#I have left this world I am a ghost 👻

[maplesyrupsainz]

˖⁺｡˚⋆˙coz i cant sleep in hotel rooms | CL16˖⁺｡˚⋆˙

pairing: charles leclerc x singer y/n reader (she/her)

genre: social media au, established relationship, relationship on the rocks

warnings: mentions of substances, a sad one sorryy tehe

summary: in which break up rumours circulate during a rough patch in their relationship

a/n: hii i feel like i could do a part 2 to this coz i cant leave my y/n like this

song

fc: holly humberstone

my masterlist

part 2!!!

instagram ->

yourusername

liked by oliviarodrigo, arthur_leclerc, and 50,219 others

yourusername solitude 🧘‍♀️

view all 7,183 comments

user1 IS THAT SONG LYRICS?

user2 is everything ok at home y/n lol

arthur_leclerc ❤️

liked by yourusername

user3 where is charles 😭

lilymhe missing your pretty face

yourusername miss you so so much

user4 mom where's dad

twitter ->

instagram ->

ynupdates

liked by user5, user2, and 9,938 others

ynupdates following an instagram post and tweet from y/n's own accounts along with no sightings together for 2 weeks, it's rumoured that y/n and boyfriend of 2 years f1 driver charles leclerc have split. sources close to the couple speculate it is due to their conflicting schedules which has put a strain on the relationship. we are sending our y/n/n all the love in the world right now ❤️‍🩹

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user8 there's no way

user9 well at least the album is going to slap..

user10 I AM A CHILD OF DIVORCE

user11 i wont believe it until it's confirmed. it is so disrespectful to speculate on ppls private lives like this

user12 i feel like if he really loved her then conflicting schedules wouldnt matter 😕

user13 hit me right in the parasocial relationship

user14 everybodys up and left & i can barely catch my breath 😭😭

user15 this city's fine but im eternally unsatisfied 😭😭

yourusername

liked by lilymhe, yourbff, and 42,839 others

yourusername a couple more tequilas n i'll tell u how im feelin

tagged: yourbff, lilymhe

view all 5,384 comments

lilymhe love having fun with u

yourusername ty for cheering me up🥹

user16 the overkill lyric im not crying u are

arthur_leclerc dont think u need any more tequila

lilymhe let my girl live!

yourusername leclerc men love telling me what to do !

user17 IS THAT SHADE

yourbff i love u my girl foreverrr ♾️

yourusername i love u more my dearest 💗

twitter ->

instagram ->

charles_leclerc

liked by carlossainz55, pierregasly, and 698,383 others

charles_leclerc ☔️

tagged: arthur_leclerc

view all 8,945 comments

pierregasly where have u been that it's raining

charles_leclerc well london of course

user20 LONDON?? visiting y/n??

arthur_leclerc very cool very aesthetic

charles_leclerc well of course this is my instagram isnt it

user21 good luck in the next race charles ❤️❤️

user22 where's y/n

user23 blink twice if u need help

yourusername posted a story

liked by yourbff, lilymhe, landonorris, and 4,385 others

yourbff is everything ok?

yourusername jus going thru something 🤔

yourbff i noticed

lilymhe u will be ok

yourusername i will but what about us

yourusername

liked by oliviarodrigo, billieeilish, and 76,385 others

yourusername my song ‘ghost me’ is available to stream now on all platforms. i hope u like it ❤️

view all 6,183 comments

lilymhe i would never ghost u 👻

liked by yourusername

yourbff this 1 hurt i cant lie

landonorris beautiful as ever

user24 lando shooting his shot

pierregasly you are so talented y/n 🤍

user25 if u try to ghost me & quit being in my life dont u dare 😭😭

user26 kinda thought that i could handle the distance 😭😭

user27 if this isnt referencing her & charles living in different countries then idk

charles_leclerc ❤️

comment deleted by charles_leclerc

user28 did anyone else see that

messages ->

instagram ->

ynupdates

liked by user18, charles_leclerc, and 3,102 others

ynupdates y/n spotted at the airport in the early hours of the morning!

tagged: yourusername

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user29 omg do u think she could be travelling to monaco for the gp this weekend??

ynupdates 🤞🤞

user30 CHARLES LIKED????

user31 charles liking this oh she is definitely going to monaco to see him

user32 this gives me hope😭

user33 my parents are still together my parents are still together my parents are still together

user34 did anyone talk to her??

ynupdates apparently she was in a rush & had a covid mask covering most of her face

yourusername

liked by landonorris, lilymhe, and 35,538 others

yourusername ✈️ ...

tagged: lilymhe, yourbff

view all 2,471 comments

yourbff im so giddy

yourusername u love being dragged around the world by me

yourbff so fr i do

lilymhe my best girls in the world!!

yourusername i am so glad to have met u

user35 i love their friendship

user36 y/n are you in monaco for the gp🥹

user37 she would never miss charles' home race imo

user38 ur glowing y/n 🫶

f1wagupdates

liked by user12, user32, and 5,933 others

f1wagupdates ferrari driver charles leclerc & long term musician girlfriend y/n y/l/n seen outside a restaurant tonight arguing. their relationship has been rumoured to be on the rocks recently – is this the end for them? source says they couldn't hear the entire conversation but heard snippets, click the link in our bio for all information.

tagged: yourusername, charles_leclerc

view all 1,843 comments

user39 this is so disrespectful

oliviarodrigo give them some privacy jesus christ

user40 omg hi olivia

user41 y/n was overheard saying she cant do it anymore 😭😭

user42 my heart is breaking for y/n omg poor girl has always said in interviews that she didn't even want to date long distance but charles made her fall for him 😭😭

user43 omg dont remind me i feel so sick :((

twitter ->

instagram ->

f1updates

liked by user32, user21, and 5,495 others

f1updates ferrari driver charles leclerc has crashed during the monaco grand prix today and has been rushed to seek medical attention. unfortunately no updates at this time.

tagged: charles_leclerc

view all 2,953 comments

user48 WHAT OH MY GOD

user49 omg sending my thoughts & prayers :((

user50 😮 i wonder if y/n is with him

user51 it's not about her rn..

user52 poor charles he was racing so well too😭

user53 omg it looked soo terrifying

messages ->

instagram ->

f1wagupdates

liked by user16, user38, and 2,584 others

f1wagupdates y/n y/l/n seen fleeing paparazzi following (ex?) boyfriend charles leclerc's crash in the monaco grand prix. is this the final nail in the coffin for this relationship?

tagged: charles_leclerc, yourusername

comments have been limited on this post

THE END ❤️

[serial-serializednovelreader]

Nova’s Notes - Dracula Daily - July 24

In which the Demeter is doing horribly and our *queens* are back…

The Demeter:

“There seems some doom over this ship. Already a hand short, and entering on the Bay of Biscay with wild weather ahead, and yet last night another man lost—disappeared. Like the first, he came off his watch and was not seen again.”

So much for “all is well”! Once again, they’ve lost someone else…in the exact same way they lost the last crew member. Now, they’re down to 7/9 of the crew.

“Men all in a panic of fear; sent a round robin, asking to have double watch, as they fear to be alone. Mate angry. Fear there will be some trouble, as either he or the men will do some violence.”

I actually didn’t know this — a “round robin” in this case means a “petition”. So basically, the crew is so terrified, they’ve sent the captain a petition asking for a double watch. The worst part is, the mate is so angered by this, it’s to the point of the captain worrying about in-fighting. If they do, Dracula won’t be the only force of destruction on this ship….

Mina Murray:

She’s in Whitby!!! And she’s with Lucy!!!! Who’s “looking sweeter and lovelier than ever”!!! We love to see it. <3

“Right over the town is the ruin of Whitby Abbey, which was sacked by the Danes, and which is the scene of part of "Marmion," where the girl was built up in the wall. It is a most noble ruin, of immense size, and full of beautiful and romantic bits; there is a legend that a white lady is seen in one of the windows.”

I love how Mina starts off her descriptions so much like Jonathan does (very poetic and detailed) and then transitions into what I like to call the “goth” way of describing places. “Oh? You know that place? Yeah, it’s haunted. And if you look to your left, you can still see a ghost 👻 “

Amazing descriptions, I would hire her as a tour guide if she wanted to be one, 11/10.

As for the “Marmion” reference (which reminds me a lot of how Jonathan likes to reference literature, by the way!), it’s a poem by Sir Walter Scott about Lord Marmion (a friend of Henry VIII), who longs for an engaged woman — Clara de Clare. His mistress, a nun, tries to help him in his plot to “take care of” Clara’s fiancé, but ends up being entombed alive instead!

“Between it and the town there is another church, the parish one, round which is a big graveyard, all full of tombstones. This is to my mind the nicest spot in Whitby, for it lies right over the town, and has a full view of the harbour and all up the bay to where the headland called Kettleness stretches out into the sea.”

Again, so funny that Mina sees the nicest spot in Whitby as the graveyard. She’s so cool! I love that she sees beauty in places that are considered unconventional and creepy. <3

“I shall come and sit here very often myself and work. Indeed, I am writing now, with my book on my knee, and listening to the talk of three old men who are sitting beside me. They seem to do nothing all day but sit up here and talk.”

It’s cool that she’s already picked a spot for herself to work! It’s telling she likes working outside and in a spot where she can see a lot of the landscape. Whether that’s because she wants to see more of the sights or just works better outdoors is unclear, but either way it’s interesting! Also, love the little lighthearted tease about the old men just sitting there talking. 😂😂

“At the end of it is a buoy with a bell, which swings in bad weather, and sends in a mournful sound on the wind. They have a legend here that when a ship is lost bells are heard out at sea. I must ask the old man about this; he is coming this way....”

This is third legend of Whitby she’s referenced, and, in a very similar way to how Jonathan wanted to ask Dracula about the villagers’ superstitions, she is turning to a local to ask more about why this legend exists. Here’s Jonathan’s passage:

“I read that every known superstition in the world is gathered into the horseshoe of the Carpathians, as if it were the centre of some sort of imaginative whirlpool; if so my stay may be very interesting. (Mem., I must ask the Count all about them.)”

AHHH they’re so similar in mind: love them!! <33 They do love their story-gathering.

"’I wouldn't fash masel' about them, miss. Them things be all wore out. Mind, I don't say that they never was, but I do say that they wasn't in my time. They be all very well for comers and trippers, an' the like, but not for a nice young lady like you. Them feet-folks from York and Leeds that be always eatin' cured herrin's an' drinkin' tea an' lookin' out to buy cheap jet would creed aught. I wonder masel' who'd be bothered tellin' lies to them—even the newspapers, which is full of fool-talk.’"

Ok, if you read this and have NO idea what he’s saying, I found this forum that speculates what he could be saying. For your convenience, I’ll translate this into what I think he’s trying to say, based off the forum post and my own understanding.

“I wouldn’t worry myself about them, miss. Those legends are all worn out. I’m not saying they weren’t before, but I never had to hear so much of them in my time. That’s all well for tourists and day-trippers, but not for a nice young lady like you. Those foot passengers from Yorks and Leeds that are always eating cured herring and drinking tea and looking to buy cheap coal jewelry would believe anything. I myself wonder who would bother to tell lies to them — even the newspaper, which is full of foolishness these days.”

I don’t know if I have that all right…but I tried!

“I thought he would be a good person to learn interesting things from, so I asked him if he would mind telling me something about the whale-fishing in the old days. He was just settling himself to begin when the clock struck six,”

I love how Mina immediately puts this man at ease and he’s all ready to tell her about his days whale-fishing. This man seems guarded against outsiders, so it says a lot about her personality that he doesn’t mind having an in-depth conversation with her. I would definitely keep an eye out for how Mina is able to charm people and put them at ease — it’s a key part of her personality!

"’I must gang ageeanwards home now, miss. My grand-daughter doesn't like to be kept waitin' when the tea is ready, for it takes me time to crammle aboon the grees, for there be a many of 'em; an', miss, I lack belly-timber sairly by the clock.’"

Time for more translation!

“I must go towards home now, miss. My grand-daughter doesn’t like to be kept waiting when the tea is ready, for it takes me time to hobble up the stairs, for there’s a lot of them; and miss, it’s sorely past time for me to eat.”

“He hobbled away, and I could see him hurrying, as well as he could, down the steps. The steps are a great feature on the place. They lead from the town up to the church, there are hundreds of them—I do not know how many—and they wind up in a delicate curve; the slope is so gentle that a horse could easily walk up and down them.”

It’s so funny how easily she transitions from talking about something that’s happening in the narrative to more descriptions of where she’s at. In a way, it’s kind of the inverse of Jonathan at the beginning of his trip to castle Dracula. There, he would describe and then be interrupted by his own musings about life, or the narrative. Here, the narrative is interrupted by Mina’s descriptions of Whitby, although her transitions are more seamless in nature than Jonathan’s was. In another life, I could definitely see her being a tour guide for Whitby, or a great many places. Or, perhaps, a travel writer? I remember back in 2022, we always said that Jonathan would be a travel blogger and I still agree with that, but I think Mina would be right there with him: either in the same profession or a similar one. She’s very good with traveling descriptions and has a unique voice while doing so!

“I shall go home too. Lucy went out visiting with her mother, and as they were only duty calls, I did not go. They will be home by this.”

I wouldn’t want to go either if they were only “duty calls”: smart move, Mina. Looks like she’s signing off for this entry.

As am I!

[let-the-living-beware]

(^◕ᴥ◕^) - 𝓒𝓪𝓽 𝓖𝓱𝓸𝓼𝓽 - (^◕ᴥ◕^)

This is inspired by the vocaloid song 或る化け猫の恋物語 (The lovestory of a cat ghost) by Nem.

Character: Kou Mukami

Type: x reader (neutral)

Tw: Violence, Death

(^˵◕ω◕˵^)👻(^˵◕ω◕˵^)👻(^˵◕ω◕˵^)👻(^˵◕ω◕˵^)👻

Your slow cries echoed throughout the cemetery, attracting the attention of a small black cat. He recognized you from around the village. Your husband became ill a few years ago, and you dedicated your life to raising funds for a doctor. Nonetheless, you always fed him a portion of your meal.

Something in him awoke as he stared at you longer and longer. Sadness was something he had never felt before. He didn't want you to cry, but rather to be happy. "I want her to be happy again." he whispered and with a slight light arising from his chest he turned into your husband, a handsome young man with blonde hair and light blue eyes. "Hey, neko-chan," he said as he approached you. When you heard his words, you turned around, stunned. You walked slowly towards him but collapsed before you could reach him, bursting into even more of a crying mess than before. "You are alive. Please, never leave me again." you cried out.

Kou kneeled down and hugged your fragile body that was shaking uncontrollably. "I wont." he whispered just so loud you could hear it. "I am so glad you´re back, Kou." you spoke out while watching inhis blue eyes. A thought creeped into Kous mind. Maybe this wasn´t a good idea?

≼❣→𝕹𝖞𝖆𝖓←❣≽

Kou slowly looked over to you making breakfast like every morning for a month now. He learned to love you more and more but not as a lover, as a friend. He wanted to protect you and make you the happiest person on earth. "Breakfast is ready, darling." you cheered as you walked towards him with miso soup in your hands. You still hadn´t had much money but still tried to make the best out of it. "I will go down town to sell some of the clothes I made. They are getting more and more popular you know? If only they were back when you were so terribly ill." you sighed and took a sip of your soup. The blonde haired boy looked at you in confusion. He always thought someone else made these clothes and you would just sell them. "That´s great! How about I come and help you?" , "Oh god no, darling. You still need some rest!" You instantly contered with a concerned look at your face.

It was fine by him, after all were dirty hands the worst of it all. But maybe he could have promoted it a bit since he didn´t look bad. He would call himelf beautiful even, way out of your league. When your real husband was still around he always wondered why you were together in the first place. He seemed pretty well liked by some of the more wealthier girls in town. It was a riddle to him. "Well I need to get going, until later." you smiled and said a quick goodbye when you left. Kou stood in the doorframe until he couldn´t see you and then closed the door to have some privacy. Now it was time to relax a bit and find out more about your relationship.

Well at least that´s what he wanted to do but the blonde was disturbed by a knock on the door. A little bit annoyed at his disturbed peace he turned around and opened the door only to find two men in front of it. "Is this the Mukami household?", they asked, a threatening aura around them. "Yes." was Kou´s short answer. The men smiled at each other. "We´re here to get the money back that your wife lend the Sakamaki family."

Sakamaki? He heard that name somewhere before. Weren´t that these arrogant Yokai that made themselves comfortable in the human world? His older brother was complaining about them a few times. But why would you owe them anything? This would only be possible if...no. You were smart enough to not take on debts from spiritually beings. That must´ve been a mistake.

"I am sorry but you must have got the wrong family.", he answered, and the men looked at each other again but this time with a hush of anger on their faces. "I doubt that, mister but if you won´t comply we have to take trastic meassures." the stronger one said and pulled out a sword. Kous mood was now ruined completely. If they wouldnt back up he had to make a move. "Hear, you scumbag I dont want you messing around with them. They are in enough stress as is and if you wont back away now I will kill you." his voice now seemed deeper and not as cheerful as before. He also let his tail and ears show. "and now piss off.", with that last sentence a whosh of magic stormed through them instantly putting them to the ground. But he still wasn´t done, he finally could let out the things he wasn´t able to do on anyone in your presence. "Lets have some fun, what do you say?"

≼❣→𝕹𝖞𝖆𝖓←❣≽

"I´m back honey!" you shouted into the house. Something seemed off but you just blamed it on your imagination. "Neko-chan you´re late. I was gonna go look for you." Kou walked towards you with his hand spread out to give you a hug. "Haha sorry I was talking to Subaru-kun. I lent some money from them some time ago and he was checking up on me." you smiled at them and Kous hunch that these guys were thiefs that caught on, on your debt confirmed itself. Still he was somehow mad that you had such a good relation with one of the Sakamaki. "Oh thats nice!" he relied to you adn took your hand. "You know I made a surprise for you.", "Really?" you asked exited. It was sometime that you got anything and Kou knew that.

He took your hand and led you towards the kitchen. On the table was whole meal he decided to make for you after beating up these robbers. Your eyes shone in exitement as you sat down on the table. kou walked towards the kitchen counter to get the last ingredient that had to be kept warm to taste good. "You know Kou." you began stopping said male in his tracks. The moon already shone through the window and his eyes lit up in the two colors they really were. "Everytime I looked into your eyes I remembered that his looked different than yours but I dont care." you finished your sentence and it hit Kou like a rock.

He began to shiver uncontrollably and tears formed in his eyes. So you knew? Before he could think twice his legs already gave in ans you run over to him. Tears streamed down his eyes like a never ending waterfall. He felt your embrace but it was already to late. Only seconds went by before he was his true self again. A little blonde cat with a blue and red eye. He never wanted you to see him like this. He never wanted you to find out. Ashamed, sad and angry of himelfs he ran towards the one open window but not before you couls speak your last words to him.

"I thank you so much dear Cat."

To this day there is a legend of a blonde cat going up to an old cemetary to watch over the person he once saved.

[alyjojo]

The Person On Your Mind in May 🎢 2023 - Sagittarius

Whole of their energy towards Sagittarius: 4 Pentacles

This is a very loving relationship, probably with a current partner. Or a very close family member. They love you deeply and see you as the whole package in their life, there’s no worries about that. They are aggravated with you though, either they think you’re overly stubborn or they are, and they’re pretty pissed off at some point this month, but it should be something that blows over.

Feelings: The World

You two have been through a very difficult situation, or have gone through one recently, it’s taken a lot of Strength to get where you are. It’s something that’s caused sadness, disappointment, something has been lost, there’s possible regret involved, and it’s taken a very long time to get to the end of this cycle the two of you have gone through.

Intentions: Queen of Swords rev

This can be saying they intend to not speak, but so many cards can mean that…this Queen in rev is scary, pissed off, and she’s definitely got something to say about it. Her words cut like, well Swords. She intends to jump your case in regards to pleasures, spending money on “wants” vs “needs”, that type of argument. Pleasing yourself. With this energy, either they’re seeing you as a cheapskate or that’s their own energy, you also could be needing to save for something and they’re ready to knock your block off over it, because you’re not. I don’t get anything being toxic or heavily dramatic. Could be residual sadness, grief, disappointment - from some other thing spilling into their anger at you over some minor thing with money. Explosion 🤯

Actions: 9 Wands rev

They’re not actually going to bite your head off, they’re going to give up. They seem to not be able to tell left from right, either they’re really busy or you are, it’s an energy of “I don’t even want to deal with this right now.” I’m not getting this spat is an important one, or a life changing one, you’re just getting under each other’s skin based on…minor stuff. Or maybe not minor, but they’re trying to choose their battles rather than popping off about everything. I don’t think they’ll actually say anything, but if you see them prickling up like a porcupine, maybe do something sweet you normally wouldn’t. Take a hint. Slight nudges towards them letting the small things slide so you two can just enjoy your 10 Cups.

Messages:

Their side:

- Kind 😊

- I’m happy where I am

Your side:

- I like to cuddle 🤗

- I love our walks together.

Possible signs:

Pisces, Capricorn & Leo

If you’re dealing with:

3 Wands & The Hanged Man…you’re in pause. Some of your people have difficult, stressful, upset energies, and I’m not sure how much of a role you’re playing in that. You seem to be in the role of an observer this month, and everyone’s situation is different. If you’re involved at all, it’s probably for moral support. There doesn’t seem to be much you can do. You’re waiting for things to change with other people outside of yourself.

Aries - isn’t talking about their work or something they’ve been working on, because something isn’t working and they don’t know what they want to do about it yet

Taurus - either you’re venting to them or they’re doing this with you

Gemini - a very painful ending, possible betrayal, it could be you or you’re supporting them because they’re going through it

Cancer - cut you off because you’re a lying manipulator, or that’s switched, ghosting 👻

Leo - moving away from any drama with you because they love you and want to focus on happier things, a good relationship with them

Virgo - has no idea what’s even going on with you but would love some clarity about it

Libra - had to leave because you were being shady & lying or that’s switched

Scorpio - doesn’t know if they want to work together with you, but isn’t opposed to it

Sagittarius - a passionate & inspired new beginning that you’re both optimistic and hopeful about, could be something good ❤️

Capricorn - regretting something they’ve said or done, this could be about money or work

Aquarius - has some very difficult energy or is dealing with a hard situation, either at work or in the family, could be relating to illness, some could just need a break or a vacation

Pisces - being patient & balanced in regards to new opportunities, work, money, everything seems to be working out for them with time

[the-haunted-office]

👻

Thursday, Ghostday, and Stanley are all gathered in the downstairs area of the office, in the small area of cubicles where Stanley's office is.

"...You seriously want one of us to try to possess you?" Stanley asks, just for the clarification, although he is pretty sure he doesn't need clarification on a statement like "I want one of you two to try to possess me", but he does need to clarify just in case something in his ghostly ears heard wrong.

"Yes. One of you, right now," Thursday confirms, smiling.

Ghostday shrugs and approaches her immediately, without waiting to see what else Stanley has to say or giving any warning to Thursday.

Thursday stands there while this happens and doesn't really feel anything except for extreme cold that travels throughout her entire body, from her head, to her fingers, to her toes. It feels like icy needles pricking everywhere from the inside out, but it doesn't exactly hurt, it sort of almost tickles.

Which causes her to start laughing.

Stanley steps closer to examine her. "Feel any different? What's the laughter for?"

"Ahahaha, nothing! I just think it tickles, or is that- What is... Oh..." Thursday trails off in surprise for a moment while she looks around, as if she is seeing something. "Okay now this weeeeiiirrrrrd...."

"You okay?" Stanley asks, watching her.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think so, it's just that- I'm seeing colors."

Stanley looks around, seeing plenty of colors himself - even though most of them consist of white walls and orange carpet - and then back to Thursday with a raised eyebrow.

Thursday beats him to it and says, "I know what you're thinking, Stanley. Yes, there are colors, Thursday. What of it? Well, the colors I'm seeing are like... they're like... Well you have a sort of yellowish outline to you. And me, I-" she holds up a hand and looks at it, "-blue. A bluish tint. Everything else? Around the office? It's sort of- sort of iridescent? Like you're looking at those little swirling rainbowish colors that you see in bubbles. Why's everything look like that?"

She gets a little niggling sensation that this is how Ghostday sees the world. She is seeing how Ghostday sees. But shouldn't Ghostday be seeing through her eyes, and not Thursday through hers?

"Doomy, how do I shut this off? I don't like seeing things like this! I don't think I have the proper prescription for it!"

Seconds later, the ghost is coming back out of her, seeming to be a bit disappointed.

"What?" Thursday asks when she notices, feeling a chill run through her as pins and needles fill the void left by her ghostly other.

"I couldn't make you move or do anything," says Ghostday, her arms folded. "You didn't feel any of that?"

"Uhhh... No. Only thing I noticed was all the colors." She then looks to Stanley and smiles. "You wanna give possessing me a go, Stanley?"

Stanley looks like he is thinking about it for all of 4.27 seconds before shrugging, taking off his battery backpack, and stepping into Thursday.

The effects of which are immediately apparent.

Thursday/Stanley takes the notebook that she carries with her out of her hoodie pocket, writes something in it, and after waiting a short while (since the mist is dying, it's taking a little longer for objects to spawn) a black forest cake appears. Which she then goes over, cuts a slice, and takes a big bite.

"Augh," she sighs as she eats it. "I haven't been able to taste anything in so long! This is the best cake I've ever had!"

Ghostday blinks in surprise. "Stanley, is that you?"

"Yeah!" he says, using Thursday's voice. "Oh man. Uugh. Okay I need a minute to enjoy this." He takes another bite of cake and practically squirms with delight at the flavor.

Ghostday just watches, stunned. Why hadn't she been able to make Thursday move like that? Very strange. And interesting.

"Are you sure?" Thursday/Stanley suddenly asks aloud.

"Am I sure what?" Ghostday queries.

"Oh, I'm talking to Thursday," Thursday/Stanley clarifies, pointing at himself. He then grins, "I owe you so much, Thursday! ....No I won't make you kiss anyone, except maybe a toilet seat! Haha, all right, only if it's one of the ones in your toilet dimension. Okay... All right, I promise! Thanks again, sis!"

And with that, Stanley races off down the hallways of the office to do... who knows what, leaving Ghostday standing there wondering what the hell just happened.

[bribrisims4l]

Alanna new comer to,Willow creek Ready for a new start she buys the Duplantier residence she loved the rich history and aura of the home when she first visted Like it was calling to her to live there

The new neighbors came to greet her , but they wouldnt go inside , one even started beef with her she ignored them of course silly neighborhood gossip

She joined the spa, started yoga 🧘‍♀️ she feels all Zen Now ~

But at night the house becomes dark, strange noises coming from , every corner ~ In the furniture left behind there seems to be some kind of seance table .

One night while she was asleep a strange voice could be heard at the foot of her bed when she looked she saw a ghost

She got so scared 😱 she hid under the covers, he chuckled 🤭 and says no need to fear my sweet , For i am Guidy your friendly Spirt Guide Ghost 👻

So he goes on to tell her abt the specters and paranormal phenomenons that goes on in the world

She became more and more interested yet still frightened but will she have the strength to take on the world as a paranormal investigator

Her first seance was a succes, her mission now is to keep practicing and get liscenced as a paranormal investigator help those who are afraid and in need , with any paranormal activity

[entoman-created-by-the-tallgreys]

i H8 My Fucking, Life !

🙁

Everywhere I Go im the fucking freak, no matter what I do I'm always ostracized, I've always been at the most extreme version of an outcast and I've always been my fucking self like I never fucking did anything wrong but Apparently, I'm a piece of shit.

I quite literally have been called schizophrenic more time than the KKK Have Called a Black person the n word.

I have been loved by no one no one's kind of Me no one has a nice word to say about me I literally have no friends and everyone treats me like shit I can't do a single fucking right thing in my entire life and other although there are 8 billion people on the Earth they all have an IDENTICAL fucking brain.

Me :

Link : https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeusAngstMachina

&

Link :

Throughout my life I have always been cursed, quite literally cursed.

I'm always the freak I'm always a schizophrenic, I'm always the one who does all the goddam work that no one else ever wants to fucking do I'm always the one that's super fucking unique 😡

I'm always the one Getting all the insult's being called mentally ill left and right. 8 BILLION PEOPLE ON THE FUCKING EARTH AND NOT A SINGLE ONE THAT CAN READ THIS GODDAMN BLOG THAT I MADE WITH A STRAIGHT FUCKING FACE 😡

😭

I hate myself so fucking much and I tell the truth about being not human but the world can't help it see me a Good example of mental illness run rampant/wild.

The whole world cannot tell themselves or keep themselves or get themselves or anything but see me as the prime example or the Greatest example of schizophrenia.

😢

( people tell me all the time that I need to seek therapy seek help, like seek Psychiatry, people scream my face you're a schizophrenic freak, you're a schizophrenic psycho, your a Schizo, ) - ( and the people say get helps get so all the fucking time ) 😡

I made subreddits I made everything here & there I did fuck tons of work but everything I do doesn't seem to over fucking matter and it is if as it is if I am in a way back to being a Ghost Again.

My Every action doesn't matter, I can throw a Rock into a Pond Somewhere and it wouldn't even make a ripple

🙁

it is if as if God has been giving me a middle finger the entire time. Laughing !

😢/😭

I So intensely do not belong here : 🌎

. . . . .

👽 : are the Reason why I'm in the agenda and on the earth in the first place.

THIS LITERALLY HAPPENED, I'M NOT A SCHIZO, THIS HAPPENED TO US

🧚🏻‍♀️/🧚🏻‍♂️

Alien 👽 Human 🧔🏻‍♂️ Hybrid 🧚🏻‍♂️ <- insectoid. Humanoid, Hybrid.

was originally insectoids, Was converted into humanoid insectoid hybrids, Magic is just deep spirituality and Grandiose understanding of the universe.

Aka

Sacred Science !

. . .

🙁 - I, Us, And We. 🧚🏻‍♀️/🧚🏻‍♂️ Don't Belong Here.

And the Sooner I Die, The Better.

The Soon My Time on This World 🌎 Run's Out The Sooner, I'm Free.

👻

you're going to get some more schizo shit 🖕🏻

👽 <- But, I'm not allowed to commit suicide.

they literally take away my fucking free will if I try. I got an implant in my head ( we 🧚🏻‍♀️🧚🏻‍♂️ all do ) and I Esp Connection. forced connection. and like a fucking demand for they literally suck the emotion out of you, they literally psychically drain the emotion out of you into them if you try to kill yourself. they psychically feed on you if you try to disobey them. and I know many more extreme psychic tortures. 🙁 God better as fuck, Not never tell me he loves me. after my soul having to experience a shit being in my natural home World and Then Being FORCED into, This alien home world where they have a thing where they believe something called madness and mental illness ( along with the existence of money there are alien world their politics their alien psychology they're alien nature they call human this and that and fucking everything that comes along with the entire Human Experience the entire world and all the fucking history, also reptilians and a whole bunch of other shit ) Everyone thinks I'm full of shit everyone thinks I'm going to skip so No One believes my story one little iota. after all this fucking shit is that fucking piece of shit in the heavens ever says he loves me I swear to God I don't think anything in my spirit can keep me from trying to kill him.

😢/😡/🖕🏻

( 🔥_🔥 )

God - Fucked Over, Us Fairies ! - ( Insectoid's )

😡

The Earth, Will Never Be Our Home !

Humanity IS NOT Going extinct because of an alien invasion.

we're not turning the world into a hive World AKA Fairyland.

😡

🧚🏻‍♀️/🧚🏻‍♂️

We, Just Got Royally Fucked Over !

😡/😢

😡 - We're just Going to Eventually Die out in the World because we really can't adapt or survive in this fucking planet. or eventually commit . . . you kno. they said if they fail the agenda we are forced to Commit. X_X

I don't know when they send it has failed but I guess I'll know it when I know it ?

or maybe they'll just Psychically tell me like they tell me every fucking thing.

😢/😭

we 🧚🏻‍♀️🧚🏻‍♂️ we're born to Suffer and Die.

Zero, Purpose.

Nothing But, Pain & Hell.

No Happiness & Were Cursed. everything that makes us happy it's literally gets destroyed in the real world.

😭

we are so fucking deeply cursed.

🖕🏻 @ God ! <- 🖕🏻

I don't give a fuck how mentally you're right here if someone went to the minute suffering I've gone through they would seem crazy too he was always trying to uphold a standard image or instead of this or a status that or a social this or a social that.

😡 - I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ! ! ! ! !

[tightpsychology]

Mind/Body Dualism

Hey there, Tumblr dwellers! 🌌🔮 Today, let's unravel the mind-bending concept of mind/body dualism, brought to us by the philosopher extraordinaire, René Descartes. Yes, we're talking about the same guy who said, “I think, therefore I am.” Strap in, because things are about to get deep and philosophical!

Descartes was basically the Chris Evans of 17th-century philosophy – a real thinker. He introduced the idea that our mind and body are two fundamentally different things. Imagine your mind as a ghost chilling in the machine that is your body. Spooky, right? 👻🤖

According to Descartes, our mind (the thinking, feeling part) is a non-physical entity, while our body (the thing you can poke) is physical. It's like having an ethereal soul driving a flesh-car. The mind is all about consciousness and self-awareness, floating in its own realm of thoughts and emotions. Meanwhile, the body is just doing its thing in the physical world, obeying the laws of physics and biology.

But here’s the catch – if the mind and body are so different, how do they interact? How does a non-physical mind cause a physical body to raise its hand or walk across a room? Descartes’ answer was... well, he kind of shrugged and pointed to the pineal gland in the brain, calling it the “principal seat of the soul.” Neuroscience has left the chat, folks. 🧠💫

This dualism thing has been mega influential in philosophy and even today’s science. It's like the granddaddy of the “nature vs. nurture” debate and raises big questions about identity, consciousness, and what it means to be human. Are we just our bodies, or is there more to us? Deep stuff, right?

But let's be real, the mind-body problem is still a huge mystery. Modern science has blurred the lines even more, showing that our thoughts, feelings, and even consciousness are deeply intertwined with the physical brain. Descartes might not have nailed it, but he sure got us thinking.

So, what do you think? Are you Team Mind, Team Body, or Team Mind-Body? Let’s get philosophical and share our thoughts. Remember, in the world of ideas, anything goes!

[the-blind-assassin-12]

This post is being edited with tumblr’s new 👻 afterlife editor 👻 which allows one to keep screaming into the void after they’ve left this earthly plane.

I’m happy that I have been selected as a beta-tester for this new function, as @something-tofightfor just sent me chapter 9 of Aphelion and without access to 👻 afterlife editor 👻 there would be no way for me to inform you all that you are NOT READY for what is coming your way.

👻 you have been warned 👻

[greaterspawnislands]

👻 ghost: can you tease some wip ideas that have been haunting you/something you want to write in the future?

🌧️ rain: share a sad or emotional scene from your wip!

👻 ghost: can you tease some wip ideas that have been haunting you/something you want to write in the future?

oh lordy i have so many wip ideas...ummm one that i do plan to write in the future, just really slowly, is a fic with the temporary title of "life debt au" that is a dsmp canon divergent fic taking place before the prison break, where phil gets trapped in the prison searching for techno, and then is killed to leverage against techno/get dream to bring him back to life. after the prison break, phil is left lost when he realizes that dying and being revived has entirely cut his devoted connection with kristin, and struggles to repay debts when dream comes to collect ^_^ this idea keeps rotating in my brain and i reeeealy want to write it but i am ohhh just so slow with writing so it'll take me a bit.

🌧️ rain: share a sad or emotional scene from your wip!

good thing it's whumptober, because i have quite a few of those now! here's smth that's actually taken from an old au i have that i am (once again) too lazy to write the full thing of, so im just writing the climactic point of it loll. i guess the context you might need is that his kids have been kidnapped/missing for a long time

The world feels like it's moving in slow motion, like a dream. Phil's good arm tries to rub Wilbur's back, but his bound arms are in the way, and his hands are shaking too much to apply any pressure. "I'll be fine," he manages, meeting Kristin's gaze with silent gratefulness. "I'll be- it's okay. It's all okay, you're all— okay."

His words break a great dam in him, and then it's a frenzy to turn, get Wilbur's wrists untied. Kristin works fast to help Tommy, and the second they're free both his boy are wrapping their shaking arms around him, clinging to Phil so tightly it hurts. Kristin rocks back on her heels to watch them, and even though Phil so desperately wants to reach out and say something to her, he can't find the words.

Something in her gentle smile tells him she knows already, anyways.

He does, however, have plenty of words for his sons. "That was so stupid, both of you," he hisses, eyes squeezed shut like it'll be able to stop the tears from inevitably falling. "You could have gotten hurt, doing that, what the fuck were you thinking?"

Both of them ramble on, pleas of understanding that Phil can barely make out through their tears. He's sure his own words aren't that much more comprehensible, and all of it matters, and all of it can be said later.

Right now, the most important thing is this, that Phil's ears have finally stopped ringing, and he's finally able to say to his children, "I love you. Let's go home."

october writeblr ask game

[hadeskitchen]

👻 for all

Haha, alright

👻 GHOST - do they believe in ghosts? what are their “ghostly experiences”, if any?

Shar Patil

No. Even now I don't believe in them. If it's true what they say, then souls don't get left behind on the mortal plane. People like to convince themselves that their loved ones can stick around and watch over them, but they can't.

K Ishida

Uh, yes! Ghosts 100% exist and I've seen tons of them. This one time I was at my uncle's house - he runs this really old-school farm up near Heraea - and I swear, I saw an entire herd of ghost horses running through the fields. Like, they showed up out of nowhere, I looked away for two seconds, turned back around, and BOOM. Horses were gone.

T Sarpong

Absolutely, why shouldn't they exist? We live in a world where gods, monsters, and magic are all real. The idea of a ghost shouldn't seem far-fetched. Can't say I've had any paranormal experiences myself - well, if you don't count my death and all that's happened since then - but that doesn't mean ghosts can't be real.

Cecil Gray

Are you kidding me? Ghosts? No. What am I? Five?

Hero of Thebes

Well, kind of, I guess... I don't know though. I used to live in this flat where I'd hear knocking and scratching on my door in the middle of the night, things would fall on my head while I was asleep, and I'd wake up to see this humanoid figure hovering in the doorway, but, that could have been anything. Right?

Adonis

I mean, I live amongst "ghosts"... so, yes?

[heckling-hydrena]

Wildclaws 🦖 don't deserve ❌❌❌ rights 😡😡

Every single 1️⃣ time ⌚ I 😡 log 👉👉👉 onto FartRising 💨👆 dot hell 🔥, I 😡 am reminded that people 🧑🧑🧑 actually like 😊😊😊 these things. They buy 💸 them. Breed 🥚🐣 them. Sell 💰 them . Name ✍ them, dress 👗 them, parade 🏆 them around ⭕ in their lair. Write them lore 📝📝, flesh them out 🥩🥩, give them personnality 😎😥😜 and purpose. Love them. 💖💘😍

I can’t 🚫 understand. 😕❓

I 😡 simply cannot comprehend 😕❓❓ what is it that makes them take a long hard look 🔎 into a Wildclaw’s 🦖 dead gaze 👁👄👁 and think 🤔💭 these dinosaurs 🦕🦖 wannabes would be appropriate 😌 to submit 🎁 to rational 🧠 people’s 🧑🧑🧑 eyeballs 👀.

👉You know what? I 😡 can deal 🤝 with everything else. Spirals 😵 look 🔍 like the embodiment of a disease🦠🤧🤢. Snappers 🗻 would bully me 😂🤣👉 in the Walmart’s 🏪 parking lot 🚗🚗🚗. Tundras’ ⛄ favorite 🌟 song 🎶🎵 is probably Wonderwall 😕🧱. Ridgebacks 👃 have tumblr discourse 🤬 🤬🤬 blogs 💻. All of this I can excuse. 🙄 It’s not 🚫 their fault. People 🧑🧑🧑 can manage 👨‍💼 to make 👨‍🔧 cool 😎 looking 👀, interesting 😮 Spirals 😵, Snappers 🗻, Tundras ⛄, Ridgebacks. 👃

But fucking 🤬😡 Wildclaws 🦖

There’s nothing ❌ to save 💾. Everything ⭕🌎 from their stupid 🙄 creepy 😨😱 human-like 🧑 hands 🙌 to their ass 🍑 feathers 🐓 could be tossed 🚮 into the sun 🌞 to make the world 🌎 a better place. 🕊☮ But NO. ❌😡@PedanticFuckwitMcShithead69420 absolutely NEEDS 😩😫 to have a Wildclaw 🦖 so they can boast 😌😎 about their dragons 🐉🐉🐉 who cost them their left kidney 🤒 and right lung in gems 💎💎💎 but are just so sophisticated.🧐👑

Their soulless 😱 anatomy and bland 😐 existence keep haunting 👻 this website 🌐 like the ghost 👻 of the most fucking 🤬 boring 💤 person 🧑 to ever ⌛ live. When I see 👁👁 their face 🐲, all I see is a beg 🥺🙏 to be ended ⛔🔪, to finally be freed 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️ from this painful 😢😭🤕 mediocrity, but NO ❌😡, @MyBrainIsACumstain just HAS to breed 🥚🐣 more of them at the glorious pace of One 1️⃣ Fuck 🤬 A Month 📅 instead of sending 📩 these to one of the eleven 1️⃣1️⃣ fuckers so we can NEVER ❌⌛ FUCKING 🤬🤬 HEAR 👂 👂 ABOUT THEM AGAIN 😡😡💢

Everything is wrong about 👉 you, do 👉 you understand 👉 you fucking travesty 😢💔 of a dragon? 🐉 Diogenes 🏛 would pluck 🐓👉 you to insult 🤬  humanity. 🧑🌎

I’m gonna harvest 👨‍🌾 your organs 🧠 and sell 💰 them to Colonel Sanders. People’s 🧑🧑🧑 KFCs 🍗🍗🍗 will taste 👅 like failure 🚫, but a world 🌎 without your specie 🦖🦖 is a world 🌎 where life is bright 🌞⛱ again.

(thank you to @rebloghellandsomuchmore​​ for the inspiration)

[appiomofchoice]

The House on Demon Point

Happy Halloween (again) 🎃🦇👻 Last Halloween fic of the year (unless I get sufficiently inspired lol).

Honestly... I wrote the beginning, got an idea for the ending, and then kind of lost steam while connecting the dots, so it’s not the best. This isn’t really my genre, and I don’t have a great handle on writing Aurora and Jackie’s voices and characters (which is part of why I wanted to write this, to try). But I hope you enjoy it anyway. :)

Synopsis: Darcy, Jackie, Sienna, and Aurora plan a trip to a haunted house, in the secret hopes of helping one of their roommates with their unprocessed trauma. When Jackie’s car breaks down, they find themselves haunted by ghosts, both figurative and literal. (Slight AU in which Open Heart is shifted back enough months for Halloween to have occurred a few months after the maitotoxin incident.) (MC x Bryce, but only at the beginning and end)

Warnings: innuendo at the beginning, some cursing, blood, other spooky happenings

~

Darcy: at least elijah owned up to being too scared to come with us.

Darcy: i see through your "handing out candy with keiki" excuse, ya giant chicken

Bryce: miss me already huh?

Bryce: me and my giant 🐓? 😘

Darcy: bryce lahela do you hand out candy to innocent trick or treaters with those fingers?????? 

"Darcy, I'm passing the diner,” came Jackie’s voice from the driver’s seat. 

"Oh, um.” She consulted the GPS on her phone, which had definitely rerouted them at least a dozen times since they’d set off on this rainy, foggy Halloween adventure. The diner on their left---something something Diner, according to the flickering sign, the “n” and “r” burning out just as they passed---was not the place she’d had in mind at the beginning of the drive. Oops. “Take a right on Diamond Point, here."

"Is that it?” asked Jackie. 

Darcy squinted. In the rain, the sign had been splattered with mud, leaving only a D and an M visible under Jackie’s headlights.

"I think so?"

As Jackie slowly turned onto the dirt road, Bryce’s name flashed across Darcy’s screen again.

Bryce: oh i think you know what i do with these fingers

Darcy: ...maybe i could use a reminder

And then, to the next text, she nearly let out a squeak.

Darcy: oh my god bryce i didn’t mean now 

Darcy: ...but when i get back, if you’re not still handing out candy?

Darcy: (allegedly)

Jackie gave an exasperated sigh. "If you're texting Edward Scalpelhands, can you ask if he knows what I’m supposed to be doing next?"

Darcy winced. "Sorry. Just straight on this road until...uh...Dread Street?” This wasn’t Diamond Point, either, she realized; this was Demon Way, one way in, one way out. They’d turned a little too early. And it would cost them... “We're thirty minutes out."

"Thirty minutes? This was supposed to be an hour, max. Darcy, I'm revoking your shotgun privileges for all future road trips.”

“Fair,” Darcy conceded. “I’ll stop texting, I promise.”

Bryce: hell yeah. how long until you get back?

Darcy: never if you don’t stop distracting me 

Bryce: me distracting you? i almost gave a six-year-old my keys. keiki had to chase him down

Darcy: i am not asking for details. i am putting down the phone. i am being a good roommate.

Bryce: 🙁

Darcy: i’ll see you in a couple hours? unless i'm bitten by a zombie in the haunted house or jackie kills me for getting us lost 

Bryce: a couple hours without you? sounds pretty scary after all

Bryce: i'll be counting the minutes, gourdgeous

He sent her a picture of a little jack-o'-lantern he had carved with Keiki. The pumpkin was small, illuminated by a tiny light inside, and said “DARCY” in precise, skilled letters.

She sighed contentedly as she exited her texts and devoted her attention to the map. Twenty more minutes down this road, which was kind of beautiful in an eerie way. She fought the urge to roll down the window. It irritated her a little now, being separated from the world by a closed window...a closed door...plastic, rubber, fabric...

She shook it off and looked out into dark, dense, misty woods, through raindrops that trailed down the windowpane. Tall trees with skinny, jagged branches pointed them further down the road. She caught bits and pieces of conversation from her roommates.

“Is there something special about this haunted house that we couldn't get in the city?" asked Sienna. “Ooh, is it on a farm? Are there zombie cows?”

Aurora laughed. "Some Mass Kenmore residents swore it was the scariest one they’ve gone to; that’s all I know. But it might be good for us to get out of Boston for a night.”

Some of them more than others, she didn’t need to say. Darcy’s eyes drifted toward the rearview mirror, where she could see Sienna smiling wistfully in the backseat. 

A few nights ago, Darcy overheard Aurora and Jackie coming up with this plan as she paused outside the front door, key poised in front of the lock.

“...haunted houses being a healthy way for traumatized people to process fear. Maybe this is what she needs to work through it.” 

“Fight fear with more fear? I like it, Aurora. I’ve been worried about her. She hasn’t talked to anyone about this. None of us, not Bryce, not Rafael... I even asked Dr. Ramsey.”

“With the merger falling through, and Edenbrook possibly shutting down... I just don’t want it to pile up on her. I don’t want her to do anything...drastic.”

“At least, more drastic than normal.”

Darcy hadn’t realized that the situation was so severe. They all knew that Danny had been a deep loss for Sienna, and that she was still feeling guilt about yelling at Mitch. She’d spent those first few months baking away her pain, and all of them had supported her through it---runs to the grocery store at two in the morning for baking supplies, throwing on an apron and joining her, delivering her baked goods to Bobby’s and Danny’s families, and (happily) consuming the left-overs. Darcy, who’d stayed up with Sienna most nights for almost a month, had gained five pounds from all the cupcakes (though this was on top of the weight she’d lost from the maitotoxin, leaving her still a little bonier than looked entirely natural). Now that the baking had toned down, she thought that Sienna had worked through it. 

But maybe not. If Aurora and Jackie were concerned, then maybe there was a reason for it. And Darcy, out of great love for one of her best friends---and out of great guilt for having survived from Danny’s sacrifice---jumped at the chance to go.

~

It wasn’t long before the road became twisty and jagged, and the rain started to tumble down in waves. Jackie eased up on the gas, laser-focused on the inches of visibility ahead of them.

“This is terrible,” said Darcy. “I’m sorry, you guys.”

“It’s okay,” said Jackie. “I’m sorry for getting annoyed. If it helps, I one hundred percent blame scalpel jockey.” She shot her a sideways grin.

“Definitely his fault,” she agreed, grinning back. 

“And it’s about the journey, not the destination,” added Sienna cheerfully. “More time on the road means more time together.”

And time with loved ones was a hotter commodity than any of them had realized, before that awful night. 

Darcy twisted in her seat to shoot Sienna a warm smile, though she felt a deepening sense of guilt. She shouldn’t have spent this time texting with Bryce, no matter how much the distraction helped. She should have been there for her, her struggling friend.

“I know we’re all kind of...dealing with things,” began Darcy. “And I’ve been kind of a distracted roommate, with...everything going on.”

Sienna and Aurora both leaned forward, eyebrows raised in interest, which struck her as a little odd. 

“But if any of you need to talk,” she continued, “I’m here.”  

Her roommates exchanged a mysterious look.

“We’re here for you, too,” said Aurora after a beat. Almost pointedly. “If you need to talk about anything.”

Darcy tilted her head. “What would I need to---”

“Jackie, look out!” cried Sienna.

The rest happened quickly: Darcy twisted back in her seat and caught a glimpse of a dark shadow appearing in the middle of the road, Jackie yanked her steering wheel to the left, and they all screamed as they were sent spinning into a tree. 

“Is everyone okay?” called Darcy as soon as they were still. She unbuckled her seat belt, hands steady, breath steady, heart rate calming quickly. 

Each of her friends sounded off that they were okay. The engine, too, let out a hiss.

“Good,” said Darcy. “I’ll check on---”

As if on cue, there came a tap-tap-tap at the window, and Sienna screamed as a crack of lightning lit up the sky. When Darcy turned to look, she was met with the face of a young woman in a dark hood, soaked from the rain, tapping urgently with her long nails.

“Please, help,” she croaked as Darcy rolled down the window. She sounded at least thirty years older than she looked. “I-i-it’s my husband. We crashed our car in the storm, and h-h-he’s bleeding---”

“Of course,” said Darcy kindly, opening the door gently to avoid hitting the woman. “You’re in luck---this car is full of doctors.”

Jackie reached over the center console and pulled out a bright red first aid kit. “Right behind you.”

~

The husband, Eddie, had also crashed into a tree, whose branches had shattered the front windshield. Pieces of the windshield had embedded into his face, though not too deeply. Blood dripped slowly from his wounds. He was unconscious but breathing, heart rate elevated but not dangerously so, and by the time Darcy finished inspecting, he was responsive and his heart rate had calmed considerably. 

“It’s much better than it looks,” promised Darcy as she kneeled on the passenger side seat, sifting through the first aid kit for what she needed. The rain water leaking in from the shattered windshield gave his blood the appearance of gushing, but the cuts were shallow, overall. “I’ll remove the glass from your face, clean the wounds, and give you some bandages, all right? You’ll be good as new.”

Eddie smiled appreciatively. He also looked to be in his twenties or so, though when he spoke, he reminded Darcy of her grandfather. “Thank you, Dr. Allen. What luck, Barb!”

“Hardly anybody comes down that road,” added his wife, “and the one time we try...” She shook her head. “We don’t live far from here. We don’t need much, so we don’t travel, but... Sometimes you need to get away. Sometimes home gets to be...too much.”

Darcy looked at her inquisitively. A simple life in the woods sounded like heaven. No worrying about how to save the hospital, no maitotoxin, no lawsuits, no... 

She chastised herself for complaining about the life that she’d had the privilege to keep. So she turned her focus outward, wondered if there was more she could do for Barb and Eddie. “We can give you a lift out to... Actually, I don’t know the name of the town. There’s a haunted house.”

“That is too kind, Dr. Allen,” said Barb, smiling. “We’ll be okay. We’ve had enough adventure. Isn’t that right, sugar plum?” 

She gazed adoringly at her husband, who gazed back with complete fondness. It was like he didn’t feel the glass shards as they left his face. And Darcy wondered fleetingly if she’d ever have that. If she could ever be so wrapped up in love that she didn’t feel.

When she finished, she rejoined her friends, who were gazing forlornly at the popped hood of Jackie’s car.

“Okay, Darcy,” said Jackie, holding her jacket over her head to shield herself from the rain, “same question: Do you happen to secretly moonlight as a mechanic?”

She grimaced. “I don’t think you’ll like my answer.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

As Jackie searched for the number for a towing company, Darcy snapped a picture and sent a quick text to Bryce:

Darcy: any chance those magic hands can fix a car??? or at least give us a ride? pretty please ♥

Almost instantly:

Message failed.

Message will be sent when connected to a cellular network.

“I don’t have service,” she announced at the same time as Jackie.

“It’s okay,” said Sienna. “We’ll figure something---”

Another crack of lightning, and then a deep, “Car trouble?” 

Eddie---face bandaged up, looking almost like a mummy---appeared out of nowhere, and Sienna let out another scream and grabbed for Aurora’s hand.

“Sorry,” she squeaked, “I startle easily.” And then, weakly, “You look much better, sir.”

"We don’t live far,” said Eddie. “We’ll call a mechanic for you. Meanwhile, let’s get you out of this storm. It’s the least that we can do.”

~

Barb and Eddie lived in a cabin not more than half a mile’s trek into the woods.  When they arrived, the wind had blown the door wide open. It was cold inside, made colder by their soaking wet clothes. 

“Make yourselves at home,” offered Barb, gesturing to a polka-dotted couch. On a coffee table in front of it sat an ancient-looking landline with a curly cord. “The phone’s here...would anybody like some tea?” Without waiting for an answer, she disappeared into a kitchen. Meanwhile, Eddie wandered down a hallway to find towels for them to dry themselves off.

“They’re so sweet,” said Sienna, smiling a little sadly. “I wonder if they get lonely out here.”

“I don’t imagine they want too many visitors,” said Aurora, dragging an index finger across the coffee table, around unwashed dishes and mugs. The path she’d traced uncovered wood which was several shades lighter than the table surrounding it.

The whole place was just a little bit filthy. Everything seemed to have a thick layer of dust built up on it. A moment’s inspection of the floor revealed large, dark stains in the burgundy carpet. It smelled a little bit like a wet dog, mixed with another kind of rotten smell.

“Maybe we should help them clean this place up,” said Darcy.

“That’s a great idea!” said Sienna.

Aurora frowned. “You don’t think it’s weird that they haven’t done it themselves? They don’t appear to have any mobility issues.” Her eyes scanned the cabin. “I  really think we should get out of here as soon as possible.”

“Well, as soon as possible has been postponed,” announced Jackie, putting down the receiver. “The phone line’s down. Probably because of the storm.”

“So we’ll wait it out here,” suggested Darcy, “and we can help Barb and Eddie with whatever they need, until the phone’s working again.”

The lights above them flickered---off, then on---as if in agreement.

Or maybe disagreement.

~

When Darcy went to the kitchen to pitch the idea to Barb, all she found was a teapot, which whistled angrily, and four unattended mugs with tea bags in them. Darcy turned off the stove and distributed the water into the mugs, and she stood with her hands over the steam for a moment, appreciating their warmth. Her eyes scanned the kitchen.

It was small and dirtier than the rest of the cabin. The kitchen sink was filled with dishes, which were circled by a little parade of flies. A cracked window looked out into the woods, letting water drip inside from the storm. The counter was dusty, and a knife lay in a puddle of what looked to be beet juice.

It looked as good a place to start as any.

Finding no sponge in the sink, she squatted down to check beneath. As soon as she opened the door, her vision was filled with creepy, crawly spider legs, attached to bodies the size of the mini-pumpkin that Bryce had carved her. She jumped and gave a little yelp, kicking the door shut.

“Darcy?” called Jackie.

“I’m fine!” she called back, her automatic response these past few months.  

But she was fine. The fifty or so spiders who’d escaped scurried past her, as if on a mission, paying her no mind. She couldn’t help but to admire their sense of purpose as they made their way to the room that her friends were occupying, though somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that it should have been off-putting.

And somewhere closer to the front of her mind---

“Is one of you afraid of spiders, or was that Elijah?” she called. “Because---”

Jackie gave a shriek. Question answered.

“Look, they’re more afraid of you than you are of them,” said Sienna soothingly. “They’re walking away.”

“I’m sorry, Sienna, do they look afraid to you?” snapped Jackie. “Is that the universal symbol of fear?”

“I’m sure there’s a logical explanation,” said Aurora, though her voice was raised about half an octave higher than normal.

No sponge, no soap. The dishes would have to stay that way. But she could at least wipe down the countertop.

When she turned on the grimy faucet, it made a gurgling noise. After two seconds, it spat out a thick red liquid, and the air filled with a familiar metallic scent. 

Darcy turned the faucet back off. Okay. No sponge, no soap, no running water. No wonder the place was so dirty.

She wiped the blood that had splattered on her jeans and continued to search for something, anything to help Barb and Eddie. 

She was going to make a difference in someone’s life if it was the last thing she did.

~

“Darcy, we’re leaving,” announced Jackie, her voice getting louder as she approached the kitchen. “The spiders are marching in a fucking pentagram, and I’m not going to be here for when whatever they’re summoning---Darcy!”

Sienna shrieked.

Darcy jumped from where she was bent over the fridge---virtually everything had expired decades ago---and as she did, she felt cool metal swim past her neck. A moment later, a knife had planted itself into the opposite wall. Red dripped from the spot as if the house itself were bleeding. 

“Hey guys,” she greeted. Her eyes drifted to the knife in the wall. “Weird, right?”

They exchanged more mysterious looks. And then---

"No, okay?” snapped Jackie. “No! We’re not the fucking Ghostbusters, we’re doctors. I know you almost died, but we can’t indulge this anymore. I’m putting my foot down---you need to cope with this in a way that isn’t going to get us all killed.”

Darcy frowned. "What do you mean? I lived. There’s nothing to cope with.” She felt a surge of anger in her veins as she finally understood the meaning behind their mysterious looks. “Wait, is that why you guys wanted to go to a haunted house? Because you’re worried about me? Because you think I need to process something? I thought we were helping Sienna! I’m fine!”

Aurora shook her head. "Sienna's dealing with her grief. The rest of us are dealing with our grief. But you're ignoring it. You almost died, and between the funeral and Panacea and Edenbrook shutting down and Esme...”

“We just don’t want you to go to a dark place,” said Sienna quietly. “I was there, and you helped me out of it...but I’m afraid I left you behind.”

“I’m fine,” repeated Darcy. If she said it enough, it would be true. “I lived. The problem’s solved. But you guys have real issues to deal with, and Barb and Eddie have real issues to deal with, and I want to help.” Because what was she good for, if she couldn’t? 

“I though that a haunted house might reset your instinct for self-preservation,” said Aurora, “but that was supposed to be a fake haunted house, and you weren't supposed to be willing to die to help complete strangers clean their demonic hellhole.”

"Why not?" snapped Darcy.

And then, to their stunned looks, she doubled down. 

"Yeah, why not?” she continued. “I almost died as collateral damage in an assassination attempt on a dirtbag senator who is continuing to be a dirtbag.” She’d never said it aloud before, had never vocalized the pointlessness of it all, even though it had been rattling around in her brain and in her heart for months. “Whose case we took because we thought it would be high-profile enough to save Edenbrook. It wasn’t.” She took a deep breath. “And then I lived...because Rafael pushed me out of the way, I lived because Danny asked Ethan and Tobias to use his body for our cure, I lived because of them, I lived, I lived...” She swallowed hard, felt her throat tighten slightly, felt tears prick the corners of her eyes. “But why the hell am I alive right now? If it’s not to save Edenbrook, and it’s not to be a good mentor to my intern, then... Why me? Why not die doing this? ”

As she gestured, the lights flickered again---off, on, off---as rain slapped violently against the windows. The mugs on the countertop crashed to the floor, and the cupboards opened and shut to the slow beat of a song nobody could hear, and red dripped slowly from the ceiling in every corner of the room. 

But they didn’t seem to notice. Sienna wrapped her arms around Darcy, followed by Aurora and then Jackie. And for the first time in a long time, Darcy let the tears fall. And as she let her friends envelope her in love, she felt herself begin to wake up from the nightmare of the last few months...

...to the one that they were living in now. The faucet that ran blood, the knife that nearly beheaded her, the letters currently being written in red on the door:

Get out. 

~

When they got to the diner, they were soaked and tired. They’d never run so fast in their lives. But the storm had already begun to subside by the time they glimpsed the sign, at which point Darcy received a call from Bryce, who was on his way to rescue them. Thank God.

“What are you doing out here in the middle of a storm?” grunted the man behind the counter when they walked inside. His hair was gray and his face was wrinkled. “Not safe out here, you know.”

“Oh, we know,” said Darcy, shivering as she slid into the booth beside Sienna.

The man gave them a funny look. “Heard about ole Barb and Eddie, huh?” 

They froze. 

“What do you know about Barb and Eddie?” asked Jackie.

“Oh, sweet couple. High school sweethearts, married straight out of college. I met ‘em when they drove out here, trying to escape it all.” He shrugged. “But I guess it always catches up to you, sooner or later. Cops found them dead on the side of Demon Way. Called it a car accident ‘cause they didn’t want to investigate. Lazy sons of bitches. Ain’t no car gonna leave bodies like that, let me tell you. Hungry?”

They weren’t.

~

Darcy stared at the little jack-o’-lantern with her name on it, which sat on the windowsill in Bryce’s apartment, overlooking the street below. A gust of wind---mother nature, or an angry spirit?---blew out the candle inside.

“Tootsie Roll for your thoughts?” asked Bryce, tossing a candy from a bowl resting on the coffee table. It was filled with wrappers. Keiki had fallen asleep on the couch in front of it, a scary movie playing in front of her. 

Darcy caught it. Pulled on the ends to open it up. Maybe she needed to, too. “Do you ever wonder...what the point is? Like. What's the point of Ethan and Tobias finding a cure for the maitotoxin, if the merger's just going to fall through? Of taking down Panacea, if Solomon's going to get its claws in Mass Kenmore? Of this haunted cabin nightmare? What's the point of all this suffering if nothing good can come of it?” She finally looked up. “Just. Sometimes I feel like a hamster running on a wheel. No matter what I do, I stay in the same place, nothing changes. So what’s the point?”

Bryce was quiet for a moment. And Darcy wondered if she was being too much. It felt like their relationship had progressed to the sharing-existential-dread level, on what might have been her last night on earth. But since it wasn’t, maybe... Maybe it was too soon. Maybe she’d ruined it.

Deep in thought, she didn’t notice him approach until he’d already wrapped his arms around her. “I have no idea, Darcy,” he said quietly. “I get angry, when I think about it too much. What happened to you...To Danny, and Bobby, and Rafael...” He let out a shaky exhale and became quiet again for a moment. “The only thing that keeps me sane through all of this is just...this. Maybe this is the point. You, in my arms, still breathing.”

And somehow, that was enough to lift a weight off of her soul. 

She looked up at him. “If you’re saying your arms make it all worth it... You might be right.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the faint glow of the jack-o’-lantern in the window.

~

[violetsystems]

I really need to pretend I never reactivated my Instagram. Post a picture of yourself with a tinge of grey hair and people are ready to recite your eulogy. Remember that friend you played world of Warcraft with a summer during your ten year breakup? They’re on there, bro. That girl who dumped you at the three day rave festival you dj’d because your face broke out in tent acne? The one you found out sold meth that later raised an autistic child and told the world about it? They’re on there, bro. That other girl who collected all your poetry zines who worshipped Bjork and dated that IRA loving skinhead who ended up marrying your first gf who was a heroin addict? They’re on there bro. And they still listen to ska. The record labels that owe you money who pretended like they were street but never set foot in your backyard. Yeah you know it. All there ready to pick up where we left off. All I see is failure on there and that’s what I put behind me. Yes it is a shame that I might miss all the people from Japan I met on tour there too that I networked music with by myself all those trips to Asia alone. The tour where nobody could pay you? You know how much credit card debt I paid off trying to push my “career” forward? It’s paid off. Where have they been all this time I was away from Instagram? Oh they’re on there bro. What has reconnecting done for me? Just highlighted all the grey these people’s fraudulent actions gave me. Just bringing up the fact that the past is waiting for me to die so they can say what they want about what I meant to them. On some Van Gogh shit. Just standing around for the moment I die poor so they can resell the mythology back and double the price I paid for the suffering. I didn’t mean shit to these people. Instagram makes you feel like shit for recognizing it. And it will continue to the more I feed it. Which is why I need real encouragement from myself to realize the eulogy is for them not me. I can look at pictures down here without all the reminders that I could’ve have been dead if I kept these people around in my life. Not just salty, peppered and jaded. I’ll stick to being a loner. I was never enough to be remembered for being me. Shit is like group therapy for disaster capitalists. Now I’m just a living memory online when I could have just stayed a ghost. That was the point when I got disconnected from my social media forcibly anyway right? You are either going to pay me to write about this or I am going to bury it and make sure it stays buried. 👻

[kosmogramm]

👻 @zukunftsvision​.

time is not linear. time is an ocean—waves head in one general direction, but there are irregularities in the flow, as there are in all things. it's difficult to see irregularities when people are so naturally drawn to patterns. waves of consistency mask nonparallel waters. the untrained eye—and even trained eyes—cannot readily spot inconsistencies, disruptions, but sienna's eyes were made for seeing disruptions. 

a ghost is a disruption in time. a ghost is a memory—it is the evidence of the marriage of past, present, and future. a ghost is a promise and a reminder. a ghost is love and hate and everything in between. and though there aren't any traditional ghosts at this wedding, sienna sees a sea of people. they all were, are, and will be ghosts in her memory, and that is a good thing. if time were linear, she would not remember the past or the future. let bruce call her a nut for that; sienna stands by it. 

nikolai and joseph have been inseparable all day. sienna likes watching them. she likes to see the looks they exchange, the quiet touches of their hands, the understanding that passes between them. there is something beautiful and raw about the intensity of their emotions. they represent the pinnacle beauty of humanity, and sienna can only watch the bond between them glowing. she's feeling and thinking many things, but one thought bursts forth: they deserve this. mom's heart would be overflowing if she were here. sienna can only imagine that she is smiling at joseph and nikolai, giving them her blessings. 

the just-married couple is at the center of the room. sienna leans back against her corner and takes a sip of water. across the room, delphi leans against her own corner, watching nikolai and joseph with an unreadable expression. sienna pretends she does not see delphi—she did try to prevent delphi from coming. she tried so hard, but this isn't her wedding, so she did not have final say. 🙂 it's fine. all she can do now is hope to the world that delphi doesn't cause a scene. 

bruce is standing in another corner of the room. that is another thing sienna is pretending she does not see. she won't even dignify his presence with a further thought. 

and adam stands at another corner, hesitant as always. he's got his arms wrapped around himself, and sienna can only imagine the anxiety he must feel being in a room with so much emotion. she understands why he's hiding in a corner. she understands why all four of them are standing in the four corners, and she understands why nikolai is in the center, for once. 

it's nice. just pretend bruce and delphi aren't there, and this is nice. the last time all of them were together... fuck, it must've been the opening of adam's firm, and that is one ghost of a memory sienna does not want to recall. the two weddings after that—bruce's and her own—didn't actually bring the five of them together. sienna didn't go to bruce's wedding ( no offense to mrs. wayne or anything, but her husband is a sanctimonious, condescending fuck ) and bruce and delphi were banned from sienna's wedding. nikolai invited them all, though, and here they all are. sienna takes another sip of water. she'd be sipping something stronger if she weren't expecting her next child.

the current song ends, and sienna realizes it is time for open dancing with the grooms. she realizes right before delphi, and so she makes it to nikolai before delphi does. i pretend i do not see her, sienna reminds herself and reaches out to take nikolai's hands. they don't even have to dance; sienna has two left feet even with flats, so she's fine with either dancing really slowly or not moving much. 

     ❛ hey, ❜ she says quietly, and she smiles. he's happy. there's a light in his eyes that she hasn't seen in a long time, and that makes everything worth it. ❛ hey, i love you. i am so happy for you right now. you both deserve this. ❜ 

never mind what bruce says. never mind that mom isn't here. never mind that delphi might cause a scene. nikolai is happy, and that's all that matters. 

     ❛ can i, uh, have this dance? ❜ she asks. ❛ or, uh, not? we could also just stand here. i just—i really wanted to say how happy i am for you. you two deserve each other. and he looks so comfortable and happy with you—as he should. i'm so glad you found each other. ❜