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[bttons]

msterchief​:

he lets out a small laugh:    it’s quick,    almost akin to a chuckle,    and surprisingly light given his size,    and he catches it just as quickly as it was let out.    that’s something he’d have been chastised for had he done it in front of anybody else.    ordinary,    he thinks to himself,    that’s funny. 

❝    i suppose so,    sir,    ❞    he composes himself    &    he spends some time looking the other over as he considers the words just spoken.    for a man who often opted to not speak unless he was spoken to    —-    or if it were to make a point    —-    his silence was incredibly loud.    deafening,    some might say.    though it’s not because he’s offended,    and it’s definitely not a case of finding the captain’s comments rude or untimely.    in fact it’s,    arguably,    the opposite.    it was a nice change to have something rooted in humour for once,    even if it were encased in nerves.    the chief hopes that the nervousness isn’t directed at himself    ——     after everything that he’s sure his company has heard,    it’d be hard not to take that into account when conversing    ——     and rather at the clear fact that he stood an entire foot or so above him.    opinions are something he usually wouldn’t care about.    he shouldn’t care about it.    he attempts to lighten the load,    ❝    would you prefer i wear dress uniform next time?    ❞

             his laugh ,    though small ,   is contagious .    he laughs himself ,   which is a rarity ,   and sounds completely foreign from him .    it’s also not like anyone to be able to make him laugh ,   either ,   and were anyone watching they would’ve made a quick note of that .    regardless ,   the comment on the dress uniform does bring him a pause -- one he doesn’t quite realise he’s holding .    a little lost in his own head ,   or something akin to it .   they’re both sharing in awkward silences ,   it seems .    his imagination does run away with him a little bit ,   considering that he knows nothing about what the other actually looks like .   there’s a lot of gaps to fill .    he takes a breath ,   shifts his weight  ( again ) and then makes to speak .

          ❝    would i prefer it ?   well ...    i --   ❞    he clears his throat again .   drat .    words weren’t doing him any favours this evening .    ❝    yes ,   yes ,   i think so .   i would ,    yes .   not that there’s anything wrong with this fine suit of armour of yours ,   very nicely polished .   ❞  

[bttons]

msterchief​:

@bttons​​ ft. the captain,     “goodness. all the rumors about you, and you look… nothing like what i was anticipating.” ➞    prompts for those with a reputation.

if the captain could see him now,    sans the armour,    then he would’ve caught the very brief moment in which the chief’s face falls;    he would’ve noticed,    perhaps,    the way the corner of his mouth twitched trying to form any semblance of a coherent answer,    or the way his eyes linger a little too long on the spot over the other’s shoulder as though he’s too afraid to look him in the eye.    there’s a guilt hidden in there,    somewhere,    &    with it lies a kind of yearning to be more man than machine and it is often left untouched.    it’s an odd feeling    —-     to both be visible and invisible all at once.    he doesn’t really know what to do with it.

so,    he does what he knows to do best    —–     he straightens his back and clears his throat,    he moves his gaze from the patch of grass to his superior,    and he keeps his arms by his side.    this is what he is:    a soldier.    and the captain is just that,    a captain.    there’s nothing more,    and nothing less,    to it.     ❝    sir,    ❞    the chief acknowledges his remark slowly,     ❝     with all due respect,    what were you anticipating?    ❞

           the armour seems like the sort of thing that would do very well on a battlefield .    like a walking tank .    he wonders if it’s unwieldy ,   if it’s hard to walk in or just perform day to day tasks like picking up a pencil .    he suspects in a grip like that that a pencil would probably snap in half .   the captain’s eyes do linger on the other’s hands just for a moment ;    musing on the possibility before he speaks and recaptures his attention .    nobody’s called him sir for a very long time .   it’s a nice reminder that he does ,   indeed ,   deserve some semblence of respect .

         the question does give him a pause ,   though .    his mind blanks .    not completely ,   but certainly there are gaps where useful & appropriate responses would be .  ❝    well -   i ...     ❞     he clears his throat ,    squeezes his hands together behind his back ,   and shifts his weight from one foot to the other and back again .    ❝    i --   i didn’t anticipate that you’d be so ...   so tall ,   for starters .    i rather thought you’d look a little more ...       ordinary ?     ❞

[bttons]

kitty + humphrey

[bttons]

thoughts on if i also wrote fanny and robin and julian and the plague girl

[bttons]

sentence   starters   based   on   w.   eno’s   lady   grey,   in   ever   lower   light.   adjust   as   needed.  

❝ look at you: ghost-pale with life and your own terrible secret. ❞

❝ you seem nervous, so why don’t i start. ❞

❝ there’s something impossible about it, something very soft and real. ❞

❝ i’ve cursed people before. it never seems to stick. ❞

❝ you’re beautiful in a very general way. ❞

❝ do i gather from your polite lack of response that we have some kind of understanding? ❞

❝ take a moment out of your busy life to admire me. ❞

❝ you understand what it means to be human. ❞

❝ i’m with you in your anger, your disappointment, your whatever. ❞

❝ there is nothing we need to pretend. ❞

❝ i’m like last saturday. cold, cloudy, over. ❞

❝ do i seem familiar? ❞

❝ i was desperate and confused. i will be again. ❞

❝ i made the most of silence, and filled it with fantasies of betrayal and hate. ❞

❝ you have nice eyes. dark and sparkling. compelling, up to a point. ❞

❝ there are different kinds of silence. the silence before someone is going to say something. the silence before someone isn’t. ❞

❝ people come and go: this is a minor loss, comparatively. ❞

❝ i like drama. you too, i can tell. ❞

❝ a face such as yours… so tragic around the mouth. ❞

❝ and here i am, left not knowing what to say, stripped of my previous meaning. ❞

❝ it was nice to be held. to not feel alone. ❞

❝ i don’t know what you want from me. ❞

❝ you do look nice, in this very low light. ❞

❝ it hurts all the time but this hurts differently. ❞

❝ a little sympathy, do i sense from your silence? ❞

❝ i can sing, if you made me - if you, you know, point a knife at my throat. ❞

[bttons]

CLASSICAL HORROR STARTERS.

‘   it’s alive! alive! arrrhhhh, now i know it is really possible!   ‘

‘   it’s a monster, shoot it!  ‘

‘   it’s alive! it’s alive! ‘

‘   crazy, am i? we’ll see whether i’m crazy or not.  ‘

‘   there are far worse things awaiting man than death.   ‘

‘   if she dies by day. but i shall see that she dies by night. ‘

‘   i will find your earth-box and drive that stake through your heart.   ‘

‘   listen to them. children of the night. what music they make.   ‘

‘   blood is life! blood is life!   ‘

‘   i am going far away to the land of robbers and ghosts.   ‘

‘   you must go further, the werewolf haunts the woods!   ‘

‘   you have hurt yourself… your precious blood!  ‘

‘   after my first night in the castle, i found two large bites on my neck.  ‘

‘   we who are of noble blood may not follow the wishes of our hearts.  ‘

‘   awaken for a moment from your dark night.  ‘

‘   never ask him to tell your fortune; it will mean death for you.  ‘

‘   we belong dead!  ‘

‘   to a new world of gods and monsters! ‘

‘   you think i don’t know the difference between a wolf and a man? ‘

‘   you’re insane! i tell you, i killed a wolf! A PLAIN, ORDINARY WOLF! ‘

‘   it isn’t a wolf… it’s a werewolf!   ‘

‘   whoever is bitten by a werewolf and lives becomes a werewolf himself.  ‘

‘   now let it be war upon you both.  ‘

‘   anywhere you go, let me go too!‘

‘   you alone can make my song take flight! it’s over now the music of the night!  ‘

‘   share each day with me each night, each morning. ‘

‘   that fate which condemns me to wallow in blood has also denied me the joys of the flesh.   ‘

‘   let your soul take you where you long to be. only then can you belong to me.  ‘

‘   demon, eh? well, it’s no more far-fetched than your gillman. ‘

‘   the boys around here call it “the black lagoon” - a paradise. ‘

‘   mother! oh, god, mother! blood! blood!  ‘

‘   we all go a little mad sometimes.  ‘

‘   what have you done to it?! what have you done to its eyes?!  ‘

‘   what names you give things!   ‘

‘   i have no soul. i’m beyond the pale. i’m one of the living dead!  ‘

‘   you cannot conquer it. it has conquered you! ‘

‘   things one can’t do, are the ones i want to. ‘

‘   i shall not dwell today on the secrets of the human body, in sickness and in health. ’

‘   today i want to talk to you of a greater marvel: the soul of man!  ‘

‘   sometimes a doctor must hurt you a little to make you well, right?  ‘

‘   you have no interests in science at all!  ‘

‘   it’s only a bruise. it will be quite well in a few days. ‘

‘   i beg your pardon, sir. i thought i heard a strange voice.  ‘

‘   thou wast not born for death, immortal bird! no hungry generations tread thee down. ‘

‘   if you could see me now, what would you think? ‘

‘   zombies!  ‘

‘   you must bring her back.  ‘

‘   not dead? are you mad? i saw her die. ‘

‘   the doctor signed the certificate. i saw them bury her. ‘

‘   for you, my friend, they are the angels of death. ‘

‘   they are not men, they are dead bodies.  ‘

‘   before we get through with this thing we may uncover sins that even the devil would be ashamed of.  ‘

‘   i felt her deadly cold breath on my throat. i must have fainted. i knew no more.  ‘

‘   we all thought our vampire scheme was so simple, so certain of success. ‘

‘   it is the darkness. here, our doors are protected with bat thorns..  ‘

‘   a dead white face with burning eyes, and a ghastly wound on his head! ‘

‘   this vampire business, it has given me a great idea for a new act.  ‘

‘   she must’nt die! you understand?  ‘

‘   i realized the power i held, the power to rule, to make the world grovel at my feet.  ‘

‘   and if you try and escape by the window, i shall follow you. ‘  

‘   my darling… i failed. i meddled in things that man must leave alone.  ‘

‘   there’s a way back, you fool. there must be a way back!  ‘

‘   one day, i’ll tell you everything. there’s no time now. ‘

‘   some man is in there with a stake through his heart.  ‘

‘   she’s under a spell that can be broken only by me… or death.  ‘

‘   i haven’t been down in the sewer in a hundred years.  ‘

‘   now, what’s a beautiful girl like you doing calling for help?  ‘

‘   please, spare me the painful details. we haven’t a moment to waste! ‘

‘   i don’t mean to be nosy, but what is the purpose of this machine?  ‘

‘   this is written with the reddest ink i think i have ever seen… ‘

‘   i haven’t been this insulted since the day i died!  ‘

[bttons]

obriliant​:

❝    got everythin’ i’d ever need in here    ——    apart from my sonic,    i keep that in my pocket.    easier to get to ‘n all that,    especially when i’m in a bit of trouble.    it saves havin’ to faff about tryin’ to save the planet with a banana again.    ❞    she shrugs.    it’s an easy mistake to make when your favourite accessory also happens to be the home of some of the most useless pieces of garbage in the cosmos.

❝     i’ve got a few problems in there of my own:    like unfinished jigsaw puzzles,    a rubiks cube,    so on ‘n so forth.    so    ——-    fancy tellin’ me what’s up?    otherwise you’re gonna have to talk to the bag,    mr.    butcher.    ❞

           ❝    you saved a planet with a banana ?    ❞    he leans forward ,    rather hoping to hear the rest of the story -------------- but there she goes talking about problems again .    he figures he likely won’t get the story now if he doesn’t talk .    it feels like an interrogation ,    like he’s killed someone or accidentally stole a cat .    the bag just feels like a threat .    imagine it !    ridiculous .   a grown man talking to a bag because he can’t discuss his feelings with a person .   no ,    he’s better than that .

       ❝    i can’t finish jigsaw puzzles anymore .   i used to like those ,   y’know ?    landscapes were my favourite .    or trains .    a thousand pieces usually .    it’d be nice to be able to do them again ,   especially now that i’m dead .   it’s an easy way of passin’ the time .    instead i’m spending day in and day out trying to think of fun activities to make the days more bareable ,   but what am i gonna do when i run out of ideas ?    i’ll go insane trying to keep everyone from killin’ each other ------ again .    ❞

[bttons]

guttersniper​:

mutt shrugs, settling his weight back and sitting down. he brings his legs up to his chest, and places his chin on his knees. “ just to pass the time. – i’ve always liked doing it. counting things, and the like. noticing patterns. memorizing things. “ it’s all he has to do some days. “ i do take walks. but i also know that thomas paced sixteen times between ending his first stanza and starting the second. and that julian hummed some song called pony three different times. the broken mirror has thirty-two different sections. and that the floor’s creaked twenty-three times since i’ve been talking to you 'cause alison and mike are rearranging the furniture for some sort of community meeting. “

a beat. his eyes narrow, a mite judgmental. he’ll have to keep an eye out for that. for humphrey. even if it is stupid. an observation’s an observation. “ you’ve got an interesting perspective. “

          again ,   he would be nodding if he could .   mutt has all of these nonsense calculations ,    observations ,   even more than he has .    which is saying something .    there’s some things that humphrey will count and measure ,   so he knows which side of the house people are on ,   their gait and pace and the sound of the floorboards so he knows who is who without even having to open his eyes .   but the broken mirror and the counting of the creaking just seemed a bit much .    what was the point ?   was he worried the floor was going to fall apart ?   it would be a fair enough worry ,   considering ...   

              when mutt has finished speaking humphrey can’t help but take a short pause .    lips pursed .   he can see the slight judgement in mutt’s expression ,    but he doesn’t think much of it .    he’s more distracted by the accusation .    his interesting perspective .     ❝    yeah ,   i’m on the floor ,    mate .     ❞     he quickly raises a brow in suggestion .    ❝    you should try it down ‘ere some time ,    it’s like a different universe .     ❞

[bttons]

aleximedicus​:​

lewis had never entirely been able to put his finger on why he got on so terribly with thomas. part of it, perhaps, was due to the man’s insufferable arrogance; lewis had never liked poets at the best of times, and self-important ones were the worst of the bunch. but perhaps, in the end, his penchant for annoying the man lay less in any genuine dislike and more in the fact that riling him up was really quite satisfying. in life, there had been few things lews liked better than a good argument, and death had not changed that. 

“ i have not even said anything, mr. thorne. ” with an air of condescending nonchalance, the surgeon settled into one of the armchairs. “ i have just as much right to use this room as you do. if my mere presence offends you so, you are welcome to leave. ”

          he sighs ,   deeply ,   tragically .   eyes rolling as he leans back dramatically in his seat .    his head leaned against the window .    he’s quite used to the people in this household entirely disregarding the importance of his work ,    nevermind his own wishes and desires .    it doesn’t matter that lewis has said nothing ,   because it is his very presence that disturbs his thought .    he simply cannot focus !    he would understand that were he in any way an artist himself .

         ❝     why are you even here ?    you could use any other room you wished .   and besides !    i was here first .    ❞

[bttons]

aleximedicus​:

out of all the ghosts in the house, lewis had to confess that he favoured the captain’s company the most. they were the same sort of men, in temperament: stern, exacting, methodical, and dedicated to their respective professions, even in death. they understood each other, lewis felt. that did not mean, of course, that lewis was necessarily inclined to share much of his thoughts and feelings with the captain — he never was, with anyone — but it meant that they could at least be comfortable together when neither of them said very much. 

“ is there ever? ” with a muted sigh, he turned aside from the window, crossed the room, and settled down in the armchair across from the captain. unlike the soldier, his posture was anything but refined; he sprawled out low in the seat, legs akimbo, arms dangling, head lolling up to stare at the ceiling. “ pat says there is to be another wedding reception, next week. what fun. ” 

         the captain lingers at the window even when lewis has moved away from it .    there’s always the little things to appreciate ,    like the stars ,   or the moon ,    the freshly cut grass and the more recently trimmed hedge that he does admire for it’s exactness .   the little things .    it’s what they rely on to get by .     sometimes that’s all there is when you’re dead ,   so the big things always seem so much bigger than they are .    like weddings .    that’s something he never really thought he’d enjoy until after he snuffed it .    a little smile finds his expression ,   though lewis wouldn’t be able to see it from where he’s sat .

           the sarcastic response from lewis on the subject ,   though ,   does make him hesitant to express his own enthusiasm over the matter .   he just hums quietly ,   he nods ,    and glances over his shoulder at the other man before he deigns to speak again .    ❝    now ,   come on man ,   it’s not that bad ,   surely ?    you sound in need of a new hobby .    ❞  

[bttons]

who wants to kiss a ghost

[bttons]

[bttons]

aleximedicus​:​

at times, lewis really quite enjoyed the games, as much as he might fail to display much enthusiasm. the ghosts of button house were an odd bunch, but they had knitted themselves into a family throughout the years — and even more so since alison and mike had arrived. every so often, however, the company of that family grew almost painful. the warm sense of camaraderie bled away, leaving the cold, empty sense of loss and the ache of those who were no longer there. in those moments, lewis preferred solitude. 

leaning his shoulder against the frame of the window, he stared out at the winter landscape, never glancing behind himself at the captain. had he been alive, he thought, his breath would have fogged the windowpane; it was almost unsettling, to see no change. after nearly two hundred years of death, some things were still strange. 

“ — no. i tire of them. ” some part of him, still aching, wanted to voice the reason. instead, he merely shrugged. “ you must tire of them too, i gather. ”

            he watches lewis as he stares out of the window ,    he can see the sort of longing in his posture .    the thoughts that must be plagueing his mind .    it’s plainly obvious .   though he makes no comment on it .   he simply takes a few steps over to join him by the window .    it is very white outside .    snow ,   dangerous sheets of ice ,   the whole lot .    winter used to be an enjoyable time .    snow ball fights ,   snowmen ,   and the like .    now it’s just cold .

                     ❝    sometimes ,    yes .    ❞      he answers ,    posture straight as he glances at the man and then back out of the window once more .   he wouldn’t do away with the games entirely ,   they do fill the day --------- even if it’s filled with nonsense -------- what else is there to do ?   save for standing and staring out of windows .   the captain clears his throat .     ❝    much to see ?    ❞      

[bttons]

3x01 - the bone plot

[bttons]

What with you being– and I mean this with all the love in the world, Cap… dead.

[bttons]

guttersniper​:

anyone else might’ve conceded to cap’s point. he was, after all, a soldier. (mutt is, too, in a different way, which might be why they’re having this argument in the first place.) a veteran of a war that ended seventy-some years ago. mutt knows good and well what killed boys back then, young and inexperienced and drafted – sepsis, gunshot to the head, abdomen, or important artery in the leg, bombing, disease, the list goes on. 

but he’s gone none of those things. and he’s not some wet behind the ears, youthful, patriotic lad whistling kiss me goodnight, sergeant major moments before he’s another statistic, another telegraph man telling a family their son is gone. 

he bristles, ignores the way his new bruises ache when he moves too fast, or the way he’s in danger of opening the cuts back up. “ who’s to say i picked it? not every fight i get into is my fault. – it’s not like you can help me, anyway. “ he looks – hurt underneath his ire, and prays it isn’t too noticeable. 

                no ,   the captain can’t help -- that much is true .   at least in terms of patching him up ,   repairing the wounds .    he can’t touch ,   he can’t even feel .   but that doesn’t mean words of advice should be ignored .   maybe they’re both on their high horses ,   a little too arrogant to accept that there might still be something more to learn .    but he knows there is value in one thing ;   retreat .    it doesn’t make a man any less to know when he’s beaten .   

     he didn’t make captain just by surviving ,    but helping others survive ,   too .         ❝    if you have the option to walk away and you don’t take it then it’s very much your fault .     ❞    he states firmly ,   at which point pat decides is a great time to intervene .                   pat steps forward ,   hands outstretched ,   palms up in a mode of surrender .    he’s not experienced war but he’s quite familiar with people acting like children .   it’s very similar .

            ❝    i think what the cap’s trying to say is that he’s worried 'bout you .     ❞    he does say this with a pointed stare at the captain that speaks more than he actually verbalises .    a glare telling him not to interrupt .    the captain only shifts his weight .   and then after a brief moment ,   he nods .             pat continues .     ❝    we all are .    like you said ,   we can’t ‘elp you when you’re hurt .    if something does happen which i hope it doesn’t ,   but if it does ,    we’ll just be stuck watching .     ❞

[bttons]

guttersniper​:

@bttons​ said: "i don’t think you know much about fighting if you let yourself get knocked about and cut up so badly.“ omggg from cap

the chronicles of prydain. accepting!

he likes cap. truly, he does. but the words bristle his spine, snap his eyes hard as stone. “ who’s the dead one? “ he swats pat away, quickly grumbles that he’s not one of his stupid boy scouts, and turns back to the captain. “ fuck off and talk to someone else from your high horse. “

          words are harsh and undoubtedly heartless .    he at least recognises that perhaps he hit a nerve ,   but was it deserving of a reminder of his death ?     given patrick’s almost protective response   (  which he doesn’t see a lot of ,   considering he likes to think of himself without the need for such conservation  )   he would argue that no ,   it wasn’t deserving of such a sharp retort .     ESPECIALLY SINCE HE ONLY MEANT HIS OWN STATEMENT TO BE AN OBSERVATION .    he had intended to offer some encouragement --------- help ,   maybe ,   training in experience .     ❝    now--   now ,   look here ----     ❞   he starts ,   with only a brief interruption from pat .

                                              ❝    yup ,   here we go .     ❞   there’s a sigh from the scoutmaster as he resigns himself to simply watching the relative peace shatter .    he could’ve seen this coming from a mile away .    in fact ,   he had .    and despite trying to prevent it ,   he only fell victim to the same sharpness of attitude that the captain had .   

               ❝    how dare you speak to me like that ?    yes ,    i’m dead ,    that gives me the perspective of a man who knows what kills people .    i’ve seen a lot of boys die from cuts and bruises ,    especially boys who pick their fights willy nilly .     ❞