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kettouryuujin · 2 years

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Fearful Ghosts

[Set in @shadowonwater's Viral Pokérus AU, which itself is inspired by @monsoon-of-art's Pokérus AU]

Urgh. Talk about a nightmare!

Iscan groaned, slowly rousing from the the worst dream he’d ever had. What had seemed to be a slight cold was actually that Pokérus thing the Clan had warned him about. And silly him, he thought it was something else at first because the transformative bug hadn’t been spreading in the Coastlands.

So he’d gone ahead with his plan to try and get past his fear of Dusclops, which had gone… marginally well? He’d at least managed to ask one to help flavor a treat for Lord Basculegion, but… well, the moment it was done, he was so ready to get out of there.

He just hadn’t gotten out soon enough, as when the high fever rolled around he wasn’t growing scales as he’d expected. Instead, his skin was turning grey and cloth-like.

The realization sent the poor Warden into a panic. He couldn’t be a Ghost. He just couldn’t! Ghosts were evil things that stole souls and ate them up! OK, his Lord was an exception, but still!

At some point he fell asleep, worn out after so much panic. And thank the Legends - he was waking up, and it was all a dream.

Had to be. Sinnoh wouldn’t let something so horrendous happen to him.

“...think he’s finally awake?” Eh? That wasn’t Palina.

“Dunno.

…you sure it’s the scardey-cat?” Nor was that…

“Positive. Boss-’mon saw the changes himself!”

“And the other Boss-’mon?”

“Yeah, he backed it up. Reluctantly.”

“And he’s seriously letting us be the welcome wagon?”

“With a warning to be on good behavior. And yes, he’s going to compensate .”

“So we can’t scare him? Aww, man-wait, where’d he go?”

Iscan hurried in dragging himself along the ground, having decided it’d be a bad idea to stay around those two. They weren’t familiar, and he didn’t want to risk them being Ghosts.

(The dragging was just in case he didn’t really have legs anymore, ok?)

At least he was in the woods, so… shore had to be close. If he was still on Firespit, at least.

Speaking of shore, he could see Lord Arcanine in the water, helping…was that one of his littermates? No, none of them had made it to the island. At least, not that he knew of.

But that was definitely a Growlithe trying to swim just off the coastline, so maybe he was wrong? Or maybe…

“P-Palina?”

Crap, he was too far out, they didn’t hear him! Drag himself a bit closer…closer… and maybe a bit louder this time?

“PALINA?”

Both giant puppy and small canine whirled to look his way. Yes! “Oh thank Sinnoh, it’s you…” A sigh of relief. “Just g-glad to see you’re alright.”

“Ah. Umm. Same for you, Iscan?” He blinked as Palina dragged herself out of the water, shaking herself off. Why did she sound so…nervous? Ignoring the fact that they’d both fully changed.

(He really hoped it wasn’t what he thought it was. Nope. Just a fish out of water, nothing else to see here.)

“OI!” Oh no, those two caught up! Turning to look, Iscan decided it was time to get the Distortion out of here. As he’d feared, his “welcoming party” had been two Ghosts - a Dusclops and a Drifloon. So time to get away from the soul-stealing monsters please and thank you.

He didn’t even consider his possible lack of legs, opting to get up and run. Running was faster, after all - and knowing he had ghosts after him? Meant speed was a very good thing to have.

The cowardly Warden raced towards the ocean, putting a hand to his mouth in an attempt to call his Lord. His whistling wasn’t as good as it normally was, and - oh dear, apparently it wasn’t good enough to call his Lord. Dart behind Lord Arcanine (they’d never try and steal a Noble’s soul) and keep trying, putting both hands in his mouth.

But try after try, it just wouldn’t work. Lord Basculegion never came.

The feeling of fabric on his shoulder sent chills throughout his body. Crap, they caught him, and now his soul was going to be eaten alive…

“Buddy! Please! Calm down!” Calm down. The Ghosts wanted him to calm down.

Laughter poured out at the mere thought. “W-what, s-so my soul will b-be easier to eat or something? Nope! Nopenopenopenop..”

A groan from his pursuers before Dusclops filled his vision. Iscan yelped, jumping back and-

Oh Legends, that felt weird! W-whatever it was, he couldn’t explain it. It was like he was in the same place as something else, but…that shouldn’t be possible! “...wow. Rude.” The Drifloon went through him - through him - and sighed, sharing a Look with the Dusclops. “Do we seriously have to put up with this?”

“Yeah. I got lucky with helping him, but you…” Was that Dusclops smirking? (Without a mouth?) “I seem to recall you giving the poor man one scare too many.”

“Oh, so this is punishment for me? Ugh. Well, what the Lord says goes, I guess…” Wat.

It wasn’t Lord Arcanine, he was just as confused. And none of the other Lords held sway over Firespit Island.

But…why would Lord Basculegion tell these ghosts to put up with him? Wouldn’t his Lord tell them to stay away? He had before, it was the only reason he hadn’t been accosted on duty since his first yea-

Where were his legs.

He couldn’t feel his legs at all! But he was standing, he had to be -

A look down instead confirmed his worst fears. He wasn’t standing. He was floating. Nothing was holding him up whatsoever. “This can’t be happening…”

Iscan’s lone whisper stilled all onlookers. He ignored the eyes on him, instead looking down at his hands - only to see small strips of cloth. “This can’t be happening.”

Drifting (drifting!!!) over the water, the praying coward looked at his reflection. Sinnoh, please don’t let it be a…

Duskull’s. A Duskull was looking at him from the water, gaping in shock. “This-this-THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!”

It hadn’t been a dream! He actually was a Duskull now! A soul-eating ghos-

The specter went dead straight as realization struck. Soul-eating. Oh, he might already be nibbling on Palina’s soul and not even know it!

He looked towards the Growlithe, ignoring her comments on Warden Ingo’s volume. For a split second, he even got closer, forgetting that it'd only make things worse.

There really wasn’t a choice, was there? “I…s-sorry, Palina…”

“Sorry? For wha-ISCAN! Wait!” But his love’s words fell on deaf “ears” as the Duskull sped off.

He knew the other Ghosts would follow him. And, for once, he welcomed it. All the better to keep Palina out of their soul-eating grasp.

As the cloth-and-mask ghost raced along, he missed seeing something that might’ve given him pause. Might’ve made him rethink Ghosts, just a little bit.

But his single-minded desire to protect Palina kept Iscan from seeing teardrops littering the path behind him.

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myhauntedsalem · 3 years

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McDow’s Hole

In the 1860s, Charlie and Jenny Papworth with their infant son Temple made a treacherous journey to what is now known as Alexandra, Texas. Purchasing a spread next to Charlie’s cousin Jim McDow’s, they built a cabin 200 yards from Green Creek a.k.a. McDow’s Hole and got settled. About five years later, Charlie and Jenny welcomed their second son. Unfortunately, not long after the blessed event, Charlie received word his parents had died. In their will, he received all of their furniture. The only way it could be transported was by train and Texarkana was the end of the line out west, 200 miles away.

Charlie made arrangements for the furniture to be shipped and set off with his wagon to pick it up. A decision he would come to regret. Increasing danger of cattle rustlers, worried him. He insisted Jenny and the kids not sleep at home; therefore, a routine was established. Jenny stayed in their cabin by day, preparing for winter and caring for their children. At night, she would bundled up the children and ride to either the McDow’s or Keith’s place. About a month after Charlie’s departure, Jenny and the children didn’t show up at the McDow’s. Mrs. McDow checked with Mrs. Keith the next day and discovered they had not slept their either. The two women rode to the Papworth’s cabin.

Upon their arrival, nothing seemed out of place. However, no one answered the door. The two entered the cabin, finding no sign of Jenny or the children, but all was not right. A scuffle had taken place leaving two overturned chairs and a small spot of blood on the floor. They feared the worst. The sound of a sob from under a bed brought them some hope. They found five year old Temple hidden and scared to death. The child attempted to talk but was never able to give a coherent account of what happened to his mother and brother. A search party was quickly formed.

A large, obnoxious man named Brownlow soon pointed the finger at the Comanche despite there not being any reports of them in the county. It was because of his insistence on their guilt that made him the suspect in some eyes. His quirt or whip was also found near the Papworth cabin. He claimed to have been by the day before to talk to Jenny and there was no way to disprove his statement. Therefore, the search party pursued the Comanche which led to no sign of Indians or the missing Papworth family members. Charlie returned two weeks later only to discover his world destroyed. He was told Indians were responsible but he grew to suspect Brownlow as well.

Back then, many took the law in to their own hands. Brownlow took advantage of this fact when he sensed he was under suspicion. He stirred up rumors about Charlie, calling him a horse their and rustler. Many refused to believe him but the damage had been done. In 1867, one vigilante group, led by Brownlow, raided the area, dragging men from their beds. They forced Charlie out of his bed, tied his hands behind his back and made him mount a horse. He and six other men were strung up on the Papworth’s big pecan tree next to McDow’s Hole. The group fled at daybreak in fear of being discovered. Charlie Papworth, thanks to his son Temple, was the only one to have survived. The next day, Charlie and Temple road off to the Oklahoma territory, never to return again. Later, on his deathbed, Brownlow confessed to killing Jenny Papworth and her infant son because she had witnessed him associating with known cattle rustlers.

Many who have stayed or lived in the abandoned Papworth cabin have witnessed Jenny walking in to a wall, scratching at the door, and the air becoming chilled. A woman has also been seen at McDow’s hole floating above the water sometimes holding a baby. Is it really the ghost of Jenny Papworth or the ghost of some other unfortunate person killed on the land? Today, trespassers are not allowed in the area.

#McDow’s Hole #haunted locations #paranormal #ghost and hauntings #ghost and spirits #haunted salem #myhauntedsalem

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battybumboy · 4 years

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He had fallen | | Thomas Thorne

No ones catching on to the Ghosts x reader bandwagon that I have built but this wagon isn’t gonna fall to pieces, not on my watch! Here it is... Part three of the Falling series!

Part one is Here

Part two is Here! Incase yous missed it!

Enjoy part three...

-🍯xx

_____________________________

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️ - contains a scene of PTSD. You can still read at your own risk but 🔥🔥🔥- means a trigger warning. When you get to the second set of 🔥🔥🔥-s then it is clear.

————————————————————

“JULIAN!” came the angry shout of a very upset Thomas Thorne. It was the fifth time that week that said ghost had upset the poet... and it was only Wednesday.

Alison, one of the two only living residents of the house, was in the kitchen cleaning out the fridge. She, and every other resident of the large house (except for her very much alive and very much oblivious husband) had heard the commotion. The only thing was... every time Alison had came to check what was wrong, all she was met with was a silent, sulking Thomas and a smug and, if he were alive, very punchable look on the trouserless Tory’s face.

No one knew what Julian was teasing the poet about but it seemed to be serious enough to be kept quiet although Julian’s new muse was getting all too tiring for the other housemates.

“Can that mewling loaf not be so bothersome for ONE DAY?” The pirate said, smacking her head upon the table as she sat with Kitty, Mary and Fanny. The four ladies liked to gossip, (as much as Fanny complained of the unladylike behaviour) so Alison untucked a few chairs and placed down a few empty teacups as if it were a real tea party,

“I should think not. It’s rather like we don’t get any peace and quiet around here.” replied Fanny, as she looked to Y/N in agreement,

“I think we should all be friends! Just like N/N, you get along with everyone”

“It does take a lot of my patience” Y/N replied, truthfully,

“It woulds be more quiets if we weres” Mary countered

“Quite.” The previous owner of the house agreed, correcting her posture before failing to grasp the teacup.

“Right, you lot can stay here if you like. I’m going to try and get to the bottom of this.” Alison said, throwing an old bit of Brie in the bin before strutting out of the kitchen.

“I’m coming with!” Kitty exclaimed excitedly, following Alison upstairs.

“I might as well see what all that racket is about”

“Sames.” And with that, everyone except the pirate had left the table.

She was wise enough to know that the closest thing they were going to get to an explanation out of Thomas was a wave and a mumble of “you wouldn’t understand” before a small sigh.

She hadn’t the faintest clue what was wrong with the poet but it was clear he was avoiding her and ignoring the offer to talk to her. She knew it was nothing to do with her but deep down she was scared he had started to dislike her company. This caused for the pirate to try and get in his good graces again by giving him space but she was unsure if it was helping.

Y/N continued to stare into her teacup again, listening for anyone. It had felt like forever and just when she was about to go up and check on them, there came a thunderous slam.

The feeling of being mentally dragged back to the past filled Y/N’s vision.

🔥🔥🔥-

Y/N I am sorry. But as I have said. You shouldn’t have came home.

“Henry?”

You’re not welcome here anymore. It had to be like this. It just had to.

“Henry... what have... Hen-”

I’m so sorry. You picked your side.

RED. SO MUCH RED.

Pain

A slight sob

The feeling of being dragged

I’m so sorry. Please forgive me. I didn’t want to do it. Honestly.

“Henry?”

Sleep now Y/N... Captain L/N... the greatest pirate.

You can sleep... I’m so sorry...

L/N?

🔥🔥🔥-

”L/N? Are you okay? Oh my god she’s crying! That’s a tear!”

“We can see that, Kitty” came Julian’s reply.

Suddenly pulled back to reality, the pirate realised that everyone was crowded around her in the kitchen. The feeling of vulnerability had suddenly dawned on her... a feeling she hated.

“Uh- I’m fine. I’m not crying, I just got watery eyes. It’s fine!”

“You don’t look fine. You’re shaking, mate.” Pat said from beside her, oh gods, no getting out of this one.

“I’m fine! I promise! I just thought about s-someth-thing... a bit too hard. I’ll be okay in a moment.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Alison asked earnestly, “It’s ok if you’re not.”

“I know...” Y/N sighed, not liking the fact she might’ve worried the others. “I’ll be fine” she forced a smile that seemed to convince almost everyone. “Thank you for you concern though.” slowly the crowd dispersed from around the table and went to do else-what elsewhere... but Y/N noted how Thomas hadn’t shown his face. She was fine. It didn’t bother her. Why would it? She was fine.

Robin was the last in the room. He looked Y/n in the eyes before sitting down in Fanny’s abandoned seat,

“You’re not okay.” He started, Y/N looked at him, eyebrow raised,

“Pardon?”

“You sad, I see in eyes”

“Robin-”

“It okay to be sad. No one happy all time.” He said sincerely, placing a hand on her shoulder,

She sighed and paused. This man. (If he counted as a man) had seen everything, he was there as soon as she’d died, back to when Button house was a lowly field, “Well. Yes, I’d say I’m rather sad.”

“Want to talk? It ok if you don’t��

She contemplated for a single second before smiling softly then looking down at the oak wood table,

“I guess I spent my life sailing away from my problems, my family, my life and every untaken opportunity. I had no husband or children to call my own... only a few friends and miles of sea. But... when I came home, my past decided to shoot me in the back and toss me away. It hurts... even though it was hundreds of years ago. But It got better and, even though I’m over it and it being centuries ago... I occasionally remember.”

“I understand. It been a long time for both of us- I sometime remember too. It turn out okay. We die, the world move on but we always remember when we could move on too.”

“You made my death feel less lonely, Robin. I’ve never been able to thank you properly for that. So, thank you.”

“Thank you too. I needed friend. I was lonely and you turn up so I was happy for company. After years being alone. I wait and wait. Then you came and I wasn’t alone.”

She smiled. Robin was her best friend, nothing more. They both understood each other and at times when they felt most alone, the other always turned up out of the blue.

Thomas walked past the kitchen, wondering why everything went so quiet when suddenly he heard the angelic voice of a fellow ghost,

“I had no husband or children to call my own... only a few friends and miles of sea. But... when I came home, my past decided to shoot me in the back and toss me away.”

“Thomas! Julian has something to say to you!” Came a muffled call from the east wing.

The poet rushed away from the kitchen quietly in order not to disturb the two hushed voices. He clambered up the stairs thinking about what she said and a mix of emotions stirred within him.

He was partly angry at himself for eves dropping but the anger melted to sadness at her words. And suddenly he realised... maybe she needed to be there for her as well.

Thomas regretted ignoring her for his own sake, not realising she had been feeling down too. He just didn’t want the pain in his heart and the butterflies in his stomach and the feeling of not being able to stop staring at her charming (almost handsome) beauty and-

Suddenly it hit him. The realisation he never wanted to have but everything added up... the way he felt warm around her and sorrowful without her. The fact that he could barely look at her without his (unnecessary) breath hitching and the way he felt like he’d been blessed every time she gave one of her smiles reserved just for him...

He had fallen.

———————————————————-

So sorry it took so long and for major sad :/ It was originally planned to be happy until I realised you guys still don’t have a clue who Henry is. I hope you enjoyed part 3! 🍯xx

#bbc #bbc ghosts #bbcghosts #ghosts #reader insert #mat baynton #six idiots #thomas thorne x reader #matt baynton x reader #horrible histories #angst with a happy ending #angst

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abloomntime · 3 years

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A Bloom In Time Ch14 Subcon’s State

(All the things in the Sucon Forest are shown in the video above and if you want to see them just skim through the video here. This is also going on my headcannon that all the ruins and houses were remains of the town near Vanessa's manor. Skip to 27:14 in the video for the fountain, 30:37 for the town hall(A.K.A where the giant shattered time piece was), and 31:30 for the old cafe area. These are just my headcannons tho that they're the remains of the original village from the Subcon storybook. The giant grave stone can be seen at 26:14.)

The video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68p19wzt2OM&list=LL&index=11&t=0s

"Back to the ship?"

Poppy had questioned the little girl who happily pulled her along and nodded with a hum to her question. Snatcher had told her to take Poppy back to the ship and Bow didn't want to make the ghost any more cranky than he seemed, Hattie trotted behind to catch up to the two girls as Bow continued to happily walk happily holding her hand like the responsible child she was. Poppy however was not very enthusiastic about being teleported AGAIN to the ship, but luckily Hattie had the most brilliant of brilliant ideas for space travel with a grown up. Which is why she was so proud when she grabbed Poppy's hand and started to lead her over to a small clearing in front of them. The thick fog in Snatcher's Forest is kinda tricky but there was the Subcon Village that provided a strong signal from their umbrellas to one of her telescopes. All she had to do was for both of them to hold onto Poppy and with their combined power they should be able to- Both kids stopped when Poppy stopped at the very edge of the long, black thorn vine that lead to the infamous ghost's home and suddenly stared straight ahead. Any subconite or dweller that wasn't scared off by Snatcher's yelling to go back to their posts was still staring in their direction.

".....Ms. Poppy?," Hattie asked quietly tugging on her still semi soaked dress. "Do you need help getting down? It's ok. We can help you."

She didn't respond and instead still stared straight ahead in front of them at the dirt path that lead to and from Snatcher's tree. The old metal fencing(or what was left of it) on either side of the road creaked with tiny groans as the wind blew, pushing around a little bit of her hair and clothes around. Some of the leaves on the dead trees rustled along with it and a few orange-red ones fell and wobbled past her towards the ground- She jumped when a pair of his minions giggled mischief like and ran down the dirt road. Their child like laughter echoing throughout the forest and into the fog as they soon disappeared from sight somewhere beyond the foggy path. A leaf suddenly fell on her face blocking her view from the weird world for a moment and instead welcoming her to a new brighter one from her memory. Of people with their horses and wagons with goods, or just plain walking down the road minding they're own business. She'd often take this road back and forth with suppilies to her stand and small house outside of town, two little children would always run up and down the road wearing those goofy play masks back and forth. Right by the entrance to the town where there was a gigantic tree planted by the founder of the town himself to grow along with the town itself. Quite poetic. It was the biggest tree she had ever seen, and admired the oak in all it's glory-

As soon as the memory of smiling people, and beautiful greenery came it went as Poppy scrambled at her face to push the leaf off. Blue eyes blinking and lungs panting as she once again was faced with the sight of the gloomy haunted forest before her and the two little girls who were confused and slightly worried staring up at her still. The reality and memory hitting her so hard that Poppy nearly fell off the giant thorn and would've fallen on her face if the two girls hadn't grabbed onto the back of her dress and pulled her back to her feet thankfully. She wobbled a little but stood straight up again and blinked. Looking around back at the tree home of the ghost and blinking at it....before her head turned towards around the tree and in a different direction from the fence surrounding it.

"Ms. Poppy. Be careful!"........When neither children got a response from her they gave each other looks before Bow gently tugged on her dress to get her attention. "Ms Poppy, are you ok?"

"....I know this place." She looked down in thought for a moment hand shaking before pointng in the direction of Snatcher's home. "T-The Great Oak was here! W-Which means in that direction would be-..."

She pointed into the forest and both girls looked in that direction still confused, but neither had time to react before the older lady suddenly moved along the giant thorn vine connected to the tree and jumped off it. An adreneline rush to her body as she ran around the home and towards the other side of it. The girls yelped and ran after her as she started off to who knows where. Unfortunately it didn't stop her from running up to the wooden fence near it and hopping over the posts.

"Uh...Boss?" One of the minions tapped at his tail making the giant ghost hum and turn his head around. The minion nervously pointed towards the home and his yellow eyes looked in that direction just in time to see two little figures jumping the wooden fence before disappearing into the woods east of the home and he instantly scowled.

"What the peck are they doing now?"

The woods of dead trees and fog meant nothing to her anymore as she hoped the fence and began running in the direction that felt so familiar to her. The girls right on her tail calling out for her to come back, but the rush of knowing this was-...It HAD to have been here once. The old dirt path was no where in sight as she ran but that didn't stop her heart from pumping as she did so. She barely even noticed more of those colorful worm ghosts floating around or the occasional minion peeping surprised to see her if they haven't seen her already from the small meeting at Snatcher's home. Finally stopping, she heaved as she looked around the forested area, hands coming up to push messy, dirty red hair from her face for better veiwing. The gloomy purple aura and the dead trees gave her no familiar feeling at all and now..... The pale woman dropped her arms seeing nothing but dead cursed woods around her. The girls finally catching up and stopping next to her annoyed.

Hattie being the first to grab at her dress again. "Hey! Have you gone bananas!? I'm already in big trouble for dropping you! Snatcher's going to be more grumpy now!"

"I-...It was here!" Poppy looked down at the ground and let go of her bangs that flopped back into place, as she stomped. "It was RIGHT here!"

"What was?," Bow asked confused.

But Poppy just started forward again looking around at the grey-green grass and started walking forward again, looking....SEARCHING for something unfamiliar to the children trailing behind her looking worried and confused as to what exactly she was doing but she knew what she was looking for....And a small gasp escaped her when she saw it. Or more like the beginnings of it. Shuffling her feet around in the dirt she finally saw the beginnings of flat, worn out stone that wouldn't be noticed by anyone if you weren't looking for it specifically. The thousand years were not kind to whatever structure was left here, but she knew what it was. The start where the now long gone dirt road would've turned into cobblestone leading into the village ...Which meant that..Poppy's eyes widened and she started forward again and this time keeping her eyes down and tapping her feet along as she walked revealing more and more flat rocks hidden under moss, grass, and dirt from years and years of wild life taking over. The girls following behind seeming to understand now that the path was starting to have a little more give way and more bricks were starting to show through the dirt until an old ancient pathway finally gave way to only a few cobblestones at a time here and there and the three of them were walking along what looked like a stone path long forgotten and slowly being chipped away by the elements...Which was EXACTLY what poppy was looking for. Her eyes widened in wonder as she know walked clearly on the path, staring down at the cracked and badly worn n uneven cobblestones with grass poking out from all the cracks. If she remembered right, this path lead to the center of town. And around that was all kinds of houses and mini pathways between them.

"Where are we going?," Bow asked still following behind the older woman and looking to Hattie who shrugged.

"The town's square!,'' she replied the child almost excited as she finally looked up from the road.....And stopped. The girls stopping by her heels and looking at her as she stared straight ahead before looking there too. Before them was an old archway that looked like it was the beginning of some ruins of some ancient civilization. In the slightly foggy surroundings she could see more and more half stone remains, black against the grey and purple. Now getting a look at her new surroundings away from the foggy swamp area, she could clearly see MORE of those many dead trees and gigantic black thorn vines everywhere. Above the archway was two pillars with those beautiful statues of winged people she knew the lovely town had, but these statues didn't even have any heads, giving them a much more menacing appearance. Right behind the archway was the actual road. Still very very broken, but it was more intack than the path she had been following, and beyond she could faintly see more ruins with stone remains of buildings. She still stood there as a breeze took through again moving what hair and parts of her dress wasn't still damps making her shiver. But the two girls didn't seem fazed at all being there before and looking around at the forest surrounding them, utterly confused as to what they were supposed to be looking at exactly but when Poppy slowly began to move forward again they blinked in surprise but followed her none the less as she neared the archway. It loomed over her the closer she approuched it and her body sucked in a breath she didn't know she needed when the shadow of the arch crossed over her slowly walking form. The beheaded statues glaring down at her silently as she passed, and stepped onto the path(or what was left of it and began forward. Hattie gave a scowl up to the behead statues as they passed, grip on her trusty umbrella becoming stronger as they passed just in case one of them decided to be a peckneck and chase them. She'd have to fend them off again if that happened. The stacked up old rotting houses and ruins of large stone buildings formed more and more as the further they walked in. Their footsteps echoing around them as they still walked, and Poppy looked around at all the old ruins of what once was houses. Bright, colorful houses and small businesses. All with happy people and their children running in and out all day wearing silly masks playing pretend while the parents and older folk ran the village as usual. The statues bringing joy with their smiling faces and having heads. As they went deeper, Poppy spotted some of the statues that still had heads thank goodness. So not all of them were in that state, but didn't notice Hattie glaring at any she passed until she froze. The end of the path laid ahead of them and ended right before some large stone ruins. Oh. Hattie recognized this place for sure. There was a time rift here she had to fix once and the place she met Timmy. The breeze still ever present blew a few leaves towards the ground where she was standing and Poppy watched as they blew passed her. Blue eyes lazily watching as they fluttered over towards a pretty strange sight that made her blink- "DAH!!" Something snagged the back of her dress as she began forward again and a quick turn of her head confirmed it to be both the girls yanking her back as if her life depended on it. "What in tarnation are you two doing?!"

Bow was the first to speak with a worried voice. "Please don't go that way!,'' she pleaded with big eyes, "The mean statue will get you!"

"What statue?"

Hattie pointed her umbrella at a headless statue that was right next to the path up ahead of them. "THAT statue! No head means it's dangerous! It's cursed and it's gonna chase you if you get too close!"

Poppy immediately looked to where the girl was pointing and stopped. Yes there was a headless statue right there a mere inches away from the path, but it was what was right BEHIND the statue that got her attention. One being that there was a magical blue, glowing cello in the middle of what looked like used to be stone floor, the roof and walls of the building already wasted away. Only leaving a few giant bricks. .....Giant oak walls suddenly clouded her mind. A small cozy place, where any one and everyone could go in and have a small break while reading away by the fireplace-

"OOF!!" Both girls fell flat on their stomachs as she once again rushed forward, forgetting about the small children behind her for a moment in favor of running the rest of the way down the path and making a break for the faint glow of magical blue cello's and a burning fireplace. "HEY!! THAT WASN'T COOL!!" Hattie's shouting did nothing as the two got up and ran after her again more annoyed. Passing the statue, Hattie gave a stink eye at and one of her famous raspberries as it thankfully remained unmoving there as it should be if it didn't want to face her umbrella's wrath! She was grumpy enough as it was as she caught up with Bow and Poppy finally who was currently staring in wonder at the glowing blue cello, right next to the glowing Blue table and chairs. As if she was seeing another ghost.

....Poppy's eyes widened in wonder before the older woman, against her better nature, reached a shaking hand out and place in right onto the table, letting out a small gasp when her hand didn't go through. She was expecting to go right through the ghostly looking thing but didn't. It felt cool like an almost ice cube. "W-What is this?...Wait a minute." She suddenly snapped behind her at the old fireplace who for some reason was burning with a regular orange fire. Next to it was a couple logs presumably for the fire, an old chest, a small pot with two old umbrellas, and some time of random painting on a tree right behind some of the old giant bricks. Where shiny oak walls used to be and her eyes widened. "This...The library!" Her eyes went back towards the direction of the statue. A shelf with old books, too worn out to ever read again laying there and a long destroyed grandfather clock no longer ticking. But it was clear as day as to where she was standing right now. Yes. The library was the first business down the west path of the Great Oak Tree when you first enter the village. It was a pretty small business but the village was pretty small so it makes sense. And that means next to it was the school house and a little ways from that was the town hall. She looked in the direction of the once cute and small stone school house. Nothing but a stone skeleton of pillars and a single rusty lanturn swinging in the breeze from above one of them. All gone.

"A library?," Hattie looked confused at her again like she sprouted a pair of antlers, "This is where Timmy likes to hang out. Hmm...Haven't seen him yet. I wonder where he is now?"

Poppy didn't pay attention to whomever 'Timmy' was, just pointed at the remains of the old building. "Yes it is...Or at least it was. T-This was a library. A-And that was a school house and over there-...." She stopped pointing in a direction the girls looked. Giant ruins of what was unboutedly large building remained surrounded by the remains of a metal fence around it as she silently stared at it for a good long silent moment. "....The town hall. The mayor lived there. A descendant of the founder you know."

"Hey! I know that place! I fixed a time rift there once!"

Poppy still didn't pay attention. Instead she looked down almost back the way they came but at an angle...There used to be another path here that branched off down the way there towards the village square where most of the homes were...and her stand. Without thinking she began walking in that direction. Mind almost blank and going on second nature. Not paying attention to anything the girls were saying now as she blankly walked and just walked. Past dead trees and their mossy branches. Past more ruins and cracked statues. More fog and more ghosts curiously watching as they walked by. The only thing her blank mind registered at the moment was the couple of graves she saw. The girls only getting more annoyed and confused as she kept on walking-

And walking.

And WALKING!!

The air around them had started to become slightly harder as they neared the burning constantly smoking part of the woods where they really shouldn't be. The embers lit up partially this part of the fog as she continued to walk. The smell of ash and burning plants filling the breeze. Until they all came across a different set of ruins the girls had also seen before. Poppy suddenly stopped....looking up at the large stone monument that was once proudly taken care of. Now only remained a said reminder of what once was, lit by a couple old lanturns on the ground near it's base and the burning woods a few yards away from them. At least the breezes were a little better than the cold ones now.

"The Founder's resting place," she mumbled before starting to walk again. Looking forward at the ruins that laid ahead of them. By now the girls gave each other a look before starting to walk behind her. By now a few curious subconites and dwellers had started gathering around and following curiously as the three walked on and on throughout the forest as Poppy still walked and walked. It wasn't long until they all found themselves in front of what was the town square. there was nothing left barely. A couple old ruins of the buildings that surrounded the giant grand fountain in the town square were gone minus some old ruins that were bourded up with rotting wooden planks, have rusty fencing, road all but gone, and some plants here and there. The once proud fountain itself all dried up and just sitting there like some poor excuse for a statue. Yet another headless statue standing in the middle of it. Once it had beautiful crystal clear water running all through it. Now it was nothing but a sorry waste of stone. "...What ever happened to this place?" She asked herself just loud enough for only her to hear, walking up towards the fountain as the two girls looked to each other and began talking again but her mind didn't register what. As she walked up to the fountain's remains cracked and belittled. .....And placing a hand on it. It was rough and cold as she expected and devoid of like. Running along all those cracks formed from years of weathering away and sighed. "He was right...I-It's all gone."

A small sniff came out followed by her closing her eyes to keep any tears inside and her body shook slightly. The Snatcher was right. The home she knew really wasn't here anymore and she would never be able to get it back...Unfortunately her grief prevented her from hearing the upcoming danger ahead. But Hattie sure saw it when the stone menace dropped from the top of the fountain with a thud and turned it's headless body towards Poppy as the little girl's eyes widened in horror.

"MISS POPPY RUN!!"

A shadow loomed over the woman and she looked behind her, blue eyes going small at the sight of the headless stone monster reaching towards her out of some nightmare. A shriek louder than anything they ever heard before tore through the forest as the red hair woman made a run for it in the opposite direction fear and adreniline pumping through her veins as she ran away from the terrible thing that gave chase to it's prey. The girls screaming something after them as they too gave chase after them. The absolute feeling of looming dread and fear fueled the horrofied woman as she ran through the woods as fast and as far as possible but one look over her shoulders gave her a tiny scream again when she realized it was still right behind her and grabbed at her with it's cold stone hand. Barely missing her hair with every grab. Turning back in front of her breathing heavily and making a sharp turn to try and shake it off. Slipping on a few leaves and falling to half a knee but managed to straighten back up and keep running but unfortunately didn't shake the statue. Running and breathing the cool air into her burning lungs from the amount of heavy breathing the adrenaline caused. Feet thumping against the ground to where she could hear her own footsteps, and the heavy footsteps of the stone monster behind her.

"LEAVE HER ALONE YOU PECK NECK REJECT!!!," Hattie shouted at the statue one hand on her hat and the other swinging the umbrella at the statue's heels.

"RUN MS POPPY!! DON'T LOOK BACK!!," Bow yelled unhelpfully behind them.

Poppy could only whimper as she still ran with fear of whatever that statue would do to her on her tail. What was she supposed to do?! She couldn't think straight right now with her mind so focused on running away and now dying.

"GRAB THE NOOSE?!"

"THE WHAT?!," her scared self screeched out not daring to look behind her.

Hattie pointed her umbrella ahead of them. "THE ROPE WITH THE SHINY BLUE ROCKS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!! GRAB IT QUICK!!"

In her panicked mind she looked for blue rope and her mind did see a rope with blue crystals jutting out from it attatched to a tree. She didn't recognize it as any noose in this state. Only the though that maybe she could climb it and get away crossed her mind. Which is why when she oh so desperately reached her hands out for it and eventually grabbed it, heart hammering against her ribcage, she shrieked again when the thing suddenly clamped down onto her wrist and up, up, up she went. The girls stopping on their heels and watching the grown woman dangle up in the middle of the air wriggling around like a worm on a hook before looking down and gasping from the height. Other hand immediately clamping around the rope spun around her wrist. She must've easily been twenty or more pecking feet above the ground.

"And up we go~," a deep voice cooed but she barely paid attention to it still gasping for air and staring at the ground in fear. The two children were standing a few yards away from the statue, Hattie glaring and Bow looking worried as it circled where Poppy was hanging a few times before changing direction and running a different way. They all watched as it ran back off towards the fountain area and once it disappeared within the ruins Poppy felt a small wave of relief wash over her. But just barely. She was still high up in the air!!! " Why hello there.~ You look....new around here.~" The same deep voiced cooed out which snapped her attention back up and around the area fear still present on her face. "You know." Blue crystals on the rope glowed like magic as the deep voice echoed out through the air. "I haven't seen a solid neck like yours for a long time.~"

......That was all it took. Another shriek cut through the air and soon enough she was thrashing and pulling at the thing like a mad man to let her go like a monster did catch her.

"Be careful now.~ I don't want to see you meet a miserable end anywhere.~ ....But with me.~ Take it easy my friend.~"

"LET ME GO!! SOMEONE GET ME THE PECK DOWN RIGHT NOW!! HELP ME!!"

"Calm down! We'll get you down promise!," Bow shouted up trying to calm down the raging woman clawing at her clutched hand despite the danger she was in.

The blue crystals were digging into her skin and scraping it. She was going to have one heck of a rope burn after this but she didn't care as long as she got away and to the safety of the ground below. Which would surely hurt but there was no PECKING way she was staying here like this! She wanted OUT of this nightmare fueled forest! To run and never look back! Nothing was here but bad things to hurt her and lost memories. Tears started to water in her eyes as Poppy's throat clenched and it was becoming hard to breath with that and her heart hammering and lungs forcing air past that clenched throat of her-

"Are you done?," a raspy voice asked her which made her completely stop and open her eyes to meet glowing yellow ones just a few inches away from her face. the giant ghost was scowling at her with crossed arms raising a brow at her situation before groaning and shaking his head. "I leave for less than a minute and you run off like an idiot in a dangerous forest where you can get hurt? Did you even listen to me at all?"

.....She choked and a couple tears fell down her cheeks. "I-Im sorry! Really I am! J-Just p-please help me!"

...Snatcher's face fell seeing her cry like that but sighed and uncrossed his arms to grab her. "Fine. But maybe now you'll listen." Her body was gently lifted into an almost bridal style as he lifted her up relieving most of the strain on her wrist as he glared down the noose. "Let her go before I burn you into nothing but ashes!"

Instantly like Magic, the grip on her wrist went away and she wretched her hand to her clutching it to her chest as she stared at the receeding rope. "I'm always here for you, Sir.~"

"Yeah. I'm sure you are." His gaze softened as he looked back to her. "Hey. Are you alright?" She didn't answer. Instead staring down to her wrist which had a mark where the rope dug into her tightly and a few scrapes like she suspected. Making him hum. "You'll be fine. Just put some ice on it and you'll be fine in a few hours."

"You can grab onto me whenever you'd like, as long as I get a glimpse of that neck of yours.~"

"PECK OFF!!" Snatcher yelled at the rope as Poppy curled in on herself and leaned more into his hold as he glared at the rope while sinking down towards the ground......Huh. Funny. Why did this situation feel familiar? Snatcher was looking at her with a soft expression as he lowered near the ground, dipping himself down once he got close enough to softly place the panting woman onto the soft ground making her flinch at the sudden action of solid under her body again. Then leaning back up to recross his arms as the girls ran on over to make sure she was ok. By now the small crowd of minions looked around at her having followed their leader over to her to watch the ruckus. "Well....I hope you're satisfied now from your little adventure."

.....The shaking woman weakly pointed back upwards. "That-...It-.....T-TALKING ROPE!! MOSTER STATUE!!.....NO HEAD!!"

...Snatcher looked over to the girls for an explaination and Bow pointed towards the fountain ruins. "The..statue chased her."

He groaned and reached up to punch the area on his face where a nose would've been if he still had one. "Out of all the stupid-...Fine. You know what?" He held up his claws. "It's fine. Let this be a teaching moment for all of you. And what have we learnt today?"

"...Uh....Keep Poppy away from statues?"

"No!...Well, yes. But it's actually keep away from dangerous cursed objects." His gaze went back to the woman still having a moment on the ground clutching her chest and staring up at him and sighed. "Now do you see? There's nothing left of your old home. But us." His claws gestured to the surrounding minions and himself. "We're all that's left and you should accept that's how it is now before you get hurt. Believe me the sooner you do the sooner everything starts to get better for you. Kids. Take her home now."

The girls didn't question the spook as he watched them struggle to get her on her wobbly legs and pushed towards an open clearing much better suited for a signal to the telescopes as Snatcher silently watched them take her away with a slightly soft frown. He knew all too well the panic and need to see for himself what was destroyed before he came to terms with anything right after his death.

"Hey, Boss?" One of the minions gave him a curious look. "Wasn't that a little harsh?"

"......No. The sooner she accepts things the better. Everyone back to your post. I have business to take care of."

#a bloom in time #a hat in time florist #a hat in time snatcher #Snatcher #The Florist #Florist #snatcher x florist #florist x snatcher

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morganaspendragonss · 4 years

Text

spirits in my head (they won’t go)

i’ve written four tua fics in four days someone help me

ao3

They don’t know what to do with Klaus. He’s still leaning heavily on Luther, only upright under the threat of being dragged along the tarmac, and it’s clear he won’t be able to get home under his own steam. Vanya has already left with a woman who Allison can only assume is Sissy, and Five is still inside with Dad, which leaves her, Diego and Luther to figure it out.

“Diego and I can take him back to Elliott’s,” Luther eventually offers, though he doesn’t look like he particularly relishes the prospect. Allison doesn’t blame him; Klaus is difficult when he’s high or coming down, which apparently they think he is.

Allison...isn’t so sure. Still, it’s not like she’s exactly been there to see him like that.

Klaus stirs at the sound of Luther’s voice. “No,” he moans. “Home.”

“Klaus, we don’t know where you live,” Luther argues.

“Allison…” Klaus brings his head up, eyes meeting her own with a surprising desperation in them. “Allison, you know. You can take me. Please.”

Allison hesitates. All she wants right now is to get home to Ray, plus she really doesn’t think Klaus should be left alone right now. But… Well, she’s always found it hard to deny Klaus, and if she’s being honest with herself, she feels bad for letting Luther literally drag him around.

She forces a smile. “Sure.”

“Allison -” Luther tries, but she sends him a look.

“Can you get him into my car, please?”

Luther lingers a moment longer, glancing between her and Klaus, but eventually relents, bundling him into the backseat of her car. Allison follows, sending Luther a quick, “Thanks,” before getting in herself. She throws a look over at Klaus, pressing himself to the window, face pale, and purses her lips, starting the car.

The drive back to Klaus’s home (base? hideout?) is spent in silence - on Allison’s part, at least. Klaus keeps up a steady stream of muttering, of which she only catches about half. It doesn’t seem to be directed at her, though, and Allison finds herself repeatedly checking the rearview mirror. There’s never anybody there, of course, but she can’t shake her unease at the idea of a ghost riding around in her backseat.

“Klaus,” she ventures, during an apparent lull in the conversation. “Who are you talking to?”

“Hm?” Klaus glances towards her. “Oh, just some pesky little ghostie I can’t seem to shake. Fear not, he’ll leave when I do. Thanks for interrupting him, by the way, listening to his moaning was really dragging on.”

“Oh.” Allison smiles nervously, checking the mirror again - no-one there. “You’re welcome.”

Klaus snorts, then groans as he slumps back against the window, the ghost apparently having started talking again.

This goes on for some time, before, “Oh, shut up, Ben!”

Allison almost crashes the car. Fortunately, the mansion is just up ahead, so she swings into the driveway and shuts off the engine, turning around to face Klaus.

“Are you high?” she demands.

Klaus has the gall to look offended, as if there isn’t still a sheen of sweat across his face, far too pale and drawn to be normal. “I’m sober!” he protests.

“Klaus, I’ve seen you drinking.”

He waves a lazy hand. “Semantics, dear sister,” he says, but relents at Allison’s raised eyebrow. “Fine, fine, I may have taken a swan dive off the wagon, but I was sober. For three years! And I haven’t even touched a drug since before old Fivey sent us here, so.”

Allison studies him closely. He looks like shit, to put it mildly, but… “I believe you,” she says, and she does. Somehow, she does; even Klaus looks surprised at the admission.

“Oh,” he says. “Well then. If that’s all, I think I’ll take my leave.”

He heaves himself upright and reaches for the door handle, but Allison grabs his arm. “Not so fast. I heard you say Ben.”

Klaus freezes. “Did you?” he asks, clearly forcing a strained laugh.

“Yep.” She fixes him with a hard stare. “Except - it’s the strangest thing - I seem to remember you telling us Ben never made it here.”

Klaus hesitates, then sighs, falling back into the seat. “In my defence, he’s being a real bitch right now,” he mumbles.

“Klaus!” Allison releases his arm and turns away from him, putting her head in her hands.

“Oh, don’t start with some ‘don’t talk ill of the dead’ bullshit,” Klaus scoffs. “I’ve put up with him for seventeen years, I think I’ve earned the right to talk ill of him.”

Allison glares at him. “And what gives you the right to lie to us about him?” she demands, furious. Klaus looks like a kicked puppy, but she couldn’t care less how shitty he’s feeling right now; he lied to them about their dead brother, she thinks she’s allowed a little anger.

“Honestly, you should be grateful, seventeen years in the grave have done nothing for his likeability,” Klaus says, but he keeps talking before Allison can protest that. “I admit it, alright, I made a mistake - be quiet, Ben, you’re not innocent here either - I’ll do the introductions tomorrow after my organs have rearranged themselves - will that make you happy, you little turd -”

Allison waves a hand in front of his face; clearly he’s not talking to her anymore. He blinks in surprise and flicks his eyes back to her. “Do you want to, I don’t know, tell me what’s going on?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Not particularly.”

“Klaus -”

“Yeah, yeah.” He rolls his eyes and sits up as much as he can. “Our dear, dead brother is all mad because I won’t let him use my body.”

Allison blinks. “What?”

Klaus hums, nodding. “Yeah, remember my little...episode back at the bar? Ben here got all impatient and decided he would just hop on in here. Without even warning me, can you believe that?” Then, turning and glaring to his left, “Of course, I would have said no, but I might have at least liked the choice. Newsflash, asshole: possession hurts! Oh, don’t start -”

Allison tunes him out, her mind reeling. She can’t believe Ben is here - Ben, her brother, her dead brother, actually here. It’s mind blowing, to be honest. She’s still pissed at Klaus for hiding him, but if what Klaus said is true…

And this is the part Allison really can’t wrap her head around. Ben was always so kind; how is she supposed to believe he’d do something like that. Although… He has been dead for years. She guesses that would make anyone a little jaded.

Klaus’s voice gets louder, pulling her out of her thoughts.

“No, you can’t possess me again - don’t fucking touch me - I mean it, Ben -”

“Hey!” she interrupts. She looks at Klaus, more than a little disturbed by the fear in his eyes, but she forces herself to focus. “Klaus, is there any way I can speak to Ben? Like, actually speak to him?”

Klaus’s shoulders slump. “No can do, Ally,” he says. “Normally, I’d be all too happy to oblige, but apparently possession throws my powers out of whack.” He laughs bitterly. “Crazy, right?”

Ben must say something, because Klaus stiffens. “You’re lucky I can’t make you corporeal right now,” he grits out, “else your ghostly mug would have a date with my fist. Ben, you can’t borrow a body - no - Allison, tell him!”

Allison’s chokes, shaking her head at Klaus, but his eyes plead with her. “Um. Okay.” She shifts her gaze to the empty air next to Klaus, hoping that’s where Ben is. “Maybe don’t possess Klaus again?”

It’s weak, but Klaus nods firmly at Ben as if it’s the best argument he’s ever heard. Allison doesn’t miss the way he’s still very clearly pressed against the door, presumably as far away from Ben he can get. That makes her uneasy, the idea that Klaus is scared of their brother, or at the very least unwilling to be near him, especially because they’ve spent so long in each other’s company.

It’s what motivates her to ask, “Do you want to come back to mine?”

Klaus looks surprised but touched at the offer. Even so, he shakes his head. “Lovely as that sounds, I don’t want to impose on you and your very handsome husband any more than I already have.”

“You wouldn’t be imposing,” she starts, but Klaus waves her away (goodbye).

“I won’t hear anymore about it,” he insists. “Besides I have plenty of people to keep me company.” He grins at her, but Allison can tell that it’s fake.

“Are you sure?” she asks, unsure whether or not to force the subject. On the one hand, Klaus is at least partly right; Ray has already put up with so much and she doesn’t want to make him deal with more. But on the other, Klaus is clearly not okay.

In the end, Klaus makes up her mind for her. “Absolutely,” he says forcefully, getting out of the car before she can protest the point any further. He sways a little as he stands but doesn’t fall over, which is a relief. “Bye Allison.”

“Bye!” Allison calls, watching him walk away. Then, an afterthought, “Bye, Ben!”

Klaus turns and grins, saluting her before stumbling into the mansion - (seriously, how the hell did he end up there?) - greeted by a cloud of people in blue overalls. Allison keeps watching until her brother(s?) are swallowed up, and then a bit longer. She has half a mind to go in there and drag him out, she’d use her rumours if she had to, but… But. She can’t do that to him. Not now.

Eventually, Allison sighs and turns the engine on, backing out of the driveway. She tries to push Klaus and Ben from her mind, thinking of Ray waiting for her at home, but she can’t rid herself of the image of Klaus convulsing on the floor of that bar. She wishes she’d helped him more, but they’re all used to weird shit from Klaus and they’d had bigger problems at the time.

(Still, the guilt takes root in her and she has the overwhelming urge to talk to someone - Vanya possibly, or Luther - about Klaus and Ben and everything.)

(Maybe tomorrow.)

(Maybe.)

#tua spoilers #umbrella academy spoilers #the umbrella academy #tua season 2 #umbrella academy #tua #allison hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #luther hargreeves #ben hargreeves #tua fanfic #fanfiction #my fanfiction #writing #my writing

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imjeralee · 4 years

Text

Comfort in Despair: Chapter 4 - “Have You Seen My Son?”

Leon x F!Reader

Disclaimer: Do not own Pokemon

Summary:

Galar is rich in folklore and tales of the supernatural.

As a Pokemon Researcher who specialises in ghost types, this is a great opportunity for you to investigate and learn more about the paranormal.

Along the way, you meet Leon (in the most awkward way possible) who becomes embroiled in your adventures.

^ Basically this story is about ghosts :/

Rating: General/Teen

Note: So uh, apparently my previous chapter scared one of my readers who was reading it at night. So I changed the warning below -

Warnings: Don’t read this fic at night

Have You Seen My Son?

...

[It is estimated that 8 million children around the world go missing each year]

...

When it's almost sunrise, a Vullaby squawks somewhere in the distance and you turn to Leon and give him a little shake. "Leon, wake up."

He's lying on his back and up close you can see his long eyelashes and angular features and you feel bad for waking him up considering how comfortable and peaceful he looks. He begins to stir in his sleeping bag and murmurs and groans under his breath before he opens his eyes wearily and glances up where he sees you looking at him from above. His eyes grow wide.

You notice that he's staring but you turn away to roll your sleeping bag properly. "It's almost time to watch the sunrise. It's freezing, so wear something warm."

"Oh, right," Leon croaks out groggily as he moves to sit up, then he throws a glance to you as you get ready, pulling the straps of your bag over your shoulders and tugging on them firmly. He rolls out of his sleeping bag and you leave the tent, letting him get changed in private.

It's extremely chilly outside as you wait for him and your damaged coat isn't doing very well in the frigid air so you rub your arms in an attempt to keep warm, teeth chattering as you stand shivering on the spot until Charizard creates a fire for you so you thank him, hop over and warm yourself until Leon emerges from the tent in his white, woolly sweats and looking very warm. His long hair is a tangled mess though, sticking up in all possible directions which makes you giggle.

"...Mornin'," Leon greets you rather gruffly; his voice is slightly hoarse.

"Good morning. Here, have some water," you unscrew the lid off a flask and give him it; he accepts it with a mutter of thanks and downs one big gulp.

Then he slips on his shoes and grabs a comb from his bag, using it to quickly tame his unruly hair before he decides to tie it in a low ponytail. "I'll be back in a few minutes..."

He wanders off with a small drawstring bag which he slings over one broad shoulder, possibly to brush his teeth and wash his face which you had done so in the morning. Charizard goes with him, probably to ensure he doesn't get lost along the way. You wait by the fire and Zorua wakes up, stretching on her frontal paws before she looks at you and you feed her some berries and play with her.

Leon returns shortly, looking slightly more awake. "Should we go?"

"Do you want something to eat first?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Okay, let's go then. I know a good spot. Follow me."

Zorua leaps on top of Charizard's head as you and Leon begin your trek. He definitely seems more awake now as he walks with Charizard though your journey is spent in silence. The spot for watching the sunrise is a grassy hill which isn't far away from your campsite at all so in a few minutes down the path and you locate the hill and turn to Leon with a grin.

"Here we are."

Leon offers you a gentle smile and you both head up. It's not steep at all and it's not rocky in the slightest, but Leon gives you his hand just in case. You smile at him awkwardly as you slip your hand in his and he helps pull you up though it's not necessary.

Eventually, you arrive at the top of the hill and head to the edge before you carefully lower yourself to sit cross-legged with Zorua in your lap whilst Leon sits beside you and Charizard plops down beside him.

Though not as stunning as the view from the Meetup Spot, the hill grants a breathtaking view of the Wild Area from the Grove where you can see a huge stretch of grassy pastures below, including various rivers and lakes bathed in darkness.

In the horizon, the sun peeks out from the mountain and the sky is streaked with orange and red hues. The breeze is stronger and colder and you let out a sneeze.

As you mutter a quick 'bless me' under your breath and rub at your nose with a tissue, Leon quickly pulls off his sweater and drapes it around your shoulders and over your back. You go still, wide-eyed.

"This'll keep you warm," Leon says as he tucks the sweater in and loops the arms around your neck.

You end up shrinking away from him which you hope he doesn't notice. "...Thanks, Leon."

"You're welcome."

Leon's sweater is wrapped tightly around you and he is left in this tight, long-sleeved black shirt but the cold doesn't seem to affect him. Charizard watches your interaction with the champion from the corner of his eye before he snickers under his breath in wheezy huffs.

"Were you up all night?" Leon adds when he notices that you appear slightly drained, and you nod. He winces slightly at your response but you shrug.

"I'm used to it. I'm the equivalent of a Noctowl. How about you? Did you sleep okay last night?"

"Yep!" he says cheerfully.

"Good," you reply, as it appears he didn't hear the radio going off last night, and your wristwatch beeps, indicating the sunrise is due to start.

You and Leon grow silent and focus on the magnificent view before your very eyes as the sun begins to creep up over the mountain and light pours into the valley. It dispels the darkness easily, the light growing brighter and brighter until the clouds are dissolved in a tawny, gentle hue. As the sun begins its gradual ascent, the sky brightens up entirely and bathes the landscape with a warm glow. The sunlight becomes so intense that you have to shield your eyes and Leon does the same.

When the light becomes bearable and the atmosphere grows slightly warmer, you lower your arm, close your eyes and inhale a deep breath, holding it in for a few seconds before exhaling with content. The sunlight feels nice on your face.

"Getting to see the sunrise is the best part of my day," you murmur under your breath as you re-open your eyes, curling your fist before you hold it triumphantly in the air, "In the end, light will always conquer darkness."

Leon ponders your words carefully then he says, "I once told myself I would see the sunrise with someone special," Upon realising what he'd just blurted out, he begins to attempt to correct himself.

You let out a loud laugh in response, "It's fine, Leon. You can bring your special someone here next time. Just don't tell them I showed you this place first."

"Ah...y-yeah."

The sunrise is over so it's time to head back. Your trip back to camp is in silence which you don't mind and you return Leon's hoodie to him and he mumbles his thanks. It looks like Leon has not recovered from what he'd unintentionally let slip despite your reassurance.

Although it's time for you to split ways, Leon asks if you want to stay for some breakfast which you agree to after your stomach rumbles loudly in front of him. He laughs (much to your embarrassment) and brings out some food for you and Charizard to start cooking whilst he finishes stowing away the tent and pack the majority of his camping supplies into his bag.

When he's completed his task, he returns to the cooking area where you have all gathered, cooking some beans and slices of toast in the metal pan. Charizard waits with his bowl whilst Zorua sits beside you with her legs folded and her tail wagging in the air, watching. Gengar stays in your shadow, unwilling to come out or be active during the day.

Once you have finished heating the beans and toasting the bread, Charizard hands you his bowl.

"It must suck not having thumbs," you utter as you empty some beans and toast into the bowl, which you then hand to the flame pokemon. You do the same, slipping in some food for Leon which you hand to him.

As you begin to eat, you notice it's actually been a while since you have eaten breakfast with someone who wasn't Sonia or Professor Magnolia. You crunch your toast, musing to yourself. You want to say something to Leon but you discover you are quite nervous though you do spare him a quick sideways glance to see what he is up to every now and then, only to realise that he has been staring at you and when he realises he has been caught, he hastily looks away.

The same tension from last night is returning.

After you finish eating, you wash up quickly and Leon packs the remainder of his belongings before extinguishing the fire. The campsite is now empty. It is as though no-one had stayed here.

Zorua is the first to leave.

She has decided to return to the manor and has assured everyone that she can make her way on her own. She transforms herself into a little rosy-cheeked, pigtailed farm girl so not to draw attention to herself nor does she want to risk being captured by some plucky trainer. You give her an additional helping of Pecha berries in a small ziplock bag to take away and enjoy but she ends up carrying the bag in her mouth and gleefully scampers through the woods on all fours and out of sight.

You and Leon watch before you sigh haplessly.

It's also time to take Leon back to the Dappled Grove where you will split up but the trek will take roughly two or three hours maximum.

You're about to set foot onto the trail until the sounds of wooden wheels rolling over the gritty path coupled with the rhythmic trotting of hooves heading towards your direction forces you and Leon to turn round.

A grizzled-looking Tauros is pulling an old-fashioned wagon towards your direction. A man in a loose flannel shirt, matching slacks, brown jacket and grey flatcap is perched at the front of the carriage with a frail-looking woman by his left, his wife presumably, and once they spot you, they get Tauros to come to a gradual stop.

"Easy there, Toro," the man drawls, before he turns to Leon and tips his hat, "Good mornin'. What're you doin' all the way out here, Mr Champion?"

You recognise the man. He is one of the farmers who works for Turrfield Orchards, a popular supplier of produce. You are aware that this farmer makes regular trips to Motostoke in the early hours of the morning from a farm somewhere in the Rolling Fields and you've seen him various times when you leave the Wild Area at dawn but he never speaks to you.

"Good morning, mister," Leon says cheerily with a grin; he tips his snapback in response, "We're on our way to the Dappled Grove."

"What a coincidence, we’re on our way there too. Ain't that right, dear?" the farmer barks out jovially, turning to his wife with a chuckle. "If you walk, it’s gonna take about three hours tops. Why dontcha hitch a ride wi' us? We'll get you there in no time!"

"Thanks!" Leon replies, and he glances at you with a grin before he heads over to the side of the caravan which is transporting several bales of hay and huge pots of berries. Leon recalls Charizard then throws his bag into the awaiting carriage. You can only smile at him awkwardly as you trail after the champion.

However, the farmer turns to you and you freeze up, hesitant in approaching the wagon. You know something is wrong when the farmer appears to regard you with disdain in his eyes.

He says, "We only got space for one."

A stunned expression appears on Leon's face whilst you blink blankly at the group, before you throw a downtrodden glance to the floor, biting down on your lip.

The farmer leans towards Leon and although he employs a hushed tone, you can hear what he says. "This girl is trouble. She's bad luck round these parts. People say she's cursed. If you know what's good for ya, stay away from her."

You heard everything loud and clear and you're quick to retreat, taking a few steps backwards, knowing all too well that you are not welcome onboard the Tauros wagon.

"It's okay, Leon. Go ahead. I can make it back on my own." You mumble. This farmer doesn't like you and you don't like him very much either.

"You heard the lady. Come on, Mr Champion."

Leon stares intently at you and his expression slowly becomes unreadable. However, he grabs his bag, hauling it out of the caravan. "No, I changed my mind. Thanks for your generous offer, but..." Leon promptly returns to your side with his bag, "We can manage on our own, thank you very much."

Following that is a rather strained silence as you and the farmer stare at Leon with widened eyes.

"Leon...?" you croak out.

Leon turns and smiles warmly at you. "Let's go."

The farmer snorts under his breath at the rejection. "Suit yerselves." With the reigns in his hands, he flicks them with a turn of his wrists and Tauros picks up speed again, galloping down the path and out of your view.

You cannot believe what had just happened and you gawk at the champion beside you. "Leon, why did you do that? You could've gotten a ride."

Leon smiles at you gently. "Well, I'd rather stay and walk with you."

And your heartbeat soars, your stomach doing backflips.

"Are you alright?" Leon asks, "your face is really red."

You snap out of your reverie. "O-oh! Yeah, I-I'm fine.." you stutter, trying to smile in response. "And he's wrong, I'm not bad luck!" you add, until something weighty smacks you in the back and you go stumbling forwards; although Leon grabs your hand, you still drop over the dirt, collapsing on your front.

Lifting your head up, you see a Hoothoot flying above you in a circle before it perches itself in the branch of a tree to your left, crowing with mirth. You wonder if it's the same Hoothoot from last night that had also harassed Leon when he was taking a bath.

"Arceus, you Hoothoot are the worst!!" you moan out before you can help it, cursing the Hoothoot.

Leon steps over you carefully to hoist you up though he ends up lifting your back off the ground and you remain sitting in the mud, feeling somewhat defeated. "You okay?"

You nod weakly.

Leon chuckles as he kneels beside you and helps dusts you down, wiping some flecks of dry mud from your shoulders and back whilst you shake your hair free of earth. "You have some dirt on your face."

"Where?"

"Right here." He says, but before you can move, Leon uses his sleeve to wipe at your cheek gently. His white sweater now has a mud patch but he grins to himself whilst your heart pounds furiously once more. Smiling at you, he says, "Let's go."

"...Okay."

You both continue making your way together through the forest until you reach the familiar landscape of the Dappled Grove. You have finally arrived. As though a stone has dropped in the pit of your gut, you throw your glance down sadly as you realise you will be parting ways with Leon for certain.

"Well, this is it." you say morosely as you gesture to the Dappled Grove's wooden signpost. It contains a few arrows pointing to various locations, outlining the directions to Rolling Fields and West Lake Axwell. "Wherever you're headed to next, you can use this."

Leon joins your side to inspect the sign. "Great! Thanks for all your help."

"No problem."

"It was really nice meeting you," Leon adds, sticking his hand to you and your face falls.

Oh.

A handshake.

Your heart plummets when you realise you were the only one who had been blushing and feeling butterfrees in the stomach the entire duration you had been together and you can't help but feel silly...

Leon has treated you as he would treat anyone, any regular fan. He was just being himself...he is kind and friendly to everyone, fans, friends and foes alike. You're no different than the rest.

It hurts in some sense upon realisation but nevertheless, you steel your nerves and slip your hand into his palm; his hand is so large, your little fingers are bundled up within his and his hand is also extremely warm despite the cold temperature. He proceeds to give you a firm shake and you force yourself to smile. Leon has some serious grip.

"Same. It was very nice to meet you," you reply, when you let go and your fingers are tingling from the contact.

"This is for you," Leon brings out his wallet and pulls out two ten thousand pokedollar bills, "For the coat."

"Ah, right...but um, my coat didn't cost twenty thousand. Let me give you some change for that..." As you fiddle around with your bag and pull out your pulse, Leon chuckles.

"Please, I want you to keep it. I insist," he adds, before he reaches for your hand and presses the money into your palm, forcing your fingers to curl over the money.

You're reduced to a blushing mess again from the contact. "O-oh...well, thanks...I appreciate it."

"What's your blog called? May I have a look?"

"Sure..." you utter the name of your website and also spell it out to him which he saves onto his phone.

"Thanks! I'll be sure to check it out."

You nod, cheeks growing warm, “When's your next match by the way?"

"In a week."

"I'll cheer for you."

His face goes pink and he slides his gaze to the ground. "Thank you. Do you want a ticket? I'll get you one."

"No need, I'll just join the rest of the rabble and sign up, go through the League's official website and try my luck in getting one."

"Usually my matches are sold out in seconds and people resell the tickets at inflated prices..."

"Well, you never know, I might get lucky."

Leon chuckles in response as you shrug, "I'll get a ticket for you," he reaffirms, and he sounds quite adamant in getting you one. "So...what are you planning to do now?"

"Hmm, I'm actually looking for a Grimmsnarl, Dusclops or Dusknoir. I heard there are some in the Stony Wilderness but I can never find one."

"I can help you with that. Let me know when you need assistance."

"Thanks, Leon. That sounds awesome. I'll give you a call, okay?"

He nods, his smile widening.

"Bye, Leon."

"Bye! Good luck with your research!"

"Thanks!"

It feels awkward as you wave at him and Leon and Charizard wave in response as you split up.

You take a few steps before you decide to throw a glimpse over your shoulder and you notice that he has done the same and now he is looking at you; your heart leaps in your throat and you should really look away but Leon grins and waves again. You meekly wave back and you're first to turn away, your breath caught in your throat.

Instead of heading towards the Meetup Spot to get the train that will take you to Wedgehurst, you call for a Corviknight taxi. You wait at least fifteen minutes, sitting on a tree stump and searching online using your Rotom phone on 'signs that a guy likes you'.

You couldn't help yourself.

When the search results load, you click on the first available result that you see on Rotom's search engine, which is an online article detailing ten telltale signs when a guy like a girl.

Sign one: the guy will want to spend his time with the girl and make an effort to contact her. You ponder to yourself but you don't know Leon well enough to fully know if he wants to spend all his time with you so you ignore this one.

Sign two, body language. If a guy like a girl, he's either very nervous, intimidated or shy and he might even make an attempt to touch her. When you read this, you recall how Leon got all flustered and nervous around you on several occasions but you earnestly believed this was because Leon wasn't used to girls. He did seem to touch you a lot though. Unfortunately, you cannot really tell so you move onto the next sign.

Sign three, the guy will ask questions and remember little details. Having only met Leon for one night, it's natural if Leon asked you plenty of questions and it's too early for him to show that he has remembered your every little detail. You will only find out if you ever meet him again. Emphasis on if.

Before you can read the rest of the article, the Corviknight taxi arrives and you bookmark the page to be read later and put Rotom away.

The cabbie opens the carriage door for you and you climb in, poking your head out the window; you ask to be taken to Wyndon which would take twenty or so minutes. The cabbie climbs on the massive bird and you're off. The carriage is lifted high in the air and you buckle up for the bumpy ride. Once you're seated properly, you peer out the window where you see the huge stretch of greenery below you.

You are glad to have left the Wild Area.

It's not a kind place. Although you're prepared, you are thoroughly exhausted, drenched with sweat and caked in dirt. Travelling through the Wild Area really takes a toll on you and challenges one's mental and physical strength.

That being said, you worry about Leon and you wonder if you can see Leon and Charizard down below but ultimately, you can't.

You're too high up.

Sighing, you roll the window down and rest your elbows on the sill to stare at the sky where you see singing Gossifleur and Eldegoss floating in the air and you wave at them and they wave at you in response. Some bird pokemon fly past too and you wave to them. The ride back to civilisation is a soothing and calming one.

Eventually, the barren land of the Wild Area gradually disappears behind you and you see buildings ahead. Corviknight zooms past, heading towards the direction of a huge Ferris wheel that looms in the horizon and grows closer and closer into view, followed by towering skyscrapers. This is your prime indication that you have now arrived at Wyndon.

Corviknight drops you off in front of the fountain. You hop out, pay the cabbie and check Big Bill, the clock tower of Wyndon. It is now almost ten am and the city is very busy.

Your first task is to buy a new coat. The streets are bustling as you make your way to the boutique. You got your coat from here so you're going to buy yourself a new one. Leon's generosity won't be forgotten. You step inside the shop and head over to the outerwear section and you're hoping to get a coat that is identical to your current one but unfortunately the design is no longer for sale and so you settle for a basic but warm and waterproof, black parka that costs eighteen thousand.

You part with your muddy, burnt coat and emerge from the changing room in your new threads.

"Well, it was a good run," you murmur as you fold your ruined coat and slot it inside the clothing recycling bin.

Wyndon Stadium is your next destination so you make your way over, passing the river and the ferris wheel and once you arrive at the enormous, dome-shaped building, you head through the clear glass doors. Although Leon has informed you that he has no matches until a week later, you're stunned to see that it is full of tourists and locals.

Once you're inside, Rotom sounds off and you absent-mindedly check the screen. It's a message from an unknown person and it says:

Unknown: Hi, this is Leon. Did you make it out of the Wild Area ok?

You reread the message a second time and your heart starts pounding viciously. You cannot believe your eyes. The Champion of Galar has messaged you! You are so stunned, you completely stop in your tracks. You are about to type a reply though you pause briefly, wondering if you are replying to his message way too quickly. You don't want to come across as an Eager McBeaver nor do you want to look like a sad sport who does nothing but look at their phone every single minute of their day.

Nevertheless, you decide it's best to send a reply since you don't want to leave it too late to reply that it becomes awkward....therefore you quickly type a quick message and hit send.

You: Yep! I made it out alive :')

With the reply sent, you excitedly add Leon to your contacts, thus increasing the number of contacts in your phonebook to a total of five which is a vast improvement compared to two or three years ago and then you put Rotom away, slightly worried about what the Champion's reply would be and how long he might take to reply.

The text from Leon has elevated your mood to an unimaginable extent. Glancing around the stadium lobby, there are plenty of people ogling the glass cabinet displays that contains the many trophies and awards won by past Champions of Galar. Leon's trophies take up two entire rows and there are also tonnes of posters with his face on them decorating the walls of Wyndon Stadium.

He's everywhere you look.

It's inescapable, and a merchandise kiosk that has just opened up grabs your attention and you head over immediately. You're first in line and the clerk is stacking up some stock on the shelves until she spots you, pausing in her activities to head over to the counter.

"Good morning, how may I help you?" she asks with an absurdly cheerful smile on her face.

You look at the random items she was placing on the shelves. As expected, it's all got Leon's face printed on it. There is a Leon mug, a Leon tumbler, a Leon flask, a Leon scarf...even a Leon mousemat too.

There's Leon everything.

"Wow, this must be Leon heaven." you say, incredibly overwhelmed.

"It is! This is the Leon-exclusive merchandise stall."

"Oh really?" you suddenly have the urge to buy something with his face on it so you say, "I'd like to buy a poster of Leon, please."

"Of course! Which one do you want? Leon on his own? Leon with Chairman Rose? Leon holding a beer? Leon with an ultra ball? Leon with Charizard?"

"Just Leon on his own will be fine."

"With or without an ultra ball?"

"Leon with no ultra ball, thanks."

"Got it!" the clerk cheerfully ducks underneath the counter for a split second and quickly stands back up with a rolled canvas under her arm. "This one?"

And she proceeds to unravel it, revealing Leon striking his famous Champion pose; the canvas is also at least one metre long.

"Wow. It's perfect. How much?" you ask, digging a hand into your bag to fetch your purse.

"Five thousand."

You hesitate but this is official merchandise so you suppose it is value for the money so you count your bills and hand over the cash; you want to show that you support Leon in the best way possible and what is the best possible way to do so other than buy overpriced merchandise? The clerk happily hands you the poster which is too big for a bag so you hold the rolled up print under your armpit.

"We also have a Leon action figure for sale! This is the new and improved version of Leon with his signature snapback and fully rotating arms for impressive ball-throwing action!" the clerk grabs the Leon figurine she was describing off a random shelf and holds it up to you, "Charizard and accessories sold separately."

"That's a bit of a ripoff." you utter, rubbing your chin as you take the figurine off her to inspect it further.

The figurine comes with an exact replica of his Champion attire, his snapback (which appears to be inseparable from his head and hair) and he also comes with a red cape lined with fur. You look at his little white Champion booties and laugh.

"But this one is limited edition and it's also the last one in stock!"

"Last one in stock?"

"Correct."

"Limited edition?"

"Indeed."

"Hm. Alright. How much?"

"Usually it's twelve thousand nine hundred but today, I'll give it to you for ten thousand."

"Alright fine, I'll take the action figure too."

"Thank you, young lady, you won't regret it!"

"I just spent fifteen thousand quid on Leon merchandise," you mutter to yourself as you rummage through your bag for your wallet once again, "I have no regrets."

"Spoken like a true Leon fan!"

You're pretty sure the clerk's claims of the Leon figurine being the 'last one in stock' were falsified so you would experience increased pressure to buy it but you vehemently don't care; the Leon figurine looks sturdy, well-made and the resemblance to him is uncanny. The clerk puts the figurine away into the box and carefully eases it into a large bag with the Macro Cosmos logo on it.

"Perhaps you'd be interested in a huggable Leon body pillow too?" she asks, brows wiggling suggestively.

"Uh...I think I'll pass."

"Mm-hmm, suit yourself.....but how about this pair of Leon night slippers?"

"Slippers? Can I have a look?"

Behind you, you suddenly hear a loud groan of frustration.

"Are you finished yet, lady? You're holding up the goddamn queue!" a voice screams behind you and you turn round to see that there is a small line of teenage girls standing behind you.

"Okay, okay, I'm done, geez..."

You leave the kiosk with poster and bag in hand and return to the lobby, glancing at a bunch of kids running up to Ball Guy who stands near the sofas, waving his arms around happily in the air, a perpetual grin on the round mascot mask.

"Hey, hey, hey kids! I'm your friendly neighbourhood Ball Guyl!" he greets them joyfully as they circle him, his voice muffled behind the mask.

"I don't give a Raticate's ass! Give me my free ball, loser!" one of the kids scream.

"Hurry! Make him faint and take his experience points!" another kid yells before he kicks him in the shin.

Ball Guy reels from the impact and emits a pained grunt before he falls to the ground, clutching his knee to his chest. Once he's down, the children scream and yell as they surround and clamber over him; their little hands ransacking his pockets before they run off with a bunch of capsules.

You glance around, wondering if anyone else had witnessed this but it appears no-one had bothered to pay Ball Guy any attention. You walk up to him as he continues rolling around on the floor in agony.

"Yep…children are the future…" you hear him groan weakly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking..." Ball guy mutters, and you give him your hand. He looks up and then gasps. "Huh? Oh hey, chuck, you're back!"

You grin as he takes your hand, jumps back onto his feet and grabs the rim of the mask, tearing it off with a loud pop to reveal a young man with a mop of messy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He shakes his hair in the same manner that reminds you of a shampoo commerical before he gives you an affable, friendly smile.

A few customers are shocked to see the true face of Ball Guy whilst some of the younger children with their parents start screaming about Ball Guy's head being ripped off. However, he is oblivious to them and you exchange a brief hug.

"How was it? Did you find the house? Did you perform any exorcisms?" he asks enthusiastically.

"I'm not an exorcist, Jace," you mutter, "But yes, I found the house and I sealed away an evil spirit too."

"And you say you're not an exorcist? Hello?! You sealed an evil spirit."

"Well, yeah, but it was nothing."

Jace pointedly rolls his eyes in response to your laidback reply and crosses his arms. "Pfft. It was 'nothing'. What's that you got there anyway?"

"Oh, these?" you lift up the poster and the Macro Cosmos bag with the Leon figurine, "Just some stuff. Here, hold this for a moment." You give him the poster to clutch so you can put the figurine on the floor and grab the broken radio from your bag. "Unfortunately this happened too."

Swapping your poster for the radio, Jace holds the device limply in his hands, turns it round and raises a brow. "What happened?"

"Gengar threw me into a wall and it broke," you reply nonchalantly with a shrug whilst Jace blinks numbly at you, "Oh yeah. I almost forgot. Hey Gengar, I want you to meet Jace."

Following that, Jace looks up and around until Gengar appears from your shadow on the ground and rises into the air, emitting an evil cackle as he floats high above you and Jace's complexion goes a tad paler than usual as he makes eye contact with the pokemon.

"Oh..." he gulps, knees going weak as Gengar proceeds to circle him, "A ghost pokemon?"

"Yep, and he's decided to stay with me," you say happily, when Gengar stops and returns to float by your side. You and Gengar grin at each other before he decides to jump into someone else's shadow, his red eyes gleaming from within.

"I think he'll be a wonderful pokemon partner. Suits you, too."

"Thanks. We haven't really had the chance to get to know each better yet but that's okay, we can chat later. So... uh, the radio. Can it be fixed?"

"Of course! Give me a few days though."

"Sure. Thanks in advance. Oh, I also met the Champion last night too."

Jace's jaw drops at you revelation. "What? You met the Leon!!! Really? What's he-"

"BALL GUY!"

You and Jace wince under the loud voice and throw your glances to the far end of the lobby to see a red-faced and bloated-looking, blob of a man in a suit that looks like it's far too tight for him, standing at the closed doors that would lead to the pitch. It's the manager of Wyndon stadium. He watches the two of you with his arms crossed over his chest, tapping one foot impatiently over the ground.

"Ball Guy, get over here now! And put the damn mask back on!"

Jace acknowledges his boss with an apologetic nod and fixes the mask back over his head. "Sorry," his voice has gone back to being muffled, "I need to go back to work now but I'll take care of your radio. I'll call you when it's fixed."

"Thanks Jace."

"No problem. See you."

"Bye-bye, have fun at work! Remember, if you hear any voices from the radio, don't respond."

"Yep, I hear ya. Hey duckie, take this before you go," Jace scoops a Dusk Ball from his pocket and plops it into your hand, then gives you a thumb up.

"Thanks!"

Jace returns to his Ball Guy persona, wiggling his arms in the air and entertaining the customers whilst you leave Wyndon Stadium to head home. On the way to the train station, you pass Wyndon Police station, one of the biggest branches of Galar Police.

It's a large building opposite the river with many floor-to-ceiling windows, the walls painted in blue and red to fit in with the majority of Wyndon's more contemporary architecture and design.

Once you near, you spot a small group of women outside the gates, yelling over each other and waving flyers and League cards in their fists. A few policemen with a Herdier and Grapploct in uniform, badge and hat are keeping the noisy crowd at bay.

"Calm down, you lot!" they're doing their best but the women are hysterical, screaming about their missing sons. "They're gym challengers, madam, that's normal-"

The women are unappeased, condemning the officers for their lack of empathy and compassion and that on this occasion, it is abnormal for gym challengers with fully functioning Rotom phones to go missing or unreachable for such a long time.

The policemen sigh heavily. "We've already taken your testimony, and we 'ave officers on the case and patrollin' as we speak. You're all best to go back to yer homes and wait for us to contact you, you hear me?"

As you pass them, an iron grip seizes your arm and you are promptly halted in your path. A crumpled flyer is shoved in your face with the words 'HAVE YOU SEEN THIS YOUNG MAN?' stamped on the front and you blink at the photograph of a random boy. It is slowly lowered, revealing a woman with a peaky face and mousy eyes.

"Have you seen my son?"

"No, ma'am, I haven't," you murmur, though you take the flyer off her to study the face of the missing boy; it's the photo from his league card, a smiling, young face full of freshness and simplicity. He appears to be sixteen years old at least. "...Hmm, where was the last place he was seen? The Giant's Seat, perhaps?"

She looks at you in bewilderment though you had casually uttered those words under your breath. "How did...how did you know???"

"Lots of people have gone missing there," you add, "It's a case I'm working on right now."

Immediately, the group of shrieking women go silent and all heads turn to you. Everyone's staring keenly at your direction all of a sudden, even the policemen and the pokemon. It only takes a matter of seconds for you to become swamped by the women who are now shoving their flyers or League cards of their missing sons in front of your face, demanding if you know anything about their missing whereabouts and if you could help them with this seemingly hopeless situation.

The policemen chat to themselves briefly until you see the group heading towards your direction and this doesn't look very good; you believe they might apprehend you and you might be questioned but you are saved in time when a gentleman in a suit with an Arcanine and Manectric plodding beside him appears at the gates and stops the officers before they can even take one step forwards.

They immediately salute him upon his arrival. "Chief!"

"It's alright, let her go," he drawls, "She knows what's she doing and she's done work for us before."

The policemen have no choice but to oblige and let you off. Chief successfully ushers the officers away and when he turns to you, he gives you a wink. You mouth a 'thank you' and leave the station vicinity with the group of women who have decided to follow you, hoping that you may be able to help them figure out what happened to their children.

...

#leon #dande #leon x reader #Leon x you #comfort in despair #jeralee #archiveofmyown #pokemon #pokemonshield #pokemonsword #pokemon shield and sword #pkmn #fanfic #fic #reader insert

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iamknicole · 4 years

Text

Deja Vú (3)

Florian Munteanu/OC

"Angel, you've got a call on line 2." Demi, Angel's assistant said over the intercom into her office.

Finishing a few more lines in her sketch, Angel pick her receiver up putting it to her her.

"Ivy Designs. You've got Angel. May I ask who I'm speaking with?"

"Florian."

Angel laughed softly and closed her book. "I told you I would call you when I got off, Flo."

"Couldn't wait. Let me take you to lunch." He suggested smoothly. Angel glanced at the clock on her wall for a moment. "Stop looking at your clock and come on. I'm outside."

"I have known you for two months and the only thing that I really know about you is that you're bossy," She laughed grabbing her purse from her desk drawer.

He laughed putting his car in park in front of her office. "Since you know that then you should know that I'm not taking no so come on, I'm hungry."

Hanging up with him, Angel left her house and stopped at her assistant's desk. She let her know that she was going to lunch, and to lock the door and take hers. Florian was leaning against his G-Wagon when she came out, shades covering his eyes and a slight smile on his face. He opened the door for her before goon to his side to get in.

"What have you been up to?" Angel asked checking her phone.

"Working out then went home to change before I came here."

"That's all you ever do. What do you do?" She asked putting her phone away. "What is your job?"

He laughed turning the corner trying to listen to the GPS. "That is my job, Angel. Apart of it anyway."

"What does that even mean, Flo?"

"Means that every time I tell you that, I've been to work."

Angel sat back and looked out the window smiling. "I give up. You'll tell me when you want me to know I guess."

The couple sat in a booth in Hard Rock Café looking through their menus. Florian insisted on sitting beside her until they were ready to eat. He sat with his arm around her as he looked through the choices.

Two teenaged boys approached their table looking extremely nervous. Angel noticed them first, a frown on her face as she nudged Florian under the table. He looked at her then at the boys and smiled.

"Yeah?" He asked in a low tone.

"You ... you're Florian Munteanu," the first one stuttered out. "Can you take a picture with us?"

Floroan held up a finger then looked at Angel, "Do you mind?"

She shook her head still confused about what was happening. Watching him take the pictures, she wondered who they thought he was. She scoffed audibly when he sat down and went back to looking at the menu.

"So you just gon act like that didn't happen?" Angel said taking his menu.

"What?" He laughed looking over at her.

"Don't what me like you don't know. Who do they think you are?"

"Its not who they think I am, its who they know I am, Angel. You really don't recognize me, do you?"

Angel sat quietly staring at him. This was the third or fourth time he'd asked her that question. She just assumed he was being a smart ass.

"I take that as a no," he chuckled. "I play for the Falcons, Angel. You really don't pay attention."

She opened and closed her mouth a few times trying to think of what to say. "Its not that I don't pay attention in just not into sports at all. The closest thing is gymnastics. I really didn't know."

He shrugged taking his menu back from her.

"Its not a big deal that you didn't know. I like that you didn't know. Gives me a chance to make my own impression on you with a clean slate."

"How long have you been playing?"

"Professionally? Four years." He answered looking down at his menu. "Is that a problem?"

"Not a problem, I just didn't know."

-------------‐--------------------------------------------‐--------------------------------------------‐

Florian wondered around her office looking through the books she had around it with her designs. Angel watched him closely as she sat on the ohone with a client trying to get details from her. After their lunch he insisted that she take her car home and he'd spend the rest of the day at her office to be sure she didn't stay too late.

Fiorian came to her desk sitting on the edge looking at the photos on her desk. A ghost of a smile on lips as he picked up the one of her and her big brother, Monriah.

"Yes ma'am, I can do that. When would you like to go look at furniture?" Angel asked still staring at the man on her desk. "Uh huh...yeah Tuesday at 1 is perfect. I'm gonna switch you over to my assistant so she can get some information from you as well as give you some...you have a great day too. Bye bye."

"You have a nice phone voice," he said sitting the picture down. "I meant to tell you earlier."

"Hmm...well thank you."

"You're very welcome. Its very," he paused to think, "smooth. Like silk."

"Again .. thank you."

The door to her office flew open, banging against the wall as Chandra barged in with Demi right behind her. Angel stood from her desk and walked around it, a slight mug on her face.

"I tried to stop her," Demi spoke quickly.

Angel stared at Chandra as she spoke. "Its fine, I got it. You can go back to your desk, close the door for me." Once she heard the door close, she shifted her weight and stared at the woman before her. "Let this be the last time you barge into my office like you run shit or own shit in here."

"You told Monriah you have the kids?"

"You know the answer to that, Chandra or you wouldn't be here. Say what you want so you can leave."

Chandra pointed her finger in the other woman's face, "You messed up my fucking money! He's not sending any for the girls anymore because you opened your big ass, uppity ass mouth!"

"Put ya finger in my face again and see what happens. You didn't want them remember? You don't want them so you don't want my brother's money. End of story."

"Bitch, you better replace every dime I'm missing! I'm not playin!"

Angel rolled her eyes stepping out of her heels. "It'll be a cold day in hell before you get shit from me. Now leave."

Florian stayed in his spot on the desk watching the interaction. He wasn't going to get involved if he didn't have to. But he could see where this was going.

"Either you give me my money or them lyin ass kids is coming back with me."

"You must be snorting that shit with Rod if you think you're getting those babies back, Chandra! And stop calling them liars! They don't lie unlike you!"

Chandra scoffed, "You dont know because you aint have a man but now that you do you see what I'm talking about as soon as he starts spending the night."

"What does that even mean?" Angel fussed throwing her hands up. "What're you saying?"

"They're jealous, they try to break up good relationships. You just watch and see," she said moving closer to Angel, "Now since you won't give them back then you better gimmie my money, bitch. And I ain't one to play with."

Angel stared the woman down until she felt Chandra's hand mush her forehead. She lunged forward until she felt herself being pulled back. Florian now stood in between them staring down at the other woman.

"I think you should leave now."

"I'll go," Chandra chuckled, "But I'll be back to.collect my money and I'm not playin. You better ask that bougie bitch behind you."

Angel tried to get around Florian to grab her but was unsuccessful. He held her back until Chadra left the office, he went to close the door behind her.

"I swear I hate her ass. She is so lucky you were here." Angel fussed pacing her office. "She got some nerve coming in here demand shit from me like I'm scared of her ass."

Florian grabbed her gently and pulled her closer to him.

"Calm down. She can't do anything to you. Don't let her make you angry."

"Did you hear what she said? Calling them liars? Threatening me? She better stay her ass away from me."

"You're shaking," he spoke softly then kissed her temple, "Calm down. You shouldn't be this angry. Breathe."

Angel took a few deep breaths trying to calm herself down. She was trying to avoid getting the courts involved but she was going to have to now to be sure Chandra didn't try to take the girls back.

#florian & angel #florian munteanu/oc #florian munteanu #deja vu #deja vú

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caffeinatedtimdrake · 5 years

Note

Just saw your latest prompt list :) how about no 11 “Hold on, you died.” “Yeah, well it didn’t stick” for Jason? Maybe he and the reader used to be a vigilante team when he was still Robin and now they’re reunited when he’s back as Red Hood? :)

ahhh ilysm I hope you like it!! about 1.5k of Jason x Reader fluff. sorry for the wait! (p.s. the reader’s vigilante name is going to be Claw and i’m sorry if that sounds silly and i agonized over it for a while but i only had so many options for a former Catwoman trainee)

11. “Hold on, you died.” “Yeah, well it didn’t stick.”

“Red Hood is Jason?! What?! That’s who I’m working with tonight?” You nearly shriek, tumbling into the alley in the same way that you’re tumbling into disbelief.

A sharp stab of pain grazes your bicep, a blade whipping past your face and landing firmly on the wall across from you.

“Claw, move!” Oracle’s voice crackles forcefully in your ear and you’re jolted back into reality.

A rush of adrenaline cascades down your spine, propelling you down the alley and over a chain-link fence.

“W-where do you want me?” You warble breathlessly, hoisting yourself onto the fire escape and charging up the stairs to the rooftop of the dilapidated apartment building.

“Perpendicular, on the grocery store. Red Hood is getting there.”

You hear his voice and it makes you a little dizzy as you wind up a grappling hook. “Headed over now.”

The name is burned into your mind as you stealthily launch yourself over the edge of the building because it echoes with the ghost of a boy who was a young hero, a bright flame, and a victim to a cruel fate. You can maneuver past the bewilderment enough to feel the first inkling of agitation because everyone on your team failed to mention that you’d be dismantling a drug ring with a young man you’d formerly believed to be dead. You didn’t need all the grisly details of his reincarnation, but a warning might have been nice.

You land on the roof of the grocery store with a thud – who would have thought diapers could hide copious quantities of illegal drugs? – and you roll to soften the impact, gravel piercing the gash across your arm.

Red Hood pops up near the edge, agile yet rugged in the way he flips onto the rough and approaches you. He’s stepping lightly on the roof, but you feel as though he’s applying pressure to your chest, sharp and aching. He stops in front of you and you dig your nails into your palm, eyes wide beneath your mask.

Rather than a warm welcome to the living world, like melting ice, you whisper-yell, “Hold on, you died.”

His face is hidden beneath a heavily armored red, but you can hear the bitter smile in his voice. “Yeah, well, it didn’t stick.”

“Focus, kids.” Nightwing lands on the roof gracefully.

You swallow hard and turn away from Red Hood. “What’s the plan?”

“Claw, enter through the vent on the east side. Artemis is waiting for you in there. Red, you and I are taking a stroll down the stairs.”

“Where’s Robin?” The title is strange on your tongue. Now it means Tim, but for a long time, it translated to Jason Todd.

Dick flashes a charming smile. “Keeping our friends who tailed you occupied.”

You squint, ambling towards the edge of the building. “Is that supposed to be a pun?”

“You used to be Catgirl. I don’t think it’s unreasonable.”

Your tone is flat. “I think we should focus on the present moment, not the past.”

“Agreed.” Red Hood.

You almost want to tell Red Hood, except for you, but prodding into his recent past would have to wait. There were lives at stake then and there are lives at stake now.

The mission goes off without a hitch. The team receives bountiful intel on the gang’s connections, you help them kick butt, and Tim safely destroys the drugs. Nightwing congratulates the team with a beam as you stand around the Batcave, thrilled with the success of the mission.

“Same time next week?”

“You’re funny, Grayson.” Artemis grumbles.

“I’m just kidding. Crime doesn’t have a schedule.”

She groans and shifts the bow on her shoulder, bidding everyone a good night.

“I should head out too.” You say quietly. You haven’t taken your mask off yet and you can feel the Kevlar chaffing the skin on your cheek a little.

“Thanks for all your help, Y/N.” Barbara tells you earnestly.

“Yeah, Y/N.” Nightwing pipes up, shuffling some papers. “You’re the best,”

“Anytime.” You shrug, bashful because Jason is looking over at you and you’re still unaccustomed to all the handsome, rugged angles of his face across the five-o-clock shadow and calculating, celestial eyes.

You’re halfway outside when you hear his voice, like a warm, gentle hand against your cheek. “Let me give you a ride.”

You freeze. “Do you even have a driver’s license?”

He laughs low in his throat, a sound that makes your skin flush. You turn around slowly and pinch the inside of your wrist because he’s arching an eyebrow and smiling at you crookedly, startlingly alluring in a way you hadn’t know before.

“Do you always follow the rules?”

You think about the toaster and the coffeemaker you had in your dorm room and how you used to steal bananas from the cafeteria and all the evenings you spent with Jason after curfew, out on patrol or eating sandwiches on rooftops.

You purse your lips. “I will not get on that motorcycle.”

“I WILL NOT GET ON THIS MOTORCYCLE EVER AGAIN.” You shriek as Jason pivots left, night air heavy and adrenaline heavy in your bones.

Jason laughs, simply accelerating.

You cling tighter to his waist and bury your face in that weathered jacket, mint and Cherrywood.

It doesn’t make much sense that you’re scared by a motorcycle ride considering your expertise in jumping off of buildings and into life-threatening ordeals, but you’re hurtling towards your apartment complex – towards home with a boy turned man who once felt like home and that leaves you feeling unsettled.

It might be three years or three minutes until the motorcycle crawls to a stop in front of the bricked building. Regardless, your eyes are still squeezed shut and your limbs are still squeezed tightly around his body several moments after the roaring motor quiets to steady rumble.

“Next time, I’m driving.” You say breathily, cracking open your eyes and slowly relaxing your limbs.

“Oh? There’s going to be a next time? In that case, let me tote you around in a kiddie wagon.”

Your giggle is a wheezy sound and Jason has to help you off the seat because your body feels like one giant, overcooked noodle. You kind of despise the way your skin tingles when he places a hand on the small of your back, but you can’t help the sentiment of serenity his steady touch brings you.

A lump forms in your throat when he drops his hand, trailing for maybe a second too long against your waist.

“May I?” He then raises his fingers to the same level as your cheekbones and you nod slowly, flushing deeply as he hooks his thumb beneath the edge of your mask. His rough fingers drag against the soft curve of your face and you can’t quite breathe as he lifts the taut Kevlar above your forehead because he touches you with an intimacy you’ve never known, like earth and ocean and stardust.

You can’t stop gazing at him and Jason can’t seem to tear his eyes from the haunted look in yours. Swimming in sharp cognizance, he sees a world of unanswered questions and unrelieved longing. His hands cup your face now, holding you like you’re the most delicate of flowers, and he looks at you so intensely, he doesn’t think he could ever forget the slope of your nose or the curl of your mouth, lifetime after lifetime.

“I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner. I was…looking for myself. I still kind of am.” Jason tells you, mouth pulling into a tiny frown.

You shrug. “It’s okay, Jason. Coming back from the dead is probably a little overwhelming.”

He snorts. “You have no idea.” He pauses for a moment, glancing at you hesitantly through his lashes.

“What is it?”

“Is it silly if I ask for a hug?”

This wrenches a peal of borderline hysterical laughter from your chest and he blushes.

“I’ve heard sillier things.” You open your arms and he nearly falls into your embrace, engulfing you in the scent of a spring morning and an autumn evening. He feels like home.

It’s funny that you two still fit together so well, after all these years of life and death, but it makes Jason wonder if you and he were always meant to be like this.

“Whelmed?” You chirp.

“Dick isn’t even here, don’t let him mess up this moment.”

“It’s a fair question.”

“The answer is no. I will always be overwhelmed unless I can get at least one Y/N hug per day.”

You tighten your arms around him and sigh happily. “That can be arranged.”

(What neither you nor Jason know is that Dick slapped a bug to Jason’s jacket to keep tabs on you two. He and Barbara were currently cheering from the Batcave, already planning double dates.)

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darkangeldesignstudio · 5 years

Text

Mother’s Day

Negan x Reader

Honestly, writing this story was hard. The angst was real and the PTSD was not fun to deal with, but I feel like sharing this story with you all has made me stronger in the long run and I hope you all enjoy it. Remember, if you are ever going through something like this or know someone who is, talk about it, ask for help and know in your heart that, no matter what happens. YOU ARE STRONG!!

Summary: When the world ended, you used it to escape a living hell. Later, found yourself a place to call home in Alexandria. You and your two children were welcomed into the community and you soon found a friend in the reformed soul of a prisoner named, Negan. Your relationship grows steadily over time and he becomes an irreplaceable part of your family, but when a nightmare from the past rears its ugly head, will your love be enough to keep you alive?

Warnings: Negan’s foul language (as usual), implied smut, talks of mental and physical abuse towards children and women, threats of sexual assault, violence, and death.

Chapter 3

Once every fall, after the harvests were brought in, the communities would host a fair for trading supplies and food and celebrating another year together with friends and families. This year, Alexandria was set to host the fair within its walls.

Everyone was milling around the town, celebrating with food and drink as more people came to join in the festivities. One caravan, carrying passengers from the Hilltop was parking on the streets when you and Nik walked past. You weren't paying much attention to the people around you, more intent to listen to your son's happy ramblings as you went to meet up with Negan, Pat, and Judith.

You felt a chill run the length of your spine, eyes were watching you from somewhere and the sensation was not pleasant. You looked up slowly, trying not to draw attention to yourself, and caught a glimpse of a man standing off to the side. He was leaning against the wagon, head turned away from you as if he was trying hard not to be seen, but he seemed somewhat familiar to you.

After a moment, he turned his face towards you and you froze in fear. It was your ex, Bryan, looking at you with a menacing smile on his face. How was he alive? How did he find you here? And where the hell was Negan?

Quickly, you turned back in the direction you were headed and looked around for Negan. By the time you spotted him, you were on the verge of a massive panic attack. Your eyes connected with Negan's and his face hardened. You shook your head when he took a step in your direction.

Pressing your hand into Nik's back, you pushed him in Negan's direction. “Honey, could you tell Negan to meet me at the gazebo?”

“Sure, mom. Don't forget about singing with everyone tonight.” You smiled at his excitement despite your inner turmoil, he always seemed to bring a smile to your face.

“I won't forget.” You nudged him once more, ushering him forward quickly before turning towards the gazebo.

You stayed vigilant as you went to meet with Negan. Luckily, or maybe unluckily, you didn't see your ex skulking around again before you reached your destination. You only had to wait a moment before Negan's gruff voice greeted you.

“What the fuck is going on? You looked like you saw a ghost back there.” You rolled your eyes at his language, you just couldn't help yourself, but the moment was short lived as you remember what you saw.

“He's here. I don't know how he found us, but he's here and I don't know what to do.” You were almost hysterical by the time you finished. There was no need to say any names, Negan knew who “he” was and what it meant for you.

“That son of a bitch comes anywhere near you or the kids and I will kill him. I don't care if they throw me back in that cell for it, I will fucking gut him like the little cowardly bitch he is.” His fists were clenched so tightly that you feared he would punch the gazebo's support posts in his rage and the last thing you needed was for him to be hurt.

Slowly you took his hand in yours, bringing it up to your face. His palm slowly opened to engulf the side of your face and you settled your cheek softly into his hand. That touch alone was enough to calm your heart and his.

“WE will protect them, Negan. By any means necessary.” Your eyes hardened as you gripped the back of Negan's hand. “I will not let him torment me ever again and no one would put you back in that cell for protecting me.”

A wicked smirk filled Negan's face, his eyes crinkled at the corners when it grew into a full and beaming smile. “There's my bad ass girl. I was starting to think I had lost her.”

He chuckled when you rolled your eyes at him again, but you smiled none the less. Standing on your toes, you planted a swift kiss on his lips before patting his chest. “Come on, lets find the boys. I want to keep an eye on them until we can be sure that asshat has left Alexandria.”

Negan's wrapped his arm around your shoulders and squeezed you gently in reassurance “Don't worry honey, the kids are with safe with Michonne right now. I'll tell her what's going on when we get there and she will put the guards on alert. The boys never have to know he was ever here.” His lips pressed softly to the top of your head as you walked back to where the kids were and Negan pulled Michonne to the side to do just that. Despite the danger, you felt safer with his assurances.

The fair continued without incident and you began to think you had just imagined seeing Bryan there in the first place, he never approached you or the kids. You weren't sure if it was because someone made him leave or he just didn't care all that much about you all anymore, either way, you were relieved

Until, just as you were walking towards the stage, you realized both of your assumptions were incorrect. He was yards away from the stage, smiling right at you despite the two guards standing at his back. You did your best to ignore him, Negan was with the kids in the crowd and, even if he could shake his guards, there were far too many people around for him to approach. Raising your chin in a sign of confidence, you walked quickly onto the stage, determined to power through your fear.

You sang together with some of the other men and women from the communities The songs were fun, nostalgic, and they made you forget about your ex for the moment. The last song of the night was all yours and you sang it with all of your heart, showing Bryan that he couldn't keep you down. Negan beamed at you with pride filled eyes and you gave him a saucy wink before walking off stage to join him.

A few people stopped to offer you praise for how much of a great time they had had watching everyone sing together. Your friends hugged you quickly before going on their way and soon there was nobody standing between you and your family.

You walked quickly in their direction, but a figure off to your left made you pause. Bryan was leaning against the fence with no guard in sight, but you were running off an immense high from your performance and did the only thing you could think of in that moment. You flipped him the bird and smiled wickedly at him like that bad ass bitch that Negan claimed you to be. The anger on Bryan's face was priceless and gave you a thrill as you walked up to your family.

Negan smiled down at you knowingly. “Great job tonight babe. That was bad ass” From the look in his eyes, you knew that he wasn't just talking about your singing.

You giggled a bit at his grin, laughing out loud when you heard Judith scold him for his language. Negan, being the big softy that he was, apologized to the sweet girl before turning all three of the kids in Michonne's direction.

“Why don't you guys go to Michonne's for the night, I have to talk to your mom about something important.” Pat looked like he was going to protest until Nik piped in.

“Ew, that just means you are gonna go make kissy faces. Nobody wants to see that.” The kids all started to giggle and Negan outright laughed.

“What do you mean? My kissy faces are adorable.” The kids all laughed as Negan made a face like a fish at them promptly scattering in Michonne's direction when he swept you into his arms, dipping you over his arms and kissing you fully on the mouth. You laughed heartily all the way home, ignoring the eyes that followed you.

A short and silent walk got you home safely. Negan was tense and you were worried. About halfway to your house, you had begun to second guess your decision to mock your ex the way you did. What if he tried to get even?

“Stop thinking like that right now, [Y/N]. You stood up for yourself, never be fucking ashamed of that.” Negan's conviction made you feel a bit better. He was right, after all the shit Bryan had done to you in the past, you had the right to be strong.

“You're right. I'm just scared he will do something stupid that will get someone hurt. It wouldn't be the first time something like that happened.” You sighed as Negan's arms wrapped around your waist from behind you.

You could almost feel the evil smile on his face. “I'm looking fucking forward to seeing him try.”

Turning into Negan's body you wrapped your arms around his waist and relaxed into his chest. “Just promise me you wont get hurt.”

Negan's chuckle shook your body. “Who do you think I am doll? I'm no fucking novice when it comes to kicking ass babe. I mean, I may not have Lucille anymore, but I can still hold my own in a fight.”

You sighed internally at his cocky bullshit before looking up into his eyes. Reaching up to him, you cupped his face in your hands. “I know you can hold your own in a fight, Negan. I just worry sometimes. If anything ever happened to you....” You shook your head and looked away, it was too painful to even think about a world without Negan.

His fingers gripped your chin, forcing you to meet his eyes. “I know how you feel darlin. I would be just as damn devastated if something happened to you or the boys. I promise, I will be careful and nothing bad will happen to any of us, even if I have to go to Michonne and beg on my knees for her to do something.”

You smiled brightly up at Negan, tears burned the back of your eyes as you stretched up to meet him. “I love you, Negan.” You whispered those words against his lips just before you molded your body into his and took his mouth in a hot kiss that left you both gasping for air.

Negan looked at you with eyes full of heat and as he picked you up, you wrapped your legs tightly around his waist. “I love you too, [Y/N]. And don't you ever fucking forget it.”

Any other words spoken that night were accentuated by moans and sighs and impassioned screams as Negan showed you just how much you meant to him that night. You were his and he was determined to let the whole town know it by morning.

The next morning was quiet, everyone from the other communities had gone home or were readying to leave by the time you and Negan left your bed. Bryan was nowhere to be found and the kids never knew he had been there. Life went on.

#negan #twd negan #the walking dead negan #negan x reader #negan fanfiction #negan's thirst squad #negan's warm weather writing challenge

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creative-horror-network · 5 years

Text

The Fog Report - Los Angeles Haunted Hayride 2019

Welcome back, intrepid listeners! The season is drawing to a close but that hasn’t deterred me from hitting a third haunted locale, although in this one the haze you’re walking through is less fog and more kicked-up dust. Probably has something to do with that weird-looking fairground tucked away in the trees there…

Started in 2009, the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride has taken up residence in Griffith Park, in and around the grounds of the Old LA Zoo. Already a fairly eerie place with its trails past abandoned enclosures and cages, the Hayride has consistently utilized the environment to create terrifying tableaus and vignettes, seen and experienced from a tractor-pulled trailer - something done for Halloween in many other parts of the country but a relative oddity in the big city. Though its themes have shifted and changed over the years, this year new owners Thirteenth Floor Entertainment have given the Hayride a unifying story and a setting from which to place their event: a cursed town called Midnight Falls.

Anyone who has read my last two articles about Dark Harbor and Knott’s Scary Farm (or who just knows me in general) should guess why this alone finally pulled me to the event. This was my first ever visit to the Haunted Hayride, so my expectations were not so effected by previous years; it’s all fresh eyes and raw opinion here.

The Event

Before I even get to the venue itself, can I just say how enjoyable just the walk there was? Unless you’re parked in one of the upper lots, you’ve got a little bit of a trek through a nighttime park ahead of you, and I wasn’t kidding earlier when I said this was “tucked away.” in the wilderness. The natural darkness and night noises certainly helped me get into the mood as I trudged up the path and saw the flickering orange glow in the distance.

Once you do get there, you find yourself in the town square of Midnight Falls in the midst of its 13th annual Halloween Festival, 1985. The Hayride itself, as well as three mazes, several concessions and a handful of slight-up charge escape rooms can all be accessed from here, but as a zone in itself the town square is well worth wandering around in. The roaming monsters - townsfolk who have been cursed but seem to be in good spirits - are more interactive and funny than outright scary, engaging visitors with humor and giving Midnight Falls the character of a cheesy 80s horror-comedy. Each character is an archetype of the era and each is a very distinct, from a jock werewolf to a hook-nosed Miss Midnight Falls to a snappy goblin server from the local diner (hi Reggie!), just to name a few of the myriad citizens.

This feels like a genuinely happy medium between the heavy thematic elements of Knott’s and the party atmosphere of Dark Harbor. You’re at an in-universe fair, and they play that up without it detracting from the scarier elements. It certainly evokes the spirit of a local Halloween: I spent a good chunk of my teenage years in the small mountain town of Idyllwild, and they also have (had?) a Halloween carnival, so I can say big props for reminding me of that feeling. Couple that with the amount of atmosphere and the commitment of the actors in their improv with guests and each other, and you have a nicely immersive, if tongue-in-cheek, experience.

It’s also good to know that the event is small, considering what it actually offers. The night I visited I managed to get there right around opening and was able to get through most everything in two hours. That doesn’t mean its not worth visiting, but don’t expect a marathon session like a theme park haunt.

The Hayride

As stated before, the hayride is the namesake and main draw of the event, a chance for Angelenos to board a hay wagon (and sit in real honest-to-goodness hay) and take a ride through the Old Zoo, now the outskirts and foothills of Midnight Falls. This attraction is presented as a sort of weird origin-story, demonstrating how the land fell under the Halloween hex and riders in the midst of it happening.

This is a wholly different kind of trip than one would make on foot through a maze, and is a proper ride in every sense, with each scene being staged in such a way that it only transpires as the hayride passes. The main ingredient is the live actors lurking in the dark that rush at the trailer and menace the riders, usually after a theatrical beat in a scene plays out, I’d never done anything like this before and it was honestly impressive, each scene having its fair share of startling surprises: highlights for me were a ghostly girl leaping from a cliff (possibly reenacting a suicide), a werewolf gang unleashed from some of the old animal cages, a amorous couple in a convertible being mauled by a Sasquatch, a close encounter with a ghost train, and a giant spider emerging from a stone structure.

I wasn’t able to take any picture while on the hayride, mainly out of respect for not ruining the moment and trying to present for it. Trust me when I say that even if the scenes seem a little cheesy, the fact that they’re part of this spooky hayride experience makes it fun. I actually feel like this is a decent entry point for people leery about going to a haunt, as it struck me as being less intense than being in the midst of a maze. Pro tip for first-timers: sit in the middle. The folks on the left and right get all the attention, so the heat’s off if you stick to the center.

The Mazes

As an added bonus, Midnight Falls has three mazes as part of its spooky neighborhood. Each is fairly short but exceptionally well put together for something built in the middle of Griffith Park, and I walked away from each fairly impressed.

The first maze I visited, Midnight Mortuary, takes you through the town’s funeral home, its backyard, morgue and chapel. The monsters here are a mix of the ghoulish staff and some goat-masked figures in white robes; perhaps a cult of some kind? More Victorian Gothic than grisly and gory, creative use of space and good set design are strong in this maze, and the startling finale helps put the random goat-people’s presence into perspective.

My favorite maze was definitely Trick or Treat, simulating a trip through a Midnight Falls neighborhood where every house has a resident surprise. This outdoor maze is unique because anyone visiting can actually ring the doorbells of the houses to see what wacky scare emerges. Since almost all the scares are guest-driven, the reward for courage comes when most of the monsters give you real candy! It’s a cute detail, and it really plays on the horror-camp and the tropes of Halloween: my favorite bit is the Devil-themed “home haunt” at the end that looks like some earnest kid built a strobe-light maze through their yard and garage. Big props for creativity.

Rounding out the three is Roadkill Ranch, ensuring no meat goes to waste in Midnight Falls… because if it’s good enough for your tires, it’s good enough for their fryers. While the effort was there, I’m personally very tired of the bloody Hellbilly theme for mazes as a whole, so this one did not really impress me. It did have some choice scare moments and a good strawbale layout in the back of it, making you weave through while masked ranchers hid in the dark, but I just think the trope has been done to death.

Final Thoughts

Though small in stature, the LA Haunted Hayride is big on personality and dark charm, offering a main attraction that isn’t offered anywhere nearby and a collection of scary sides to go along with it. The overarching setting of Midnight Falls is a huge boon to the event, and I hope it sticks around for the foreseeable future, along with its cast of characters. I’d love to see what they can add to it if it continues to expand.

What gives this an edge for me and makes it stick out, even from its larger competitors, is the festive quality of the Hayride. Halloween is not just the backdrop of the season here for spooky stuff, it’s positively dripping with Halloween flavor. Not many haunts actually make the holiday their front-and-center, and I’m super grateful that this does. It’s hard not to feel spirit (pun intended) of All Hallows Eve here, and I didn’t realize how much I missed that kind of vibe until I was there.

If you’re local and you can make it, the LA Haunted Hayride is worth a visit. Come kill a couple hours here and feel a bit of that Halloween magic, both terror and humor - trick and treats, if you’ll pardon the expression. And hey, if you’re not anywhere near LA, go see if anyone near you is doing a haunted hayride. It might help kindle that jack-o’-lantern flame in your soul too.

Anyway, I’ve got a lot of Midnight Falls dust to brush off my clothes. Until next time, I’ll see you in the fog.

The Los Angeles Haunted Hayride runs most nights in October and every night during the last week until November 2nd, from 7 to 10:30 or 11pm depending on the night. More details and tickets can be found here.

#LA Haunted Hayride

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myhauntedsalem · 5 years

Photo

McDow’s Hole

#McDow’s Hole #haunted locations #paranormal #ghost and hauntings #ghost and spirits

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dxnganronpadreams · 6 years

Note

(o gad. o domn. am flattered. I need to keep mind off before explosion.) With the welcome wagon out of the way, and the flattery, time to request! Could I get some characters of your choice having a secret interdenominational traveler friend!reader accidentally putting them in between some of their multiverse controversy?(I like the idea of the multiverse too much -w-") Thank you friends!-kazoo anon

Multiverse huh? Sorry if I mess this up but I’ll try it out. Time to play the kazoo *insert kazoo noises*

~Mod Gekkogahara

Some Random Dangan Characters get really confused with the multiverse.

Y/N = You

I will use they/their pronouns so the reader can be girl or boy. Also to lessen confusion, all characters know every other character :)

Rantaro Amami (Lab AU & Non-Despair AU):

┤”Hm, maybe it wasn’t a good idea to touch that thing on your desk.” He thought aloud when he saw you and two Junko’s they seemed to be fighting eachother… One was screaming something about “DESPAIR, DESPAIR!!” and the other was screaming “HOPE, HOPE!!” which came as a big surprise to Amami.

┤”Y/N…?” He shouted towards Y/N and waved his hand. The two Junko’s shot glares at him, which made Amami slightly off-put to even pursue the question of what the hell was happening.

┤Suddenly, the Junko’s went back to their fighting. Vulgar words shot between the two. A group of people clad in lab coats behind the Junko shouting despair and some weird creatures that resembled his classmates.

┤He then saw a creature that resembled him, he was… confused to say the least. He saw a tree growing on it a chorus of blood coming out its eyes. Amami walked up to it but suddenly Y/N ran up to him, grabbed him by the arm and-

┤They were back in their dorm? Amami was all new stages of confused, confuddled would be a better word to express his still-rising levels of confusion. Y/N stared at Amami they didn’t even need to ask anything with that sort of glare.

┤”Well, I was worried Y/N.” He said. Y/N looked disappointed, but sighed. “It’s nice to have a friend like you Amami….And I don’t want to lose you… Please don’t speak of what you saw and avoid thinking about it too.” Y/N said with a depressing but guilty tone.

┤”Of course Y/N.”

Ibuki Mioda (Paranormal AU & Mystic AU)

┤”WOAH!!!” She yelped. She had just gone through that blue blob in Y/N’s room and now she was in a dark forest?? Cool! She stumbled around for a bit then suddenly herd a shrill scream.

┤What’s this? Y/N is talking to a really creepy looking Hajime and another Hajime which was dressed like an angel. She ran over to Y/N and the Hajimes waving happily “HEY HAJIMES AND Y/N!!!!!”

┤Y/N looked like they had a mini heart attack… they tripped over their own feet, toppling to the ground and a large thunk followed it.

┤”IBUKI WHY THE HELL ARE YOU HERE!?” Y/N shouts from the floor. Blatantly angered, a Hajime goes up to Ibuki, he looks like a ghost and Ibuki is slightly scared...

┤The Hajime screams at the top of his lungs and Ibuki quickly blocks her ears. Y/N grabs Ibuki’s hand and drags her away to the blue blob. The Hajime is gaining speed and getting closer to the fleeing pair.

┤”Phew! Ibuki nearly thought she was a goner!!” She yelps, she felt amazing after the rush. Y/N was fuming with anger, Ibuki booked it whilst Y/N started screaming “YOU WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO SEE THAT!!!!”(END)

#imagine #interdimensional #ibuki mioda #rantaro amami #multiverse #i hope i wrote this right-

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zed-air · 6 years

Text

CKUA - The Midway: 2018

______

The Midway was a special program which typically aired from 9:00am-12:00pm (or sometimes 10:00am-2:00) on CKUA from 2016-2019 during statutory holidays.

Click “keep reading” below for my 2018 Midway playlists.

Explore my playlist history for other dates and programs.

- - - - -

AIRTIME // TITLE // PERFORMING ARTIST // ALBUM

2018-02-19

^^ listener recommendation ++ selected from CKUA’s “house blend” playlist

09:00 // Monday Morning // Pulp // Different Class

09:06 // Cowboy Song // Thin Lizzy // Uncut Nov 2001

09:11 // Glory Hallelujah // The Give ‘Em Hell Boys // Barn Burner

09:19 // Navajo Rug // Ian Tyson // All the Good ‘Uns

09:21 // S Lazy H // Corb Lund // Things That Can’t Be Undone

09:29 // Winter // Celeigh Cardinal // Everything and Nothing At All

09:35 // Viva La Vida // Coldplay // Viva La Vida…

09:39 // Shop Around // Smoky Robinson & the Miracles // Motown Forever

09:43 // You Really Got a Hold on Me // The Beatles // With the Beatles

09:48 // Another Day // Paul McCartney // Wingspan

09:54 // I Was Born Under a Wandering Star // Lee Marvin // Paint Your Wagon

10:02 // Be There // Kimberley MacGregor // I Am My Own

10:06 // Mary Jane’s Last Dance // Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers // Greatest Hits

10:11 // Back in Black // AC/DC // Back in Black

10:18 // Rose of the Valley // Duane Eddy // Road Trip

10:21 // Like Water // Graftician // Wander/Weave ++

10:26 // No Wrong // Bahamas // No Wrong 45 ++

10:32 // Devil in Disguise // Elvis Presley // Hits

10:35 // Christine’s Tune // The Flying Burrito Bros // 20th C. Masters

10:38 // I’m No Elvis Presley // Lindi Ortega // Little Red Boots

10:42 // Pretty Thing // Michael Rault // Crash! Boom! Bang!

10:44 // Not Fade Away // The Rolling Stones // Grrr!

10:46 // Maggie’s Farm (live at Newport) // Bob Dylan // No Direction Home

10:52 // You Keep Me Hanging On // Vanilla Fudge // Classic Rock 1968

10:56 // Why Do You Love Me? // Jom Comyn // I Need Love

11:01 // Leaving the Table // Leonard Cohen // You Want It Darker

11:07 // Rabbit in Your Headlights // UNKLE & Thom Yorke // Psyence Fiction ^^

11:12 // My Soul’s in Louisiana // Otis Taylor // ________ ^^

11:16 // Give Me a Sign // Edward Sharp & the Magnetic Zeroes // Give Me a Sign 45

11:20 // Distant Sky // Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds // Skeleton Tree

11:27 // He’ll Have To Go // Jim Reeves // Essential Jim Reeves ^^

11:30 // Once in a Lifetime // Talking Heads // Remain in Light

11:34 // Murder in the City (live) // The Avett Bros // _________ ^^

11:39 // Love is the Drug // Roxy Music // The Collection ^^

11:43 // I’ll Take You There // The Staples Singers // Greatest Hits

11:48 // Fun Fun Fun // The Beach Boys // Good Vibrations

11:50 // Do You Remember Rock & Roll Radio? // The Ramones // Greatest Hits

11:55 // Memories // Leonard Cohen // Death of a Ladies’ Man

- - - - -

2018-03-30

^^ listener recommendation ++ selected from CKUA’s “house blend” playlist

09:00 // Friday on My Mind // The Easybeats // Greatest Hits

09:05 // Walk of Life // Dire Straits // Greatest Hits

09:09 // Walk on the Wild Side // Lou Reed // Transformer

09:14 // Love Minus Zero // The Walker Bros // Take It Easy With the WB

09:17 // All Along the Watchtower // Jimi Hendrix // Electric Ladyland

09:21 // When the Ship Comes In // The Hollies // Hollies Sing Dylan

09:24 // Here’s That Rainy Day // Bob Dylan // Triplicate

09:31 // Laugh Laugh // The Beau Brummels // Greatest Hits

09:36 // No Surprises // Radiohead // OK Computer

09:39 // You Don’t Scare Me // Whitney Rose // Rule 62

09:44 // Come To Me // Sue Foley // The Ice Queen

09:48 // I Ain’t Cool // The Sheepdogs // Changing Colours ^^

09:52 // Bad Bad News // Leon Bridges // Good Thing

09:56 // Ain’t That Good News // Sam Cooke // Ain’t That Good News

10:03 // The Priests of Golden Bull // Buffy Sainte-Marie // Medicine Songs

10:09 // Whiskey // Joey Landreth // Whiskey EP

10:12 // Bad Bad Man // The Give ‘Em Hell Boys // Barn Burner

10:16 // After Midnight // Eric Clapton // Complete Clapton

10:19 // Give Me One Reason // Tracy Chapman // _____

10:24 // Still Crazy After All These Years // Paul Simon // The Essential

10:28 // The Addams Family Theme // Vic Mizzy // Greatest Hits of TV

10:31 // Winter // Celeigh Cardinal // Everything and Nothing At All

10:37 // Go // Kimberley MacGregor // I Am My Own

10:42 // Everybody’s Coming To My House // David Byrne // American Utopia

10:47 // I Wanna Prove To You // The Lemon Twigs // Do Hollywood

10:51 // This Winter Revisited // F&M // ______ ^^

10:54 // North To Alaska // Johnny Horton // The Essential

10:58 // I Can See For Miles // The Who // The Who Sell Out ^^

11:02 // Shining in the Distance // The Stray Birds // Magic Fire

11:08 // When You Ain’t Home // Lindi Orgega // Faded Gloryville

11:12 // I Don’t Know Why I Love You But I Do // Clarence “Frogman” Henry // Collected Works

11:14 // Heroes (live) // King Crimson // DGM Live

11:20 // Goldfinger // Bill Frisell & Thomas Morgan // Small Town

11:26 // Secret Love // Nels Cline // Lovers

11:30 // Zoot Allures // Frank Zappa // Zoot Allures

11:34 // 13 Engines // What If We Don’t Get What We Want? // _____ ^^

11:38 // Nedayeh Bahar // Habibi // Cardamom Garden

11:41 // Disarray // Preoccupations // New Material

11:45 // Say it Louder // Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats // Tearing at the Seams

11:49 // Don’t Stop Me Now // Queen // Greatest Hits

11:52 // Heart of Oak // Richard Hawley // Hollow Meadows

11:56 // Goodbye Stranger // Supertramp // Retrospectacle

- - - - -

2018-05-21

Today’s theme: because Victoria Day falls between Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day, the theme of this program is going to be parents & music. I want to hear from you. Get in touch with names of formative songs your parents introduced to you, and/or songs you introduced to your parents that turned their cranks.

^^ listener recommendation ++ selected from CKUA’s “house blend” playlist

09:00 // Monday Morning // Pulp // Different Class

09:06 // Victoria // The Kinks // Arthur

09:09 // These Days Is Coming Soon // The Lemon Twigs // Do Hollywood

09:12 // Today // Jefferson Airplane // Surrealistic Pillow

09:17 // Somebody That I Used To Know // Gotye // Making Mirrors

09:21 // Masseduction // St. Vincent // Masseduction

09:25 // Physical // Juliana Hatfield // Sings Songs of Olivia Newton John

09:30 // We’ve Come This Far // Sloan // Commonwealth

09:34 // Just Like Romeo & Juliet // Sha-Na-Na // __________

09:37 // Romeo & Juliet // Dire Straits // Priviate Investigations

09:45 // Four Out of Five // Arctic Monkeys // Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino

09:51 // Treat Her Right // Mr. T. // Greatest Hits

09:55 // Axel F. // Angela Dubeau & La Pieta // __________

10:01 // Nunca Es Suficiente; Natalia Lafourcade; Hasta la Raiz

10:06 // Layla (Strange Brew) // Le Onde Blu // Italy 1960s Beat

10:10 // Nessuno Mi Puo Guidicare // Gene Pitney // Definitive Collection

10:13 // Save the Last Dance for Me // The Shanes // Anthology

10:16 // California Sun // Ola & the Janglers // Swedish Rock & Roll Hits

10:19 // She Taught Me to Yodel // The Scarlets // Collection

10:22 // Boys Night Out // Johnny Reimar // Greatest Hits

10:24 // A Swinging Safari // Bert Kaempfert // Classics

10:29 // My Bonnie // Tony Sheridan & the Beat Bros // Tony Sheridan & the Silver Beatles

10:34 // Why Do You Have To Break My Heart Again? // The School // Reading Too Much Into Things

10:38 // Neon Lights // Kraftwerk // The Man-Machine

10:42 // Das Model // The Cardigans // B-Sides

10:47 // Wipeout // The Eliminators // Planetary Pebbles - Behind the Iron Curtain, vol 1

10:50 // Crazy Guitars // Boomerangs // Planetary Pebbles - Behind the Iron Curtain, vol 1

10:52 // Can Can // Can // Singles

10:57 // Lakes of Mars // Doug Hoyer // Walks With the Tender & Growing Night

11:01 // Hello in There // John Prine // Souveniers ^^

11:09 // Carry Me // The Stampeders // Best of ^^

11:12 // Ghost Riders in the Sky // Gene Autry // Essential ^^

11:16 // I’ve Been Everywhere // Hank Snow // Essential ^^

11:20 // Happy Brasilia // James Last // __________ ^^

11:24 // Crazy Train // Ozzy Osbourne // Anthology ^^

11:27 // Oxygene II // Jean-Michel Jarre // Oxygene ^^

11:30 // Froggy Went a-Courtin’ // Red Allen // Essential ^^

11:35 // Welcome to Earth (Pollywog) // Sturgill Simpson // A Sailor’s Guide to Earth ^^

11:40 // Late Night Radio // Gary Brown // __________ ^^

11:45 // A Sweet Beginning Like This // Fats Waller // Anthology ^^

11:49 // You Make Me Feel Like Dancing // Leo Sayer // You Make Me Feel Like Dancing

11:52 // Twist & Shout // The Isley Bros // Essential

11:55 // End of the Line // Traveling Wilburys // Vol 1

- - - - -

2018-07-02

Due to some scheduling kerfuffles at the station, the July 2, 2018 instalment of The Midway will last longer and start a whole lot earlier! Coming to your receivers from 6AM-10AM MST, tune in for our post-Canada Day extravaganza.

The theme of this episode is a simple one: what is the best Canadian artist/song you’ve discovered in 2018? It can be a new release, or any Canadian that you weren’t previously aware of - regardless of era.

^^ listener recommendation ++ selected from CKUA’s “house blend” playlist

06:00 // Monday Morning // Pulp // Different Class

06:06 // Changing Times // Iwan Rheon // Changing Times single

06:10 // Hippy Hippy Shake // Chan Romero // USA Roots of the UK Invasion

06:12 // The Devil in His Heart // The Donays // USA Roots of the UK Invasion

06:15 // Twist & Shout // The Isley Bros // Essential

06:19 // Robotic // Hannah Georgas // Hannah Georgas

06:23 // Crash Years // The New Pornographers // Together

06:31 // Psychopath // St. Vincent // STV

06:36 // Summer Sounds // Robert Goulet // Summer Sounds

06:38 // Under the Boardwalk // The Drifters // Greatest Hits

06:40 // Summer Holiday // Cliff Richard & the Shadows // Summer Holiday

06:45 // Suck It and See // The Arctic Monkeys // Suck It and See

06:48 // Street Life // Roxy Music // Collection

06:51 // Everybody’s Coming To My House // David Byrne

06:56 // Houses of the Holy // Led Zeppelin // Houses of the Holy

07:03 // Troubled Mind // Dan Mangan // Troubled Mind single

07:08 // Wendy // The Beach Boys // Good Vibrations

07:11 // Gorilla Song // Sha-Na-Na // Greatest Hits

07:13 // Bananaphone // Raffi // Bananaphone

07:16 // Carry On // Coeur de Pirate // Roses

07:19 // Breaking Down // Florence & the Machine // Ceremonials

07:23 // Stepping Out // Joe Jackson // Night and Day

07:32 // Everything // Celeigh Cardinal // Everything and Nothing At All

07:35 // Tommaso // nehiyawak // Tommaso single

07:39 // My Back Pages // Marshall Crenshaw // Bleecker Street

07:44 // Only a Pawn in the Game // Bob Dylan // The Times They Are A-Changin’

07:48 // The Godfather Waltz // Nino Rota // The Godfather Soundtrack

07:53 // Wish You Were Here // Pink Floyd // Wish You Were Here

08:01 // Radio // Client // City

08:05 // Radio, Radio // Elvis Costello // This Year’s Model

08:08 // Shape Shifter // Lera Lynn // Resistor

08:12 // In the Aeroplane Over the Sea // Neutral Milk Hotel // In the Aeroplane Under the Sea

08:17 // Maybe Tonight // Nicole Atkins // Neptune City

08:21 // Girl Don’t Come // Sandie Shaw // Hits of the 1960s

08:24 // I Only Want To Be With You // Dusty Springfield // Hits of the 1960s

08:26 // Moonshiner’s Daughter // Rhiannon Giddens // Factory Girl

08:31 // Decomposing Composers // Monty Python // Monty Python Sings

08:35 // Girl From Ipanema // Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto // Super Samba

08:39 // Xanadu // Juliana Hatfield // J.H. Sings Olivia Newton John

08:43 // I Wanna Prove To You // The Lemon Twigs // Do Hollywood

08:48 // Depth of My Soul // Thievery Corporation // Saudade

08:51 // No More Disguises // Thievery Corporation // Saudade

08:56 // You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You // Dinah Washington // Blue Box 2

09:01 // O Canada // Osyron // O Canada (music video)

09:04 // Who Do You Love? // Ronnie Hawkins & the Hawks // Rock & Roll Originals ++

09:07 // One Foot // Doug Hoyer // To Be a River ^^

09:10 // Glory // Layten Kramer // Glory ++

09:15 // Always For You // J.J. Shiplett // Something To Believe In ^^

09:19 // You Don’t Scare Me // Whitney Rose // Rule 62 ^^

09:25 // Norwegian Wood // Greenwich, Breau, Bickert // Toronto Sessions ^^

09:31 // Changes // Gordon Lightfoot // Original Lightfoot

09:33 // Been Waiting // The Flashing Lights // Sweet Release ^^

09:40 // The Silent // The Bolt Actions // TBA EP

09:42 // Don’t Wanna Hear It // Lindi Ortega // Cigarettes & Truckstops ^^

09:45 // Bye Bye Blackbird // Ringo Starr // Sentimental Journey

09:48 // Blackbird // The Beatles // The Beatles

09:51 // End of the Line // The Traveling Wilburys // Volume 1

09:54 // I’ll Be Seeing You // Francoise Hardy & Iggy Pop // Triple Best

- - - - -

TITLE // PERFORMING ARTIST // ALBUM // AIRTIME

2018-08-06 - 09:00-12:00

The theme of this episode: what recent folk-festival performance/performer has astonished you? It can be during the current festival season. It can be an artist you’ve loved for years, or someone you’ve only just discovered.

^^ listener recommendation ++ selected from CKUA’s “house blend” playlist

Monday Morning // Pulp // Different Class // Mon 09:01

Maggie’s Farm (live Newport ‘65) // Bob Dylan // The Bootleg Series Vol. 7 // Mon 09:06

Polka Dot Undies // Bowser & Blue // Polka Dot Undies (Single) // Mon 09:12AM

Let The Good Times Roll // JD McPherson // Let The Good Times Roll // Mon 09:17AM

Country House // Blur // ______ // Mon 09:20

Rockaway Beach // Ramones // Loud, Fast Ramones // Mon 09:25AM

Do You Need My Love // Weyes Blood // Front Row Seat To Earth // Mon 09:30AM

Surrender // kd lang // Tomorrow Never Dies Soundtrack // Mon 09:36AM

Underneath the Mango Tree // Diana Coupland & Monty Norman // Dr. No Soundtrack // Mon 09:40AM

Nobody Does It Better // Carly Simon // Clouds In My Coffee: 1965-1995 // Mon 09:43AM

You And Whose Army? // Radiohead // Amnesiac // Mon 09:48AM

Four Out Of Five // Arctic Monkeys // Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino // Mon 09:54AM

She’s Electric // Oasis // (What’s The Story) Morning Glory // Mon 10:02AM

Lille (live at EFMF 2013) // Lisa Hannigan // Live at the CKUA Tent // Mon 10:09AM

Driver’s Seat // Sniff ‘n’ the Tears // Driver’s Seat single // Mon 10:12AM

Breakfast at the Ace // The Rapiers // The Rapiers // Mon 10:16AM

Ford Fairlane // Confusionaires // Make a Little Mess With the Confusionaires // Mon 10:22AM

Big Sunglasses // Dylan Farrell // Blues Before // Mon 10:24AM

Would You Be My Dog? // Celeigh Cardinal // Everything And Nothing At All // Mon 10:30AM

Bizarre Love Triangle // Give 'Em Hell Boys // Barn Burner // Mon 10:34AM

City Lights // King Of Foxes // Golden Armour // Mon 10:38AM

Rock Pool // Cate Le Bon // Rock Pool EP // Mon 10:42AM

Twisting By The Pool // Dire Straits // Twisting By The Pool // Mon 10:47AM

Enola Gay // OMD // Organization // Mon 10:51AM

Bad Luck // Neko Case // Bad Luck (Single) // Mon 10:59AM

Total Eclipse // Klaus Nomi // Klaus Nomi // Mon 11:06AM

From a Logical Point of View // Robert Mitchum // Calypso is Like So // Mon 11:07AM

Phenomenal Woman // Ruthie Foster // The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster // Mon 11:12AM ^^

Gotta Serve Somebody // Mavis Staples // Tangled Up In Blues: Songs Of Bob Dylan // Mon 11:16AM ^^

Mr. Monday // Kobo Town // Jumbie In The Jukebox // Mon 11:22AM ^^

The Letter // Joe Cocker // Sounds Of The Seventies: 1970 // Mon 11:26AM ^^

Steppin’ Out // Joe Jackson // Night and Day // Mon 11:32AM ^^

Preachin’ To The Choir // Rodney Crowell // Fate’s Right Hand // Mon 11:37AM ^^

You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover // William Prince // You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover // Mon 11:43AM ^^

And I Love Her // Passenger // The Boy Who Cried Wolf // Mon 11:46AM ^^

And I Love Her // The Beatles // A Hard Day’s Night // Mon 11:51AM

End Of The Line // The Traveling Wilburys // Traveling Wilburys Collection // Mon 11:53AM

I’ll Be Seeing You // Francoise Hardy & Iggy Pop // Triple Best // Mon 11:56AM

- - - - -

2018-09-03 - 09:00-12:00

The theme of this episode: what is one of your essential live albums? It can be new, old, filled with cheating overdubs, lo-fi, hi-fi, whatever!

^^ listener recommendation ++ selected from CKUA’s “house blend” playlist ~~ today’s featured album: Richard Hawley’s Live at the Devi’s Arse

Monday Morning // Pulp // Different Class // Mon 09:01AM

Maggie’s Farm (live at Newport Folk 1965) // Bob Dylan // No Direction Home // Mon 09:07AM

Goldfinger // Bill Frisell & Thomas Morgan // Small Town // Mon 09:14AM

Four Out Of Five // Arctic Monkeys // Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino // Mon 09:19AM

Oliver Cromwell // Monty Python // Sings // Mon 09:28AM

Reelin’ In The Years // Steely Dan // Can’t Buy A Thrill // Mon 09:30AM

Help Me Rhonda // The Beach Boys // Good Vibrations: 30 Years Of The // Mon 09:36AM

Hideaway // John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers // Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton // Mon 09:39AM

Going Down // Freddie King // Ultimate Collection // Mon 09:43AM

Steppin’ Out // Memphis Slim // Rockin’ the Blues // Mon 09:46AM

Shake Your Money Maker // Paul Butterfield Blues Band // Paul Butterfield Blues Band // Mon 09:51AM

Darlin’ // Richard Hawley // Live at the Devil’s Arse // Mon 09:54AM ~~

The Devil in Disguise // Richard Hawley // Live at the Devil’s Arse // Mon 09:57AM ~~

Ain’t That a Shame // Cheap Trick // Live at Budokan // Mon 10:06AM

Hot Rod Lincoln // Commander Cody // 70s Classics // Mon 10:15AM

Rambler // The Madmen // Swedish Rock & Roll Hits // Mon 10:16AM

Pistoleros // The Shanes // The Shanes Anthology // Mon 10:17AM

Satumaa // Reijo Taipale // Satumaa 45 // Mon 10:22AM

Satumaa // Frank Zappa & the Mothers // You Can’t Do That on Stage Anymore 2 // Mon 10:25AM

Impossible Germany (live, 2012) // Wilco // Ashes of the American Flag // Mon 10:31AM

I Wonder If Care As Much // Richard Hawley with Lynn & Jean // Live at the Devil’s Arse // Mon 10:40AM ~~

Lille (live at CKUA Tent, EFMF 2013) // Lisa Hannigan // Live at EFMF 2013 // Mon 10:45AM

Distant Sky // Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds // Distant Sky Live in Copenhagen // Mon 11:51AM

Smoke on the Water // Deep Purple // Made in Japan // Mon 11:00AM

Comfortably Numb // Roger Waters & Van Morrison // The Wall Live // Mon 11:10AM ^^

That Silver Haired Daddy of Mine // Simon & Garfunkel // Live 1969 // Mon 11:14AM ^^

Folsom Prison Blues // Merle Haggard // Live // Mon 11:19AM ^^

New Favourite // Alison Krauss & Union Station // Live // Mon 11:25AM ^^

Murder By Numbers // Sting & Friends // Broadway the Hard Way // Mon 11:29AM ^^

Do You Feel Like I Do? // Peter Frampton // Frampton Comes Alive // Mon 11:31 ^^

Lakes of Mars // Doug Hoyer // REC-YEG Concert Sessions 2012 // Mon 11:39AM

1952 Vincent Black Lightnight // Reckless Kelly // R.K. Was Here // Mon 11:47AM ^^

Just Like the Rain // Richard Hawley // Live at the Devil’s Arse // Mon 11:48AM ~~

That’ll Be the Day // Cliff Richard & the Shadows // The Rock & Roll Years // Mon 11:52AM

Don’t Ever Change // The Beatles // Live at the BBC // Mon 11:54AM

I’ll Be Seeing You // Francoise Hardy & Iggy Pop // Triple Best // Mon 11:58AM

- - - - -

2018-10-08 - 09:00-12:00

The theme of this episode: a smorgasbord of tunes - food, mood, and gratitude. We’ll also feature some leftovers - songs which listeners recommended for earlier editions of The Midway, but which were not broadcast when received due to time constraints or other impediments. Sharing a feast for the ears.

^^ listener recommendation ++ selected from CKUA’s “house blend” playlist

Monday Morning // Pulp // Different Class // Mon 09:01AM

Hi Hello // Johnny Marr // Hi Hello // Mon 09:07AM

The Right Stuff // Noel Gallagher // Chasing Yesterday // Mon 09:12AM

Snow Bank // Doug Hoyer // Walks With the Tender & Growing Night // Mon 09:19AM

Strawberry Fields Forever // The Beatles // Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club // Mon 09:27AM

Strawberry Cake // Johnny Cash // Strawberry Cake // Mon 09:35AM

You Don’t Scare Me // Whitney Rose // Rule 62 // Mon 09:38AM

The White Witch // Ivoux // Frozen // Mon 09:43AM

Winter // Celeigh Cardinal // Everything And Nothing At All // Mon 09:48AM

Dunes // Alabama Shakes // Sound And Color // Mon 09:55AM

Satin Devil // Dirty Dirty Devils // Dirty Dirty Devils // Mon 10:04AM

Help Me // Joni Mitchell // Hits // Mon 10:08AM

My Favorite Things // John Coltrane // _____ // Mon 10:11AM

Big Rock Candy Mountain // Harry McClintock // O Brother, Where Art Thou? // Mon 10:14AM

Morning Has Broken // Yusuf / Cat Stevens // The Very Best Of Cat Stevens // Mon 10:17AM ^^

Blame It On the Bossa Nova // Eydie Gorme // Greatest Hits // Mon 10:21AM

Telstar // The Tornados // The Tornados // Mon 10:23AM

Telstar (Original Demo) // Joe Meek // Joe Meek Anthology // Mon 10:28AM

Take a Bow // Muse // Black Holes & Revelations // Mon 10:31AM

Money // The Backbeat Band // Backbeat Soundtrack // Mon 10:40AM

Rockaway Beach // Ramones // Loud, Fast Ramones // Mon 10:42AM

Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer // Nat King Cole // Greatest Hits // Mon 10:45AM

Crocodile Rock // Elton John // Greatest Hits // Mon 10:47AM

Money // Pink Floyd // The Dark Side Of The Moon // Mon 10:53AM

Statesboro Blues (Live) // The Allman Bros Band // At Fillmore East // Mon 11:01AM ^^

The Tourist Song // Brad Bucknell & the oHNo Band // self-titled // Mon 11:06AM

Wiggle Wiggle // Bob Dylan // Under a Red Sky // Mon 11:11AM

Bad Guy // Jesse & The Dandelions // True Blue // Mon 11:14AM ^^

Danceland (Come With Me) // The Garrys // Surf Manitou // Mon 11:17AM

Loneliness // Rebekah Higgs // Sha La La // Mon 11:21AM

Trigger // The New Haunts // The New Haunts // Mon 11:25AM ^^

I Wanna Thank You // Sloan // Navy Blues // Mon 11:29AM ^^

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut // Almond Joy // Vintage Commercials // Mon 11:35AM

Fireworks // First Aid Kit // Ruins // Mon 11:37AM

The Way It Is // Nicole Atkins // Neptune City // Mon 11:44AM

Ice Dance // Danny Elfman // Edward Scissorhands Soundtrack // Mon 11:47AM

Apple Tree // The Hearts // ______ // Mon 11:49AM

Blistered // That Pedal Show Band // Blistered // Mon 11:56AM

I’ll Be Seeing You // Francoise Hardy & Iggy Pop // Triple Best // Mon 11:58AM

- - - - -

2018-11-12 - 09:00-12:00

^^ listener recommendation ++ selected from CKUA’s “house blend” playlist

Monday Morning // Pulp // Different Class // Mon 09:00AM

Lollipop (Ode To Jim) // Alvvays // Antisocialites // Mon 09:05AM

Danceland (Come With Me) // The Garrys // Surf Manitou // Mon 09:09AM

Christmas All Over Again // Tom Petty // A Very Special Christmas 2 // Mon 09:13AM

I Will // The Beatles // The Beatles (Stereo Remaster) // Mon 09:20AM

Is He Really Coming Home? // The School // Loveless Unbeliever // Mon 09:22AM

The Spell of City Lights // J.D. McPherson // ______ // 09:25AM

The Future Age // The Hearts // Equal Love // Mon 09:30AM

Arnold Layne // The Pink Floyd // Arnold Layne 45 // Mon 09:34AM

Anne of 1000 Days // John Moore // Knickerbocker Glory // Mon 09:42AM

Journey // Sarah Nixey // Night Walks // Mon 09:44AM

Start As You Mean To Go On // Black Box Recorder // The Facts of Life // Mon 09:47AM

Xanadu // Juliana Hatfield // Sings the Songs of Olivia Newton John // Mon 09:53AM

Africa // Weezer // Africa // Mon 10:00AM

Hold the Line // Osyron // Hold the Line // Mon 10:05AM

Do You Remember Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio // Ramones // Greatest Hits // Mon 10:09AM

Breaking Down // Florence & The Machine // Ceremonials // Mon 10:13AM

Time Of The Season // The Zombies // Pop Music: The Golden Era 1951-1 // Mon 10:19AM

True Love Ways // Peter & Gordon // Greatest Hits // Mon 10:23AM

Wonderful Land // The Shadows // Shadows Are Go! // Mon 10:25AM

Midnight // The Shadows // Shadows Are Go! // Mon 10:27AM

While My Guitar Gently Weeps // The Beatles // White Album // Mon 10:31AM

(Nice Dream) // Radiohead // The Bends // Mon 10:37AM

A Boat Lies Waiting // David Gilmour // Rattle That Lock // Mon 10:41AM

Get Ready // The Temptations // The Motown Box // Mon 10:48AM

Did You Feed My Cow? // Sharon, Lois, and Bram // Smorgasboard // Mon 10:50AM

Damn Tattoo // John Wort Hannam // Brambles And Thorns // Mon 10:54AM

Little White Lines // Sweet Vintage Rides // Road Trip // Mon 10:58AM

Time Is Tight // Booker T. & The MG’s // Beg Scream & Shout!: The Big Ol’ // Mon 11:02AM

Take Me Home, Country Roads // John Denver // Behind The Music: The John Denver // Mon 11:07AM

Imagine // Neil Young // ______ // 11:10AM

This Magic Moment // Lou Reed // Lost Highway Soundtrack // Mon 11:13AM

You Belong To Me // Jo Stafford // Pop Music: The Golden Era 1951-1 // Mon 11:18AM

Lodestar // Sarah Harmer // You Were Here // Mon 11:21AM

Crosstown Traffic // Jimi Hendrix // Electric Ladyland // Mon 11:28AM

Quickstep Medley: I’m a Believer, Simon Smith & his Dancing Bear, The Happening, Georgie Girl // Joe Loss & His Orchestra // Top Pop Dance Time

Tous les garcons et les filles // Francoise Hardy // Tous les garcons et les filles // Mon 11:38AM

My Autumn’s Done Come // Hooverphonic // Sit Down and Listen // Mon 11:41AM

Darlin’ (live 2008) // Richard Hawley // Live at the Devil’s Arse // Mon 11:47AM

Memories // Leonard Cohen // Death of a Ladies’ Man // Mon 11:50AM

I’ll Be Seeing You // Francoise Hardy & Iggy Pop // Triple Best // Mon 11:57AM

#midway #playlist #ckua #radio #2018

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