#And the show ends with her dying and haunting the house as a ghost but than she is alive again through power of love or some shit

[empty-blog-for-lurking]

Look not to be "You younglings have it easy" but everyone of those people wanting the Nuanced™ and Sensical™ Plot™ in the 2nd episode of the show would not have survived 90's/00's/10's cartoons

[solsays]

Lifers x Crane Wives

I saw someone comment on a life series TikTok or something to try and pair all of the lifers to a crane wives song, without repeating songs. so obviously I spent an hour doing it

Grian—Tongues & Teeth (self explanatory if you’ve EVER heard this song)

Scar—Steady, Steady (this whole song is about how their partner is walking out but they still want to be “wild and free” which is just SO Scar coded)

Tango—Ancient History (he keeps teaming up with Skizz and I feel like this song vibes with that, it also just feels very Tango)

Skizz—Icarus (this man always gives himself up for his teammates I swear, and he fuels them to keep going. It also says “oh brother, brother” which feels like Skizz talking to any of his teammates to me)

Impulse—Allies or Enemies (Impulse has been very iffy on a lot of his alliances throughout the seasons, especially in third life and with the amount of playing all sides that man has done this songs feels right)

Cleo—The Glacier House (this. this is literally just her leaving Fairy Fort. The song is talking to/about her from probably Lizzie’s perspective, but like the last line is 100% as if Cleo was speaking)

Bdubs—Unraveling (Bdubs relies so heavily on his teammates, and when he doesn’t have that stability *cough* Etho *cough* he just kinda doesn’t know what to do so this song fits)

Mumbo—Keep You Safe (this man is by no means an aggressive/reckless player [see: Joel or Martyn] and he feels like he’s just here for the vibes and honestly? Love that for him. This song is about fear not keeping you safe and watching your friends run high risks, which just is very accurate to how Mumbo plays this series. I also feel like he could fit Rockslide when he goes red cause he goes from standstill to “drop dead sprint” in terms of aggression)

Lizzie—Shallow River/New Colors (Lizzie is the only one I put as two because both of these songs are just so fitting. Shallow river—“wasted all for the title, wasted all for the crown” reminds me of Lizzie trying to kill Scott and ending up dying herself instead. I also feel like parts of it could be dead Lizzie talking to Joel, the only person who is really mourning her. New Colors—“don't tell me that I can't, I need this“ and “I give up my air, to breathe” also feel very accurate with how she is trying so hard and just keeps failing )

Jimmy—Canary in a Coal Mine (no further context needed, we all know Timmy)

Scott—Little Soldiers (this is very flower husbands, but also just feels like Scott looking back on the last seasons including Pearl, Jimmy, Martyn, all his reluctant exes. Also this man is the watchers’ like least favorite person ever and this gives that vibe)

Pearl—Ribs (i changed this from New Discovery because Ribs is entirely about somewhat angrily protecting and helping yourself because nobody else would, and it really strikes me as Pearl with the some things having been good (Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss) and some being bad (divorce quartet))

BigB—Not the Ghost (this man is so incredibly odd, he just constantly feels like he is being haunted by the watchers and just going about his life, he is the human personification of gaslight and we love that for him)

Martyn—The Hand That Feeds (he HATES the watchers with every ounce of his being, and with Ren gone I think this guy’s only purpose is just to spite them)

Joel—Sleeping Giants (go listen to it. That’s all there is to it, it just feels very Joel-ish, this lad is absolutely fucking mental)

Ren—Once & for All (this song feels like war and being betrayed, and Ren has been betrayed so much so it just fits. I mean come on “my blood’s forever on your hands” tell me that isn’t 100% something Ren would say)

Gem—Show Your Fangs (Girlboss moment, we love Geminislay. This woman is not someone to be underestimated and this song very clearly says that so it’s very Gem in my head. She doesn’t have enough lore yet to make it angsty but ONE DAY)

Etho—Never Love An Anchor (I can’t explain it, this song just has Etho vibes. I mean “It’s a secret I keep tucked inside my chest” just seems very him, I can’t really tell you why)

[atomicradiogirl]

i find it a very interesting choice that house md ends on enjoy yourself rather than you can’t always get what you want or maybe even the actual lyrical version of teardrop by massive attack.

enjoy yourself is the most optimistic of the songs and i’ve seen people complain that it kind of comes from nowhere and the actual meaning of the song especially considering that post-canon, wilson will die and house is dead figuratively (and will probably die literally with wilson), the song is not only a call to the viewer to live their lives to the fullest but asks house and wilson to enjoy the time they have left as they drive away from us, their stories are fundamentally over.

enjoy yourself is only referenced one other time in the show when hallucination amber sings it to house at a restaurant just before the hallucination finale of season 5. this presentation of enjoy yourself by “ghost” amber, someone who haunts house from his guilt over her death and near destruction of his relationship with wilson as a result is also a callback to her death in the first place. house is so scared by hallucination amber singing this song to him he begs wilson over the phone to pick him up, the exact request that killed amber. the optimistic song about living out your life to the fullest sung by the manifestation of his guilt, someone who died too soon also coupled with kutner dying 3 episodes prior to this, just makes the final use of this song so fascinating. the house writers obviously called back to this moment because it was house’s fear of death and change that made the initial scene scary. meanwhile house accepts wilson’s death and his death in the finale after healing and growing. this is why i think enjoy yourself is the perfect finale song. the house writers are telling us that they accept that their time is up and we should too, even though death is horrible and tragic and scary at the same time, everybody dies.

[ghostofhyuck]

Gang AU Series 6

Gang leader! Zhong Chenle x Gang member’s younger sister! Reader

Summary: "Why can't you resent me?"

cw: mentions of death, and blood. 

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

“Yn Lee.” 

You turned around and saw him. You freezed, hands tight on the hem of your apron. You knew him and how you two are the same-age. But the way he’s all roughed-up with his leather jacket in contrast to your plain sweater and apron, shows how your lives are different from each other. 

“You know me,” you mumbled. 

“You’re Mark Lee’s only sister,” he answered. “I’m Zhong Chenle.” 

“What do you want?” you asked, trying to look calm, knowing that you two are in a public place. 

“Can I have a spare of your time?” he asked. “I need to talk to you about your brother.” 

You only pursed your lips, it’s been a week since your brother’s burial and as much as you want to cope with his death, the ghost of his past keeps on haunting you. 

And that ghost is none other than Zhong Chenle. 

“Is it important?” you asked, looking around the place. “It’s a busy hour for us —”

“Don’t worry about it yn,” your manager interrupted. “He already asked for my permission, go on.” 

That’s how you found yourself at a table in front of Zhong Chenle. You watched as he took a sip of the iced coffee that he ordered, glancing at the window beside as if he’s admiring the view of the outside. 

“Before Mark-hyung died, he asked if we could look after you,” Chenle started. “And I promised him that. That’s why I’m telling you this right now, moved in with —”

“What are you talking about!?” you asked, confused. 

“Mark-hyung wanted you to leave that shitty place of your aunts’ house,” he explained. “He’s much more comfortable if you stay with us.”

“And how can I be so sure that you’re not fooling me?” 

Chenle became quiet. A scene played in his mind. 

Blood. Lots of blood. Lots of Mark’s blood. Mark smiles at him, who's crying hopelessly, trying to keep his friend alive by holding him tightly. Mark continued to talk, stuttering at his own words in an attempt to make out of your name. 

“Get her out of that place, please…” Mark whispers at Chenle, who could only nod. And as if it was the answer that he needs, Mark closes his eyes slowly. 

“It’s a promise before he joined the gang,” Chenle lied. “We look for each other’s family, especially when someone dies.” 

You stared at him. He seems more distant than what you assumed, as if he was hiding something from you. But you tried to look on the other side. He wants you to leave your aunts’ place. Something that you and your brother have been dying to do. 

It was the reason why your brother even joined the gang. Both of you were orphaned at a young age. Your parents died due to a car accident, leaving you two under the care of your aunt and her husband. 

It was a living hell. They would tell you everyday that both you siblings should be grateful that she took you in or else you two will end up in an orphanage. She treats you like a maid and for years, you and your brother endured it. They were greedy for money too, they couldn’t even spare money on you two, saying that you two should be grateful that you have a place to live. At a young age, you are forced to find part-time jobs so that you have money for yourself. 

So did Mark. When your brother turned nineteen, he ended up joining a gang. It was dangerous, but it gave him a huge sum of money enough to buy both your needs. But in return, he would go home wounded and blooded. You hold your tears, as you mend your brother’s wounds. Trying to convince him to stop it and just live a normal life. 

“Soon, just a little bit more, we’ll get there. We can now move out of this shitty place and have a place of our own, you can study at one of the best universities here in Korea without worrying about the expenses.” he told you, smiling. You have your lips tight, trying your best to trust your brother.

But a few weeks later, Mark died. Your world crumbled when you received the news that your brother died in a gang fight. It was said that he was just an innocent passerby who happened to witness the illegal activities, that’s why he got involved. But you knew that he wasn’t as innocent as they tried to paint him. Whoever decided to change the statement, must be trying to protect Mark too. 

And you wonder if it was Chenle’s doings. You glanced at him, and he was nothing but staring at you. You let out a sigh. 

“How can I be sure that I should trust you?” you asked.

“Don’t trust me,” Chenle answered quickly. “I’m just fulfilling what Mark-hyung wanted. It’s just a temporary stay, soon, you can stay at the apartment flat Mark wanted to buy.” 

“Okay,” you let out a sigh. “I’ll come with you.” 

It was a risk. But it was better than staying in your aunts’ place. You knew the gang your brother joined. Mark keeps talking about them whenever you mend his wounds. He seems to love his gang, even considering them as friends. If Mark trusts them enough to look after you, then you’re convinced that there’s nothing for you to worry about. 

“Alright,” Chenle muttered. “Here’s my phone number, just contact me when we pick you up.” He leaves a card in front of you, and before you could mutter a word, he bids his goodbye to you and leaves. 

You stared at the paper. There’s not much to see except his name and number. That’s how discreet Chenle was, and now, you were even more curious about the gang your brother joined. 

-

As expected, your aunt was more happy for you to leave their place. She didn’t have an ounce of care about you and kept on insisting that it was time for you to be mature and live on your own. 

“Maybe even try to follow your brother’s footsteps, how about that?” she taunted. You froze for a second, but as much as you wanted to stop and slap the hell out of her, you couldn’t do anything but to continue packing your things. You tried to brush it off. At least you’re leaving the place. You’re free now and you’re on your own now. 

It took a while before Chenle arrived. A slick black car stops in front of you and from the driver’s seat, Chenle exits. He helped you load your things on the trunk, and even opened the passenger seat for you. You glanced at the apartment building, not noticing that Chenle had entered the car. 

“Is there something wrong?” he asked, you glanced at him and shook your head as answer. 

“Did your aunt say something?”

You became quiet, wondering how he was able to read your mind. 

“Mark-hyung talks about her all the time,” he answered, “That’s for another time, let’s go.” 

The drive to their place was quiet. You only stared at the view from the window. Chenle was a skilled driver, but he didn’t say a thing to you during the duration of the drive. You found it weird, he was far different from your brother’s stories. 

You knew them and their personality. You know that they’re just lost kids like your brother, trying to fight their way to survive the harsh world. The gang was small, but it’s enough. Chenle was their leader due to the fact that he founded and funded the gang, he did it in order to rebel against his parents. But slowly, Chenle realised that this is the family that he’s been yearning for. 

That’s why he was so protective of not only his members, but their member’s families too. 

Your thoughts started to trail off when you found Chenle turning right to a secluded road. It was down a narrow alley that seemed abandoned, barely visible from the highway you two just drove through. 

From the outskirts, you found yourself in a more hidden alley, filled with abandoned buildings and ruined roads. Chenle parks the car outside of a decent-looking building. And as you glanced at him, he only gave you a go signal to leave the car. 

“It looks abandoned but that’s the purpose of it,” Chenle commented. Grabbing your bag, not even letting you touch it. “Come on.” you only followed him quietly, entering the building. It was dimmed with lights, the walls weren't painted with any colours, and you felt its eerie presence as Chenle's footsteps echoed through the empty hallways. 

As you two reached the second floor, Chenle stopped in front of the only door in there. He types on the passcode and enters. “We’re here!” He shouts, and you only follow suit. 

You stepped backward when you were greeted by a bunch of boys — and girls. You were surprised, given that your brother didn’t mention any girls in the gang. 

“Like I told you, we protect each other’s families,” Chenle said. You only nod, as they introduce themselves one by one. Only a few of them are the member’s sisters, mostly their girlfriends. You gave them a warm smile, trying your best to be acquainted with them. 

“Jaemin-hyung, bring yn to her room, I’ve got to do something,” Chenle ordered, disrupting the talk. 

“Uhm, sure…where are you going?” Jaemin asked. 

“Meeting someone,” he said casually before leaving the place without any words to you. 

You stood there frozen, clueless as to what to do when Jaemin tapped your shoulder. 

“You’ll get used to it, that’s just how Chenle is,” the older one assured you. 

You tried to brush it off. That’s just Chenle’s personality. They say. It was weird given how your brother talks about him like a younger brother. 

“He may be younger than me but he’s smart, also calculated. But he still has a childish side of him. If you met him, you'd definitely like his smile.” 

Two weeks into your stay and you never saw Chenle smile. He seems reserved, as if he’s trying to hide something from you. You became curious, especially when the rest ignored it. Was your brother’s stories a lie? You wanted to approach him, and talk to him about your stay. You feel agitated, doing nothing and spending most of your time on your part-time job. But he seems busy, doing something, and completely shutting himself from the world. He couldn’t even look you in the eye.

You wonder if it was because of your brother, and yet, as much as you want to find the answer, you couldn’t find it especially when Chenle’s been avoiding you. 

It’s not like you want to leave the place, living with your brother’s former gang was much better than staying in your aunt's place. They were welcoming and still acted like a bunch of teenagers. They seem like a close-knitted family, and now you understand why your brother thinks highly about them. But of course, he mentioned that this is just a temporary stay, so you were also half-eager to not stay any longer. 

“We don’t know either,” Jeno answered when you opened up your concern. “It’s best for you to corner him.”

That was the only answer that you got. You only nodded and didn’t push them furthermore. Jeno noticed the way your expression faltered, he only smiles as he gently ruffles your hair. 

“He’ll be back here around two am, if you really want to talk to him.”

So you stayed up late. You’re used to it. Back then, you would wait for your brother’s return. It comforts you that he would go home late but alive. It assured you that he’s fine. 

Just like what Jeno had mentioned, it was almost two in the morning when the door opened. You stood up from your seat. You heard Chenle’s harsh breathing, as if he was struggling. You immediately went to him, surprising both of you. 

Your eyes widened to see him ruined. Open cuts and wounds in his face, blood-stained shirt and jacket, he was limping too. 

“Why are you still awake?” he asked, struggling to finish his sentence. 

“I was waiting for you,” you said, making him quiet. “You should sit, let me tend your wounds —“

“No thanks, I can manage —“

“Please,” you pleaded. “I do this to Mark too, I know what I am doing.” 

As if the magic word was your brother’s name that he agreed to. You helped him sit on the sofa, while you left to find the first aid kit found in the bathroom. Minutes later, you returned and began mending his wounds. You noticed how he’s looking sideways, not even batting an eye at you. 

“I was going to ask,” you started. “Until when can I stay here?” 

“Why?”

“I just don’t want to burden everyone,” you timidly said.

“You’re not a burden,” Chenle answers. 

“Really? Then why can’t you even look me in the eyes?” you asked. 

Chenle didn’t answer. He couldn’t help but remember Mark’s funeral — where you two first met. 

It was at a decent funeral parlour. The six of them went there together, and from the outside, Chenle noticed that there’s only a few visitors. You were Mark’s main mourner. Only sitting at the corner, holding the frame of your dead brother. Your head lay low, not even noticing their arrival. They all stood there quietly, trying to sink into their mind that Mark is dead. 

In the midst of the ceremony, Chenle’s eyes never left yours. He can see the resemblance of Mark to you, and he couldn’t help but feel guilty. 

Yet he was intrigued at your calm demeanour. When it was time for them to bid goodbye, you personally sent them away, bowing at them as a sign of gratitude, and as you come face to face with Chenle, he couldn’t help but noticed the dead look in your eyes, and yet you seem to not shed a single tear for your brother. 

He doesn’t know what to feel about you. Intrigued? Curious? Guilty? All he knows is that he killed the only family member that you had. And as much as he tries to help you, he knows that he couldn’t do anything about Mark’s death. 

“Why can’t you resent me?” he asked. You stopped your tracks, looking at him. Chenle was devastated. He was wondering why you didn’t even try to push them away, scream or even call the police at them. 

But you only let out a small chuckle, “I don’t know, why would I?”

“I killed your brother,” he confessed. 

“You didn’t Chenle, I know the truth,” you told him. “You weren’t able to save him, that’s all.”

“See!? I was useless! How can you still mend my wounds after what I did!?”

You let out a sigh, “How can I resent the people who my brother considered as family?”

Silence. Chenle wasn’t able to say anything. You only gave him a bitter smile as you grabbed another alcohol pad and gently tapped it on his cheeks. That’s when he noticed how your eyes felt hollow, as if you’re dead inside. 

“My brother talks about you all the time, you’re like his younger brother,” you answered. “He thinks highly of you. He respects you, so how can I resent the person my brother loves?” 

“Why should I blame you for my brother’s death? When it was my fault that he joined the gang in the first place —“ and tears began to flow. Your hands drop as you hold onto the pad tightly. You couldn’t help but to sob, remembering that all your brother’s doing was for you.

All Mark wanted was for you to live a comfortable life, away from the shithole of your aunts’ house. And the only thing he can do as quickly as possible is join an underground gang. An easy access for money, but a risk. 

As much as you tried to stop him, it was useless. In the end, Mark was gone, and you don’t know if you can survive in this world alone. You felt helpless, that’s when you realised that you’ve also been dependent on Mark throughout your life. 

Your tears wouldn’t stop even when Chenle pulled you closer to his arms, you couldn’t help but cry louder. After weeks of being alone, this was the first time you found comfort.

“It’s not your fault,” Chenle muttered. “We never wanted this to happen,” he told you. 

And he was right. No one wants this, and the only thing that you two can do is assure each other. Both lost someone who’s very important to each other. Blaming and living with guilt was useless. 

Chenle thinks that it’s useless for him to let the guilt swallow him. He only lets out a deep sigh as he pulls you even closer to him. He was determined to never let you cry again. 

“I’m here, I’m not going to let you be alone again,” he swore to you.

[blackphanto]

Chucky predictions

SPOILER WARNING FOR CHUCKY S3E5!

I wanna make Chucky theories so bad, but I can't think of any! This show is so crazy that I can't even predict or speculate on what could happen next. There are some people teasing on twitter though and all they've been doing is making me even more hyped for how this season is going to end. So here are some of my predictions based on everything that's been teased so far.

Jake will enter the spirit realm:

I don't think he's necessarily going to die, but he's so fixated on ending Chucky for good to the point where he refused to run away from it all like Devon suggested. And we've heard the doctor, the only way you get to the spirit realm is by dying, but what if you didn't need to die? I believe that thanks to all the supernatural shit occurring there, the White House will become some sort of passage between the two realms. Jake will cross it to try and destroy Charles' soul, but if he will fail or succeed is still debatable...

Caroline helps Chucky get young again:

If Jake fails in permanently killing Chucky, Caroline will come to the rescue. We know she'll be back, but what role will she play in this mess? When she'll return, all hell already would've broken loose and she'll just make it worse. Her sudden entrance at the White House will cause quite the emotional reunion for Lexi and her. Yet, Caroline didn't come alone. Armed with the Voodoo for Dummies book, sure, but she brought another friend, who's none other than the Good Guy Doll creator played by John Waters. He came with a new doll, a new vessel for Charles and with Caroline's newfound knowledge of Voodooism, she'll get Damaballa's blessings and give Chucky a new body, a new chance to not disappoint the almighty Iowa and if he plays his cards right, he might even become forever young.

Grant will survive:

I don't have any evidence to back this up, I just like him and think it's unfair that Lexy always has to say goodbye to someone she loves each season and I just don't want it to happen again. From a psychology standpoint it just desensitized her and would lead to her not getting attached to anyone else besides Jake & Devon next season, in fear of someone else always having to die because of her. And from a writing perspective it just gets repetitive, predictable and boring. So please Don Mancini don't kill him, also I love Jackson Kelly.

The past will haunt everyone:

Charles Lee Ray isn't the only ghost the Terror Trio will have to deal with in the newly supernatural possessed White House. We've seen the past of the Collins family haunt them time and time again, we've seen Henry talk about ghosts and fearing what they told him almost every single episode. Why would that stop at Joseph or Charles? Wouldn't it be horrible for our trio to be faced with the lives they lost thanks to a doll they couldn't stop? How would Jake react upon seeing his father again, disappointed at him for being gay. And Lexy, the poor girl, facing Junior, the boy she watched die, trying to save her... Not making at least one ghost of the past come back would be a wasted opportunity.

Tiffany will survive, but Jennifer's body might not:

Tiffany's possible death has been brought up in every interview Jennifer Tilly made following the comeback of Chucky season 3. At this point it even became a ‘will they, won't they’ situation. Does Mancini really have the guts to kill off a cult favorite character and actress he loves so much? Or will we just say goodbye to seeing Tilly on screen and welcome only her voice? I mean the trailer kinda made it clear for me that this isn't the end of Tiffany's story, but maybe that of Jennifer's body.

[umbrellalavender]

Umbrella Academy: Young Blood and Season 4 Spoilers:

Young Blood took place days before Ben’s death and probably played a part in how he died.

The best thing that season 4 gave to us was answers surrounding Ben’s death. We know that he died on the 14th October 2006, which was 13 days after their 17th birthday.

The children were probably 17 years old in Young Blood given the line ‘“I haven’t worked with you for the past seventeen years to end up with a house full of normal children.”’ Said by Reginald. (Reggie might be round up I guess but I choose to ignore that ngl)

(Also, saying that he’s been working with them for 17 years means that he has been training them since they were literal babies)

This means that the book should take place within a 12 day window. Considering that I don’t remember them talking about their birthdays at all, I’m going to assume that it took place on the later end of those days.

Another line that I think relates to Ben dying is:

‘Tonight, Ben decided he’s never going to use his tentacles to kill another person. From now on, when he’s given an order on a mission, he’s not going to rush to please Dad and his timekeeping. Ben’s going to allow himself to hesitate. He’ll choose to save lives—even if it takes a little bit longer, even if it’s a little bit riskier. And there’s nothing anyone can do to stop him.’

Isn’t this what Ben did the day he died? He went out of his way to save a life and not to please his father. In the show, he has this conversation with Luther:

“There’s someone in here. We have to get her out.”

“That wasn’t part of the plan.”

“So what? You’re gonna blow up an innocent girl?”

“But dad said…”

“I don’t give a fuck what dad said! We need to help her.”

What Ben saw at the frat party with all those uni students and Ryan (especially Ryan) made him think more carefully about what he was doing when he followed Reggie’s orders. Choosing to save Jennifer ultimately led to his father shooting him dead.

Also, if Young Blood took place around Ben’s death, it might have got caught up with Reggie’s mind control thingy, and made them forget that there were other super-powered babies.

I know I’m probably thinking about this way too much, but Ben’s my favourite character. This book is literally the most time he gets to spend with his siblings, and I just need it to be canon!

Another line that gets me about Ben is:

‘There’s not a doubt in Ben’s mind that, if something were to happen to him, his siblings would show up at his funeral. He can picture Allison crying, while Diego tries to hide his tears. Luther would give the eulogy. Viktor would put flowers on his grave every week. Klaus would stay high and avoid contacting him. Ben smiles as he thinks of himself haunting Klaus every time he catches him sober. Ben catches sight of his leather jacket among the rubble; he digs it out and puts it back on, now so covered in dust that it looks gray instead of black.’

What the Umbrella Academy did was so dangerous that Ben thought about his own funeral? I don’t know if this is a common thought people have because I sure don’t. And he thought about all of his siblings (minus Five) being there. This suggests to me that he could imagine himself going first. I also like the little nod at the end to his ghost outfit.

[xysidhequeen]

I do want to see Jason ranting to Ember and Kitty. I’m curious 🧐

Let's see what I can do!

This would be once Jason is a bit more comfortable giving details about his previous life.

Jason, Ember and Kitty are relaxing in Ember's haunt. There's ban posters, both for living and dead bands, splashed across her walls. Instruments of all types fill the space, and the three are spread out on various pillows. Jason is painstakingly painting Ember's nails while Kitty paints his toenails bright red. There's several cartons of open ice cream in between them and a TV is playing a reality show in the background that none of them are watching.

"And then! The dirtbag just fucking trips and falls off the balcony!" Jason told the girls, pulling his hands carefully back so he doesn't mess up Ember's nails while he gesticulates wildly to punctuate his point.

"Good riddance, scum like that deserves it." Kitty said decisively, pulling back to access her work.

"I woulda pushed him, had it been me." Ember said with a shrug.

Jason pointed at her, "right?! I wish I had! But I didn't and B-" Jason's face twisted in pain, and he swallowed harshly. "Batman thought I actually did. He benched me for it." Jason finished with a mutter, all righteous anger gone and replaced with pain.

Ember and Kitty shared a singular look. Ember's hair flared, the flames igniting and blooming in a pillar of ferocity. Kitty's features twisted, fangs lengthening and eyes glowing.

"He benched you? Because some jackass piece of shit offed himself?" Kitty demanded, voice rising in pitch.

Jason looked up and blinked, skin flushing at the anger so obvious on the two women's faces. Anger for him, not at him. "Uh. Yeah, he thought I did it."

Ember huffed, standing up, her half finished nails wrapping around her forearms as if to hold herself back as she stomped across her floor, kicking spare clothes and pillows out of her way.

"That asshole! What a dick move, honestly." Ember growled out, flames snapping behind her.

"We should beat the snot out of him!" Kitty raged.

"We should burst his eardrums!"

"We could haunt his house and hide all his left shoes!"

"We could– his shoes? Seriously Kitty?"

"What? How would you feel if someone stole all your left shoes?"

"Alright, fine. Fair. We could burn his house down too,"

Kitty and Ember fed off of one another, coming up with new creative ways to get revenge on Bruce on Jason's behalf. It all ended when Jason fell over, laughing so hard at the thought of Bruce being vengefully haunted by the two ghosts.

He might have been crying too, but that's what the (slightly melted now) ice cream was for.

Kitty and Ember shared a smile once Jason finally fell asleep. Kitty gently rubbing away tear tracks and Ember pulling a blanket over him. They had been mad, yes, but they had been more angered over the pure hurt they'd felt pouring from Jason like a river. They were just glad they could alleviate it, even a little.

Anyways, the girls are very protective of Jason. And they weren't entirely kidding about haunting the shit out of Batman. Not because of what he did exactly, but because of the fact he hurt Jason. Also, they don't really see what the big deal is with some random schmuck dying. So what? So they understand Bruce's POV even less.

[disappearinginq]

I’m so excited you like Steve Crain too! He’s been a favorite character of mine for years at this point, and doesn’t deserve the hate he gets.

It bothers me when people don’t recognize the responsibility that weighs on characters. They essentially lost both of their parents at the same time, and you know Steve had to be the one to step up.

This isn’t just applicable to Haunting of Hill House, of course. But I’ve noticed that fans vilify the characters that aren’t victimized as obviously / aren’t the main character.

Anyways, just wanted to share with a fellow Steve-enjoyed lol

New Bestie - same. I got into a very heated discussion about how if the Crain siblings are supposed to represent the 5 stages of grief, the fandom has Steve and Shirley switched around, because everyone says that Steve is Denial and Shirley is Bargaining.

Meanwhile, in the show, Steve spends his adult life going around not necessarily trying to debunk ghosts, but hoping that maybe this time, it will be ghosts, because then maybe his family will just be a different kind of crazy. He says his mom and his sister are sick, and they needed help. He reminds me more of Fox Mulder - the "I want to believe" vibe. But he also is in the unique position of seeing ghosts and not knowing about it. All of his ghosts are people with jobs, moving around the house like normal people. Everyone hears the dogs at night, not just him. He doesn't hear banging on the walls, he doesn't see creepy zombies in the basement, he doesn't have his future self freaking the hell out of him his entire life. He sees his mom - and as far as he's concerned (because this is a horror show, not supernatural, the world he occupies is the one we're in - no vampires and ghosts, etc, and that is Understood) it's just the mental illness that has gone through his whole family finally catching up with him. Anyone in this world who has a family member swear they're being stalked by a faceless ghost while they're high on drugs is going to come to same conclusion Steve does, which is that they're nuts. BUT - he looks for any signs that he is wrong. And I'm still mad that they cut out part of the first episode that has Steve refusing to write about his family anymore, no matter the price, while driving by an accident where he sees multiple people standing around, but when he turns away and the camera is the only one on the accident, you only see the firefighters/first responders.

Meanwhile, Shirley is 100% in denial about everything, including what her own ghosts were. In her House Nightmare at the end, she even denies what actually happened - in her version, she doesn't have an affair. The House actually calls her out on "But that's not what happened, is it?" When Steve is doing CPR on his dying brother, Shirley's first words are "This isn't real". She denies Luke from going to Nell's wedding. She denies that their mother had anything wrong with her, she's in denial that she's running her own business into the ground, she's in denial about the death of the kittens, she's in denial about ghosts too - even though she has much more explicit contact with them with the knocking, and with a witness both times (Theo). She's in denial about the night that they had to flee Hill House. Like if she says it often enough, then it will be true that her family is fine and nothing is wrong.

Sorry. Long rant. But I love this character and this show so much and no one ever wants to talk about it (except @amandagaelic, and she has listened to me for literally hours at this point). One of these days, I will actually finish the Haunting of Hill House fic I have, and it will be posted.

We might all be dead from old age, or so senile we don't even remember the source material, but I'll stipulate in my will that it has to be posted. :-D

AND YES - people have a weird habit of like...picking one character to defend and that's the end of it. No one else can do any right and that character can do no wrong. I see it in Yellowstone fandom a lot. Or in Marvel (the Steve/Tony argument made me leave it altogether). I don't know if it's because fandoms are now predominantly younger, louder/more obnoxious from the safety net of internet anonymity or what, but Seeing Things from Someone Else's Point of View seems to be a lost art in both media and reality.

[applesjuice]

How will the reunion between Akari and Juliana go? Or Carmine?

So this is like, two years post Indigo Disk at this point. Carmine is about 19 here, and Juliana/Florian as being 17 and Kieran as 16 here.

Carmine travels for her job, she works with researchers as a sort if body guard against wild pokemon in dangerous areas they're studying. Pretty much what she did with Briar as a student. So she is out of the region when Akari gets reverse eebied back. They're staying with Drayden in Opelucid City, since Ingo is staying there too (and Emmet he's not going anywhere). After Carmine finally finds out what's up from Drayton she demands to facetime immediately to see Kieran.

Akari vaguely remembers her, their memories are sort of coming back. They just feel kind of seperared from them. Staring at the face of god kind of scrambles your brain.

So they initially reunite over facetime but it's not exactly a coherant conversation on Carmine's end. She's too busy bawling so Drayton winds up having to have a private conversation with her about the situation. After that she drops everything calls her grandparents to tell them whats up and then THAT'S it's own situation becauase poor grandma thought she was having a stroke when they heard the news.

When she gets back to Unova and finally sees Kieran in person she's bawling again and appologizing to them like Drayton did so Akari is finally like why does everyone keep apologizing to me? I dont get it. So then she's even more upset lol. But Akari really matured in Hisui and does kind of remember a big sister so there super happy someone they're related to actually wants them. (Akari went through a phase where their memories of indigo disk era had them thinking they were a terrible person and everyone back home was better off without them)

She also has a few of Kieran's pokemon on her like Furret and Hydrapple and they are very emotional seeing Kieran again. It takes her a few days because she's so overwhelmed but she eventually reaches out to Briar and the Protagonist to let them know Kieran's alive.

Im just gonna use Juliana in this to make it easier, but Juliana is shook. Like she's moved on with her life, mourned Kieran, still has nightmares about the incident. Kieran is the ghost that haunts her. So she's beside herself too and Carmine gives her time. She tells her friends who like, all vaguely know Kieran through osmosis since the whole thing kind of broke her, and they help her work through what she's feeling. Same with her mom, her mom keeps a picture of Kieran in their house even though she never knew them. But like the fact that this kid died and her own kid almost did too is pretty devastating to think about.

So Juliana facetimes Carmine and Carmine shows her Kieran (they don't talk yet, the whole situation is a lot for these two) and she starts crying too lol. She's like "do you think he'd want to talk to me?" And carmine is like "well, they've changed a lot but its more like. Theyre back to their old self just, more sure seeming? Also i honestly dont know if they remember you"

So its a whole shitshow essentially. Just a bunch of people navigating a difficult situation. Akari is kind of facinated by Juliana like "wowzers i was friends with someone so cool? I cant believe i was so mean to her i should appologize" and theyre like kieran i think sort of dying kind of negates that you're fine.

Then comes the big bomb that Akari has a SMART PHONE. That is the biggest change of all. Cannot believe you went to the past and came back with knowledge of memes.

Eventually the two talk and they're like pen pals for a while (through texting) while Kieran is healing and doing rehab for some injuries in Opelucid. Carmine is staying in an air bnb there to help out. Eventually Juliana gets the courage to come visit and when they meet she's half crying in joy half having a bi panic because Akari is very pretty.

The end

[morganwrites12672]

hi <3

would it be crazy to ask for a fem reader going to max for comfort while having a panic attack? 🤭 i'm a sucker for hurt/comfort tropes 🚶

Your wish is my command!

Feel free to request more, I am on Thanksgiving break!

But I am warning you, any angst WILL be given a happy ending....

Max Mayfield x Reader

You couldn't breath. You try to take a deep breath, it doesn't work. You couldn't stop thinking about it.

The sunset would have been pretty to most people, the way it was more red then orange. You swear you see pieces of the Creel House in the clouds.

The haunting shales reminded you of your time spent with him. Vecna.

It hits to close to home. Last year, Max almost didn't make it out from Vecna's spell. You had helped Lucas deal with Jason, and quickly slipped on Max's walkman. She was fine.

You weren't. He had taken you. But he didn't show you your fears he had anticipated. He had shown you max dying over, and over, and over again. And you couldn't stop it no matter what.

By some miracle everyone made it out alive. Not without scars littering their bodies. Night terrors haunting their dreams.

You try to think of the fact that Max is two trailers down, doing her homework. Safe. She is safe, she has to be.

You can't help it. Your heart is racing and your chest keeps tightening. You notice the lack of oxygen.

You can't do this alone. You get off the couch and carelessly slip on a pair of sandals before blowing to Max's trailer.

you knock and can barely hear it or Max open the door over your racing heart. Max sees the tears streaming down your face and pulls you into a hug and helps bring you to the couch.

She pulls you half into her lap. She is holding you so tight there is not doubt. Max is safe, and she always was. You feel stupid for having been so scared.

"You're okay, baby," Your girlfriend whispers as she pushes some hair out of your face. You look up at her and still are barely heaving out breaths.

"Tell me something you can feel, five of them," she says. She holds you tighter as you try to feel something other than the weight on your chest.

"Your shirt, it's soft," you mumble as your hand fists im her shirt, "Your hair, it's silky," you continue as you run a hand through her hair. "You, you're safe," your voice is barely a whisper as you ghost a hand across her cheek, "Your jacket is rough but soft. The couch is rough," you finish running your fingers over the couch and her jacket.

"Good job my love. Four things you see," she always did them in random. Never I'm the correct order, she said it helped her and if you wanted it normal she could. You never did. You liked having to think about what you would have to find next.

"You," you cup your hand on her cheek and look into her eyes, "the table," you point to the coffee table a few feet away. Your heart was still racing. Your chest was still tight, but the tears had stopped. You could almost breath.

"The floor, and the record player," you finished as your breathing slowed. Max smiles and squeezes your hand. She slowly gets up and starts the record player.

'If only I could, I'd make a deal with god. Get him to swap our places'

Kate Bush. 'Running up That Hill' had been the two of yours dedicated comfort song for years. The sound of the music fills the trailer as Max sits down and pulls you in for a hug.

'Be running up that hill'

You hear part of a verse as you rest your forehead on Maxs. She leans in to the embrace as the two of you sit in silence

"I love you and I promise, everytime you come I will be here," she presses a soft kiss on your cheek as she grabs a blanket and pulls you into your lap.

"I love you to red. And I'll always be there, we killed that asshole," you say with a smile before sleep overtakes the two of you.

Max's mom doesn't question it when she comes home to see the young lovers entangled in the other, asleep..she smiles as she sees. Her daughter finally had someone she loved. And that girl loved her to.

[hhighkey]

Haunted // Chapter Five, kyoto p1

Inumaki Toge x OC (female)

Chapter Rating: general

Story Contains: unhealthy relationships, strangers to lowkey!friends to lovers, family issues, OC is in high school going into university after summer, she thought curses were ghosts, bad parents want their child dead, 18/19 character ages, toge is so in love, eventual sex prior to relationship, soft dom toge, dacryphylia, over protective/ possessive toge, jealous toge

Word Count: 2573

KEY: 'text written with single quotations are writing/typing in notes or messages by toge' and bold text is when japanese sign language comes in

Tags: reply to be added

Masterlist

-

THE afternoon sun bathed down on the buildings that sat up upon the hills looking down onto the Kamo River, paths alongside. The blue sky above was dotted with fluffy white clouds that drifted in the gentle breeze above the city of Kyoto. Tourists and locals alike were out and about- many walking, cycling, and or relaxing on the banks of the river. Two girls in specific had gotten up early to begin their long walk to see different temples and end up sitting on a tiny hill where rocks went down to meet the water. They were enjoying their trip and no school, giggling about recent social media posts, etc.

It had been five days since they were attacked by a curse. Four days since Keiko was given the choice to join Jujutsu High. Three days since Aki's Grandma took the two to Kyoto. The friends didn't know how to talk about what happened that afternoon, when they saw each other for the first time after they just laid in Aki's bed watching television. No words could describe the schock and how they were trying to come to terms with how fast it happened.

Keiko's long black hair continued to whip into her hair as each time she'd laugh annoyed trying to tame it. Finally, she used a hairtie from her wrist to put it back; which she hated low ponytails. Aki was glued to her phone searching up things for them to do, where to shop, and pictures of Kyoto in other seasons.

"I wish we could come back in the spring, look at these pictures of when the cherry blossoms are fully blooming." Aki showed her the phone, where it showed pretty pink blossoms adorning the trees, sky and ground.

Keiko glanced around and back to the picture, she could only imagine how majestic it would be to experience that in real like than a picture. Few months earlier and they would be, "wow.. I mean we can during uni, we’ll have much more time.. hopefully."

"That's a great idea, I can’t wait."

"Let’s just pray rumors of uni being easier than high school are true."

"I know! Sort of an oversight there in my opinion to make high school more demanding." Keiko laughed, "I can't believe that's coming up... we’ve worked so hard."

"Don't even wanna think about it! Parents started getting all emotional lately." Aki groaned, "too much work, let's just not go. Convince your parents to let us mooch off them forever."

"I wish! But hey, if we hate University of Tyoko we can just transfer here." she thought back to Aki's grandma forcing them to do a small tour to get the girls thinking about university, "it's too close to home really.”

"Not like we knew your parents would suddenly let you leave town months after we decided.. though the six hours to get here was pretty lengthy.”

"I knowww but probably because we didn’t take the train." Keiko poked her.

"Ah true, but hey we really lucked out getting on the same dorm floor."

"Though I was gonna cry when we got the placement emails! If was smart of your grandma to have us email housing.” Keiko smiled.

"Literally! I swear if somehow fucking Emiko ended up in our building I’m dying."

"You still hate her?" she laughed at Aki's face of disgust,

"Always will!"

Keiko knew they’d be in different major taking different classes, around new people. They had their different hobbies and strengths in school and life. With Keiko having had private tutoring and being stuck at home, she found herself enjoying books on anything she could get her hands on. So suddenly math and science made sense to her as numbers just solved themselves, whereas Aki was torn between economics and teaching. Keiko had safety in her family life so leaving home seemed like it could be a great idea. Sometimes it felt like there wasn't much for her in Tokyo besides Aki; why stay? University was a touchy subject for a lot of students she felt. Keiko didn't necessarily have any strong emotions about it besides a mixture of laziness and excitement. Primary thankfulness to still have her best friend by her side.

A sudden VIBRATING snapped Keiko from her thoughts. She stumbled to reach into her purse to grab her phone.

"Oh?" Keiko murmured as she saw a text message from a number she didn't recognize.

"What's what?" Aki asked trying to see her friends phone screen,

"Text from an unknown number."

"Who!?"

"Inumaki.. forgot I gave him my number for a second." Keiko flushed red.

"What does it say?" Aki only knew the little about what Keiko told her- he'd saved them and he had been the most welcoming to her.

"Just saying that it's him."

"Oh, lame." Aki huffed, "you better tell me everything about this boy! I am gonna get you a boyfriend somehow,"

"Shut up, it's not like that! Lemme just respond," Keiko giggled shaking her head, knowing this she'd be spilling everything she knew about him to her.

4:55 pm

UNKNOWN: Hi it's Inumaki Toge:)

KEIKO: hi!! do u prefer to go by toge or inumaki? people seemed to call u by ur surname but i have to know what to put your contact as :)

UNKNOWN: Both is fine!

KEIKO: cool! also cool u texted

TOGE: So how are you doing?

KEIKO: well, i feel a lot better now knowing i'm not losing my mind or seeing things.

KEIKO: sorry I left abruptly btw...

KEIKO: Aki is okay, so i'm okay. we're in kyoto rn it's nice

TOGE: That city's nice! n glad you guys are okay. Injuries looked bad

TOGE: And you're good, sorry about Gojo

KEIKO: yeah, it's like all i see when i sleep now. and i am liking it here, much different than tokyo 

KEIKO: and its k, i wasn't doing great

TOGE: Can I ask you something?

KEIKO: yeah sure

TOGE: Would you mind coming to visit when you're back?

KEIKO: uh oh did your teacher put you up to this

TOGE: Yes and no

KEIKO: i don't have much of a choice do i ? lol

TOGE: Not exactly, but I'll stay by you if you'd like.

KEIKO: that'd be nice. ur teacher's a little straightforward

TOGE: He's interesting. You'll also be meeting the principal too

KEIKO: oh great :/

TOGE: You'll be fine :)

"Sounds like they want to see me back at Jujutsu High." Keiko groaned as she figured there was no point in responding right now. She wished the conversation with Inumaki didn't go that direction, "yeah it's super pretty there and cool to learn about curses and what not I guess, but I just want to be left alone right now."

"Aw his texting seems cute, glad he cares about us." Aki proclaimed looking through the texts, "At least go to see this boy! And when have you been such a debbie-downer? This could be that adventure we wanted."

"Seems a little dangerous to me... and I guess I would like to see Toge again."

"Uh ohhh crush incoming!" Aki teased.

"Oh my god, no way, I don't even know him. I'm just glad someone's being nice over there it's weird." Keiko scrunched up her face to give Aki a playfully annoyed look. She put her phone back in her purse so her friend couldn't stare at the messages some more.

"Maybe I can meet him sometime."

"Of course! He saved us. I hope if I have to go back I can meet some other people, being stuck with Gojo will definitely have me running again."

Keiko knew that eventually she'd have to explain more to Aki. It was all on the tip of her tongue ready to spill out, she knew she'd be ready to talk soon. It was also obvious that Aki was itching to as well.

"God I am burning up, I need some more of that breeze," Keiko growned as she stretched her legs out more letting a soft groan out.

Keiko studied her friend's features with careful eyes as she felt more precious than normal. At times, Keiko only saw the 'unconcious and bloody' Aki when she looked at her. At first it startled her, made her stare because she didn't know what to say. But now, at least, she could push the dark thoughts from her mind and appreicate the fact she still had her best friend.

"Ready to go get some tea then?" The two had one more thing planned for the night- Ippodo Tea. It was located in a quiet neighborhood almost an hour from where they currently were. Aki had chosen to go shopping the last few days and stop at known food places, besides seeing Kyoto University the tea shop was the one place Keiko wanted to go. "We should catch the train to get there it'll get you out of the sun," Keiko continued excitedly, "did you know they celebrated three-hundred years last year? They opened in 1717."

"Three-hundred? That's insane... and you would know that,"

"I know." she rolled her eyes pretending not to hear that last part, "I heard their tea is the highest of quality, like top in the world. Literally so happy we're going. They do tastings so you can try different kinds. Finally get to make my own matcha," Keiko was practically drooling over the thought of fresh, high quality tea that would surpass what she made by a long shot.

"You know, you're cute when you get all excited about things!"

"Thanks," Keiko stuck out her tongue at Aki as she watched her friend bounce up to her feet, where she stood above Keiko with her hands on her hips, in a triumphant manner. She grinned down and said,

"Come on lets go slowpoke."

-

Maybe it was the fact neither had the experience of a trauma together, or separately that bled into the other's life to know how to handle it. They were still children in the eyes of society as a whole, but adult enough to choose paths that would take them to the rest of their lives. They shouldn't have been subjected to the evil that appeared in the alley that day, the curse that almost killed them and changed their trajectory forever. The mood was sullen between the two girls as they sipped their tea they so dutifully learnt to make and understand the history of. It was like dark, tear filled clouds hovered over their heads as their gazes evaded the others- like it was hitting them in the moment of silence.

"For the first time I haven't known how to talk about something with you." Keiko said, a solemn look in her eyes as she stared down at the half empty tea.

"I don't think we've been ready the last few days. Had to process, it's weird because it feels like it didn't happen. Like it was all a dream at this point."

"I feel that," Keiko replied, "but also you were definitely unconscious for the worst parts... not that I'm trying to minimize anything, I swear."

"I know." Aki wanted to reach across and grab her hands, try to console her but she felt frozen, "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect or help you, or experience it too. I don't know what I'd do if I watched you almost die."

"It's not your fault. I'm okay, really. And I think the fact it was me who did something about it helps. Just the pure pain of losing you and even Kaito made something just... happen. I can't explain."

"I'm proud of you. And thankful we didn't die that's for sure."

"Me too and Aki, I have to tell you about when I was at Jujutsu High without you guys," Keiko took a deep breath as she talked about Gojo wanting her to join the school, figured she could be useful. And as she began to talk about her dad, her voice cracked. With a kind look from Aki she took a deep breath and continued. Keiko couldn't even believe her own words as she said "they're jujutsu sorcerers Aki... My dads one of their leaders or something. Gojo told me to be careful."

"Wow. I-I don't know what to say about that. Now you have some answers..."

"There's no way about any of it." Keiko knew it would be a dangerous denial for her to keep thinking that way; but, it was eating her up. For days she tried not thinking about it while they began their trip, but as things slowed down she had more time to think. Keiko never kept things from Aki like this so she could think, however family ties seemed like an okay thing to keep private as she tried to sift through everything she knew.

"Maybe you should consider joining Jujutsu High to some extent... what if you can really help people? Find out the truth about your parents?"

Keiko frowned as she was suddenly deep in thought. What Aki asked was a good question- she literally saved her friends. What if more people would need her? There was a nagging feeling in her that Gojo or Jujutsu High wouldn't be leaving her alone anytime soon. Keiko didn't want people dying but she also didn't know if she could be the one to help. She didn't think she was fit to take on something like that. But she always wanted to help. Make a difference. However, the world of curses seemed dangerous, not anything she signed up for or thought that would be how she'd help.

"Don't you think it's weird my parents suddenly gave me freedom. How my mom's been so strange towards me...." her voice grew quieter with each world she spoke. In her mind it seemed absurde, questions her parents; but, as she said it aloud she realized maybe it wasn't so crazy after all, "what if they didn't want me knowing about this? And not to protect me..."

"I-" Aki stopped herself before she said anything. It was a complicated situation for two girls aged seventeen, normally she'd have something to say if it was about a boy. Boys and school were always the biggest issues in their lives, mostly.

"I feel stupid, confused Aki. I feel like I can't stop thinking about it unless we're engrossed doing something. At night I've been laying awake while you're fast asleep. It's terrible."

"I'm so sorry... that jujutsu doctor gave Kaito and I someone's number if we needed to talk. I think I'm going to take them up, maybe we could go together. Or I think you should go back to Jujutsu High."

"Or we can pretend like we didn't almost die?" Keiko laughed with a tinge of bitterness.

"That feels like it would be easier..."

Aki watched her friend with sad eyes as she reached across the table grabbing her hands in her own. She knew things may not get any better if they tried to run. She also knew that everything happening was well out of Keiko's comfort zome, she seemed to be struggling this whole trip, seeming absent-minded, "I promise we'll get through this. Together and with Kaito too, he barely knew us and this happened. Us three need each other at the least even if we decide we want nothing to do with the jujutsu sorcerers."

[stesierra]

I am not a short story writer. Everything I touch turns into a novel usually. But I did write a short story once! Here it is. YA fantasy I guess. Maybe someday I'll write a novel set in this world. Trigger warning: the MC is a ghost.

The Unfamous Dead

After I die, my house stands empty for three damn years. The iron memorial cross Mom put up outside topples at the end of year one. Year two, it’s nicked by a drunk. He’ll probably batter someone with it. Iron’s heavy.

Year three, the landlord brings a man and woman to tour. All three stare right through me, even when I start dancing. Dancing’s easy when gravity doesn’t affect you and you can’t hurt yourself. Being dead isn’t so bad. I tell myself that a lot, especially when I start thinking about how things could’ve been different. If I hadn’t been so eager to move out at the end of high school. If I’d agreed to stay in a dorm. If someone from our band had stayed the night and noticed the stroke that killed me, a week before classes started.

A stroke’s the last way I’d have chosen to die, if anyone had given me a choice. It’s fast, but it happens to people all the time. If you’re a young man, that’s weird, but no one will remember you for dying that way. You won’t even get an article in the newspaper.

A month after the tour, a family pulls up in a U-haul. The doors open to spill children and houseplants out onto the cracked driveway. There are two kids and two parents, the family traditional. They don’t have a dog. Too bad. If dogs can see ghosts, maybe it could’ve pointed me out to its folks. I’m never going to get famous haunting a bunch of idiots who can’t see me.

The boy is ten, the girl maybe six. His hair is puffy and black and in need of a trim. Hers is done up in cornrows. Their parents let them tear around the yard and ruin the dandelion field until everything’s out of the truck. Then their mom shepherds them inside with a hand on each kid’s shoulder.

The dad leads the way into the house and straight through me, calling back over his shoulder, “Honey, where did we pack the microwave?”

“It’s in the big box with the linens, remember?” The mother steps past me, but the kids stare with rounded eyes. The little girl’s thumb drops from her mouth, and her black eyes glisten alarmingly.

I’ve planned for years to scare the bejesus out of the first idiots to move into the house I haunt. I didn’t expect it to be kids, okay? I make a quick change of plans.

From behind the door of the coat closet, where I take shelter, I have a front row seat for the family’s first fight in their new home. The parents tell their daughter she’s got an overactive imagination and should act more like her brother. The daughter is outraged. The brother, who saw me too, says nothing.

“Scaring children now, David?” asks the angel beside me.

“Shut up,” I say, and press farther back into the closet. Great. She’s here again.

Maybe I should have mentioned before that there’s an angel hanging around here. She showed up a month after I died, bothering me about moving on, and she never left. She’s an odd, colorless creature, more felt than seen. She flickers dimly next me. “This will make you famous? Perhaps you ought to give in and pass on.”

I shake my head. I’m not having this conversation again. I’ve always yearned to be famous, and why should dying change that? But when she gets started, she goes on about me damaging the fabric of reality. She must be immortal, because no one with a time limit would waste years stalking a dead guy.

“Children see things the rest of the world cannot. It will be difficult for you to avoid them while they live here. But there is an easy solution—”

“No, seriously, shut up. I’m not leaving, and you’re not even a real angel, I’m pretty sure.”

“You’re the one who called me that,” the angel says.

“Shut up.” Like I said, she’s more felt than seen. When I met her, I named the parts I felt arms and legs and wings because not naming them made me feel even more nuts than just being a ghost already did. She’s got wings. What else could she be?

The upstairs doors clatter open and closed; the kids must be over their tantrums and picking out rooms. I press my insubstantial knees to my chest and wait for nightfall.

That night, the parents settle down with a six-pack and a couple of books. Maybe their cable’s not connected yet. The kids are nowhere to be seen. I creep up the stairs. The angel follows.

The little girl’s shoes are outside the first bedroom door. Down at the end of the hall, another door is shut. I pass through it. There’s not much to see inside. Mom and Dad dragged a bed in and put a sleeping bag down on it, under which the boy is now curled. Music books are piled on the floor next to a disassembled IKEA bookshelf, and a black electronic keyboard lurks in the corner behind the bed. The blinds on the windows are open, and the gibbous moon casts down light that washes the color from everything. Pale and ghostly, I fit right in.

I lean down over the bed. I can feel the angel at my back, watching. I whisper in the boy’s ear, “You know, piano’s for chumps. Forget piano. Guitar is where you want to be.”

The whites of his eyes are vivid against his dark skin. He sits up on the bed and pulls the shirt of his Spider-Man pajamas tight. He sticks out his lower lip and says, “My parents want me to learn piano.”

“You always do what your parents want you to do?”

He straightens then, gaze challenging. “They wouldn’t like me talking to a ghost.”

I take a seat over the bed, cross-legged in the air. The angel is behind me, but he doesn’t see her. “Well, you’re old enough to make your own decisions, aren’t you?” I stick out a hand. “David.”

He reaches out and brushes his fingers through mine. “I’m Anthony.”

***

Anthony is a breath of fresh air, sweeping out the staleness that’s clogged this dump for the last three years. At night, when we talk about bands and music and why piano’s for stiffs, he tells me he’s not afraid of ghosts. Hell yeah, he’s afraid of ghosts. I can tell. I was a ten-year-old boy once, too. I avoid his sister; she’s not any closer to pissing herself at the sight of me than he is, but she doesn’t try to hide it like her brother.a

The kid is a prodigy. He spends hours every day tapping out songs on his keyboard. He writes them himself. If he’d apply himself to a decent instrument — say, a guitar — he could make something out of his life. Black kid songwriter jams with the stars — can’t you see the headlines now? He could be famous. He could make me famous. A ghost that’s your best friend, that’s practically begging for a single, isn’t it? But Anthony doesn’t have a guitar, and no one ever got famous by having a piano solo written about them.

Anthony gives his eighth piano concert and turns thirteen before a brightly wrapped pear-shaped present with a long handle shows up under the Christmas tree. It’s acoustic. Cheap-ass grandparents. Up in his room after Christmas dinner, as he fingers the strings experimentally, I mutter, “It’s somewhere to start, at least.”

Anthony glances down at the guitar and babbles some shit about the model and make and how it cost five hundred dollars.

“Whatever. It doesn’t have a plug.”

The angel makes herself known then. Her face is set in a frown. “Do you persist in trying to make the child over into yourself? You are no better than his parents, who you complain are pushing him into music too young and denying him a childhood.”

I ignore her, like usual when Anthony’s around. He thinks I’m weird enough without me talking to people he can’t see.

Couldn’t see. Now, his head turns toward her. He sets the guitar gently down on the bed beside him. “I love the piano, and I only do as many concerts as I want. I’m thirteen, not a kid. What the hell are you? Why are you in my room?”

The angel vanishes.

Anthony clambers off the bed, staring at the empty spot where she was. “David, why was there an alien in my room? Where did it go? Why does it know you? Do you really complain about Mom and Dad?”

“An alien? She looked like an alien to you?”

“It didn’t look human, like you.”

“She didn’t look like an angel?”

“It sure didn’t look like any I’ve ever heard of.” He hesitates and picks up his new guitar to cradle against his chest. “That’s not what you really are, is it?”

I put my hands up. “Whoa. Of course not. I’m dead David, your buddy. Look, I’m going to go get that thing out of our house. Okay? I’ll go and do that.”

I don’t give him a chance to argue. I can move fast when I want to.

The angel is downstairs, standing with wings and arms folded, dourly watching Natasha play her video games. The girl doesn’t notice; she stopped seeing me years ago.

I stalk up to the angel. “What the hell was that?”

Her eyes are colorless and too large. “I told you, David. You are damaging reality by staying here.”

“Because he could see you? How is that damaging reality? You’re real, aren’t you? You’re really here, just like I am.”

“The Intangible and Tangible are separate realms, David. You damage that separation. If you hadn’t stayed, Anthony would have outgrown seeing the Intangible outside of dreams, just as his sister did.”

“If they’re so separate, why can he see me at all?”

“Humans filter what they see through their limited comprehension. They can comprehend ghosts more easily than other things. Creatures of greater power are beyond them. Due to your meddling, the boy may see me now, but he cannot see me as I truly am.”

“Can I?”

She doesn’t answer. On the other side of the room, Natasha punches out a virtual bad guy, and “K.O!” flashes bright across the screen.

The angel’s face has never held much expression, but now her still features seem secretive. I say, “I’m not doing anything to reality, am I? You’re hiding. Your people, whatever they are — which is not angels, by the way — are hiding, and I’m helping him see you!”

The angel turns towards the frost-painted front window. I can see through her to the boots and mittens in a pile by the front door. Her voice is as cold as her face. “You have your way, then, David Fundley. I hope that you come to realize you are ruining his life before it is too late. It is already too late for yours.”

With that last passive-aggressive comment, the angel is gone.

***

Two years pass. I rejoice in living — ha ha — in an angel-free space. Anthony thinks I’m a hero for driving the “alien” away. I bask in his admiration like a hideous lizard on a sunny rock. Sure, she left on her own, but he doesn’t need to know that. Anthony shoots up half a foot when puberty hits him hard, and he gets real quiet while his voice breaks. I tell him after school, as he clings to his piano and plays away his stresses, that at least he’s not a singer.

Three days after his fifteenth birthday, I try to convince him to take up singing.

“If you just play piano and guitar, you’ll never front a band,” I tell him.

Anthony keeps playing Rachmaninoff’s third concerto, his hands rippling across the keys like a crab caught skittering and tumbling in the surf. “I’m a concert soloist. I’m not going to have a band.”

“Well, not if you keep on the way you have been.”

He ignores me. I let him alone.

Downstairs, the windows are thrown open to the spring afternoon. His parents aren’t home; Anthony’s old enough for them to trust him with the house. A robin sings, its lilting voice slow and soothing compared to the pounding intensity of Rachmaninoff. Strange, there’s usually more than one of them. I step up to the window screen. A smell hits me, sour and sickly, like an old bag of lettuce rotting at the bottom of a refrigerator. I grimace. Has some kid been smearing dog shit on the siding? Has some animal crawled under the window and died?

I walk around the living room. The same death smog comes in all the windows. What is this? I turn back to the first window, and the shock of what I see hits me like another blood vessel bursting in my brain.

There’s a thing on the other side, staring at me and drooling. It’s winged, like the angel, but it has too many wings and too many eyes, eyes that pop from every gnarled knuckle. And believe me, with as many limbs as this crawling monstrosity has, it has a lot of knuckles.

“Oh shit!”

It leans its big, snouty face towards the window, then jumps up to cling to the side of the building with claws the length of my hand. For a moment, all I can see is its belly. Then it tears the screen off, and it is too big to fit through but it does.

I run. The house has never felt so much of a trap as it does now. I scream up the stairs, “Anthony! Get out the window! Run! Run run run run!”

The doors to the downstairs rooms are open. There’s no basement, no hidden crawlspace, nowhere to go but up. I hit the stairs and pray Anthony’s already thrown the fire ladder out the window and climbed to safety. I pray that someone has left a door closed upstairs and the monster can’t tear hinges off as easy as it can screens.

The monster stampedes up the steps behind me.

I reach the top of the stairs. All the doors stand open.

“David! In here!”

I don’t waste time despairing that Anthony is an idiot and couldn’t climb out a window to save his fucking life. I jump into his room, and just as the monster comes up the last of the steps, Anthony slams the door in its face.

“You were supposed to get out,” I snarl at him.

The monster scrabbles at the door, a sound like twenty dogs on a hardwood floor, and then the handle turns. The door flies open, and the monster lunges inside. Anthony meets it with an empty guitar case to the head, but the case bounces like rubber. Then the monster’s on me, claws sunk deep. Dying hurt worse, I tell myself as its furnace-breath sears my insubstantial face. Dying hurt more.

I’m lying.

For an eternity, there’s nothing but claws in my soul and rotten breath in my face and Anthony’s screams in my ears. Then, without warning, the monster releases me, and I shoot back out of its grasp like a greased eel.

I push myself up on the floor and find the monster’s head level with mine. I scramble away, but it doesn’t move. A shining sword is run through what passes for its spine. As I watch, the monster collapses into gooey black liquid that puddles across everything. A moment later, it dries up and flakes away, leaving nothing behind but a terrible smell of decay.

A translucent hand stretches out to pluck the sword from the floor. The angel is back.

I meet the angel downstairs after Anthony’s finished throwing up. Her sword is nowhere to be seen now. “I told you that staying could have terrible consequences, David,” she says.

I just nod. I want to ask what that was, but I know she won’t tell. “So. Was what Anthony saw there filtered through his own limited comprehension, or did he see the same sick thing I did?”

She cocks her head. “He saw a monster, yes.”

“It wanted to eat me.”

“For some creatures, a loose soul is a tender meal.”

“Would it have gone after the family after it chowed down on me?”

“Perhaps. The boy, most likely, because he could see it.”

Because he tried to defend me. I stare at the wall. “If I left now, would he outgrow seeing supernatural things?”

The angel’s eyes are eager. “With nothing to remind him, he would become normal. It would protect him.”

“Let me think about it.” I turn and walk away, and the angel doesn’t follow. I don’t need to think. I just need to be away from her.

It wasn’t Anthony seeing ghosts that brought the monster — the demon — down on this house. It was me. It’s always been me that brought strange things to this house: angels, demons. Acoustic guitars.

Anthony’s outside of his room, trying to sand the claw marks out of the door with his dad’s tools. I tell him I’m leaving.

“You can’t leave,” Anthony says.

“I have to.” I remember what grief felt like when I was alive and had a throat to clench, eyes to sting. “I’m not calling anything else like that down on you. Okay? But you have to promise me something.”

“I don’t want you to leave.”

“Promise me you’ll always remember. There are things in the world that are not normal, and they want to feed you the lie that they don’t exist. Pretend you can’t see them, but don’t forget. If you forget, you’ll be their sheep, like everyone else.”

“You could stay and watch my back.”

“No, I can’t. I’m dead. You have to go out and play piano concertos. I’m stuck to this building until I decide it’s time to leave. That’s now, I think.”

Letting go must be easy. It’s not an action, really. It’s stopping. Stopping the strain to cling to the world with my fingerprints, to retain the memory of a face, of hands.

I hate long goodbyes. I let go.

I’m nothing more than a shadow of mist when a last thought comes to me. “And if you ever get a chance to bust humanity out of its brain-washing, promise me you’ll take it! That would be awesome!”

I don’t know if he heard me — there wasn’t much me left to hear — but he waves a scribble-covered piece of paper. It might be a song about me, or a grocery list for all I know. I pretend it’s the former as I step into nothing, into all the potential afterlives in the universe, and wait to see what comes next.

@anonymousfoz

@moremysteriesthantragedies

@elizababie

@sm-writes-chaos

@bellascarousel

@palebdot

@Hyba

@da-na-hae

[tenebraevesper]

Five Nights at Freddy's (Movie Review, Part 3)

Five Nights at Freddy's (Movie Review, Part 1)

Five Nights at Freddy's (Movie Review, Part 2)

So, this isn't really a FNaF Movie Review per se, but rather me speculating what we might get in the sequel, because let's be honest, given how well Five Nights at Freddy's is doing, we can expect a trilogy and I'm very excited for that.

I will leave a warning here because this sequel speculation will contain spoilers for the ending of the FNaF Movie.

MOVIE SPOILERS!!!

During the climax of the FNaF Movie, we have witnessed William Afton's demise via the springlock Spring Bonnie suit, and it was said that in-universe weeks have passed between those events and the springlocked William that got sealed in the backroom.

Yet, we see that William is still moving during the ending. Note, he should not be alive at all, and I sincerely doubt that he is. Going by the game lore, the ending of the movie is actually showing us something else. Something that had been foreshadowed earlier during the springlock scene.

''I always come back!''

Yeah, this moment? William knows that he is dying and that his soul will possess the Spring Bonnie suit. He will return, as Springtrap.

I'm certain that the very ending of the movie had shown us William's awakening as Springtrap, learning to control his new body. However, considering how he had been sealed into the back room by the Golden Freddy Ghost Child, he will remain stuck there for quite a while.

Or perhaps not? The movie does deviate from the games in some aspects, but in spirit, it is very accurate, and personally, what I would love to see in the sequel is William as Springtrap being put front and center in the story, with the sequel being an adaption of Five Nights at Freddy's 3.

Yeah, I'm talking about Fazbear Fright, the amusement park attraction that was haunted by a serial killer trapped in a bunny animatronic. I think it would be really awesome if we saw a haunted house-type of attraction or a museum-like establishment created by nostalgic fans who have raided the old Freddy Fazbear Pizza Place for animatronics and decorations, and found the old rotten Spring Bonnie suit.

I want to watch Springtrap stalk those corridors, killing off anyone foolish enough to enter it. Perhaps take a cue from the Mimic and the Tales From The Pizzaplex Epilogues and have a bunch of teenagers enter the place during the night on a dare, only to be hunted down one by one by a deranged bunny animatronic.

Sure, it sounds like a typical slasher flick, but in-between the murders, have the lore sprinkled in. Show us flashbacks of William's past, how Freddy's has started, whether there were any other accidents like the Bite of '87 or whether there was a Sister Location. I want to know whether William had a partner, Henry Emily, and whether Charlie Emily had been his first victim, as well as whether Puppet exists in this universe.

Depending on the timeskip, Mike Schmidt could return once again as the security guard at this establishment and learn about William's fate, or perhaps have a teenage-aged Abby Schmidt visit the place in an attempt to help her ghostly friends, whose animatronic bodies have been turned into props for the horror attraction. There is so much potential in continuing this story.

I also want to see William just hamming it up and chewing the scenery as the Villain Protagonist of the movie. Have him embrace his new identity as Springtrap, and at the end, have the main protagonist/s of the movie burn the whole place down with Springtrap inside it.

But then, at the very ending, you get a cliffhanger of Springtrap walking outside, even more withered than before, having just barely survived the fire and set us up for the third movie.

Now, these are just my ideas for the sequel. What are yours?

[chocobosdungeon2]

I wanna talk about the approach to the supernatural in Reservation Dogs.

I'd like to add as a disclaimer that I'm not yet familiar with most of Taika Waititi's other work. I know he has written about the supernatural before, but I haven't seen it firsthand so I don't know if what I'm about to say is unique to Rez Dogs or if its common throughout his work.

The show presents the supernatural and poses the question of whether or not it's "real" in the very first episode of the series with Big and his field of catfish (among other conspiracies). Big is often used as the POV character for these phenomena because he's presented as someone who readily accepts conspiracies, supernatural theories, and is known in his community as a Bigfoot-hunting wackjob. By doing this, the show makes the audience question if the things Big sees are real. At the same time, very "real" supernatural events happen to other characters, such as the Spirit who speaks to Bear. Some truth is shown to Big's beliefs in S1E5 Come and Get Your Love, where the Deer Lady is definitely shown to be real. This is all the Season 1 setup for the glorious romp that is S2E8 This is Where the Plot Thickens (which we'll come back to), where the line between reality and supernaturality is completely blurred, but there's a larger theme at play here I think. I would say Reservation Dogs likes to present reality-based solutions to supernatural problems, but without ever discounting those problems as "fake" or "just in your head." I feel like this is in contrast to a lot of media, which tends to do the Scooby Doo "There was a logical explanation the entire time!!!" thing. Not here.

The supernatural IS real

BUT it is always conquered by the mundane.

First, I want to pivot to Elora. There's a small scene in Stay Gold Cheesy Boy (S2E7) that illustrates what I mean really well. At the end of the previous episode (S2E6), Elora is shown sitting alone in her house. A house she is now the sole owner of. She begins to hear chanting coming from Mabel's bedroom, reminiscent of the elders who chanted as she was dying. Elora nervously investigates. The chanting gets louder as she approaches the bedroom, but it ends suddenly when she turns the light on. Elora turns the light off and walks back into the hallway, looking around her darkened house as if in a panic. There's muffled chanting and a growing soundwall that makes you feel claustrophobic, like something is coming towards you/her. The camera zooms in on her distraught face in the dark and then cuts to credits.

I don't know about the rest of ya'll, but that scared the shit out of me!!! I was like "oh fuck, what might happen to Elora???" This is Reservation Dogs! Shit can get DARK. She hasn't been in a great place mentally.

We don't see Elora at all for the beginning of Stay Gold Cheesy Boy. When Jackie goes to tell Bear and Willie Jack that Cheese was arrested, she says that Elora isn't answering her phone, spiking anxiety in the audience. You're made to wonder if she's okay.

But soon after the three of them find Elora at her house, plugged into headphones, painting the walls of her grandmother's bedroom, and there's relief. But that was quite the buildup to what turned out to be a paint job, right?

Elora is haunted by her grief, and as we saw in Mabel (S2E4), by the memories the house holds that she doesn't, by its history. Elora wanted to leave the Village, but now she's chained to it by this house she suddenly owns. I don't think the chanting and strange noises were just in Elora's head. She was being haunted. But she also didn't get attacked in the night by ghosts and the solution wasn't to hire an exorcist. When we're haunted by the past, the best thing we can do is look to the future. Elora was being haunted by the house's past so she took a step towards the house's (and her own) future. It's a very... reasonable reaction for a person to have. You can sense the urgency Elora felt to get this done after that harrowing night. What would you do if you felt like you couldn't handle living in a house with its history and memories? If you can't move, giving it a new coat of paint might be the next best thing.

Back to S2E8, this episode is a great example because it plays so much with the audience's sense of reality. A character with one of the strongest connections to the supernatural we've seen, Big, accidentally starts tripping on a huge dose of acid. He's soon followed by Kenny Boy. Complete side note, the juxtaposition of nervous and terrified Big's first time on acid, and chill Kenny Boy (hecking love Kirk Fox btw), who has probably done this a billion times, just vibing is hilarious. A lot of what Big sees can be assumed to be hallucinations, although in this show you can never be too sure. Deer Lady appears but is it really her or is it just his memory of her? Until they come upon the cultists. The Field of Catfish was a mystery presented at the start and built up a little every time Big would see or talk about it with no possible explanation. It turns out, the answer was weird cultists who fuck dead catfish. As wild as that is, it's still an answer grounded in reality so it brings your expectations back down a little bit. Then a bona-fide Supernatural Phenomenon shows up to save them. Not only is the Deer Lady confirmed to be SEEN by someone other than Big, but Kenny Boy KNOWS her, they've met before! So, there can no longer be any doubt in the audience's mind.

As a refresher, the Deer Lady is a supernatural woman with deer legs (as the name implies) who kills "bad" men (and men specifically). Figuring out what "bad" and "good" means is kind of what Big's arc is all about. She asks if Kenny Boy has been good and he replies, smiling, "No... but I've been trying real hard." Kenny Boy isn't someone Big would consider "good" in his very simplistic, child-like idea of it. Her affection toward Kenny Boy shows that being good isnt just saying No to drugs and following the law. Her targets are consistently womanizing rich men who have no regard for others or their environment. She does extend to outright criminals like murderers and robbers if the opportunity presents itself, but usually to protect or save someone. I don't think she likes to work in the open if she can avoid it. The Deer Lady is a supernatural phenomenon that punishes Bad Men. You can avoid getting killed by her by being a Good Man. By not flaunting excessive wealth, by not harming others, and by caring about people around you. The fundamentals of being a decent human being.

There's other examples of this throughout the show of course, but these are a couple that stood out to me. A kind of overlapping theme that I'd love to delve into is the reverence given to Weirdos who Just Say Shit. Junkies, homeless, random dudes in waiting rooms, etc. All spewing their strange ramblings to whoever will hear, but the show frames them as wise and worth listening to. I think I need to end this post before I get too off-topic, but I think it plays into this theme as well.

I've intentionally avoided speaking on the scenes of prayer, where there's a very obvious crossing between these boundaries. I think there's a lot to say about those scenes as well, but I am not Indigenous and I feel like I'd be trying to speak on cultural and spiritual practices I know nothing about. I already feel dangerously close to doing that. I really don't want to make assumptions about anyone's beliefs, so I've tried to stick to examining the screenwriting and how it conveys these themes. If anyone else is willing to add their input, I'd be thrilled to read it.

[noelledeltarune]

Hi i have been scrolling your blog but i have no idea whats going on. Why is mario of super mario having yaoi with great value byakuya togami

there's this old fangame called mario the music box.. it's like an rpgmaker horror fangame for super mario. the plot is like. people are disappearing in this old haunted house so peach asks mario to go check it out. and it's like haunted by this girl named alice who i guess is killing everyone who enters the mansion? her husband (who is like the devil or something) was telling her that if she does what he says (i.e. kill a bunch of people i guess) she will gain functional immortality and she can be with him forever. also she has huge boobs.

so mario goes to this mansion (alice had died apparently and i forget how even though it's probably important) and her and the ghosts of all of her family members are there. riba (alive and immortal guy i guess who doesn't age and might be the devil) is also?? stuck there???

so when mario enters the house he goes and plays this music box. which is like. #1 rule: never do that if you're a horror game protagonist. and it's like fnaf where all the ghosts try to kill you because they think you're the security guard that killed them. (only in this case it's because alice is possessing mario i guess)

there's more that happens but there's like a bajillion ending and a kajillion (more than a bajilion) ways to die. like i'm serious it takes a good 10-15 seconds of DEDICATED scrolling like "scooby doo taught us the real monsters were humans" scrolling to get through it.

mario ends up meeting riba (devilguy), luigi shows up at one point and the ghosts are fucking with him by making him see apparitions of mario that are dying (i guess) (he doesn't even have the poltergust) (lame as hell) (his relationship with mario is also written really poorly)

it's honestly a whole ordeal.... i was only talking about it because my friend was livestreaming it to me and it's just so absurd i had say things or i'd die

[val-athenar]

( @slayersweek​ ) Hi @bitter-byte! Sorry I’m on the later side. I’m your Secret Santa this time. Enjoy! (I’m a Tumblr noob so I hope I don’t mess up the formatting of this post whaha)

Title: A cherished fragment of a vanished past

Fandom: Slayers

Pairing: Amelia/Zelgadis

Rating: T

Prompt: (Idea from a discord conversation:) Lina and Gourry cop out and don’t remember what happened at the end of Next (the liars), but what do Amelia and Zelgadis remember? Does she remember dying in his arms?

A cherished fragment of a vanished past

Amelia sat at her vanity, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Just this morning she had returned from a two-month diplomatic mission to several kingdoms, and without even greeting her father, she had retreated into her personal quarters to freshen up and get ready. Tonight would be the start of the Four Dragons festival, the annual event in honor of the Fire Dragon King, Water Dragon King, Earth Dragon King and Air Dragon King. Seyruun would be crowded with people from all across the world. And she wondered… She hoped…

And she snapped out of her thoughts. “First things first,” she said to her reflection and picked up her hairbrush. Amelia had been preparing for the festival during her trip. She’d bought a new tiara in Zoana, where she met with the queen and king. Martina, Zangulas, and their entire litter. Once, she’d been kidnapped by Martina, but that was in in the past and while the queen still had her… loudness, she at least followed the righteous road of justice.

Amelia had bought her shoes in Atlas city. Being back in those streets brought a smile to her face, yet also made her eyes prick. Atlas was where it all began. Where she met Lina and Gourry.

And then she got her dress in Sairaag. A blue one, not too flashy, but pretty enough to show her stature. Sairaag is where she had met Zelgadis. The city looked very different since it was rebuilt, but the ghosts of the past still haunted the streets. The house that was now a dressmaker used to be a restaurant. She’d been there with her friends, but she could never revisit the restaurant. She wondered what Zelgadis would think of the dress.

She hoped that she would see him again. She wondered if he remembered, too, what happened when they were in Sairaag the last time. The memory was her personal ghost of Sairaag. A cherished fragment of a vanished past.

---

A drumbeat marked the start of the festivities, and Amelia raywinged out of her window as the sun sank over the horizon. Not only would walking through the palace take forever, she also didn’t want to run into Duke Such and Duchess So. She would perform her duties later. Besides, lately there has been an increase in princes and noblemen in Seyruun trying to court her. For now, she was just Amelia. Warriors of justice needed nights off as well!

From up here, Amelia had a great view of the marketplace. The Sorcerer’s Guild organized a magic show, featuring the elements in honor of the dragon aspects of Ceifeed. Amelia landed on a peaked roof and watched.

The drums turned faster—louder. They beckoned everyone to the marketplace. Sanddancers from Almekia leaped in circles around a bonfire, some of the sand staying magically suspended in the air. Whilst magnificent, Amelia’s gaze turned to the darkness. The outer ring of the gathering crowd. So many faces—but she only observed the people that obscured theirs. Hoods and masks. She squeezed the sides of her dress, just to keep her hands steady. She needed to stay optimistic. Think of wonderful things.

Then, between two food stands, she saw a familiar figure. She jumped off the roof, only startling the foreign visitors in the process of nearly crashlanding, and she dashed to the other side of the marketplace before the guards would spot her. They’d be honorbound to protect their princess, but she would manage just fine.

The woman and the kid didn’t see Amelia coming.

“Miss Filia! Val!” Amelia said and waved. Filia looked over her shoulder, holding a napkin with a grease stain she just wiped from Val’s face. He must be about five or six now. “It’s been such a long time.” One year to be exact, since Filia took it upon herself to properly educate people of Seyruun on the Fire Dragon King during the Four Dragons festival.

Filia beamed. “Amelia! It’s so good to see you. I heard you live a very busy life. Shall we watch the show together?”

Amelia smiled awkwardly and held her hands up. “Thank you, maybe tomorrow. Have you seen anyone from our old friends?”

Filia folded the napkin and put it into her skirt pocket. “I saw Miss Lina and Gourry a few months ago, actually, wreaking havoc in Alto’s restaurants. They mentioned they were heading to the far south in search of some artefact.”

“That sounds like Miss Lina alright.” Before Amelia left for her diplomatic mission, she hired twelve extra cooks in case Lina and Gourry would attend the festival. Amelia made a mental note to donate the abundance of leftovers to orphanages the day after Four Dragons. “How about…” Amelia began, her voice trailing off as she searched the crowd for any sign of him. But she didn't have to finish her sentence. Filia's smile had turned somber, her eyes filled with sympathy.

"I’m sorry. I haven't seen or heard anything about Zelgadis," Filia said, her voice soft.

Amelia's heart sank, her stomach churning with a mix of emotions. She had hoped to see him here, to finally talk to him after all this time. "I see," Amelia said, her voice barely above a whisper. She forced a smile, trying to hide the disappointment and hurt that was creeping up on her. "Well, I have to go. I have duties to attend to." She turned to leave, but Filia reached out and touched her arm.

"Amelia, wait. Are you okay?"

Amelia shook her head, her eyes misting over. "I'm fine, really. I just have a lot on my mind." She pulled away from Filia's touch, not wanting to break down in front of her old friend. "I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, she walked away, her heart heavy and her mind a jumbled mess of thoughts and feelings.

Of course he wasn’t here. He wasn’t here last year, or the year before. Zelgadis hated crowds—hated to be stared at, and the Four Dragons Festival brought in people from all over the kingdom. Amelia couldn't blame him, not after everything he had been through. But she couldn't help but wonder if he was avoiding her too.

The drumming was increasing in tempo, building to a climax, but Amelia left that all far behind as she pushed through the crowds towards the palace. On the way, in the circular park connecting two neighborhoods, a minstrel stood on a dais, singing to the families. Some children wore bright-colored dragon costumes in fluffy fabrics, others had paper crowns or held meatballs on a stick.

Amelia didn’t stop to listen, but she caught on the minstrel’s song was about Lina Inverse with a little bit of Gourry by her side. Quite positive too, with no mention of ritual sacrifice or eating monsters for breakfast. Amelia had worked hard on improving Lina’s reputation here in Seyruun—partly because she might be associated with her. But there was no mention of Zelgadis or Amelia in the song—

Her arm was snatched with a fierce grip, spinning her around in a whirlwind of shock and disbelief. The suddenness of the movement sent her heart pounding as she looked into the eyes of the person who had hold of her. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, her mind struggling to process the reality of the situation. There, before her, stood Zelgadis, the lower part of his face indeed covered by a piece of cloth, and a hooded cloak casting a shadow over the rest.

She felt a lump form in her throat, her mind reeling with the weight of all the emotions that threatened to overpower her. She didn't know what to say, or how to react.

“Hey,” he said, and although his voice was muffled, Amelia could have sworn he sounded slightly flustered.

“Mister Zelgadis.” And she felt her face burning—after all this time, she didn’t even know what to say.

They look at each other for a few eternal heartbeats before Zelgadis broke the silence. “As much as I enjoy hearing about how Lina ‘lights up the night’, I’d rather be anywhere else. Would you like to grab a drink together? Or fancy a meal if you haven’t dined already?”

“That would be lovely. Drink—dinner… both. I know a quiet place, close to the city walls.”

He nodded.

Amelia led the way, still mentally adjusting to what just happened. Every step seemed surreal, yet he was there, walking beside her. She breathed in slowly, then out. Something she’d learned to do before a speech to ground herself in the moment. He was here now, and might not be here tomorrow. That’s how it always went.

For the longest time she would try to convince him to accept himself as he is—to finally see that he should live in the now, but the discussion had always driven them apart.

And although she’d put it away initially, a vivid memory accompanied her on the loneliest of days. A memory from when they went to Sairaag to defeat Hellmaster. Lina and Gourry forgot what happened, but Amelia remembered.

Back then, Amelia had felt a strange sensation wash over her, as if her body was slowly shutting down. It was a feeling of finality, of impending doom. Her vision grew hazy, and her thoughts became jumbled and disjointed. She could feel the chill of death creeping over her, wrapping its icy fingers around her heart. Hellmaster, the Claire Bible… none of that mattered anymore in that moment. Not her duties as a princess, or even all the injustices in the world. She remembered how Zelgadis held her in her final moment, the desperation in his eyes. She wanted to reach out and touch him, to tell him what she felt for him, but her body refused to obey her commands.

Those feeling had never gone away—if anything, they had bloomed into more. No prince or lord would look at her like Zelgadis had.

Some nights, she has nightmares about dying again, but death itself didn’t frighten her. She feared he would not be there. That she would be old and have had an entire life without him.

---

Amelia and Zelgadis made their way to a secluded corner in The Boozy Bard. Amelia had been right—being this far away from the festivities, the restaurant was very quiet. There were no travelers, only a few locals at the other side of the dining hall.

Zelgadis removed his cloak and sat down. Amelia took in his features, the details she had almost forgotten. It had been over a year—a year and three months to be exact. That time he’d suddenly visited Seyruun to access a library. He had only stayed for three days.

Amelia fidgeted with the hem of her dress as they waited the banquet, ordered for old times’ sake.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Amelia said, “I saw Miss Filia at the festival with little Val. It sounds like Miss Lina hasn’t changed at all.”

Zelgadis smirked and Amelia could have sworn she saw a twinkle of nostalgia in his eyes. “Lina won’t change. She and Gourry are far too content with their lifestyle.”

“Killing newly-formed gangs of pirates and bandits, treasure hunting, eating, leaving a trail of chaos…” Amelia had to smile too as pictured it. She’d send Lina and Gourry a personal invitation for Four Dragons, but if they were on the other side of the Desert of Destruction, the courier would have never found them. Even rookie couriers could catch the trail of rumors to track Lina Inverse, if she were in the north.

The server brought in the first few plates. She was polite enough not to stare or ask questions, and while Amelia thanked her, Zelgadis kept his eyes on Amelia.

“How have you been, Amelia?”

She forced herself to be cheerful. A warrior of justice. Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun. “Oh you know, doing my duties. My father is the king since my grandfather’s passing, and now some of his previous responsibilities fall onto me. But I’m happy I can change the world from this position of power.”

“I heard you’ve managed to calm down the tensions between the coastal states.”

“Yes, well—it wouldn’t be just if the people suffered because of the bickering of those above them. I couldn’t let that happen, and intervened by waving my fist of justice into the air and putting them to work on a trade agreement.”

Zelgadis had to laugh.

Amelia pricked her fork in some food and transferred it to her plate, just to be doing something with her hands. She wasn’t hungry at all. He’d heard things about her. Did that mean he asked about news about her during his travels? Or did he stumble upon that piece of information?

She squeezed courage out of her fork. “What else did you hear about me?”

His smile turned into a subtle frown. “I heard you turned down every marriage proposal so far.” The fork fell to the ground.

She couldn’t look at him, but she didn’t move to pick up the fork either. Because her sister wasn’t coming home anytime soon—if ever, members of the court have been raising concerns. Her father would not have it, but the pressure was rising, and apparently, the common folk have been wondering as well. A diplomatic marriage would be one of the best things she could do for the kingdom. It could form a strong alliance or prevent a war, yet this was her only duty she had actively avoided.

“Amelia, I found a lead on how to cure my affliction, a very promising one this time.”

She looked down at the table, but the lines of the wood turned blurry as tears welled up in her eyes. There was no point in holding them back anymore. This is how it always went. “So you’re here to do your research, and in a couple of days you will leave again.”

“I’m here because I needed to speak to you.” He reached over the table and grabbed Amelia’s hand. “I wanted to see you,” he added.

The skin of his fingers was rough against hers. She wanted to savor that feeling, but the memory of his face when he watched her die flashed by. He had looked so defeated. Pained. She had always been so certain she understood what it meant, but maybe it was just something she read into it. Maybe her memory wasn’t that accurate, after all, she died. Maybe her death was the only reason he had realized how important she was to him.

He continued to speak. “So, what I wanted to say to you… what I need you to know is that this lead points to a land further away than I’ve ever been, someplace in the far south. Amelia?”

“Mister Zelgadis,” Amelia started, fully aware he must be able to feel her hand tremble in his, “do you remember when we went to Sairaag to defeat Hellmaster Phibrizzo, when we were there—”

He flinched. “You died.” Amelia wiped the tears from her eyes with her free hand and finally looked at him—and there it was. An expression a prince or nobleman wouldn’t give her. She saw Zelgadis for who he truly was, and he her. “It’s burned into my memory. You died, and there was nothing I could do as your body went limp in my arms. Seeing the life fade from your eyes… I was powerless. For the longest time I tried to forget; the damage was undone, after all.”

It didn’t matter to him she was a princess. He would have felt the same for her if she’d been lowborn. He had no interest to rule. Maybe that was exactly why he couldn’t stay.

“Amelia, following this lead would take months at best, but it could end up costing me years.” And there were no trade routes yet that reached so far into the Outer World. There would be no letters. Only silence. “I wanted to ask you to come with me.”

Time seemed to slow as his question fully registered her. She couldn’t just leave.

Zelgadis leaned in closer, his voice a low whisper. "Amelia, I know this is a lot to ask. But I want you by my side. I need you to be my rock. I cannot do this without you.”

Amelia pulled back her hand to cross her arms and looked away. “Miss Lina and Mister Gourry are heading to the far south, Mister Zelgadis. I don't think I'm needed.”

Zelgadis remained quiet for a while, before saying, “I mean, I came to realize I’m not willing to travel that far without you. Sleep a couple of nights on it, all right? I will not leave without you."

Amelia's heart skipped a beat as she heard the raw emotion in his words. She knew that he was not just asking her to come with him, but to take a leap of faith with him. She knew that this journey would change them both, and that there would be no going back.

Amelia nodded. “All right. I will sleep on it. But I want you to attend the festival with me.” There. She said it.

He smiled and sat back. “All right, I suppose I can do that.”

---

As the King, Phil believed there was plenty of diplomatic opportunity to be found in the far south, and who better to go than Amelia. As a father, Phil believed Amelia should go because she was young, and seemed to be missing something in her life—adventure. As a fellow warrior of justice, Phil knew evil has no borders, and Amelia would be a blessing for humanity wherever she went. So, Amelia stepped into the carriage that would take her and Zelgadis to the coast with a guiltfree heart.

And as they sat, side by side, Amelia glanced at Zelgadis. He looked at the window, to the road ahead—no frown or brooding. He looked content. And she wondered… perhaps this journey wouldn’t be so much about finding a cure. Perhaps he needed to justify dragging her out of her castle. To spend time with her. To live a life with her on the roads.

Amelia’s breathing grew unsteady as she moved her hand slowly, until her pinkie touched the side of Zelgadis’s hand. He didn’t pull back, and instead interlaced his fingers with hers. For the next hour, they didn’t say a word to each other, and they didn’t let go.

This journey would truly be different.