#Kate's in the afterlife again

[little-peril-stories]

Hiya Kate!

Instead of writing, I had the absolute need to binge Prince of Thieves, an excellent use of time, and to draw a certain tree.

(B&W)

(Color)

Also thank you for reading my whumptober story! Your comments give me much joy 😄

- Paisley

AAHHHHHHH

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

PAISLEY OH MY GOD

^^^ the screams I couldn't do earlier because I first saw this while I was at work^^^

This...is...I...I....

🥰😭🥹I'm speechless!!! 🥹😭🥰

Oh my gosh!!!!! It's GORGEOUS!!!! You are so talented and I'm so absolutely honoured that you took some time to draw the IA tattoo!! I'm a little bit dead over it, in fact!!! ALL THE EXCLAMATION MARKS!!!

And your Whumptober story is awesome! Sam is so sweet and Thomas is so mysterious and intriguing and awesome. I can't wait to see where it's going! :D

My heart is so full, seriously. I told my husband once my secretest little writing dream was to create something that inspired fanart (yeah, specifically fanart lol) one day, and you've made my wish come true. You really have no idea how much that means.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. 💕💕 You're amazing

[howifeltabouthim]

Although it went against all her rational beliefs, Reggie like to think there might be some sort of life after this one, if only so that she could place her mother in it, waiting patiently for Reggie to join her.

Kate Atkinson, from Death at the Sign of the Rook

[dark-frosted-heart]

Roger Barel Main Route - Mad Love Chapter 23

As usual, can’t guarantee 100% accuracy on this. I’m doing this for archiving purposes and you can probably find a better translation out there

Royal Hospital doctor: With our numerous experiments, we doctors will advance medicine in Britain. It will certainly make our country prosper. You’re a doctor too, aren’t you? Surely you understand our feelings.

They try to butter him up, only for their own sakes.

With their lives in his hands, Roger—

Roger: Yeah, I get it.

With eyes full of pity…

Roger: —I get that you’re all a bunch of damn hypocrites.

The anger permeating the air was stung.

Roger: For the sake of your country, people, the world. Those are all great causes with good intentions. But they’re not excuses to justify your cause. …That goes for the Privy Council too. You lot have a strong cause, for the sake of “Her Majesty”. Still, that’s not an excuse either for you to do whatever you want.

When I thought back to the sorrow I felt from the kidnapped youths back at the warehouse, I felt resentment well up inside me.

These people didn’t even view humans as humans.

(...Before we were almost killed, we were all called “silent offerings”)

Roger: I…No, we Crown and Kate have condemned you for all the evil you lot have done.

Since meeting Roger, I’ve confronted many evils.

Many were unforgivable and caused lives to be lost. There were even times when I cried and almost despaired. 

Roger: Every time we nip evil in the bud, I hear your filthy voices. “Sacrifices need to be made for the sake of our cause.” “No, they should be grateful for providing for us with their lives.” You think you’re gods…?

Everyone in the world is equal. Strip off our flesh and we’re all the same.

Despite that, people easily assign value to others and use that as a reason to take lives. 

Roger, who’s a “Cursed One”, had been fighting against this despair.

He understood better than anyone that the voices of “the Cursed”—the voices of the weak and the few, were laughably easy to drown out.

(I’ll always remember that look of despair in Roger’s eyes.)

~~ Flashback ~~

Roger: …It’s laughable, isn’t it…? I swore to myself that I’d tame my curse. I wouldn’t let fate drive me mad like God’s whim. I resolved to never betray anyone unknowingly. ..And yet. You can’t fight it…just by your will alone?

Kate: …

Roger: Roger: Is this how I meet my tragic end? …Surrendering myself to my curse…

~~ End flashback ~~

Yet he stood back up—and fought against despair again.

(...The only thing I can do as Roger’s Fairytale Keeper and partner is to see this through to the very end. And)

Royal Hospital doctor: …Don’t act so arrogant! Just shut your mouth and give it to us already.

One of the people who was crawling stood up unsteadily.

Royal Hospital doctor: Hand it over…

Kate: …

He reached for the medicine box held in my hands.

But I immediately pulled out the gun from under my skirt and pointed it at him.

Kate: Stop right there. If you try to steal this from me…I’ll shoot.

(The only thing I can do is see this through to the end)

(And help Roger)

(Just like how Roger’s helped me so many times)

I placed a finger on the trigger—

I’ll send you to the afterlife immediately.

How does it feel to have your life in my hands?

Do you understand how your victims felt now? +4 +4

Kate: Do you understand how your victims felt now?

Royal Hospital doctor: Eek…Help, don’t kill me.

Roger: The youths you killed didn’t even get to beg for their lives. Don’t tell me you didn’t know.

I don’t know if I can actually shoot someone yet.

(I’m just threatening him, but…)

But it was enough to stop the doctor from trying to steal the antidote.

Roger: …

Roger smiled at me for a moment as if to say “great work” before grabbing the doctor by the head.

Roger: Listen, there’s no such thing as superiority or inferiority among humans. And that’s why I’ll never forgive anyone who uses their cause to justify devaluing human life. 

Privy Council Lord: …Then why did you make the antidote? Haha, you’re actually afraid of killing us, aren’t you? In the end, you Crown are all still Her Majesty’s lapdogs!

Still crawling on the ground, the Privy Council lord spat his words out like a curse.

Roger: A lapdog? Haha…I wish.

Roger took an antidote out of the medicine chest and popped the cap.

He then grabbed the Privy Council Lord by the jaw— 

Roger: Unfortunately for you, we’re savage dogs. I made this antidote so you wouldn’t escape through death.

Privy Council Lord: …Escape through death?

Roger: From now on, you’ll be spending a hellish time in eternity paying for your sins. You’d wish you were dead…

Demons aren’t just the ones that don’t view humans as humans.

They are also in charge of executing other devils.

(And it’s my duty as Fairytale Keeper to witness Roger’s sins)

Roger: If you don’t take this antidote, you’ll only have about 42 hours left to live. Now, make your choice. Have an unsightly death or live crawling through the depths of hell.

Royal Hospital doctor: …I’m in hell…either way…

Privy Council Lord: You…villain…

Roger: The best of them. I gave up living as a good person with an idealistic cause a long time ago.

For some reason, when I looked at Roger’s back, I saw “a way of life I didn’t have a choice in”.

A future as a “doctor who saved lives” that could never be achieved again.

…How much time had passed since that moment?

Looking as if they were given a ticket to hell, the doctors and Privy Council took the antidote.

They were scared of the “fear of death” that they had been continuously inflicting on others.

Roger: …

Roger watched on in silence.

There weren’t any words that could explain how he felt at the moment.

(However…)

I reached out for Roger’s arm which just hung there and took his hand in mine.

—Suddenly, unknown footsteps could be heard.

(Who…?)

Nica: Kind of selfish and unsightly for you all to be so scared of death after killing so many people.

Nica looked at them with indifference, as if he were looking at bugs.

Kate: …Nica.

Roger: …You again. How’d you get in here?

Nica: No need to look so scary. I’m just bringing some good news. Here, look.

Nica handed us a tabloid.

Kate: “Illustrated Police News”...?

“A shocking revelation! The intimate relationship between the Privy Council and the doctors of Gracefield Royal Hospital, and all scandalous evil deeds! 

The page was filled with a sensational article and portraits.

And the portraits looked just like the bad people before me.

Nica: It’s a pretty good article. Had a local caricaturist do some portraits. Then I put all the information together and submitted them anonymously.

Roger: You?

Nica: Did it under my king’s orders. It was surprisingly easy. Cheap papers like this don’t care much for authenticity. 

After seeing the news article, the faces of the Privy Council and doctors turned pale.

Privy Council Lord: Huh…Aaahh!

Nica: What, you’re surprised? From here on, the worst future awaits for you. Since you’re going to die socially anyway, wouldn’t it be faster to announce it to the public?

In a way, Vogel helped Crown’s condemnation.

Kate: W-why…

Nica: Don’t ask such a simple question, robin. We Vogel came to Britain to deepen our friendship. To quote our king—

--

Ring: Dari, this “Illustrated Police News”...

Darius: A present from us Vogel to help Crown’s condemnation. At any rate, this is a good article. Nica’s did his job perfectly.

Ring: If this gets out, those people…they’ll never be able to live a normal life, will they?

Darius: Yes, they won’t. That’s why the article was written.

Ring: …Sorry, I don’t understand…

Darius smiled lovingly at Ring’s honesty.

Darius: I suppose I’ll just have to explain it to my cute Ring. Regarding this matter, some members of the Privy Council and doctors came into contact with a method that would remove curses from the Cursed. Even if incomplete, information is information. To erase the memory, you either have them die—or be driven off to somewhere where they cannot be heard. For instance, being locked away in a jail cell for the rest of your life.

Ring: …That method’s just like you.

Darius: Hehe, is that a compliment?

The angelic man scrutinized the human as if looking down on him from the heavens.

Darius: I don’t have the ambition to get rid of curses—that just gets in my way.

Ring: What about Roger Barel?

Darius: Hm?

Ring: There would be no point if we don’t also eliminate Roger Barel, who knows how to get rid of curses.

Darius smiled at the honest killing intent he was fond of.

Darius: Yes, you’re right, Ring. However, we can’t eliminate him yet.

Ring: Why?

Darius: I’ve always wanted a doctor. We can invite him to join our family to stop his pointless ambitions.

It was like the whim of a god.

Darius: Ah, right. There’s one thing I’d like to ask you. It appears that Nica has given information to the Fairytale Keeper. That has saved her as well. Why do you think that is?

The aim of his whims were like lightning, you never knew who it would strike.

Ring: Perhaps Nica…wants to get rid of curses. …I can’t understand difficult topics. Besides…I don’t know what Nica’s thinking.

Darius: Hmmm, even though you’re twins?

Ring: …

Darius gently placed his hand on his crestfallen watchdog’s head while he was at a loss for words.

Ring: But Nica and I are on your side. Family would never betray family.

Darius: I see. Hehe, I’m glad. My family has good kids.

--

Roger and I ran after Nica after he threw the tabloid and left the jail cell.

Roger: Hey, older twin.

Nica looked back from the end of the corridor.

Nica: What? I’m not into having long chats with men.

Roger: I’ve been thinking about something ever since I saw you twins. …Have we met before?

(Huh…)

Nica: …

As I stared at the two in shock, Nica suddenly smiled.

Nica: Nope. Don’t have an irritating face like yours in my data. 

Roger: That so. Nevermind then, that was a strange question.

Nica shifted his gaze from Roger to me.

Nica: Oh, Robin. Congrats on clearing the game. Your expressions when you were fighting alone weren’t bad. Let’s play again if you’re ever in the mood. Bis bald (see you).

Kate: …Yeah. “See you.”

—The sound of footsteps leaving resounded.

Nica: …

As I watched Nica’s retreating form…, for a moment, his gaze turned to the window as if remembering something.

For some reason, that image left a lasting impression—

—It was like there was an inorganic memory etched into my heart.

~~

…Come, —come.

Now, come quietly! Subjects 404 and 405.

~~

Nica: …

--

“As Fairytale Keeper, I will write down the aftermath.

The Privy Council members involved were all dismissed and in addition to being under close surveillance, the Privy Council was drastically reformed. 

The doctors were all stripped of their medical licenses and dismissed, and the police became involved in an investigation at Gracefield Royal Hospital.

As for the criminals that Roger turned over to the police, they never saw the light of day again.

—That was the living hell that awaited them.

This is the entirety of Roger Barel’s condemnation.”

I stopped typing on my typewriter.

(Today’s exactly 1 month since that night)

Having kept Crown’s secret, I was released from my duty as Fairytale Keeper as promised.

To quote Alfons, I was officially free.

Being free meant that I could make my own choices.

Kate: …

I glanced at the clock and left my room.

—To choose what to do “from this point on”.

[dear-mrs-otome]

Jude's 'Love Kiss' from CE

The shitbrained summary version, definitely inaccurate somewhere but you'll get the gist:

Opens on Kate all, OOOH PRETTY FLOWERS Lovely summer breeze, this is heavenly, I could stay here forever 😍

Then the lovely scene is interrupted by a voice bitching that she can't laze about there and never pay them back, and Kate's thinking, nani the fuck, is that Jude's voice? Crap he's right I can't be in debt to him!

She jerks awake and promptly chokes up a shitload of water, looking around all blearily. BEAUTIFUL PLACE GONE :( Ellis is there, banging her on the back asking if she's okay and such, and she says ya she's alright. Ellis tells her, dang girl you nearly drowned!

She's thinking, holy crap was that garden THE AFTERLIFE? If not for Jude's voice, she might still be there, DED. The idea is kinda freaking her out tbh, so she hugs herself.

Jude sighs that it's bit cold for a swim ffs, and Kate's tells him she wasn't swimming, there was this child drowning so she wanted to save them??? She's panicked a moment over whether the kiddo is okay, and Ellis assures her they are - they went off to a doctor to get checked out but seemed fine, just cold. She's relieved and asks, did Ellis save her then? He sets the record straight though, telling her nope, not me, I didn't get here in time - Jude hauled you back to shore and gave you mouth to mouth.

Cue Kate all…..Jude????

She finally notices that he's soaking wet too, and Jude offers her a smarmy line about how it sucks for her she didn't get kissed awake by a ✨prince✨ - she got the wizard. Kate says, no actually thanks a bunch but record scratch wait. Mouth to mouth?????

Jude: That's usually the standard first aid when someone's drowned duh

Then Jude bitches at her for getting all blushy over something like that and how she's gonna make him look stupid for saving her dumb ass. Finishing with exasperation, all …ugh whatever, I'm soaking wet and I'm going home, get ur ass to the doctor just in case. He chucks his jacket at her with a comment about how she's putting on a show (cause her clothes are wet and plastered and see-through) and it'll cause him problems and look bad to be seen with her like that so cover up. She's swimming in the jacket when she puts it on but it's warm and dry and smells like him and she has to scold herself BAD HEART NO SKIPPING BEATS.

Just about then Ellis tells them both to look up, and Jude's startled to see there's some leftover Christmas decoration or something in the tree above, with some mistletoe. Kate's thinking, oh dang, isn't there some superstition about how if a couple kisses under the mistletoe they'll be together forever?? DOES MOUTH TO MOUTH COUNT?

From the look Jude's giving her as he glances at her it seems obvious to us that Kate's every thought is probably plain as day in her expressions. He rips the decoration down, shoves it at Ellis and tells him: Burn it.

Ellis takes off immediately to do just that, and Kate begins all, uh….soooo…. Jude….

He stops her though and says, you don't actually believe in that superstition right?

Kate: PFFT N-NO >.> why, do you? Jude obesrves that she's a shit liar, before grabbing her arm and saying that he's gonna shove a new superstition into that ditzy head of hers. And with that he yanks her in and kisses her for real this time…but she can't help noticing how there's no warmth to it, not with the both of them freezing cold from the river and such. When he finally pulls back pointedly, Kate is thinking the icy kiss was like proving there's no love between them.

Jude proclaims that kissing under the same spot NEGATES the first kiss, so there - Cancelled. Nulled and voided.

Kate just….okayyyy. Clearly she knows he's just made this up, and she's wondering why the heck he would even bother kissing her again to make up for HER superstition. Does he hate the concept of it THAT much? Because, obviously, they aren't a couple. It wouldn't even apply. They're clearly not making some FOREVER PROMISE to each other.

…But it still kinda stings for some reason she can't explain.

She's chalking it up to the discrepancy between how glad she'd felt that Jude had saved her, and the NOPE attitude here, but Jude says that basically, just a kiss isn't worth it/enough to pledge TOGETHER FOREVER over. Clearly offended by the very idea. Kate's all, what, is a vow that bad??

And Jude simply says:

There's no such thing as forever.

It takes her a second to figure out how that's an answer to her question, and then it clicks. It's not that Jude dislikes the idea of a promise. It's that Jude always keeps his, and if 'forever' doesn't exist like that, he's not going to make that promise because he can't keep it. Nothing is forever, ergo a promise of eternity is bound to be broken, and therefore Jude would never make it. And Kate's thinking, GDI that's actually really sincere of him. People can lie to themselves too, about love and 'staying together forever'…but even if it's just a silly superstition, Jude never makes a promise he can't keep.

She wonders to herself if… someday, he might find someone he wants to pledge forever to. And she's musing how despite bitching and everything, he didn't hesitate to save her. She's spent enough time around him by now to know that he's not a bad man at heart. How behind all his ruthlessness and arrogance, he's not truly cruel at all.

…Someday, someone's going to notice that side of Jude and snag him. And that thought unsettles her, for some reason she can't explain.

[ih4t3mysch00l4nd1want2d1e]

------------My intro again-------------

💣 Name - rather not say just call me ghost(Thank you to my friend Grim for helping me choice that nickname)

💣 I'm a female

💣 If you don't like my content literally just block me

💣 I'm a minor

💣 Currently learning Russian

💣 My favorite color is dark red

💣 My MySpace/SpaceHey username is 1h4t3sch00l4nd1w4nt2d13

💣 My Tiktok username is 1h4t3sch00l4nd1w4nt2d13

💣 My Discord username is ih4t3mysch00land1w4nt2d13

💣 My YouTube handle username thing is ih4t3mysch00l

💣 My Pinterest username is 1h4t3mysch00l4nd1w4nt2d13

---------------Interests---------------

💣 Some bands I like are Hole, Nine Inch Nails, Slipknot, Alex G, Queen, Britney Spears, Guns'n'roses, Disturbed, System Of A Down, The Aubrey's, Lana Del Rey, Rob Zombie, Eminem, Linkin Park, Godsmack, Madonna, Korn, Kate Bush, The Front Bottoms, Green Day, AC/DC, Mitski, The Killers, The Offspring, Tears for Fears, Artic Monkeys, Kiss, The Cure, The Smith's, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Bon Jovi, Ayesha, Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer, Joan Jett, The Runaways and The Foo Fighters

💣 Some movies I like are Stand by Me, Scream 1996, Elephant, The Black Phone, Zero Day, IT (2017), IT Chapter two, Scream 2, Scream 5, Scream 6, The Turning, The Goldfinch, Corpse Bride, Coraline, Orphan, Beetlejuice, Nightmare Before Christmas, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Heather's, The Goonies, The Terrifier (1 and 2), Ghostbusters 1984, Ghostbusters ||, Ghostbusters Afterlife, Ghostbusters Frozen Empire, Edward Scissorhands, Titanic, Girl Interrupted, Pet Cemetery, SLC Punk, Senseless, Wonka and Bohemian Rhapsody.

💣 Some other things I'm interest in is art, exploring, origami, reading, writing and listening to music

💣 My favorite cases are Sandy Hook Elementary 2012 Shooting, Columbine 1999 shooting, the murder of Elizabeth Olten and the murder of Junko Furuta

That's all thanks💣-------------------------------------------------💣

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday to the bubbly bonnie Ashley Jensen born in Annan on August 11th 1969.

Raised single handedly by her mother Margaret, Ashley knew from an early age she wanted to be an actress. She grew up glued to British sitcoms, especially Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em with Michael Crawford as Frank Spencer. And after her mum saved up for her to attend the National Youth Theatre in London, the 16-year-old returned home determined to pursue a career on the stage.

Ashley went on to study drama at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh before fulfilling her dream by landing roles treading the boards in London. From theatre she moved into TV, ealy roles included wee parts in City Lights and Rab C Nesbit , and a 1991 film called Tickets for the Zoo, which was set in my hometown Edinburgh, she the started racking up credits in popular dramas such as The Bill, Casualty, Clocking Off and EastEnders. Other Scottsih roles were in Taggart and Rebus.

It was her part as Ricky Gervais’ hapless sidekick in the popular Extras that was to be Ashley’s breakthrough role, though. As well as making her a household name in Britain it also gave her the opportunity to appear alongside Hollywood heavyweights such as Kate Winslet, Samuel L Jackson and Orlando Bloom, all of whom made guest appearances. The part also brought official recognition when she was named both best actress and best newcomer at the 2005 British Comedy awards - accolades which she celebrated in typical low-key fashion with a cod sandwich from a roadside chip van.

Ashley saw fame in the US follow playing the straight-talking Christina in the sitcom Ugly Betty, leading her to relocate to LA and renting a house in the Hollywood Hills. While the role was originally meant to be American, the casting agents fell in love with her Scottish accent and it stayed.

Ashley may be a star in the US now but her feet are firmly on the ground I found this quote from her “Even now I think I might never work again. I’m still a bit like that. I probably always will be, “This from one of her best friends who has a chippy in Annan speaks volumes "She has her head screwed on and won’t be changed by the star treatment.” Recalling a visit to her LA home soon after Ashley relocated, he says: “We were holding hands and jumping up and down. She was shouting, 'Can you believe it? What am I doing here?’.” Ashley’s acting career has seen in her in many shows, my faves include, Catastrophe with fellow Scot Mark Bonnar, Trust Me, with Jodie Whittaker, which was set in Edinburgh, and again with Ricky Gervais in Afterlife, as well as the comedy drama Agatha Raisin, where she plays the title role, a cotswolds-based PR guru turned amateur sleuth.

Tragedy struck for Ashley in 2017 when she discovered her husband, Terence Beesley body at the wheel of his car in the garage at their Somerset home. The couple, who met in 1999 while they were both involved in a London theatre production of King Lear, were married for ten years. A verdict of suicide was later ruled on at the coroners court.

As well as her work as an actress Ashley has narrated a couple of shows recently, Inside The Balmoral: Scotland's Finest Hotel, about the hotel that takes pride of place at number I Princes Street and The Airport: Back in the Skies about London Heathrow.

Ashley took over in the lesd role in Shetland, I think she did well, filling the huge boots of Dougie Hensall was a big ask, two seasons are planned the first coming soon. I like the lass and read in an interview she said that her greatest achievement was; 'That my son is kind and loves David Bowie.'

[mckenziepilled]

“ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴏꜰꜰ, ʜᴏꜱᴇʀ.”

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Seymour’s Updated !! Pinned !!

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Good day! I’m Seymour, my pronouns are he/they, I also use neos, I’m pansexual and a transgender male I’m hoping to start my transition in 3 years (I’m turning 16 this year so at 19) I also have AUDHD, anxiety and ODD. I live in the United States, in the middle of the northern east coast. I’m a fan of 1980s media, music and pop culture. This blog is used extensively for posting my special interests and 80s media !! I’m hoping to make Friends with similar interests to me on here and elsewhere <3

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The Fandoms I’m in currently

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SCTV (Canadian variety show)

Rick Moranis (comedian and actor)

Newsies (Broadway musical)

Little shop of horrors (Broadway musical, Musical comedy Film)

Ghostbusters (Science-Fiction Comedy film)

The outsiders (book, film, Broadway musical)

Bob and Doug McKenzie (Canadian Satirical comedy duo)

South Park (adult animated series)

Smiling friends (adult animated series)

My blue heaven (Drama comedy film)

Team fortress two (Video game)

The muppet show, muppets tonight (Puppet Variety programs)

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Favorite characters in media

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Bob McKenzie (SCTV, strange brew)

Bill needle (SCTV)

The medic (team fortress 2)

Scott malkinson (south park)

Jimmy valmer (South park)

Guy Friday (SCTV)

Seymour krelborn (little shop of horrors)

Walter (the muppets)

Twobit Matthews (the outsiders)

Louis Tully (ghostbusters, the real ghostbusters)

Raymond stantz (Ghostbusters)

Barney coopersmith (my blue Heaven)

David Rose (schitt’s creek)

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Favorite movies [Letterboxd: louistullyirl]

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Strange brew [1983]

Ghostbusters II [1989]

Little shop of horrors [1986]

Ghostbusters [1984]

The outsiders [1983]

BASEketball [1998]

Scott Pilgrim VS The World [2010]

Ghostbusters: Afterlife [2021]

Class [1983]

Asteroid city [2023]

My blue heaven [1990]

Fantastic Mr. Fox [2009]

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Artists I listen to

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Chappell roan (favorite song: red wine supernova)

Rick Moranis (favorite song: pu-pu-pu, parve)

Weezer (favorite song: hash pipe, say it ain’t so)

Taylor Swift (favorite song: Cardigan, picture to burn)

Ween (favorite song: it’s gonna be a long night, the mollusk)

Primus (favorite song: here come the bastards)

Phantom Planet (favorite song: so I fall again, dropped)

Kate bush (favorite song: army dreamers)

Insane clown posse (favorite song: juggalo juice)

Rush (favorite song: closer to the heart)

Big reel fish (favorite song: beer)

Will wood (favorite song: 2econd 2ight 2eer)

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That’s all, thank you for your time !!

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[thanatoseyes]

My paired down list of spirit work and death magic. (Obviously this is what works for me and I'm kind of a picky person when I aquire written work)

Physical Media:

Cunning Words: A Grimoire of Tales and Magic by Marshall WSL (This one I pre-ordered and haven't gotten through the whole text but it's a good read. It incorporates the art of story telling with distinct spells and magic. I think it's very unique but I wouldn't recommend it unless you want something with flavor)

Riding the Bones by the three little sisters (this one is an anthology of particular practices from different walks of life pertaining to death and transition. I've only read a few of the stories but for what it's worth I think its good insight)

Botanical Curses and Poisons by Fez Inkwright (I only list this because it's always good to know what's good and bad for you. Know what can kill you and you can probably avoid it)

The Bones Fall in A Spiral by Mortellus (again I've mentioned this before but I think this is a good work for someone getting into the field and needs someone that's direct and experienced in what they do. One of my favorites.

Consorting with Spirits by Jason Miller (I feel like this is a staple of the craft and while I personally don't connect with the material it works and it has some good points)

Metamorphosis by Ovid (I think it's always necessary to deal with primary texts. Go with the classics. Ovid has a beautiful way of writing and you get to really understand the stories and myths that spirits of the dead living etc are connected to and if you do any deity work I highly recommend it.)

Of Blood and Bone by Kate Freuler (I have mixed views on this one. some of the stuff is informative and it provides some good spells, but it lacks transparency and depth. I find Mortellus book far more student minded.)

The complete language of flowers by S. Theresa Dietz (if you work with the dead, deities, spirits or hey plant spirits. Chances are you've come across Victorian flower language. I use this book as a reference guide for symbolism/folklore/ and as a way to connecting with spirits)

Encyclopedia of Spirits by Judika Illes (hey no library is complete without an encyclopedia. I personally like this one because it's very indepth without being too overwhelming. Not sure where to go? Just pick up this book and you can do more indepth research later. It's what it's there for. Reference guides are one of my favorites.)

Okay that's it for my physical media.

I also have a list of digital copies I keep.

Morbid Magic by Tomàs Prower (I think if you buy any book from this collection buy this one. It gives you an over all guide of most death practices around the world)

Historical:

Death, Dissection and the Destitute by Ruth Richardson

The Work of the Dead by Thomas W. Laqueur.

(I list these because they are a good source guide to how we treated the dead and spirits in the past. It's always important we learn from those that came before us.)

Greek Customs: (if you're going to do any type of work with Greek chthonic deities I suggest these three articles/books. I'm not saying its mandatory but these are very helpful guides to understanding ancient thought and how to bring them into today.)

Burial Customs, The Afterlife and the Pollution of Death in ancient Greece by Francois Pieter Retief and Louise Cilliers (free on research gate)

Underworld Gods in Ancient Greek Religion Death and Reciprocity by Ellie Mackin Roberts

Inner Purity and Pollution in Greek Religion Volume 1 by Andrej Petrovic and Ivana Petrovic (this one's my personal favorite)

[blurredcolour]

If You'll Be My Bodyguard | Part Four

If You'll Be My Bodyguard, I Can Be Your Long Lost Pal Masterlist

Summary: Halfway through awards season and tensions are running high – for Austin and his girlfriend privately, and for you professionally.

Pairing: Austin Butler x Female Bodyguard Reader

Warnings: Language, Vague References to Spiritualism/Afterlife, Reader Anxiety, Attack on Vehicle with Bricks, Reader Injury with Bricks, Reader Injury with Broken Glass, Blood, Bruises, Verbal Assault, Argument, Relationship Breakdown, Tears, Emotional Conversations, Emotional Vulnerability, Rating – T. 

Word Count: 4100

The pair of shadows cast upon the olive-green curtains on either side of Austin were rather striking, you had to admit. You flipped back and forth between the images Maddie had sent you, focusing on Elvis’s silhouette and the shadow to Austin’s right as you stood beneath the shade of the porch, waiting to head out to the Oscar Nominee’s Luncheon at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. You were so focused on zooming in that you missed the scuff of Austin’s boots behind you, once again only becoming aware of his presence when the weight of his chin came to rest on your shoulder.

“Whatcha got there, Betty?” He asked curiously, voice still a little raspy from sleep as he had only been awake for forty-five minutes.

“Just some stuff from Maddie, Mr. Butler, how’re you this morning?” You tried to brush it off as nothing, tried to turn to face him, intending to also put some distance between the skin of your neck and the minty, warmth of his breath.

His arms reached out on either side of you, caging you in, as his hands laid over yours to tilt the phone screen at a better angle for him to see the image you were looking at.

“I recognize that curtain…” He murmured thoughtfully.

He zoomed out before swiping between the photos, tensing behind you. You held your breath, deeply uncertain what his reaction to this might be, and stayed perfectly still until he decided to reveal his thinking.

“Well I’ll be…Isn’t that a comforting thought…” He chuckled warmly before straightening and laying a hand on your shoulder. You could feel the warmth of his skin through the fabric of your jacket. “Would you send me those?”

“I…absolutely Mr. Butler…” You nodded with a quick smile. “Are you ready to head out?” You asked, implying that it was time to go without strictly saying so.

“I’d better be, or Kate might kill us all.” He grinned and squeezed your shoulder before heading over to the car where Ari was waiting patiently.

While the cocktail hour and luncheon itself seemed quite lovely, you did not envy the brutal press circuit by the pool afterward. It was nearly dark by the time you were home and settled in for the evening. As the next day was Valentine’s Day, Austin’s girlfriend had expressly forbidden anyone from entering the main house for the entire day. You took advantage of the free time to catch up on laundry and some errands to prepare for the trip back to London on Friday.

You also took some time to mentally prepare yourself for Wednesday – Austin’s girlfriend would be joining him for the Santa Barbara Film Festival Virtuoso Award ceremony. Which would entail at least three hours round trip with her in the car. As they emerged Wednesday afternoon, all smiles, looking perfectly matched and glamourous, you hoped that your dread had been all for naught. Perhaps the day alone had done them a world of good. You viciously stamped down the twinge of jealously that plucked at your heartstrings at that thought as you climbed into the front seat, once again happy to let Ari take full responsibility inside the vehicle.

Once past Ventura, the drive actually became quite beautiful with stunning views out over the ocean as the car neared Santa Barbara. Kate seemed only mildly annoyed at your arrival time as you pulled up to the red carpet and happily led Austin through his press duties as you followed along behind the cameras, as usual. You could not help but note that she truly loved her job, and you took a moment to recognize how grateful you were for the opportunity fate had afforded you to work with her – brevity and unfortunate circumstances aside.

While the festival had blocked off a few streets around The Arlington Theatre, there was so much humanity milling about that departure was a painstaking process. Austin stood cradling his award proudly, chatting with Ke Huy Quan who was also waiting for his car to wend its way to the back door of the theatre. Austin’s girlfriend was off to the side taking selfies with some friends she’d run into. There was nothing remarkable about the scene before you whatsoever. And yet you felt utterly ill at ease.

The sight of Ari pulling up to the curb had relief washing over you and you might have been a little bit insistent that the passengers get into the car, but their only comment was a raised eyebrow from Austin and some severe side-eye from the girlfriend. With one final scan of the area, you climbed into the front seat beside Ari and took a slow breath.

“Betty, could you put this in the cup holder for me? I’m worried I might poke my eye out with it.” Austin passed you his award between the seats and you set it carefully out of the way as the car slowly crept forward.

Your legs ached with the urge to bounce, and you pressed your palms down firmly onto your knees to try and suppress the need to release your nervous energy, focusing instead on scanning through the crowds of people waving and cheering. The flash of paparazzi cameras. The sea of humanity that was somewhat corralled but still hindering the progress of the car.

At last, Ari was able to turn onto the street, pointed towards the freeway back to Los Angeles, but then again so were most of the other vehicles. Over the din of the crowd, dampened by the frame of the car, you heard something. Someone calling out Austin’s name in pure hatred. Your head snapped back over your right shoulder, and you squinted into the dim light of the street, into the sea of faces. Your eyes shot wide as they found him. Watched him reach into a bag at his hip and procure a brick in his meaty hand, winding up for a throw.

“Get down! Cover your heads!” You barked out sharply, punching the release on your seatbelt and scrambling over the console to try and get between the projectile and Austin.

“What the fuck are you…” Austin’s girlfriend snapped at you, sneering as you were suddenly coming towards her.

The impact of the brick against the trunk of the car had her screaming and complying. You were briefly pleased to see Austin was already folded as far forward as your recently vacated seat would allow, his hands over his head. You crawled over him, arms braced on the seats in front and behind him to hold your weight while you covered his body with yours. The window beside him exploded in a shower of tinkling glass as another brick finally found its target. You felt it clip the back of your shoulder before rolling to land on your legs where they rested on the seat between Austin and his shrieking girlfriend.

You barely had time to formulate a plan before another brick came sailing through the back window in another spray of glass shards, slamming into your side.

“Ari, get us out of here now!” You shouted, certain that both of them were here again. The man and that woman who had refused to show her face. There was no way one person could throw this many bricks this quickly.

“Hold on tight.” He replied as another brick caught you squarely in the back, knocking the wind out of you.

“Betty, Betty are you ok?!” You could hear Austin’s muffled voice below you, somewhat drowned out by the screaming, but you did not have time to reply as Ari threw the car into reverse and pulled out into the other lane, driving the correct direction, just facing the wrong way.

There was one final, parting shot the shattered the window beside your empty front seat and then you were finally out of range.

“Turning around.” Ari warned you shortly before expertly throwing the car into a controlled 180 spin, the car now pointing the right way. “We’re halfway to the police station, we’ll be there in two minutes.”

“Ok…” You took a shaky breath and swallowed. “Are you ok, Mr. Butler?” You asked, trying to direct the sound into his ear as there was still a cacophony erupting from the seat behind you.

“Yeah, I’m fine but are you ok? You got hit; I know you did…”

“I’m just fine Mr. Butler.” It wasn’t entirely a lie; the adrenaline was keeping the pain at bay for now. “I’m sure this is terribly uncomfortable, but there’s a lot of broken glass, can you stay like this for a bit longer until we can climb out somewhere safe?”

“Of course,” He said you name…your real name…gently. “Of course.”

You felt your throat clench tightly and swallowed roughly as one of his hands carefully, blindly, sought yours and squeezed softly. You looked up as Ari came to a stop and felt relieved to see a police officer stand up from behind their duty desk inside the station and hustle out to meet you.

“Jesus fucking Christ, I hate this!” Came an exasperated cry from behind you and you heard Austin’s girlfriend fly out of the car and storm off, heels clicking into the distance.

You reached down carefully to open Austin’s door, sliding off him onto the ground in a sort of dive roll before turning to help him out. Looking over him rapidly, you were pleased to see no obvious cuts or marks. You swallowed as you sensed him doing to the same to you.

“You should go find your girlfriend, the police will want to question you. We’ll find a car home as quickly as possible.”

He frowned softly, hesitating…fingers reach out to gather tiny drops of blood beading from a nick on your cheek.

“I’m fine, Mr. Butler, I assure you.” You nodded with a soft smile and he nodded reluctantly before going to find out where his girlfriend had stormed off to.

You pulled out your phone and started snapping photos, sending them to Scott before calling him as Ari was already deeply in conversation with a gathering contingent of police officers. Scott was climbing into his car, coming to deliver his vehicle to the four of you and speak to the police. He had just ended the call when Austin’s girlfriend came running over at you from the direction of the street.

“You fucking dumb bitch, I coulda died because of you!” She howled inches from your face, her own obviously tear stained. Austin was nowhere to be found. “Why the fuck didn’t you shoot at them?! What the fuck is the point of you, Betty,” She snarled acidy, “if bad shit just keeps happening anyway?!”

You dodged quickly as she took a swipe at you with her wickedly long nails, the impact points on your body beginning to ache, completely beyond the ability to respond and evade her. It would have been easy to neutralize her, but she was your client’s girlfriend – even if she was trying to claw you like a wildcat.

Austin came running from the opposite direction, having obviously never located this distraught woman, and grabbed her by the elbows, hauling her back.

“That is enough. Stop that.” He said firmly. “There’s no way she could have fired into that crowd of people, not over bricks, babe.” He stood there, holding her tightly against him until she calmed down.

Eventually the police officers decided to do their job and led the four of you into interview rooms to provide your statements while the car was impounded as evidence. You took some over the counter painkillers while you waited, quite certain you were in for a very sore couple of days. The entire questioning process took a little over an hour, and Scott was arriving just as you were walking out. You stopped to talk to him but trailed off as you watched two officers leading a man…the man…into the building handcuffed. They headed towards the interview rooms, and you gave Scott one firm nod in confirmation.

“Ari, here’s my car keys. I’ll come by tomorrow with an SUV tomorrow to replace the sedan. The four of you try and get some rest.”

“Thanks boss.” Ari nodded and headed out to get things ready.

You heard Austin and his girlfriend coming down the hall before you saw them – Austin’s girlfriend dealing verbal blow after blow, Austin begging with her to be reasonable. She refused. The fight persisted the entire drive back to Los Feliz, all the way up the driveway and into the house.

“Well, no one ever threw fucking bricks at me until I dated you!” You were grateful as the door closed behind them after that particular salvo, though you felt guilty that Austin was facing that alone.

Trey grabbed your elbow and pulled you into the guesthouse, helping you out of your blazer and unzipping the back of your dress to look over your injuries.

“Well, I don’t have x-ray vision, but I don’t think you’ve broken anything. It’s your call if you want to sleep on it and see where you’re at in the morning or call Scott’s doctor again…”

You made a face and shook your head.

“If anything broke it’s the ribs and there’s nothing for that but time and sucking it up…”

He nodded thoughtfully before his face lit up. “I did make you something though, when Scott called us with the news” He went into the freezer and pulled out a homemade icepack that would cover the majority of your back and your eyes widened.

“Thank you so much…” You smiled, feeling suddenly tearful and he squeezed your hand affectionately.

“I think it would be best to sleep in here tonight…”

“Oh yes, I am not going anywhere near that combat zone. I am definitely persona non grata…Good luck out there tonight.” You patted his shoulder and stiffly got ready for bed, fighting feebly with Ari before surrendering and accepting the real bed.

You had just settled in on your stomach, a pillow beneath your hips to support your lower back, when there was a knock on your bedroom door followed by a mournful awoooo.

“Come in!” You called, looking back confused as Trey opened the door with a distraught Biscuit tucked under one of his arms looking not unlike a football.

“She was also not welcome, apparently. Can she sleep we you?” He asked softly and you nodded quickly.

“Of course!” You held up an arm and he set her on the bed at your side where she nestled in tightly and you pulled her close.

Trey set the ice pack on the back before tucking you in.

“Call me if you need anything.” He nodded before stepping out, shutting the door behind him.

Gradually, Biscuit stopped trembling and finally sank into a restful sleep beside you. You enjoyed the ice pack as long as you dared before sliding it off your body onto the floor, not wanting to add frostbite to the list of injuries. In the still, quiet of the room, the cruel words of Austin’s girlfriend echoed through your mind, bringing a flood of hot, stinging tears to your eyes.

What was the point of you, if bad shit just kept happening anyway?

You sniffled in the dark sanctuary of the bedroom, trying to stem the tide of tears, but feeling the wave of emotion only cresting higher. It was difficult to remind yourself that the pain you were enduring now meant your protectee was physically unscathed. Particularly when you knew the woman he loved was inside their home tearing him to shreds emotionally. It was also nigh impossible to not hold yourself accountable for the lack of resolution in the case…yes, a glimmer of hope lay with the image of the man being led into the back of the station for questioning, but they were most certainly a duo, and the woman was nowhere to be found.

Right now, everything felt like your fault, and you felt like a hopeless failure. Your breath began to shatter into sobs until a warm, wet tongue licked a stripe up your cheek, choking off your descent into self-loathing and despair in one fell swoop. You huffed out a startled laugh as Biscuit lapped up the tears from your other cheek before nuzzling in tightly and you smiled tremulously.

“Thanks, sweet girl…” You whispered softly, soothing both of you simultaneously by running your fingers through her soft, luxurious fur until sleep, thankfully, took you.

Morning was not nearly so kind. Everything hurt, with much greater acuity than the night before. And Biscuit was whining with the need to go outside. You wrapped yourself in a blanket before taking her out to take care of her business, squinting at the brilliant sunshine. The day seem callously cheerful for all that your group had endured.

Marwan came over to you as you watched the dog chase after a random bug, and he yawned dramatically.

“Girlfriend left with several bags around four…schedule’s empty right?” He asked quietly and you nodded with a deep frown.

“Until Friday, yeah…”

Once Biscuit was taken care of, you tucked her back into bed with Ari before taking a careful shower, looking at the marks on your back in the bathroom mirror with a frown. You were definitely going to bruise.

The most you could tolerate was a racerback workout shirt with a built-in shelf bra – anything with more structure than that was absolutely out of the question. Driven by a need to do something nice, and to distract yourself from how pitiful you felt, you very quietly made a batch of homemade biscuits. There were more that enough the feed the five of you and Ari was more than happy to eat several while wrapped in his blankets on the sofa bed.

Eventually you knew you had to enter the main house; Biscuit needed her breakfast and judging from the way she was eyeing Ari’s food, she would not tolerate any further delay. You slid on a zip-up hoodie and plated some of the biscuits, leading the dog of the same name into the silent house. You moved quietly, dishing out her raw food and watching as she practically inhaled it before she lurched her way upstairs, one step at a time.

Her little legs were adorable but somewhat of a disadvantage when it came to stairs.

Thinking back to the past few weeks you’d spent with Austin, you remembered his love of PB&J sandwiches and were in the process of setting up a breakfast station for him when his long arms wrapped around you from behind. On a normal day, the way his cologne flooded your senses would have made your head swim. The muscular planes of his torso would have made your heart trip over itself as it sped up beneath your ribs. The warmth of his body would have flush through you and set your skin aflame.

Not today. Today, the pressure of him against the injuries on your back wrenched an involuntary wail from you and your fingertips dug into the unyielding surface of the marble countertop as you tried to pull away from the source of pain. Your response was primal and reactionary and had him jumping back as though you had scorched him with naked flame.

“I knew it! I knew you were hurt, why would you lie to me…” His voice broke and weakened halfway through his statement and you turned to see his red-rimmed eyes, abused by crying and lack of sleep, shining once again with tears.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Butler, I didn’t want to worry you and I’m more ok than last time I…I’m sorry I shouted it just…It does hurt.” You admitted reluctantly, looking down.

Your eyes landed on the food, and you quickly looked back to him.

“But I made biscuits, you must be hungry?” You tried to distract him.

“Can I see?” He asked softly and you swallowed tightly, mind racing with pros and cons before slowly nodding.

You pulled down the zipper on your hoodie and shrugged it off your shoulders to rest at your elbows before turning around. Two of the three marks were easily visible – the shoulder hit and the mid-back hit.

“There’s another down here…” You gestured to your right side and heard him sigh your real name shakily. You swallowed tightly. “I’m sorry…”

“Wait…what? Why are you apologizing?” You felt the current of air before he came to stand in front of you. “Thank you. Thank you for protecting me I…I mean last night was awful on many levels but…you still kept me safe…and I want to hug you but it’s going to hurt you.” He whispered the last sadly and you felt your lip tremble.

You shrugged back into your hoodie and leaned forward, pressing your cheek against his chest and wrapping your arms around his waist. He paused a moment before putting his hands on your hips, a safe spot, and squeezing tightly.

“Thank you.” He whispered again and you nodded against him.

After a few moments you both pulled back, sniffling and wiping at your eyes.

“Biscuits?” You offered and the canine of the same name barked in response. “Not you sweetheart, you’re not breakfast.” You crouched down to grab one of her nearby toys, tossing it down the hall, sending her skittering after it as Austin went about making himself a few sandwiches.

“Have you seen a doctor?” He asked, sucking some peanut butter off his thumb and you shook your head distractedly.

“Not necessary at this point, they’re behaving as expected…as long as they transition through the rainbow I’ll be fine…Just ice and rest…”

He nodded and pulled out of a few ice packs from his freezer.

“Come watch a movie with me?” He asked, plate now loaded with the sandwiches.

Unable to resist the promise of cooling relief on the angry heat of your impact wounds, you nodded quietly and took the icepacks, following him to the living room. He insisted you take the lounge seat on the sectional and lay the icepacks on your back once you were laying down. You pressed your cheek into the cushion, feet hooked on the top of the couch, watching him practically inhale the biscuits with a soft smile as he set up the movie Heat.

Somewhere between waking and sleeping, you were startled when he spoke about midway through the film.

“I hate your job…”

You tensed and lifted your head to look at him properly, bearing your weight on your forearms. The icepacks slid down to the small of your back, making you shiver. You’d let them rest on your bruises too long, but it had felt too good.

“I’m sorry Mr. Butler, I’ll talk to Scott about finding a replacement right away.” You wished you sounded more professional, but there was a notable tremor to your voice.

“No!” His head snapped toward you, and he shook it violently. “No…I hate that you get hurt for me…I hate that anyone has to…” He sighed deeply and slumped back into the sofa. “I really…I just don’t get why they hate me so much I…I really just worked my butt off, there was no black magic or anything…” He sounded so tired and deflated that you pushed up fully, moving to sit beside him careful of the sleeping Biscuit.

“No one believes otherwise…its just one or two very unbalanced individuals and I’m so sorry they’re wreaking such havoc on your life…I’m sorry I can’t do more…”

He looked up at you sadly and shook his head, pulling the boneless dog into his lap before folding himself into your arms quietly. You held him gently, blinking back tears of sympathy, the movie playing unwatched on the television.

“Please sleep in here tonight? This house is too quiet…” He whispered eventually and you nodded quickly.

“Of course, I absolutely will.”

“Hey I’m…I’m really sorry about the stuff she said to you, that was really uncalled for and I really value everything you and the guys do for me and I…”

“You don’t owe me any sort of apology, on yours or anyone else’s behalf.” You cut him off gently.

“She’s not coming back.” He murmured softly and you clenched your eyes shut, flooded with grief for him.

“I’m so sorry, Austin…” You said in outright violation of your professionalism because the last thing this man needed right now was an employee.

He sighed heavily and nodded against your collarbone.

“Me too…”

Read Part Five

If You'll Be My Bodyguard, I Can Be Your Long Lost Pal Masterlist

Tag List: @littlewhiterose, @austinsvlrslut, @emrysdreams, @slowsweetlove, @xstrengthxinxtragedyx, @shelbygeek, @kingdomforapony, @artlover8992, @eliseinmemphis, @haydensith, @breadsquash, @chimchimjiminie16, @qxiva

[invisibleraven]

'i don't have anyone anymore.'' ''you have me.'' for the willie pairing of your choice

Willie sat up slowly, tenderly touching his head, looking at the large crack in his helmet. His ears were still ringing, and everything seemed too bright, too loud, too much.

"I gotta be more careful," he muttered. "That car got a little too close."

He looked around, wondering if Theo and Simone were still around-he had skated way ahead of them, so they might have gone in a different direction. Only when he looked, they were sat on the curb, bawling their eyes out.

Willie slowly made his way over. He ached a little, but not nearly as much as he expected to after such a major wipeout. He knew he shouldn't kate in traffic, but what was life without a little risk? He finally plopped down next to Theo, but they just kept crying. "Yo, who died?"

No response. Which was... weird.

"Theo? Simone? Hello? You two gone exclusively deaf?" Willie yodelled. Nothing. He waved his hands in front of their faces, but no response.

But when Willie tried to shake them-his hand went right through. "The fuck?" he asked, holding his hand up-it looked as solid as ever, yet as he tried again, the same result. He pinched himself-a sharp pain coming at the site, so he definitely wasn't dreaming he didn't think. "Okay, this is freaky, what's going on?"

That's when the sirens finally caught his attention-the ambulance that was loading a body onto it-a body wearing the same crop top and funky socks as Willie. With a bloody, cracked helmet being gingerly picked up by the paramedic, a sombre look on their face. "Such a shame, he was so young."

A chill went through Willie as he crept closer, and felt his throat erupt in a scream when he beheld his own body-pale, bloody, lifeless.

Willie isn't sure he registers much after that-eventually the emergency personnel leave. His friends leave, and the only indication Willie was even here is the bloodstain still lingering amidst the broken glass that the street crew is now starting to clean.

It takes Willie a bit to adjust to the whole being dead thing. There's no angels come to take him away, no handbook like there is in Beetlejuice, no fiery pits. Willie had never thought about the afterlife much, but he had expected more than just haunting his old life.

He can't eat, he can sleep a little, and it seems no one living can see or even sense him. No one seems to notice him.

That is, until he meets Caleb.

Willie can't really remember what he was doing-moping most likely. He had tried following his friends around, hoping and desperate that this time they could hear him, see him, anything really. But no, they hadn't even mentioned his name.

"The lifers can't see you my dear boy."

Willie whirled around and there, lounging-well so much as someone could sitting on a park bench-was a well dressed man in a dark suit, filing his nails and only giving Willie the barest glance.

"Lifers?"

"The living," the man clarified, slipping his file into his breast pocket behind a purple pocket square. "They cannot interact with spirits such as us, it's futile to try."

"Never?" Willie asked, his voice wet and small.

"Not here," the man said, smiling a little. "I do know a place where ghosts and lifers can interact, but forgive me if it doesn't seem like the kind of place these two might frequent." He stood then, straightening hsi already immaculate outfit. "Caleb Covington, at your service, by the way."

"Willie. Willie Shotton."

"Nice to meet you William," Caleb said, giving a small bow.

Willie stared at his friends once more, aching at the distance that separated them-like a impenetrable wall. He was alone then, doomed to spend his afterlife just watching them grow and age-all without him.

"I'm alone," he said. "I don't have anyone anymore."

"You have me," Caleb replied, giving him a wide grin. "And I know a place you can go-lots of ghosts and lifers alike. Where you can sing, and dance, and eat. You'll never be lonely again."

The offer sounded tempting, almost too good to be true. But what other way was there? Forever on the outside looking in? Willie looked at Caleb, and asked very meekly "Can I bring my board?"

Caleb's answering smirk was all Willie needed and slinging his cracked helmet on his head, and clutching his board in his hand he gave the first smile he'd worn in weeks. "Okay, I'm in. Lead the way."

He had no idea how much he would regret that later-but for now, he followed Caleb in blissful ignorance. Anything was better than being alone right?

[halfmoth-halfman]

So I just read the new chapter, beautful work with the afterlife of Canary and seeing her father Adler again. The flames, the rage, Canary finally being SICK of it---- I am ready for the rage. I also appreicated the way her father just said "you're fault, I may have been shit and like hiring the docotor whose wife I killed wasn't the best idea, but the shit you got yourself is all you" talk bc Canary did try, but now she has that "bitch better have my money", "Jawn" Wick, Alabama riverboat brawl, 'cuz I'll air this bitch out', 'fuck it, I'll do it myself', energy that I just love to see on women *chefs kiss*. And then the face shift from Adler to Makarov really did it for me, and miss girl still held her owwwnnnnnn. She not playin' with y'all no more Graves, Kira, Makarov, 141 + Price inlcuded and even Kate (idk what she'd do, but if Canary got beef, then we all got beef).

And then her choice to go back to the land of the living bc she ain't no punk ass bitch???? Water my crops and made me want to get on my Zoom since I ain't been in session since I graduated and told myself to only take a 2 week break max then get on these job applications. Waking up and already being sarcastic and witty with Rudy is such a change to what I would've imagined her waking up like (being more frazzled, and scared, etc.). And then having everyone in the room tired as hell, weeks taken off her life and whatnot--- THEN TO BE TOLD PRICE GOT ARRESTED BC HE MURDERED HER!!!! Kate better swoop in and do her job, Shepherd better do some white people and police offer shit to get Price out so Canary can dog him for what he put her through. Then I wanna see Canary with the nine from Jamal, I need her hands Rated E for Everyone as a testmant to her last name and who tf she is and always been.

Also, your story is the first story I ever been waiting on for the chapter drop like when people wait on Rihanna for an album. I was pacing, then was like 'why tf is she in PST????' with my EST ass. And I even watched the new Zoey 102 movie to pass time then have a friend on FT bc I was STRESSED. I read through that too fucking fast, and you legit give me the energy to write, I just don't know what to write or feel that spark really. I legit sat here refreshing this forsaken app like it was Twitter lmfaooooo

Lots of love

aaaaaaaa thank you so much!!! 💜

i'm also ready for canary's rage, and her deciding to really embody the adler name and get her money and estate back like the queen she is. adler and canary have a very complicated relationship, and a lot of it stems from her mother's death. i think adler knows that his wife's death falls like 98% on his shoulders, but has shifted blame to canary because it's easier for him to be mad at someone else even if it's his own daughter. he's always been a little harsher on her than he was with graves, but convinced himself that it was for her own benefit and to make her stronger in the world that he was raising her to be a part of and take over.

so, of course, when everything goes down with graves and canary waltzes into purgatory/limbo while graves has control over everything, adler is pissed, regardless of the circumstances leading to that outcome. to me, he has a very black and white view of canary's situation and thinks that if she wanted to, she could've found a way out or to get rid of graves when it's not that simple. for canary, it feels like just another thing he's blaming her for, and she's realizing that almost every man in her life - graves, makarov, adler, shepherd, even price - are all the same; they all see her as a tool to be used, a bargaining chip, and she's not having it anymore. canary really is out for blood now, but whether or not the 141 is going to be included in that is undecided.

i don't think there was any other choice for her than to go back. like wanting to continue the story aside, adler was right when he figured she wouldn't be able to live with herself letting graves win, and canary knew that. sure, if she'd stayed she would get to see her mother and not have to worry about makarov or price or anyone else, but letting graves get away with no consequences after everything he's done to her? absolutely not.

i think she is a bit frazzled, but also more resolute after talking with her father. she knows what needs to be done, she knows she's going to need the 141 to do it, but she also knows she doesn't have to be happy and nice about it either. cordial, yes, but she's not going to forget what they accused her of anytime soon.

who knows what shepherd is going to do with price, but i can absolutely tell you canary's hands are rated e for everyone 24/7 365. she is out for blood, and she doesn't intend on taking any prisoners.

"refreshing this forsaken app like it was Twitter" LMAOOOOO i'm so glad that you're enjoying this fic that much omg, i love reading through everyone's thoughts about where the story's going to go. honestly, you guys give me a lot of inspiration to write these chapters, esp after the 12k one because ngl that chapter was kinda draining for me to write, but y'all made it worth it! 💜

[maria-rayro]

ghosts!au

AU in which the whole team dies and becomes ghosts, settling along with the rest of Du'Met's victims on the island.

This could have many interpretations, but here's what came to my mind:

Erin says nothing like at all and almost never leaves the room where she died.

Jamie eventually even seems to get used to her new form (she fell on that sharp thing with her chest), and often jokes that she was wounded in the heart by someones words or something. At the same time, she tries to talk to Erin and somehow maintain contact with her. When new victims arrive, she tries to do all sorts of ghostly bullshit like opening windows and doors abruptly. She devotes most of her energy to gaining strength and being able to influence the world like poltergeists.

Kate, who was crushed by the glass wall, does not have a full-fledged shell (?? body?? idk ahahah) as such, but Mark feels her presence very well. He died when Du'Met cut his throat with an axe. He tries to keep in touch with everyone and talks to the children wandering around, trying to make their afterlife better.

And, of course, Charlie. His body is covered in burns, and his spirit smells of smoke. Tantrum-prone when he was alive, he often does some ghosts things after his death, like smashing things in anger for example. And if Jamie does it for something, for Charlie it is just a way to let his emotions out.

And the most interesting. They think that no one can see them, and very often fall into apathy at how pathetic their attempts to harm Granthem or save his new victims are. But one day something happens.

Charlie once again became angry and began to tell Du'Met everything he thought of him, right to his face, standing in front of him while he watched people through the fake mirror. In a fit of anger, Lonnit punches him in the chest. Once, twice. And then on the third punch, Granthem suddenly grabs his hand and lowers his gaze, looking directly into his eyes.

[haveamagicalday]

Top Ten Books Read in 2023

Continuing my tradition of blurbing/reviewing my top ten books read in the past year! Let's jump right in:

10. Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica- In a not so distant future, all animals have been plagued with a deadly virus that makes meat obsolete. In a somewhat dramatic move, the government legalizes cannibalism which is marketed as “special meat”. Marcos works for a slaughterhouse where humans are treated as livestock. One day he is gifted his very own specimen and slowly begins to treat it like the human being she actually is. I'm glad I read this book and I probably will never read it again. I did know the plot and ending when going in and I wish I hadn't because I would have liked to know how I would have reacted to that final line. The way this book was written was probably one of the most fascinating parts. Very straightforward and presents things that are horrifying in a mundane way. I actually found myself unfazed when it came to the description of how the "meat" is processed which freaked me out more after the fact and got me really thinking. Am I crazy? Would I eat McDonald's newest McHuman if it were normalized and my only option? Hopefully I will never find out

9. House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig- This is a sequel to House of Salt and Sorrow that follows one of the younger siblings, Verity, from the first novel who is now a teenager. When Verity is offered a job painting a portrait for a Duchess's son, she jumps at the opportunity. While she grows closer to the son, it soon becomes clear that something is very wrong in the Duke's house. This was a hard one to rate for me but ultimately I gave it 4 stars. The first half was definitely 4 stars. I was eating it all up. I loved the creepiness of it all and the mystery of what was really happening with those experiments the duke was doing. The second half is where it went downhill a bit. I still flew through it. I read the second half in one sitting but some things were not to my liking. An unnecessary lust at first sight love triangle almost ruined things for me but I stuck it out and I'm glad I did.

8. Rouge by Mona Awad- A surreal take on the beauty industry with a twinge of Snow White. For as long as she can remember, Belle has been obsessed with her skin care routines. When her estranged mother dies, Belle must return home to take care of selling her apartment and dealing with her debts. Belle quickly learns that her mother has gotten herself involved with a mysterious spa that takes a keen interest in Belle herself. She finds herself entranced with the cult-like spa and the promise of beauty that they offer her. Rouge is perhaps a bit on the nose with its critique of the beauty industry but the surrealism of the story is memorizing and keeps you guessing throughout.

7. A Warning about Swans by R.M. Romero- Hilde was dreamt into the world by Odin and along with her five sisters, was gifted a cloak that allows them to transform into swans. Hilde is also given the gift to guide souls into the afterlife, a job she finds daunting and tiresome. When Hilde meets a penniless Baron, she strikes up a deal with him. She will conjure riches for him and in return, he will bring Hilde into the human world. This is beautifully written in prose and is a sweet little fairy tale about love and finding oneself

6. What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall- Naomi used to spend her days playing make believe in the woods with her two best friends. But their games come to an end when Naomi is attacked. She survives with seventeen stab wounds and she and her friends help identify the perpetrator. But the three have a secret about that day that haunts Naomi in her adult life. When her friend Olivia confesses that she is ready to tell the world their secret, Naomi must return to the woods and unravel what really happened that day. This was a great thriller! It was very reminiscent of a high profile true crime case that happened about a decade ago. It would be too much of a spoiler to say which one but I saw the similarities right away. I also guessed one big twist very early on but I don't think that affected the book overall or the ending.

5. The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw- A mermaid comes ashore, marries a king and gives him daughters. Then the daughters devour the king and destroy the town. Now on the run, the mermaid travels with a mysterious plague doctor and together they encounter a strange town where children never age and worship three saints who control them. This novella was strange and gory and enthralling and I loved it all. TW: Body horror

4. The Stolen Heir by Holly Black- A perfect return to Black's Fae world. I love how dark she lets these books get while still remaining appropriate for the YA audience. This book takes place eight years after The Queen of Nothing and follows Suren, the child queen of the Court of Teeth who was held captive by her parents. Now she has escaped into the human world where she is content to spend her time undoing other fae's curses. But things change when Prince Oak shows up and asks for Suren's help on a dangerous quest. Suren must return to the world she had hoped to leave behind once again.

3. After the Forest by Kell Woods- What happened to Hansel and Gretel after they escaped the Witch? In this book, Greta has become a baker whose gingerbread is beloved but also feared for its addictiveness by the town. But Greta harbors a secret, Greta has kept the witch's grimoire and it speaks to her. When Greta encounters a bear in the woods, it sets off a series of events while dark magic comes creeping into the village. Greta must learn to harbor the magic inside of her if she hopes to save her home. This book went in a different direction than I thought it would based on the description but I absolutely loved it! I will say that the official blurb doesn't really mention the romance and while it isn't the focus, it is a large part of the book. This story is also inspired by Snow White and Rose Red and I loved how the two stories connected.

2. The Only One Left by Riley Sager- As usual, Riley Sager has delivered. In 1929, a shocking murder took place that left the entire Hope family dead aside from one daughter. Believed, but never proven, to be the killer, Lenore Hope now lives in isolation in her family's mansion. Fifty four years later, Kit is a health aid who is assigned to take care of the now elderly Lenore. Lenore is bedridden and almost completely paralyzed save for one hand. When Kit brings Lenore a typewriter, she is shocked when Lenore types out a tempting offer- I want to tell you everything. Kit finds herself deeply entangled in learning the truth of what really happened that night long ago. I absolutely loved the creepy gothic vibes and some of the twists truly shocked me.

1. We Shall be Monsters by Alyssa Wees- So this book doesn't come out until Oct. 2024 but I had the pleasure of reading an advance copy! At its heart, We Shall Be Monsters is a book about the relationships between mothers and daughters. This dark fantasy follows Gemma, a young girl who is forbidden to venture into the woods behind their house. One night, Gemma's life is turned upside down when she witnesses her mother taken by a terrifying monster into the woods. Now Gemma must journey into the woods to save her mother and break a fifteen year old curse that could end in her mother's death. Along the way, Gemma learns things about her mother and herself that she never knew. In alternating chapters we also see Gemma's mother as a teenager falling in love with a strange boy who lives deep in the same dark woods. Beautifully written, this fantasy novel reads like an old fairytale with some twists and a twinge of horror along the way.

[gristlegrinder]

okay but like i have to share a little writeup for my favorite tabletop ocs ever. they’re not even for a campaign (even though i constantly think about making them npcs in something), i just really, really, really like them and their weird little situation.

meet orlando and kate, my DTD/MTC 2E crossover chronicle power couple. they are, basically, a stigmatic mummy and the demon witness that runs her cult, a postmodern theatre and arts collective operating mainly out of a cabaret club they’ve fixed up.

(transcript / full text under the cut)

Kate (or Katjakadja, although nobody calls her that anymore) is Deathless— thousands of years ago, in a nameless empire lost to the sands of time, she pledged eternal servitude to the Gods of the afterlife, and hasn’t been allowed to rest ever since. There is work to be done, after all, to usher in the next aeon of judgment. Like empires, she rises, falls, and rises again, whenever she is needed. She strips away parts of her former selves in every iteration and she puts in the endless work without question, torturing herself for art and commerce. The original Katjakadja is a fleck of sand lost in an hourglass, constantly slipping through her fingers and reinvented in every reincarnation.

When she killed her Sadikh (an immortal lover who flew too close to the sun while managing their affairs) in service to her eternal Judge, it shocked Kate out of blind faith— leaving her jaded to the entire arrangement. She knows that she’s stuck in her duties, and she doesn’t particularly want to be cast into the fires of Duat, but she’s looking for a way out whenever her Gods aren’t watching, and that’s a careful act to balance, even for a serpent like herself.

Orlando’s “God,” if you can even call It that, was much more material. Ae was created as an arm of the great Machine that has buried itself into the core of the Earth, the terrible foreign parasite that builds Itself into civilization and exists only to perpetuate Its own existence. You’ve probably met It without realizing, Its heartbeat resonating in the thrum of rush-hour traffic and corporate office white noise. It turns, and It turns, and It turns, in Its own kind of vapid infinity, with little regard for anything that cannot be regulated into nothingness.

Aer job in the Machine was data analytics— sending quality reports, reviewing infrastructure and process lines— until that wasn’t enough. Bored out of aer mind, Orlando broke away from the Machine to go play with the humans, to learn what their bodies can do, to learn what it was like to feel. And so ae became light untethered, learning how to take human souls and live in the hollow bodies they leave behind. Pressing aer luck as a rogue agent in danger of being hunted down and recycled, ae spends the next few decades looking for something on Earth better than the orderly system that ae rejected. It only makes sense to call yourself a Demon after all that.

They first meet in 1976, after a downward swing for the both of them. Kate has no memory of the last twenty years of her life, but her resources are gone and the guilt from whatever happened in Berlin still eats at her stomach. Orlando is washed up after a forgotten stint at being a mid-tier funk guitarist, having experienced all of the earthly pleasures that ae went looking for in the first place, but not being able to find fulfillment in any of it. They talk sex, politics, religion, escape routes. Kate wants the freedom that Orlando has managed, wants to know how to slip in between the cracks, how to challenge the cosmos; Orlando wants a real spiritual awakening, wants to experience something better than machinery.

This is the game plan: Orlando knows the boundaries of reality itself, and how to exist in the in-betweens. They create shadows where their old masters can’t find them; Kate covers Orlando’s mortal shell with centuries of documentation and a tight-knit circle of cultists, and Orlando teaches Kate the art of lying without twitching and building plausible deniability with the universe. Whenever Kate comes back from the cool bliss of oblivion, Orlando is waiting for her with an analyst’s collection of spreadsheets, diary logs, and financial records. She holds Orlando’s face between her hands, and ae bears witness to thousands of years of mortal history before kissing her in worship.

It’s a dangerous game, and they’re playing against loaded dice. But they’ve got a strange little love that goes beyond initiation rites and dotted lines on contracts, and nobody said they couldn’t help each other cheat.

[frazzledsoul]

Okay, it's been a few years, but these are some of the wilder takes/conspiracy theories I heard on the This Is Us subreddit

Milo secretly fathered Mandy Moore's very blonde, very un-Italian children (why? Because their chemistry was hot. Okay, but those kids don't look anything like him).

Chrissy Metz was wearing a fat suit IRL for the last three years of the show so that Kate should up skinny at the end as a "surprise" (obviously not true, but notable because whenever I would tell people to look up recent pictures of Chrissy on her Instagram they would get upset).

Kate is the wife and the mother, and she should always get to make all of the childrearing decisions. Toby is lucky that she lets him have an opinion at all.

Toby was going to force Baby Jack into an eating disorder because he didn't want him to have sugary food at Thanksgiving (I will point out here that Jack as seen in the 2026 timeline at about 7 was quite heavy, although he was much thinner as an preteen/adult).

Madison is going to die in childbirth. Many posters were excited about this (she did not).

Madison's babies will turn out not to be Kevin's (as far as we know, they are definitely Kevin's).

Sophie and Cassidy were going to turn out to have gotten knocked up by Kevin at the same time that Madison was so he could have his "Big Three".

Kevin was going to be engaged to Sophie at the same time Madison was pregnant.

Madison is a loser who needs to get a life if she expected Kevin to parent his kids at all (turns out he was a great dad and they amicably co-parented after their breakup, so no need for this drama).

Jack was going to die in a drunk driving accident in season one (he did not).

Deja was going to murder Beth and/or Annie in the future (No).

Jack and Rebecca will definitely divorce (No).

Beth and Randall will definitely divorce (no, again).

Kate is going to be revealed in the future to have been dead for quite some time (okay, I clung to this for years because they held off on showing Old Kate forever).

Kevin will choose polyamory and marry everyone (sadly no, although I guess he got close enough).

Rebecca is going to BBQ Baby Jack at her anniversary party and the Future Jack sequences will be revealed to be a delusion.

Jack would have refused to take care of Rebecca in her old age.

Rebecca loved Miguel more than Jack and thought he was a better husband.

Rebecca should have reunited with Miguel in the afterlife instead of Jack because he was so much superior to Jack in every way and she always loved him the best.

Rebecca did not reunite with her stillborn triplet in the afterlife and therefore the show has betrayed us.

Rebecca reuniting with Jack in the afterlife is an absolute betrayal of everything the show is about (again, Miguel fans. Guys, he did not hold half as much of a grudge as y'all do).

Jack should have been excused from the final season, because then half of the discarded conspiracy theories would have come true! (Doubtful).

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday to the bubbly bonnie Ashley Jensen born in Annan on August 11th 1969.

Raised single handedly by her mother Margaret, Ashley knew from an early age she wanted to be an actress. She grew up glued to British sitcoms, especially Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em with Michael Crawford as Frank Spencer. And after her mum saved up for her to attend the National Youth Theatre in London, the 16-year-old returned home determined to pursue a career on the stage.

Ashley went on to study drama at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh before fulfilling her dream by landing roles treading the boards in London. From theatre she moved into TV, ealy roles included wee parts in City Lights and Rab C Nesbit , and a 1991 film called Tickets for the Zoo, which was set in my hometown Edinburgh, she the started racking up credits in popular dramas such as The Bill, Casualty, Clocking Off and EastEnders. Other Scottsih roles were in Taggart and Rebus.

It was her part as Ricky Gervais’ hapless sidekick in the popular Extras that was to be Ashley’s breakthrough role, though. As well as making her a household name in Britain it also gave her the opportunity to appear alongside Hollywood heavyweights such as Kate Winslet, Samuel L Jackson and Orlando Bloom, all of whom made guest appearances. The part also brought official recognition when she was named both best actress and best newcomer at the 2005 British Comedy awards - accolades which she celebrated in typical low-key fashion with a cod sandwich from a roadside chip van.

Ashley saw fame in the US follow playing the straight-talking Christina in the sitcom Ugly Betty, leading her to relocate to LA and renting a house in the Hollywood Hills. While the role was originally meant to be American, the casting agents fell in love with her Scottish accent and it stayed.

Ashley may be a star in the US now but her feet are firmly on the ground I found this quote from her “Even now I think I might never work again. I’m still a bit like that. I probably always will be, “This from one of her best friends who has a chippy in Annan speaks volumes "She has her head screwed on and won’t be changed by the star treatment.” Recalling a visit to her LA home soon after Ashley relocated, he says: “We were holding hands and jumping up and down. She was shouting, 'Can you believe it? What am I doing here?’.” Ashley’s acting career has seen in her in many shows, my faves include, Catastrophe with fellow Scot Mark Bonnar, Trust Me, with Jodie Whittaker, which was set in Edinburgh, and again with Ricky Gervais in Afterlife, as well as the comedy drama Agatha Raisin, where she plays the title role, a cotswolds-based PR guru turned amateur sleuth.

Tragedy struck for Ashley in 2017 when she discovered her husband, Terence Beesley body at the wheel of his car in the garage at their Somerset home. The couple, who met in 1999 while they were both involved in a London theatre production of King Lear, were married for ten years. A verdict of suicide was later ruled on at the coroners court.

As well as her work as an actress Ashley has narrated a couple of shows recently, Inside The Balmoral: Scotland's Finest Hotel, about the hotel that takes pride of place at number I Princes Street and The Airport: Back in the Skies about London Heathrow.

Ashley was last on our screens in the fantastic two part drama Mayflies, I am looking forward to seeing how she is in the new series of Shetland, taking over as the lead role after Dougie Henshall left.