#✽ ➝ verse 001. ❜

[publicabsent]

for @lifesver.

she had to save up to buy new makeup -- all of her belongings were either left in the motel room she'd been locked out of, or taken by her mother. for the while she'd been staying in the mckinney house, she'd felt horribly exposed. not that it really mattered, considering the events that led to her being there. annette's curls are piled on the top of her head in a bun, her glasses perched on the end of her nose. (leland had asked, very sheepishly, if she could show him how to conceal scars with makeup. how could she say no?) she's stood on her knees, while he sits cross-legged.

"s-so, um ... s'h-hard-der t' hide th' ... um. t-tex-xt-ture. like ... not -- um. n-n-not r-reall-ly ... poss-sible. ve't-tried." for years, she doesn't say. it's easier to shrug off some older scars now, when the fresher ones have a more physical explanation. annette rifles through the small bag she keeps her cosmetics in, finding the foundation & the powder. "s'n-n-not th' r-right color, but ... l - learn-ning." oh, wait -- she finds the green concealer, since the mostly-healed scars are still a bit red. "s-so ... gr - green c-c-canc-cels o-out r-red."

[stillsolo]

                       //  2   /   ??

[willowswriting]

Muse⇥ Louis Piquet, 21-28, He/Him, Bisexual, Underground Fighter/Dealer. Connection ⇥ Boyfriend Plot ⇥ Louis shows up at Tanner's door bruised and beaten. He claims they're from the fight he had tonight, which he never attended, but they're actually from some guys that he owes money to. Open To ⇥ @musicallyiinclined.

"Would you stop looking at me like that." Louis spoke as he held the towel wrapped ice pack that the hockey player had given him upon his arrival against the left side of his face "I already told you that I'm fine." he sighed. The sad part about the whole situation was that the fighter was fine. Any normal person might be a little shaken up after getting jumped in an empty parking lot but it was simply another day for him. He knew that it was long over due. He wasn't an idiot he knew how the way that the life he lived worked. He was constantly pushing boundaries and towing the line, admittedly he had always enjoyed the rush of it.

[saburaito]

𝐒𝐀𝐁𝐔 𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐒 𝟏 / ?

[deadsmart]

He's sat at his desk , slouching a little more than he'd NORMALLY allow , because it's just the two of them . Edwin had been scribbling notes in his pocket book , hand PAUSING mid word as eyes lift to look at Charles across the room from under a knotted brow.

❝ I find myself UNSURE of what you're asking me ❞ Pen lifts off of paper , hovering mid-air , held by a relaxed wrist . ❝ We're the DEAD boy detective agency ( ... ) we work DEAD people cases . ❞ There's a smile in his eyes , if only because he knows FULL well what he's asking ( ... ) why he's asking . He's gotten attached to another one of his HUMANS .

❝ The last time you brought a LIVING being into our agency , I could not get the blood out of the rug for THREE YEARS , Charles . ❞

@deadbrawn //

[eievuimultimuse]

@eyeknowmayhem | CLOSED STARTER ( from SUPERFLY; for MONDO ! )

     IT WAS SUNRISE when the fly mutant arrived back at the truly abandoned shipyard for the third morning in a row. It was kinda CRAZY to think it’d only been THREE DAYS since he’d finally escaped. Three days out of a whopping SIX MONTHS. Six months since they turned him back, since he was no more than a fly in a jar, since his FAMILY turned against him . . .six months since he lost everything.

     He’d made it part of his new habit to wander New York’s streets at night and to return here during the day so as to not get caught by any humans. He only used it to have a safe place to crash at this point, feeling exhausted after staying awake and alert all night. Not like he had much reason to use it for anything other than sleep; not when it was so…EMPTY now, save for some few things. He knew it wasn’t the smartest thing, frequenting a spot like this. He knew it made him more likely to get caught in the long run. But truthfully…he didn’t have anywhere else to go.

     When he enters the cavernous abode, he’s got a duffle bag strapped over his shoulder — just some items he nabbed while he was out, things that he needed to, y’know…LIVE. He plans on just taking it and himself to his room  ( which, surprisingly, seemed to be only part of the place that remained mostly intact. guess they didn’t care enough to clean it out like they did the rest of the place )  before settling down to sleep the day hours away. Sleep away the day, just to wake up by nightfall and do the whole thing over agai—

     Shortly upon entering, he suddenly pauses full stop, antennae twitching suspiciously. He swears that he hears something.  ( Maybe it’s just the lack of sleep getting to him ? )  No, he really does. Or, at least, he senses that something’s amiss. There aren’t any immediately noticeable changes to the place, yet he can’t help but feel that something’s changed regardless. Someone’s been in here in his absence.  ( Shit. Did they find him again already ? ) 

     Paranoid thoughts running through his mind, he ditches the bag — simply lets it drop to the floor, to which it lands quietly — to go investigating.  ( He’s honestly not sure if he has the stamina to go for a round two with these guys if push comes to shove — they certainly put up one hell of a fight when he made his escape — but he sure wasn’t going to run away. IF NOT EVEN HERE IS SAFE, THEN HE’S S.O.L. )

     He’s naturally taken to flying up towards the rafters to get a better view, compound eyes scanning every possible area. It becomes evident — much to his benefit — that even if there are any of those ASSHOLES around, there can’t possibly be that many. The ship is BIG and has plenty of places to hide, but not so many that he wouldn’t have spotted a whole pack of ‘em already if there was one. At the very least, if there is an intruder  ( he may be beginning to doubt; may be beginning to think it really is just poor sleep catching up to him ), it’s only—

     Wait. He’s spotted movement below, somewhere. It’s in his peripheral, but he caught it. So someone IS here. The place is so dark at this current hour that he can’t really make heads or tails of who or what he’s looking at — but if he’d wager a guess, this isn’t TCRI coming to bust down his door. Again, it’s hard to tell, but the individual looks far too skinny compared to TCRI goons’ habit of wearing some of the bulkiest armour seemingly known to man. That doesn’t exactly ease his concern any, though, because if it’s NOT them, then— WHO THE HELL IS THAT ?  And what the HELL are they doing in HIS home ?

     He observes for some time longer, keeping himself hidden while he does, just to try and piece together what’s going on. Eventually, it becomes apparent that this— TRESPASSER is poking around at some of the few remaining things left around. HIS things.

     ( Oh, HELL no. He KNOWS that this guy isn’t trying to freakin’ ROB him right now. )

     When he shoots down, he’s as swift as a bullet, landing a few feet away with a pretty hefty and angry THUD. He just so happens to land in one of the few sunny spots there is, leaving no part of his person a secret. He’s speaking before he’s even given himself a chance to LOOK, already running his mouth as he moves closer, moving to close the gap. “ Man, I dunno WHAT you’re thinkin’ you’re gonna find in a damn shipyard, but I suggest you— “

     He stops in his tracks suddenly, as if he’d just been struck. Demeanour completely changes; the defensive, hostile expression is immediately replaced with a wide-eyed look of SHOCK. Now that he’s closer to this mysterious guest, he can actually see that this isn’t just some weird, rando human that’s somehow snuck their way in here. He’s not sure which part he registered first: the tail with the skate attached, the faux hair, the eccentric outfit that Superfly could NEVER talk Mondo out of in favour of something a little tougher  ( not that he tried particularly hard; he quickly accepted that with some things, he was better off just letting his youngest sibling do as he pleased rather than try to fight it ).

     What DID occur to him at that moment, though, was that he quickly realized that, seeing as they ALL BUT CLEARED THE PLACE OUT, he’d neglected to consider the possibility that…any of them would actually…COME BACK. And FIND HIM here. So, as he’s standing there, STUNNED, it’s…probably pretty EVIDENT that he was not at ALL prepared for this.

     “ . . . Oh. “ His voice is flat, but the surprise is still evident. " It's just...you. " He's aware that he's saying it as if he HASN'T been separated from him for months. In his shocked state, he's just...BLANKING on what else TO say.

[florencc]

i'm doing memes and rlly finding flo's voice in different verses so perhaps give this a lil like and throw something at ya !

[turkcentric]

For the time being, the "Helper's House" was closed seeing as this was one of two off days it went through due to the sheer volume of people that walked through its doors on a daily. It could be an inconvenience for some, but it was necessary for the Mage's own mental health too. Due to that, the Mage tended to live quite a ways away from the city, preferring a much quieter life in a huge treehouse he'd created that was nearer to the natural countryside than anything else.

With so little people around, if any at all, it was quite the surprise to get a knock at the door when he'd been in the middle of relaxing in the living room with a cup of tea.

Could someone truly have stumbled on his wooden abode and taken to the steps to get to the front door? How interesting... With this thought in mind, the Mage fetched a well-loved shawl and draped it across his shoulders before moving to answer the door.

"Yes--?" / @crew-from-capulet !

[maliignant]

@in-every-generation (amythest) sent: ∗ 14﹕ sender places their head in receiver’s lap .

FINGERS LACE WITHIN TRESSES OF HAIR as an instant response, a gentle hum soon to follow like a lullaby. There's a tenderness to the action, regardless of past discretions, treating the woman before her like the little doll she'd always saw her as. It didn't matter that such an action might have been seen in many cases as something to be despised, because in truth, this was Drusilla's language of love and affection. She knows nothing else. Devotion and security, a sense she attempts to display even in the most subtle of notions. Leaning down, she places a kiss to the top of Amythest's forehead while still caressing fingers through her hair in a slow and tender manner. ❝ Darling Dove… ❞ she whispers, ❝ do you see the poppies that grow? They grow for you, my love. Do you see them? ❞

[pvachypessa]

Eyes went to see her beloved friend as her name was called, finally! Finally she was free again!

OH FREEDOM, FREEDOM FROM THAT CAGE

❝ Mario! (@red-man-of-mustache )Oh, thank you! You know I can't never thank you enough for all you do for me. So how about you go to the castle later for some fresh baked cake? I know it's not much. but you need to recover from everything so a nice rest would be nice to you, yes? ❞

Asked the pink princess to her red capped friend with a smile as she gives him a soft and gentle bow not only as greeting but as respect.

[publicabsent]

@freekzout: "we are the weirdos." / accepting.

annette assumes she's included in this, which isn't an offense at all. she's been called far worse, with her large hazel eyes that don't blink quite as much as they should & her stilted speech patterns. she shrugs at ruth's statement, relatively unaffected. "c - could -- could b-be wo - worse. leas - least y-you'r-re n-not bitter 'bou - bout it."

[sialiia]

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ• . ° .┊┊ @essentiamortis - liked!

ㅤㅤ❝𝓘'm looking at new apartments... I wanted to get your opinion.❞ Sydney said, looking up from her laptop toward Elizabeth. ❝That is, if you still wanted to live together.❞ She figured it was a fair question to ask her friend since they were currently sharing the place they were currently in on and off while Elizabeth was here. Which case, she was always welcome to stay for as long as she liked.

[alxandracabot]

Another day, another family. The wheels of justice never stopped nor did those working in the shadows to prevent the wheel from having the chance to break. Alexandra Cabot woke this morning with legal repercussions of the operation weighing heavy on her heart. When she first joined the network it took quite sometime to ignore the urge to push victims to speak with the authorities about the abuses thrust upon them. In fact, a time or two Alex had convinced a victim to step forward. The first time, the husband was thrown behind bars for an amazingly short amount of time, but just enough to move the family to a new location with new identities. It was that win which urged her to push another to speak out… that one ended with the woman's brains blown across bathroom tile. The guilt crushed until it didn't. One morning the blonde woke with a new sense of direction. Fuck the process! Years passed with hundreds of women and children moved to new identities without any resistance. Years of satisfaction moving people about in the shadows. Until now… until Jules.

The outcome was exactly as Alex feared. Justice had forced Jules into a car driving to her demise. There was no doubt who was behind the accident but no way to prove it. Yet, Alex couldn't bring herself to say 'I told you so'. Living on the line of the law was exhilarating until looking into the eyes of the one person who quite literally changed her life many times over. Guilt suddenly weighed heavy. Was she doing the right thing? Alex believed in the cause without hesitation, but perhaps she was losing her own sense of morals while doing so. Then again, the very reason for joining the operation was thrust into Alex's face after a show down in court.

The loss wasn't what pushed the former ADA into an existential crisis. Olivia Benson was.

Standing in downtown Tribeca the former ADA and now Lieutenant came to a standstill. A mutual respect for the others choices even though they believed the exact opposite. Alex would be remiss to not admit working along side of SVU had brought forth the very morals pushed aside for years, but she couldn't stop. She had to protect those the system could not. The most crushing part of the past week wasn't losing Jules or even having that little girl given back to the very man who killed her mother without hesitation. The most heartbreaking part was having to say goodbye to Olivia… again. This was their fate. Ships constantly passing in the night. Unspoken feelings had been festering for almost two decades. There was something to be said for a love that never faded or waivered in spite of the time and distance between. Of course, Alex wasn't an idiot. Or she thought she wasn't. Olivia's relationships were men rotating in and out of her life. Some of the men Alex respected and believed they could be good for Liv, but the others… well, she didn't have a right to voice any opinion on the matter.

As her arms wrapped Olivia in a crushing hug emotions welled in the back of Alex's throat. Saying goodbye shouldn't still be this hard. Those unrequited feelings sunk the blondes heart and twisted her gut in an unpleasant way. Until they didn't. Before she knew what was happening lips had descended upon hers - or maybe hers did the descending? Either way, a simple kiss which seemed to be mutual threw Alexandra Cabot completely off. This could not be happening. Not now. Not after all this time. Fingers quaked, heart hammered, lungs seized and eyes widened as a step back was taken. A step back that quickly turned into another before Alex took off across the street towards her vehicle. Farewells and warm wishes had already been given so no words were needed before the blonde took off.

The night brought little sleep. Alex's brain began to analyze almost every interaction she had with Olivia over the years. Searching for any sign of mutual adoration. Years as best friends had exposed their deepest darkest parts of themselves to the other but somehow this was missed. Or was it? Perhaps the emotions of the case had led to the kiss. Yes, that was it. It was the heightened emotions brought about from the intensity of the case along with working side by side once more. The subtle fliration over wine was normal for them. They had always skirted the lines of something more without actually stepping across. Why? Olivia wasn't interested. Friendly flirting often led to belly aching laughter or a small ego boost. Friendly flirting. Friends who happened to flirt. That was normal. Nevermind the fact Alex didn't dare skirt that line with any other friends because the interest to do so wasn't present.

In the midst of this all emotions had fogged Alex's routines. There was no circling random blocks on the way home to make sure no one was following, no double checking to see if anyone had been watching the interaction with Olivia, no bothering to park in the secured garage instead of the street. When Alex had arrived home after making a complete idiot of herself, the blonde was in such a fog the doorman said hello several times before attention had been caught. An apologetic smile had been given to the man before she walked straight to the elevator and pressed the button for her floor… something else never done. Even though Alex believed in what she was doing she was not ignorant to the dangers. Normally, the blonde would take the stairs up a few flights of stairs, a different flight each time, before getting on the elevator to ride the rest of the way up. Despite living in a building with the best security New York had to offer Alex had never got over constantly looking over her shoulder.

Sleep had eventually pulled Alex from the existential crisis to a fitful sleep. Nightmares of being shot and thrust into witness protection seemed to be on repeat until eventually Alex found herself waking with a gasp. Fingers quickly moved to her shoulder to make sure there was no blood seeping through silk pajamas. After her heart was done trying to hammer it's way out of her chest, a soft chuckle at how ridiculous the past week had been broke free. Two hours of sleep would have to be enough for now. Coffee was definitely going to be her savior today. Coffee and maybe a morning run in Central Park.

[lunawish]

❝ you didn't hear anything, did you? ❞ edelgard inquires breathlessly, cheeks still warm from the adrenaline of seeing a rat scurrying metres away from her soles. the high pitched screech was instinctual, guttural almost. she's slain beasts, conquered nations, forced lords into submission unflinchingly so, yet before a rodent she's reminded of the darkness that swallowed and upended her life.

her gaze shifts tentatively towards @lunarrepel, attempting to read shadowheart — wondering how her companion would respond to the seeing her without the composed mask of a monarch, the mask of a leader. / sc!

[henrysglock]

Ramble 9: Henry, Brenner and DnD Lore

Okay so insanity moment that’s kind of cohering a little? And I’m just spitballing here, so feel free to add on or correct. I’m by no means a DnD aficionado.

Anyhoo.

Dustin claims “Vecna is the Mindflayer’s 5-Star general”, right? Which implies that Vecna is less powerful than a mind flayer? But that’s not the case for Stranger Things monsters, and it’s not even accurate by DnD lore.

Even if it’s not true to DnD lore or Stranger Things monster lore, the Duffers chose to write Dustin’s bit this way on purpose.

There’s a lot of fuckery here, because current Henry is more similar to a mind flayer in description, personality, and types of abilities than he is to the actual Vecna. He doesn’t have a cult, he doesn’t have the scar, he’s not missing an eye or an arm, he doesn’t have an undead army, his attacks bear more resemblance to a mind flayer’s, and he has more care for pure dominion than he does for controlling knowledge. This all becomes a little confusing in terms of points later on.

(Side Note: The main similarities between Henry and Vecna seem to lie in Vecna’s backstory re: his mother, and El as a possible Kas figure.)

Anyhoo. On to the insane part.

Y’know who does seem similar to Vecna?

Brenner.

Brenner, who lies and keeps innumerable secrets, who has displayed the ability to alter reality via LSD brainwashing, skipping footage in NINA, falsifying deaths, and possibly even framing fathers for mass murder in order to kidnap their children. Brenner, who has the ability to paralyze by touch via electrocution rods and collars. Brenner, whose entire focus is knowledge and power. Brenner, who is technically less powerful than current Henry (more on that later).

Brenner has his own cult of sorts. The numbers were akin to Vecna’s cult of evil clerics/spellcasters, and the orderlies/guards were his legion of the undead. He seeks control and knowledge (and through those: power) over all else. He, like Vecna, is nearly defeated at one point early on, and he has a scar in the exact same place as Vecna’s. Vecna, by lore, received this scar during an attack by clerics. Brenner received this scar from Henry, who’s closely paralleled to Will…the Party’s cleric. Up until that point, El had only seen Henry acting as a (somewhat chaotic) good character, and we know Henry has healing/regenerative powers…much like a cleric (more on this later).

Brenner is betrayed by Owens, his Kas figure, during the NINA project, which ultimately leads to his death.

Now, this ties back around to the fact that Vecna, by points, is more powerful than a mind flayer.

Henry considers Brenner to be this mediocre man who is nothing compared to himself…maybe he is now, but was he always?

The fact of the matter is that Henry was always meant to be Brenner’s pet project, his little psionic super weapon at his beck and call. That was the way it was meant to be, right up until El yeeted Henry into the hell dinension. Brenner had entirely subdued Henry until El removed Soteria.

Brenner, for all intents and purposes, was stronger than Henry for all 20 years that Henry spent as his captive. Not only that, but he’d been moving Henry, the Creels, Henry’s lab pseudo-siblings, and even the current day gang in Hawkins around like chess pieces from the very beginning. For a good long while, Brenner/Vecna was more powerful than Henry/Mindflayer.

So how did this get turned around to the way we see it in ST4?

It’s implied that Henry absorbs the mind of everyone he kills, not just the special victims, which means personalities of the guards and orderlies who abused him from childhood, as well as those of the more sadistic numbers, were likely absorbed into him. He artificially boosted his own abilities by absorbing the powers of the other numbers, which would artificially boost his difficulty and sadistic nature going into ST1/ST4. This could boost him to Vecna-like status or higher, even if he’s not actually that similar to Vecna.

Thus, the mind flayer-like character, who was once less powerful than the Vecna-like character, becomes more powerful than Vecna-like character. By the beginning of ST4, the mind flayer has become commander in chief, and Vecna has dropped to subservience.

This brings us full circle with the “Vecna is like the Mindflayer’s 5-star general” weirdness, while also explaining Henry’s snap-change behavior pattern after killing the guards, orderlies, and numbers.

Addition, because I have more to say:

At the beginning of ST4, Eddie reads out a satanic panic article about how the satanic cult surrounding DnD is linked to sodomy, suicide, and murder.

Now, Hellfire isn’t doing that. They’re the good guys. But yknow who is by subtext and text?

Brenner and the lab.

Sodomy: Montauk program. The program the show was based on to the point it was almost named Montauk. Brenner’s behavior around children (kidnaps them, gives them candy, stalks them in white vans, makes them call him Dadd—I mean Papa). This, plus the odd choice of shots (Brenner’s dick-shaped coat flap, the 3-legged Papa drawing in El’s room, the angles on the electrocution rods and Henry). On top of that, the symbolism (butterfly association w/ Monarch and the black widow marking on the clock of the lab)

Murder: Do I need to go into detail, or did we all watch the show?

Suicide: The lab’s clear involvement in the Creel massacre that drove Victor to suicide, the likelihood that Henry attempted suicide based on his fixation on Max.

Henry is also doing all these things currently, yes, which fits in with the above analysis. He’s doing it by extension of the lab and his absorption of everyone who involved in abusing him…in whichever way they happened to be involved in abusing him. Narratively, he’s perpetuating the cycle of abuse. By powers lore, that might be/have been a function of the nature of his powers. He absorbed the abuse he suffered, and now he perpetuates it because he’s been fundamentally broken by the [vague handwaving] everything.

This might also explain why we never see Henry display any concrete sadistic/violent tendencies or pedophilic tendencies until he starts killing people at the lab in his bid to escape. He never behaves the way Brenner behaves around children. He’s good with El, enough so that she trusts him over Brenner. We just don’t see the type of guy who would do what he’s doing. HE’S IN A LAB FULL OF CHILDREN FFS. But then he kills the guards. Violence. He kills the orderlies responsible for at least the questionable rod scene, and likely more when he was younger. Pedophilia. He kills the lab children. Powers. There’s a pattern here.

Alongside this point, but on an entirely different topic, we have Eddie’s campaign:

Eddie brings back Vecna and his cult, and Hellfire all bitch and moan because Vecna was supposed to be dead.

That’s about Henry, right? Not necessarily. Y’know who else was supposed to be dead but came back (and a good number of us bitched and moaned about it)?

Brenner.

[willowswriting]

for @itsrogersandco continued from here

"I don't think that I want to screw him anymore." Seleste admitted, voice low with her eyes looking to the ceiling as Isabella dabbed underneath them. There had been a time that Seleste had wanted to save this marriage against all odds but lately her husband had turned into someone that she could no longer stand. "But what options do I have Izzy?" she questioned "I have nothing without him." she spoke, tears starting to form once again where her friend had already dabbed the old ones away.