last longer than they could.

Maybe a sleepover was a bad idea, at least now when I was trying to figure out what my feelings were for him. Maybe it would have been better if I just sent him home, or told him the truth about my feelings so that he’d know to keep his distance from me physically, but I couldn’t.

I couldn’t lose him. I couldn’t lose his touch, or his presence. I needed him in my life.

The fifth time it happened, I grasped his hand. He looked at me with surprise.

“Sorry.” He tried to pull away, must’ve assumed I just didn’t want him digging in my candy anymore. But I looked at him, looked him in his eyes. I smiled, I caressed his hand with my finger, and I let him go.

“Remember when we were kids?” I asked.

“Sure, doesn’t everyone?”

“Well, specifically, remember when I asked you how do you kiss a girl?”

He chuckled and turned red. “Sure I do, you were convinced that me being a year older than you was a whole lifetime ahead. Like I had all the answers.”

“You acted like you did.” I was smiling wide, fidgeting the fingers that had just held his hand. “Remember when we kissed just to practice on each other?”

He giggled. “We both thought we’d be doing a lot more girl-kissing by now.”

“I really miss being a kid. Didn’t have to second guess things like that the way we do now.”

“What, kissing?”

“Well kinda, back then it didn’t mean anything but now, it carries a lot of weight.”

“Don’t you think it should? I mean, we understand now that it would be wrong of us to do stuff like that.”

“But, how far is too far? We hold hands and hug and stuff.”

“Yeah, but, it’s platonic.”

I reached for his hand again and looked up at him. “So this, this is fine?” 

He nodded, but he looked torn.

I moved my hand up, to touch his shoulder, then caressed his cheek.

I smiled. He smiled.

I wanted to kiss him.

I didn’t.

🎅

I was awake at the first sight of pale blue bleaching the night sky through the window just outside our fort. It was a sight that never lasted long, always being replaced by the sunrise soon after, then the near permanence of crisp daylight to follow.

This moment shortly before the sun rose was always special to me, probably because I usually slept through it when I could.

Alan wouldn’t be getting up for at least another hour or so, and then he’d be getting ready alongside my family before we headed out to the picnic around 9. It was bound to be a day full of activities with the friends, and I was genuinely excited for it.

But this moment, where he was sleeping peacefully next to me, his hair messy from tossing around on the pillow for the calmer half of the night, his eyes dipped shut and caught in a dream, his breathing gentle and barely audible, I took it in.

I took it and wrapped it around my finger to never forget it. I took in every sensation, my body inches away from him, a resisted instinct deep inside to wrap my arms around him and awaken him with a kiss on his cheek.

Were these feelings always here; calmly condensed under the surface, just waiting for the bottle to pop so they could spill out everywhere like the foam of a fine champagne?

I found it harder to resist my affection for him as the seconds dragged on, each wave of emotion chipping away at the wall I had built around that bottle, breaking in and shaking it up before that cork popped out, audibly, and out poured my love for Alan Rodriguez.

Love, I always knew I loved him, but this was different. And I was having just as much difficulty figuring out how it was different as I was figuring out how it was the same.

I reached my hand out to just gently caress his hair. Soft, so soft I could sleep on it. His hair felt ephemeral, unreal between my fingers. Like I was touching the feathers that made up the wings of an angel himself.

The strands between my digits electrified my veins, I twirled his hair around my fingers and reveled in the feeling of warmth and butterflies that engulfed me like an unholy flame.

I pulled my hand away, scolding myself. 

This would be the death of both of us if I gave in. Alan was probably holding on by a thread, if I fell down with him then it would seal our fate. We’d become brutally inflamed with one another, just as we had been warned before. There would be no turning back if I dived in with him, his blood would be on my hands.

But my sudden regard for righteousness didn’t erase the fact that Alan was still here next to me, still my temptation, still growing like a tumor that feeds off forbidden love. 

They tell you, “if your right eye causes you to stumble, throw it out.” But Alan wasn’t my eye, he wasn’t a body part I could live without. He was what made my life worth living more than half the time.

He was far less of an eyeball, more like a chamber in my heart, pumping life through my veins, beating in tune and keeping me breathing. Losing him would devastate me, losing him would make everything worthless.

I would rather stumble and struggle with my feelings for him than to ever let him go.

🎅

I was excited for the congregation picnic that day.

Was excited. I was excited right up until Nathan Tuppin caught my eye, his hands holding a plate of cookies covered with plastic wrap.

He looked pretty damn excited to see me, though it was likely my sister Loretta behind me who he was more interested in.

“King of Judah! How are you doing on this fine day?”

I gave him a clearly fake smile. “I’m great.” I was pretty great, I had Alan by my side, free food ahead, beautiful lakeside view, life was great.

If only Nathan would leave I’d be perfect.

“And the lovely Lorrie!” He turned his attention to my sister, giving her a hug before introducing himself to my parents. “Mr. and Mrs. Whitman, I don’t believe we’ve had the chance to meet? I’m Nathan Tuppin. I just moved to the hall.”

My mom nodded, my father greeted him with half as much enthusiasm. “Nathan, yeah, I’ve heard about you, what brought you to our hall?”

We were walking alongside him, we were so far away from the actual picnic you’d think Nathan had arrived with us. The guy went on for a bit about how he pioneered back home, was the son of an elder and even that one of his uncle’s was a governing body helper back in Bethel. But he came to our hall after moving in with his grandmother, who was sickly and could only listen to the meetings through the phone.

“Oh! You’re sister Paulson’s grandson!”

“Yeah, I’m helping her a lot right now. She needs assistance with groceries and the like. I make sure the house is clean and help her with letter writing for field service.”

“Oh, Kai just started doing letter writing for the first time, haven’t you Kai?”

“Yep.” I could see the picnic in the near distance, brothers and sisters setting up plates and laying out food on the tables while kids ran around and played with sticks and bubbles and inflated balls. Patricia was tossing a filthy white volleyball to two kids when she turned around and caught my eye, and she beamed when she saw Alan by my side.

“Oh, I could give you some great tips, Hezekiah.” Nathan chuckled at me. I continued to ignore him.

“Don’t mind my brother.” Lorrie piped up, getting closer to Nathan so she could chat him up next. “He stayed up all night watching TV with Alan.”

“Oh man, I miss those days. To be a kid again.”

“I ain’t a kid.”

“Sure, sure.” He laughed, like I actually was just a kid to him. The nerve of that guy.

About twenty feet away, I saw Sister Dearcy getting a coke from the cooler. I quickly said something about wanting to go tell her about my job, and booked it out of there.

Alan followed behind, I waved to Sister Dearcy and the sweet woman made her way onto the grass to meet me.

“Kai! How’s my favorite little brother doing?” She acknowledged Alan. “Sorry, my two favorite brothers.”

“Great! I started working at the arcade!”

“Oh see, child? Prayer does work!”

“You said it, Sister Dearcy!”

“Sister, how’s Professor Mittens doing?” Alan asked, apparently being privy to a pet of Sister Dearcy’s that I didn’t even know she had.

“Oh, it looks like we’re gonna have to put him down sadly. But he’s 18 years old, he’s had a good long life for a cat.” Damn, not only did I not know she had a cat but the poor thing is on its deathbed too.

“Awh, I’ll come see him before he’s ready to pass on then. Mind if I bring him a can of tuna?”

“Bring him whatever you want, dear! I been spoiling him mad since we got the news. We gotta make his last days as enjoyable as can be!”

“I didn’t even know you had a cat, Sister, I’m sorry about him though.”

“Oh, Alan comes by to see him every other Saturday, don’tchu, Alan?”

“Well, I go help with mowing the lawn and picking weeds around the house, Professor Mittens just keeps an eye on me and makes sure I do a good job.”

“And you always do!” She rubbed his shoulder affectionately, I smiled. Alan was so damn sweet. When’s the last time I offered to help the elderly friends in the congregation? I paled in comparison to the kind of man Alan was, in every respect.

I didn’t envy him though. I loved him.

I wished he could love me too, in the same way.

We moved on in the day. After a round of kickball in the field with some other teens and a couple older brothers, we sat down for a snack on the lake, me and Alan and this little blonde kid who wouldn’t stop following us around, little “Jake-the-Cake” as he kept calling himself.

The kid was playing in the water, his mother being far too trusting of us to keep her son out of trouble. But Jake-the-Cake hadn’t caused horrible injury to himself or anyone else yet, so we relaxed and ate our smoked ham sandwiches in tandem.

“The poor Professor.” I muttered out, Alan nodded.

“He’s an old boy, just how things go in this world.”

“You think Sister Dearcy will see him again in paradise?”

He tried not to laugh. “I wish animals could get resurrected. But I guess Jehovah can really only make room for people, can’t he?”

“Yeah, guess it wouldn’t be fair. Least we got each other forever though.”

“Yeah.” He looked at me, happy. I reached for his hand, caressed the top with my palm as we shared that moment of connection, uninterrupted, until…

“You guys ain’t going to paradise.” Jake pointed to us. I scowled at the kid.

“What makes you say that?”

“Cause you’re gay, and gay people don’t go to paradise.”

I moved my hand away from Alan’s. “What makes you think we’re gay?”

“You’re two boys and you’re holding hands, that makes you gay!”

“Quiet down, no need to be saying stuff like that.” Alan gave a hushing motion, hoping he could redirect the kid to less antagonizing things he could be shouting by the lake.

“Gay! GayGayGayGayGayGayGay!” He was on a rampage now, spinning in a circle, hardly understanding the words coming from his own little mouth. “Gay people are gonna die! Gay people don’t get to paradise! Gay people are stupid!”

To my shock, Alan got up, grabbed the kid by the shoulder and knelt down to his level before looking him in the eyes and saying sternly, “that’s not for you to decide. That’s not for any human to decide. Only Jehovah determines who’s going to paradise and who doesn’t.”

“But Jehovah says it’s bad to be gay!”

“And is your name Jehovah?” He nearly stumped him, I could tell the kid was deciding his next words carefully.

“Gay! Gay gay gay!” He ripped away from Alan’s grasp and ran off towards the lake again, tripping on a rock and falling face first into the cold wet below.

His first sounds upon lifting his head up out of the water were not ill-informed ventings about gay people, but a blood curdling cry for his mom.

“Mommy! Moooommy!” He ran back in the direction of the picnic, Alan turned to me and looked ashamed of himself.

I wasn’t too bothered. “Kids are suicide machines, ain’t they?”

“You don’t think I was too harsh?”

“Hey, not like you threw him in the water. He got what he deserved.”

I took a bite of my sandwich. He shrugged. “He’s just a kid, he’s got no clue what he was saying.”

“And you corrected him best you could.” I shrugged right back, and patted my hand down where he had been sitting just a few minutes prior. “You ain’t his mom.”

Alan wasn’t sitting down, he was still standing, holding himself with crossed arms and looking out over the lake.

“Maybe we are a bit too touchy with each other, Kai.”

“Come on, Alan, we’re close friends. Friends can touch each other.”

“But, when we touch,” his breath shook, “it’s not like touching family, or touching a friend it’s more like… Fire.”

My heart started dancing when he said it. “Fire?”

“Warm, inviting but, wrong. Like I’ll hurt you, or you’ll hurt me.”

I put down my sandwich, put the plate to the side, and got up to walk over to him. I wanted to hug him, tell him it was fine, but I didn’t touch him. “You’re my best friend, Alan.”

“And you’re mine too, Kai, but…” He gulped. “You know I’m struggling with my sexuality right now.”

“I would never let things go too far between us.”

“Would you? Because it feels like you don’t want to take this nearly as seriously as you should.”

“I, I trust you though.”

“I know myself more than you do, I know there’s a line and I know if we haven’t crossed it then we will eventually.”

“What are you saying then?”

“I’m saying we need to be careful. About what we do, how it’s perceived by others, regardless of our own feelings. What if we seriously stumble someone?”

“Stumble who? That dumb little kid who doesn’t even know what gay means?”

“We could stumble ourselves, Kai. If we haven’t already.”

I was trying to keep myself from getting upset. I considered just turning around and walking away, but he already started to do that exact thing before I could even respond.

“I love you, Alan.” I said behind his back. I saw him nod from behind his shoulder; I knew it meant he loved me too.

He grabbed his plate from off the bench, and turned to me. “I’m gonna go hang out with the friends, I’ll see you later, Kai.”

“Sure.” I waved goodbye, and returned to my spot on the bench as he walked away. 

My heart was torn nearly in two. I felt like I just got broken up with, the subject of my affection letting me down easy but letting me down regardless.

I looked back at the picnic, Alan was chatting with Patricia, she was holding a can of soda pop and twirling her hair while she looked up into his brown eyes.

I envied her at that moment, because if she fell in love with him then that would be fine, she could be open and honest about her feelings and he could reciprocate them if he was inclined. But I knew he wasn’t inclined, he would never be inclined.

But he was inclined towards me. He felt that fire with me, not with her.

And she could have him if she wanted him. But I couldn’t even speak of my affection for him. It was a sin.

I turned my attention to Nathan, who had paired off with Lorretta somewhere not far from the picnic. They were talking, he was putting a flower in her hair and she was giggling.

And as much as I hated Nathan, he could be with Lorretta. He could hold her hand and kiss her and marry her and that was fine because she was born one way and he was born another way.

And I felt for Alan with far more intensity than I was sure Nathan could have conjured up after meeting my sister only twice, yet if they wanted to, they could get married.

But I could never marry the man I loved, because we were born the same.

[nulliustram-webfiction]

There’s a laundromat down the street from her flat. Xara likes to use it instead of the clanky ones in the basement of her building. Now, watching one of the machines rock back and forth, she was seriously rethinking that decision.

“Are we… supposed to do something?” Another concerned onlooker asked, watching the window fixed into the lid fill up white froth and begin to rock faster.

“Who’s washing their clothes in it?” Xara asked, unable to tear her eyes away from the travesty that was sure to follow. Something better explode.

“It’s a dryer, it shouldn’t be washing clothes.” Someone else answered, a small crowd gathering up at this point, “It just filled up with water on its own and started doing that for no reason.” The dryer landed even harder back onto all four legs with a sharp thud. Steam was pouring out of the tiny gap around the lid, and everyone backed away, bracing for an explosion.

“I- I’ll call a manager.” One of them choked out. A lot more wandered away, muttering about having places to go and stoves to turn off. Only a handful of them remained, all watching intently as the washing machine pulsed and throbbed with whatever demon power had overtaken it.

Several phones were out and filming. Xara should ask them to give her the footage later, because she hadn’t thought to film this before, and now she couldn’t bring herself to look away and set up her camera to get a recording.

All she could do was watch as the pressure built up and up, straining against the lid of the dryer, until finally, it broke.

Steaming hot water gushed out, along with a fleshy, yellowed lump that got washed out along with the strong current. The water spilled everywhere, and the lump being carried along was thrown like a sack at Xara’s feet.

The lump was a girl, dressed in bleached rags and a thin overcoat of faint purple. Her hair was dark black and frayed beyond repair, and there was a sword strapped to her waist. It might have looked intimidating if she wasn’t doing such a good job at impersonating a bag of soaking wet laundry.

Oh, also. A person had just popped out of a laundry.

“…What the fuck?” Someone whispered, still holding their phone to their face.

Xara had no way to respond, still looking down at the girl, absolutely stricken. She was waking up now, wrinkling her nose as she opened bright red eyes, looking up at Xara inquisitively.

“Who art thou?” She asked, accent thick with antiquity.

“What?” Xara squeaked, taken by surprise by the girl’s old-fashioned way of speaking. She was jumping up, easily recovering from whatever had happened to make her end up in that washing machine.

The woman drew her sword, a wild look in her eyes, and everyone immediately gave her a wide berth.

“Woah, lady, put the sword down, and I’m sure we can work this out.” Someone tried to do damage control, but all that succeeded in doing was making her snarl even more.

“I am no lady!” She snapped, whipping the sharp blade from person to person as she took in the scene, anxiety heightening visibly with every passing second.

The manager appeared, ready to deal with the fizzing dryer, only to find herself facing an entirely new problem.

The strange woman with the sword pushed past Xara, her hands strong on her shoulder, and Xara let herself be pushed to the side easily, watching her sprint outside with an air of desperation. For a striking moment, she felt sorry for the woman. In the next, she decided that it simply was not her problem to care about her wellbeing.

So, instead, Xara went home to her apartment, made dinner, and settled in to watch one of her recently acquired CDs. It was a new animated movie, something about sentient rocket ships treating stars like clownfish did sea anemones. She wasn’t certain, but she was excited to find out, considering the movie was now considered to be lost media and-

Something knocked on her window. She did not have a fire escape.

Xara was loathed to turn around, but something compelled her to.

The woman from the laundromat was standing there, wearing jeans, a purple button down, a leather jacket, and also a scowl. In her hand, there was a sword. She knocked on the window again, with such force that Xara immediately got up to open it for her before she decided to break it.

“How’d you get up here-” She started to ask but was quickly interrupted.

“Thou were there.” The woman said, looking intensely into Xara’s eyes, “Thou will answer my questions.”

It was not a request.

This is a beta project. Three extra chapters of it are available on all tiers of my patreon or to anyone who donates to my ko-fi. A full, free series will be developed based on a poll for all my original works that can be found here.

[rsfannan7]

Day Two: Winchcombe to Stanton (A more proper path)

Arriving in Winchcombe, it was just a couple of minutes before we stood at the entrance to our lodging for the night, The Plasterers Arms, an inn that dates back to the 15th century. Plasterers refers to working men who worked in the plaster trade.

We were, the three of us, ready to plop down on our beds for a needed afternoon rest. Alas, the door to the establishment was locked. Looking through the windows, it looked like it was no longer in business. I thought it was a You Gotta Be Kiddin’ Me moment, but after a phone call the proprietress appeared. She had a rather strange bedside manner. A little Frau Blucher, a little Nurse Ratchett, with just a tad of Aunt Bee thrown in. Imagine Cloris Leachman from Young Frankenstein slowly opening the creaking door and saying, “You have ukuleles?” Then she said, “You’ve been here before,” confusing us with the group of ukulele players, our friends from the Carson Valley who had taken the same walk last year. After a bit of chaos, we were escorted to our rooms, followed by a much needed nap of death for a couple of hours.

Finding that dinner was no longer offered at the pub inside our inn, we were informed that there were very few restaurants in Winchcombe, all needing reservations. We got lucky as there was a cancellation at The Lion, a delightful pub in the center of town. We all had fish and chips and a pint (mushy peas, of course). Delicious.

Back at the Plasterers Arms, there was a large pre-wedding party drinking and singing songs until closing. They were really good singers having an absolute ball. I was working on this blog in the bar and enjoying the scene.

The trail to Stanton was only 7 miles, so we decided to sleep in a bit, have breakfast a little later, and tour the nearby Sudely Castle before starting our second day of walking.

Our bodies seemed to have mended for the most part as we sat down to eat. Our proprietress seemed to have changed completely in her manner. She was exceedingly helpful and friendly. Obviously a morning person.

The walk to Sudely was short and the castle, grounds, and gardens were very nice. This castle was the home of Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII. After he died, she remarried Thomas Seymour, had a baby, and died six days later. Thomas Seymour ended up being beheaded, the child disappeared, with the whereabouts of the child lost to history. The castle fell into disrepair for several hundred years before the property was purchased by the Dent family. A complete restoration was started and that family has been associated with the castle ever since. The cost of maintaining the property finally became too much for even this wealthy family, so it was opened to the public to cover the costs. For the past 50 years, the Lady Ashecroft and her family have been in charge. Lots of great history at Sudely. I’m very glad we had the time to experience it.

To get back on the trail to Stanton, we were fortunate that there was a short cut do we did not have to backtrack to Winchcombe.

Most of the route was through rolling terrain through sheep and cow pastures. The weather was great, with a gentle breeze, temperatures in the low seventies, and a more precisely marked path. I wouldn’t say it was easy, but a nice change from the previous day. However, by the time we reached our B&B in Stanton, we were again exhausted.

Stanton is this gorgeous little village of 198 residents. The Vine, our digs for the night was the only place to stay. Housed in a five hundred year old building was a true blast from the past in terms of lodging. No food, no pub, no TV, and bathrooms down the hall. Our host, Louie, has owned the place since the 1970’s.

Once again, a bit of a rest was needed before dinner. On what was supposed to be an easy day of walking, we accumulated 21,000 steps. Upon waking up from a short nap, we found our bodies to be mighty stiff, especially me. Louie has informed us that the only restaurant in town, The Mount Inn, was crazy busy every night, so we were fortunate to get reservations at 6:00. It was located all the way on the other side of town (1/4 of a mile away!). We were a bit late getting started on this short walk and we were walking quite slowly. Our bodies were just beat. Adding to that, the restaurant was at the top of a rather steep rise (we should have guessed this from its name, The Mount Inn). Walking up the last bit, I must have looked like a centenarian to the crowd on the restaurant patio.

In any event, the food and drinks were marvelous, the view spectacular, and we had a great time. By the time we were back snuggled in our beds, we were ready for a good night’s sleep.

To be continued……