#WALTER IS A WALKING RED FLAG

[pizzahutchan124]

Im on season 1 episode six and OH MY GOD. This show is a trip. Already we have a subtle breakdown of classism between the working middle class of Queens and the Bougie elite Manhattanites. Not only that, it makes sure to incorporate moments of humanity to what would otherwise be grade A Jerkwads.

I already have a feeling on what the shows endgame is gonna be. And if im being honest, BettyxWalter isnt it. Betty is too good for Walter.

[cowplanty]

Madeleine has a secret and unfortunately Alina is about to find out 

[thezombieprostitute]

Tech Tuesday: Walter Marshall

Summary: Your work friend oversteps in his attempts to help you.

Warnings: Size discrimination. Please let me know if I missed any!

A/N: Reader is short, female. No other physical descriptors used. This is my first time writing a short reader so please let me know what I got right/wrong!

Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

Part 2

So many times you wished you were just a few inches taller. It wasn't much to ask, right? Just be of a height where people didn't think you needed a booster seat to sit in a booth. Working security wasn't easy but the looks you got when you had to get off of your chair almost always made you seethe. Few people ever said anything but you could still feel their stares.

You were grateful when it was finally break time. Once you got the feel of how things flowed in this building you learned the off times so you could have some time to yourself to actually have a break. There'd been only one or two other people in there at the same time as you. They'd come and go but overall Walter was the only one to ever keep consistent. The two of you would eat or read in a comfortable silence.

One time, however, there was a department party in your usual break room. Walter showed up around the same time as you and suggested a different location for the two of you. It should've shot up red flags that this giant of a man had a secret location he wanted to take to you but after all the months of companionable silence, a part of you trusted him.

On the way there one of Walter's coworkers, Ransom, met up with him, needing to discuss work. Instead he looked between the two of you and cooed, “awww! Does the widdle security guard need a big stwong pwotector?”

Your eyes flashed with a fire that instantly had Ransom nervous. “Sir, I have every right to take you into one of our security rooms for suspicious behavior and do a full background check on you. Why are you wearing a heavy sweater in the summer? Why do you need to talk to Walter when an email would suffice? Especially while he's on a state-mandated break. Do you have something you're trying to hide? Are you trying to help someone get access to confidential company information?”

As you speak, you step closer and closer towards him. Never mind that you have to look up at him, you can see you've got him nervous and you're pressing closer to amplify your stern tone.

“Apologize to the lady,” Walter growls.

Ransom snips, “I've got nothing to hide, Spitfire. I'll be back at my desk.” He turns to Walter, “just make sure to look for a replacement laptop battery for me.” He turns and walks away.

Looking to Walter, “I get what you were trying to do, but don't do it again.” He gives you confused look. “I might be small, but I can stand my ground. I don't need your help getting people twice my size to back down.”

He nods, “my apologies.”

You thought the matter settled but, in fact, Walter had made his mind to be more subtle about it. He felt very protective of you, though he barely knows you. You're just so small and work a potentially dangerous job. Sure, you were able to intimidate Ransom, but that's something anyone could do. What if it was someone actually dangerous?

He started meeting with you at the security desk, bringing your favorite coffee. He told you it was excuse to get out of the freezing cold server room for awhile. You trusted him so you accepted the coffee. The two of you kept up your break time routines when you could but now he started talking to you from time to time. Only when you weren't reading, though. He might be trying to learn more about you to keep you safe, but he wasn't an asshole.

One morning, as he brought you your coffee, there was a commotion that had you running out from behind your desk. Walter knew he wasn't supposed to but he followed you. A couple of men had been arguing and it escalated fast. You stepped between the two as your partner at the security desk was calling in for potential backup. The men took a few steps back from each other, surprised at your sudden appearance.

You gesture to the smaller man, “I'm gonna need you to go over by the security desk and have a seat.” Turning the larger man, “and you're gonna need to go over to that side of the entry-room and take a seat.”

He starts yelling at you to mind your own business and you shoot back, tone even but intense, that it is your business as their fight compromised the security and safety of others in the building. He opens his mouth to yell back but closes it as he looks behind you. Unsure of what made him stop you turn and you see Walter glaring at the man menacingly. Walter's stern expression turns to fear and you turn back just in time to see the man going to strike you.

Thankfully, you know how to use your size to your advantage. The strike misses and you use the force of the swing to throw the man onto the floor. You call for your partner to call the police as you apply the flimsy restraints the security guards had been given for such emergencies.

When your backup arrives, you quickly storm over to Walter, grab the front of his sweater, and fumed, “don't you ever do anything like that again! I thought we had an understanding! I can take care of myself.”

Walter hangs his head, “I'm sorry.”

“You really thought I needed protecting? That I couldn't handle myself? Tell me why.” He looks at you with confusion. “Why did you think I needed protecting?”

He tries to talk a few times but he's unable to put into words. But you already know the answer so you help him out. “It's because of my size, isn't it?” He hangs his head and nods.

You look into his eyes and tell him, “don't bother bringing me coffee anymore. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work.”

Part 2

Tech Tuesdays Masterlist

Tagging @alicedopey; @delicatebarness; @ellethespaceunicorn; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @jaqui-has-a-conspiracy-theory; @late-to-the-party-81; @lokislady82 ; @ronearoundblindly

[violetwritesstuff]

my life with the walter boys review

age gaps and personal preferences aside- how is the alex vs cole thing even an argument!? On the one hand you have a cute, flirty guy, who has just enough baggage to be sexy and great hair! On the other hand you have cole

and i mean no offence the cole girlies cos like sure he’s hot,but cmon?!? He tried to kiss her- while she was drunk?! He bleached her hair?! He cheated on his girlfriend?!? Like this man is a walking red flag. And dont get me wrong alex had his fair share of deficits but at least he knew boundaries?? And like he was so in love and with her for the right reasons. Idk if this is a hot take but like…. It shouldnt be

i actually forgot the review portion 🤣

3/4 stars due to cringy wattpad style writing and jackie wearing business casual everyday

[ooksaidthelibrarian]

Babylon 5 Rewatch S1E6 Mind War

ooooh Mind War, things are heating up in the telepath fandom

Garibaldi you fucking well deserved that

BESTER

aaand that guy ...dude stop asskissing the Psi Cops

ooouh Sigma 957

girl, taking down rogue telepaths has nothing to do with randomly reading people's thought, shut up

basic guest quarters, WOW

I mean, the art is kinda weird but so much space!

Ivanova is on the war path already

the way Thalia asks if the scan is necessary, the delivery is on point

Walter Koenig is so damn good as Bester, I enjoy every single one of his episodes so much

I also greatly enjoy G'Kar in this episode

ah yes human experimentation for the Greater Good, always a red flag

I mean. Jason. I wouldn't call you stable. But I get the point

this episode lays the groundwork for so much, I love it - it gets me so excited for the rest of the series

*whoops there goes another calculated risk*

JELLYFISH SHIP or maybe SPACE JELLYFISH idk if we ever find out

Sinclair, maybe knock them both out???

he is having so much fun blackmailing Bester

YES THE PRISONER SALUTE

(if you've never seen The Prisoner, the old show I mean, you should give it a try. It's *wild*)

The Ant Monologue, I love that one - I think it's my favourite one from the whole show, together with the one about the Technomages

'We know. We've tried.'

'They must walk there alone.'

I do love me a vast unknowable being people randomly encounter

[catierambles]

Alternate Instincts Ch.14

Pairing: The Rogue’s Gallery (Geralt, Syverson, Mike, August Walker, Walter Marshall) x Stephanie Daniels (OFC)

WC 1518

Warnings: hrmmmm Alpha Male Macho Bullshit

Geralt went with her when she went to hand in her rent check the following week. They had to get a helmet for her when she rode behind him on his bike, a beast of a machine that roared like a demon when he started it.

“Roach?” She asked, seeing the plate on the gas tank as she got off, and he shrugged.

“It's a custom build.” He said and she took off the helmet as they went inside, Geralt taking it from her. Stopping at a door just inside the entrance, she knocked on it briefly and there was a pause before it opened.

“Stephanie.” Frank said and his eyes went to Geralt just over her shoulder. “Another Alpha?”

“I have this months rent.” Stephanie said, ignoring the question, taking the money order out of her jacket pocket. Reaching over, he grabbed a pen and signed the receipt on the bottom, tearing it off and handing it back to her for her records. “Did you hear from the Pack Council?”

“I did.” He said with a nod, “Don't like the look of this one.” Geralt just arched a brow at him. “I'll tell you the same thing I told the other one. If you infect her, she's mine.”

“Pardon?” Stephanie asked, but he ignored her.

“She'll never be yours.” Geralt said, “Her being my Mate overrides any pack claims.”

“She's human.”

“I know.”

“So she can't be your Mate.”

“She is.” Geralt said.

“She's with the other one, though.”

“She's his Mate, too.”

“How—”

“Anyway, bye.” Stephanie said and turned, trying to steer Geralt towards the door, but he didn't budge. “Geralt.” They stared at each other, Frank's shoulders tightening and his jaw clenching. “Geralt!”

“Have a nice day, Frank.” He said but didn't move until the door closed. Stephanie snatched the helmet from his hand and put it on, walking out of the building without waiting for him.

“Waiting on you, Pikachu.” She said, sitting on the bike and he paused for a second before getting on in front of her, feeling her arms come around his waist. Starting up the bike, he pulled away, heading down the street.

Riding a motorcycle wasn't really conducive to conversation, but her silence at his back held weight and she was off it the moment he rolled to a stop at the cabin, taking the helmet off and leaving him out front as she walked inside. He headed inside after another moment, Sy standing in the living room looking up the stairs.

“What's with Steph?” He asked, “If looks could kill, I'd be six feet under."

“Met her landlord.” Geralt said, “He told me the same thing he told you.”

“He still breathin'?”

“Yes.” Geralt said.

“Alpha Male Macho Bullshit!” Stephanie yelled down the stairs and they both leaned over to look up them.

“I may have stared him down.” Geralt admitted with a shrug.

“Sweetheart, the Council don't put red flags on Alphas for nothin'!” Sy called up the steps, “This guy is puttin' claims on you that he has no right to put!”

“I'm not a wolf so hypothetical claims don't mean shit!” She said, “He doesn't own me, and neither do any of you!”

“We know—!” He paused, “I'm not yellin' up the goddamn stairs in my own goddamn house.” He grumbled and headed up them with Geralt in tow, finding her in Mike's room. “We know that, doll, we ain't sayin' we do, but you're our Mate, and with the complaints Geralt dug up on him, we don't like that he's tryin' to make you a member of his pack, hypothetical or not.”

“He put one of his wolves in the hospital.” Geralt said, “A Null named Hunter, for blood loss and shock. It was reported, anonymously, a few weeks back.”

“What he do?” Sy asked.

“Ripped his wolf out of him.” Geralt said and Sy winced.

“Shit.”

“A) what's a Null, and B) “ripped his wolf out of him”?” Stephanie asked.

“Null wolves are wolves that don't manifest as anything during their first shift. They're not a part of the pack hierarchy, but they're of sound mind, so they're not Ferals.” Geralt explained.

“He forced him to shift, babe.” Sy said, “Some Alphas can do it. It can be done to help a wolf heal, or it can be done as a way to hurt'em, depends on how heavy handed you are with it. Sounds like Frank was very heavy handed with it, if it landed the Null in the hospital.”

“That's...” She paused, “Was he all right?” Geralt nodded.

“Physically, anyway, once he was released.” He said and they watched her anger build like a slow fire, her jaw tightening and her eyes hardening. “Stephanie.”

“He shouldn't be in charge of a pack.” She said, “If he's hurting them, he shouldn't be in charge,”

“I agree,” Sy said, “But it ain't my territory and it ain't my call. If any of us go and challenge him, it might be seen as poachin', red flag or not.”

“Geralt.”

“This is outside of what I do.” He said, “I don't like it, but Frank isn't a Feral so I can't touch him.”

“This is shit.”

“It sure is.” Sy said, “But these laws are in place so it ain't the Wild West between packs. We can't be rollin' up with a posse because the Sheriff in the town over is a dick.”

“He put. One of them. In the hospital.” Stephanie said and he sighed.

“I know, babe.” Sy said, “But we can't do anythin' unless he does somethin' to one of us, or you, and I'm talkin' physical harm.”

“So there's nothing we can do?” Stephanie asked after a moment of silence.

“Not accordin' to our laws or yours.” Sy said, “It sucks, I know, but that's just how it is.” She just made a frustrated sound, flopping back on the bed with her hands over her face.

“You want to protect them.” Geralt said and she nodded.

“He's hurting them. He's a bully in a position of power and I hate that. You're supposed to take care of those who look to you for leadership and guidance, not abuse and take advantage of them.” She said and unseen by her, Sy and Geralt shared a look.

“Babe,” Sy started, “How would you...shit. There's no easy way to ask this.”

“Do you want one of us to infect you?” Geralt asked, with about as much tact as a brick.

“Become a wolf?” Stephanie asked, sitting up, and they nodded. “I—I don't know. I've never thought about it. My brother is a wolf, and I obviously have no problem with them, I just...I never thought about it as far as becoming one myself.”

“Your brother is a wolf?” Sy asked and she nodded.

“Jack. He had his wife infect him after they got married.” She said.

“I thought your mom didn't like wolves,” Geralt said.

“She doesn't.” She said, “Nearly had a stroke when she found out. She could just ignore or be nasty to Brit—his wife, Britannie—but Jack becoming one was a step too far.”

“What he manifest as after his first shift?” Sy asked and she thought for a moment.

“I...don't know. It was around the time I met Jordan and he didn't like it when I talked to other wolves, even if I was related to them.” Stephanie said, “Let me call him.” Taking out her phone, she selected a contact and put it on speaker as it rang.

“Hello?”

“Uh...hi, I'm trying to reach Jack Daniels?”

“Are you kidding?”

“Sorry, he must have changed his number.” She hung up, “Well, okay then.”

“Do you want me to track him down?” Geralt asked and she shrugged.

“If you want to. I figure since he changed his number and didn't let me know, he doesn't want me to have it.”

“I'll see what I can find.” Geralt said and paused, “Do you really have a brother named Jack Daniels?”

“Mom thought she was being clever. She was also a teenager when she had him, so the fact that she was naming a person was lost on her.” She said and Geralt gave a conceding shrug before walking from the room.

“How ya feelin' now?” Sy asked and she sighed.

“Pissed off, but I'm not going to go on a war path.”

“If Frank fucks up bad enough, they may send a Cleaner after him.”

“A what?”

“The Council's worst kept secret, at least among wolves.” Sy said, “Cleaners are...well, they're basically Council black ops. If the Alpha of a pack starts to make wolves look bad, or gives the Council the middle finger too many times, Council sends a Cleaner out to, well, clean house.”

“Are you serious?”

“Sure am. Never met one myself, that I know of, they don't exactly advertise it.” Sy said, “They're kinda like the bogeymen of wolves, keepin' packs in line.”

“That's some dictator level of shady bullshit right there.” Stephanie said and he shrugged.

“Keep your nose clean and you'll never have to worry about it, basically.”

[roxynugget]

Orange King and Purple from Animation VS Minecraft are just like Walter White and Jesse Pinkman for real. I think they both watched Breaking Bad separately and walked away with wildly different opinions on it.

Orange was too jaded to understand or internalize any of the themes of self destruction, and didn't finish it because he thought Walter White was an idiot and not strong enough to deal with the consequences of his shit decisions.

Purple watched it because his shitty dad didn't moderate his TV time or the maturity of the things he watched. But he understood the themes and went "Jesse Pinkman is just like me for real" but also, unfortunately, "this is just what fathers are like," so he didn't see the red flags as warnings when he first met Orange.

Orange King: (Is explaining how his plan to destroy Minecraft is going to work, including how he himself will also probably be destroyed in the process)

Purple, so hyped an adult is giving him positive feedback that he's willing to destroy an entire world: This is jsut like Breaking Bad, Mr. Orange

Orange King, staring at him, and without a hint of self-awareness: Purple what the fuck are you talking about?

[magstorrn]

HOW WAS THE CHESS? 👀

hiii maya!! thank you for asking, it was so good <3 i know i've already been insufferable in the cherver about this but here's a few extra thoughts i had regarding each song

act 1

overture: baby florence walks onto the stage toward the chessboard and starts playing, then her father appears, she runs to him and he picks her up and spins her around. they walk hand in hand toward the chessboard and start playing together. eventually some soldiers appear, seem to threaten them, and walk offstage

prologue/story of chess: baby florence disappears and then it's the arbiter playing on the chessboard against gregory while the ensemble dances around them

merano: absolutely insane and very acrobatic choreo!! the ensemble are waving lots of tiny flags. molokov and anatoly walk in first, then walter, walter and molokov exchange a slip of paper, finally freddie and florence enter as the lighting changes (goes bright red and sparkly). freddie is signing people's arms and chests

commie newspapers/press conference: freddie and florence are almost uncomfortably touchy with each other, freddie punches a guy

anatoly and molokov/where i want to be: anatoly and molokov keep getting in each other's faces. anatoly actually does end 'back where he started' as he starts at the chessboard, gets up and moves around, and finally ends back in the chair staring at the board

diplomats: during breaks in the music the delegates from the different sides actually start physically fighting with each other

the arbiter: the arbiter starts singing off stage and they film her from the front as she moves from backstage, passing molokov as she goes. her 'assistants' are wearing black and white outfits with these sort of capes/trains?

hymn to chess: it's hymn to chess. the arbiter is standing at the apex of this huge wooden structure they made for the show. there's also a bit here where the arbiter takes objections from the different sides (florence about the size of the soviet delegation, molokov about the chairs, and walter asks about merchandising)

merchandisers: members of the ensemble are wearing tshirts with chess pieces on them and actually moving around the audience, handing out programmes to people who want them. a few of them are carrying giant teddy bears on their shoulders, which are also wearing chess shirts

opening/chess game #1: i'm with freddie, anatoly is annoying as hell. he actually does play with his flag, then starts walking around while he waits for freddie to make his move - freddie does, looks around confused, then anatoly comes back, eventually they both are standing and moving around. the game ends when freddie just storms off, shoving past anatoly

the arbiter (reprise): yeah

quartet: the stage is lit up underneath in 64 squares and the arbiter is in the middle, and when florence and molokov come too close she forces them to step back. molokov, florence and anatoly are in different corners of the board, and gradually change places. they kept the fruit line!!

florence and molokov: actually probably my favourite bit in the whole show? part of the set design is these massive rectangular structures that move on wheels and are lit up around the edges, and have doors in the centre. the stagehands were moving these around as molokov and florence walked around to symbolise them going in and out of rooms and corridors, and at one point these were placed close together, and they did sound effects for the pushing of a lift button and the 'ding' as the lift opened and closed. florence and molokov were in the 'lift' during the 'fellow eastern europeans' bit, and florence actually smacked the side of the wall and the lighting went red as if the lift had 'stopped'. it was actually unbelievable

budapest is rising/nobody's side: another banger! after freddie sings '1956, budapest is rising, 1956, budapest is fighting' (i think??) the whole stage was emptied except for florence and was flooded with dry ice, the lighting changed, and it was baby florence in the middle (with her older self looking on) as refugees bustled around her to the sound of gunfire. soldiers appeared, florence was protected by her father in front of her, then she screamed 'papa!' and he disappeared. eventually florence was led away by the hand by a woman. then the song resumed, led into nobody's side, and she KILLED IT. the way her voice went up in the middle of the song reminded me a lot of the way yulia iva sang it in moscow

der kleine franz: it's der kleine franz!! holy shit!! no dialogue but a few barmaids/waiters singing drunkenly on a table

mountain duet: lots of people moving around in the background, i tried to watch closely and i saw that eventually freddie came quietly onto the stage and was sitting at one of the small tables, in time for him to sing his bit at the end. as a whole the lyrics were much the same as the concept album.

chess game #2: freddie and anatoly are walking around the table again - eventually anatoly puts down a piece and wins, and freddie sits down in his chair with this massive huff and a sort of whiny outcry of anger lol. and hit his knees with his hands i think

florence quits/a taste of pity: this freddie put a real emphasis on the word 'woman' which was good to see as the horrible nature of that is often overlooked in productions. i do wish though that they'd sung the latter part of the song together - instead florence had the whole first verse to herself ie. 'who'd ever guess it/such a squalid little ending/watching you descending/just as far as you can go/i'm learning things i didn't want to know'. freddie also said the parasite line pretty viciously which was chef's kiss. and sang a taste of pity with a lot of restraint and feeling

defection: freddie's resignation is announced, molokov is very pleased, walter helps anatoly using his cia connections, the usual

embassy lament: this was sublime, the way they timed the music to actions like handing around pieces of paper, tapping their pens, and they each had a little desk that they were pushing around.

heaven help my heart: this was staged very simply, i can't remember heaps about it

anatoly and the press/anthem: walter lets the press in ofc, anatoly is completely trapped by the crowd until he pushes out with the 'i dont leave anything' line, and yeah i definitely think he sang this even more strongly the second time around, it was stunning - his voice was so rich and so consistent??

act 2

one night in bangkok: freddie being very touchy with the ensemble - reminded me of kennedy centre kinda? except with less bisexuality, though i did notice freddie was being touched by a man at one stage and seemed kinda startled by it. at the end the ensemble lifted him up above their heads like he was crowd surfing

one more opponent/you and i: florence and anatoly partially undressed and making out on a bed lmao while svetlana is in a different hotel room on the other side of the stage. there's a great moment where florence says 'surely you knew?' while anatoly is in the other room, and as he says 'i did not' he pops his head out of the doorway while shirtless. i thought this would just be a one off gag but then he kept his shirt off

the soviet machine: single angelic note viigand!! at the start molokov pours two shots of vodka, goes over to viigand, then stands next to him, drains both of them himself, then claps his hands, viigand doesn't react, he says 'fantastic'. the soviet delegation + molokov dance together in a circle at one point. lots of very athletic dancing

the interview: just freddie being a dickhead. at the end though when walter shakes his hand he doesn't seem all that thrilled about it. the video that svetlana is on is actually live and she starts singing while the camera is on her

someone else's story: svetlana was a little out of sync with the orchestra the second time around but still performed the song beautifully

the deal: svetlana is really physical with anatoly during the second part and he actually seems a little afraid of her? she grabs him the collar, shoes him a bit, gets all up in his face, just really angry in general. basically this was just RAH but freddie did seem very genuine when he was telling florence he didn't think anatoly would throw the match for her. i just wish they didn't keep cutting off parts of the deal :/ freddie never gets his full part when he's talking to anatoly (they cut him off after 'prove your love is as pure as snow in moscow', and all anatoly said was 'who put you up to this? there's no deal' iirc which sucksss i want the whole 'refugee, total SHIT' part!! is this too much to ask!! we didn't get 'are you sick, are you mad' either :'(

pity the child: the song started with all of the other main characters standing in the shadows around freddie and continued that way for a while. they also had doors quite literally closing on him which was cool

i know him so well: rly good, their voices sounded lovely together

talking chess: very RAH again. i think freddie did finger guns at anatoly at the end after saying 'don't let mediocrity win'

endgame: this was sooo good. they had the names and photos of past champions showing up during the first part which really helped me because i can never discern names. the song started off with viigand and anatoly sitting down playing each other, then anatoly stood up, started moving around, things changed to a sort of 'dream state' where anatoly was again crowded in on all sides by everybody, and you even had molokov and walter brushing past him while he looked at them for help. florence and svetlana had their verses and were actually playing against anatoly, and together stopped him putting down a piece at one point. this anatoly genuinely seemed pretty distraught but badly wanted to win

you and i: they were actually holding each other during this part and singing into each other's faces, it was intense. svetlana came in at various points, kissed anatoly on the cheek, and eventually he went away with her and left florence crying into her hands. there was a staircase at the back right of the stage which i think was meant to be a plane? so you saw the soviet delegates and later molokov go up there and later svetlana and anatoly

walter and florence/anthem reprise: OOF THE REPRISE... this was the final performance of his show and it was clear florence put a lot of effort into this final song and it showed!

[cubitodragon-moved]

Part 1 of ????, this is a plot bunny that won’t leave me alone. Relevant content warnings to be added as parts progress. (Expected to be jossed by future canon events, but I wanna write it anyway.) AU for some thoughts on Forever, his mission, and just what sort of things might have been left behind by the Federation in the past.

QSMP Fic: Breath of Fire, 1/??

by Farli

Summary: Forever. The Nether. And unexpected discoveries.

——————

He really hated the Nether.

And the Nether had wasted little effort letting him know the feeling was entirely mutual.

Somewhere in the midst of a maze’s worth of thick netherbrick walls, Forever let himself slide until he was seated on a broken step. He could hear the nervous pad of Walter Bob’s paws as the former(?) Employee kept track of the monsters below them. They had, somehow, given the horde the slip between collapsing forest and abandoned fortress, and he meant to make good use of the brief time afforded them. Silently, if at all possible.

Even so, the blond was struggling to catch his breath in the frigid cold. Ashes and frost coated his hair and face, latched into his lashes, but he didn’t dare waste what reserves he had to wipe them away.

It should have been hot here. The expected rivers of lava still flowed, lighting purgatory’s depths in oranges that didn’t match the dull surroundings. Burning fires dotted the landscape — and some hadn’t even been started by him with his mines! Yet the territory they’d fled through was chilling, right down to the bone, and there wasn’t a lick of soulsand in sight. As though heat had forgotten how it was supposed to burn.

Something flickered in the corner of one eye, and Forever’s grip on his scythe tightened reflexively - until he saw the stained pages held out shakily by his companion.

[ We should go now, Mr. President. If we are quiet, the Bugs won’t notice our passage. ]

His body screamed in protest as he heaved his way back to his feet, flag adjusted where it had remained slung about one shoulder. The Brazilian would have liked nothing more than to rest a while longer, but the true rest his body craved wasn’t possible here. And he had to mind his supplies - he’d been unsparing with his mines out of the gate, but Forever had learned at a cost that he couldn’t afford to maintain that pace. Not when he was still without less for either of his objectives.

And Richas and the other egg children were far more important than the mysteries of ‘dark matter’.

YOU SHOULD NOT BE HERE, MR. PRESIDENT.

Forever could feel an icy cold finger trail down his spine as he recalled the memory of the strange text…warning? threat? Whatever it was, the red text had preceded full disconnection from the Federation’s network.

And now Forever was alone.

Well, alone, save for the presence of Walter Bob, who now stared expectantly at him from beneath the shaggy remnants of the hairstyle Mike had cut for him so many months ago. Forever nodded, then gestured; let’s go, lead the way. Speech would only bring back unwanted attention from their stalkers.

They crept through the abandoned halls with care, pausing every time the hallways opened out into branching paths.

Up and out was a trap, the ghastly hum of Blazes offset by the buzz of Mosqo wings audible beyond the dark brick ceiling. So down they went instead, the worker’s jacket somehow still bright in the shadows. Forever followed close behind, pausing now and again to glance back the way they came — and walked straight into Walter Bob’s back.

Curses tripped off his tongue on instinct before Forever’s mouth snapped shut (he could have sworn he heard a distant ‘language!’ audibly object from somewhere in the back of his mind). Ingrained habit had him slipping a fresh totem from a side pouch into his offhand, before he peered past his companion.

And inhaled, as he recognised the familiar smooth pallor of white quartz that the Federation favoured so.

Ahead of them the netherbrick had slowly given way to blackstone and chiselled white, with parts of the former roofing structure collapsed or missing entirely. Warped netherwood fungus crawled across the invading nylium, the turquoise wood sprouting in places, while thick vines crept across the walls. Taking in the rest of their surroundings, the pair stepped cautiously into the abandoned space. Forever not once turning his eyes away from where white was interrupted by squares of black concrete - correction, ‘dark matter’, though Forever had yet to discern the apparent difference.

A glance his way wasn’t immediately noticed, until a paw waved his way. Then a look was shared and unspoken consensus met: Walter Bob went left and Forever went right, carefully running the edge of his scythe blade along the wall. This was a place worth exploring.

Had this been an office, or a meeting hall? Or was it all that was left of something that had been much larger, once?

The void blocks were muted, muffled, while the quartz hissed - not quite the shriek of nails on chalkboard, if only because Forever did not push harder than necessary - this was the last place they needed to attract attention to, after all. At one point the scythe even sliced into a forgotten wall poster, curled in on itself from all corners, long wiped clean of its Federation Motto by time and neglect.

Then, the scythe snagged suddenly. Forever turned, tugging, then pulling harder as he realised it was caught on — wood? He pulled again, once, twice, until the blade came free and the remnants of a door fell apart behind it, showing entry to a shallow corridor. One dotted by black squares that ran its length haphazardly, coming to a stop at an all-white wall. Tattered black banners were obscured by unfriendly foliage.

And below them, the familiar grey metal of a warp plate, the dull purple energy pulsing: an active teleport.

“Walter Bob!” The name was called in a strangled hiss, but Forever couldn’t hold back the wave of…not excitement, exactly, though relief wasn’t the word either. But there was a satisfaction of sorts to finally find something shaped like a lead, and he waved again to get the Worker’s attention.

“It was AB, right?” Spoken more to himself than his companion, Forever’s voice pitched louder than he intended. before ducking his head and pushing forwards past the broken door. He recalled the theories, that the blocks might be remnants of where their children has passed through - could that apply here, too? Callused hands pushed aside the vines with effort: they were stiff and unyielding, not unlike the former inhabitants of the abandoned building.

“Walter Bob! Here! I think we need to take this warp!” He gestured to the wall and its banners as he looked back over his shoulder, before his scythe was readied, and Forever stepped onto the plate.

Paws rushed up behind him, just fast enough to catch the last sparkles of a completed teleport, and the bear-like being heaved a sigh in his wake. He could not fault the President for his haste, but this was not a place where they could throw caution to the wind. He glanced back, perpetually worried out of habit, before he paused. A hesitation he did not full understand taking hold.

Walter Bob stopped fully, and took a moment to assessing the banners by himself.

The slanted leg of the A on the left banner wasn’t hard to identify, but the right one was choked, vines reluctant to release the fabrics. But eventually, the straight back of a familiar letter was revealed by impatient fingers. And the curved beginnings at the top and base earned a small gasp.

The A was unmistakeable. But..

If a white furred being could turn pale, Walter Bob would surely have turned transparent as the vines collapsed, unfurling the right-side banner in full.

This was not a plate that would lead to Protocol AB.

The banners fluttered, boldly proclaiming the letters: AD.

Somewhere else, Forever stepped off the warp plate.

And fell.

—= tbc =–

[lychniis]

MEMORY — REFERENCE NOTES + CONCEPTS

index

( some gods were but forgotten memories ; even for him. ) there was once a god in sumeru, cursed to be forgotten. foras, who danced beneath the moonlight. foras, who walked amongst mortals and granted her wishes, who stood upon destitution and death in the face of madness. foras, who dared to love morax with her heart and soul.

AO3 SUMMARY

REFERENCES ;

🦋 — INTRODUCTION

first off, thank you to @silentmoths and @ofoceansandtombsanew for actually sitting through my mad ramblings for this fic and the story. a lot of my current notes and plot threads were actually developed while i was speaking to them and to bear that level of patience witnessing my keyboard smashing? you have my respect ( also please check out the latter's god reader fic for genshin ; her reader, amur literally has my heart ).

one of the main reasons why i’m excited about this fic is mostly due to sumeru’s lore as a whole. the reader is from sumeru, and with me being south asian, i can nerd out and add as many references as i want, both in and out of lore and straight out of historical and mythical text. this post is actually a compilation of the references i added to my story so far. i'll keep updating it with every chapter, so if you're interested in any way, feel free to drop by!

in regards to the reader; yes you could say she is an oc of sorts, but simultaneously, she is not. i think the only set thing about them other than their backstory and personality is the godly title 'foras'. the interpretation of her appearance is wholly up to you, though i may end up drawing artwork of my own of my interpretation of her.

memory as a whole, is supposed to be a tragedy, as well as a bit of a study on zhongli's character and other stuff related to the reader that i will delve into later. but loneliness and helplessness as a whole is certainly going to be a recurring factor here. also i'm a total sucker for the 'god who loves humanity but is too weak to help them' trope. think of the song zange mairii...it's sort of like that.

speaking of which, yes foras is a god similar to the ones in noragami, one of my favorite animes, who are either reincarnated humans or were born from a wish or a story. due to this, human belief and memory is what essentially keeps them alive. i think you know where i might be going from here >:).

🦋 — PROLOGUE

i. the poetry used is an excerpt of the first and a part of the second paragraph of walter del la mare’s poem, two epitaphs. there is no clear explanation on what the poem itself is about but i take it to be a reminder of human mortality in a way. the poet is basically telling you that all in all, in the end, you're going to be pretty lonely after death and that kind of struck me as morbid and funny. it does tie into the reader's story in a way, since she literally dies before being pulled out as a fresh new god centuries later.

you know, like a potato.

ii. bhasmasura is actually a demon from hindu texts, a demon who asked lord shiva for a boon after he meditated for a really, really long time. unfortunately, hindu gods weren't all that great at noticing red flags and shiva certainly did not when bhasmasura flat out asked him for the ability to spontaneously combust anyone who he touches.

shiva did realize his oopsie when said demon turned on him and flat out started chasing him through the heavens trying to boop his nose. in the end, vishnu, the guy who manages the divine balance and all ended up taking the form of one of his incarnations, mohini, who is dubbed to be the most beautiful woman in the world and effectively seduces bhasmasura.

now, being a simp, bhasmasura skips the dating stage and asks her to marry him. mohini refused and states that the only way she will accept his hand in marriage is if he replicates her dance moves to the 't'. now at the stage of near obessive simping because mohini hot, bhasmasura agrees and mohini starts showing him the dance steps he was meant to copy. he does do surprisingly well.

until mohini touches her head.

and this dumbass does too.

so he ends up reverse midas touching himself and spontaneously combusts due to his own powers. mohini then returns to the heavens as vishnu again, ignoring all the horrified stares he received. the moral of the story : don't skip to marriage without a few dates.

iii. one of the main reasons why i chose bhasmasura is mainly because of the relation between the boddhisattva and vishnu. due to years of adaptation and appropriation, hindu and buddhist gods are pretty easy to mix up or corelate to each other. in some parts of india, people might just tell you that the boddhisattva ( who is buddha's og form ) and vishnu as basically the same. it's really confusing and explaining it in depth would take a while. all in all, it's kind of similar to the roman-greek thing where they have similar gods going by different names.

the boddhisatva's incarnations are actually detailed as different stories in the jatakas. so yeah, in the archon war, rukkhadevata basically mc-killed teyvats bhasmasura XD.

iv. mahosadha is a prominent characters in the jatakas and is actually the one incarnation i'm the most familar with ( a la the amar chitra katha comics ). in the original stories, he was a really smart baby who was later adopted by a king and made his advisor at the age of seven. so yeah, smart baby. most of his stories revolve around him completely decimating evil plots and schemes.

here he is is more or less one of rukkha's avatars ( like nahida...hmmmm foreshadowing??? ), a leaf taken from the irminsul. you could say he's sort of her son, but since he is a completely separate being from her, he has more of a diciple who traverses around teyvat to collect knowledge while she manages her nation. the reader is actually his junior in this craft.

he can also talk to birds and has a pet parrot, which i think is cute.

v. 'anahita' is my stand in name for the goddess of flowers. she's the persian goddess of nature and fun fact, nahida's name is actually derived from 'anahita' which is pretty fascinating! anahita's symbol is the lotus flower ( similar to nilou's own lotus motifs ). while the recent quest did give lots of insight on the goddess as a person, we still got no name. i mean, come on hoyo, don't be shy-

vi. 'vanrani' means 'forest queen' or 'queen of the forest'. sort of a nod to the aranara's 'arayani'. he usually calls her that as a term of endearment or informality rather than using it as a formal title. it's on the same vein as say, the names 'venti', 'zhongli' and 'ei'.

vii. ah yes the monsoons. it's basically the only drastic change in weather we get in the coasts. i remember many a day kicking buckets under leaky parts of my roof and sitting in the dark in the middle of power cuts. good ol days.

viii. the reader's goetia name is 'foras'. according to the ars goetia and our overlord, wikipedia :

'foras is a powerful president of hell, being obeyed by twenty-nine legions of demons. he teaches logic and ethics in all their branches, the virtues of all herbs and precious stones, can make a man witty, eloquent, invisible (invincible according to some authors), and live long, and can discover treasures and recover lost things.' [ source wikipedia ].

my other alternative name was 'bifrons' for the reader, but foras' 'wish granting' schtick seemed to sit better.

🦋 — CHAPTER ONE

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🦋 — CHAPTER TWO

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🦋 — CHAPTER THREE

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🦋 — CHAPTER FOUR

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🦋 — INTERLUDE

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🦋 — EPILOGUE

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CHARACTER CONCEPTS + SKETCHES ;

🦋 — FORAS

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AINE © 2023. do no plagiarize, repost or rework this piece.

[sleepydross]

If you would write a pulp fiction mystery, or something similar, what would the opener be? Who gets merced? How does the victim die? What would be the perfect opener in your specific eyes?

this if itll finally let me post it Normally, the streets would've been dark, too dark to see without the streetlights - but those were out, too. All kinds of things were going to Hell, and fast. There was one thing Walter knew, however…

It was the same thing everyone else knew, too.

So he took a sip of his scotch and stopped looking out the window, and listened to the dame on the stage - she was something else entirely, tall, gorgeous, muscles tight beneath skin shiny with sweat. The humidity was bad, but the streets were flooded, the tides too wild and unpredictable.

"Have there always been three moons? Have there always been three moons?" she sang, and these questions hung in the air like streams of leaden smoke, curling and twisting and resonating too hard.

It wasn't dark out there, on account of Luna's new sisters. Their official names were 'Scarlet' and 'Roanoke' for government-code-name reasons he'd never get to understand. He liked to think of them as 'Pam' and 'Mabel,' sounded more friendly.

She sang on, about those moons and those questions. People had lots of questions, those days, and were short on answers. Life had gone and gotten hard, and everyone was flagging.

And then he sat down, right across from Walter. A server followed, setting the table with a bounty - a bottle of dark whiskey and enough sushi to put him to sleep for a week.

"What do you want?" he asked the newcomer - but he poured some whiskey on his sad, boozeless rocks and took a sip. It was high end, good shit, probably pre-lunar fracture. The newcomer was handsome, skin dark and rich, cool in tone - near blue, in the dim light of the joint.

"What don't I want, Walter?" he asked, and Walter had to stop himself from swooning - no vapors on cases, he kept his head clear. Clear enough. Acceptably clear. Alcohol was a slight issue. "Got your attention, then? Marvelous. I'll keep this brief. Luna's hurting, we can all see the red smeared across her surface - but the question we all want the answer to? Who killed her, and let her sisters and their friends in?"

"Yeah, we all want that answer, buddy, but we ain't gonna get it - some spook from whatever's left of the CIA will peep that shit long before civvies like me hear about it. So, that in mind, tell me what you want, or let me drink in peace," Walter replied, coming on strong and keeping the heat up - most people balked when they started to sweat.

"Aren't you precious? There is no CIA, Walt, not anymore - there is, however, Grimbo Shanks… a man with not inconsiderable resources and a desire to find out who killed the moon," this tall, devilishly handsome stranger said, drawing a card from the breast pocket of his immaculately tailored suit. "There is a payphone, on East Third and Birmingham, on street level - it's not flooded, not yet. Get there… and call this number if you want answers too."

With that, the stranger rose and walked briskly away. Walt tried to follow him, and lost the man almost instantly in the moving ocean of servers and sad drunks that he numbered so humbly among. Grumpy, Walter sat down, and picked up the card.

'Grimbo Shanks - The Order of Eyes.'

"…fuckin' nutter," he muttered - but before he could toss the card away, he sniffed it, finding a familiar odor touching his nose. "Impossible."

But it wasn't. A sniff again brought that gut wrenching smell right back into his nostrils, and left him aching for more. It hadn't been made, hadn't been available, since before the Fracture… and he'd, once upon a time, known the man who wore that cologne and complained like Hell when they discontinued it, even if it was awful and a bit too woody.

"Can't be," he said. He hadn't gone by Grimbo Shanks, back then… but it wasn't a far cry to imagine that theatrical prick taking up a new name in a new world.

Grunting, he got up, slumping towards the door, intent on seeing if there were any Gossha around the lower levels who wanted to drink some blood - if he was going to get to a phone before high tide hit, he was going to need to sober up.

[linde121]

It is once again spooky season, that wonderful time of the year where I must distract myself from the upcoming winter by immersing myself in pumpkin desserts, fall colors spooky aesthetics, and Gothic horror.

So with that in mind...I found myself watching The Invitation (2022).

Overall it was enjoyable to watch, it definitely nailed the aesthetics and the campy horror aspect, the acting and filming were great, and I would recommend it for anyone looking for some Gothic horror.

But that's not the reason I'm writing about this movie. I'm writing about this movie because it fell just short enough of its potential that it's taken over my entire brain.

The Good

Like I said, there was some really good filming. The shot where we learn of Mrs. Swift's death via her body being draped over Evie's hiding spot, the hands on the canopy, the Just A Chair scare, the focus on the nail clipping and filing in the spa scene to heighten the tension...

And, of course, every movie is improved by having a character in a bloodstained wedding dress power walk out of a burning mansion.

The Bad The Missed Opportunities, ie The Real Reason I Can't Stop Thinking About This Movie

Since this movie so aptly demonstrated with Mrs. Swift's death that you don't need to actually show the violence to get the horror of it across--which was pretty integral to the original Dracula--it's frustrating that they had two extended scenes where maids are trapped and preyed upon so early in the movie. It doesn't leave room for the creepiness to escalate, and it takes time that could have been used to develop some of the many underdeveloped characters in the movie--including the maids in question. We would have gotten the creepy/horrifying gist if they showed the first scene, then gotten the butler sending the other two down into the cellar and doing his Latin chant as he walks away. Or just escalated the horror more slowly, with giving the maids enough personality that both we and Evie notice when they disappear.

Speaking of which...yeah, there were quite a few characters who were underused in this movie.

I understand that this is Gothic romance, and thus the Walter/Evie relationship gets the most attention in the movie's limited screentime. However, given how big of a role family plays in the story and how searching for it is so important to Evie's character...it would've been so much more in line with the movie's themes and made the eventual reveal hit so much harder if that focus was instead given to Evie's relationship with the Alexanders. If this movie really wants to play to its Dracula origins, then Dracula's at his most effective when he's a mysterious offscreen figure, and the focus on family instead of romance would've made this movie more unique.

This movie has a lot of characters, and of course they can't all be given focus, so instead of having three different families with a bride from each one, they could've just had one family where for some ritually significant reason there needs to be three brides. Then there's still that urgency for Evie to become a bride and the movie can do double duty with Viktoria and Lucy being both brides and Evie's hoped-for family.

Also with Viktoria and Lucy...it would've been so much more interesting for the nice, sweet bride to be secretly sinister and doing her best to keep Evie in the dark, while the catty hostile bride is trying to trip Evie's red flags and get her to leave while she still can.

The other minor change that could've emphasized Evie's relationship with the Alexanders would've been to have Oliver lure her in slowly. Like, they have their first introduction, then there's a time skip/montage where it's clear they've bonded, then Oliver invites her to the wedding. This would've had the bonus effect of making it much more understandable for Evie to accept without the invitation raising any red flags.

To go along with the "family" theme...I think that the ending was meant to resolve the movie with "family of choice" > "family by blood", with Evie and her friend Grace teaming up to hunt vampires. This would've been so much more effective if Grace were more present throughout the movie--as it is, she's such an underutilized character that the only reason we know her name is because it shows up on Evie's cell phone. I don't like to say "well, they should've been more derivative of this other story", but I've also recently watched and loved Get Out and Crimson Peak, which both were horror of the "protagonist is lured to creepy home by a seemingly friendly/well-meaning connection, only to turn out to be the last in a series of victims in a ritual/scheme" variety. Both of those movies managed to make the Friend Back Home important, so I'm just saying, The Invitation could've done something to make Grace's inclusion at the end feel like more of a payoff.

The maids would've been good candidates to emphasize the "family of choice" thing too, either instead of or in conjunction with Grace. Evie could've bonded with one or several of them, enough to notice when they're getting picked off, and have at least one survive and join her at the end of the movie. On a final, more nitpicky, note, I cannot for the life of me figure out what the deal was with everyone's lifespan/powers, and I don't believe this was ever fully explained in the movie. Since Mr. Fields killed Evie's great-grandfather and Mrs. Swift was friends with her great-grandmother, they've got to have their lives extended in some way, but they don't appear to be vampires. Are anyone from the families vampires, apart from the brides? What about the Harkers?

The "This Movie Was Blatantly Trying To Tie Itself To Dracula And So I'm Allowed To Judge It By Dracula Standards"

Glad to know this movie's accurately depicting just how ridiculously ~overdramatic<3~ Dracula vampires are.

Since one of the more problematic aspects of Dracula is how it's tied into this imperial British cultural anxiety over "~foreigners~", the fact that the creepy elements are tied to the British upper class is a welcome, subtle twist on the original story.

I am not amused at how a Mina and Jonathan Harker showed up as Dracula's minions. Are they completely different characters, or did this movie honest to God turn the protagonists of the original novel evil as an Easter egg?

[jesse-pinko]

i love your analysis of walt and jesses relationship i think its such an interesting perspective that deserves more recongition and i would love to hear more

Thank you @daffodilskin!! Luckily for you I could literally go on forever.

Recap! Walter loves Jesse more than his wife and more than his kids. He would die and kill for Jesse, he does die and kill for Jesse, but the reason this damns Jesse rather than insuring his immunity to the Heisenberg persona is because it is a selfish narcissist’s kinda lovin’ that parallels Walter’s infatuation with money and power as much as it does his relationships with the people he purports to love more than anything. A worshipful student who takes his family man schtick at face value, is acquainted with and initially unphased by his darker tendencies (but not so well acquainted as to perceive any red flags or, heaven forbid, vulnerabilities) and can be cut down with a word if he gets too uppity is the perfect fount of narcissistic supply.

Walter’s relationship with Jesse is not only toxic but parasitic, even vampiric. He is beyond envious of Jesse’s youth and the possibilities that it enables (“You’re really lucky, you know that? You don’t have to wait your whole life to do something special.”) and takes it upon himself to chip away at those possibilities under the guise of just doing what’s best for Jesse, offended by Jesse’s idleness and that Jesse is wasting that time not doing exactly what Walter would do differently in his own youth (being aggressively heedless of consequences in the name of blind ambition, rather than being aggressively heedless of consequences in the name of just being really insecure) because Jesse can’t possibly be trusted to think for himself and make his own mistakes. Walter needs to make them for him! By the latter half of s5, Jesse has had all the youthful vibrancy and innocence sapped out of him, and Walter is bloated with ego and sated with bloodlust. Walter might be the one out of remission, but Jesse is the dead man walking.

This is where the infatuation begins to fade. It’s not just that Walter has drained Jesse to the point where Jesse is no longer a viable source of narcissistic supply, although that’s part of it. It’s also that Jesse knows who he’s dealing with now, and Walter can’t reassure himself of his own righteousness just by appealing to Jesse’s naivety. Walt is a monster in Jesse’s eyes. Even before he learns that Jesse “betrayed” him, Walter can with minimal waffling bring himself to reluctantly, but not that reluctantly, order a hit on his former partner, because his love for Jesse as a person is just a fickle afterthought to his love for Jesse as an exhaustible resource.

Then again, freeing Jesse from the Nazis was Walter’s one and only act of selfless love in the entire series.

[andysbubba]

i love you so

request | hi can you do a songfic about "I love you so" by the walters? any cevans character would do 🥲

an | this wasn't proofread and honestly i think this was so sloppily written and i just wanted to end it's misery because it's been rotting in my drafts 😐😐😐

summary | ransom is ransom : how can one– who's never been loved, love someone?

"Are you fucking crazy?" His jaw's clenched and even though you're turned away from him, his glare still feels heavy on your back. "You can't just leave me!"

His statement makes you scoff as you throw the final piece of your clothing from your closet into your suitcase. You shake your head and chuckle to yourself as you close the bag shut and zip it up.

"You still think this is gonna go your way, Hugh?" You turn around to face him. It's the first you've looked him in the eye since the fight started. "You really think I'll still pick you even after everything you've done to me? Tonight—" You had to take a deep breath before you continued your words. It pains every inch of your soul to do this but you know you had to. "Tonight was the last straw, Ran."

It breaks you to even think of the words you'll say next.

"We're done."

"No." Ransom curls his fingers around your wrist, forcefully pulling you to him before you could even walk away.

You've never thought this is what breaking up with the infamous Ransom Drysdale would be like. Hell, you never even thought you'd get deep enough with him to even consider getting a break up. But you certainly weren't expecting this.

Definitely not him asking you to stay and definitely not the tears welling up in his eyes.

I just need someone in my life to give it structure To handle all the selfish ways I'd spend my time without her You're everything I want, but I can't deal with all your lovers You're saying I'm the one, but it's your actions that speak louder Giving me love when you are down and need another I've gotta get away and let you go, I've gotta get over

"You think I want this, huh?" You bark out a laugh. "I fucking love you, Ransom-"

"Then don't leave me!"

And you hate how he makes it sound so easy.

"I don't have a choice, Ransom!"

"You- you always have a fucking choice." The crack in his voice makes your heart break. And you knew if you stayed any longer, you'd eventually end up staying for good.

But I love you so I love you so I love you so I love you so

"It's late, Ran. Where the hell have you been?"

Out.

He could have said that. It would've been better than just keeping quiet and pretending as if he didn't see you asleep on the couch when he walked in the front door at 3.26 in the morning.

He's been hanging around in bars– getting drunk on vintage bourbon and scotch until he forgets. Forgets about who's waiting for him. Forgets that he has someone that he loves. Forgets that there's someone who actually loves him.

All his life, he's never had someone who cares. Everything has been about how thick his wallet is or where he bought his new designer sweater. Nothing about how his day has been or what he ate for lunch.

Until you came along.

Deep down, he knows you care.

But even deeper down in his stupid heart, Ransom Drysdale knows he doesn't deserve you.

You— the angel that ignored all of his red flags, the angel that stood by him, the angel that gave him a chance when no one would, the angel that treated him like a human.

But Ransom keeps doing what he does best.

He fucks up. And he fucks up. Again, again, and again. He ruins everything good he has in his life— you.

And he does it because he's a miserable asshole who can't love or be loved and he should suffer the rest of his life alone and lonely.

I'm gonna pack my things and leave you behind This feeling's old and I know that I've made up my mind I hope you feel what I felt when you shattered my soul 'Cause you were cool and I'm a fool So please let me go

"I'm tired, Ransom."

It makes him feel guilty just how heavy your sigh was.

"Tell me what I did wrong." He takes a heavy breath. "I promise you, Y/n. I'll fix it. I'll be better, I swear. Just— don't leave me."

"I hate this, Ransom. I hate that you tell me you love me one day and the next you push me away and treat me like shit and—"

He takes ahold of your fingers and bring your hands up to his lips, pressing a kiss on your knuckles. "I won't— I'll stop. I promise. Please— just stay."

"You say that all the time, Ransom—"

"Y/n, please. I mean it this time. I can't– I can't just lose you."

You sigh again, lifting your palm up to his cheek and cradling the side of his face as you sniffle. "This can't keep happening, Ransom."

Ransom knows this was bound to happen. He was meant to lose you. He was meant to hurt you someday and you'd leave him.

He doesn't know why it's so hard to let you go even when all he has done is hurt you.

But I love you so (please let me go) I love you so (please let me go) I love you so (please let me go) I love you so

Ransom loves you, but god, he does not know how to love. No one's showed him the tiniest sample of love until you came along. And he's tried to keep up, treating you as best as he could but he simply doesn't know how.

And he ends up ruining everything.

And he knows that it's better to let you go and let you find someone who'll love you better than he ever did but he cannot.

Not when there's that little hope in his heart that's been kept away for years– the one that yearns to love. That little part knows that he hasn't tried his best to love you and it wants to keep trying to love you.

As you walk away with your suitcase, you carried a piece of Ransom's heart. And as a tear fell from his eye, Ransom swears he'd fight to have you back.

Because watching you leave is ten times harder than learning to love you.

---

an | tell me what you think!?!?!?! i'm so out of practice please 🔫🔫🔫

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[magichcuse]

《 I was going to write a hc post about mistaking Walter's silhouette for Delilah's or vice versa, but...

...I think it'd be easy to tell who is who. 》

[awkwardwithapause261]

The first somewhat red flag for me in regards to Walter would be when he didn’t really reprimand Mr. Field(The butler) for how he spoke to Evie he just apologized for it afterward. I could shrug it off and say hey I’m only here for the weekend, but I’m also a firm believer in who you still let work for you when they’ve shown you who they are says more about you than it does about them. It really became a red flag when Evie later thanks him or says a redeemable quality was that he apologized and his reply was “Oh i was just trying to impress you. Why haven’t you kissed me yet?” Which tells me he doesn’t really care for Evie. And if it were me I would have been so offended and said because you were just trying to impress me then walked the fuck away and not given this man another moment of my attention for the rest of weekend.