#Getting bored out of their skulls without some mystery or monsters or drama

[tswwwit]

the idea of dipper and bill having to act as a "normal" white fence suburdan home married couple bc of "blending in with community" to investigate some particular magical phenamone or a cult or a monster or whatever and dipper is suffering, and bill is suffering too but he's also having sick fun with horrid fascination as an insane demon does, and they ask mabel for ideas, they have a barbeque housewarming party-

-wont leave my mind, its been *days*

dipper: this sucks, people live like this???

bill: I KNOW! THIS SUCKS! *fascinated like a watching a trainwreck or natural disaster* AMAZING

Pine Tree shuts the door behind him very quietly. A gentle 'click' as the latch sets in place.

Bill looks up from where he was flipping through the newspaper. He puffs on his pipe - unlit, but hey! It's for the look of things! - and smiles.

"Hello honey!" Bill takes the pipe out of his mouth, bouncing a slipper on his foot. "How was the homeowner's association meeting?"

Pine Tree stares forward. A muscle in his jaw twitches.

Bill hums to himself, and smiles.

Domesticity! Such as it is. That wonderful white-picket fence, no magic, no monsters, and no chaos-

The paper under his hands tears slightly. Bill clears his throat, shuffling the pages. He gives up on the ruse of news-reading - whether or not those nosy assholes across the street are watching - and flips, nonchalant, right to the comics section. He already solved the crossword in his head ten minutes ago.

Easy. He's got this. It's only been, like a couple days. There are way longer cons he's played, and this one isn't the worst!

Besides.

He'll be damned if he breaks before his mortal does.

"I talked to Linda." Pine Tree's voice is flat. He slowly strides over to the window, and draws the curtains shut.

"And?" Bill prompts, sitting up a little more. Man, sapling's got a full thousand yard-gaze going! He watches with fascination.

"She's so glad to see that the," Pine Tree lifts his hands, making finger quotes. "'Non-traditional' couple is so," He swallows, holding down some simmering fury. "'Decent'" Bill's throat jumps, but. Nope, not perfect. The gagging noise still came through. But he nods, very seriously.

Acting.

"And," Pine Tree says, very slowly. Turning towards Bill, equally slow, and deliberate. "Even though she said I could water the lawn, since it's dying, now I can't water the lawn, because it violates some…" His hand clenches to a fist by his side. "Like, contractor agreement thing?"

"Oh, don't worry about that, honey!" Bill exclaims, with a perfect nineteen fifties voice - he's got that in the bag. "I'm sure it'll all work ou-"

"Except," Pine Tree strides in, planting hands on Bill's armchair, and staring him right in the face. "We're also getting fined for every day that the lawn is dead."

Bill can't help it. He snorts, face scrunching up. A full catch-22! Linda's got another thing coming, eventually. Once they track down this monster.

But hey! Bill can understand sadism, and contractual bullshit! If only Pine Tree wasn't around, he'd have made the trap appropriately lethal.

"Aw, rough day, huh?" Bill sets his pipe down, patting his husband on the shoulder. "Don't worry, honey, we'll-"

And Pine Tree yanks him forward. Gripping Bill's smoking jacket so tight that he hauls him nearly out of his chair. Bill blinks.

"If you call me 'honey' again," He mutters. "I'm going to murder you."

Bill can't stop his laugh this time, and as his cute little mortal rattles him back and forth -

Oh thank chaos, Pine Tree's the one broke first.

"Bill? This sucks." Pine Tree insists, teeth gritted. Shaking Bill harder now. He searches for words, he splutters - one hand waves at the air. "How does anyone live like this?"

Ha! Maybe now he gets how great he has it. No bureaucracy ! No trying to hide what you are from jerks who think magic is 'wrong'! No suburban life, no lawncare, and no rules!

Bill's mortal has too many hangups. You can explode any problem if you want to!

Pity he's not willing to do it with Linda.

"Hell if I know!" Bill exclaims, and surges up. He heaves out a breath, scratching at his neck. "Bullshit magical prejudice. Don't worry, kid!" He pats his husband on the back. "We'll get out of here in no time."

The monster that's preying on these mortals can't hide much longer. Once that's solved, Bill's contingency will kick in. And then -

"No, I found the vampire," Pine Tree says, half distracted. Bill does a double-take. What, he didn't mention that first? "I just, uh."

Bill wags a hand. Prompting.

And Pine Tree shrugs. Offering up an awkward smile. He rubs the back of his neck. "I…. kinda rigged her septic tank to blow once we got out of here."

Bill tugs him closer, beaming now. "Now that's a nice move!" He tucks his hands under Pine Tree's arms, but the human squirms away before he can pick him up. "It's what, a vicinity based setup?" A quick nod, and he grins wider. "Clever trick, kid." "I'd... ask if that's too much, but knowing you, it's not." Bill's cute little mortal punches him, adorably, in the stomach.

"Pfft, nah, that's nothing," Bill nudges him, and grins. Pine Tree's not the only guy who's heard some comments. "You should see what I set up for her house."

[mystic-kitten-writer]

Limerence [M] ︳11

Pairing: Zuko x OC

Genre: Romance, mainly fluff with future smut, and if you squint hard enough - you’ll find some angst.

Rating: SFW

Words: 4100+

Notes: So this chapter doesn’t focus too much on Zuko and Yue as much as it focuses on someone else’s perspective - I wonder if you guys guessed right as to who this ‘secret woman’ was throughout the chapters - the next big mystery is figuring out who the male is. Enjoys  <3

Masterlist ︳10 ︳ 12

❤ Buy me a coffee? ❤ 

Limerence: (English/n.) the state of being infatuated with another person.

The moment their eyes locked they knew - the flames within him twisted while the water within her turned. It was a connection, a connection that would lead to love, adventure, and drama.

Tacenda

(Latin/n.) Things better left unsaid; not to be mentioned to the public.

~ Unknown ~

            “What do you mean by ‘sent two messenger hawks back-to-back?’” She hissed with narrowed eyes towards the skittish man in front of her. He was already cowering away, fearful of who she might unleash her wrath upon. With a large gulp, he managed to find his voice again, “The-the maids! They said the first letter was a notice that Fire Lord would be arriving in a week from today, with a woman, some consort or something. But the next day he sent another letter that said the Earth King would be arriving here, so expect his arrival for tomorrow.”

            The man quickly looked down at his feet, knowing that this was how he was going to die. But when a few moments passed, and she didn’t unleash her anger, he looked upwards to see her standing still in thought. ‘This’ was not what she expected when she arrived here. She already had her plan ready, and all she had to do was make sure that everything was ready for implementation for the arrival of her ‘friend.’ Clearly, that plan went to shits.

            Yet another curious thought ran through her mind as she observed the sky, for the past few hours, since the moment they arrived yesterday, messenger hawks have been flying back and forth to the sea, most likely to his ship. But why? What could be so important that he feels the need to pass along documents in such a risky manner? Why was the Earth King showing face to the Fire Nation? There was an overwhelming amount of questions that seemed to be unanswerable.

            “Continue blending in and get as much information as you can, all of you.” She said quickly, before turning on her heels and blending in with the greenery around her. She knew what she had to do, and with a tremendous and overwhelming hesitance, she made hast. It has been almost four, maybe five, years since she had last step foot in the Fire Nation after they finally found their mother. The very thought of seeing her mother again made her blood boil. She hated them, hated them all with a passion that just made her flames grow bluer by the second.

            Mother never loved her, not like how she loved him. She always favoured him over her. ‘I was a monster in her eyes’ she thought as she found the secret path that led behind the palace. But that was the purpose of this whole plan, to make everyone realize that he was not any different from the rest of the family. That he was just as messed up and as monstrous as her. The thought of him losing everything, his position, family, friends, sent a euphoric rush to her that no amount of liquor, bloodshed, or drugs could do. It was never about killing him; it was always about seeing him fail.

            So caught up in her thoughts she failed to realize that she was already at the edge of the palace walls, and with much ease, found the next hidden entrance inside. To her dismay, most of the entries were sealed off or left to collapse on its own, so she would be lying if she wasn’t a tad bit surprised to find such a route still in relatively decent condition. With ease she slipped through and in moments found herself back in the palace hallways, adorned with precious gems and artworks. Despite the same coat of paint and rugs, everything felt different.

            Carefully she hid behind a statue, as she observed a few maids and servants waltzing along the hallway, laughing and smiling, enjoying life. “So I found out her name; Ying Yue Jiang!” squealed a maid as she tightly snuggled onto another girl’s arm. They all looked at her in disbelief, “H-how did you find out her name already!?” The group said in unison. She simply shrugged her arms before continuing, “I have my ways, but I can’t wait till we meet her, rumours say she is a sweetheart.” She gushed, while the other two women giggled in unity. The man amongst them smiled and nodded along, “Anyone is better than Mai; she is such a grump.” The maids gasped and slapped the male’s shoulders, “It’s Countess Mai and don’t say stuff like that out loud! What if Fire Lord Zuko was here and heard?”

            “Not like he would care, I think he hates her the most.”

            They all looked at each and tried their hardest to wipe away the smiles on their faces as they chuckled to themselves. “I'll see you guys later, I have to drop this off at Fire Lord Zuko’s study, or else Iroh will bite my ear off.” Said the male before they all turned the corner.

            She frowned listening in onto their conversation and at the mannerism of the servants. Never during her stay did the servants have such a privilege to just gossip. If they had so much free time on their hands they should either find more work or be dismissed. Yet, she knew that wasn’t the real thing that was bothering her; it was Mai.

            Sure, her and Ty Lee betrayed her trust to protect him and the Avatar. As angry as she was, that didn’t hinder the secret soft-spot she had for them. To think, that after all this time, he had the nerve to date her former best friend and now he leaves her to the dust for some other woman, some woman named Ying Yue Jiang, what an ass. She hissed under her breath before following the gaudy group; they were going to be her ticket of information; especially if they were going to lead her to Zuko’s study.

            Skillfully, she trailed behind the group, before finally stopping at a study, the same study their father used during his reign. She was grateful; she knew how to sneak in. Within minutes, and much patience, she unhinged the back window and with a gentle thud, slid right into the study. It was dim, no lights lit, but it was clear under the blanket of darkness that everything was neatly stacked or locked away.

            With a flick of her fingers, she let one lone blue flame balance on her fingertip, as she scanned around for anything unusual. It was those neat and organized tendencies that made it easy for her to spot the pile of documents resting on the extensive study in the middle of the room, and without hesitation, she quickly began rummaging. She smiled to herself at the ease of finding the information; it was like taking candy from a baby. As she promptly searched through the documents, she couldn’t help but let her eyebrows pinch together as she studied the reports.

            Why would he need so much documentation about the Fire Nation colonies at the Earth Kingdom? All the information was scattered; information about Earth Nation boundaries, currency exchange policies and even agreement forms about funding and dual ethnic passports. “What in the world is my lovely brother up to?” She muttered under her breath as she kept scanning through the papers; he was too much of a baby to engage in a war, that she knew for sure. But finally, her eyes drifted upon the uppermost corner of the folder ‘United Republic of Nations.’

            Rumours were circulating about the possibility of a new Nation being built, but to think that he had the power to go through with it, something not even their father had the ability to do; the creation of a new Nation. ‘You’re full of surprises brother’ she thought amused. But her eyes slowly began drifting to another document, well hidden underneath the pile of paperwork. ‘General Axe,’ she let her free hand slowly trace the words. There was a giant ‘x’ inked on top of his name in red, and a small doodle of a skull.

            The ‘x’ was the sign of a traitor, and the skull; the symbol of assassination. Curiously, she opened the thin folder. It was bizarre for such documents to be up here. Any employee paperwork was usually neatly stashed away in the library, but for any records of a traitor, there were hidden underneath the palace. As she looked through it, she couldn’t help but wonder why would he want these papers.

‘General Axe

traitor due to leakage of private information.

Assassinated; 100 AG – body not retrieved.

Potential threats/targets – Wife: Kasa Jiang, Northern Waterbender, body located and discarded 100 AG.

Daughter – name unknown, unconfirmed Waterbender, not located during the attack, assumed dead.’

            She scanned through the papers, looking for any more information, but it bore nothing of interest besides his family history and his other occupations and ranks. Carefully she started putting the documents back, but she was still in her thoughts. The Earth Nation documents made sense, but this, this was random. Why would he need such paperwork, unless...

            Her eyes widen at the thought, starting to put the puzzle pieces together;

            Jiang…

            Jiang…

            Jiang…

            Ying Yue Jiang. Kasa Jiang.

            He wouldn’t, would he? Marrying a non-bender was scandalous enough, but someone of another Nation, a Waterbender, and on top of that, the daughter of a traitor; that was just treason on a whole other level. But the last name Jiang wasn’t the only thing that triggered a memory: Kasa. It was so familiar to her as if she heard someone say it before.

            It was light footsteps outside of the study that caught her attention, and she stood still, taken off guard — so preoccupied with the new found information she let her guard down.

            “A-Azula? Wh-what are you doing here?” A lady said in disbelief, as she stared at someone whom she thought was gone, gone forever. But Azula just stood there with a large grin on her face, as she pushed back her long black hair behind her shoulder, “The real question is; what are you doing here, Mai.”

~ Ying Yue Jiang ~

            Magnificent, divine, gorgeous; all words that failed to capture the beauty of the Fire Nation. No longer representing a war-based Nation, the land was covered with vast flowers and vertical architect, but more importantly, the enormous mountain that towered above all; Royal Caldera City, the Capital of the Fire Nation.

            “Beautiful isn’t it? Wave, they are excited to see you.”

            I looked upwards to see Zuko baring a soft smile, still tightly gripping my arm, as he waved at the masses that crowded at the Royal Plaza. Nervously I began waving at the people, Zuko was right, they seemed delighted to see me, especially when I started waving. I flushed, and I could feel my palms getting clammy, I was overwhelmed, I thought the Southern Water Tribe was crazy, this is just insane!

            “What the hell Yue, you're taking the spotlight away from me!” I could hear Sokka grumble behind me. I could hear Aang laugh while Zuko scoffed, “Weren’t you the one who said that you underdressed on purpose?” Zuko said sarcastically, all the while maintaining his perfect smile. I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh hearing the way Sokka said ‘awe man’ as we began walking down the ramp. I could start seeing figures standing in the center of the pathway that lined the plaza, guards controlling the growing crowds at bay. I could see Zuko’s smile grow into a broad grin, that must be his family up ahead!

            An older man began eagerly walking forward, he wore flaming red robes, almost equal match to Zuko’s. His hands rested on his ample belly as he bore such a wide smile that only accentuated the happy lines on his face, I think I know who this is… “Fire Lord Zuko, my son, you're back!” The man cried out happily. Zuko smiled and nodded his head, “Uncle Iroh, the Nation seems to be in one piece.” Iroh sheepishly grinned as he rubbed his long beard before he finally turned to me, “More importantly, who is this beautiful lady you have on your arm?” Iroh said with a curious smile, although I could tell he was also teasing.  

            I blushed and politely bowed, “Pleasure to meet you Iroh, I'm Ying Yue Jiang.” I said a bit softer than I attended. Iroh smiled sweetly before bowing back, “The pleasure is mine, it's an honour to meet my nephew's partner. So do tell me, what was it? His smile?” Iroh said with raised brows. I could feel Zuko tense up, and his face gave away the fact that he was embarrassed, although he hid it well. “Uncle-” I could hear Zuko scowl lightly under his breath.

            I giggled and shook my head, “His smile was what caught my eye, but what made it official was the golden twinkle he gets in his eyes when he gets excited about something.” I said.

            Zuko looked down at me, a bit surprised at my blunt honesty, but based on his warm smile; he seemed happy. “I like her already! I always told Zuko since he was little that the spark he gets in his eyes is what I love the most,” a woman’s voice said. My ears perked up, only to see a mid-aged woman walking up from behind Iroh. To say she was beautiful was an understatement; her long black hair was neatly pulled back, highlighting the tender smile that painted her face and reached her eyes. “Pleasure to meet you, Ying Yue, I'm Ursa, Fire Lord Zuko’s mother.” She said her voice like honey. So this is were Zuko get’s his good looks.

            I smiled and bowed once again, but she quickly dismissed the bow, “Don’t worry dear, I'm not too fussy on customs-” She started, that was until a loud squeal cut her off mid-sentence and was instead replaced with a high-pitch yell, “ZUZU~!” My eyes widen and before I could even process what was happening a petit girl dashed towards Zuko, crashing into him with such impact that even Zuko stumbled backward, knocking the air out of him.

            “Kiyi! We talked about this!” Ursa said before rushing to Zuko’s aid. Although the laugh that erupted from Zuko was music to my ears, he quickly embraced the girl, holding her so tightly in his arms. I thought he was going to squish her. I believe this is the first time I’ve seen Zuko with a kid before.

            “I’ve missed you so much Zuzu~! Did you bring gifts? Oh, I have to show you the turtle ducks, I took care of them, and they had their babies. And I made Mommy mad, remember how I hid the toads in my rooms, well- she found them. Hey, is this Yue? I like your name Yue, wait. Zuzu, does this mean that you're going to have babies like the turtle ducks?”

            Kiyi said everything so fast I struggled to keep track of what she was spewing out of her mouth. Zuko was right, Kiyi was indeed a hyperactive child with a love of animals. But my eyes widen at the mention of having babies, how could a child bring forth more embarrassment than what I have experienced for the past weeks? I flushed a dark red, and Iroh seemed to notice because he chuckled. Zuko, on the other hand, looked posed entirely as if he didn’t hear anything about babies.

            Zuko gently patted her head, still crouched down on one knee, as he lovingly brushed her short brown hair back behind her ears, “I missed you too, and yes, Ying Yue and I brought you gifts, she picked them out just for you. And you can show me after dinner the turtle ducks, and I warned you that Mom was going to get mad if you kept the toads in your bedroom-”

            “You knew?!” Ursa said in disbelief as she crossed her arms and left out a huff. Zuko grinned and shrugged his shoulders, “And no, I'll not be having any turtle duck babies of my own. At least not anytime soon.” Ursa sighed heavily before gently grabbing Kiyi by her shoulders, “Kiyi, your brother just arrived here, give him a break?” She insisted. Kiyi pouted but nodded, before giving me a giant smile, “Yue, do you want to see the babies too? They are super cute, and we can feed them together. A friend of Zuzu’s is my friend too.” She said gleefully.

            I smiled before nodding, “I would love to join you and Zuzu.” I said although I would be lying if I said I wasn’t laughing saying Zuko’s nickname. Zuko grumbled under his breath, and I swear his cheeks got a bit pinkish the moment I referred to him by his nickname. Iroh grinned, knowing very well I said Zuzu to annoy Zuko, and I smiled back, I had a feeling me and Iroh were going to get along quite well.

            A guard walked up to us and with a quick nod began speaking, “Fire Lord Zuko, the palanquins are ready for departure to the Royal Palace.” Zuko straightened up and nodded before the guard left. Ursa grabbed Kiyi’s hand and began tugging her away to sit on the palanquins that were being set up a bit farther down. Iroh nodded, before walking off as well. It was after they left I noticed there was still a small group of people off the side, waiting patiently.

            I gazed over the people, curious. They were obviously of noble status, dressed nicely with lots of layers and beautiful shades of red and gold. “Zuko…who are those people?” I asked quietly. Zuko looked at where I was looking at, “Those are some other nobles, here to greet us. Although the rest of the council will be waiting at the Royal Palace.” I nodded my head, but I couldn’t help but notice that Zuko seemed abnormally tense. As my eyes wandered amongst the crowd, I couldn’t help but feel drawn to one person in particular.

            Her hair was placed into two well-kept buns, as she stood tall amongst the nobles, her face stone cold. She held a different type of beautiful, while Zuko’s mother had a warm radiance about her, a sweet beauty, this lady had a spark that commanded attention, much like Zuko’s presence. To be honest, it was like looking at Zuko, but just in a female form. Her body was not curvy at all, but slightly lean that complimented her sharp features. When her cat shaped eyes finally landed on me, it was like a bolt of electricity ran through me.

            “We should go,” Zuko said sternly, his grip on my hand suddenly tighten. I looked up at him confused, that was until the same lady I was staring at began walking forward. Zuko’s eyes narrowed in annoyance, and for the first time, he seemed genuinely upset. Could she be who I think she is? When she finally stopped in front of us, she inhospitably glared at Zuko with such venom, “Seems like you proved me wrong Fire Lord Zuko, you did find someone else who would put up with your family soap opera.” She hissed out.

            From someone else’s perspective, one would have thought they were having some traditional conversation, but my eyes widen hearing her sharp words, and I could see Zuko’s jaw clench. “What’s wrong, jealous Countess Mai?” Zuko growled back. Oh my god. This is Mai? Mai’s eyes were livid, as I could see her hands start shaping into fists. Before she could say anything else I knew I had to intervene, or else they were really going to duel it out. Ever so gently I placed my hand on Zuko’s chest, a bold move, especially out in public, but I had to catch his attention somehow.

            Zuko’s eyes widen, taken aback by my sudden gesture. I smiled largely and batted my eyelashes innocently, “Sorry for interrupting Countess Mai, but Fire Lord Zuko, our palanquins are waiting for us.” I said gently, but right away the fire in Zuko’s eyes relaxed, and he smiled, although I could tell it was forced. “You’re right. We should get going.” He said flatly. I nodded my head before gazing over at Mai with a smile, even if she didn’t return such, “It was a pleasure meeting you. Hopefully, we can get to know each other better, I heard amazing things about you. See you in the palace.” I said swiftly, proud that I managed to diffuse the situation.

            Mai just lifted her chin before scoffing, “You’ve made a mistake. Both of you.” But I couldn’t shake off the eeriness that was laced with her words. It was easy to miss, especially with the given hostility between these two ex-lovers. But I couldn’t help but notice a slight waver in her voice as she said mistake. It was as if it was a warning, indeed, a mistake. Before I could even think beyond, Mai turned on her heel and disappeared.

            I let out a sigh of relief, realizing that I was holding my breath in for a large chunk of that time. Tightly gripping Zuko’s arm, we began walking to the palanquins. It was evident Zuko was pissed, given how tense his arm was and the way he clenched and unclenched his fists in thought. Gosh, how did such a relationship get this sour?

            “Well, …that’s Mai. Nice, isn’t she?” Zuko said sarcastically as he helped me sit on the palanquin. I let out a dry laugh as I watched Zuko settle down beside me. “A real steal. I think she likes me; I could see us being best friends.” Zuko looked up at me, and finally, he broke into a large smile as he laughed at my lame attempt of a joke. He let an arm wrap around my waist and pulled me close beside him, “Oh really? I think she likes me too.”

            I giggled but found myself gripping on Zuko’s hand as the palanquins began moving, signalling we were now on route to the Royal Palace. “I should have probably given you a heads up about her,” Zuko said apologetically. I rolled my eyes before I finally realized something, “Where did Aang and Sokka go?” I asked. Zuko shook his head before finally pointing up the pathway, “They left a while ago, some sister you are.” Zuko teased. I raised my hand to slap Zuko’s arm and Zuko already flinched, but before I could slap him, I brought my hand down, “You're lucky we are in public or else I would have hit you.” I grumbled underneath my breath.

            Zuko laughed, “A rain check for a slap, wouldn’t ask for anything different.”

            I gave a look that meant that I just added another slap to that rain check. Zuko just knows how to push my buttons. Although my mind was once again distracted when I began noticing the greenery around us. No amount of stories that Dad told me about could prepare me for the beauty of the Fire Nation. Without thinking twice, I began pointing aimlessly around our surroundings, “What is that over there? Or that, is that a city?” I said as I gazed around. Zuko chuckled before describing everything I would point out, who would have thought that Zuko would be a fantastic tour guide?

Copyright © 2019 Mystic-Kitten, inc. all rights reserved. No reposting, modifying, or translations of any kind allowed. Thank you for your cooperation.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Avatar characters portrayed in this story besides Ying Yue Jiang, Lia, Kima, and any future creations.

❤ Buy me a coffee? ❤

[ezmisery]

The White Dog of McClean Maternity Ward

It was impossible to work on the ward without hearing about The White Dog. The rumor traveled as if it were an animal itself, walking from person to person with a sullen limp. Rumblings would start from the patients, then move to the orderlies, and finally the medical staff. And once the patients were off the maternity ward they brought news of the dog to the general population. It was unruly. Embarrassing, really. But we had no control of it.

I had been working at McClean for over five years. It was a job I thoroughly enjoyed. As a psychiatrist, I knew I wanted to work with the patients most in need. And I couldn’t think of anywhere more in need than McClean Mental Hospital.

We housed a diverse group of the mentally ill. From the light-end of the spectrum, where patients only visited once a month, to the deranged and violent inmates we housed 24/7. I began my career in the eating disorder ward. At first I was slightly unnerved by the ribs protruding like tree branches. The patients were walking skeletons. One slipped on a wet floor and broke nearly all her bones as if she were an elderly woman. I spent two years there, working non-stop on food plans and boosting self-esteem.

It lost its appeal pretty quickly. I got bored of doing and saying the same things over and over. I stopped feeling like I was making a difference. Sure, my patients needed me. But their problems were so benign.

Eventually I moved to Ward 6. This was the ward for the ‘worst’ of society. These were the patients who were admitted without their consent, most likely due to a violent outburst or self-harm incident. I balanced a caseload of forty three people. During my time in this ward I was bit, punched, tackled, and vomited on. But I loved it. Being able to reach out to those who could barely function…it was thrilling. My heart beat faster every time we had an incident.

But even with these dangerous patients I lost interest. It became monotonous to try and help them only to see no progress. These people were beyond help. I felt like I was wasting my time with them.

I’m not sure exactly why I transferred to the maternity ward in particular. Well, if I’m being honest, it was because I thought it might be more exciting. The patients I worked with were messed up, sure, but adding a baby to all that crazy would make things even more stimulating. I’ve always had a bad habit of wanting as much drama in my life as possible. Plus the extra pay didn’t deter me either.

But this isn’t the point. I am trying to write about the White Dog. My first run-in with the legend came from a woman in Ward 6. Marlene. I met with her weekly for treatment just like the other patients. She was completely unresponsive to any form of questioning. The hour would be spent asking questions that received silent answers. I figured she was too medicated so I lowered her dose of anti-psychotics. The next session she remained quiet, but more afraid than before.

“How is the new dose feeling?” I asked her.

She didn’t respond. I resisted sighing in frustration.

“I thought today we could go over some things in your file. You’ve been with us almost three years. And I see before Ward 6 you were on the maternity ward-”

“Don’t put me back there,” Marlene cried out suddenly. “He’ll come for me. He’ll come back. He follows. He takes.”

My curiosity spiked, I lay down my notebook. “It is good to hear your voice.”

“Please, no. He is so cold. Cold.” She drew her knees up to her chest and began to rock back and forth.

“Who are you speaking of, Marlene?” I leaned a little closer.

Tears sprouted from her squinted eyes. The color left her skin. “The White Dog,” she whispered. Suddenly she slapped herself in the face and then pulled her earlobe so hard it split. I was used to violent outbursts so I called an orderly and we dealt with the situation quickly.

I wrote the incident off as a symptom of her psychosis. Making up stories can help patients cope with stress or trauma. Marlene had lost the child she was carrying when she was in the maternity ward, so it made sense for her to imagine some sort of monster to explain the loss. I mentioned it briefly to another psychiatrist, Doug, during a meeting and he laughed. The reaction was so strange I pressed him on it.

“You’ve never heard of the ‘White Dog of McClean’?” He grinned. “It’s our own personal urban legend.” Doug split his time between maternity and Ward 6, so I listened closely.

“I figured it was just something she made up.”

“No, the patients have created an entire monster story for this thing.” He chuckled. Doug was an easy going guy; perhaps too much so. He didn’t take his job very seriously. “Supposedly there is a white dog that haunts the maternity ward. It prowls from room to room, ripping babies out of the patients and then swallowing them. And if he isn’t satisfied with the infants, he’ll go after the women too. They say he’s almost as tall as a man with fur so white it looks cold to touch.” He locked eyes with me for a moment before breaking away in laughter. “It’s all bullshit. Just a story the patients tell themselves. Don’t worry about it.”

But I did worry about it. I didn’t think it was real, obviously. But the effects of a common psychosis were fascinating. If what Doug said was true, multiple women had the same delusion. It was passed back and forth like a virus. Now that I’m writing this down and thinking on it, maybe the Dog was the reason I transferred wards after all.

Whatever brought me there, even on my first day I could see the effects of the legend. Patients begged to be moved to a different ward. They never wanted to be alone. At night the women would scream with fear at any noise. Most had to be restrained to avoid serious injury to themselves. My first few days on the job were shrouded in chaos. Orderlies ran after women with giant stomachs. The nurses were jaded, handing out medicine with barely a look. Doug was the only other psychiatrist on the ward so we did most of the heavy lifting.

I had seventeen women on my caseload. It nothing compared to my previous work. I saw the patients for some light therapy and med changes. A lot of them had to be taken off the heavy stuff due to the baby. Weirdly enough, all of the women came from Ward 6, where I had worked previously. One patients stood out to me – Lou.

Lou was barely eighteen. She was thin as a rail but could do a lot of damage to herself. She had lived at McClean for almost her entire life. In recent years, she had made immense progress. Her habit of cutting was almost completely cured. She spoke positivity about getting a job and living on her own. We were all quite proud of her.

I sat down with her and saw a completely different person. Not only had she resorted back to self-harm (as evidenced by her fresh scars) but she was also making no sense.

“Lou,” I said softly, “You need to slow down and tell me what’s going on.”

“He wants the baby so bad he’s going to take it before it’s ready chew the head like a lollipop pop pop pop chew spit pop.” She stared deep into my eyes as she spouted this nonsense.

“Who? Who wants the baby?”

“The Dog. Pop pop split bleed bite the tiny skull until it breaks breaks breaks breaks breaks.” I could tell she was trying to tell me something important.

“Lou, I don’t understand you. Can you go slower?”

“Slow is death slow gets you caught against a wall hurt up up rip sh sh sh you’ll wake the baby.” Her hands were twitching.

I moved closer to her. “No one will hurt you, Lou. You are safe here.”

She leaned in, her voice a bit quieter. “The Dog hunts when the swans are asleep and the people pretend he is one of them.” She spit violently onto my cheek. “She’ll die she’ll die she’ll die she’ll die!”

“Who?” I wiped her saliva off my face.

For the first time she stopped and said something coherent. “My baby. He’s going to kill her tonight.”

I was scared Lou would try and abort her child, so I put in the order to have her restrained until the morning. I went about the rest of my duties and left for the night. The next morning Lou was dead. Her child’s heart had stopped beating. Her stomach was severely bruised and one of her hands was sliced open. There was no explanation as to how any of this happened.

I was thrilled. Not because she died, obviously. But because it was such a mystery. The psychosis was so strong she broke out of her restraints and literally ended her life. I vowed that I would spend the next night in the ward to see if anything like this could be replicated. And prevented, of course.

I made space in the day to see every one of my patients. None of them seemed surprised about Lou. “It was her turn,” Jade told me in her deep, depressive voice. “The Dog was hungry.”

“Whose turn is it tonight?” I could barely contain my excitement.

“Oh doctor. It’s mine.” She rubbed her hands over her belly. “Can’t you see how ripe I am? How delicious I’ll taste? I’ve been asking to get out of this ward since the damn thing was put in me. But I’ve accepted it. I am his now. At least I won’t be afraid anymore.”

I made sure Jade would be restrained and decided I would monitor her room that night. She was the only patient who said the Dog would hurt her. I left her door open and sat in the doorway, her file in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

The night began as usual. Some of the women screamed to be let go. Jade fell asleep without incident. As the darkness stretched on I revisited her file. She had murdered her husband because she believed he was inhabited by the devil. Sent to Ward 6 when she was 28. She was there for two years before transferring to the maternity ward.

I had to reread that twice. Two years in Ward 6 before being transferred…so she had to have gotten pregnant in the hospital. But the patients were segregated by gender. She never should have come in contact with a male patient at all.

That’s when things began to crumble. All of the women here were from Ward 6. All of them had to have gotten pregnant inside the facility. But how? I ran back to my office and scoured the records. Lou had lived her entire life in gender segregation. How could she have gotten pregnant? How could any of these women?

Slowly I walked back to Jade’s room in complete confusion. The hall was cold. Everyone had gone completely quiet. Jade’s open door swung in the non-existent wind. “Hello,” I called out, the hairs on my neck standing up.

A howl sounded from inside her room. Believing it was Jade, I ran through the entryway only to stop suddenly in my tracks. Standing in her room was a huge white dog. It was almost six foot tall. Its fur was ice white. It had two wounds on either side of its body. Hanging from the wounds were unborn dog fetuses. Streaks of red bloodied its teeth. It looked at me with dead, yellow eyes.

I slowly backed up but the thing growled at me. It wanted me to watch. Carefully it stood on its back two legs and hovered over Jade’s body. It bit down on her stomach. The bones made a sickening pop. Jade awoke and began to scream. The Dog ripped at her throat, leaving her voiceless and gurgling. It then turned to me. I was breathing heavily. The room seemed to be spinning. It slowly approached me. I swear I heard it laughing. It lunged at me and I fell backward, hitting my head and passing out.

…

I don’t work at McClean anymore. After that night I couldn’t bring myself to go visit that cursed building. My logical brain tells me that what I saw wasn’t real. Doug said maybe I had too much coffee. But whatever I saw still lives in my brain. I don’t know how many women died on that ward. I try not to think about it. I was an over-eager idiot who thought I could cure something real. It was real. Logic be damned it was real.

All I know is that if I stayed in that job, I would have ended up just as crazy as my patients.

[chizurue]

“At times he lends a hand, and at times, he shows his fangs.” (Guess who)

Befour you know it, I finally got around to watching another four episodes of the anime, since I already offered my thoughts on the first batch of episodes, might as well do another four. Not that I am being forced or becoming an unwilling participant, because I assure you I am not. Silky got her eyes on me for skipping breakfast because I am staying to watch this.

(Mahoutsukai no Yome Episodes 5-8)

My philosophy these days: better late than later. Anyway, here are my thoughts on the said episodes and what got suck in my head — I had to post something to let it all out.

The opening song

There are animes you watch without bothering for the opening, you just jump straight to the story in the episodes. But of course, some would say that it would be blasphemy to even skip a single second of an episode. Mahoutsuka no Yome belongs in my category of not skipped openings. I really like the opening song as it invokes a sense of you diving into another world, add to the fact that it doesn’t spoil too much (let’s not think too much about that phoenix) but gives you just enough of a peek.

The visuals

Nothing pleases one more when you watch something with an engaging world and storyline paired with eye catching animations. Mahoutsukai no Yome is a world immersed in fantasy and the animations fully drives home the point that it is definitely out of this world. There were enchanting scenes with the faeries and the freed lost souls, but it is somehow balanced by the darker and some brutal scenes that surprises me here and there. Though I say brutal, the anime didn’t fall into gore (which I am not overly fond of) since it didn’t focus much on the blood and the violence but more on how it is necessary for the storyline (those poor cats!). But as the story with the cats drew to a conclusion, we are once again treated to striking visuals with Chise as the sleeping beauty lol. Now, let’s talk about more pressing matters, like the ‘married life’ of Chise and Elias. The title is Mahoutsukai no Yome (The Ancient Magus’ Bride) after all.

The queen and king of the faeries

Not only they managed to introduce another set of characters who were also alloted their fair share of grand entrance, but said characters also drew light into the pair’s supposedly married life. The only thing that bothers me a bit (aside from Elias having that monstrous skullhead much like a fairytale retelling of the beast), was the way their relationship have been portayed and how entirely dependent Chise is to him. She seeks his approval and fears she will disappoint him if she fails. Though this has been starting to be a non issue for me after I continue to watch, because contrary to Elias’ initial reasons for his acquistion of Chise, it has been shown that he cares and is very protective of his bride. He even explained that though he understood emotions like sadness, anger and laughter, he cannot emphatize. More likely, Chise will break him out of this no emphatizing zone. Probably.

Speaking of introductions, each world or domain of the magical creatures that Elias and Chise were in were given the proper amount of time to be introduced. Kudos to the anime for that because for the audience to be fully immersed in the storyworld, that is exactly what we have to see. So far, we have seen and heard about them through Chise’s perspective – the dragons, the faeries, the cats, and more. Now, they get to meet with the king and queen of the faeries. Titania and Oberon … now where have I heard those names?

As I was watching this bit and I had time to think because there was more than enough time to ponder what with the queen’s longer than necessary screentime for the entrance (since they are royalty we’ll let it slide this once). The world building is definitely gonna be bait for us paranormal junkies and fantasy readers. The world is reminiscent of the Elder Races series with a hint of A Court of Thorns and Roses, and even Immortals After Dark. If you read fantasy books and watch anime, you know what I’m talking about. Not that the story is uninspired with the older than dirt hero and mortal love interest turned powerful badass heroine. Mahoutsukai no Yome offers you a combination of these worlds without the machismo of the males, not too much sexual tension but just a hint of underlying or even budding romance between the two. Suffice to say that whether I like it or not, we cannot get around the fact that Chise is starting to sort of maybe fall for the mage. But what the hell? I’m here for the fantasy and not for realistic assumptions.

“There’s no way you’d become attached to a human. Right, Pilum Murialis?”

But Chise is not your ordinary human, is she?

Sleigh Beggy. As unique sounding as those words are, the mystery behind the characteristics of the Sleigh Beggies are finally getting revealed bit by bit. It turns out that they consume the energy around them and release it as magic, essentially them being a creature fully attuned to nature. Suits perfectly with how ephemeral and short-lived they are. Nature and magic alike, with its obsession with balance (yin and yang you know), rightfully takes it due from beings who are extremely gifted. It is also further revealed that the Thorn Mage is seeking a way to prevent Chise’s early demise.

“At times he lends a hand, and at times, he shows his fangs.”

There is also the contrast between Elias and Chise highlighted in the episodes especially when the mage lost control and fully transformed into the scary creature that he is when Chise was injured. Much like a mate protecting what’s his, he goes on a rampage lost to his instincts. Chise (who apparently can survive being struck in the chest despite the dramatic stabbing) calms the mage down. But the girl also has her fair share of out of control moments when Chise, with her own arsenal of gifts  – and I say gifts because as opposed to the pessimistic view, it’s so much more fun seeing the good side of things – stands in the way of one psychopathic chibi who hates being called by his real name (Cartaphilus) and Ulysse – the black dog.

Taking of a familiar

What left the most impression on this four-episode anime watch was how intimate the familiar bond is. As you get to episode 7 and encountered the infamous black dog and his own set of backstory and memories, you’ll probably already guess that he will be the ‘familiar’ that Chise needs because coincidentally Elias thinks she should have one.

More like a rebirth: “I hereby rename you Ruth.” is not what chise said btw

They will have to share everything. The ultimate promise to bind yourself with another, sharing your emotions, senses and even your time. Much like mates. You die and your familiar also dies. Now that’s a commitment! And so I wonder…Chise is whose bride again? That seems far more intimate than her relationship with Elias ever will be. Or maybe the two will just be a mage and apprentice to each other after all..

The slew of the paranormal creatures abound in this anime. Faeries, shifters, mages, dragons, cats and even will-o’-the-wisps totally got me hooked. I’m getting curious as to what they might offer next and also how the characters will develop further and their relationships. All in all I have to say that I am quite taken by the anime especially with these episodes that I have just watched.

As I have been reading books mostly of paranormal romance and fantasy this year, I can almost read how it would be printed in words if this anime is a book (though it might be less sarcastic and more sophisticated than this):

An ancient being wandering the world finds a human who he deemed his (or in this case his guinea pig or pet). But he eventually develops feelings for her over the course of the story. He’s a mage from a fantasy story. A legendary being feared and avoided by most. The monster will show his fangs when what he considers his is threatened. On the other hand, the girl with nowhere to go and shunned most of her life finds shelter and family in him. The girl who accepts the mage for all that he is. Fangs and Skulls and all that.

Then comes another immortal who wrecks havoc just because he can. Beware of immortal creatures who have nothing to do. They might cause problems when uttery bored.

That was bad, I know. Let’s not talk about it anymore.

Lastly, if you don’t already know, I am totally an escapist. I escape to the world of fantasy and fiction to break from my mundane life. So it is mainly the reason for my reading (which is my first love) and for my watching different stories from different platforms like drama, tv series, movies, live action and anime.

But too much of it can be a bane too. Being too immersed in fiction can be quite addicting and will probably lead to unproductivity in your real life. So I’m just taking it slowly and getting my share of fiction at my own pace. So bear with me and my turtle ways.

Mahoutsukai no Yome | An Escapist's Dream and Nightmare #Anime # "At times he lends a hand, and at times, he shows his fangs." (Guess who) Befour…