#and yet i can't draw chains at all. literally screaming

[demigod-of-the-agni]

knowing lloyd im just imagining him gesturing to his stump like "holy fucking smokes dude! my cut is insane! shoutout to my barber" as kai has like his face in his hands after yet another failed test drive of the prosthetic arm (it may have blown up a little)

lloyd can only give kai a 5/10 because he doesn't have his other hand

[iraprince]

hi idk if this is a weird question but like. how do u Make Art with adhd? you mentioned in your comic that you struggled w various other creative hobbies, but like drawing feels to me always like the Big Bad Thing I Cannot Ever do. even tho i want to make it my career LOL

how'd you get past that?

not a weird question at all! this is actually a question i ask myself pretty much every day, bc generally my answer to "how do i make art with adhd" has always been: With Great Difficulty, lmfao.

it's hard! i am not always good at it! i made art my job bc i realistically couldn't imagine being truly happy with anything else; if that wasn't the case, i'm not sure i would be doing this. like, that ends up being a big divide between the hobbies mentioned in that comic vs art, which is something that it seems (according to viewing my online activity) i do "Consistently;" it is my career, so there's a level of like, urgency and necessity there that my hobbies don't have. which, like, obviously my advice is not "make it your job so that you HAVE to OR ELSE :)" because it doesn't work like that. i am spending an amount of time OR-ELSE-ing that i think might surprise ppl, and i am frankly very lucky that my wife is the primary provider for our family, because it gives me a safety net for when my brain makes a loud grinding noise and then belches a big cloud of smoke and i have to spend a week hitting it with a wrench.

ANYWAY. this is going to get long bc i have a lot of thoughts abt it. there's really no one answer to getting past it, and i am not "past it," i don't know if i think anyone ever can be! we can just try really hard to keep going in ways that won't burn us out. if i had to pull out the absolute #1 most important thing i've learned over the past few years, it is -- and i know this sounds like dumb corny bullshit but you really have to stay with me here -- being kind and patient with yourself.

i'm being so dead serious. if beating yourself up and freaking out and constantly agonizing over how much more you Could be drawing worked, you would be drawing right now. if beating ourselves up over our output worked, EVERYONE would be drawing ALL the time. it doesn't fucking work! it does not! do literally anything other than yelling at yourself. it's bullshit. it's fuckery. it does not work.

on the other hand, cultivating as much kindness and patience and compassion as i can muster -- saying, "well, it looks like i just don't have it today. that's okay, let's try again tomorrow," even if i'm saying it through clenched teeth and i don't really believe it -- THAT works, because it chips away at the idea of drawing being life or death. it's probably a very similar feeling to you describing art as The Big Bad Thing. of course if you hang all your self worth on it and let it become immense and dominating, it's going to be hard to interact with it! it's scary! it becomes easier to avoid it than to try to tackle it and then feel disappointed in yourself in a more active way (vs. just disappointed in yet another day where u didn't try). but every time i sigh and say "okay" when my brain is screaming and crying bc art just is not working, and i decide to rest and try again tomorrow, 1. it is easier to do a little bit of work the next day when i'm rested than it is to do ANY work when i chain myself to my desk for 9 hours and demand results, and 2. i learn that it is not the end of the world. it just isn't. and so art gets smaller, and less frightening, and it can just be my job (something i have to wrangle my adhd around just like anything else, like grocery shopping and keeping the house clean and keeping up with my friends) instead of some huge destructive boss battle with my identity hanging in the balance.

sometimes you have to talk to yourself like a little kid. if a little kid came to you upset and was like "i wanna draw but i just can't. i don't know why." you would (hopefully) not be like, "whatever, i guess you're just not cut out for it then!" or whatever other mean shit we say to ourselves when we can't draw. you would be like, "well, okay. do you want me to sit with you? how do we start? where's some stuff we can draw with? hm, i can't really think of what to draw either. did you see anything pretty or cool today? let's just draw some shapes." etc etc. and if the kid got frustrated and it still wasn't working you'd be like, you know what, that was a good try. let's have some lunch and try again later. and you deserve that same level of patience, and that level of CURIOUS problem-solving ("what can we try? what might be easier?") instead of, like, adversarial/blame-assigning problem solving ("what the fuck is the matter with you? why can't you just do it?")

also, shaking things up!! one of the most frustrating things abt adhd for me is i'll find a new strategy that Works, but it only works for like, two weeks or whatever, and then it stops working and i have to do something else. i have had a way better time just accepting that that's how things work vs thinking of these cycles as "failures."

if i start dreading working at my desk, i throw a block of printer paper onto a clip board and work on the couch for a few weeks. when that stops working, i get back on drawpile and do all my warmup sketches on an interactive canvas, with strangers around me (virtual coffeeshop lol?). when i get tired of that, then maybe i'm ready to be alone with clip studio again. nope, still not working? okay, let's stream while i'm working for a while then. let's start drawing differently. let's change the background color i draw on. just, like, i keep shaking things up to see if maybe i can trick my brain into feeling like we're doing something totally new for a while, and a lot of the times it works, and when it does not work i am not an asshole to myself, which is, as i keep reiterating, super vital.

when i make the most art is when i get super excited about something and i let myself go apeshit. (there's a reason my guild wars 2 stuff is corralled on a sideblog lmao.) when commissions start grinding to a halt for me, a lot of times it's bc i've let them become Tasks on a to-do list instead of remembering that each piece is a DRAWING; it can help for me to sit down and go through each piece in my queue and really look at it, and remind myself that these are DRAWINGS and i LOVE drawing, and to point out to myself stuff in the wip that i like, and stuff i'm excited to draw the next time i work on it. it's very easy to flatten stuff into just An Obligation if you stress too much about it, but it's very helpful to slow down and step back and remind yourself WHY you care that much. it's not just bc you have to.

i don't really want this to get much longer than it already is, especially when i don't really have concrete tips so much as rambling opinions and examples of stuff that Kind Of works for me Sometimes. i think the tldr is: relax, be nice, keep it fresh. i hope at least some of this is helpful!

[fff777]

WayV haunted house let's goooo (Part 1) (Part 2)

I saw a post the other day about how WayV videos are the worst to subtitle because of all the different languages they speak, with this video being used as an example, so I am looking forward lol

Dejun is the horror enthusiast I guess

Hendery's Siri is in Cantonese!!!!

Amusing themselves with Hendery's smartwatch

Moth alert

When Hendery was talking about being some sort of expert. The Chinese text over Dejun and Qian Kun's heads are "We're listening" and "You're writing." But the writing is specific to story telling/lying. So it's basically like saying "Yeah, keep lying dude."

Teasing Winwin for being a scaredy cat :3

They talked about how Winwin's hands were in his pockets in an attempt to look cool but they were probably shaking from the fear and the guys were like omg like History (by Exo)

At this point, the guys use Mandarin and Korean interchangeably. This is a bit of a tangent, but I think that comes from them having a very unclear marketing direction. They were created to target the Chinese audience and yet have mostly promoted with the Korean model (and even had shows where they had to fully promote in Korean).

"KORE WA DESTINY DESU" Hendery you absolute weeb (throwback to Hendery freaking out about Shotaro speaking in Japanese)

Sicheng getting mad because Hendery and Kun weren't following behind X'D He gets so aggressive when he's scared.

He sure is lol. Qian Kun was like stop destroying the set.

Sicheng's meltdown immediately after they saw the person in the classroom X'D He was like "why is there a person ToT didn't we agree that there wouldn't be other people in here ToT"

Hendery singing the new years 恭喜 song to ward off the bad spirits I guess X'D This was after Qian Kun tried to take the paper from one of the 'sleeping' students and one popped up with the scary mask ToT

And then Hendery started singing the Cantonese version of the Doraemon theme song lol

Qian Kun, Sicheng, and Hendery are so polite lol. Never want to offend the spirits y'know

Opening the door to the room where the scary student is playing the keyboard and Sicheng is like this is too scary TAT and immediately closes the door back

The video was generally a little bit blurry, probably because most of it is quite dark

Sicheng literally said "If I can't see her, she can't see me"

Sicheng being like we should get this done soon, the student will get tired playing for so long X'D

Yangyang and Dejun making fun of Ten for being scared

Qian Kun struggling with the door and being like 'why won't it open!' and Sicheng being like this is an abandoned school put some respect on that name

Hendery and Sicheng playing word chain while walking into the infirmary

Is it just me or is there someone under the bed???

I won't lie, the patient sitting up was pretty freaky X'D all the guys ran out X'D

Sicheng being like "I even apologized in Cantonese ToT"

Hendery washing his hands in the haunted house has "drunk in the escape room and accidentally using the washroom" energy

When the guys got to the washroom, Sicheng was saying in Korean that he thought there'd be something in the last stall (majima) and Qian Kun started singing Dream's My First and Last ToT He is Dream's gege

Hendery wanting to use the Leekbong as a transformation device in the style of Magical Girls. Weeb Hendery strikes yet again.

Hendery wanting to have a dance party with the skeleton and the Leekbong X'D I don't know what song he was singing though

XiaoYangTen telling ghost stories to pass the time, one about their manager who presumably is not dead lol. Then dance battle, and then drawing on the chalkboard.

XiaoYangTen hearing the others scream and Ten just straight up "I don't want to go alone"

So it turns out KunWinDery were being chased by someone and then they ran into the washroom. Kun ran into one of the stalls and the caption here is "I want to calm down" X'D

I don't know if this is Sicheng's natural accent or him putting on an accent but he rolled his R after the 了 XD

Sicheng immediately getting scared after losing rock paper scissors and being the combo breaker X'D

Oh my god Yangyang's zombie impression is freakishly good

I can't believe Ten actually got Xiaojun to trade with him lol. So easily pleased.

Sicheng got blood stains all over his shirt lol.

Yangyang said that Ten will actually fight people

Sicheng pronounced his 了 the same way again :P

Yangyang's actually looking for evidence while Ten's just watching the scary students with the stool as a weapon

Dejun practising boxing after hearing Yangyang's screaming

Ten keeping his head down while approaching the scary student playing on the keyboard lol. Honestly I would do the same. In the words of Sicheng, if you can't see them, they can't see you TAT

It looks like each team is getting different clues, and a different final number, so that changes things

The scary keyboard student played a congratulatory song when Ten and Yangyang got the answer X'D

The last guy was chasing Ten and Yangyang but then they realized that he was waving them over. This text showed up, saying "I really am a good person. I don't understand why you guys are running." XD

Ten asking Sicheng why he sweat so much ToT

Dejun tying his shoelaces in preparation to run the hell away

All the WayVs are so polite even when they're scared out of their pants X'D Dejun knocking on the classroom door after freaking out about seeing people there lol

Dejun talking to himself and hyping himself up as he opens the toilet stall doors. Honestly, that would be the way to go. You have to make as much noise as possible so you don't feel alone lol.

Omg keyboard girl finally snapped X'D Dejun reasoning with her being like "omg what do you mean I'm not translating this right?!"

Keyboard girls' facepalm X'D Dejun is NOT understanding the assignment and he's also frazzled so him understanding is going to be a struggle

Dejun screaming at the rising patient and then immediately returning like "wait, you called?"

The guys planning a zombie surprise from Dejun ToT As if he hasn't gone through enough on his own

The three-person team got last place, but Yangyang was like cut them some slack, Qian Kun did all the work X'D

Qian Kun was like these two kept freaking out!! And then the pointing game began between Sicheng and Hendery. And then Sicheng called Hendery a coward lol. A beautiful friendship indeed.

And then they took photos with the actors :P

[greycaelum]

greetings! omg I've just finished binging through your chains series and I am literally in love, my absolute favourite was 911 because clingy Gojo is the best Gojo,

anyways that's all I wanted to say, thank you for writing such amazing masterpieces! keep it up! (also do you have any plans for the chains series? if so maybe a sneak peak? 👀👀, but it's ok if you don't wanna, that's valid and cool)

Hi~ I'm so happy you love Chains Series! Agreed a clingy Satoru is a cute Satoru.

I already have a plot and considering the main chapters. And sneak peak huh?...

Sure, why not~

"I miss you, I miss you to death Y/n!" His scream was muffled by your hair squeezing you almost painfully. How honest he is right now gently crumple your heart, Satoru sporadically get emotional much more in front of a crowd.

You could careless of the gazes you've both been receiving from passerbys in the arriving area of the airport. But even reunions like this has their own right place.

"I miss you too," you delicately pat his back soothing the rigid muscles, appreciating that he turned his infinity off but worried for any untoward threat looming around. You suggested him your chauffeur is waiting in the parking area.

With your palm clasping his face up making him look at you, nothing much change in his appearance but him turning more maturely handsome and you could swear he added three centimeters in his height. And yet you're aware you needed to know him much better than just this, by emotionally connecting with him. Running over your finger on the bridge of his tall nose and your thumb swiping gently over his glossy lips your face softened and smile of how perfectly he fits in the cradle of your palms.

"I'll take you somewhere, will you come with me Satoru?"

No hesitation, he nod mesmerized of how affectionate you are to him and the soft smile grazing on your lips, if you know how much he tortured himself not to scour and turn the whole world upside down just to find you back in his arms surely you can't just compensate him with this.

I'll pin you down. His mantra ever since you left him with no goodbye. All he held on while he had no clue whatsoever where you are is your promise that you would never leave him back in the rainy night when you saw him break down from all the mixed emotions and obligations devouring him alive.

You tug him along as he let you guide him, following close with attention solely directed on you basking in the sense of warmth slowly returning to his soul with your presence surrounding him. If there's something he should be thankful having Six Eyes, it's the fact that he could see every flimsy and striking detail of you.

He could careless of where you entered, and whose car are you two riding in the moment he simply stare at you and listen at your voice.

"'Toru?" You blink at him who never took his gaze off of you since the beginning, the chauffeur for the sake of privacy out up the divider not to disturb anything.

His heart leap hearing his pet name spoken by your lips sweetly.

"I'm tired," words he never uttered for a long time easily rolled out his tongue as he clutch your hand into his. Fear of rejection and vulnerability often gnaw him in dealing with raw emotions but the fear of you slipping through the gaps of his fingers genuinely scares him more than anything.

He would wear his heart on his sleeves just for you even if it means giving himself an Achilles heel. Truly, how mighty has fallen... A man's downfall would always be his woman. He sigh and draw out his white flag.

You may seem like his weakness to the eyes of many but what do they know? Satoru trusts in you—trust enough to wage himself an Achilles Heel to the eyes of many. Because no matter how Satoru sees it you're stronger than him.

Next thing he felt was your hand guiding his head on your lap as your slender fingers thread on his hair untying several knots and massaging his tensed temples soothing the veins and weariness haunting him with the mere warmth radiating from your fingertips.

"I will stay 'Toru, never will I go anywhere again, so rest I'll wake you up when we get there."

Hope that suffice a good sneak peek, have a nice day/night ahead! :3

—Grey,

I was rummaging through my drafts, this one is the supposed Pt 2 to 911

Seriously I need to keep track of this~

After preparing breakfast you waited for the kid. His footsteps and still wet hair came in your line of vision.

"Oh, you look like a drowned pup there," you resisted the urge to burst into laughter.

His white hair messy and flopped down, but the navy blue hoodie and white trousers although plain made his eyes glow more darker and immersing.

"C'mere," beckoning him and coming to your side holding a towel you lift him up making him yelp and set him above your lap. Taking the towel from his hand you place it on his head rubbing the thick hair gently.

"Can we go out?" He asked, staying still above you.

"Where do you wanna go?" You know where the adult Satoru spends most of his time either on mission or sightseeing or cafe hopping but where would the kid Satoru want to go? It piques your interest.

"Amusement park!" He excitedly supplied.

But Yaga-sensei did say to stand by... Besides, a Satoru and amusement park in one sentence sounds a headache.

"I'll call Ijichi to clear my schedule, eat your breakfast." Setting him back down you usher him to the chair and put his plate of bacons, eggs, cheese and french toast and orange smoothie.

"Do you have miso?" His small nose scrunch up, but nonetheless started eating.

Oh... He grew up in the Gojo Estate and surely traditional washoku meals were served.

"Let's save that for dinner," patting his head you went to get your phone and told Ijichi you're not taking any job for the day and tomorrow.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Satoru look up to you already close to finishing his smoothie. Glutton.

Seeing him this more domesticated is weird but it's cute. Your resolve to know this Satoru as a kid grew stronger.

"Where else you want to go?"

"I don't know." He shrug.

Surely he must've spent almost all his life in the confines of the estate.

"Do you want to see the snow?" You asked it didn't escape you how his eyes widened but narrowed. Let's not forget Satoru can be Jack Frost without blindfold or even Elsa with a long braided wig with his looks.

"Are you mentally sick? Can't you see it's spring?" He snorted.

"Just answer the question brat, do you wanna see the snow?"

"Well, yes. Can you make it snow?" He rolled his eyes, tone dripping with sarcasm.

"I can't but I can take you there."

[hotwings0203]

Hello!!!

I'm here with some Muslim Hawks headcanons!!

Okayyy soooo you that headcanon of how Hawks collects trinkets? Yeah Muslim Hawks would definitely flirt with you by giving you churiyan (probably gold or red ones lol) and when you wear them, he feels so possessive and can't control himself and play with your hands and fingers telling you how he can't wait to put a ring on you and how these colors look so pretty on you

Speaking of jewelry, when you guys get engaged (which you will cuz he knows how to keep a good reputation with the elders), he gives you jewelry that has his feathers incorporated in it

Okay! But if its not churiyan, I think he would get you an anklet bracelet (payal?), and lmao he would corner you and would crouch down and just softly touch your ankle while putting it on you, and to tease you, he would slowly trace his fingers up your leg while looking up at you with his sharp and playful gaze and he would relish in the way you blush and squeak Hawks! And run away LOLL

Also! He loves it when you feed him, will coo and chirp like a god damn bird. Again you know that trope of the bride feeding the groom, he would totally grab your hand to feed him, and maintain eye contact the whole time, his hawk like gaze pinning you in space and you're just trying not die from blushing

Nickenames!!! Has a plethora of nicknames for you like meri jaan, meri chaand, etc. but his main ones are 'meri chhoti churiya' (my little bird) or 'meri methi churiya' (my sweet bird)! And everytime he utters these names, it'd make you soooo flustered! And omg if he calls you that in front or near the elders, you'd blush so hard while subtly glaring at him and he would just smirk and wink at you lolll

Also I feel like he would be that asshole who scares you when you're at a party and telling djinn stories LOL like the kids and others are all gathered in a room after dinner, its after maghrib, and you are telling djinn stories or watching a horror movie, and when the scary part comes, he would send one his feathers to tickle your feet or touch your shoulder or ear, and you'd squeak and jump right into him (cuz of course hes sitting right beside you, even though you tried to move away from him, you know halal distances and stuff) and he's just sitting all smug and being like "don't worry jaan I'll protect you" LMFAO

Okay okay, that's enough for now, I'll send more soon!!!!

WIAFHFHFHFFN THE FIRST SENTENCE I WAS SOLD!! man I’ve been so excited and literally WAITING to tackle these cuz you always deliver the best headcannons

I could totally see over the expanse of him trying to court you your wardrobe if accessories would slowly shift over to red and gold colors, and if you don’t wear them then he gets all pouty and moody until you catch his drift and run back to wear his colors:)

OO FUUCCKKKK YO PAYAL IS SO SEXY AND FOR WHAT?? Like maybe you’re at someone else’s wedding sitting down from dancing so much, or just stuffed with food when he pounces on your vulnerable state.

“Hey there churiya(bird), I hope you liked my churiyan(bangles),” he snorts at his cringe joke and you can’t help but loosely suppress a laugh yourself.”

“Ha-ha Keigo, verryyyy funny. Arent you supposed to be schmoozing up to your usual harem?”

“My harem?” He pretends to look shocked and places a hand on his chest. “I’m insulted, truly. It’s not a harem, it’s a cult.”

“Ugh!” You get up to leave when he drops to a kneel and grabs your foot, preventing you from leaving.

“What’re you doing?”

“You know, I might have a cult following, but I think id rather keep you as my high priestess. What do you say?” You feel sturdy fingers dancing along your feet and you giggle as he tickles the bottoms.

Then a cold lightweight chain is looped around your toes and around your ankle. You angle to look at it in surprise, and open your mouth to ask why he’s putting payal on you when his fingers start to wander.

Your mouth is stuck open as you watch in shock how his nails lightly rake your smooth skin, and trace up your kameez, letting the cloth ride up your bare legs in a teasing taste of what was his to come.

“Yeah? You enjoying that churiya? There’s more where that came from,” he whispers as he draws his head near and drills his golden eyes into your fluttering ones.

“You-what-“ you sputter as he grips your knee as draws small circles at the back of it.

“If you want me to to higher, you gotta take me out on a date first. Or put a ring on it, either way doesn’t matter to me.”

“Hawks!” You try to pretend you don’t enjoy the sound of his boisterous laughter as you spring up and run to hide your face.

You know he’ll be back though. He always comes back.

As for the bird chirping noises, YES. ABSOLUTELY AND 100%!!

It’s on your wedding when he’s sitting next to you, clad in gold and white while you’re in a deep red (much to his pleasure).

The adults are chatting amongst themselves and turned away from you both when you decide to indulge him. You delicately pick up a piece of laddoo and bring the food to his mouth, turning his chin with your hand under it to face you.

He looks at you with wide eyes and then grins when he sees what you’re doing.

“Come on lardki. Don’t you know feeding mithai is bad for birds? They could die, y’know” he simpers yet accepts the food heartily, chomping away and looking at you with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Hmm, that’s too bad. And here I was thinking birds mate for life.” You flick your hair and get a taste of rasgullah yourself, licking the milky substance off your fingers slowly and relishing when he swallows hard at the sight.

It’s hard to hide your grin when his chirps come throughout the rest of the evening during the randomest of times, his face turning as bright as your lengha when he remembers the erotic sight.

I guess there really is a way to shut him up after all.

AND YESSS YO THIS ASSHOLE JUST LOOVEESSS DJINN STORIES😭

I bet y’all would be at a party, the kind that ends at 1 in the morning when all the kids are tired and delirious.

“Alright guys, gather around. I’m about to lighten this party up.” He claps his hands and waits for all the kids and young adults to circle around him excitedly, their fatigue washed away by the prospect of hearing how another one of their great ancestors was possessed.

It just so happens that you find yourself seated next to him (with the help of his feather with poked the butts of 8 year olds away with subtle yelps).

He makes sure to give you his signature wink and grin especially for you before he starts the story, and you cover your mouth to hide your smile and roll your eyes.

12 minutes in, the lights are all off and everyone is leaning forward, hooked on his story.

“And then, you know what happens to the girl?” He asks lowly in the dark. He can sense everyone’s holding their breaths, yours included.

“N-no, what happens?” One girl asks timidly.

“He POSSESS HER!” Keigo shouts and uses his feather to disperse around the room, sliding under people’s feet’s and knees, causing absolute mayhem as they all run around in the pitch black room and scream.

You weren’t given any mercy either, except your special feathers lift up and tilt your body to dump on his lap.

When he feels your hands searching in the dark in panic of who it is, he grabs your wrist and pulls you close to him, using the void of the room to relish in wrapping his arms and wings around you.

It’s just you and him in that moment, amongst the screams and shouts.

“K-keigo?”

“I’m here meri jaan. I’ll protect you from those big bad djinn,” he chuckles and brings his head near your neck, not touching exactly but rather brushing his nose against the column of your throat and growling when you shudder at the goosebumps racing across your arms.

[fanficparker]

A GAME OF DIAMONDS AND HEARTS // H.O.

>> CHAPTER THREE

"The Gates of hell are open night and day, smooth the descent, and easy is the way..." - Aeneid, Virgil

(Frenemies to Lovers! Mob AU! ) Harrison Osterfield x Fem!OC

Word count: 2.17k words

Warning: Swearing, gun violence, car chase, full on action, cool dudes, anxiety and fluff in case you forget to blink ;)

Synopsis: After the sudden death of his uncle and the eccentric multi-millionaire mafia king Lufian Clarke, Harrison Osterfield’s almost decent life is mostly devastated especially when half of what should be rightfully his fortune is transferred to their immediate rival for reasons he doesn’t know. What’s remaining is him trying to figure out how to deal with this collaboration of two rival corporations that don’t belong together and work on the side of the woman he never knew would ever be referred to as his partner in crime while they are dragged into a mess bigger than what they were trained to handle.

A/N: The amount of time I waste on making these moodboards-- (I literally coloured the black and white pictures 💀 )

<< TWO [ MASTERLIST ] FOUR >>

A moment passed.

A shallow gust of wind tickled Harrison's left ear, making him squirm. He leaned back, pulling his rolled up sleeves down and buttoning them at his wrist followed by pressing the creases on his shirt—a habit of his, a ritual he can't seem to put away even when there was a sniper aimed at his head.

Worse. All this could be a trick.

Worst. It wasn't.

All in all, time wasn't the currency, Harrison had at his disposal. Yet, he found himself shoving a penny straight into the slot machine.

He cleared his throat in a failed attempt at clearing his foggy mind, "Don't you think, you shouldn't have let go of Tom?"

The more men, the better chances of survival. It worked this way, right?

Sandhya sighed, exasperated, the flicker of the candle animating a dance on her face was seemingly more lively than her at the moment.

"We suspect, at least one of your men were involved in Clarke's murder. Also," She paused, chuckling nervously, "I won't lie, I was expecting something like this to happen but not today, not right now." She referred to the rifle aimed at them.

"I am seriously...uh... ugh..." Harrison didn't know if there were proper words in the vernacular to reply to this. All he could do was grit his teeth.

How long will this day go, anyway? What was it? The solstice? Do solstice last this long?

In his prognosis, if he had one more revelation this day, especially if it had something or anything to do with the dead man, his brain would melt and leak out of his ears. On the non-fictitious scale: He would rip off his hair or empty a loaded .44 magnum into the head of the person closest to him.

But there were his men involved in Clarke's murder? His men?

And their respectable leader, Harrison Osterfield was trapped in a life and death situation, waiting for a can of smoke to allow him to escape? And on top of that, he was taking orders from one of their enemies?

What if it was her plan? What if she killed the old man? She had inherited his fortune— it was enough of evidence for Harrison to draw that conclusion even in its scant or flimsy state. He won't be surprised if she wanted him dead as much as he wanted her to be. Or that the sniper was one of her men. Or everything happening was a part of her bigger plan.

He had a pistol tucked away in his sock, maybe he could catch her at gunpoint?

The instant he glanced at the mirror of her flapjack, she had placed between them, he discarded the idea. No avail. The sniper could easily target him.

He was fucked up.

He could hear his life ticking away.

A click of tin hitting the floor ignited the dying flame in his heart. He felt Sandhya's hand slip over his, delicate fingers tapping against the back of his hand, gliding over his square signet ring that was sitting on his middle finger for ages now, moving further away to feel his rough, wounded knuckles, he never seemed to care about.

She appeared as afraid as him. Or maybe it was part of her plan. Harrison wasn't sure if it was the mutual fear they felt or the gesture, the little ministrations she drew over the back of his hand that had managed to ease his nerves, at least for the time being. His eyes swerved up, locking with hers again, her lips forming the words he was waiting to hear.

"Now!" She screamed on the top of her voice, retracting her hand as the smoke leaked out of the can, suspending itself into the air.

Harrison leapt on cue, ducking below the table. A single shot hits the wood of the chair, he was previously sitting on.

He tried to make the best use of the blindness that the grey smoke offered, pulling the table cloth in a swift motion. The wine and the lit candles fell over the fabric, igniting a fire. The flames and the smoke rose quickly, fanned by the stiff breeze, consuming the Pinterest worthy setting in a matter of seconds as he watched Sandhya's shadowy figure hopping off from the other side of the balcony, her red heels discarded by the decorated flower pots.

In a heartbeat, the fire alarm goes off followed by another shot. The people eating in the restaurant shrieked almost simultaneously as the second shot is wasted, their screams never subsiding as they run around, knocking over things, trying to get the hell out of the building.

Amidst the mist, Harrison grabbed the railing of the balcony, hopping off it, climbing down as promptly as he could, hearing more bullets fire on the place he just abandoned.

His planned smooth landing on the freshly mowed grass goes awry as he stumbles, falling over his knee in an attempt at dodging a shot that went over right his head, almost touching his hair.

There were more gunmen. His expressions were that of horror.

He quickly rose to his feet, pulling the pistol tucked in his sock out, looking around and over his shoulder before squeezing the trigger twice.

A man dressed in the waiter's attire fell from the first floor along with his rifle, hitting the ground, crumbling next to Harrison's feet, presumably dead.

Harrison didn't check. He was sure.

Aim. He was good at it. Way too good.

He paced his way with the pistol pointed downrange, pulling the slide back with his thumb and forefinger to the street full of chaos with people running in all directions, fire alarms blaring in the background. A maroon sedan stopped abruptly in front of him, a quarter of an inch away from hitting him and transporting him directly to hell.

He opened his mouth to swear but the driver was the first to flung the door open. He had red-brown shaggy hair, probably a result of the wind and was dressed in a grey trench coat with the belt undone. His eyes were hidden behind black wraparound mirror shades, hiding most of his face.

The only thing that sparked Harrison's interest was the shotgun poorly concealed inside his coat.

"Get in." Two words, another order. The driver was definitely way older than him, he could tell by his deep, rusty voice. The driver pushed the long barrelled gun in his direction.

Harrison groaned, shoving himself into the passenger seat, accepting the new weapon, discarding the smaller gun and shutting the door behind him.

"Where is she? Where is Sandhya?" Harrison demanded, looking over at the back seat, his frown deepening into a scowl but the driver popped the car into reverse and stormed the accelerator, hard, sending him flying backwards, his back hitting against the backrest.

"She'll meet us halfway." The driver replied, his eyes never leaving the road. Harrison settled himself on the polyester seat, taking a breath before the car took a sharp turn, almost knocking his head against the window.

"Watch out!" The driver warned and Harrison peeked at the rear view mirror.

A black Escalade SUV lunged towards them at a speed higher than theirs. At least four passengers were sitting in it, two of them pushed their heads out of the windows, hands holding shotguns, aiming a shot at the vehicle he was sitting in.

They ducked down, both Harrison and the driver evading the bullets fired at them. The rear windshield blew out with a boom and a crash, spraying glass over the unoccupied backseat.

Enough.

Harrison slid his window down, ducking again when more bullets were shot at them, before aiming straight to the front tire.

He fired one— two— three shots, one followed by the other. The third one successfully hits the wheel. He watched with a triumphant grin pasted over his face as the attacker's car tumbled, crashing against the telephone pole, now motionless.

But his grin didn't last long when they crossed the intersection. Two more cars emerged from the two sides, the same model as the one he had just shot down.

The panic was real this time. He could even hear police sirens.

What the actual fuck?

"We need to hurry!" Harrison instructed, restless in his seat, watching the black SUVs and the white police cruisers, red sirens blazing on their head, racing behind them.

It was a real chase.

They zoomed through the street, feeling alternately light and heavy as they shifted in their seats, leaning right and left as the roads forked as they sailed through the busy traffic, ignoring the honking cars, even honking themselves. The buildings, streets and the traffic began to blur as they raced down, veering frantically to avoid their pursuers.

A ray of hope: Another intersection. The signal was three seconds into turning red.

Perfect.

"You can do this..." Harrison whispered like a prayer, eyes glimmering with hope, focusing more on the road than the man operating the steering he knew nothing about, except for his remarkable prowess as a getaway driver.

You can do this!

The driver panted, breathing with his mouth as he puts the car into the sixth gear, pressing the accelerator as hard as he could, flooring the sedan through the blinking signal, it turning red the exact moment they tear through it.

The pedestrian cars came to a halt upon the red signal, breaking hard, forming a chain, successfully blocking the way of both the attackers and the cops.

The driver barked out a laugh, the type falling more into the category of a chortle than an actual laugh (not that Harrison cared), taking off his shades, shoving them inside his coat, a proud smile plastered on his face as he weaves from lane to lane, disappearing under a bridge, finally stepping on to the much calmer highway.

"Kevin." The driver muttered.

"Huh?" Harrison responded with a questioning look. The guy was at least fifty-five years old, Harrison could tell now. His natural grey hair stood in contrast with his dyed copper ones, adding to his overall charm. His adventurous demeanour has previously mistaken him for being any younger.

Stretching a left hand, "My name is Kevin," the driver clarified, his light brown eyes meeting momentarily with Harrison's blue ones.

Harrison nodded, putting away his gun, wiping the sweat on his palm over his pants, before taking his hand for a brief shake.

"Harrison," He offered his own name.

"I know," Kevin replied nonchalantly, shifting his focus back to the road.

The blond turned to the other side, head leading against the headrest, glancing out of the window, watching the scenery move backwards, carefree as a lark for once, until the driver slowed the vehicle down, parking at the side, near a divergence where a 91' Accord waited for them.

He leapt out of the car. Harrison followed suit.

Taking the back seat of the switch car, alongside a woman that wasn't Sandhya, Kevin slumped into the cushions, stretching his hands over his head, shutting his eyes, probably tired (of course), taking the much needed break. The woman, on the other hand, was busy typing away on her laptop, wired headphones tucked into her ears.

Another man emerged from the passenger seat, passing Harrison on the way, his face invisible in the dim highway lights, taking the maroon sedan. Harrison replaced him, getting into the switch car, sitting on the front, the only seat that was left unoccupied.

"Welcome back." The voice on the driver's seat greeted him.

Sandhya.

Harrison snorted, choosing not to turn his neck to meet her face and rather settling on passing a mere glance at her with a side eye.

She was back to wearing her coat, raven hair whipped by the wind, loose strands sticking over her face, her makeup no longer intact and slightly greasy, except for her bold red lipstick, sitting over her smiling mouth, complimenting her smooth dusky skin.

She pulled the gear, pressing on the pedal, putting the car in motion, its engine roaring for a full minute, her right hand on the wheel, left hand ceaselessly turning the dial of the radio back and forth, till Blinding Lights echoed from the speakers. She kept the volume low, possibly because of the other woman busy on her laptop, definitely because of the man dozing off, sitting behind them. But that didn't stop her from mouthing the lyrics or sway her body with the tunes.

Harrison looked away, outside the window, head slightly out, chin pressed against one of his hands he had kept over the window edge, feeling the cold air hit his face harder when she shifted the gear, speeding off the vehicle.

A ghost of a smile flickered over his lips, the upbeat music filling his ears.

He had different plans...

____________________

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…TO BE CONTINUED…

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[the-coffee-story]

Rise of the Forest God

Chapter 2 - The Forest God

When Agatha came over to visit the next day, she found herself baffled when Alice opened the door with a wide smile.

"Agatha, you won't believe what happened!" She was giddy. "Oh, it's so wonderful!"

Agatha furrowed her brows and tried to peer her head past her shoulders and into the space between the doorway. "What is it?"

"He's back!"

"Who?"

"Eustace!"

"What?!"

"Come and see for yourself!" Alice excitedly jumped up and down and took her by the hand. "He's still weak, and he won't speak, but he's here!!!"

"Alice, that's-"

"Come with me!" She dragged her along to the living room, excitedly murmuring the whole way.

Agatha froze in the doorway, mouth slightly agape.

It was him, undoubtedly, but even as he raised his head and turned it to them, he didn't look like he was still among the living. His skin was white and mottled, and he was sitting so still he looked like a corpse at first. His face was empty of any expression or life, as if his soul had been left behind somewhere far away. "Eustace, look, Agatha's here!" Alice was beaming, skipping over to the still figure.

Agatha felt the blood draining from her face.

Whatever was going on, this was not natural. And yet Alice was as joyful as she hadn't been in months. Agatha was torn. Should she tell her to leave him? What had happened to him? Or should she let it be?

"I-"

"Yes, I know, he looks exhausted." Alice's voice was soft as she sat down next to her silent husband. She softly stroked the back of his hand. "But he's going to be fine again, aren't you, Eustace?"

His chapped, white-blue lips moved, only slightly, but no sound came out. His face was as expressionless as that of a deadman.

Agatha shivered, and took a stray step back. She couldn't bear to be within his presence any longer. "Well, I... I wish you two the best of luck with th-that then... I just remembered I still need to fix my husband's coat, he ripped a hole in it again, he's so clumsy..." She laughed nervously. "I'll see you then... goodbye!"

With that she rushed out.

***

"Zombie." The child grinned.

"Don't interrupt me." The mother gently booped her child's nose.

***

Months had passed. At first Eustace's miraculous return was nothing but a rumour, but then Alice began bringing him outside, and soon everyone knew that something had happened. By the time it was summer, despite whispers of witchcraft and unholy entities, the majority of townsfolk had simply accepted the strange pair. There wasn't much else to do.

It was a warm summer afternoon. The sun was drowning the world in a deep golden glow and the birch trees were softly swaying in the wind like it was singing them to sleep. Alice and Eustace were sitting in the garden and she was making a flower crown for him. He still hadn't said a word since his return, but it didn't stop her from trying. She loved him. She loved him so much.

She put the crown on his head and adjusted it a little. "There. Isn't it lovely?"

He turned his head a little, then reached out a bony hand to feel the soft petals between his fingers. The ghost of a smile was barely visible on his pale lips. Alice smiled and snuggled up to him, wrapping an arm around his thin frame and gently placing her hand on his. She closed her eyes. "I love you."

She heard someone call her name and looked up. Agatha was standing by the old wooden fence and waving. "Alice, can you come over for a minute?"

"I'll be right back, dearest," she told Eustace. Then she got up, brushed the grass off her dress and ran over to the fence. "I'm coming!"

Agatha's face was serious. "Alice, I wanted to warn you."

"What is it? If you're talking about the apple tree don't worry, I already cut the branch before it could break off and hurt someo-"

"The shepherd was found dead in the forest."

Alice paled. "My God. What happened?"

"Something tore him up. Nobody knows what it could have been."

"A wolf? A bear?"

"Something worse." Agatha's brown eyes were narrow, and stared into the garden just in front of her.. "Where was Eustace last night?"

"Well, he went outside to catch some air at around midnight..." Alice's heterochromatic eyes widened. "Good God, he could've gotten himself killed! I'll make sure to tell him not to do that!"

"Alice, don't you think-"

"My God, thank you for the warning Agatha, he could've come to harm..."

"Alice!", Agatha suddenly snapped, grabbing her arm before she could turn and run back. "Come back to your senses! Whatever that...that thing is, it's not your husband!"

"He just needs some time!", she pleaded, flinching her arm away. "He's going to be alright! He just needs a bit of patience and care, and then it's all going to be alright!"

"Alice, he is literally a rotting corpse, it's time to just let it go!"

"He needs me!!"

They both glanced over at the young man sitting, alone, in the thick grass. He was still wearing the flower crown and softly swaying back and forth with the dancing trees. There was even some kind of tiny smile still plastered to his pale lips.

"Alice, this is madness," Agatha muttered, more to herself, if anything.

"Give me some time," the younger woman pleaded, voice cracking softly. "I swear, he's going to make it."

"This feels like something that shouldn't be messed with, Alice-"

"He'll be fine."

"Are you saying that because you believe it, or because you want to believe it?"

Alice hesitated. "Because I love him."

Agatha sighed, and paused. It felt wrong. Everything felt so wrong. Agatha knew, somewhere deep down, she needed to help the grieving woman. This... thing wasn't her husband. No, she was going to help her, no matter if it shattered her healing heart back In two. But right now... She just couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Alright... be careful, dear," was all she could mutter. She kissed her on the cheek and pulled her into a hug, not daring to let her go. "Eustace!" He clumsily raised his head. "You better damn well appreciate what Alice is doing for you!"

He nodded, but his pale face was still empty of any expression. He looked like an empty shell, someone that once held such life and humanity, but now something different masqueraded inside.

A few days had passed. The shepherd was buried and mourned for. But, one day soon after there was another crowd carrying something from the woods.

"What's going on?", Alice asked a little boy as the procession passed by. "What happened?"

"Oh, they found the milkman dead in the woods." He shrugged. "Intestines all over the place."

Agatha quickly appeared by Alice's side, fury in her face. "It happened again! Something is going on here and I'm sure your husband has something to do with it!"

"Agatha, please...!" Alice bit her lip, looking at her battered shoes. "He's not hurting anyone."

"Enough is enough!"

Suddenly a weak sound escaped Eustace's mouth. He bit his lip and tried again.

"Agatha.... please.... don't shout....at Alice."

Despite it all, Alice's face lit up and she threw her arms around him, trying anything to pull her mind away from the gathering crowd passing them. "You're speaking again!"

"Not...her fault....."

Agatha clenched he fist and took a firm step forward, glaring at the pair. "Eustace, you're hiding something."

"Agatha, please...", Alice pleaded, drawing her arms from around Eustace's thin waist.

But the older woman just turned and walked away.

On that evening while Alice was preparing dinner Eustace went out into the garden to catch some air. He returned when the sun had just sunk behind the net of emerald trees, the red sky reflecting on his white hair and giving him an ethereal appearance. He looked otherworldly.

Alice hugged him in the doorway and buried her face in his jacket. "I love you. My darling."

But suddenly she heard a woman screaming down the street.

"Something must have happened," Alice whispered, pulling him inside. "Let's close the door."

Darkness had quickly cast it's shadow over the village. But outside people gathered, with torches and pitchforks, a demonic mob, hoarsely screaming obscenities at the top of their lungs. Then someone knocked hard on the door.

"He killed my husband!", Agatha screamed from outside the house. "That evil creature killed my husband, let me in, Alice!"

"No!", Alice screamed. "It wasn't him...it can't have been him!"

"We'll break the damn door if we have to!"

"I won't let you hurt him!" Alice was sobbing. She ran back to the table and hugged Eustace, her long dark hair falling over his shoulder like a waterfall. She cradled him in her arms. "I won't let them hurt you, my darling. Just you wait. You'll be fine again. I promise."

Eustace raised his head a little and his ashen lips moved. She came closer and he whispered something, barely understandable and raspy.

"I love you...run..."

She hugged him and cried. "I love you... I won't run anywhere, I'll stay with you... I love you...!"

"Please...run..."

"I love you...!"

Suddenly he froze. Then his slender hand reached for his blindfold and pulled it away. And when he opened his eyes and glanced up, Alice was met with the full force of his golden gaze, like the sun on a summer evening in the forest.

The door broke down with a sickening crunch, and the mob flooded inside.

Eustace was sitting on the floor, Alice's head resting in his lap. Her beige dress was soaked in vermilion blood, and her beautiful dark hair surrounded her pale face like a halo of shadows. Her eyes were wide open in wonder and an expression of love was frozen on her face. She was dead.

Eustace was wearing his blindfold again. When he raised his head his lips moved. "Run... please..."

***

"And what then??"

The woman smiled. "They captured him. They decided to make sure he wouldn't ever return from the grave again, so they built him a coffin of iron, with locks and chains around it, and buried him deep in the woods, praying that no one would ever release him." She gently booped the child's nose. "Now good night, Miss Walther."

[thelucyverse]

Part 1, part 2

Tw: violence

The old Order headquarters being in Time Cottage, Tinworth, is from 'Pride of Time' by AnubisAnkh, one of the best HP fanfics I've read this year (and I probably took so long to notice it because it has a ship I don't usually ship, but then again the same can be said for this fanfic here...); Tinworth itself is a HP canon magical settlement I think

Back in Europe, I get ready to make new experiments while I also wait for all of Tom Riddle's horcruxes to be killed by the Order (I can't bear to call him the Dark Lord in my head, and I am afraid to think of him as Voldemort, afraid of what it would do should I accidentally say it out loud one day).

In September of 1981, my research and soul-magic training is coming to a close, and I believe that I will have more time than I could possibly need with how slow the hunt for further Horcruxes is going, so when Bellatrix asks me to attend the annual Malfoy Yule Ball with her- "And not just to show our faces for half a minute, either, I want to /dance/!"- I readily accept. She smiles brightly- my positive influence seems to work, she thawed immensely from when I arrived back in England to now- and we kiss. It has been a long time that we have kissed in private, just kissed.

It is on this very Yule ball that my careful plans of only moving on to fixing the souls of his followers when Riddle is most vulnerable are wrecked and my hand is forced: my positive influence on Bella really is already working and more so than expected. I only get a moment of warning when her aura shifts- her soul wants to reconnect- and she goes down with a pained cry I stifle with a muffliato.

It had to happen at Malfoy Manor, the one place it shouldn't, always filled by Deatheaters and high society that even frequented by Voldemort... I am lucky to get Bella into a private room- Lucius' study- with minimal attention, only Narcissa noticed and actually helps, afraid for her sister, understanding that something is wrong.

Inside, Bella collapses, I don't even manage to get her into the armchair, she just falls to the floor, clinging to me desperately, afraid for her life. My ears are ringing with fear- this isn't how it was supposed to go, I'm not prepared, I don't know how to help her- Bellatrix whispers something, and for a moment I think I didn't understand her right. "Love you." she coughs out. "Didn't say it before, but-" "You're not going to die." I hiss. "Bella, you're not going to die, and we are going to fucking /talk/ when this is all over." she laughs even when her eyes roll back in her head in pain. "You don't have to say it back if you don't-" I take the chain with the promise ring on my neck and press it to her skin. "That's not what I'm saying at all. You-"

"What are you doing?!" Narcissa must have seen me pressing the metal to her sister's neck and come to the wrong conclusion. She's pointing her wand at me, but I don't even bother to disarm her, instead dangling the chain with the ring in her face. "Nothing but reminding her to live!"

With a shaky breath, Narcissa lowers her wand. I hadn't expected her to trust me so quickly, but maybe she's just that rattled. "Then what?? What happened? Has she been poisoned? Do I need to get Severus? Do I-" "No." I say. "We need to-"

Before I can finish the sentence, Lucius enters, and I stupefy him without waiting for him to talk. I like Narcissa well enough, but I can't stand her husband, and I won't be taking any chances now. Open-mouthed, Narcissa quickly closes the door, pushing Lucius' foot out of the way- I'm glad, thinking that she doesn't much seem to care for him- when she bends down, checking for his pulse, making sure he is alright with a kind of urgency... I squint- and notice a dark connection between them literally binding her to him. Not soul-magic, but she probably can't kill or actively oppose him without being in terrible pain. A kind of vow? A problem for later.

"Narcissa?" I speak up. "/You/ need to do a round of the party now so as not to draw suspicion. Lucius will be unharmed when you return." still unconscious, though, hopefully, I think while I tie the man up for good measure. Narcissa nods shakily, gets her appearance in order and disappears.

Once I am alone with her, I set to work getting Bella's soul reconnected to itself. Like in delirium, I weave healing spells over healing spells while whispering sweet nothings in her ear, hoping she will hear it, hoping she will be herself again when it is all over... Bella screams, and I put up a new muffliato, cursing myself for not thinking about it earlier and hoping that no-one has heard or thought anything of it. Lucius wakes and I stun him again before he can say anything. Then I focus on Bellatrix, lighting up the essence of a soul with a spell Melodenia taught me so I can see what is going on- and I gasp. It's like her soul is stretched thinly between herself and the horcrux, wherever it is. Without the preparative spells, her soul is yanking at it in uncontrolled bursts, getting more of her soul back but also stretching the connecting piece way too thinly... Biting the inside of my cheek, I focus on her soul and dive into the world of soul magic.

There is so much pain. I wonder how Bella hasn't given up on life yet if this is what she is feeling right now. Distantly, I feel tears in my eyes while I let my magic move further along her soul strand, towards the Horcrux, a burning piece of dark magic- I really hope the Dark Lord isn't keeping this anywhere near him, there is no way he won't feel what I am about to do otherwise. And there is no way I will delay this to find out.

With a black-hot shock wave, the Horcrux explodes from the inside out.

Screaming, I fall back, my magic lashing out as I try to get rid of that tainted spell it touched. Now, I’m glad I only did this for her and didn’t try to cut all deatheaters lose at once, even better prepared that would have been a nightmare. I don’t blame Melodenia for not telling me that, though- there’s no way she could have known, she never tried to split her soul in two before, after all.

Drawing in ragged breaths, I sit up, my hand fluttering over Bella’s still form at its own volition. Why isn’t she waking? Her body is unharmed, and her soul is there, I can feel it- oh. Now that I am really looking, I notice that there are still streaks of magic, of curses in someone else’s magical signature surrounding her. I hadn’t noticed it before due to the nature of the Horcrux connection, but now it is obvious: her Dark Mark, connected directly to the Dark Lord. Either Riddle noticed, or there is a failsave, because now that the Horcrux is gone, something is happening- and I can’t stop it. I /could/, but with how weak I am now, the curse would just burn through me should I lift it. While I truly love Bellatrix, I am not ready to die in her stead. I have to think quickly-

In that moment, Narcissa returns, and I am reminded of the connection she has to that evil husband of hers, who is still in the room... “Please tell me you do not actually care for Lucius Malfoy.” Narcissa opens her mouth to speak, but chokes on her own words. I nod. As I thought. With quick, slashing spells I end the Vow or whatever it was that kept her bound to him. She collapses as if her strings are cut, but I don’t take the time to make sure she is alright- instead turning to Lucius: “Imperio.”

Through Lucius’ eyes, the magic looks different, as if he can’t quite tell what is good and what is bad. Maybe good and bad are just defined entirely differently to him. With my theoretical knowledge, I still find the curse again- and when I force Lucius to ignore the pain, the burning, I keep looking and find more than just that. An entire network of curses, leading from Deatheater to Deatheater to Voldemort. Not all of them are connected, at least not equally so, there seems to be a second network only slightly touching the first, but still- I can take down many Death Eaters in one go with this. I just have to make sure I don’t kill Bellatrix in the process. 

The connection of the Marks is a literal maze. Getting Bella free is still my priority, and as soon as I identify hers, I start to first push back the magic that is seeping into her, and, when I hear her gasp as she comes awake, one by one destroy the connections she has to the others. 

Bellatrix is free. I only take a moment to blink from my Imperius-Lucius-view to make sure she is alright- Narcissa is with her, of course, the other woman had never taken the Mark so she should be fine now- before diving back into the Maze of Dark Marks, getting right in the middle of it and destroying the curse from the inside out. Lucius screams despite the Imperius curse when the Dark Lord’s magic is burning his hands before his own Dark Mark explodes, taking his entire arm with him- he doesn’t have to live that way for long as the magic seeping through the maze tears him apart. Throwing up a shield, I banish his body and all magic it carries to go Merlin-knows-where.

The Dark Marks are gone. the Horcruxes remain. Can I get them the same way I got the Marks? 

Leaning down briefly to kiss Bella’s forehead and stroke her cheek, I stumble to the door, opening it a fraction to look out. The party is in disarray, many have felt the change in the Mark. I see Nott and Avery stumbling against each other a few metres away- easy targets, them. I imperio Avery first, and then I have /him/ imperio Nott- now Nott is the only one who can still use his magic for anything but holding up the imperius curse. Didn’t I already mention that this curse is stupid? But in this case, it would help me. letting Avery and Nott walk into the middle of the room, I then let Nott walk further, waiting for- ah! Sabina, a woman I am quite certain is an illegitimate half-blood instead of the pure blood she claims, and definitely affected by a Horcrux. Nott- or rather his body, lead by Avery’s curse and my command- walks into her, touches her arm as if to steady her- and then his magic is reaching into her soul. Feeling along the link towards the Horcruxes. Yes, there are more soul-pieces closeby, I can reach them- I don’t know whether this means that the Horcruxes are physically close together or just that they have been forged by the same hand, souls work in funny ways sometimes, after all. I don’t much care either way, just commanding Avery to command Nott to destroy them all- and then break the connection of the imperius while Avery passes on the command. 

If the way Sabina stumbles while Nott screams and burns and Avery falls to his knees is any indication, it must have worked.

I hurry back into the study, to Narcissa and Bellatrix. "Are you alright??" I ask, kneeling down next to Bella "Yes." she coughs out, but I can see the fear and confusion in her eyes. "Are you?" she adds. I just nod, pressing my forehead to hers, just breathing for a while. "What in the stars names /was/ that?" Narcissa's shout breaks our moment of peace. Huh. I didn't realise she could screech like that. And I don't think she knows /any/ real curse words. With a sigh, I get up, pulling Bellatrix to her feet, too.

"Your soul fixed itself" I tell Bella. "It- I had noticed a while ago that something was wrong with it, and suspected the Dark Lord might be behind it. I was still doing research, I nearly had it- and then today, it just started to fix itself, well, I helped it along a bit when I noticed that it had started. What I saw confirmed that it was Riddle by the way- the Dark Lord, I mean. I also broke the hold he had over you through the Dark Mark, oh, and Lucius' hold on Narcissa. Well, pretty sure he's dead now anyway." I sum up what had happened. Both stare at me, completely baffled. Feeling uneasy, I shift from one leg to the other. "So. Are you two ready to break with Voldemort and all his beliefs?"

Bellatrix is startled into a laugh. "I think we already did that quite thoroughly..." she snorts out.

Narcissa looks at her as if she has gone insane- then pales. "Draco! I have to- if someone notices-" Oh. I had completely forgotten about the kid. Not my proudest moment. "Uh, you hadn't left him with someone who's Marked, have you?" Now, both look at me like I'm insane. "You think anyone that high up would bother to play nursemaid??" Bellatrix asks. "Not even I would bother- no offense, sister." "None taken." Narcissa says curtly. "Now, I am going to get my son, and then- and then-" "I know where we can go" I say, feeling slightly sorry to force her out of her own home, but we really better move now- although really I should feel more sorry for the Order for having to put up with the three of us now. "If you are ready to leave not just the Dark Lord but blood supremacy in general behind, too, that is." Bella just shrugs. "'s long as you're there..." we smile at each other, and then I have to look away as I remember that I can't really promise that, that I have no idea how long I still have in this world. Shaking myself from these depressing thoughts, I swipe Tom Riddle's diary from Lucius' cabinet before leaving the room.

Narcissa goes to collect Draco from his nurse in the private chambers, and Bella and I disillusion each other, then lean against the corridor wall, hexing whoever comes past and doesn't look too friendly. Deatheaters, general scumbags, oh, Fenrir Greybag, that one I stun and disillusion, too. Might be a good present for the order, or something, showing that I don't want them to just pardon all former bad guys. It doesn't get to that, however, when one of the Carrows- Amycus? I honestly can't tell under the robes and the blood- realises where our jinxes are coming from and tries to fight back, sending a killing curse- well, moving Greyback in the way of that was self defense, really. And it's not like anyone's going to spill any tears over it. Carrow moves in for another blow- and is taken down from behind.

"Fuck, I've always wanted to do that."

A young man stands behind him, wand dangling from his hand, dark hair in disarray and a bloody nose. For a moment, he looks exactly like Sirius Black, but then I recall: this is Regulus! I didn't even know that he was still alive... His name had been on a lost of people I had planned to save, back in the very beginning when I arrived in this world. But then I didn't know when exactly it would happen to save him myself, and I had no information to prove his innocence or reform to the Order... Of course, the Order had found the locket earlier than him because of me. Did he go there, see it was gone and disappear again instead of drinking the poison? Or did he never try to leave the Deatheaters at all? The way he had just taken down one of Voldemorts' henchmen just because, in the current chaos, he had been able to, made me believe otherwise.

Disillusioning myself (and throwing up a shield at the same time, I'm not stupid), I stepped forward. "Regulus Black, is it not?" "Who wants to- oh, you're Bella's girl, aren't you?" my eye twitched at being called anyone's girl, but I ignored it for now. "Are you done being a pawn for the Dark Lord?" He blinked. Then actually laughed. "You know- yes. Why, are you leaving your wife behind? Wait, are you the reason for all this chaos?" "We are." Bella stepped forward too, and in the same moment, Narcissa came hurrying up behind us, baby Draco in her arms. Regulus stared at us for a moment, then started to laugh again. I see how he's related to Sirius. "You know- yes, whatever this is, I'm in."

I look at Narcissa. "Have you ever been to Tinworth?" If I apparate the four of us all the way there, I wouldn't have the power left to defend Bellatrix should it come to a conflict. Thankfully, everyone knows the village, Narcissa disapparating with Draco first, then Regulus, than me with Bellatrix although she insists that she is fine. We apparate to the east of the town, regroup and I apparate us to the closed off partage in front of the cottage that I had insisted on- it is not under the fidelius, so one can take others there, but it's protected by enough spells that new members can be read into the Secret without the possibility of anyone seeing and attacking. My past paranoia and overthinking comes in handy now. Letting the others stand behind me after telling them to watch each others backs and call for me should anyone show up, I move to open the door, knowing that I will disappear from their view as soon as I'm in the doorstep. I don't want to leave Bella alone, but this is the easiest way to prove that I am myself and not someone under polyjuice who doesn't know the Secret.

"Hello?" I call out. "Anybody home?"

Part 4

[serendipitybutterfly]

OK so finally got the chance to get in the zone and tune in for Jimin's birthday year ahead advice reading and.... I don't really know what I was expecting (actually I kinda thought reversed queen of wands would return... But yay! She didn't!) but this reading was more strangely intense and high vibrational than I thought it would be... Although, to be honest, intensity and Jimin just go together right? Anyway, here is our cutie, sexy, lovely boy's year ahead advice reading~

OK so the first thing I always talk about is what cards came as significators of a reading because those cards basically set the tone of the reading; giving an idea as to main issue or subject of the reading. In this case, as I was asking for advice for Park Jimin's year ahead, the significators are indicating the most important theme of his year ahead... And what was that? Well the 3 of Pentacles and 8 of Pentacles scream it out loud; WORK!

This might make you think its going to be a hard, hectic or stressful year but... Actually, based on the rest of the cards that's not going to be the case. Rather, aside from the literal hard work involved in his actual job (which he infact mostly enjoys) this 'work' is also on a deeper, personal, mental and spiritual level. It's a sort of coming of age thing... Putting the work into yourself, into sorting your life out and being who you want to be... Again, as I think I've mentioned in a few of these readings, this is your typical mid-twenties stuff (I say as someone in their age group who knows haha).

Ok so the first card that came out was the Sun which, first of all, I love that for Jimin. You don't even know... He's in the place of The Sun and he's BEEN putting in the work to keep himself there! That isn't easy! There's a stubbornness to this Sun which I feel is emphasised by the reversed Strength card. It's like... "I'm going to stay happy and positive, despite feeling vulnerable sometimes... Despite feeling weak... I'm only going to focus on the bright side of life now." And, I just feel so proud of him for that because I can feel the effort and discipline that takes for him... It definitely doesn't come easily... It actually takes soooo much strength which is why the reversal of the Strength card seems to have this interesting duality here which actually really suits Jimin so well. He should keep on this path of conscious disciplined positivity and bask in the sun shining on him right now.

The next two cards are strongly related to this first message. We have the Ace of Cups, a golden goblet overflowing with love, being offered down from the heavens together with the 7 of wands in reverse. Part of deciding to make a conscious effort to think positively and live in the sunshine of his life is allowing the immense love he has been blessed with in his life to flow; accepting the love he is offered without putting up defenses and second guessing everything, wondering if he deserves it or can accept it... Instead he should let it flow as water should, freely, back and forth. Accepting (and being able to recognise!) love that is freely given with an open heart makes it easier to give love in return with the same heart in a way that is pure, safe and healthy and doesn't hurt anyone involved. When you can accept that you do deserve to be shown great love, you are much less likely to be drawn to destructive situations or people who would hurt you...

Which brings us to the next message which is all about that. The reversed Devil and the 3 of Swords are telling me that there's a lesson in the year ahead about cutting out and off the things and people that no longer serve him in life and which only cause him pain. This is again, part of the hard work of living in the sunlight. As long as you're still chained to the things in the shadows, there will always be some temptation drawing you back... But these cards tell me that this is something he will also be putting the work into this year. Positive living, looking after yourself, mentally, physically and spiritually, means cutting out negative influences and habits and I think Jimin recognises what those are in his life already.

OK, now the next two cards jump right back into Work! This time, on a more literal level. The Chariot and the 7 of pentacles are talking about seeing things progress, move forward and come to fruition due to hard work. I feel these two cards are really speaking about his career and projects he may be working on on his own. They're saying that there's success at the finish line after the hard work of running the race, so Jimin, you nice, keep going.

The last two tarot cards are very interesting in this reading... Because there's a literal turn here... We started with the Sun and now we have the Moon bookending this reading... These two cards, The Moon and The 3 of Cups had a strange feeling of vagueness to me while the messages of other cards came through very strongly... I think that's what I'm supposed to get though... I think Jimin himself will feel very uncertain about this situation, whatever it may be... And i feel that whatever it is hasn't even fully begun to solidify as yet (which maybe means it's something that could arise later on in the year ahead?) ... I'm not sure. It just feels very vague... Well, the Moon is there so... Shrug. All I can say is that he will have a feeling of uncertainty over some situation /s involving working or interacting within a group... Which is interesting considering this reading is so focused on him as an individual, to get this at the end... But, like I said, it's so very vague... Hm... Perhaps the message is that, while Jimin's definitely being encouraged to be introspective and work on himself this year, he shouldn't forget to also maintain a strong connection with his friends and people he cares about... I can't see that happening tbh... But then again who knows...

The Doreen Virtue Angel Oracle Card I pulled for this reading was Shanti. It reads:

I am the angel of peace. I bring you new tranquility and a smoother road ahead.

This is definitely speaking to this work on maintaining a bright and positive state of mind... Literally being at peace with himself. I love it!

The Earth Magic Oracle Card I pulled was Full Moon: Completion... Which was so perfectly placed above The Moon tarot card...

I also got this card in Jungkook's reading and I think it's saying something similar here in Jimin's. It's about things coming full circle and being ready to step into a new phase of life. With Jimin's reading I'm really get a sense of freshness... Like this emphasis on cutting out negativity and living cleanly and brightly... This is the energy he wants to work on stepping into now. Again, I love it.

The numerology of this reading is the master number 99. Super high vibration of completion, of seeing the bigger picture, of allowing things to flow... Again, I feel this sense of stepping into manhood here with this reading. There's such a powerful energy of maturity and selfdiscipline here which he will be able to tap into this year in order to manifest the state he'd like to be in... Amazing stuff.

All in all, this was a really positive and powerful reading and I love this for Jimin! Cutting out the things that drag him down and consciously striving to move forward with discipline in a more positive direction in all aspects is just such a great and mature decision. Once again, happy birthday Jimin! Love will always follow you because you're just bursting with love yourself! 💜 💜 💜

[extreme-technicality]

Did I ask you yet? I can't remember, so here you go. 💜 14 please.

14: Talk about a vacation.

Alrighty yalls are getting the Story of That Time Lyn Went Camping With Their Discord Spouses, this is gonna be so long and I’m not sorry :D

So this story starts aaaalllll the waaayy back at the end of March. One of my favorite fic authors had just finished up a very sweet shinkami fic and in the notes of the final chapter, added a link to a brand new Discord server specifically for shinkami shippers. Naturally, I joined, since I felt this author and I had grown to be very close through the two multichap fics I left comments on. (I didn’t expect to stay long.)

THEY RECOGNIZED ME. Not very surprising, since my Ao3 and Discord screennames are the same, but I was still shocked. I was even more shocked when they made me an admin (which was honestly one of the most questionable decisions ever, like ily but I should not be given any modicum of power because monkey brain WILL activate and cause chaos). Within three days of the server being active I had, in no particular order, become Official Teacher, adopted everyone, and got Discord married to the creator of the server (and the author of the og fics, which,,,I’m still reeling over that tbqfh, thankfully they don’t have tumblr so they won’t see me gushing lmao) as well as to another admin. Within about a week of that happening, we had created a group chat on Discord, exchanged phone numbers and created another group chat, found out we all liked camping and lived within reasonable distance of each other, and decided to plan a camping trip for two months out.

We had barely known each other for two weeks and we were all saying “yeah, I’d be down to spend a weekend with you two cuddled up in a tent together on a platonic camping trip”. But we had to wait cuz it was early April and we weren’t set to go until the end of June.

Fast forward to like, mid-June? My spouses are freaking out because the Anxieties are hitting. Meanwhile I’m so chill, like “yeah I’m about to meet internet friends who are both at least 5 years older than me and spend a whole ass weekend with them, this is fine”. My anxieties didn’t start hitting until about a day or so before the trip itself, when I started thinking “omg what if I miss one(1) single train and that makes me miss the bus and I can’t make it up there omg what if the train that the internet is telling me to take actually gets me somewhere completely different omg what if I get there and they completely fucking hate me and think I’m too childish omg omg omg”

I’m happy to say every single one of these fears was completely unfounded. Funny how anxiety works :)

Me and Spouse 1 (the one who instigated this whole thing, Author-kun) were taking buses, while Spouse 2 was driving with most of the supplies. The entire bus ride we’re texting each other privately, as well as keeping the server updated (cuz they were all very invested in how their parents would get along in person lmao).

Spouse 2 got to the bus station first and was waiting for me to get there next. I step off and I’m looking around, looking around, and THERE!! A squishy GREMLIN!!! MY SQUISHY GREMLIN!!! And in true gremlin form, we saw each other and immediately squared up to fight (we didn’t actually fight tho). And we hugged, and I shoved my bag in their car. We hopped on Discord vc and were screaming with each other and one or two other server members, and we chilled for about an hour until Spouse 1’s bus got there.

Spouse 1 had arrived, we spent at least five minutes hugging each other in the middle of the terminal and probably drawing more than a few looks, and then it was off to the campsite– well, ish. It wasn’t check-in time yet, so we took the opportunity to get lunch at this little diner and also buy food for the weekend.

Hehehe, Walmart was so much fucking fun.

While we were driving, we put on the Official Team Parents Camping Trip Playlist, dubbed PlatonicScience™️, with such clearly platonic favorites as certain songs from Six (the musical about Henry VIII’s six wives) and kingdom hearts music. (Spouse 2 made the playlist, I love them for it, and it remains my favorite playlist 2.5 months later.)

We then went to check in and get firewood, ice, and try and find our campsite. Funny story, the first place we pitched our tent was not, in fact, our assigned site :))) luckily it was literally like a slot or two down so we just picked up the tent and walked it down the way lmaoooo.

The rest of the weekend was honestly amazing. We went swimming, like, daily, I lost my sunglasses in the lake, we watched Brokeback Mountain and Inuyasha when it rained, I made us crepes for breakfast both mornings we were there, my spouses built the campfires every night (because they apparently didn’t trust me with fire, for some odd reason), I won Spouse 1 a stuffed frog from a claw machine for their birthday, they were apparently offered a slimy green gummy bear by a random kid, and I found the sunglasses I thought were lost to the depths of the water. Oh, and we all agreed to get matching tattoos in the same place. We would’ve done it before we left, but none of the 3 parlors were open to walk ins on sundays :(

The final day, we had a few hours to kill before my bus and Spouse 1’s bus would come, so we packed up Spouse 2’s car and went back to the nearby town to dick around for a few hours. We poked our heads into a few stores, I almost got like five pocketknives at a flea market, we almost got lost, and we ended the day with ice cream and lunch at the same diner.

Then it was back to the bus terminal so Spouse 1 could get their bus home, and fam when I tell you it immediately felt colder without them. Spouse 2 and I were absolutely despondent in their car. Yeah, we had each other, but we were missing Spouse 1 T_T

Finally MY bus got there, and it was even worse cuz I didn’t even have anyone to cuddle the sadness away with TnT Spouse 1 had written me and Spouse 2 letters, and included gifts of a minute hand on a chain for both of us in there. So I opened my letter on the bus, got emotional, put the necklace on, and then I looped Sad Boi Music™️ until I got back to my stop. Then it was, like, two or three trains plus a lot of walking before I got back home late that night.