#bellamy sees ghost

[p0ssywhippedcream]

a/n; totally just rewatched s1ep3 of the 100 and it shows (the inspo scene w Atom, Clarke and Bellamy made me bawl HARD). TW for animal death and the usual criminal minds gore/death talk.

The day Hotch falls in love with you is dark and cold, but your presence alone lightens it. A case drags your team to the wilderness of the foggy Appalachians, the unsub leaving a string of bodies through the mountains and across state lines. So far, 23 of them had been located.

Your team had been split, duos of you all tackling different perspectives. JJ and Morgan at the sheriffs office, Emily and Rossi interviewing families and Reid focusing on the online footprint with Garcia, who was not happy to be physically present instead of in her Batcave.

That left you and Hotch to miserably trudge through the winding hills, surrounded by deputies and trees as far as the eye can see. It’s a cool day, wind chill gusting through your zippered jacket as you follow the path that had previously unearthed corpses. Hotch is silent at your side, the two of you deep in thought as you make your way down to the river bed now claimed by an aura of death.

You walk along the bay, flat stones shine in the rushing water and leaves crunch beneath your feet.

“How many?” You breath out, voice an octave above a squeak. “How many more are we going to find here?”

Hotch’s dark eyes find yours when you turn your gaze to his intense face. “Too many.”

You nod, dropping your sight back to your feet and walk another step before halting suddenly. The man at your side freezes a pace in front of you, spinning to question your pause when he notices you squating down.

“Another body?” He asks gravely, ready to signal to a nearby officer when you make a choked noise.

“No,” You look up at him through thick eyelashes and he sees the quivering mammal at your feet, “It’s a squirrel.”

He kneels with you, the fabric of his pricey suit the last thing on his mind as it rubs in the dirt.

He watches you glove yourself and lift its bloodied limbs, examining the creature for the source of its misery. When you find the puncture marks at its torso and see how deep they go, your heart deflates. Another life you can’t save.

You know enough that the pain must be unbearable, and the squirrel would suffer for atleast another hour before death would naturally come. With a heavy sigh, you reach into your back pocket and retrieve your switch blade.

Hotch watches you flick it open, brain at the same conclusion and lips set in a line as he waits for you to take mercy. Instead, his eyes widen a nudge when you begin to hum.

With your left hand, you stroke the creatures head gently as your right holds steady to your blade. Your throat murmurs a soft lullaby, a song your mother used to sing to put you to sleep seeping into the air.

“You’re okay,” You whisper, bringing your knife down and hovering just above its shaking form, “I’ve got you, you’re okay.”

Swift and careful, you darken the steel with the little blood left in the squirrels body. You continue to hum, love and compassion in your saddened voice as you pet the critter until its breath ghosts its mouth no more.

You lose a weighted lungful, the pressure of it in your chest almost unbearable. “You’re okay.” You say one last time, running a finger down the creatures spine, missing the look in Hotch’s eye as he observes your treatment. He spent the whole time with his vision set on you; not because he couldn’t handle the sight of death but because watching your kind heart weep through your actions bent his in a strange way. A familiar tug in his chest, one he hadn’t felt since Hailey, kept his eyes locked on you as you took the pain from the woodland soul and added it to the mountain of your own.

Hesitantly, a large hand finds your shoulder and you look up from your mourning to see your boss’s brows knit in care, intense pupils warming you with a comfort you’d never felt from him.

“I’m okay,” You reassure, a slight smile falters at attempting to take your lips. Hotch nods, a squeeze of your jacket and he retreats his touch.

Neither of you speak as you stand, go through the motions of discarding your gloves into the trash and continue on down the trail. Words rumble in your head behind closed lips, worries regarding the case buzz violently like a provoked bee hive, your brain frantic to find hope for life in the ever-deepening void of despair. Hotch keeps a trained eye on you, out of concern and also a bit from this new feeling that burrows in his ribcage.

A shout from a nearby blue-coat informs your duo of the discovery of a new corpse, prompting conversation again between the two of you as you race over.

You come to halt in front of the body. She’s fresher than others, you can see the lines of smiles on her face and youth in her skin. Her blonde hair matted with red like the squirrel you’d just encountered. You think of the pain it takes to be alive, the pain death takes when it comes to an end. You know she suffered, and it makes you grow a headache thinking of all these people hurting for the same sadistic demon.

“She doesn’t suffer anymore.” You look up, Hotch is already looking at you with an unreadable expression. He knows what you’re thinking just from the divot of your teeth in your lip. “Sometimes, that’s all we can tell ourselves.”

Your aching heart swells, the blood pumps a little easier. You nod and take a full breath for the first time in 20 minutes.

“And the man who did this will feel their pain for the rest of his life, when we put him away.”

You feel the effort behind each word, knowing Hotch is a man of few, and it makes inspecting the body easier, makes the search through freezing fog more worth the dreadful discoveries . The day you fall in love with Hotch is gray and cold, but he warms it with the fire of his tongue and the hearth of softness in his eyes.

[awritessomething]

I have absolutely no ideas for writing whatsoever pleaseplease leave requests!!! Smut, angst, fluff, whatever y’all want I can probably do.

Ill write for these people and probably more that I forgot (all male character x fem!reader) :

Formula 1:

Max Verstappen

Lando Norris

Oscar Piastri

Charles Leclerc

Pierre Gasly

Lewis Hamilton

Carlos Sainz

Daniel Riccardo

Mick Schumacher

Criminal Minds

Spencer Reid

Aaron Hotchner

Derek Morgan

David Rossi (preferably young)

Marvel:

Bucky Barnes

Tony Stark

Thor

Sam Wilson

Deadpool

Steve Rogers

Spiderman (Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, Miguel O'hara)

Call of Duty

Keegan Russ

Simon "Ghost" Riley

König

Phillip Graves

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

Star Wars:

Anakin Skywalker

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Kylo Ren

Luke Skywalker

Han Solo

Outer Banks:

JJ Maybank

Rafe Cameron

Topper Thornton

John B. Routledge

Harry Potter:

Harry Potter

Cedric Diggory

Draco malfoy

Ron Weasley

Fred Weasley

Blaise Zabini

Regulus Black

Severus Snape

Tom Riddle

Sirius Black

Lorenzo Berkshire

Oliver Wood

The Walking Dead:

Glenn Rhee

Daryl Dixon

Rick Grimes

Carl Grimes

Sports:

Joao Felix

Jude Bellingham

Brock Purdy

Leon Draisaitl

Jack Hughes

Vince Dunn

Mitch Marner

Connor Bedard

Wayne Gretzky (young)

Miscallaneous:

Jack Champion (Ethan Landry)

Patrick Bateman

Batman (Christian Bale)

Johnathan Crane

Finnick Odair

Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark, Mike Schmidt, Sean Anderson, Clapton Davis)

Rodrick Heffley

Colby Brock

Sam Golbach

Tristan Dugray

Dylan O'brien

Bellamy Blake

Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd, Ronald Miller)

Joe Goldberg

Timothee Chalamet (Wonka, Paul Atreides)

Minho (The Maze Runner)

Keanu Reeves (John Wick, Neo, Alex Wyler, Dr. Beckham, Julian Mercer, Ted Logan)

Jim Halpert

Farkas

Ulfric Stormcloak

Miraak

Ben Schnetzer (Max Vandenburg, Brad Land, Russ Sheppard)

Ralph Macchio (Daniel Larusso, Johnny Cade)

Dallas Winston

Sodapop Curtis

Robby Keene

Zuko (atla dallas liu)

Jet (atla sebastian amoruso)

Cillian Murphy (Johnathan crane, jackson rippner, Neil Lewis)

Evan Peters (all ahs characters, Luke cooper)

What I wont do:

Pedophilia

Beastiality or anything animal-y

Waterworks

Male reader (sorry)

Character x character

Threesomes or anything not 1x1

Character x oc

Specific body types (i just don’t see the point)

Daddy/mommy kinks

Incest or stepcest

(I’ll prob have to add on but its midnight rn)

[phoebe-woods]

A dazzling estate haunted by an old ghost. Arthurian stained glass and a zodiac floor stained with blood. The shadowy specter of assault. And a Flyers season about to become the stuff of legend...

Becca Bamburg, local ghost blogger, is determined to get inside the haunted Slaughterbridge estate and uncover more about the spirit that has walked its halls for one hundred years. When she learns that the rundown property is being restored by the newest owners of the Philadelphia Flyers, it feels like kismet. She has a connection to the Flyers through her childhood friend, Nate Bellamy, the young generational talent that might lead the team to glory.

What she doesn’t know is that Nate sees this as his chance to finally win Becca’s affection—and that he’s enlisted the help of charming and newly-traded Dillon Fowler, a former number-one draft pick who’s learned to let go of his own dreams. Dillon, acquired to be Nate’s right-hand man, is ready to help him both on and off the ice, even while he tracks a mystery of his own.

And the deeper Becca digs into Slaughterbridge, the closer she gets to the rotten secret that haunts Slaughterbridge just like its ghost…

Lancelot in November is the latest book in Phoebe Woods’s hockey-verse, following King of Cups.

Cover by @redbelles

Available in ebook now via all major retailers - paperback coming soon. | Amazon | Apple | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords | Kobo | Fable | Vivlio

I’m also on Goodreads! And see here for the Spotify playlist for the book.

[topazy]

Silent bloom

Pairing: Bellamy Blake × reader

Warnings: Swearing, violence

Chapter: 3.02

“It’s been three hours,” Bellamy says, breaking the tense silence. “What are they waiting for?”

Frustrated, Monty taps his fingers against the steering wheel. “We should make a run for it.”

“No,” you mutter. “Soon as we step outside this, they’ll attack.” Ice Nation had you pinned down; you had been stuck in the same spot for hours. It worried you more that they hadn’t attacked yet and were just toying with you.

“They can also wait longer than us,” Indra points out.

“Fine, but we are lambs to the slaughter if we just walk out. We need to come up with a plan.”

“Okay, Bellamy,” Kane says. “You get in the turret, and you cover us. Once we get to that ridge over there, we’ll cover you.”

“Copy that; run fast.” Hesitantly, Bellamy does what he’s told. His hand lightly brushes over your back before opening the hatch. Slowly, he lifts his head out, but before he can bring his gun up, he freezes. “They’re here.”

“Everybody out, or the boy dies!”

Bellamy is suddenly yanked out of the river through the hatch. “We’re coming.” You lean over and forcefully shove at the door handle to open it. “Just don’t hurt him.”

“Wait-” Kane tries to stop you, but it’s too late. As soon as you unlock it, someone grabs you by the arm and tosses you to the ground.

You let out a loud grunt, feeling someone’s knee pressing into your back and keeping you in place. Shit, this was your fault for being so desperate to try and save him. Lifting your head, you meet Bellamy’s eyes. He shakes his head, urging you to stop struggling. Kane and Indra are thrown down beside you and are pinned down in the same way you are.

“All targets are secure!”

You found it strange to hear the grounders talking in English and not their own language. The grounders are wearing masks, so it’s hard to determine if they are definitely an ice nation or from another clan. It’s hard to pick up what is being said, but you don’t hear a single word being said in Trigedasleng. “It’s not grounders,” you mutter. “It’s not grounders.”

You fight the urge to scream when you hear Finn’s voice telling you to speak up. You’re snapped out of your train of thought when you hear Monty struggling as he’s yanked to his feet. “Give it back; it’s mine!”

“Monty, let it go!”

One of the grounders steps forward; their voice shakes as they say, “Monty?”

He stares across at the ground, his face twisting slightly as if he’s seen a ghost. “Mom?”

She pulls off her mask and runs to him, sobbing. She pulls him into a hug. “My boy, my boy, I thought I’d lost you.”

“Farm station, stand down.”

The person pinning you down lifts their knee off your back, and within seconds, Bellamy is beside you, helping you to your feet. “You okay?”

“I’m fine, are you?”

“Yeah…” leaning in close enough so only you can hear him say, “You had that look in your eyes again.”

“I’m fine.” You look across at the man who’s talking to Kane and ask, “Who’s that? He looks familiar.”

“Charles Pike was an earth skills teacher on the Ark.”

You wipe the loose dirt off your jeans with your hands as you walk over to them, beside Bellamy. A small smile is playing on your lips as you watch Monty reunite with his mom; the both of them look so happy to have found each other again. Kane looks around, trying to count how many survivors there are. “How many of you are there?”

“Sixty-three. The rest are camped in the mountains north of here. Grounder killers one and all, am I right?”

“Ohh rah!”

When everyone from the farm station cheers, you lock eyes with Indra. You chew on your lower lip for a moment before saying, “We still need to find Clarke.”

With his interest piqued, Pike turns to you and asks, “Clarke Griffin?”

Pike then turns back to face Bellamy, saying, “If only all my earth skills students were as good as her.”

Bellamy grins and shakes his hand. “It’s good to see you, sir.”

There wasn’t something about Pike you immediately didn’t trust. You go and stand beside Indra as Kane tells the others to go move the tree. Quietly, you say, “I haven’t spent much time with your people, but I know you’ve faced worse things than we ever have and probably have a lot of knowledge that we don’t.”

“What is it you want to know?”

“Can you tell if someone is dangerous to us?”

She gives you a knowing look, but instead of answering you, she cuts in on Pike, telling Kane how many people have been killed since arriving on earth. “The ice nation can be ruthless. Take pride in the numbers you saved.”

"Indra, this is Charles Pike. He was a teacher on the ark,” Kane says, patting Pike’s shoulder. “This is Indra. She’s the leader of Trikru and a trusted ally.”

Pike gives her a death stare and says, “I’ll have to take your word for it.”

“Indra is one of us,” you snap defensively. “She’s our person.”

—

The ride to the trading post is almost as tense as it was when you thought the Ice Nation wanted to attack. Soon as Monty pulls up to the building, Kane and Bellamy jump out. You wait a beat before doing the same.

Kane raises his hand, silently telling everyone to stop walking. You can hear what sounds like fighting coming from inside the trading post. Bellamy runs inside and pulls the trigger. Coming in behind him, you clap your eyes at women with long braided hair covered in blood.

You lower your gun and approach her cautiously. “Are you okay? We mean you no harm.”

The grounder was looking startled, biting at the inside of her cheeks. Not wanting to scare her further, you back off.

Indra looks down at the body of the man Bellamy just killed and says, “He’s a bounty hunter.”

“He would have been looking for Clarke.”

When Indra speaks to the women in Trig, Pike barks, “English!”

Kane looks slightly taken aback but quickly says, “Pike, go outside. Take Monty and Hannah with you; search the perimeter; and make sure he is alone.”

You watch the three of them leave, and you can't shake off the uneasy feeling that has settled deep within your bones. There was just something off about Pike, his hatefulness towards Indra. It wasn’t right. Just as you go, turn your head back around and spot a shadow in the doorway.

Finn.

Deep down, you knew he wasn’t really there; he was dead. But you stare at the doorway in a trance, waiting for him to walk in, until Bellamy shakes your shoulder and says, “Are you ready?”

“Uh yeah,” you didn’t want to admit you had completely zoned out.

He looks at you concerned but doesn’t say anything about it. “We might know where Clarke is.”

Turning back to face the grounder, you give her a genuine smile and say, “Thank you.”

“Niylah.”

“Thank you, Niylah.”

—

You follow the tracks. Monty is spotted through the forest and out into an open field. You walk beside Indra silently as she leads the way. Multiple thoughts were racing through your mind at once, and you just wished you could close the noise in your brain off.

Indra stops walking and holds up her hand. “Quiet. Listen.”

The beating sounds in the distance make you feel sick; it takes you back to the night Finn handed himself over to Lexa. Quietly, you ask, “War drums?”

“Azgeda.”

Using the scope on your gun, you try to locate the exact location where the sound is coming from.

“You can tell it’s Ice Nation from the sound.” Monty asks.

“No,” she says, pointing to three dead bodies on the ground. “From them.”

Pike and Bellamy cover the others while they move their bodies, so the grounders don’t think you’ve killed anyone. You spot movement in the distance. “Holy shit, it’s Clarke.”

Her blonde hair has red streaks in it; she’s covered in dirt, but it was unmistakably hers. Feeling vibrations, you move the scope over to the right and spot an army marching directly into the path of Clarke and whoever had her bound and gagged.

Bellamy goes to run to her. Pike stops him, saying, “You’ll never make it in time.”

You crouch down and say, “We need to wait for the army to pass before getting Clarke. If they see us, we’re all dead.”

Monty points out caves nearby, which would be the best place for you to wait for the army to pass. You notice Indra lingering behind the rest of the group. “Aren’t you coming?”

“I can’t go with you.”

“Why not?”

She looks at you and Kane. “The nation has crossed the border; they’re marching against my commander. I have to warn her.”

Kane nods understandingly and says, “We’ll find Clarke.”

“You better. The ice queen gets her first; she’ll be dead, and we’ll be at war.”

—

Inside the cave, you sit closest to the entrance, keeping an eye out for any enemies approaching, while the others sit further in the darkness, trying to get some sleep. You felt conflicted; you wanted to save Clarke and were willing to save your life to do that, but she also abandoned her people. Once she was saved, would Clarke even want to go back? You didn’t want to break Abby’s heart when you returned without her daughter.

Bellamy sits down beside you, and he squeezes your thigh lightly. It gives you comfort to feel his touch; he was the only person who made you feel safe. “What are you thinking about?”

“Indra. I wonder if she made it to her commander.”

“Hey,” he softly tilts your chin up and pecks your lips. “She’s strong, she’ll make it.”

Sighing, you rest your head on his shoulder. You listen intently as Hannah and Pike explain how Monty’s father died trying to save children who were being killed off by grounders.

“That was an ice nation,” Kane says. “Not all grounders are the same.”

“They are to me,” the words roll off Pikes tongue like poison.

You grip Bellamy's hand, holding onto him tightly. Not knowing what to say, you resume staring outside the cave, watching the army march by. Your eyes slowly flicker down to the three dead bodies laying not far from you, and a dangerous idea pops into your head.

“Bell?” You whisper.

“Yeah.”

“How much do you trust me?”

—

As you step onto the open field, the familiar sense of dread washes over you as you try your best to blend in with the army. You were surprised that Bellamy agreed with your idea of taking the clothes and masks of the dead men to blend in with the Azgeda army. It was probably one of the riskiest decisions you had made in a long time. Bellamy didn’t directly answer your question, but his actions led you to believe he did completely trust you.

In a low voice, he says, “If I get caught, you keep going, no matter what.”

“Ditto.”

You breathe in sharply before separating from his side to join the army. None of them glanced an eye in your direction as you slowly made your way to the opposite side of the army and into the woods. You’ve become so used to Bellamy observing you that you know it’s him walking a short distance behind you.

You finally stop when you reach a tree with blood on it and pull your mask off. “They can’t be far.”

“Over there,” Bellamy points to a bunker. “I’ll go in first; cover me.”

You check that nobody else is watching as he goes down the stairs, and once you’re sure the area is clear, you do the same. He waits for you at the bottom, saying, “We’ll check each side.”

Nodding, you start to walk in the opposite direction, but you only take a few steps before feeling cold metal pressing against your throat and a hand covering your mouth. The blade nips at your neck as Grounder forces you to walk towards Bellamy as he takes the gag out of Clarke’s mouth. Her hands are tied behind her back around a pole, preventing her from leaving.

“Untie Wanheda, and I’ll slit her throat.”

Bellamy attempts to fight the grounder, but is quickly knocked to the ground. His eyes are filled with fear as he begs, “Please, don't hurt her! Just let her go!”

“No,no!” Clarke protests. “I'll stop fighting and go with you. Please! Just don't kill them.”

You tilt your head back and bite down hard on the grounder's finger, causing him to yell loudly in pain. The last thing you remember is a sudden pain in the side of your head and hearing Clarke scream before everything goes black.

[hazashiovo]

Bellamy's sister

Octavia Blake x reader

Inspired by "Stacy's Brother" by Mad Tsai ,I just love his songs and I hope he will become a big artist some day.

Reader is whatever you want them to be.

I've been hanging out with Bellamy. Everybody thinks we're dating,

"(Name) ,can you come over here for a sec?" Bellamy's voice rose as he opened his tent up.

Cause I spent my days hanging 'round his tent,

"Yeah ,what's up?" I enter his personal tent,looking around for a few seconds. Just the two of us inside. He signs for me to move towards him, which I do quickly.

He's one of our camp leaders,one of our best fighters and he's the said 'king',

He moves closer to me , pointing at a place on the little makeshift map of the camp surroundings,his body inches away from my back,I can feel it. His breath ghosts over my neck as he leans in to explain some plan to me.

When we train together he takes off his shirt,

"C'mon ,you can do better than that." He grins smugly at me as I wipe some sweat of my face, were both sweaty, especially him. So he took his shirt off, totally not a show of. I chuckle to myself at that tought. "As if you would know ,Blake." I roll my eyes and lounge at him for an attack again,wich he easily dodges and pins me to the ground,my hands on both sides of my torso,his tighs straddling me. His face has that stupid smirk on it again. "We both know you can do much more than that." I look away from his face ,I can't just can't stand that look.

But I got a secret I must confess,

Bellamy allows me to stand up,a few jokes are said before a sudden silence looms over us. He leans in closer ,I can feel his hand on my waist...shit.

it's not his smile or the way he acts,

Our faces are mere inches away. "Bellamy i- ..I can't." I push his chest away, turning around eagerly, a feeling of guilt bubbling up in my chest. I couldn't bare to see his expression,so I just left like a coward.

He's not the reason I've been thinking 'bout love,

I'm sorry Bellamy...I really am. My eyes fall on the beautiful brunette standing by the camp fire ,even tho it's daylight we still need warmth,but the only warmth I feel is the sudden feeling in my heart and cheeks.

Every time when we hang out,I lose my cool when she's around,

"Bellamy have you seen Clarke?" His little sister enters the drop ship,her eyes falling on my frame once she notices he's not alone. Her stare makes my face warm up, a faint smile adorns her face before returning to her question.

And I don't know if this is just a crush.

Each time I get those reactions I'm contemplating my feelings, why do I feel like this? Do I really like her? What would Bellamy say?

How do I find the words to tell him...?

Octavia looks at me from across the camp,I shouldn't look her way,no ,not when Bellamy is explaining a very important plan to me...What am I supposed to do??

I'm inlove with Bellamy's sister.

I'm finally ready to accept I love her,but how am I going to tell him? It's obvious he likes me. My eyes are stuck to the sky as I think of my current situation. "Earth to (Name)? " Octavia flicks my forehead with her fingers, sending me back to reality. "Ouch,did you have to flick that hard!?" I rub my forehead, dramatizing the pain. "Want me to kiss it better? " She smiles at me ,then winks ,that smile that would send a healthy man into an hospital.i look away embarrassed at her words,I know it's a joke,but the butterflies in my stomach don't seem to get it.

Gonna spend the night at Bellamy's,

Me ,Bellamy and Octavia got stuck in an old bunker. Me and Bellamy were out on a hunting trip with a few of our guys ,but once the fog hit, Octavia found the two of us us and brought us here. Bell says we'll be stuck here for the night. Great.

Don't know why my heart's been racing,

Bellamy found a couple of blankets for us to use for now,he got the first watch,wich means me and his sister get to sleep. What I didn't know is she'd be spooning me from behind. My god ,my god ,my god! My face is probably red as a ruby,and my heart is beating like a rabbits when he's beeing chased. Does she like me? Am I getting the wrong signals? Did she just pull me in closer? Holy shit!!!

Cause the whole camp things were Gona hit the base.

"Do you know where Bellamy is? " Clarke stops in front of me. I raise a brow , surprised, she's the 3rd person to ask me about his whereabouts. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Her eyes look away,an awkward look looming on her face now. "I think everyone just assumes you're the closest to him besides Octavia," she takes a short break before continuing, "You can't blame us though, the two of you are basically inseparable." Clarke gives me a short smile ,before turning away to find Bellamy. Those words repeat themselves in my mind over and over again,are we really that close? If it's so,is it okay for me to be like this with his little sister...?

He's coming up for our training session, told he'd teach me some defense stuff,

Bellamy's been spending a lot of time training me,seems he really wants me to be stronger. I land a solid hit in his abdomen. "If you wanna do damage you gotta hit harder,lower even." He gives me a disappointed look,wich I scoff and hit again, this time with my leg,wich he catches easily.

Cause he wants to show me how to defend myself.

"Why are you so eager to hit? You have to know how to dodge, Damn it (Name)!" Bellamy seems more annoyed than usually. "We can take a break if you want to,just so you know." I rub my neck awkwardly. He runs a hand trough his dark locks before turning to me. "I just want you to be able to protect yourself, I won't allways be there." His voice sounds almost disappointed with the last statement. He looks at my face ,then at my lips before he shakes his head and leaves the training grounds.

But I got a secret I must admit,it's not his lips I want to kiss,

I giggle quietly as Octavia leads me through the green ,dark forest. She said she wants to show me something amazing,but I don't care about that,I'm just happy to be with her. We finally come to a stop. I'm ready to ask her about this right before a neon blue butterfly lands on her nose. I whiden my eyes in shock,yet the feeling is quickly replaced by admiration. "Oh my god ... How did you find this??" I almost whisper,scared I'll send the special butterfly away. O smiles,then as if on cue,the forest lights up with what seems to be thousands of butterflies,all neon blue. I didn't even notice that Octavia wasn't watching them,she had her eyes on me. I turned my gaze to her, noticing quickly how her eyes were on me already. "What,got something on my face?" I joke,hoping to ease the tension. She leans in closer, raising a hand to my cheek, cupping it softly. I feel like the time stopped,like it doesn't matter anymore,like it's just us in this world. Am I dreaming maybe? Yeah that must be it. She closes the distance between us,our lips meeting. Her soft ones on mine...this definitely feels real.

He's not the reason for the bruises 'round my neck.

Her lips trail down my neck, leaving a few kisses before her mouth returns to mine. Octavia takes the opportunity to sit in my lap,leaving kisses all over my neck and exposed collarbone.

Every time I'm sneaking out, through the back of the gate.

I step on the fallen leafs and the slightly wet ground,meeting my eyes with the smiley brunette. "What took you so long?" She lunges herself in my arms,I smile,holding her tightly. "Your brother called me in." She lets go of me, looking at me smiling. "Yeah? What'd he want?" Her hand intertwines with mine ,leading me through the forest to our usual spot. I shake my head amused at her usual behavior . "Nothin." I brush of the thoughts about Bellamy for now.

And the truth is it ain't Bellamy I undress.

I draw little circles on her belly,my head resting on her chest. Her hand loosely hangs on my back,drawing invisible shapes. We're both in our underwear,the little bunker we found while scouting being our new hanging spot when we want some alone time. " What are we doing ,O?" I sigh,not moving my position. One of my legs is over her own. "Don't think about it,not now." She kisses my forehead. We didn't even register when the bunker door opened,not until it was to late. Bellamy enters the room with his gun pointed out at us. Expecting a danger inside.

How do I find the words to tell him?

"Shit! Look away Bellamy!" Octavia almost shouts ,he tears his gaze away muttering a 'what the fuck' while me and Octavia struggle to dress ourselves. "Is this where the two of you run off to??" I ignore his words,getting pissed at my jeans zipper for not closing properly. "Fuck" I mutter anoyed,I glance over at Octavia who is already dressed. Once I'm dressed,i can't look at Bellamy,I feel like if I'd do, I would crumble to pieces.

I hooked up with Bellamy's sister.

"Care to explain what the hell is going on here?" He crosses his arms ,an angry look adorning his face,if looks can kill,I'd be so dead now. I stay quiet for a few seconds, seconds that feel like hours. "I...I don't even know what the fuck to say." I sigh dropping my head, wishing to get away from his cold , glaring eyes. "Do you know how dangerous this shit is? All alone outside the damn walls?!" He stands in front of Octavia,who doesn't look guilty,not one bit. She scoffs,anoyed. "At least when we hook up we don't do it where the whole camp hears." Her snarky reply seems to annoy Bellamy further on. His eyes then fall on me, "I was expecting so much more from you,did anything I taught you stuck in that head of yours?" Bellamy steps closer to me. I take a breath in,what am I supposed to do now??

Bellamy here's the truth, and I don't want to seem rude.

I suck a breath in," I appreciate everything you did for me,and I'm grateful,but what I do in my private life is not your business." I hold my ground, he scoffs , leaving out a sarcastic laugh. "No,it isn't. It's my business when you endenger my little sister,when you endenger yourself and our defense." He doesn't raise his voice at me,dropping his gun on the table and removing his jacket. For a second I feel like he's about to beat my ass ,but I relax once I see him slump down on the old couch. I look at Octavia,puzzled. She seems to share the same feeling.

You're not the only one on my mind...

"I'm not stupid." He starts,I sit down on the couch once I'm sure he's not going to strangle me. Octavia sits next to me, curious to what he has to say. "I'm also not blind." He looks between me and her, shaking his head amused. "We can as well wait here until the morning. It's dangerous to go out in the dark." I open my mouth to say something,yet stop myself , unable to find the right words.

I wanna be best friends ,but I don't want to pretend ,the way that I behaved is a crime.

"you...knew?" I tilt my head curious. Bellamy leaves out a small laugh. "I would be surprised if the whole camp didn't know." I look at Octavia embarrassed,yet no trace of shame lies on her face. "And you didn't say anything??" I continue on,which he just shakes his head amused. I try not to get annoyed. "I felt like shit just for feeling this way,and just now you tell me it was alright all along?!" It takes everything in my power not to strangle him, especially when he has that smile on his face.

Oh Bellamy I have to tell you,

"It was funny seeing you sweat it, each time Octavia was around. That's what you get for not coming to me straight forward. " He shrugs. "You little-" Octavia giggles, stopping me from giving a few words to her brother. I decide to calm down,happy that a big stone has been lifted off my shoulders.

I'm inlove with your little sister.

His eyes fall on me. I look at him,this time I don't feel like I'm hiding something big from him. Octavia went to sleep,leaving just me and Bellamy awake. "What are your feelings towards her?" The sudden question makes me raise my head higher.

"I'm inlove with your little sister, Bellamy."

He sighs, pleased with my answer. "Good. Take care of her for me when I'm not around." I nod eagerly. "Would die for her." He chuckles, smiling.

.

.

.

Phew ,this was long. I changed the og lyrics to match as best as I could,don't judge me okay?

[idontknowreallywhy]

Random train snippet… unedited.

Ghost

Swiping the financial report closed Scott sighed in relief. It had taken three days but unless anything unexpected happened, he was just about up to date. If you didn’t count the IR paperwork for the GDF but hopefully Casey would give him a few days grace on that… right now they’d only read “arrived, did our job, left” and he suspected rather more detail might be appreciated.

How had Dad kept on top of it all? Surely he’d have managed it better? Eight years on and Scott still didn’t feel up to the job. He suddenly felt so very, very young and yet simultaneously so very old and tired.

He looked down at the desk and goosebumps prickled down his spine. He leapt up from the chair, suddenly unable to remain seated. He’d sat there for longer than his father ever had, that milestone had passed a couple of years back. Yet it was still unarguably Dad’s Desk.

He squashed down the flash of desperation that threatened to overwhelm him. This line of thought was counter-productive. Virgil would point out, again, that IR was completing far more missions than they ever had in Dad’s time, and that under Scott’s control Tracy Industries had expanded considerably. He wasn’t failing to do the same juggling act his father had always performed, he was just using heavier clubs. Some of which were on fire.

His brother sure had a way with a metaphor. He looked over at the piano with affection. The musician was in full musicking mode, in his own world, headphones on, fingers dancing across the keys and humming to himself. Scott wasn’t sure he’d heard him play this one before… it was… pretty, but a little sad. Kind of haunting. He was sure he knew it from somewhere and it was going to bug him… he wouldn’t interrupt though. Leaning down he pulled up the website that would identify a piece of music from an audio clip, Scott pressed record and waited. It took a while, because Virg had clearly hit a tricky moment and stumbled over a passage before repeating it a couple of times more slowly.

Eventually he got back into the groove and the requisite track popped up. “Ghosts” huh? Ha, how appropriate. His brother’s heart-melting baritone floated above the relentless piano, wordless. Little brother never seemed to notice the lyrics, preferring to focus on the shape of the melody to convey the story. His big brother took a more conventional approach to knowing what it was about and clicked through to the lyrics page. He read them through, his brow furrowed. The goosebumps retuned.

His knees buckled and he sank to the floor, unable to support the weight of his long-buried grief.

Resting his cheek on the seat of the chair, on the ghost of his father’s knee, he listened to Virgil unknowingly sing out his big brother’s pain.

🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵

Now and then

My mind drifts to a place where I find you

Lost in my head

There are unsolved feelings that haunt me

It's too late to heal, I'll lay them to rest

If I could bring you back

There are truths and confessions I'd tell you

I'd set things straight

And I believe that you would love and forgive me

I know it's too late, I need to let go

And how can I move on

When everyone I see still talks about you?

How can I move on

When all the best things I have we built together?

Here's to letting go

But I am trapped in a void with your ghost and our memories

Lest we forget the great reset

(Muse / Matt Bellamy)

[thequietesthing]

Ok but now see you don’t understand. The 100 season 2 episode 9 is one of the most well written episodes in the entire season in my opinion for both the progression of the story and also for the construction of Clarke as a character and everything that she will do later. 

The episode begins with the aftermath of her killing Finn and the beginning of the alliance with the grounders. 

In this episode the relationships Clarke/Bellamy and Lexa/Gustus shine through and are the focal points of that storyline: two powerful women in charge, and the men that love them (in one way or another) want to protect them no matter what.

Bellamy wants to go inside M.Weather but Clarke says it’s too dangerous and she “can’t loose him as well” right after losing Finn. (For my bellarke girlies, the look on Bellamy’s face when she says that is imprinted in my mind forever because he was soo not expecting that lol)

They go to Ton DC and the whole debacle with the poison happens. Bellamy is the first one that jumps in front of Clarke to protect her and snatches the potential poison from her hands. After we find out that it was Gustus that poisoned the cups to protect his commander.

Lexa doesn’t care the reasons behind it, but only the action, because “love is weakness” so she kills him.

When Octavia, Lincoln and Bellamy are in front of the fire and L asks to Bellamy how did he know it was Gustus, B says because he would “have done everything to protect her. To keep her safe.” AND AS I’M SURE EVEN THE WALLS HAVE UNDERSTOOD THAT HE WAS ALSO TALKING ABOUT HIMSELF AND CLARKE because as of right now Bellamy has done exactly that: do everything to protect Clarke because he trusts her, sees her as a good leader and generally cares about her. Also very relevant the immediate response that Octavia gives to this statement “look at the thanks he got” which is kinda of foreshadowing of what is about to happen.

Because Clarke, my dear sweet freshly traumatised Clarke, sees Lexa so powerful and capable that she decided to imitate her and adopts her mentality, so she goes to Bellamy and in the coldest voice we have ever heard from her (towards him) she says that he was right and that they need an inside man in MW. Now here is where cinematography comes in to help with the story, because first of all we see the complete and utter surprise on Bellamy’s face at this sudden change of heart that he doesn’t understand because less then 12 hours she told him that he couldn’t loose him (his Heart shows) then his practical side takes over and he regards her also with understanding. BUT THEN then the camera moves to Octavia and Raven. Remember Lincoln is also there but we don’t see him, we only see those two. Why? Because they know. They know the relationship between these two, they’ve been there since the dropship days, they know this is not how things are done. You can literally feel the awkwardness in the air, as Octavia stares between the two like what the hell is going on. Then Clarke leaves and Bell gets ready for his mission.

Clarke, who has also been plagued by visions of Finn, says to his ghost that love is weakness (after all she just implemented the principle with one of the boys she cares about, she’s only fair to say the same to the other in a more clear matter since he’s dead) and the ghost vanishes it.

By the end we see her reject to keep Finn ashes that abby offers, officially implementing this new motto.

DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN???????? THE GENIUS, THE WRITING, THE EXPRESSIONS, THE PARALLELS, THE ACTORS. 

THIS IS WHEN THE 100 WAS A PROPER TV SHOW AND BY GOD DO I MISS IT.

(yes I'm doing a rewatch, yes is very late at night, please keep your judgement of my insanity to yourself)

Ok I’m done I’m going to sleep now.

[teecupangel]

au idea:

So what happens is: we take Daniel, as he is dying, and send him back in time, when he's about 24 years old, before being found by the Assassins.

He wakes up from this terrible nightmare he barely even remembers, but the few things he can recall fill him with a sense of dread, especially the face of his murderer, which he starts seeing everywhere.

Skip forwards to the events of "The Fall", and as he's living through Nikolai's memories of the Tunguska event, his great-grandfather's visions of the future unlock his own memories as well.

He has a full-blown panic attack as he remembers his own death in vivid detail and, as Hannah and Bellamy try to hold him still, he decides that he can't, just can't, go through this again.

He has to kill Desmond long before the bastard gets the chance to kill him.

So he tries to do everything as he had done before, even though his memories of the time spent with the Assassins are vague at best, all the while looking for Desmond.

Finally, he gets his chance when he meets William Miles at the Farm.

Sneaking into his house at night is easy, and so is gutting both him and his wife.

As for Desmond... how hard could it be, to kill an eleven years old child?

An hour has passed and he's still there, holding a bloodied knife in his hand, asking himself that same damned question as he looms over this sleeping child who is one day going to become his murderer, and... he can't.

He can't.

Change of plans: he's taking the kid to Abstergo with him, so that he can keep him under surveillance and make sure he doesn't wind up joining the Assassins.

And since he's already stealing children, he figured he might as well take one he gets along with, and not only does he know which hideout Lucy lives in, it also happens to be very conveniently on his way to Philadelphia.

He doen't need to kill the Mentor this time around, as he still remembers his address from his first time killing him, and the same goes for all the other Assassin hideouts.

Basically what I'm trying to get at is this:

Oh, and Desmond? He also had a nightmare, the same day as Daniel in fact, and has this vague feeling of impending doom, and also this name, "Clay"... he doesn't know who that is, only that he is somehow to blame for this whole situation.

Daniel will definitely not want to return to the Animus even if Dr Sung told him it would help with the… twitching. Daniel can’t really explain that the twitching is because he can still see him… he can still see Nikolai and he’s not saying anything, that’s the most annoying thing in this entire bullshit called ‘second chance’. The moment he decided not to kill Desmond and took him with him, Nikolai had been a silent ghost, always following Daniel around.

That damn hood made it hard to see his expression but it’s annoying Daniel and…

Returning to the Animus might just aggravate this entire thing.

Vidic has taken a shine on little Lucy and Desmond. They were born and raised by the Assassins but Vidic’s kind grandfatherly act was working wonders. The two brats were also getting along quite well, all things considered. They were already whispering to each other and saying “nothing” whenever someone asked what they were talking about.

Daniel knew they were going to be giving him a lot of headaches in the future.

Then he learned that Vidic had checked their DNA and froze when he heard the triumph in Vidic’s tone as he said, “Desmond is a descendant of not just Ezio Auditore but Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad. Daniel, my boy! You saved such a wonderful boy!”

And Daniel knew…

He just knew…

If Desmond gets into an Animus… if he relived even just one memory of any of his ancestors…

The man who killed him will wake up.

Fuck!

.

.

.

Wanna make this more complicated?

Clay has a nightmare on the same day and, unlike Daniel who needed a ‘spark’ to open that can of worms, or Desmond who still needs his own trigger, Clay remembers everything vividly.

So Clay tries to get into contact with the Assassins, even going as far as calling the number Bill made him remember before he went undercover and the one who answers wants to know why he would know William Miles’ personal phone number.

Clay just tells the Assassin to get Bill on the phone, it’s important.

He can't say the truth though because he knows he fucked up.

He had only been trying to take both his and Desmond’s consciousness (the ghosts remaining in the Gray) back into the past but he knows someone hitched a ride. He doesn’t know who but he sure as hell knows it was another Animus Subject.

Then the Assassin tells him Bill is dead, killed in his own home.

And Clay goes, “And Desmond? Is Desmond okay?”

“… The boy’s missing. Now, may I know who this is?”

“Fuck.” Clay hissed because his greatest fear has just come true.

There were only two Animus Subjects that he didn’t want to be the hitchhiker.

Warren Vidic (Subject 2) and Daniel Cross (Subject 4).

If Bill is dead and Desmond is missing, most probably captured, then it only meant that it was one of the two.

“Come get me. We need to talk.” Clay said before giving the Assassin his current location.

A few hours later, a different Assassin came and got him and drove him to a place he didn’t recognize in Massachusetts.

There, he recognized the voice of the one who picked up the phone.

And recognized him as the current mentor of the entire Brotherhood. The one that Daniel Cross was meant to assassinate.

Learning that only Bill and his wife had been killed, by a bladed weapon of all things…

Clay knew…

It was Daniel Cross.

Warren Vidic would have gotten Abstergo’s spec ops team to burn the entire Farm to the ground.

That only meant…

“You need to tell every Assassin to run…” Clay said solemnly, hoping against hope that he still had time, “The Templars will start their purge soon.”

.

.

And now, we have a race between Daniel and Clay on who can find the other quicker. The purge will still take out some of the Assassins, Clay might have been able to warn them but trying to order everyone to escape took time, but more Assassins escaped this time around.

[thewholecrew]

@headstrongblake said: “  i’m fine, y’all don’t have to fuss over me.  ” / kass/o + either boy

"oh now stop that," kassy tutted, scolding octavia lightly as fingers gently lifted her girls chin so she could see those soft, teary green eyes. "we are not fussing over you, my dear girl, fussing implies that there is no reason to check on you." her free hand lifted to softly brush her knuckles along her warm and rosy cheek. "it never gets any easier," she added quietly, sympathy and understanding in her deep red gaze. "it's alright to cry, to ache with how much you miss him..." she spoke softly, glancing from her girl to grant who sat quietly on the other side of her, holding her hand, his thumb brushing over the scars of her palms from all the years she's lived.

"you don't have to pretend you are fine, angel. and we are not fussing, we care about you," she explained, lips pulled into a soft smile. she lightly tapped under octavia's chin before her hand dropped and she shifted, arm going around her and allowing her to lean against her if she so wished. fingers stroked lightly through her hair and she glanced over once again at grant who she could see longed to help ease the pain their dear girl was going through. she gave a gentle gesture with her head and shyly grant drew closer, lifting octavia's hand to press a kiss to her palm then knuckles.

he knew what it was like to miss someone so badly and for the longest time it had been her who he had missed, who he had grieved. he thought octavia had died so long ago that seeing her he thought she was a ghost, a figment of his imagination here to torture him once again. but she was alive and had started a new life here with kassy -- and though it wasn't something he ever thought would, it comforted him as he saw just how much the vampress cared about her. how she seemed to extend her tender care towards him when he'd done nothing to earn it, not that he thought was worthy of it anyways.

"i still miss him," kassy then said quietly, still petting her girl with no intention of stopping any time soon, "sebastian." she said softly, sorrow filled her gaze and her chest tightened even without a heart beating within it. "no amount of years ever changes that. the distance may soften the ache from being unbarable but it never stops it." today had been the anniversary of bellamy's death and the two had found octavia sitting by herself in kassy's greenhouse. "if there is one thing i have learned over my long life it is that you never stop grieving, that feeling doesn't leave you, you simply learn to live with it and eventually there is... a sort of comfort in that ache, in remembering."

grant watched kassy as she spoke with soft brown eyes, his heart swelling in his chest as she explained how she still grieved even now. there was a string of fear that threaded through him at the knowledge that if octavia really had died, that feeling would be stuck with him forever. but the more he thought of it she was right, he couldn't imagine a life where he didn't have her and also didn't feel that ache, how it did comfort him in some small way. he never thought of it that way before and as his gaze then went to octavia, he sucked in a soft breath as she shifted, changing to lean her head againt his shoulder as his arm hesitantely went around her.

"now, dove, what can we do for you?" kassy then asked after a comfortable but heavy silence, her fingers brushing octavia's hair behind her ear as she then held her hand, pressing soft kisses to her skin in a chaste manner. "would you like to be alone? would you like us to simply lay here with you? or perhaps... we visit your brother?" she suggested softly. "whatever it is we can do to help ease your pain," she whispered and grant nodded, his arms tightening around her as he pressed a soft kiss to her hair. "we're here for you octavia..." he said quietly.

[myriadeyed]

pikuach nefesh under the stars in the operating room

My dad had his appendix taken out when he was around my age -- twenty-three -- told me that under anesthetic, you don’t dream. It’s not like sleeping, no time goes by at all for you. You take that deep breath and close your eyes and when you open them a second later, it’s been seven hours and you’re permanently altered. “It’s like not even existing anymore,” he said. “It’s nice.” A dream is impossible. But on that Monday morning when the anesthesiologist puts the mask on and I breathe in, nevertheless, I see a scene unfold in crystal sharp clarity like a moissanite kaleidoscope:

A sixteen year old girl is sitting in the front seat of a 2016 Subaru Impreza with the engine running. Today is Sunday, and it’s the car she borrows to drive to school, but she won’t be doing so tomorrow. She believes this for one reason, and it’s true for another. The garage doors are closed tight. She’s not crying, she’s all grown up now and she is much too strong for that. The song Starlight by Muse is playing over Bluetooth because it’s her favorite song. Far away, this ship is taking me far away, far away from the memories of the people who care if I live or die!, Matt Bellamy belts out gaspingly. Yes, I remember this song. This child is wearing her favorite outfit, a dark colored hoodie two sizes too large, baggy jeans that hide her hips. She was once extremely idealistic. She wanted to save the whole world. Now she expects that today she will become an ibbur. An ibbur is one of the types of ghost that cannot move on; it is tethered by the noble purpose it failed to complete in life.

I’m standing by the garage door and as I walk up she sees me and she screams. She isn’t expecting a strange man in here -- no one is even supposed to be home. But then she notices that I am achingly familiar, like seeing a starlit ghost. And that she does know me, yes, she knows me very, very well. 

I open the driver side door. All the souls that would die just to feel al-- The music stops. A visit from a ghost of Mondays future.

“It’s time to go home,” I say. “You’re wanted there.”

Then I’m opening my eyes a minute later, it’s been seven years and it’s felt like nothing at all. My chest hurts so much but I’m still halfway dreaming enough not to notice because of the quote ringing in my ears:

“And whosoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved the entire world.”

[djservo]

that time of the month again... how did your october reading go? i saw you hit your reading goal! are we increasing it to push or just enjoying the moment? what's on the winter horizon

IMO !! we both hit our goals right? I feel like I cheated bc half of these reads were lil bite-sized afternoon reads but whatevz, october was fun!

High Risk: An Anthology of Forbidden Writings edited by Amy Scholder & Ira Silverberg

I found this buried in the back of a bookshop for like $5 & saw that old copies are selling for like $25+ online?? wild! I lucked out! I loved the variety featured here, poems and prose and short stories and essays, a lil bit of everything for everyone. I've shared this exact sentiment before I'm sure but I really do love these types of anthologies because it exposes me to so many new authors/artists I wouldn't have so easily come across otherwise, and this collection was particularly fruitful. my favorite bit was probably 'Dear Dennis' by Dodie Bellamy, which is from a collection of letters written from the point of view of Mina Harker from Dracula and it's just as fun and zany as it sounds. this particular letter is addressed to Dennis Cooper which makes it even more fun for me hehe here's a particular (NSFW) passage I was super charmed by and keep thinking about

The Complete Eightball 1-18 by Daniel Clowes

ohhhh daniel... with a collection this big there are bound to be some misses + the cynical sarcastic gen X 'everyone's an idiot & society is stupid' voice/punchline got predictable and grating after awhile, but it's still a treat to see the progression of his art and storytelling. Ghost World + Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron were featured in here so it was really nice to reread them bc I already loved them both but this time I was able to appreciate the artistic details and stories even more. especially Ghost World which I read around high school and it left a more superficial "haha bitchy teenage girls me as hellll" impression whereas this time around I was surprised at how emotionally gut-punched I felt at the end. so beautiful and touching

A Season in Hell and the Drunken Boat by Arthur Rimbaud

I was craving some poetry + Dennis Cooper has referenced Rimbaud as an early inspiration so I thought i'd give a try, and I totally see the influence with this sorta meandering self-loathing nature mixed with this sensuous + bursting understanding of life. poetic stream-of-consciousness mumblecore. the beauty's kinda stained for me by racial slurs and general weird racial undertones but what else can I expect from a white french man from the 1800s i guess! the length is short enough (hardly 100 pages) to not have to commit to it very long at least

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

I am sooo shocked at how into this I was + I wonder if this would've been the case if I'd read it in high school under a teacher's direction bc while I've enjoyed books I've been assigned to read and analyze academically in the past, the vibe is so different when you're reading something on your own and processing/interpreting things by yourself, more limitless in a way. and I think because of that freedom to move around and stew in and envision things way I wanted to, I really had fun with this!! I think reading it at my age, so removed from school, also made it more shocking in the sense of realizing these are literal children.....??!?? so crazy silly funny scary to think about... these poor boys who desperately need therapy... also the copy I had included introductions by Lois Lowry and Stephen King which were basically nostalgic odes to literature and the stories that shape us as and the way we interpret the world as young readers and I really had a moment like...wow... books really are so powerful like truly....

The Wolf Plays by Brad Fraser

I cant lie, I picked this up bc I was so entranced by the photoshoot Keanu Reeves and Carl Morotte did for the live performance they starred in hehe. it feels redundant to be like 'this would've worked better on the stage.." when reading a play bc Obviously it was Meant for performance/the stage, but IDK I've read screenplays that were so layered and full of life from dialogue to stage directions that it felt as if I really were witnessing a production of it whereas here, the direction and characters were so sparsely written that it was hard to imagine it being any more fleshed out for the stage. to be fair, Fraser himself admitted in the introduction to Wolfboy (the first/main play out of he two featured in this collection) being rushed and rough around the edges so oh well, I'm just glad to have gotten this out of my system now or else it would've plagued me

Castle Faggot by Derek McCormack

so strange and bewitching. I love how it plays with form in a kinda taunting way. blank boxes where you imagine the picture that's being drawn out n stuff like that. I think I'll need to read it again to flesh out my thoughts but with it fresh on the mind, I'm tickled by its way of weaving anger with absurdity. in the afterword convo between Dennis Cooper + Zac Farley, Dennis recounts a story about Derek where they were hanging out at some mall and Derek spotted Nicholas Brandon (the guy who played Xander in Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and without a word Derek made a beeline to Xander and just stood closely right behind him on the escalator staring at him intensely and Dennis was equal parts humiliated and terrified bc he'd never seen this weird dark obsessive side of Derek before + that was basically how he felt about the book as well. thought that was neat and somewhat clarifying LOL

PHEW im pooped. NO i will NOT be increasing my reading goal for these last 2 months, lest I strive farther than my capabilities/motivation yet again!!! I tried a few Fil-Am/Filipino horror fictions in october but none of them really clicked for me and i didn't want to commit to something I felt lukewarm about so I'm planning to read some (non horror) Fil/Fil-Am books this month. I realized in October I read almost every form (poetry, fiction, graphic novel, play) except nonfiction wtf! my bread and butter! so I'll probably look for something stimulating buried in my pdfs somewhere

[headstrongblake]

@thewholecrew: what on earth did i just walk into? / bell & o

octavia sat on the edge of the half wall in the apartment, tilting her head as she watched kassy string the pumpkin lights octavia had gotten for around the entryway a few years ago. her nose crunched a little as she grinned brightly, agreeing with kassy on the placement of the lights this year when her brother came through the door, bewilderment immediately overtaking his features. "what?" octavia asked with a roll of her eyes, brow lifting as bellamy put his shoes off to the side before fulling wandering in, taking in the decorating the girls had done all afternoon. well, what kassy had mostly done because beyond putting out her usual halloween candles and the few ghost figurines & plush pumpkins octavia had, her best friend insisted on doing the rest. heaven forbid octavia over-exert herself. even though the shooting was nearly six weeks ago, and most of her aches from her withdrawal were subsiding, which she'd pointed out once or twice.

"what on earth did i just walk into?" her brother asked, taking in the fall and halloween decor. a lighthearted scoff left octavia as she gently hopped down, "um, i think the words you're looking for are thank you," she said, wandering over to kassy, who glowed with excitement and pride, "it's amazing, i know, it'll take a moment to take it all in." octavia shimmied her shoulders a little with excitement as she stood next to her best friend, taking in their handy work. "c'mon, come see the living room, and the deeeeck, oh my god bell, kassy found the cutest ghost that lights up, you have to see it." she expressed, swiftly making her way to her big brother before tugging him along into the living room where there were more cute halloween decorations, mixed with some darker tones.

"i know, we never really did stuff like this before but," octavia shrugged as she looked around at the decorations she's accumulated with kassy over the past three years from different shopping trips and thrift stores. the first year, octavia had happily taken in how kassy immersed herself in halloween and the simple joys, but it wasn't an experience she'd ever known. instead, she experienced halloween through kassy. that was until her best friend gave her the very first set of halloween string lights she owned. they were multicoloured with ghosts and witches that lit up octavia's bedroom. after that, she was hooked. & the girls spent so many fun moments together collecting more and decorating together. "it's fun, isn't it," green hues sparkled with joy as she looked toward her big brother, "just wait until you see how many boxes at the top of your closet are christmas decor."

[mrprettywhenhecries]

ghost stories

Billy Hargrove ✘ Win Lewis (OC) // Eddie Munson ✘ Lydia Bellamy (OC) // Robin Buckley ✘ Blossom Bellamy (OC)

⇾ w.c. 3.5k words ⇾ warning(s). canon x oc pairings, spooky stories, drinking, suggestive themes, but nothing explicit ⇾ a/n. a little halloween collaboration with @super-unpredictable98/@hawkinsglasscloset, featuring my Winnie and her Lydia and Blossom.

"Wow, great place to get murdered. Nice one, Win," Blossom huffed as Billy parked in front of the lonely cabin. 

"Chicken!" Lydia teased. "What’re you scared of?  This is the middle of nowhere, nobody will come here to kill you." 

"That is precisely why someone might come here to kill me!  I've never done drugs, I never drank alcohol or smoked, my organs are valuable!" Blossom cried.

“Oh, come on!” Win exclaimed, grinning as she got out, excited for their weekend away. “It’s not as bad as it looks!” she insisted, opening the door for Blossom.  

"You're right... it's worse!"  Blossom walked in and ran her finger over the mirror right by the door.  "Not only is it creepy, it's filthy too. Only you guys can drag me to these things."

“It just needs a quick dusting, that’s all,” Win said with a shrug, opening the curtains to a cloud of dust. 

“Don’t worry so much, B,” Robin said, joining her girlfriend inside, bringing their bags in. “We’re gunna have fun!”

"I hope so."  Blossom softened seeing her girlfriend. " Anywhere is perfect with you."

Eddie’s van pulled up moments later, parking behind the Camaro.  “Hey, guess I wasn’t as late as I thought I’d be,” he said, grinning excitedly as he jumped down from the driver’s seat.

"Hey, sexy!" Lydia called, rushing to greet her boyfriend, practically jumping into his arms.

“Hey, missed you,” Eddie exclaimed, lifting her off her feet, greeting her with a kiss.

"Missed you too!" Lydia took his arm once he set her back down. "I can't wait to have you holding me in front of the fire while we make s'mores."

“Mmm, sounds perfect,” Eddie mused, a lopsided grin tugging at his lips. “Then we can go back to our room and have some fun,” he drawled, his hands slipping down to give her backside a squeeze. 

"Aaah!  You naughty boy!" Lydia giggled, giving his hair a little tug. "Come on, it's getting cold out here."

"Don't want my lady getting a chill now, do we?" Eddie asked, shutting the driver's side door and pulling open the side panel to unpack the supplies. "Can you help me carry in the food, babe?" he asked, handing her one of the large canvas bags while he grabbed the large cooler. 

"Yeah, but that'll cost you a treat," Lydia winked before taking the bag to the cabin. "A special secret treat."

"Oh?" Eddie chuckled, tilting his head as he followed her inside. 

"This place is awesome, so cozy," Billy mused as he brought his bag and Win's inside, joining the others. 

“I knew you’d like it,” Win said, letting her eyes roam the room.

"Perfect place, nobody can hear you screaming my name," Billy whispered teasingly, leaning into her. 

“Yeah, other than our friends,” she pointed out, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Nah, I have a feeling they’ll be a little too preoccupied to notice,” he replied with a smirk, pulling her down with him to the old dusty couch. "They'll be busy playing their own dirty games."

Win laughed, collapsing into his lap. "I guess that’s true," she agreed, fighting back a grin.

“It’ll be a nice break from everything,” Robin said, pressing a kiss to Blossom’s temple.

"A break from Steve," Blossom laughed, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. "I could use a warm shower."

"I hope his date goes well," Robin said.  As much as she loved teasing Steve about his string of bad luck with women, she did hope he could find someone that made him as happy as Blossom made her.  "Why don't you take a quick shower and we'll get a fire going," she offered.

"I hope so too, he's so nice, he deserves it," Blossom nodded, stealing a kiss and turning to find the bathroom.

"Have a nice shower," Robin called, giving Blossom's ass a soft smack as she walked away. "Okay, who wants to help me start a fire?" she exclaimed, heading for the hearth.

"I will," Billy offered, giving Win a quick snuggle a kiss to the tip of her nose before getting up to help Robin get wood for the fireplace.

Win scrunched her nose at him, sitting up to watch them, resting her chin in her hand as she let her eyes follow her boyfriend's ass.

Billy looked over his shoulder to find his girlfriend observing him. "Enjoying the view?" he teased.

"Always," Win replied, winking at him. "Do you guys need any help?" she asked, pushing herself up. "I think we got it," Robin answered, tucking her hair behind her ear as she added some wood slowly to the small flame that Billy had started.

Billy was gonna say something about letting the men take care of it, but he quickly held his tongue, remembering Robin wasn't a man and not wanting to offend her.

"What sort of treat would you like?" Eddie asked his girlfriend, dropping the cooler in front of the fridge to unpack it. 

"Surprise me," Lydia grinned, taking the food from the bag and putting it on the counter.

Eddie smirked, handing her an ice cold beer. "That what you had in mind?" he teased, kicking the fridge door shut with his foot as he leaned across the counter.

"Shhhhh!" Lydia giggled, pressing her finger against his lips though she nodded in agreement. 

Eddie grinned against her fingers before licking them teasingly and cracking the beer open. "You want any?" he asked.

"Yeah... but only if you give it to me," Lydia said pointedly, wetting her lips slowly. 

Eddie glanced up at the others who were pretty distracted by the fireplace before taking a long draw from the can and pulling Lydia closer, his lips slotting with hers. 

Lydia drank from his mouth, and though the beer was cold, warmth spread through her body, stemming from where her lips met his.

“You’re welcome, you looked parched,” Eddie chuckled, drinking some more for himself.

"I feel a lot better," Blossom announced as she left the bathroom, wearing a big fluffy robe and pajama bottoms.

Robin straightened when she heard her girlfriend, grinning proudly as she dusted off her hands. “Look, we’ve got fire!” she exclaimed, gesturing to the hearth as Blossom joined them. 

“You guys are so handy,” Win laughed, pulling Billy back to the couch with her.

"You've seen nothing yet, wait until it's time to wash my car in the summer... you'll be drooling," he teased.

“I can’t wait,” Win murmured, tugging his shirt collar down to press a kiss to his collarbone. 

"My hero!” Blossom cried, throwing her arms around Robin’s neck before lowering her voice to a whisper.  “You're so hot when you do manual work.”

Robin chuckled. “The place feeling a little more welcoming now?” she asked. 

"Definitely and it's nice and warm... you know, I could fall asleep out here in your arms," Blossom pulled her down to the couch as well.

“That sounds nice,” Robin murmured, breathing in the scent of Blossom’s shampoo.

“So what do we wanna do now?” Win asked, looking around at the others.

“Once it gets dark I say we play some drinking games and share a few ghost stories,” Eddie suggested, pitching his voice low as he wiggled his fingers ominously, a grin tugging at his lips.

"Oh come on, no ghost stories, I don't like attracting that sort of thing," Lydia groaned. "It's all bullshit anyway." 

"Who's the chicken now, huh?" Billy laughed. "If you don't believe in them, there's no harm in telling a few."

“Yeah, c’mon Lyds, don’t be a buzzkill,” Win said, giving her friend a mischievous look. 

“Don’t worry, babe, I’ll keep you safe,” Eddie teased, wrapping an arm around her.

"Fine, whatever, I don't believe in ghosts," Lydia insisted, rolling her eyes. "But just for the record, you all suck." 

"Some of us more than others," Billy said, making a blowjob motion with his hand.

A laugh burst from Eddie at Billy’s innuendo and he pressed a wet kiss to Lydia’s cheek. “Got that right,” he agreed smugly. 

Lydia stuck her tongue out before going back to the kitchen to heat up their dinner. 

"Don't mind her, she doesn't like horror stories since our brother told her about something called Alice Human Sacrifice," Blossom laughed.

“Sounds spooky!” Robin said, tickling Blossom’s sides. 

“Well, I’m excited. I like being scared,” Win said, stealing Eddie’s beer can to take a drink.

"It's just a silly tale Simon made up," Blossom laughed. "Our dad is always encouraging him to write more crazy stories." 

"Who is Alice though?" Billy asked. 

"Nobody," Lydia shrugged, offering each of them a plate of lasagna. "Simon made them up."

“So, what’s the story?” Win asked, accepting the food eagerly.

"There was once a little dream, and being afraid people would stop dreaming it, it decided to bring people to itself in a sort of wonderland," Blossom began, setting the tone as she slowly glanced at her friend’s faces. "Each person lured in was an Alice,” she explained.  “The first Alice was a singer who was adored all over the land and that made him quite arrogant.  Until one day a madman shot him, making a red blood rose bloom from his head." 

"The second Alice were a pair of twins, a girl and a boy who were lured by their curiosity," Lydia continued, rolling her eyes. "But the land warped their vision and pit one against the other until they killed each other with their bare hands, never to wake from their deep slumber."

"Interesting," Win murmured, wondering if there was more or not.

"That would suck killing your twin..." Robin mumbled, chewing her lip.

"Yeah, I think killing anyone would be sorta bad, but especially your twin," Blossom ageed.

"It doesn't make much sense, but Simon is just like that..." Lydia huffed softly. "He watches too much anime." 

"Yeah, that sounds like him," Win snorted, taking another bite of lasagna.

"Who wants a drink? I say it's time we really get this party started," Eddie exclaimed, glancing out the window, noticing how dark it was growing outside.

"I'll have a beer," Billy said, raising his hand nonchalantly. 

"Me too," Lydia winked at her boyfriend. 

"Yeah, same," Blossom nodded. "Oh!  Did you guys read Tomie? It's a new horror manga that just came out in the Monthly Halloween magazine."

“Hon, I think you and Lyds are the only ones that have read that,” Robin pointed out with a grin while Eddie handed out several cans of beer.

"Ugh, people have no taste!  This guy should be famous," Blossom huffed, taking her drink to go with her dinner.

"Maybe one day," Lydia agreed, taking a sip from her own can.

“Anyone else got any scary stories?” Robin asked, looking pointedly between Billy and Eddie.

“Oh, I do,” Eddie said, his grin widening. “But first I think we need a little ambiance,” he drawled, turning off the lights, leaving only the fire to see by.

"Oh, here we go..." Lydia breathed. 

"Now it's getting good," Billy chuckled, reaching around behind Blossom and discreetly running his fingers up her back like a spider, making her scream. 

"ASSHOLE!" She cried.

"Billy!" Win chastised, giving his shoulder a shove as Robin stuck her tongue out at him, pulling Blossom into her arms to comfort while Eddie plopped down on the floor in front of the fireplace. 

"So..." he began, waiting to make sure all eyes were on him, a feral grin on his face. "It was a dark, cold night, much like this one--" he said, glancing around the room from under his long bangs. "--and a group of friends, much like us, decided to camp in the middle of the woods. They were having a fun time, everything was going well, until night fell--" he said, his voice dipping low.

"How surprising," Lydia snorted; she knew his storytelling skills were off the charts. She’d seen him as the dungeon master for his epic campaigns and she loved it. 

"What happened when it got dark?" Blossom asked.

Eddie turned his grin on Blossom, glad to see she, at least, was hooked, while Robin looked vaguely uneasy and Win was watching him intently. 

“The moon came out from behind the clouds and shone down brightly, its light filtering through the foliage to the forest floor beneath. A couple of the group decided to go get some more firewood and they ventured out further along one of the trails. Soon they came upon several dead animals,” he said, pausing for effect. “However, they could see no apparent cause of death, no blood or wounds, no sign of attack, and yet there were more than one, spread out along the trail.”

Lydia put aside her fear and skepticism and decided to enjoy the story as if it wasn't a load of wank. "That's... intriguing," she murmured, curious to know what was causing the deaths.

Eddie raised an eyebrow at her, determined to at least give her the heebie jeebies. 

“Unsettled, the couple hurried back to their campsite, telling the others what they saw, but their friends dismissed it, laughing at them for being too jumpy.” Here Eddie paused to take a drink, exhaling deeply before continuing.

“All seemed to be back to normal, the friends drinking and partying late into the night, when a twig snapped nearby and the rustling of leaves announced something approaching. The friends jumped to their feet, their hearts in their throats as their eyes swung to the sound. Moments later a deer came into the clearing and stopped, its ears perking up as it froze. The friends watched it, not wanting to startle it, when suddenly, it fell to the ground, dead. Nothing having touched it,” he exclaimed.

Lydia took Blossom's hand; now both sisters were hooked and slightly disturbed by the image formed in their minds. Billy on the other hand, saw where the story was headed and was already planning a little stunt that would for sure freak the girls out.

“Oh shit—“ Win breathed, slipping her arm around Billy’s, as she leaned into him, though her focus was all on Eddie. Eddie, however, noticed the glint in Billy’s eye and nodded to him before continuing.

“Now thoroughly spooked, several of the teens began to wonder if they should leave or find a new spot to camp, but the others argued, not wanting to pack up camp in the middle of the night. Besides, they figured the strange animal deaths were probably caused by some sickness or maybe poison they had gotten into. 

“Talked into staying, at least for the night, everyone went to sleep, crawling into their tents. The next morning, when one of the girls awoke to take a piss in the woods, she tripped over a large dark shape not far from the smoking fire pit. At first it appeared to be a pile of clothes, but upon further inspection, it was one of her friends, their body cold and eyes wide open and staring.”

"What was it? How did they die?" Lydia exclaimed, jumping slightly when she saw a shadow pass by the window.  "I saw someone! There's something out there!" she cried, pointing toward the dark window pane.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Billy huffed dismissively, winking at Eddie.

“You’re just jumping at shadows!” Robin exclaimed, though her voice wavered, rising in pitch as her eyes darted to the window.  Eddie’s grin widened and he leaned in closer to finish off the story, enjoying the way he had them in the palm of his hand. 

“As soon as the girl realized what she’d tripped over, she screamed, scrambling away from the body. But by the time the others roused from their tents, alerted by her cry, she too was already dead, not a mark on her.  

“Frightened senseless, her friends ran, fleeing into the woods, chased by an unseen attacker. And one by one, their screams too were silenced, and to this day, no one knows what happened to them, their bodies never found.” Eddie’s voice was near a whisper now and the flames behind him danced, casting eerie shadows against the walls of the cabin. 

“Now, there are some who think the mysterious deaths of the teens and the animals were caused by a toxic airborne chemical leak, but others, others say it was the work of an old hermit who lived deep in the woods, hidden away from the world, who conversed with spirits and demons. They say he could steal your soul just by touching your shadow.”

"Your shadow? That's... um, that's stupid," Lydia said, clearing her throat, but she screamed when she heard a knock on the window. 

There was no one there except for a tree branch that looked a bit like a hand. 

"Who's there?" Blossom asked, seeing another dark figure flashing past the opposite window.

"I’ll go check," Billy said, disentangling himself from Win’s grasp before getting up and slowly walking to the window. 

“Billy, wait—“ Win began, her words dying on her tongue as he peered through the glass, his eyes going wide and his mouth falling open in a silent gasp before he suddenly collapsed.

“Billy?” Win called, frozen in place on the couch, fear clutching her chest.

“Oh haha, very funny, Billy,” Robin said, her voice slightly hoarse. 

“Yeah, very funny,” Lydia agreed, though there was an edge to her voice. 

Eddie, however, jumped to his feet and hurried across the room, dropping to knees and leaning over Billy, listening.

“He’s not breathing!” he exclaimed, and Win shared a frightened look with Lydia and Blossom. 

“Eddie, watch out!” Robin exclaimed when she saw the shadow of a hand silhouetted through the window, its thin fingers reaching toward Eddie’s shadow on the floor behind him.

"Eddie!" Lydia shrieked,  jumping and tackling him, rolling with him to a darker corner. "Fuck! Stop playing, it's not funny!" 

"Stop messing around, Billy! We know you're alive!" Blossom said weakly, trying to believe it. "Wait, Robin, don't go over there, stay in the dark where there’re no shadows!"

“I’m not playing!” Eddie exclaimed, fighting back a grin as he pulled Lydia atop him. 

Robin hesitated, but Win didn’t, pressing her back to the wall and edging closer to the window to peer outside. There was definitely someone out there; she hadn’t been hallucinating the shadow of that hand. 

“Billy,” she exclaimed, dropping down to her knees and crawling beneath the windowsill to his side. He still hadn’t moved, even when she poked his stomach. “Playing dead, huh?” she grumbled under her breath. “Maybe this will revive you,” she said, leaning down to kiss him.

Billy’s lips curved beneath hers and he kissed her back.

"Call me Snow White, babe... cause your kiss just saved me," he joked, pulling her closer to kiss her again. "You totally believed it for a second!  Come on, it was a great joke!"

"You're lucky you're cute or I'd pummel you for that joke," Win exclaimed, pinching his arm before kissing him back. 

"Aww you love me," Billy chuckled, rolling atop his girlfriend. "It was just an elaborate plan to get a kiss." 

“Oh really? That’s kinda dumb seeing as I kiss you all the time,” Win huffed, though she wore a small grin, her fingers tangling in the chain of his necklace to pull him closer. 

"Happy Halloween!" Steve exclaimed, opening the window from the outside, waving with the hand-shaped branch. "Henderson! Come here! You need to see their faces!" 

"Steve? Dustin?" Blossom narrowed her eyes, fixing her glasses. "What the hell are you doing here?" 

"You arse! I fucking hate you! That was so not funny!" Lydia cried, smacking Eddie's chest with an angry huff.

"Yes it was!" Eddie cried, howling with laughter. "You should have seen your face! And you thought it was bullshit when I started," he reminded her.

"Steve!? You lied to us? You like to me?" Robin gasped, her mouth falling open. "Did you even have a date at all?" she exclaimed. 

"No, Eddie asked us to help out with his prank so we just... you know," Steve jumped into the cabin and helped Dustin inside. 

"It was bullshit! I didn't believe it for a second, I was just... pretending!" Lydia exclaimed, folding her arms over her chest. "You're not getting any tonight."

“Awww c’mon, Lyds!” Eddie exclaimed, pulling her into his lap and kissing her neck. “I could protect you from the monsters,” he murmured.

“We’re gunna get you back for this, you know that right?” Robin said, throwing Steve a level look.

"Yeah, we expected that would happen," Dustin chuckled, his eyes crinkling with amusement. 

"You're all so done," Blossom warned while Lydia turned her head with a little humpf, though she didn't push Eddie away. 

"You'll need to spoil me a lot tonight,” she muttered.

“Oh trust me, I have some things up my sleeve,” Eddie purred, kissing his way up Lydia’s jaw.

“Yeah, don’t even think about talking to us!” Robin exclaimed, though she wore a goofy grin, pulling Blossom into her arms to comfort her. 

⇾ taglist. @elliethesuperfruitlover @b1tchygh0sts @heartbreak-sandwich @vampyreddiemunson @everybodylovessteve

[kinetic-elaboration]

January 3: Bellarke, Frank/Timid

Eee, didn't mean to spend so much time on this but here it is.

Bellamy & Clarke, past Bellamy/Raven, in the same verse as it is new moon and twilight

Written for the prompt "frank and its antonyms: secretive, timid, shy, evasive," for July Break Bingo

~900 words, written in about 33 minutes

*

Bellamy's not sure what he expected from a sorority girl. Not a shy, wallflower type, for sure. But maybe a girl whose very pep and cheery vigor hides an evasive, uncertain quality: a woman who never quite tells the whole truth.

He needs a roommate badly or he'll be couch surfing in a month, and he both dreads and can't wait for the day he and Raven move their stuff out of their one-bedroom apartment and finally give each other the breathing room they both claim they need. She isn't quite his ex as long as she's sleeping in his bed and insisting he doesn't need to bunk on the couch. She isn't quite his girlfriend when they stare past each other at dinner, when the silences always turn so gray and grim.

She says he can keep the apartment if he finds someone to split the rent with and he says, Or you, as in, or you could keep it, and she says, I'd rather have a blank slate.

He finds himself thinking about her when he takes down his coffee mug, when he stubs his toe, when he opens the medicine cabinet for his toothpaste to brush his teeth at night. The living ghost who haunts him. The fist around his lungs that keeps him from breathing.

The first lead he picks up comes from Miller, whose new boyfriend works with this girl, and she's basically in the same boat Bellamy is, except her ex has already moved out.

"They were using the second bedroom as an office or something," Miller says, waving his fork around, still only halfway through chewing. "She was in a sorority in college. Likes art. And she's cute, if you're into that sort of thing."

"I'm not looking for a rebound," Bellamy warns.

Miller rolls his eyes. "You're looking for a bedroom. She has one. Get coffee with her, see what happens."

They meet at a little hole in the wall place with dim lighting and a mosaic of red glass shards on the wall. She orders a green mint mocha and offers to split a scone with him, even before introducing herself, and while they're waiting for their drinks, she sticks out her hand and says, "I'm Clarke."

She's not as bouncy as he'd thought she would be.

He shakes her hand, matching the firmness of her grip. "Bellamy."

She smiles when he says it, as if the sound of his name pleased her, and then she lets him grab her drink for her as she leads the way to a table.

"I guess Miller already told you my situation," she starts, as she slides onto a wooden bench, and he takes the seat across from her. The metal legs of his chair scrape loudly on the stone floor when he pulls it back. "My ex-girlfriend moved out last month. She'd already paid her half of the rent, and I could swing another month, maybe two on my own, but not more than that." She pauses, and a brief frown twists up her features. "Not without calling my mom, anyway. Which I don't want to do."

He has a sudden flash of understanding: she comes from money, and admitting it is the first thing that's made her uncomfortable. Her hand reaches up, uncertain, and twitches her hair behind her ear.

She is cute, if you're into that sort of thing--beautiful, blonde, which he was expecting, dressed in form-fitting black jeans and a low-cut gray henley, which he wasn't. He'd had this image of a sundress, sandals, bangle bracelets. Now she's watching him across the table with the sort of steady and appraising stare that's broken him down before--made him fall in love before--and all he can think is that at least they're getting right to the point.

That's what he needs right now. Someone frank and clear. Like Raven used to be before they started playing games.

"I'm in the same boat," he says. He leaves out the part about not having a mom to call. About how Raven's all but claimed Murphy's couch, which is where Bellamy himself would probably go, if he ran out of other options. Murphy's jokes about who gets the third wheel in the divorce echo at the periphery: ghostly, hollow.

"I mean," he adds, "with the ex-girlfriend. Honestly, I'm just looking for a low-key situation, somewhere I can afford. I'm neat, I'm quiet--"

"I'm not." Clarke pauses. She's biting back a smile, which makes him realize just how serious her expression has been, like she's keeping a lid shut tight on some inner glow. "Neat. I'm okay about it."

"And quiet?"

"Quiet enough." The smile almost breaks wide for a moment, then slowly fades, leaving her looking thoughtfully down into her drink. "I wouldn't mind some quiet, actually, Bellamy. So--" She flicks her gaze up again, stares at him sharp and unblinking. "You want to talk house rules?"

"Does that mean I get the room?"

"We agree on the house rules and then you get the room."

He reaches out to the small plate in between them and rips off a bit of the scone. It's cranberry. Somehow she knew that was his favorite, or maybe it's hers too. "That sounds fair," he says. And already he's feeling optimistic indeed.

[thewritingcoroner]

Heads up 7 up Tag

Thanks to @late-to-the-fandom for tagging me in a last line tag!

I'm going to mess with the rules a little and just use this as an excuse to share a little snippet from At The Moon's Whim, so I'll switch over and start a 7Up chain :P

"Yeah, I'm sure." Bellamy rolled her shoulders, shifting to lean back against her palms and watch Alessandra with a tilted head. "How much are you willing to part with?" Alessandra eyed the purse Bellamy had thrown aside. "Ten times, at least, what is in that purse." Bellamy leaned forward, though she'd played enough poker games to know she should remain stoic, the sheer number brightened her mood considerably. "Anything else?" To her surprise, Alessandra stood her ground. "You don't need anything else. You've agreed already." She tilted her head, the ghost of a smirk across her face. "You see a spoiled princess, but I am a politician first, thief. You can take the offer that has so piqued your interest, or I can walk away, and you receive nothing." Bellamy jumped to her feet, approaching the queen quickly enough to intimidate most. Alessandra hardly flinched. Nose to nose, Bellamy looked down upon her with a frown. "Bellamy." "I don't understand-" "My name is Bellamy. Stop calling me a thief." Alessandra shook her head, this time something had sparked within her. "You are a thief." Bellamy leaned back. "Yes, but you'll need to know my name if we are to travel together."

tagging with no pressure: @tisiphonewolfe @dontjudgemeimawriter @blind-the-winds @oh-no-another-idea and anyone else who would like to participate!

[spidertalia]

I would like to introduce you all to my beloved sunshine boy, Tennessee !!

His full human name is Andrew Bellamy Crockett, but he just goes by Andy. He's the 31st oldest state and celebrates his birthday on June 1st. He's physically 20.

Andy is a complete passionate sweetheart at heart. He is insanely polite, well-mannered and courteous, even more so than the majority of the other states. He may be rarely passive aggressive, but don't let that fool you- he knows how to creatively insult those who push his buttons. He's friendly, welcoming, compassionate, hard-working, adventurous, curious, energetic, optimistic, honest, loyal, faithful, fun-loving, good spirited, caring, generous, helpful, hospitable, warm, genuine and charming. He's a very kind and honest guy with strong values and even stronger morals, and he tends to dislike those who don't. He's community oriented and very loyal. He's also a huge softie who takes in pretty much any stray animal he comes across. He also knows very well how to charm people and make a good impression. Some other fun facts about him:

He's 5'7 and a half, or 172 cm in height.

He has roughly 2a type hair that can be described as shaggy.

He is the younger brother to Arkansas, and the older brother to Oklahoma.

Outside of his indigenous languages, he speaks English, Spanish, French and Arabic fluently, and speaks some Mandarin and German as well. However, he knows how to sing in several languages.

He is probably the world's biggest music fan, lol. He is a very good singer and he's very talented in several instruments, including but not limited to: the guitar, banjo, fiddle, violin, piano, saxophone, drums, bass, harmonica, flute, mandolin, organ, keyboards, tuba, clarinet, lute, bassoon, trombone, cello, harp, trumpet, french horn, bagpipes, bongos, oud, lyre, xylophone, pan flute, piccolo ukelele.

His favorite music genres are country music, rock n roll music, blues music, R&B music and bluegrass music. He also deeply enjoys Americana and folk music as well. It's nearly impossible to find a genre of music he doesn't like.

He is always more than happy to share his music, food and culture with others.

He is a very good cook.

He's best friends with West Virginia and Kentucky; the three get together with Virginia to play music.

He is always up to trying new things.

He has a deep southern accent.

He's happy to get down and dirty and is quite good at physical labor, but he simultaneously puts quite a bit of effort into his appearance. Whenever he is not doing physical labor, he's consistently well-groomed and neat.

He's very good at handling spices, and actually really enjoys spicy food.

He wears his hair in a ponytail in the city, half up when in the sticks, and fully down when he's at home or at a friend's.

He values honesty, integrity and loyalty above all else.

He really enjoys hard work and physical labor, and he really likes working with his hands on things.

He can actually be very mature when the situation calls for it.

He's a foodie with a big appetite.

He is a very doting brother.

He likes to own livestock and have farms and gardens at his houses. He often grows his own food.

He's almost always in a good mood.

He's actually a fairly good writer, as well. He writes a lot of songs, too.

He is very religious.

He loves hosting people and loves tourists.

He is a huge animal person with a huge soft spot for strays. He regularly adopts animals and sometimes volunteers at local animal shelters.

He has a guitar and flowers tattoo on his left shoulder.

He's very good at holding his alcohol.

He can see ghosts.

He's not good at dealing with snow.

He loves playing sports.

He can make some damn good moonshine.

He knows his way around deer and bears.

He is absolutely obsessed with Dolly Parton.

He's always more than happy to strike up a conversation with a stranger or host a large gathering.

He's actually generally hard to genuinely upset- unless you insult his music.

His likes include: Music, whiskey, Dolly Parton, country music, rock n roll music, blues music, R&B music, bluegrass music, Jack Daniels, BBQ, moonpies, biscuits, football, caving, hunting, animals, playing music, singing, hiking, swimming, fishing, sports, tailgating, spicy food, spicy chicken, musicals, theater, kayaking, canoeing, the outdoors, being outdoors, fried chicken, cooking, eating, orchards, gardening, wine, music festivals, live music, concerts, biking, cycling, home cooked meals, the Smoky Mountains, cowboys, western films, writing, baseball, small music clubs, cozy things.

His dislikes include: Immoral people (specifically mean, callous, dishonest, disloyal, etc); cockroaches, bugs and spiders

That's all I have on him right now, but I am always open to any and all suggestions, especially from people who live in the state!