#book 4 chapter 19

[adventures-of-the-creeping-bam]

NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY: THE ADVENTURES OF THE CREEPING BAM,  BOOK FOUR: THE HUNT - CHAPTER 19

If you’re new to the story, please go check out Book 1 first …

Boof 4 Chapter 1 is here …

IMPORTANT:  Please note this story includes content that may be considered mature, such as moderate battle violence, some strong language and occasional mild sexual scenes.

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CHAPTER NINETEEN:  SHAYLINE

Gods, I’m worried about Art.  He’s not even remotely his old self right now, I almost don’t recognise the charming, easy-going young rogue I so quickly became fond of during our weeks on the road coming south from the Reaches.  Who, for the most part at least, had remained upbeat enough to keep things from getting too grim once it all started to go wrong for us here in Untermer.  Even after Gael was taken, I could still rely on him to be the bright centre of our group, even if there was a note of strain in him now that I could commiserate with, because that sweet young wizard’s my friend too, damn it.

That’s not the keen-edged, steel hard living blade that I found in the recovery room with Darwyn when I went to collect him.  Somewhere between our return from the Late Bone and his going off to tell her what he just had to do, he went from being distractedly numb to … honestly, what I’m watching now is bloody scary.  I remember last week, when Kesla was interrogating that poor dumb kid in this very same backroom behind the temple’s library, and the way she talked about torture scared the hell out of me, it was a side I couldn’t really imagine her being capable of.  Even though I kind of believed it when she spoke about it, all the same.  She’s so hard … but Art?  I definitely never expected him to have such a dark side.

Even Darwyn seems a little taken aback by it now, watching her former lover, the father of her child, intimidate a tough, veteran pirate who’s physically much larger than him so effectively just with words and the mere sight of a small naked blade.  Maybe she’s regretting tagging along with us now, even though she insisted even after he was so adamant that he’d prefer she sat this out, just finished recovering.  I know she wanted to come so she could watch over him, it was clear enough she was as worried about him as I quickly became.  The way she keeps shooting looks my way tells me we’re in the same boat right now.

The woman we brought back from the tavern along with the other two captives is sat in the very same chair the boy was last time we were here, I suspect it hasn’t moved since, left where it was in case it was needed again, I suspect.  When we first arrived she was mostly just slouched in it, like she didn’t really give a shit, she was just annoyed with us all, and with the world for just being here.  She was glaring daggers at the group as a whole, but Thel and Sonagh in particular, I noticed.  It took us a few moments at the start to find out why.

Turns out the investigator knows her already,  at least in passing.  They’ve crossed paths a few times, and none of the encounters ever ended well.  They never came to actual blows, at least, but the old orc definitely doesn’t like her, and the feeling is clearly mutual.  He made it very clear we’re lucky we were able to take her quick like we did, without a real fight, because he says the fierce reputation she has is well deserved.  Apparently she’s one of Jammund’s best fighters, definitely his most ruthless.  She’s dropped a lot of bodies in the harbour with their throats cut over the years, he told us.

Salenda Murkan’s the name she was given, but everybody knows her as Nightwater Sal, or just Sal if they’re actual friends.  Not sure I really want to know any of them.  We’ve only been in the room with her for a span of minutes, and I already despise this woman.

In no small part because she was being particularly uncivil with Thel, and with some particularly nasty language, too.  I get the impression she’s not a very tolerant person, she clearly hates some of the other races with a passion, and it seems dwarves are definitely not to her taste.  Or maybe she just wanted a particular target to focus her ire on, and chose an easier target than the orc.  Honestly, the thought amused me a little, because I’ve known Thel long enough now to know she definitely isn’t an easy target.

That being said, the words clearly still stung her some.  Especially when she called her a “patch-bearded, pint-sized crotch-licker”.  She said she didn’t have a problem with the insult on principle, since it’s not particularly inaccurate, it was just the way she said it.  There was real venom in those words, actual biting hate.

I half expected Kesla to kick her in the face on the spot in a sign of pure solidarity to our diminutive friend.  Instead she just gave her a particularly hard glare and set Art loose on her.

And so here we are.  The first thing he did was collect the chair Kesla previously left to one side once we were done with the last interrogation and plant it barely six inches from Sal’s knees, but instead of sitting down on it he sprang right onto the seat itself and perched there.  Staring across at her, wrists across his knees and paws dangling idly between, shoulders hunched so his eyes were on a level with hers.  Narrowed but sharp as the rest of him is right now.  Not a lick of humour in him anymore.  Like killing his old friend just beat it right out of him …

For a whole minute the room was silent, neither of them said a word, she just slouched there watching him, her own eyes slowly narrowing in turn as she looked him over, slowly but surely discomfited by his unyielding regard.  I don’t think he blinked more than twice the whole time, and didn’t move at all, and it was bloody unnerving. Which of course was the whole point.

Sal was the one to finally break the silence, but while her words were spat with more of that sullen venom I heard the slightest crack in it this time.  “Fuck off, fleabag.  I ain’t giving you shit.  I already told you –”

Her words broke off when he reached across, almost casually, and slipped a knife out from the inside of his left boot.  Quite a small one, I notice, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him use one like it before, but in a way I’m glad, it just looks like absolute bad news, this one.  The way the blade’s hooked like a particularly savage, razor-edged fang, while the handle’s curved back on itself before ending in a steel ring clearly fashioned especially to fit around the tip of any of his chubby paw-fingers … there’s no way this knife could be used for anything other than unpleasant slicing, gouging, debilitating wounds.  And the way he immediately started to play with it so deftly just with one hand, without even looking at it while he was doing it … she started watching that blade moving immediately and hasn’t stopped since.

“So the tunnels, under the tavern.”  he ventures now, keeping his tone light, conversational, but with none of the warmth I’ve grown so used to from him.  “They lead anywhere in particular?”

Yet again, she hesitates before answering him, as she’s done with just about every question since he started this.  Like she’s still thinking about starting to clam up even now, long after she’s wised up to the idea that he isn’t making an empty threat right now.  But then she lets another bitter sigh go and growls her words in that same frustrated but deeply wary growl:  “A whole bunch o’ places.  The Cap’n got safehouses and stashes all over the lower city, ‘specially under the Drumhalt.  But other places too.  Anywhere we can move wares quick and easy to customers, or slip ‘em back under to the Bone, or to other places.”

“On the docks?”  Kesla wonders.  She’s been asking a fair share of the questions too once Art finally got her to start talking, after a due amount of threatening.  But still letting him take the lead for the most part.  “Or under, I guess.”

“The Hardway …”  She grimaces, shooting her a glare now like she wants to spit another insult in keeping with the ones she was much freer with when we first came in.  “Shit … there were others we closed down soon as that place got blown, an’ the Cap’n weren’t too happy ‘bout that.  They ain’t cheap to run, keeping ‘em secret way we been doin’.  Big boss man foots most o’ the bill there, but … snotty bastard still expects his markup back on what we move to make up for it.  Means we’re burning money we can’t afford to right now.”

Kesla looks my way at that, and I have to nod back, knowing exactly what he means by that.  Hontiresk, the man Jammund reports to.  The man he owes money when this all goes to shit.  Like right now.

Art’s just leaning forward again, like he’s been doing, on and off, since he started.  Once again he stops playing the knife back and forth, this time giving it one last swing with the ring now around his index finger, finally tucking the blade underhand as he lets it hang between his knees again.  Like he’s forgetting about it, almost.  She hasn’t, though, her eyes still locked on it.  “The Hardway … that was a real nasty little trick you an’ yours played on us there.  Almost cost us, that.  You can imagine, we’re still pretty sore ‘bout it.  Ain’t you, boss?”

My eyes shoot back to Kesla, who pauses for a beat before answering, her jaw tightening just a little to show how uncomfortable she is with the way her friend’s acting right now.  But she still stays close behind him, towering over the woman, arms folded over her chest in her intimidating way.  “Little bit, aye.  When I have to stretch.”

Sal’s eyes slip from the knife up to her for a moment, wary again as she catches the implication behind her words.  I imagine to her eyes Kesla’s well hidden discomfort is actually due to her still not being entirely recovered from Tavarrat’s nasty little surprise on the First Point.  She licks her lips, probably without even meaning to, and it gives away her nerves clear enough.  “We didn’t … the Cap’n never said anything to any of us about that.  Hardway went up, we didn’t know what the fuck that was, we thought the bloody Terrors were doing some crazy shit, like when they took the docks back in the Invasion.  I dunno �� chucking  rocks at the navy again, or something?  Didn’t make a lick o’ sense, it’s all their ships out there now, but –”

“Bullshit.”  Art leans a little closer now, and he raises the his knife hand a little as he does it, curling it under his wrist as he just starts to reach out towards her, close enough now it makes her start to tense up more than she already has.  “We saw the place, when we went in.  Whole fucking warehouse, weren’t a scrap in the place.  You had to have cleaned it out first, you might’ve had that traitor bitch spellcaster porting that stuff outta there or something, whatever, all the people, but … no, she won’t have been doing all the heavy lifting.  Gael told me enough ‘bout how magic works, I know she couldn’t have done it all herself.  So you lot did do that.  So you knew that fucking trap was there.”

“We didn’t, I fucking swear we didn’t.”  Sal’s cringing back as much as the chair will let her, her hands gripping the seat under her now while she’s starting to tip the whole thing back a little with her feet planted firm.  Desperate to get away from him but scared to death of risking any retaliation by actually moving.  She’s gone much more pale than she did when he first drew the knife.  “I swear it, please, pick any fucking god you want and I’ll take an oath right here that I ain’f fucking lying about that …”

Art just stays as he is for a long beat, watching her close, eyes narrowed to cold green slits as he starts to fiddle with his knife again, a good deal less idly this time.  She looks right back at him, but her own eyes are wide now, I suspect she’s maintaining contact purely because she’s terrified to look away in case it looks like she’s lying after all …

“Reckon she’s being truthful ‘bout that, Art.”  Kesla strikes up at last, shifting her footing a little closer to him now.  Keeping her voice level, but a little more insistent now all the same.  He doesn’t seem to respond, but I see a little flicker from his ears to suggest he’s caught her words after all.  Just considering, then.

Finally Darwyn steps closer too, stealing round Kesla’s hip while keeping her feet light, her movements as impressively quiet as they’ve always been, even now.  Even though she’s still a long way from properly healed she’s still so uncannily graceful.  She’s frowning deep now, but seems more cautious than anything else when I look down at her, a cool wariness as she looks the woman over.

All things considered, she’s actually looking pretty good.  I’ve not seen her dressed down so completely before, in fact I have no idea where the clothes even came from, I’ve only known her in black Guild leather so I’ll admit I half expected that to be all she wears.  But these new clothes she’s dressed in, a simple pair of grey wool britches and a soft linen shirt with a loose, open collar and rolled up sleeves, suit her so surprisingly well that they must be her own.  I have no idea where anyone found the time to actually collect any of her things but I suppose it makes a certain amount of sense since she’s been here since we started this.

More so, though, the fact she’s up and about again is heartening enough to see, but she’s still been subdued, which wasn’t unexpected.  She’s still paler than usual, with dark smudges around her eyes that show she’s still not fully recovered yet.  But she doesn’t seem to be in pain now, mostly it’s just her mood that’s effected now.  And I know full well why.

She clears her throat before she speaks, but it’s a subtle little thing so it doesn’t grab a whole lot of attention when she makes it.  Not until she actually starts to speak.  “Who’d you get the weapons from?”

Sal’s eyes shoot to her now, and a frown of deeper confusion spreads across her face now as she just watches her for a long beat.  “What weapons … I dunno what you mean, it’s all our gear we been using –”

“The Guild equipment.  The weapons, the armour, the picks.  How the fuck did you get hold of that shit?”

Oh hell … I’d entirely forgotten about that.  That was such a major sticking point last week, after we first rescued Thel and her friends and discovered that Vik’s people were using equipment that was only available to members of the Thieves Guild, like Art and Darwyn and Zuldrad … and then we kind of overlooked it once other more pressing revelations started to crowd us.  But Darwyn’s raised an important point that I realise now we’ve been foolish to forget … I look at Kesla now and she’s caught it too, cocking her brow quizzically as she acknowledges what I just picked up on.

Art shifts on the chair now, not withdrawing, I notice, instead just moving his empty hand so it grips the seat under him, and now he leans forward instead, turning the knife over in his hand so it’s primed low.  Watching her close now.

She doesn’t answer.  She’s looking from Darwyn to Art and back again, very cautious now as her face becomes much more closed off.  Being really careful about what she says now, looks like.  She’s thinking hard.  “No, I don’t … I really don’t know what that is … we don’t have –”

“Now you’re lying.”  Kesla says, matter-of-fact now, unfolding her arms at last while she lays her left hand on the hilt of her impressive sword in that gesture I’m coming to know so well.  “Not smart.”

Her eyes flickering up to Kesla for just a moment, Sal’s frown deepens as she bares her teeth, some of that old grit returning now.  I think up until now she’s been giving us answers she feels she can get away with giving up because they won’t do any direct harm to Jammund’s operation, but now Darwyn’s caught her with something serious.  Something she can’t just give an answer up on without real compromise.  She might just clam up now.  Sonagh said she’s a hard bitch, a genuinely nasty piece of work.  She’s scared of Art right now, but that’s perfectly healthy – likely she saw what he’s capable of before, and I know what that is.

“Come on.”  He purrs at her now, but it’s not a pleasant sound, closer to a growl, really.  “Don’t make it harder on yourself now.”

Looking back, her eyes return to the knife and linger.  She keeps her teeth bared as her face tightens, and finally hisses under her breath:  “Shit … the big boss set that shit up.  Sent the first shipment over to us day after we started setting up for this.  Cap’n said Vandryss asked for it herself, wanted Vik’s boys to have the best stuff they could, make sure the operation ran smooth like.  Gran supervised that part, cuz he knew the people.  From before.”

Now Art finally settles back, palming the knife as he looks up at Kesla, then down at Darwyn.  “It did come from the Guild.”

“Fuck.”  the halfling breathes, reaching up now to shove her hands more forcefully back through her hair.  “But Cobb … how the hell did they … he don’t know.  He couldn’t have missed it, how the fuck did they –"

“Who’s the contact?”  Again I speak without thinking much about it first, and all eyes turn to me now.  I almost falter this time, but just take a breath and plough on.  “In the Guild.  Do you know who they are?”

Once more Sal seems to be weighing the options, but when Art turns back to her she catches it and this time just grimaces.  “Damn it … some half-elf, puffed up little prick.  Clearly fancies himself some, way he dresses, and how he talks.  Sounds common as the rest of us, but still talks down to everybody he’s dealing with.”

That stirs a memory, from last week, the day after we first got here.  When we were first starting.  When we went to the Guild themselves, Art took us to one of their safehouses and then into the Arrowhead itself.  And there was that other prowler, Art definitely knew him, and definitely didn’t like him.  He seemed all kinds of stuck up.  When I look to her I see Kesla’s clearly thinking along the same lines.

“Glynven?”  Darwyn’s just looking to Art, then Zuldrad, who’s moved forward from where up until now he’s mostly just been loitering at the back of the room.  He’s curious too, now.  “Sparkheel?  That his name?”

“I dunno, prick didn’t give us a name, but he was proper Guild, peacock that he was.  Came every time, four shipments in all.  Damn nice gear, I noticed, but the Cap’n was real adamant he didn’t want any of us lot using any of it.  Said it was … some fancy word, I dunno where he heard it … conspicuous?  Reckon that was it.”  She shrugs, and then her eyes shoot right back to Art, widening just a little, as if she’s suddenly realised that could’ve been misread too.  “Um … said if we needed any more … we should contact our boss not his.  Cuz it weren’t safe.  Dunno exactly what he meant by that.  Then all this shit kicked off and … well, that was it.  We ain’t had any contact with ‘em since.  Or ‘least, not any direct.”

“Cobb?”  Kesla wonders, frowning deep now as she looks down at Darwyn.  “That can’t –”

“No, Glyn don’t work for Cobb.  He’s one o’ Yevnik’s pet killers.”  Darwyn looks to Zuldrad again, and he just frowns back.  “Course, he didn’t come right out and say it.”

“Should still talk to Cobb about it.”  The hob growls back, stroking the bristly hair on his chin ponderously.  “Just in case.”

“Be bloody tricky to pursue, no matter how it actually turns out.  Ain’t no love lost between him an’ Kur, but he’s damn careful not to rub him up the wrong way all the same.  Something like this … it’s a whole lot o’ trouble, just waiting to blow up, like.”

“Might be best to keep that little titbit in reserve for now.”  Kesla mutters, rubbing her own chin now while she keeps the other hand where it is on her sword.  “Can’t imagine anything we need to know about right now would lead back to the Arrowhead, or anything peripheral to it.”

Nodding along, I let a little sigh go.  That sounded promising, but …  “You’re right, the tunnels sound like the smarter move.  Except we don’t know where we’re going yet.  And Big Man said it was a maze down there, even with a destination, probably.”

“True.”  She nods, looking back at Sal, more thoughtful now.  “What about the wizard?”

This just gets another confused look from our prisoner.  “I don’t … Tavarrat didn’t have anything to do with that shit, that was all Gran’s thing.  She –”

“No, the other one.  The prisoner.  Darion Foxtail.”

It takes a few moments for that to dawn on her, then her eyes start to widen as realisation sinks in.  “Wait, what … no.  No, I didn’t have anything to do with that shit.  I told the Cap’n right to his face, that shit was way outta line, we were playing with fire messing round with that.  That was all on Vandryss.  I gave that shit a proper wide berth, same as I left that creepy bitch alone.”

“But you know where he went, same as the cargo.  And our friend.”  Kesla  steps forward when she’s met with another blank stare.  “Young un, half-elf.  The other wizard.  Another Foxtail.”

“Oh … oh no.  No chance.  Fuck you.  That’s one too many, I ain’t giving you that –”

Art’s on her so quickly none of us have a chance to react, his chair doesn’t even shift as he just launches himself off it and knocks her all the way backwards so her own just crashes to the floor with both of them tangling together.  She doesn’t make a single sound until they land, as surprised as the rest of us, finally letting out a winded gasp as the air’s driven out of her, and then she goes dead silent all over again as he bears down on her hard.  By the time I’ve got myself moving in order to react, rushing forward along with Kesla, he’s got the blade to her throat, and I see it’s already dug in tight enough for a little blood to start flowing, but then the edge really is as keen as it looked.

Kesla stops me quick, shooting her arm out to press against my chest and hold me back, but I’m already freezing as it is, seeing Art leaning in so close his nose is almost touching hers now.  It’s a more oblique angle now, but I can just about make out enough of his face to see he looks … honestly, after that leap I expected fierce, but while he’s intense there’s still that coldness to him that worries me a whole lot more.  It’s enough to give me my own chills as I stand by, only able to watch.

“Now you wanna think real fucking careful before you say anything more.”  He growls, low enough it’s entirely for her, but still loud enough that we can all catch it.  “I am not fucking around with you here.  That half-elf they’re talking about?  The one your friends got?  The other Foxtail?  They’re my friend.  Somebody I care a hell of a lot about.  We asked you where they are, where their da is, where the people you been stealing, taking out their homes like fucking monsters, where they all are now.  And we won’t ask again.  I promise you, this is the very fucking end of my patience.  This is where I start cutting, and I won’t stop until I hit bone.  With this knife it’s gonna be surprisingly easy, cuz it’s so sharp, but it’ll still take a little while, cuz the blade’s so short.  Granted, you’ll prob’ly bleed out a ways before I’m done, but I really don’t care.  I still want you to feel as much as you do before you’re gone, so I won’t go easy on you.  It’s gonna fucking hurt.”

Sal keeps dead quiet the whole time, but her eyes get wider too, and I see tears starting to flow freely from the corners of her eyes now listening to him talk like that … it’s enough to make me want to to start weeping too, this is some ugly treatment, right here.  From what I can tell she’s trying hard enough not to breathe any more than she absolutely has to in case this starts cutting into her at all in itself.

“So you’re gonna tell us what we wanna know.  You really are.  You have no way to talk yourself out of this.  The moment you say anything that sounds even a little like you’re telling us to fuck off, even polite like, I start cutting, and I don’t stop.  That is a promise.”  He pauses for a beat, just staring hard into her eyes, then finally pulls back, sitting up as much as he can while keeping his free hand gripped tight into her collar while the knife’s planted firm.  “So talk.  Please.  Tell us where they are.”

Even after all that, she stays silent, even though she’s bleeding already and he’s got her stuck good and fast despite the fact he’s so much smaller than her.  She’s still thinking about clamming up after all, even now.  Her eyes are the only things she can move right now, and they’re searching every one of us for any signs of help, but even if Art wasn’t doing this I know there wouldn’t be any forthcoming.  Not even from me, sick and scared as this is making me.

So finally she just whimpers, and even this is as restrained as she can make it as she’s keenly aware of the blade cutting into her just a little.  “I … I … oh fuck …”  She takes a deep breath, very slowly, and looks up at him once more, her eyes pleading now.  Then they finally roll up to look at the ceiling as she lets it go, slow and hesitant.  “Shit … the Oceanic.”

“Where?”  I look at Kesla now, not getting it at all, but I see quick recognition already dawning in her, and in Sonagh too when I start to search the others.  Thel too, and then I start to twig.  “Wait, what … does she mean –”

“The Playhouse?”  Kesla lowers her arm now as she just steps away from me, taking two very careful steps towards her before planting her hands on her knees and leaning a little closer.  “Hontiresk’s place?  Please tell me you’re fucking joking.  I’ll actually let him cut your throat if you are.”

“It’s fucking true, I swear.  They’re under the Playhouse.  The fucking Oceanic.  In the basement.  There’s like three fucking levels down there, they used to use it for storage of old props and scenery and costumes and shit from the plays but when you lot first turned up Vandryss had some of our folk clean all the rooms out, just in case.  Put in locks on all the doors, serious ones.  Then word came down, a few nights ago, that we were moving everything.  So we did.  Including Foxtail.  The old one, I mean.  The one they caught, like … I dunno, more’n a month back now.  But the other one’s there too, your friend …”  Her voice is starting to break now, the tears coming harder now, I can see, and I can tell she’s getting ready to break too.  “Please … please just let me up now …”

Kesla takes one more step and leans in close enough she doesn’t really need to actually reach up to touch his shoulder, but she does it all the same.  “Art, you wanna give me the knife now?  She ain’t lying.  That’s it.  I’d bet my life on that.  Just give me the knife.  Please?”

Art doesn’t respond right away, he’s still pressing the blade close as Sal just breathes shallow, and I start to wonder if maybe he’s too focused to hear her.  But then he starts to sag, letting his head drop while he finally takes the knife away from her throat, and his paw’s shaking so badly when he raises it I worry he might just drop it and kill her after all.  But Kesla reaches in as soon as it seems safe and very carefully takes hold of the weapon, which he yields to her without a fight now.

While she’s still stepping back I start moving too, rushing in and grabbing hold of his arm now while my other hand gets a good grip of the back of his collar before I start to pull.  Nobody else reacts as I drag him up, largely limp now, not quite a dead weight but not making any effort to resist, and I take an uncomfortably shaky breath as I turn and march him straight for the door.

Lady Naru’s snapping to now, at least, ahead of me now as she gets to the door first and pulls it open, then steps aside quick to let us both through.  Now he’s starting to respond again, not struggling yet but at least making more of an effort to control his own path, so I just tighten my grip and put a little more force into my guidance as I shove him hard through the doorway and then step out after too.  He stumbles for a few steps now he’s free before finally finding his feet again, and as he turns round I’m already squaring up, rolling my shoulders while I shake my arms loose in case I have to grapple him in earnest.

“Shay, I’m sorry, just –”

“Shut the fuck up, you stupid little bastard.”  I spit with a lot more venom than I really planned, but now the shock’s faded I’m just angry with him.  “What the fuck was that in there?  That was not cool.  I mean okay, we needed answers and she wasn’t playing along but that was entirely out of order, you went way too bloody far.  What the hell even was that?”

He doesn’t answer me, but his face is falling fast, growing more stricken by the second as I watch him go over it in his mind.  He looks down quickly, unable to meet my eyes now, and as he takes a few worryingly unbalanced steps back he reaches up, putting his paws to his head to curl his fingers tight into his mane.  His breath’s coming fast now, and after another moment I realise he’s starting to panic.

“Oh shit …”  I start towards him, opening my rms and reaching for him, but he backs away quick, holding his paws out immediately to ward me off, eyes wide.

“No … no, don’t … shit, I can’t … oh fuck …”

“Art, come on, just …”  Gods, I feel so bad, I’m too late realising I’ve overreacted just as much as he just did back in that room, and it’s enough to spur me forward now, forcing myself forward and swatting his warding hands aside before grabbing hold of him anyway.  He tries to push me away again as I pull him close, but once I’ve got my arms wrapped around him he gives up, just melting now as he returns the hug at last.  He’s not weeping, not yet, at least, but I can feel his unsteady breath, hot against my armpit, and squeeze a little tighter.  Mindful of my strength, maybe, but I don’t think I’ll break him, fragile as he might be right now.

After a few moments I lift my head enough to look back towards the room, and find the door’s closed again, Lady Naru and Kesla standing by, the latter looking very uncomfortable with the whole business right now.  She’s still holding the slightly bloody knife, clutched awkwardly at her side between two fingers and the tip of her thumb, like she’s reluctant to actually have it right now.  After a beat she notices me looking at it and grimaces, turning aside now while she starts to fish about in her pocket.

Darwyn’s stood much closer, I realise now, looking up at me with a very worried look on her face.  I haven’t got a clue what to say to her right now, I feel like I’ve let her down.  I never actually came right out and said I’d try and watch out for him in there, but I know that was what she expected as soon as I came and got him.  Now look what’s happened.

A few moments later Art finally starts to push against me, and I take a moment to respond, having to snatch a breath of my own before finally letting go.  He stumbles away, still a little unsteady on his feet, but at least his breathing’s levelled out again.  He still looks so guilty though, his eyes darting around the group before finally settling on Darwyn, and he grimaces again when he sees her.  “Shit … oh, I’m … I’m so …”

She walks up to him, not reaching for him until she’s close, and takes hold of his hand without any resistance.  She looks up at him for a long beat, then lets out a heavy sigh, her face serious now.  “You daft idiot.  What are you thinking right now?”

“That I … that I fucked up real bad in there.”  He looks down at his free hand, which is still shaking, and lets out a slow sigh that’s a little bit of a moan too.  “Fuck … I just fucking lost it.  She wasn’t gonna answer and I just … it got to me.  I was thinking ‘bout Gael, and about Gran and all the shit we been through this past week and everything else, all the people they been … what that monster bitch did up on the Hill … it was all I could do not to just kill her soon as I was on her.  Fuck … did I … is she –”

“Krakka’s seeing to her.”  Kesla finally steps closer, although she’s being wary about it.  “To be honest, reckon it prob’ly looks worse’n it actually is.  She was more scared than anything else, but that was the point.  You got the information we asked for.  So at least it actually worked.”

Now I realise she must’ve been looking for a cloth or something, having produced a scrap of rag to idly wipe the blade clean with cautious fingers.  Watching what she’s doing, in part so she has a reason not to make eye contact now, probably, but mindful even so just how sharp the knife actually is.

“No, I shouldn’t have done that.  I shouldn’t even have been in there.  I’m all outta sorts after … fuck, I’m just tired.  Angry and worn out and done with all this shit.”  Art takes hold of Darwyn’s hand with his other paw now and takes one more step to the side before just letting his body collapse against the wall.  “That never should’ve happened.  You should’ve let Shay talk to her instead o’ me.”

Frowning deep, Kesla crushes the now somewhat bloody rag in her hand and stuff it back into her pocket, carefully palming the knife as she does it.  “Maybe.  But we got a lead now, and it’s a bloody good one.  We know where they’re at.  She was way too scared to be lying in there, you definitely shook the truth out of ‘er.”

“The Playhouse, though?”  Lady Naru sucks a hard breath in between tight lips, looking very skeptical.  “I don’t know … I can’t believe Hontiresk would actually do something so reckless as to use somewhere so … particular for something so unsavoury.”

“Might be Vandryss talked him round to it.”  I venture, voicing my own conviction that Kesla’s reading it right.  “It sounds exactly like something she might think up.  She’s definitely crazy enough.  And it’s kind of brilliant really, if you think about it.  I never would’ve thought of it.”

“Neither would I.”  Kesla nods.  “Makes it even more likely.”

For a long moment nobody speaks, the implication sinking in.  Meanwhile Darwyn yanks on both of Art’s arms and I guess that must be an old signal between them because he gets the hint quickly enough, dropping to his haunches in front of her with a very sheepish look on his face.  She lets go once he’s down, instead reaching up to put her hands on either side of his face, and he lets her pull him forward until their foreheads touch and they both close their eyes.  His breathing smooths out almost immediately.

Finally Lady Naru lets a deep sigh go as she leans into her staff, ponderous now.  “But … I mean, what could we even do?  He’s an Administrator, one of the most senior and influential in this Authority.  More than that, he’s probably the Provisionals’ top ally in the local government.  If we were to actually accuse him of this …”

“Who said anything about accusing him?”  Kesla just frowns back at her, arms folded across her chest now, idly twiddling the knife between her fingers.  “I don’t give a shit if anyone in the Authority approves of what we have to do or not.  I just wanna go get my friend back, and stomp that evil bitch and her nasty little enterprise once and for all.”

The sorcerer blinks at her in clear, wide-eyed shock.  “But you can’t possibly mean … no, that would be … you would be declaring open war on an entitled noble of one of the most powerful families in Untermer.  Whether you free Gael and Darion or not, even if you manage to rescue everyone they’re holding prisoner there …”  She hesitates for a beat as she searches for the right words.  “No, it’s folly.  You’d be lucky to just be branded as criminals.  The Provisionals could declare you all traitors.  Insurrectionists, inciting rebellion.”

Kesla just cocks a brow with a rueful half-smile.  “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Frowning again, Lady Naru turns to me.  “Shay, what do you say to this?  Surely you wouldn’t stand for this, it’s folly.  I want to get Gael back as much as any of you, but this is not the way.  You’ll get yourselves killed.  Even if you succeed, the Tektehrans would hunt you for the rest of your lives.  If they catch you, they’ll take your heads.”

Damn it … that’s a hairy prospect to put to me right now.  I’ve never had any direct dealings with the Terrors myself, back in the Reaches we always went out of our way to avoid the Occupational forces, and so long as we left them alone they seemed happy enough to show us the same courtesy.  But ma told me plenty of stories about them, and I heard a good deal more whenever we’d go to Hocknar for trade, enough to put a healthy fear of them into me.  Lady Naru has a strong point, this kind of thinking is extremely dangerous.

Except that I can’t turn my back on my friend, not when we’ve finally got an opportunity to get them back, no matter how crazy or foolish it might be.  I look at Kesla now and she’s watching me close, warily trying to read me in the same way I’m doing with her.  Then I turn to regard Art, finding him looking up at me too, while Darwyn’s just resting her forehead against his cheek now as she seems lost in thought.  I feel a particular weight of expectation in his gaze, because I already know exactly which way he’d prefer to go.

“They can come, I don’t care.”  I turn back to the sorcerer now, seeing her eyes widen again as soon as I speak.  “You can do what you want, but I’m sure we’d stand a much better chance of succeeding if you actually helped.”

For a moment it seems she might protest, but she doesn’t seem rattled now, or even particularly frustrated with my response.  Finally she looks down and gives her staff a tighter twist as she seems to consider, before hissing:  “Damn it.”  Her shoulders slump, but when she looks up again she seems strangely calm.  “Oh hell … I suppose it wouldn’t be the first time I did something supremely foolish for a good reason.  You’re right, it’s for Gael, and Darion.  It might be incredibly stupid, but …”  She shrugs,  starting to smile.  “I suppose I should at least warn Cafi first.  I doubt they’ll approve, but they won’t try to stop us.”

Nodding, Kesla loosens her arms again and starts to walk towards Art.  “Yeah, might be best.  Might be they could even cover for us a little, maybe.”  She stops a step or two short of him and holds the knife out, giving him a careful look.  “You all right now, then?”

Art’s a long time answering, but he reaches out to accept his weapon back after a moment, looking up at her with somewhat guilty eyes.  “I dunno, boss.  That was … I made a mistake, even if it did pay off.  But I’m on board with the rest o’ you, if it means we can get ‘em back.”

Kesla holds onto the knife for a beat longer before finally letting it go.  “Yeah, well I want you to take some time, get your head straight again.  Maybe get a little sleep.  I’ll come get you when we need you.”

“We’re not going now, then?”  I wonder aloud, frowning a little.

“No, reckon we should come up with a smart plan for this.  Sulin’s right, this is a pretty stupid idea.  Even if we do pull this off, we’re gonna be marked for it, no matter what Sirsk might be able to do for us in the Authority.  Daste’s gone, so’s Wralin.  We ain’t got any friends left here now, ‘least nobody with any actual weight.”  She shrugs.  “Very least, be smart to wait until after dark.”

Yeah … that sounds right.  Maybe … I turn to Lady Naru again.  “The Playhouse … they had a play on, right?  Is there going to be another performance tonight?”

Blinking, she considers for a moment.  “Yes, there will be.  Two performances a day for the first week, a matinee before an evening performance.”  She cocks a brow.  “What are you thinking?”

I turn back to Kesla, unable to keep the smile from my face.  “You feel like going to a show?”

TO BE CONTINUED ...

[howtodrawyourdragon]

Movie!Stoick is canonically two inches taller than Book!Stoick.

[looking-to-rattle-the-stars]

bestie is busy (hiiii @ifyourereadingthisblinktwice you wanna catch this in your notifs so bad) and so i can’t yell at her but AGH I AM. i started act 3 right? i started act 3 because good book but also Magnus and Abigail. i want to know what happened with them, obviously. and i am just. i am staring so, so hard at the fact that Fifth house is supposed to be “The heart of the Emperor”. Staring at it. When i was going to comment smth in Dramatis Personae i remembered those words right before act one begins. “Five for tradition and debts to the dead;” … debts to the dead? DEBTS TO THE DEAD?? and like. i’m also just staring at the fact that Abigail also did work with spirits, maybe (probably) not in the same way Silas does but i’m just. Staring. (Thank you Jeannemary for the reminder, “And she was a spirit magician. If it was ghosts, why couldn’t she—“ ) I am just staring at all of this. And my beloved bestie is gonna see this and snicker at me because she’s read all of the locked tomb and GTN at least twice so like she knows and i’m just AGH. maybe this is just a “i’ve connected the dots!” “you didn’t connect shit” situation but i am staring. i feel like these little tidbits have to mean something and connect to why Abigail and Magnus are dead. Why they had to die first. Why Canaan House saw the heart of the Emperor dead first. There has to be a reason for that. Because why not kill 6th first? Or 2nd with their military status? Why the 5th? I’m now also staring at the fact Fourth House is “The Hope of the Emperor” and with Fifth dead and given how Issac and Jeannemary are handling the deaths of their teachers… well… I don’t know if I’d be very surprised if something happens with them next. For if there is no Heart then how can there be Hope?

(also hiii any locked tomb fans who see this if it isn’t apparent this is my first time reading it so keep your lips sealed!! <3 )

[radioactive-earthshine]

20 Low effort meaningful comments to leave on fics when you can’t think of anything to say that most authors love and appreciate (and you will too).

1.) Thank you for writing this!

2.) This really helped distract me from the horrors of reality, thank you for writing it!

3.) I really really really loved this.

4.) <3

5.) Literal keyboard mash q3kjt2uh0erjiurjfnejkrgnkejoiiueirnf!!!!

6.) My favorite part was when they ____.

7.) I laughed at ____.

8.) How dare you! /affectionate.

9.) I am very excited to read this story in its entirety!

10.) I really enjoyed the first __ chapters, I cannot wait for more!

11.) This gave me everything I was hoping for!

12.) 10/10 fic, thanks for writing!

13.) I am going to be thinking about this fic for a long time, thank you for writing!

14.) This made me feel a lot of emotions and I cannot describe them, so thank you for that. I really enjoyed this.

15.) This was the best ride I haven taken in a long time, wow! Thank you for writing this.

16.) If I had the ability to bind this as a real book I would, I loved it so much.

17.) I'm not good with words but I just loved this so much.

18.) This is complete perfection.

19.) I am in awe of how you described ____.

20.) This means so much to me that you wrote this. Thank you.

The more you comment, the better you will get at it and the more enjoyment and fulfillment you will received out of saying thank you.

[painlandpalace]

dead boy detectives reading list

with the show finally out i figured it was a great time to share my reading list again! check it out below the cut 👻☠️🔎

-

⏳ the sandman #25 (1991)

this is their first appearance!

🐇 the children's crusade (1993)/free country: a tale of the children's crusade (2015)

1. the children's crusade #1

(2. black orchid annual #1

3. animal man annual #1

4. swamp thing annual #7

5. doom patrol annual #2

6. arcana annual #1)

7. the children's crusade #2

alternatively you can just read free country. whether or not you read the annuals i recommend reading free country's middle chapter

!!! in place of the annuals there is an additional middle chapter that was created for the book "free country: a tale of the children's crusade" where it is placed between the two children's crusade issues. the boys don't actually appear in most of the annuals (they are in two panels of swamp thing and appear in doom patrol) and reading them isn't necessary but i figured i would include them as they are part of the story.

❄️ winter's edge #3 (2000)

this is an anthology. their part is the 'books of magic: waiting for good dough' story starting on page 19

🐦‍⬛ the sandman presents: the dead boy detectives (2001, 4 issues)

i believe the tv show's esther finch was partially based on this run's villain.

*

(they do have a part in 'death: at death's door' from 2003. it's short and really just a retelling of events from sandman #25 with some minor changes. the entirety of their appearance in death: at death's door is included at the end of the next comic im listing so i am not really adding the death: at death's door book to the list)

☠️ the dead boy detectives (2005, one-shot)

this book was made by jill thompson in a very cute manga-esque style

👻 ghosts (2012), time warp (2013), the witching hour (2013)

these three are anthologies. the story 'the dead boy detectives in: run ragged' runs through all of them. 'run ragged' kicks off the next run.

🔮 from the pages of the sandman: dead boy detectives (2013, 12 issues)

this is the comic where crystal is introduced! a book collecting all 12 issues titled 'dead boy detectives by toby litt & mark buckingham' was released in 2023

🔎the sandman universe: dead boy detectives (2022, 6 issues)

the most recent run, centered around some really interesting thai mythology and featuring multiple edwin moments that i am sure you will love

-

and that's everything! i also recommend buying the omnibus if you can. it includes everything minus the 2022 run plus some additional bonus content!

i hope this is helpful! feel free to ask me any questions you may have about the comics. dead boy detectives is my number one interest so i should be able to answer

have fun reading! 👻

[dinasilvertongue]

[hellsitegenetics]

Blast the Book of Genesis, Chapter 1 from the Bible so we can finally know what was the first creature God created.

[1:1] In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,

[1:2] the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.

[1:3] Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

[1:4] And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

[1:5] God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

[1:6] And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."

[1:7] So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so.

[1:8] God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

[1:9] And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so.

[1:10] God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

[1:11] Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was so.

[1:12] The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good.

[1:13] And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

[1:14] And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years,

[1:15] and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth." And it was so.

[1:16] God made the two great lights - the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night - and the stars.

[1:17] God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth,

[1:18] to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

[1:19] And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

[1:20] And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky."

[1:21] So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

[1:22] God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."

[1:23] And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

[1:24] And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind." And it was so.

[1:25] God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

[1:26] Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."

[1:27] So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

[1:28] God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."

[1:29] God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.

[1:30] And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so.

[1:31] God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

String identified:

[1:1] t gg G cat t a a t at,

[1:2] t at a a a a c t ac t , a G t t ac t at.

[1:3] T G a, "t t gt"; a t a gt.

[1:4] A G a tat t gt a g; a G aat t gt t a.

[1:5] G ca t gt a, a t a ca gt. A t a g a t a g, t t a.

[1:6] A G a, "t t a t t t at, a t t aat t at t at."

[1:7] G a t a aat t at tat t t at tat a t . A t a .

[1:8] G ca t . A t a g a t a g, t c a.

[1:9] A G a, "t t at t gat tgt t ac, a t t a aa." A t a .

[1:10] G ca t a at, a t at tat gat tgt ca a. A G a tat t a g.

[1:11] T G a, "t t at t t gtat: at g , a t t at tat a t t t t." A t a .

[1:12] T at gt t gtat: at g , a t ag t t t t. A G a tat t a g.

[1:13] A t a g a t a g, t t a.

[1:14] A G a, "t t gt t t t aat t a t gt; a t t g a a a a a a,

[1:15] a t t gt t t t g gt t at." A t a .

[1:16] G a t t gat gt - t gat gt t t a a t gt t t gt - a t ta.

[1:17] G t t t t t g gt t at,

[1:18] t t a a t gt, a t aat t gt t a. A G a tat t a g.

[1:19] A t a g a t a g, t t a.

[1:20] A G a, "t t at g t a g cat, a t a t at ac t t ."

[1:21] G cat t gat a t a g cat tat , , t c t at a, a g . A G a tat t a g.

[1:22] G t, ag, " t a t a t at t a, a t t t at."

[1:23] A t a g a t a g, t t a.

[1:24] A G a, "t t at g t g cat : catt a cg tg a aa t at ." A t a .

[1:25] G a t aa t at , a t catt , a tg tat c t g . A G a tat t a g.

[1:26] T G a, "t a a ag, accg t ; a t t a t t a, a t t a, a t catt, a a t aa t at, a cg tg tat c t at."

[1:27] G cat a ag, t ag G cat t; a a a cat t.

[1:28] G t, a G a t t, " t a t, a t at a t; a a t t a a t t a a g tg tat t at."

[1:29] G a, ", a g at g tat t ac a t at, a t t t t; a a t .

[1:30] A t at t at, a t t a, a t tg tat c t at, tg tat a t at , a g g at ." A t a .

[1:31] G a tg tat a a, a , t a g. A t a g a t a g, t t a.

Closest match: Naumovozyma dairenensis CBS 421 chromosome 11, complete genome Common name: Budding yeast

(I could not find an image of this organism, so here is an image of Naumovozyma castellii instead.)

[dianawinchester03]

Genesis Primis: A Supernatural Series Rewrite Masterlist

Book 1 of The Old Testament Series by @dianawinchester03

=====================================

Season One (Complete!)

Prologue - Enter Y/N L/N

Season 1, Episode 1 - Pilot

Season 1, Episode 2 - Wendigo

Season 1, Episode 3 - Dead in Water

Season 1, Episode 4 - Phantom Traveler

Season 1, Episode 5 - Bloody Mary

Season 1, Episode 6 - Skin

Season 1, Episode 7 - Hook Man

Season 1, Episode 8 - Bugs

Season 1, Episode 9 - Home

Season 1, Episode 10 - Asylum

Season 1, Episode 11 - Scarecrow

Season 1, Episode 12 - Faith

Season 1, Episode 13 - Route 666

Season 1, Episode 14 - Nightmare

Season 1, Episode 15 - The Benders

Season 1, Episode 16 - Shadow

Season 1, Episode 17 - Hell House

Season 1, Episode 18 - Something Wicked

Season 1, Episode 19 - Provenance

Season 1, Episode 20 - Dead Man’s Blood

Season 1, Episode 21 - Salvation

Season 1, Episode 22 - Devil’s Trap

Season 1 - Gag Reel

Season Two (Ongoing)

Season 2, Episode 1 - In My Time Of Dying

Season 2, Episode 2 - Everybody Loves A Clown

Season 2, Episode 3 - Bloodlust

Season 2, Episode 4 - Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things

Season 2, Episode 5 - Simon Said

Season 2, Episode 6 - No Exit

Season 2, Episode 7 - The Usual Suspects

Season 2, Episode 8 - Crossroad Blues

Season 2, Episode 9 - Croatoan

Season 2, Episode 10 - Hunted

Season 2, Episode 11 - Playthings

Season 2, Episode 12 - Nightshifter

Season 2, Episode 13 - Houses of the Holy

Season 2, Episode 14 - Born Under A Bad Sign

Season 2, Episode 15 - Tall Tales

Season 2, Episode 16 - Roadkill

Season 2, Episode 17 - Heart (coming soon)

Season 2, Episode 18 - Hollywood Babylon (coming soon)

Season 2, Episode 19 - Folsom Prison Blues (coming soon)

Season 2, Episode 20 - What Is and What Should Never Be (coming soon)

Season 2, Episode 21 - All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 1 (coming soon)

Season 2, Episode 22 - All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 2 (coming soon)

Season 2 Gag Reel (coming soon)

_____________________

Also available on:

📖; ao3

📖; wattpad

_____________________

Authors Note:

I finally learnt how to do a Masterlist! Hallelujah now life will be easier for you guys. Hope you check out my book and enjoy🫶 I’ll update the list after each chapter release.

Update:

I just want to say thank you to everyone for giving my book a chance. I am very new to writing so I’m no Shakespeare lol, but I’m giving and doing my best. With all the overwhelming endless support and love I’m receiving at this very moment, it’s so much more than I can ask for and so much more than I deserve. I appreciate every single bit from the bottom of my heart🥹

Xoxo

[menacetomany]

jon sims is not the antichrist he's actually a jesus figure

i've been doing a lot of research into revelation for writing stuff and martin is very incorrect when he calls himself the antichrist's plus one. that's melanie. and here's why

1) the antichrist is a figure that stems from the book of Revelation, the bible's apocalypse book. But the antichrist actually had nothing ot do with the apocalypse start, and actually doesnt even show up till like 19 chapters in its insane. He's just some random dude who starts a cult, and has a False Prophet hyping him up, so the antichrist is actually georgie and the false prophet is melanie. 2) the person who actually starts the apocalypse is 'the lamb with seven horns and seven eyes, that looked like it'd been slaughtered,' which is a metaphorical representation of jesus. (Funnily enough, if you look through revelation, its actually angels doing most of the tormenting, not demons!) 3) He has literally died and woken up before, and then some time later he dies for real, just like actual jesus. Not to mention him descending into the buried--literally being buried in a cave, just like jesus was on the cross, before emerging after 3 days. Peter even explicitly calls him a 'grubby jesus'. 4) Jesus as a character is all about self-sacrifice and needless suffering to bring about a better world. Wonder What That Reminds Me Of! Even his 3-day descent into the buried is explicitly a self-sacrifical, semi-suicidal act. And on a more literal level, Jon suffering on every level possible was what was necessary to bring about the Change, and then the expulsion of the Fears from this universe (and dooming a bunch of other universes, but just as the bible doesnt spare a thought for all the people trapped in hell for eternity when describing the post-apocalyptic utopia, we're not thinking about the other worlds rn. just this one.) 5) the amount of jon fanart i've seen mistaken for jesus is truly ridiculous

[noneorother]

I bought Aziraphale's Bible so you don't have to.

Am I insane? Yes. Was it worth it? Maybe. In most* of both season 1 and season 2 of GO, there's a very specific Bible on a bookstand next to Aziraphale's desk. It's a vintage illustrated plate book by Harold Copping, known as the Harold Copping Bible, published by the religious tract society in London in 1910. It features some of the most well known Old Testament stories, summarized and annotated by the Bishop of Durham at the time, and illustrated by Copping, who was freshly returned from a sojourn in the middle east. Ironically, It was meant as a lay-person's version of a comic book, short, exciting by use of exotic illustrations, and easy to read.

But my (expensive) gain is now your gain! As I've collected here every visible page in both seasons for your reading and viewing pleasure.

Season 1: All episodes Adam & Eve Genesis iii (1:3) / HCB page 10

Season 2: Episode 1 Joseph known to his brethren Genesis xlv (1:45) / HCB Page 28

S2E1 14:21, S2E1 17:41, S2E1 39:45

Season 2: Episode 2 Jacob's vow Genesis xxviii (1:28) / HCB Page 22

S2E2 5:49

Season 2: Episode 2 Joseph known to his brethren Genesis xlv (1:45) / HCB Page 28

S2E2 13:38 (see S2E1 above)

Season 2: Episode 2 The Brazen Serpent Numbers xxi (4:21) / HCB page 36

S2E2 16:12, 43:40

Season 2: Episode 2* Bible on the desk, Magazine on the stand Annuel L'art Pour Tous, Cover (1861-1880 most likely)

S2E2 22:10

The French L'art pour tous industrial design periodical will have to be a story for another post. For now, just enjoy this 1880 edition copperplate of cherubs discovering a microscope...

Season 2: Episode 2 Imaginary page from HCB, Job KJV Job (18:1) / HCB N/A

S2E2 22:29, S2E2 40:05 Obviously, the plate illustrations and text look different here than in the real bible, because they were created for the show. But there are a few more particularities here. For one, this layout with the thin grid around the text, as well as the paragraph symbol next to the first title, indicate that this would have been a printer's proof copy, not a finished book. It shows you the layout grid and can be annotated for changes. Second, there seems to be a war going on between fonts. Where the "chapter" of Job begins, we get a font and a style similar to the original bible, which gets rudely interrupted by a dropped capital (from the real book) and a Gothic-style font/verse numbers like in the original King James version of the printed Bible.

Season 2: Episode 3 The Brazen Serpent NUMBERS xxi (4:21) / HCB page 36

S2E3 1:18 (see episode 2)

Season 2: Episode 5 By the Rivers of Babylon Pslam cxxxvii (19:137) / HCB page 52

S2E5 21:20

Season 2: Episode 6 Bible missing, L'art pour Tous on the stand Annuel L'art Pour Tous, Cover (1861-1880 most likely)

S2E6 10:21, 17:21, 18:15, 34:28 (see episode 2)

Season 2: Episode 6 Closed HCB, L'art pour Tous on the stand behind HCB page 0

S2E6 37:58, 44:20, 48:08

[staytinyville]

Stay Alive Masterlist

" Came like a Miracle, Look like a miracle, Just like Miracle, Those few words...."

Synopsis: When you started working at a pharmaceutical company, you didn’t realize where it was your life was heading. After getting a patient mix up, you meet seven men who would didn’t seem to want any other nurse that wasn’t you. When you start to know them, you notice things that made you question if they were really human. No matter what excuse they would give though, you would always go home with a heavy heart. The day the truth is revealed to you, things take a turn for the worst.

Pairings: BTS poly!ot7 x Reader

Genre: Mystical Creatures AU, Fluff, Romance, Angst, Fantasy

Warnings: Smut in future chapters, toxic work environment, abuse

Taglist: I have decided to write smut chapters. However it’s just one per member. Maybe some things here and there. With that being said. I will not have a taglist on those chapters for fear of having minors tagged. My books are mostly for a general audience because smut isn’t my main writing. However with the very small number of chapters I will probably do, it’s best to not tag anyone. I understand some of you have ages but I don’t want to struggle with picking out each adult blog. Thank you for understanding.

A/N

(1) -- (2) -- (3) -- (4) -- (5)

(6) -- (7) -- (8) -- (9) -- (10)

(11) -- (12) -- (13) -- (14) -- (15)

(16) -- (17) -- (18) -- (19) -- (20)

(21) -- (22) -- (23) -- (24) -- (25)

(26) -- (27) -- (28) -- (29) -- (30)

(31) -- (32) -- (33) -- (34) -- (35)

(36) -- (37) -- (38) -- (39) -- (40)

(41) -- (42) -- (43) -- (44) -- (45)

(46) -- (47) -- (48) -- (49) -- (50)

" Those few words that saved me I'll be by your side after many nights..."

Taglist is officially closed!

[howtodrawyourdragon]

Hiccup is telling Fishlegs to shoot him with the arrow that was once stuck in the potato when it was frozen for 15 years! Of course! Because it has potato

essence

on it!

[wasawattpadkid]

Housewife

Part - 1

Summery: Billy and Stu have been planning these murders for quite some time. Everything is going to plan until you show up. What happens when they meet someone who is just as mentally deluded as they are?

Pairing: Poly! ghostface x fem!reader

Warnings for this series: murder, blood, smut (will be more in depth on smut chapters), power dynamics, a dash of sexism, knives, stalking, perverse behavior, cheating,

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19

"Do you have anything you'd like to tell us about yourself?" You hated this. First days were known to be horrible for a reason. Why on earth would you want to tell a room full of strangers some random fact about you? They don't care if you have a pet nor do they want to know why you're here. The room was dead silent waiting for you to hurry up and sit down. "Umm-"

"What's your cup size?" A boy asked making the other kids in the class snicker. The dark-haired boy next to him smiled shaking his head in disapproval. "Steven I'm not doing this with you today, out." Steven groaned already grabbing his books. "But miss-" With a stern point of the finger she spoke again. "Out!" The class once again fell silent and you couldn't possibly feel more uncomfortable. You've done nothing wrong yet within 5 minutes you feel everyone staring at you with disdain.

Once the door closed behind Steven the teacher spoke again. "I'm terribly sorry Y/n. Just take Steven's spot for today and we'll figure the rest out tomorrow." A simple nod was all you could muster. All you had was a pencil in your hand and a bright yellow notebook sitting on top of your new desk. You closed your eyes trying to fast-forward time. This was the last class of the day and it could honestly not be worse. "Don't worry about him he's a dick." The note on your desk read. The boy to your left looked at you then the paper wanting you to send the note back.

With a quick scribble, you handed him the paper. A huffed laugh left his lips as he read "You are what you eat." The note was then crumpled and shoved into his pocket. That seemed to be the end of your conversation with the stranger but you pushed further. Leaning to the side you whisper, "What's your name?" Instead of saying anything he opened up his notebook. The black and white cover was scuffed showing obvious signs of use. He lifted the book showing you the inside. With a single word written in big letters. 'Billy.'

The class went on, no more pleasantries being exchanged. The bell rang signaling the tiring day was over. You were going to say something else to Billy but he was up and gone by the time you looked up. "So much for that." You mumbled as you got up. The movies always showed the new girl getting all the attention. Everyone tries to quickly mold her into their cult-like clique. Maybe it was the dress you were wearing or the way you wore your hair that made you look like a prude. Growing up with your grandparents sets you up for a life of social isolation.

The parking lot was crowded but not crowded enough to not see your bright red car. Just as visible was the short-haired boy sitting on the hood. "Get off my car." You scolded flatly. "Holy shit this is yours!? How'd you get it?" He asked bouncing with joy. "It's my dad's so I don't want you sitting on it. Thanks." You tossed your bags in the car as he continued talking. Just a second ago you were praying Billy would keep up some conversation. Now you're wanting nothing more than to get home. "Man look it's Christine!" He shouted as the girl next to him covered her ears. "Is he always this loud?" She laughed at the question shaking her head up and down. "Unfortunately. I'm Tatum, so you're the new girl everyone's talking about?"

A puzzled look fell over your features. "Who's talking about me?" Before she could answer Billy walks up to the car. "This is nice." His blabbering friend seems disappointed with that answer. "Nice? It's fucking awesome! Can we ride in it?" He turns to beg you. Billy looked over at you raising his eyebrows in silent confusion. "I don't even know you." What part of 'dads' car did he not understand? "I'm Stu, this is Billy."

"We've met." Billy says gesturing towards you. "it's nice to meet you Stu but I don't give rides to strangers." He walks over throwing his arm over your shoulder. Way too much physical contact from someone you don't know. "Well you know my friend Billy and now you know me. I'd say we're all friends here." Tatum rolls her eyes at her friend's antics. "If you two are going to harass this poor woman I'm leaving. I've got to catch up with Sydney. See ya, babe." She blew a kiss at Stu which he caught.

"Pleaseeeee." He begged. Just as Billy was about to intervene you agreed. "Fine but no food, drink, cigarettes, or really anything that could mess up this car. Got it?" You laid out the rules as you climbed into the driver's seat. Stu bit his lip nodding his head. "Yes ma'am. Come on man." Stu said as he jumped in the car. Billy stood awkwardly looking down at his feet. His eyes nervously looked around almost like he was late for something. "Go without me I've got some errands to run." Stu stuck his head out of the window. You tapped the steering wheel impatiently. "Come on man Christine is like your favorite movie." At this, Billy laughed.

"No, I think you're confusing things. A murderous car is definitely more your speed." At this point, you regretted saying yes to Stu. "Please come with us I don't trust him." Stu covered his heart in fake hurt. "If you should be worried about anybody you should worry about Billy." You seriously doubted that. Sure he was quiet and a little unnerving but he might just be shy. "Fuck it." His hands smack his thighs in defeat. Stu loudly rejoices at his friend's surrender. "Get in the back."

You figured Stu would put up a fight considering he was there first. Yet he opened the door with sad eyes and quietly got into the back. It was strange. You weren't sure how long these two had been friends but it was an odd dynamic. "Why do you get to sit next to her?" Stu whined from the back seat. "Because she doesn't trust you." A laugh forced its way from your throat. "Who said I trusted you? According to him, I should be careful around you." You pointed to the man in the back who gladly smiled. Billy propped his arm on the window shaking his head slightly. "I'm sorry but dressed like that you need to be careful with everyone."

"Gotta agree with him on that. You look like Betty Crocker." Stu leaned his head on the seat between you and Billy. "Don't get me wrong it's kinda sexy but still very grandma." With a roll of your eyes, you started the car, hearing the engine purr to life. The boy next to you cracked such a small smile you'd have to catch it on camera for proof that it happened. "This is amazing! I fucking love you, Betty Crocker." Stu kissed you on the cheek making your nose crinkle. At that, Billy actually laughed. Nothing too dramatic though. "Ew can you not touch me at all? Jesus Christ." With one hand on the wheel, you took the other to wipe your cheek.

"Now you see what I put up with," Billy adds. "Oh, so you kiss him too huh?" You drove out of the parking lot heading to the main road. "Only on weekends." Stu shrugged. You giggled but Billy didn't seem to find anything funny. "So what brings you to this hell hole?" He asks still keeping his eyes out the window. "Me and my moved into my grandparent's house after they passed. He found a good job here too so ta-da here I am" Stu leaned forward to press buttons on the dash which you promptly swatted his hand away. "What is your deal with this car?"

Stu seemed shocked you had to even ask. "It's Christine baby! The man-eating car." You blinked a few times a little confused. "You know the John Carpenter film? Came out in 1983. Same guy that directed Halloween with Michael Myers." Billy seemed interested in this conversation more so than others. His whole body seem to turn towards you actively listening to anything you had to say. "Of course, I know Halloween I've just not seen Christine." It was Billy's turn to pick at you. "You're telling me you've never seen Christine but you've got the car?"

He must be brain-dead to think you got a car based on a movie. "This is a 58' Plymouth. It is way older than the Christine movie. I've got the original if you ask me." Stu looked like he was adding numbers to fact-check your math. Billy on the other hand had the same stoic expression on his face. His eyes dragged up and down you seemingly trying to figure out something. "Say where do you two live?" Stu gave out directions to his house without hesitation. "You can just drop me off at his place." You nod in Billy's direction as you focus on the road.

"Why do you dress like this?" Billy picks at the fabric of your dress. It seems no one in this town knows what personal boundaries are. But you guess it beats the awkwardness of a new friendship. With these two it's like you jumped ahead. "I like it." Plain and simple. Billy wasn't buying it either was Stu. "It's more than just that. You know people look at you differently do you get off on that sort of thing?" The question was rude. If you had a backbone of any sort you throw him out of the moving car. Being a people pleaser however made you give him an honest answer. "Maybe. Do I notice when people look at me hatefully? Duh. But at the end of the day, I'm happy they looked at me at all. I mean you both look like every other teenage boy out there. You don't want to stand out?"

Stu liked your answer it was honestly one he could relate to. "No, we like to blend in." That was all Billy said. It was a change from the chattiness before. "Well, what about you Stu?" Billy turned to look back at the boy. Meanwhile he was happy at being included. When it was just him with some girls he could say whatever he felt like. When Billy was around things were different. Just with his eyes he could tell Stu what and what not to say. He didn't mind of course he loved Billy more than he would ever know really. Plus he knew his personality could be a lot for new people. It was nice to have someone to let him know when enough was enough.

"Like he said we like to blend in. We're not big attention whores." He laughed. You don't think the comment was aimed at you but you couldn't help but feel a little hurt by it. "What's your name?" Stu asked while he lay down in the back seat. "Y/n." Billy once again needed more of an answer. "Y/n what?" He was looking for a last name. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Stu's eyes shot back and forth between you two. "I would. That's why I asked."

"Well, you ask too many questions. Unless you're looking to change my last name I don't know why you'd need to know." Billy wasn't mad. Aggravated sure but not mad. You were smart. Not smart enough to tell two psychos to fuck off but smart enough to not hand out personal information easily. He'd have to work for it which he loved to do. "Is your place down this road Stu?" The boy perked up. A little sad that the ride was over. "Yeah just go on down."

"What are you doing this weekend?" Billy asked seeing his window of opportunity was closing. "Nothing much why?" More boring and cryptic answers. "We should come over to your place this weekend seeing as nothing's going on." Billy looked at his friend for backup. "Absolutely! I could bring a copy of Christine and we could get mad wasted!" Billy closed his eyes regretting asking him for anything. "I don't drink. Never had a reason to."

"Well, Ms. Crocker I'm giving you one." Unfortunately for these two you had self-preservation skills. Getting drunk with two men you don't know at your house is not smart. They act like you haven't seen any scary movies. "I'm not getting drunk with you two. I'll think about hanging out this weekend but no drinking. My dad would kill me if he knew I had two dudes in the house let alone drunk dudes." Billy could work with that. Stu was practically jumping at the idea to hang with you. For once he didn't have ulterior motives. He couldn't say the same for his friend who had that gleam in his eye he's seen before.

You pulled into the driveway saying goodbye to your new friends. "See you at school tomorrow?" Billy asked knowing the seat you occupied today would be permanently vacant so you could stay next to him. "Unfortunately. Bye, losers." You waved at the guys ready to get the hell home. The boys watched as you pulled away, the bright red car was easy to follow down the road. "What do you think about her?" Billy asked his friend. "She's alright man. Needs better taste in movies but I can fix that." Billy agreed but something just wasn't sitting right with him. In one day you managed to weasel your way into their lives. He wasn't sure if he wanted to watch movies with you or make you the star of one.

Part 2

A/N: I've been writing for about 5 years now but I'm new to the Scream fandom. I just recently watched the first movie and I can't seem to get these two out of my head so feedback is greatly appreciated! See ya lovelies 💞

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Link 1, Link 2 :)

Digital Good Omens 2 Sountrack is coming out in 4 days! 🥳 CD version in October! :) ❤ Coming soon on vinyl…

Out to Stream/Download from 25th August. Out on CD 13th October. Coming soon on vinyl…

David Arnold’s ‘end of the world’ complex and multi-genre soundtrack.

From the Award-winning composer of Sherlock and Casino Royale comes a follow up to the hugely successful, Emmy nominated Good Omens soundtrack.

Good Omens series 2 premiered on Prime Video on 28th July. The series follows the odd couple, angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tennant) in their quest to sabotage the end of the World. The six-episode sequel to the popular adaptation of the novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, concerns the Archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) arriving without his memories to Aziraphale’s bookshop. Aziraphale and Crowley attempt to find out what happened to Gabriel, whilst hiding him from Heaven and Hell, both eager to find him.

The Soundtrack

David Arnold’s soundtrack to Good Omens was first released in 2019 to favourable reviews, with BBC Music Magazine calling it “a rollicking trip to hell and back”. Blueprint Magazine described it as “a great listen” and Sci Fi Bulletin commented on “plenty of memorable themes” to conclude that “This is another work of art from Arnold”. At times nostalgic and eerie but always varied, beautiful and full of excitement, the Good Omens 2 soundtrack showcases Arnold’s every skill from his composer arsenal. Featured here are orchestral arrangements with sprinkling of Sugar Plum Fairy pizzicato and percussion, jaunty strings and mighty choral sweeps from Crouch End Festival Chorus. Added to the mix are rock guitar riffs, and psychedelic 70s sounds and all together they create a haunting otherworldly feel, complementing the fantasy and the quirky humour of the show. The spirited Waltz of the opening theme is also present in the second series and it wonderfully sets the scene for fantastical mayhem. In series 2, this robust, evocative, and funny music entity, becomes yet again another character in the story. Award-winning composer David Arnold is well known for his blockbuster scores, including Stargate, The Chronicles of Narnia: the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Hot Fuzz, Paul, Independence Day, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Casino Royale as well as for his TV work such as Sherlock and Dracula. Also available: The original soundtrack to the first series of Good Omens >

Tracklist

– Disc 1 – Chapter 1: The Arrival 1. Before the Beginning 2. Good Omens 2 Opening Title 3. Into Soho 4. Something Terrible 5. To The Bookshop 6. Maggie and Nina 7. He’s Smoking 8. Tiny Miracle 9. Heavenly Alarm Bells Chapter 2: The Clue 10. Avaunt! 11. The Song is the Clue 12. It’s What God Wants 13. A Mighty Wind 14. Whales 15. Gabriel Returns 16. His New Children 17. Am I Awful Now? 18. Fallen Angel Chapter 3: I Know Where I’m Going 19. Police Arrive 20. Scotland 21. We’re Going to Hell 22. People Get a Choice 23. My Car is Not Yellow 24. Beelzebub in Hell 25. The Book 26. The Fly 27. Mr. Dalrymple 28. We Need to Cut 29. I’m Going to Save Her 30. Crowley Goes Large 31. Not Kind 32. Beelzebub Isn’t Happy – Disc 2 – Chapter 4: The Hitchhiker 33. Hell-O 34. Nazi Zombies 35. March of the Nazi Zombies 36. Crowley Pep Talk 37. The Magic Shop 38. Catch The Bullet 39. Zombies in the Dressing Room Chapter 5: The Ball 40. I’ll Let You Have It 41. We’re Storming a Book Shop 42. Monsieur Azirophale 43. The Candelabra 44. Here Comes Hell 45. Gabriel Gives Himself Up 46. Shax 47. The Circle Chapter 6: Every Day 48. Bin Through the Window 49. Gabriel Leaving Heaven 50. The Halo 51. Gabriel Revealed 52. Gabriel’s Love Story 53. Leaving The Bookshop 54. Gabriel and Beelzebub 55. Crowley and Muriel 56. I Forgive You 57. Don’t Bother 58. The Biggest Decision 59. The End?

[kararisa]

darling, starling ✧

pairing: scaramouche x gn!reader

genre: social media au, modern/celebrity au, friends to lovers, fake dating

summary: being the world-famous singer-songwriter "zenith", the limelight has been on you ever since the start of your career. however, the media becomes relentless when leaks of music you never meant to release begin to circulate. your friend scaramouche, meanwhile, seems to have gotten stuck while writing his second book. with a deadline fast approaching, he comes to you with a deal: act as if you're dating him so he can gather reference material and, in turn, he'll help keep the press' eyes off of your leaks until you release your next album. a win-win in your book, so why not help a friend out?

side ships: venti x xiao; thoma x ayato

warnings: swearing, crack, slight angst (?), alcohol consumption, yn wears makeup sometimes, depictions of online hate; specific chapter warnings will be listed at the beginning of each chapter — will be updated as the series continues

status: ongoing

author's notes:

did some minor reworking so if you've seen this for the second time, you're not hallucinating dw

yes this is my second smau. yes I still don't know what I'm doing haha. timestamps don't matter unless I say they do

apologies in advance if i miss any grammar mistakes, english isn't my first language ^^

written chapters are marked with (★)

pre-concert party !!

0.1 - lost hearts • 0.2 - welcome back, shithead

profiles:

clown central™ ([name]'s friends)

the waffle house (scara's friends)

1st verse — for future reference || playlist

1 - is this real? • 2 - enjoying yourself: a guide

3 - bitchless since birth • 4 - attention

5 - unwritten rules (★) • 6 - we're doing couple things

7 - safe with my indifference • 8 - when's the wedding

9 - iridescence (★) • 10 - worst date ever

11 - then beg • 12 - a little bit scandalous (★)

13 - not too late • 14 - only here for you

15 - i can fight • 16 - wine-stained lips (★)

2nd verse — where words fail, music speaks || playlist

17 - it's so joever • 18 - famefucker

19 - i miss my parents • 20 - none of your business

21 - child of divorce • 22 - don't text and drive

23 - neon escape (★) • 24 - this can't be real

tba

3rd verse — hate to be lame || playlist

tba

encore !!

tba

— the taglist is currently open! if you’d like to be added feel free to reply or send in an ask! – if your blog isn’t highlighted it means i can’t tag you.

[lillsisamarshmallow]

7 Hybrids Moved In With Me Masterlist

Pairing: Hybrid!Poly!BTS x Fem!Reader

Word count: 88k

Read time: 7hrs

Warnings: Slight Swearing, Homelessness, Mentions of Violence, Blood, Fluff, Reader is described as being ‘smaller’ and ‘shorter’ than the boys.

Genre: Hybrids AU, Fluff, Angst, SWF, Caretaker!Reader

Status: Ongoing

Description:

When the dog hybrid who visits her bakery starts taking extra food Y/N follows it through the alleys to find out why, but what happens when she stumbles upon an empty alley only to find 6 more hybrids and some very familiar pastries?

Chapters:  19/30

Teaser (0)

Bake, Eat, Run (1)

Trespassing (2)

Bunny Boy (3)

Nurse Y/n (4)

Roommates? (5)

Living Arrangements (6)

Water Fountain in the Kitchen! (7)

Rainy days, mysterious notes, and wet apologies (8)

It’s over…? (9)

Working Boys (10)

The Plan (11)

Fair Day (12)

The Betrayal (13)

House Guests (14)

Jealous! Jealous! Jealous! (15)

Hickeys, House, and Heated gazes (16).

Moving day! (17)

Getting back to normal (18)

Finally at peace (19)

Unwelcome guests and the problems they bring (20) coming soon...

Overdue Reunion (21) coming soon...

Resurfaced Memories (22) coming soon…

Keeping it Together (23) coming soon...

Falling Apart (24) coming soon...

*This story is also posted on my Wattpad*

 ⚠!This is a work of fiction so please to don't apply anything seen and shown in the book to real life people or situations!⚠

 P.S.

I love receiving feedback and seeing people make up their own theories, headcannons, and ideas about my work so please feel free to do that and ask me any questions you like about the work! This is also my first long term/full length project and the first writing project in a few years. 😊