gloomnivore

[gloomnivore]

[gloomnivore]

𝖇𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖈𝖋𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍.

there’s a small hum, and she takes a sip of the wine. “some would think that living multiple lifetimes on this earth would be a bore, but really it’s just endless possibilities. i don’t want to turn to ash and become a star,” there’s a pause. “some say the stars stare back, watching our adventures, acts of leadership.” her eyes glance back at the man. “and the fundamentals of love.. sad that they cannot have the same experiences.” there was still more to learn, more to leave behind. a coven can fall just as quickly as it’s settled. plus there were things she still needed to handle, her twin being one of the most important matters. setting the glass of wine back down, the witch raised her hand to meet his. “i’m lilith.” there’s a heaviness in the air, and lilith could almost taste it. weigh on her shoulders, carrying her down the rabbit hole.

              “ endless possibilities, with at least half of them ending in misery. ” he sighs, the cynicism coming out early in the conversation. he wasn’t always this way ━ but vanessa’s disappearance had changed him. moreso than he’d realized. “ i think becoming a star is too romantic of an ending for everyone. it’s more likely we all just die and turn to dust in the ground. ” a blank stare at her words ━ he’s never viewed the world through rose-colored glasses. cynicism and nihilism were there from the beginning, of course, but worsened by the disappearance of a wife and and a daughter’s withdrawal. he takes raised hand, shaking it firmly. “ pleasure to meet you. richmond. ”

[gloomnivore]

A friend of mine once wrote that sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. 

[gloomnivore]

𝖇𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖈𝖋𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍.

a bubble of laughter comes out of the demons throat, and he has to close his mouth. “sorry, but the church is my life. and quite literally my home as well.” the priest did have a room in the back, small and bare. but it had been enough for the human. but zalgo hardly allowed that pitiful man sleep, the dark lines under his eyes were proof. he didn’t necessarily need sleep, but the body tended to break down without it. a downside to body snatching, a shame that his true form wasn’t strong enough to walk up top. the polite smile he wears, falls at the mention of demonology. he hadn’t hoped to get caught this early on in his crusade. “your questions would be better answered in the vatican, or at least by someone who works in the field of exercising demons.” forced smiles back, the priest shrugs. “we’re a small town, the only demons we have are the personal ones. alcoholism, drug use, violence.” sighing, he wipes a hand across his brow. “but i’ll try to answer those questions, only the ones i remember from my own learning.”

              “ ah, of course. i’d forgotten a priest would have to live on the premises. ” he notes dark shadows under the eyes of the priest, and wonders if there’s something more happening. the unsettling feeling is crawling up his spine again, but he pushes it down again, desperate for more. he shakes his head, loose black hair falling in his face before he pushes it back once more. “ i have no interest in what the vatican has to say ━ their policies and practices are easily found with a google search, or studies of religion. i’ve done my share of speaking with them. ” a beat, as the other finishes. “ there are rumors that this church has done ... more. ” voice drops, softens. “ i don’t believe them myself ━ while it’s a field of study, i’ve no personal experience to prove there is the existence of demons and witches and the like. i’m purely interested in what you may have learned, and what applications if may have here. ” thoughtful expression, and when the priest concedes, there’s a flicker of a smug smile, barely noticeable. “ i appreciate your help. now ... have you ever been part of an exorcism before ? ”

[gloomnivore]

war of the coprophages, the x files

[gloomnivore]

𝖉𝖎𝖆𝖇𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖊𝖘.

summer had never been teddy’s priority. even when he was much younger: while most kids counted down until the days of sun burning your back and ice cream dripping down your chin, teddy’s routine hardly changed, except more boredom was added into the mix. with all the most academic of extracurriculars suspended from june ‘till august — chemistry club in elementary school, student council in middle school, both once he was in eden in the tail end of high school, among many others — he spent most of his time bored & alone. now he had sawyer at least, though his activity options were now severely limited again by … well, his anxieties surrounding being dead. 

so being a teaching assistant it was. bachelor’s under his belt and professors liking the fact that he was consistently   (   arguably, anal-retentively   )   on time and serious about his work, it was easy enough to get a job for the first-half of the summer semester. not half bad for a stipend and unlimited dining swipes. and credit, not that he needed it — full course load might as well be teddy’s middle name. it’s the second benefit that sits him where he is now. he can’t eat still, at least not food — though he’s been starving to the point of discomfort for days now. being around it is rough, the aroma of things he used to enjoy having seemingly taunting him. but it is the quietest building, the once rowdy noises of mealtimes at summer considerably quiet under the hum of summer heat — at least compared to the student center, still holding plenty of events. 

he’s shocked up from a paper he’s looking through by a familiar voice, and his stomach, still rumbling, sinks. it’s not that he doesn’t like professor spellman — in fact, he was one of teddy’s favorites … but he is sitting silently in a dining hall with no food in front of him, in the middle of the summer. though explanation is quick — i’m working, true. i’m not hungry and am very much still alive, lie — it still ties a knot in his stomach.   “   oh ! uh — hi p-professor. school’s … g-going great.   ”    fingers move to fiddle with red pen.   “   i’m sh-shadowing at the high school. or … was. they j-just let out for summer.   ”

                 richmond is never very social. in fact, he often finds himself avoiding people, as if to minimize all interactions. he was a lonely man, but lonely was what he preferred. he doesn’t know why he’s initiated conversation with the former student ━ maybe it was because, out of all the students he’d had that semester, teddy had been his favorite. always engaged, and a very bright student ━ always asking the exact questions richmond wanted his students to ask.

              “ my apologies, if i startled you. it wasn’t my intention. ” he says with a small smile. not often that he gives one of those out ━ lips, curled in genuine humor and kindness, almost change how he looks completely. stoicism gone, for a moment. “ congratulations are in order, then. are you doing anything in the interim ? ” he quickly realizes that this may end up being a longer conversation than he’d intended, and chicken salad in hand is slowly growing warmer. “ mind if i join you ?  ” he questions, gesturing towards former student’s table. he quickly notices lack of food, and another apology comes quickly. “ oh, you’re working. my apologies, then. ” he steps back, preparing to seat himself at another empty table ━ after all, there are plenty around.

[gloomnivore]

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

[gloomnivore]

              starter for @hellrisen.

              the past follows.

              this isn’t news, of course. richmond is well-aware he can’t outrun the past, though it’s not as if he’s trying to. if anything, some would say he’s chasing his past, looking for something no longer within his reach. it doesn’t help, that he’s circling ━ feeling like what he’s looking for is just outside of what he can see. every lead keeps leading him back to the same place ━ same person, same moment, without answers. 

                 he hopes that revisiting his tapes will help ━ his ‘ proof ’ that the paranormal and supernatural don’t exist. except they’re more like the lack of proof ━ they’re experiences that he just can’t explain. 

                 doorbell rings, and he’s startled awake. an old vhs tape plays on the tv ━ he’d fallen asleep, watching the tape he’d brought to vanessa when they’d first met. he stands quickly, ejecting it and placing it back on the shelf in it’s case. he doesn’t want the company that he knows is beyond his front door to see the tape ━ an unfair reminder of their trauma.

                 he approaches the door, pulling it open. “ muriel. thank you for coming by. ”

[gloomnivore]

            starter for @diabhales​.

               teaching summer courses has never been his favorite thing. college students who want nothing more than to be sitting on a beach have no use to him in a classroom setting. they never absorb the information given to them, instead letting in float in one ear and out the other. this is obvious from the papers he’s grading ━ a child psychology class’ attempt at explaining childhood ptsd to him. he thinks some of these students just googled it, or took the info off of some other internet site. 

                 he sighs, pushing glasses up his nose and placing the paper he’s currently reading back on his desk. he needs a break. or maybe, more dedicated students. maybe both. he’s just grateful he’s not teaching demonology during the summer ━ he’s sure he’d have a kid telling him all about the demons he’s run into. or intro to religion, where he’d have some reverend’s kid telling him no, actually about some biblical text. at least psych students are fairly easy to deal with.

               he stands, grabbing keys to his office and locking the door as he leaves, headed towards the dining hall. there’s a slight breeze ━ unusual in louisiana in late june. but it’s nice, and he’s thankful for the fact that he’s rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. the air conditioning unit in his office has been broken for a week, and apparently everyone’s just been ‘ too busy ’ to come by and fix it.

               he pushes the set of glass doors open, stepping inside the nicely air-conditioned student center, and makes his way to the dining hall. he doesn’t eat there often ━ the prospect of running into students usually dissuades him ━ but it’s summer, and he’d heard a rumor that chicken salad was on the menu. so he nods a the teen swiping ids, hands her a five, and walks towards the line. 

              he’s standing in silence while he waits when he sees a familiar face walking in his direction. an easy nod at the former student is all he intends, but then he finds himself wanting to ask about grad school, and thus he does. “ teddy ! how are classes ? grad school treating you well ? ”

[gloomnivore]

𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖜𝖆𝖑𝖐𝖎𝖓𝖌.

         ❝ hey, you! ❞ a good a start as any to a conversation, right? ❝ you look strong enough. what do you say to helping me out with some landscaping? i’ve got beer and some extra cash, if that sweetens the deal. ❞ a pause. ❝ i figure there’s nothing else to do around here, and i’ve been itching for a nice pond. ❞

               a brow is raised at the ... unique way of starting conversation. the man doesn’t look particularly familiar ━ though richmond has to admit that he doesn’t know the faces of most people in town, aside from his students. despite living there for a year and a half, the man doesn’t get out much. not until ... recently. “ i’d argue you’re shaping this out to be a bit of a shady deal, but if it all comes down to a pond for yourself ... ” pause, and he takes a moment to think. it wouldn’t ... hurt to try and befriend the people of eden. and maybe he’d get some information about vanessa out of it. hopefully. “ alright, i’ll help. richmond. nice to meet you. ”

[gloomnivore]

𝖇𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖈𝖋𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍.

the gardens would be full again, the fast approaching summer, the heat nearly there. if things weren’t in stock, then she would fall behind on work. and a frantic sweaty coven just wouldn’t do. simple things really, the heart of a virgin, a sinners hands. luckily the town had an endless amount of what she was looking for. she just couldn’t be picking from the same tree, so it’s been exactly a week since she last came to the rundown bar. eyes already seeding out who would do, and who she would do. eyes keep finding themselves on the face of a man, only partially seen between the shadows and the dim lights.

lilith doesn’t know everything, or even very much of anything. just there were feelings you don’t quite shrug off. making her way towards him, an old saying tickled at her tongue. and by the time she had made herself aware to him, she no longer could swallow it. speaking calmly, cat like eyes eating up every emotion he portrayed. which was very little, in fact none at all. putting on a small fake smile, she shifted in the stool. “perhaps in our past lives.” she turned as the bartender came back around, and ordered herself some wine. “do you mind having company?” a little too late to ask now, but she wouldn’t be moving.

               he won’t deny that she’s a beautiful women. that much is as clear as day. but still, a stoic mask remains in place, face barely shifting as he meets cat-like eyes. “ if you believe in those, ” he says with a slight nod. the woman sits, and it’s clearly too late and only meant as a formality when she asks if he’d like company. so instead he shrugs, taking another sip of his whiskey in place of words. as the bartender approaches with the woman’s wine, he gives him a quick nod, and soon he’s handed another glass of alcohol. he doesn’t drink it right away, however, instead electing to raise a brow at the woman drinking beside him. “ do you mind if i ask for a name ? wouldn’t want to be rude. ” moreso, he’s been looking for a woman that’s supposedly a witch ━ no luck on that name though. only a vague description and several promises that she’d end up being more than he’d bargained for. which he was sure would be true ━ if he actually believed the woman to be a witch. which he didn’t, of course. it’s all just fairy-tales to scare children into sleeping.

[gloomnivore]

𝖇𝖔𝖗𝖓𝖈𝖋𝖉𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍.

the words escape their cursed mouth so fast, the demon completely forgetting whose body he stole. the whole myth of demons not being able to enter holy land was fucking lies. it was uncomfortable, like little pins prickling his skin, his real flesh. but he needed to block out all that discomfort, needed to melt into the shadows and not call unwanted attention. one doesn’t need to be a demon to see all the nasty things that crawled through town. he was going to have so much fun with this, but first he needed to get comfortable. 

“oh, well i-i just. we don’t usually get people coming in at this time of day.” sweat rolls down his neck, “but of course, everyone is welcome in” he can taste ash on the back of his tongue. “god’s house. forgive me.” he wants to spill ugly thoughts in his head, the suffering. oh the suffering. “did you only come to pray?” he creeps in closer. taking a seat one in front of the man, hoping for anything. wanting any information, he could bury a nasty thought in this mans head.

            “ my apologies, then. if i surprised you. ”  a slight nod in the other’s direction, though he quickly realizes that the other can’t see him. the voice sounds male, which is ... unsurprising, in a church. “ no, ” he admits. “ not to pray at all. just to think. ” he shifts in the seat, the wood uncomfortable. “ actually, i hadn’t anticipated anyone being in here, really. or around, at least. ” he stands, walking out to the pews in the front of the church. he hears the other follow him, and then they both sit ━ the priest one in front of him, though turned to face him. a thoughtful look crosses richmond’s face, though it fades quickly, stoic mask firmly back in place. he’s not sure he’s willing to share his search for vanessa with a priest ━ though he wonders if the priest will share anything with him. “ i’m a professor, at the college. i’ve worked in a few different studies, but lately my work has been focused in demonology. since we’re both here ... ” he trails off, then continues. “ i wondered if i could ask you a few questions, when it comes to the church and their practices regarding demons. ”

[gloomnivore]

Keanu Reeves as John Constantine in Constantine (2015)

[gloomnivore]

[gloomnivore]

🥀 — ( KEANU REEVES, CISMALE, HE/HIM ) You’re looking for RICHMOND SPELLMAN? Town as small as this, you’re bound to find them — the FOURTY-FIVE year old HUMAN and university professor with an unadulterated love for COFFEE, NOVELS, and RADIO SHOWS is easy to spot. With LED ZEPPELIN’S STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN set as the soundtrack of their stroll, everyone can see clear as day that they’re ARROGANT, and yet CHARMING. I just hope you’re finding them for the right reasons … 

hello ! i’m fox, i’m twenty-three, i use they/them pronouns, and i’m in eastern standard time. this sexy mans is richmond spellman, who’s heavily inspired by richard strand from the black tapes podcast.

richmond’s wife vanessa went missing about 15 years ago, 5 years after they got married. she just ... disappeared. he has no idea if she’s alive or not, but he’s been searching for her ever since. mans just wants answers ! they had a kid, who lives with richmond’s brother because the state saw richmond unfit to care for his daughter about two years after vanessa disappeared. they don’t have much contact, mostly because she doesn’t really want anything to do with her dad. rip him.

he’s a psychology professor at the local university, and just started teaching there recently  — he’s been following what he thinks is a trail to vanessa, and she grew up in eden. he’s also a paranormal researcher, which stems from a paranormal experience he had as a kid that he just believes was a hallucination. that he and his brother shared. he’s so smart /s. he’s very interested in the truth, and he believes that all paranormal experiences have a realistic, scientific explanation. he was raised catholic, but hasn’t practiced in years, nor has he stepped foot in a church or place of worship in as long. he thinks religion, particularly catholicism, is a hoax. however, he also has a background in religion studies, and double minored both religion and mythology in college. while he doesn’t believe in, he understands why people cling to their beliefs, just like he understands why people cling to the paranormal. 

that’s all i really have for now, but if you have any questions or the thought of playing a connection interests you, feel free to message me ! :)

[gloomnivore]

@borncfdeath​ asked :  “ drought can be endured, but rot is an instant killer. “ w lilith

             he doesn’t frequent bars ━ he keeps to himself, and bars are often filled with too many people for the man’s liking. but every once in a while, he’ll find himself at silhouettes, sitting at the far end of the bar draped in shadows with a glass of whiskey, watching those around him quietly. it tends to happen after long days, ones where answers have been few and far between ━ which means lately, he’s finding himself there more and more. maybe there’s a certain draw to the place. or maybe he really is spiraling.

            he nods towards the bartender, who slides him another glass of whiskey. he takes a long sip, eyes drawing closed as he relishes in the taste. maybe there’s something better, about drinking at a bar than at one’s apartment. when he opens them, there’s a brunette sitting next to him. he blinks with a start, though unless you know him well, you wouldn’t realize he’d been startled. “ can i help you ? ” he asks, with a raised brow. her response is eerie, familiar in a way he can’t quite place, and eyes narrow. “ do i know you ? ”

[gloomnivore]

@borncfdeath​ asked :  “ you really shouldn’t have come here. “ w zalgo

           he’s not particularly religious. he was raised catholic, sure, but the man hasn’t been to church in twenty-odd years. not since he married vanessa. she was agnostic, and richmond found he didn’t really believe in all the bullshit his father had taught him about god. so he’d often avoided places of worship, unless work led him there. but it was nearing the anniversary, and for some reason, he found himself compelled to visit the church in town. eden had the feeling of moving through molasses ━ everything moved slowly, which wasn’t unusual of a town in the south, but something felt different in this little town.

          he walked inside the old building, an odd feeling of discomfort settling over him. he chalked it up to not having been in one since he was young ━ he and vanessa hadn’t even gotten married in one, which was considered odd but most around them. it had been nice, however ━ a quaint, outside wedding in late april. she’d gone missing in june five years later.

          he approaches the confessional, fingers wrapping around worn iron. the feeling of discomfort probes at the back of his brain as he pulls the door open, sliding in. a voice shocks him as he sits ━ he wasn’t truly prepared for anyone to be there. “ i know it’s been a while, but i didn’t realize non-believers weren’t allowed in churches anymore. ” he says, voice soft but unwavering.