#i really thought the creepy detective was in on it but he wasn't

[thecutepoison]

This is very speculative, but I'm suspecting Kipperlily is using the Ethereal Plane to spy on the Bad Kids and if I'm right I might have figured how she got found out by the rogue teacher!

First, let me explain my paranoid thoughts about the spying. Since ep 3, we are aware that Kipperlily is hearing their conversations, even if we don't know for sure the extent of it. She, just like Riz, must have a crazy stealth modifier + reliable talent, however I don't think she's relying only on that.

So, there's a scene in ep 4 when the Bad Kids roll for perception to spot Kipperlily. Kristen casts See Invisibility and Fabian rolls a nat 20. Brennan describes, only to Fabian, that although he doesn't see Kipperlily, he feels the "twinge of some kind of sense". Very creepy. That implies that she's there but cannot be seen. She could be invisible, however I don't think that's the case because an invisible person could still be perceived through hearing or touch. Also, Kristen would have been able to see her because of the spell.

With that in mind, the paranoid goblin that lives inside my brain is convinced that she's using the Ethereal Plane to spy on the Bad Kids. The Border Ethereal is perfect for infiltration and spywork, since you pass through physical objects and watch everything in the material plane without ppl there perceiving you. There are a couple of ways to access the Ethereal Plane, with spells or items, but I have no ideia abt the specific method she might be using.

Her being in the ethereal plane explains why Fabian, with his nat 20, didn't notice any physical indicatives of Kipperlily but still felt a presence, like some sixth sense. Now, Adaine did use her Third Eye so she could see into the Ethereal Plane within 60 feet and still saw nothing. But that doesn't mean that Kipperlily isn't there since there's a very easy way to circumvent Adaine: Non detection. This is a third level spell that hides the target from divination magic - for 8 hours they "can’t be targeted by any divination magic or perceived through magical scrying sensors". The Rat Grinders, long time haters of the Bad Kids, are for sure aware that Adaine is a divination wizard, they would be fools to spy on the party without casting Non Detection first. She's the motherfucking elven oracle!

Okay, now about the rogue teacher. In ep 3, Siobhan theorizes the rogue professor is the ghost teacher. I think she's absolutely right! We know most teachers of Aguefort and even if the ghost one was among those we havent seen, the Bad Kids would probably have heard about them if they were teaching something like ranger class. It's plausible that the reason for the party having no ideia who they are and not even passing by them in the halls is that the ghost is the rogue professor. After all, no one knows who the hell they are, it's the whole point of their teaching method. And for a ghost it would be really easy to go undetected since they can travel through the Ethereal Plane, beside the insane stealth.

Indulge my conspiracy theories for a minute. Rogue professor = Ghost Teacher and Kipperlily can wander in the Ethereal Plane, the plane of ghosts. Even with the advantage of being on the same plane as the teacher, it would still be a nightmare to find them since they are a pro rogue. In fact, Kipperlily didn't achive that: the rogue teacher found her.

But how did she manage to have the professor find her? I'm sure it wasn't an accident, she's too calculating for that. So, I started thinking about what would I do in her place and came up with the stupidest ideia. It's utterly ridiculous. But it could totally work and the strategy seems kinda Kipperlily's style.

Remember the Ghost Steak? The one Fig tried to eat when she invaded the teacher's lounge in season one? It's the ghost teacher's lunch, and Brennan reestablished its existence in ep 3 when Adaine used Ethereal Sight, explaining that the school wards are porous enough to allow ethereal travel and other stuff.

So if I was Kipperlily, my dumbass plan would go as follows: invade the teacher's lounge through the ethereal plane and hide inside the fridge. It wouldn't be a problem for me since I'm intangible and can pass through stuff, plus the other professors wouldn't see me even if they opened the fridge. Inside, I wait as long as needed, until the Rogue/Ghost Teacher gets hungry. They finally open the fridge to grab their snack, only to find me looking at them from inside the fridge like a lunatic. Mission complete: got found by the rogue teacher and aced junior year!

It's so mundane and stupid and that makes me more convinced that's exactly what happened. It's too funny to not be true.

[gojoidyll]

Wriothesley x Reader

warnings: a stalker (not wrio), insecurities, fear, grammatical errors, etc.

small note: insinuated that both of them end up together at the end but not explicitly said.

(not gender specific btw!!)

Currently thinking of a scenario (or maybe a future fanfic someday) where you are an amazing author in Fontaine who feels like writing was the biggest mistake you could have ever made.

At first, writing was your passion, it was what led you to fame and the creation of a certain all-time hit detective series that people all across of teyvat like to read.

At first, writing was what made you happy. You could stay home all day without having to venture out of the safety and comforts of your home. Didn't have to worry about your next paycheck, if you'll have enough mora for tomorrow, or if you'll have enough to pay rent by next week. Sure you had deadlines, but since you loved to write and managed your time wisely - deadlines weren't ever an issue.

But slowly, as you rose to fame, admirers and fans were quick to swarm.

It got to the point that you would get mountains of letters a day (almost by the hour). And as a pushover as you were (your parents never really taught you how to stand up for yourself), you quickly found yourself writing to each fan back who sent you letters or gifts. Thanking them. Talking to them. Even becoming penpals too.

Then there was one man in particular who started to get too creepy. Too close for comfort.

His letters started to get disturbing. He would introduce himself with a fake name but tell you that he was a young man in his late twenties. How your books gave him life and meaning. How he would see you walking the streets and even got your schedule down when you would go to the grocery store or hangout with friends.

It was then when you would find that you had gained your own stalker. It was then that maybe getting the spotlight on you and through your writing was a bad idea.

If only I didn't share my real name. I wonder if things would be different...

Despite the mental stress the man was placing on you. You tried to push those thoughts away even though the fear of being watched at all moments throughout the day ate away at you. Your own home wasn't your safety net any longer, you feared.

You couldn't bring yourself to tell anyone, opting out for dealing with this yourself.

You tried to tell the man to stop. He didn't.

Warned him.

Yelled at him when you would spot him hiding.

Screamed when he broke into your home. Kicked and thrashed around.

It was then when your neighbors called for the garde. Immediately coming to the rescue due to all the noise you both were causing.

And soon a trial was held. The man was immediately found guilty for a numerous of things. Theft, stalking, attempted kidnapping, breaking and entering, etc.

And even when he was sent to the fortress of meropide, you found that you just couldn't write anymore even though your hit detective series was still ongoing. Your editors, in understanding, gave the series a hiatus and let you take a vacation.

But once again, you feared.

You feared that you just couldn't write anymore.

The one thing that you enjoyed doing ended up with some crazy fan wanting more of you. You didn't want to fear anymore.

And it would be two weeks later when you would be approached by Neuvillette and Clorinde. They would tell you about the happenings within the fortress and how your presence was needed in dealing with your ex-stalker.

Apparently he had gotten into some trouble, and he wouldn't talk no matter what unless he got to see you.

So you found yourself reluctantly going. It wasn't like you were going to stay home and do anything anyway...

At the fortress now, you found yourself in a big office. Apparently it belonged to the Duke, the warden of the fortress. You learned quickly by many of the people there that you should refer to him as "your grace."

And as you sat alone in the office in one of the chairs, a noise sounded just down below.

"They're here?! Where?! I must see them!"

That voice, you couldn't help but to tremble. You didn't want to be here. Not here. But Neuvillette and Clorinde helped alot with the case and proving the man guilty, so you felt obligated to stay and forced yourself not to run away.

"Y/n! There you are! I'm so glad to see you again!"

"That's enough. You see them now, right? So get talking."

You finally got to see the Duke of the fortress of meropide (with the chief justice and Clorinde on either side of him). The duke's eyes were an icy blue, sharp and calculated. His hair black and grey, and spiked - you couldn't help but to think of how ... wolfish he looked.

"Talk? Talk?! I didn't ask you to bring them here so I could talk!"

He reached for you. Hands outstretched as if to hurt you. To pull you towards himself. But Wriothesley was already a step ahead as he grabbed the front of the man's shirt and forced him to the ground, pinning him there.

"I guess no one taught you how to treat a lady."

And maybe, just maybe writing wasn't a mistake after all. Because maybe all this time as you would write happy endings for your characters .. maybe you were waiting for your own happy ending. A happy ending where someone saves you from someone and from yourself.

At least, thats what came to mind as when you finally managed to finish your detective series two months later with its final book.

"So, what genre are you looking to write for now? Because I think you got the mystery all covered."

Sitting in Wriothesley's office once more, lunch in hand, you smiled and thought for a moment.

"How about a romance?"

He snorted at the question, "romance, huh? And how do you plan on starting that?"

"If I told you, then it would ruin the whole book."

"I don't mind spoilers."

You grinned, eyes trained on his as you both enjoyed your lunch break together, "well, it starts off with a man saving an author from someone and from themselves."

"That so," he asked while smirking, he already knew where this was going.

"Do they end up together?"

You shrugged, "you tell me."

Wriothesley leaned back in his chair, eyes trained on you, and only you, "I noticed that in your books, your characters get happy endings. So why not write another one?"

"What? Not a fan of angst?"

"Absolutely not."

[dazaiandhislovelybandages]

13. "If you reject me I'll just find a way to go back in time when we first met and do everything all over again just to get a chance on a second date." For Dazai?

Figuring It Out {Dazai Osamu}

After Dazai has tried everything to get you to agree on a date with him, he know has to convince you for a second date.

Pairing: Osamu Dazai x reader

Trigger Warnings: none

Dazai is a persistent man, especially when it comes to dating. He is just used to most of them falling for him as soon as he greets them. But with you things were slightly different.

With you being the newest addition to the Armed Detective Agency and being naturally pretty, of course he had to try his luck on you. When his soon-to-be ordeal began he took it as a challenge. A fun little challenge because his attempts to charm the waitress at the cafe below kept failing and failing and Dazai was 'scared' that he was losing his charm.

The first time he tried to flirt with you, you simply walked past him. He thought nothing of it since you were really busy, trying to learn how to function in this new environment. But the same thing happened a second time and a third and the fourth. Before he could even raise the question of why this was happening, Kunikida's smirk gave it all away.

Of course the former algebra teacher had to do this to make Dazai focus on his work.

Yet Dazai was quick to come up with a plan. The very next day he began filling all of the paperwork that had piled up on his desk and after a good three hours, he stood up from his desk, holding a paper and walked over to your desk.

"I don't think this is for me to fill, right?" He asked, pretending to be confused. He had snuck the paperwork of a recent mission Atsushi and Tanizaki had been to in his own paperwork.

"Oh, yes, you are right." And you had fallen right into his trap.

Having figured out that the only way to strike a conversation with you was through work he took up his chances and soon enough -months later- he managed to divert the conversation to something other than work.

When he felt that the time was finally right, he asked you out on a date. Nothing extravagant, a simple coffee date so he could 'figure you out finally'.

However he made a simple mistake since he was a little too focused on making you trust that he had no ill intentions and that he was far from the man Kunikida had described to you. He chose the cafe in the agency's building.

"Are you here to finally pay off your tab?" Dazai's eyes widened at the sound of the familiar melodic yet evil voice of the waitress.

From then on, everything started going horribly wrong. Both your orders were wrong, Chuuya appeared, a few women that Dazai had previously spent a night with also happened to be at the cafe. A catastrophe. And to place the cherry on top of the cake? You seemed to be annoyed.

"There is a fair happening near the centre. would you like to go tomorrow?" He offered to carry your coat since the night wasn't so chilly.

His chocolate brown eyes were fixed on you and he could see the hesitation in your voice. Had the date really been that bad? Damn.

But he couldn't let you leave. Not because he wanted to sleep with you. No. After so many attempts to talk to you and after actually getting to know about you, he just needed -craved- more time. Which was slightly strange because this is Dazai we are talking about.

"Let me tell you this." He stopped walking and stepped in front of you. "If you reject me, I will find a way to turn back time and do everything all over again so I can have a chance on a second date." He spoke before you could say anything. "And trust me when I say that I will find a way." His smiling face indicated that he was joking but the tone in his voice actually left no room for rejection but not in a creepy way.

"Well if Chuuya doesn't appear out of nowhere again... then I don't see a reason to say no." You giggled and took your coat from his hands before walking away.

[misc-obeyme]

Okay. I decided to do a little headcanon post for Flufftober, so here it is. Except that it turned out to be CRAZY LONG. I did not expect that. I was gonna post all the characters in one post, but that seems excessive. So instead, I'm gonna post them separately as usual and just link to the other part. I will be posting the rest of the characters shortly!

The theme here is a masquerade party... well don't worry, there's an explanation about what's going on. I dunno I just got the idea and thought it'd be fun to write and then got carried away as usual. I tried to keep them brief, but here we are.

FLUFFTOBER 2023

GN!MC x the demon brothers

Warnings: none that I can think of??

It was an October night in the Devildom and the House of Lamentation was hosting a Halloween masquerade ball. The main hall had been decorated splendidly in oranges, purples, and blacks. An entire feast was laid out, the table full of dishes contributed to the party by Barbatos and Simeon. The room was dark, lit mostly by orbs of orange light, enchanted to float through the air by Solomon. On a small stage there was a live band playing a mix of lively and slow creepy music. The dance floor was filled with demons, all of whom were unrecognizable…

Due to the masquerade theme, special masks had been made for each attendee. They were made by Satan and Asmodeus, working together to create magical masks that would completely obscure each party goer's appearance. Once they put on the mask, a glamor fell over them that transformed them and made them unrecognizable. Every glamor costume was black and incorporated a look involving fancy suits, flowing dresses, and probably too many sequins.

The party organizers all knew what each other's mask-generated costumes looked like. Everyone had been present when Asmo revealed his designs. Everyone… except you. You had insisted on creating your own glamor and thus hadn't been present to see everyone else's.

Now you stood in the middle of this masquerade party, unable to recognize a single person.

And yet you knew that the person you wanted to see most was in the room somewhere. And after a small amount of time, you were certain you had figured out who it was. You made a bold move and asked them to dance. While you were in their arms, they told you to meet them somewhere specific later, when the party was winding down. You agreed and spent the rest of the night exchanging looks with them, anticipating the moment when you would be alone with them.

Had you chosen the correct person? Did you know them well enough that you could determine their identity when their appearance was so altered? And more importantly… did they know who you were?

Lucifer

It was his bearing. The way Lucifer held himself was undeniable. There was nothing about the fancy suit that tipped you off - no bits of blue or red, no feathers, no indication at all that it was Lucifer. Even his eyes were turned pure black by the glamor. And yet, when he looked at you, it was like you could feel the ruby red that hid beneath.

When he asked you to meet him in the music room later, you were even more convinced. Of course that would be Lucifer's choice. When you arrived, the sound of the party music still playing softly in the distance, he smiled and took your hand. A little piece of you doubted, wondered if he could truly detect you behind your mask.

His fingers ran along the edge of the mask that covered your face. "Do you trust me, MC?"

Even his voice was altered by the magic. You shuddered. What if it wasn't him?

Though, would Lucifer really make such a mistake? Would Lucifer let someone else lead you astray?

You let out a breath. "Yes."

Lucifer put his arms around you, pulling you close, and pressing his lips to yours. The masks bumped slightly against each other as you gasped into his lips.

When Lucifer pulled away enough to remove his mask, a relief flooded through you at the familiar curves of his face.

"How did you know it was me?" you asked.

Lucifer smirked at you. "You couldn't help yourself, could you? You were by my side most of the night. And when you weren't, I could feel your eyes on me."

You blushed, but Lucifer only chuckled and kissed you again.

Mammon

He didn't know who you were at all, but the minute you got close enough, you could feel it. A sense of protection that you could only feel in the presence of your guardian demon. He may not know who you were, but you knew him. He was in full on party mode when you asked him to dance with you. He seemed uncertain, likely thinking about you, but he accepted.

Something in his demeanor changed while you danced. His uncertainty fell away and he asked you to meet him out by the front door. You thought this was kind of an odd choice, but you agreed. Later, you slipped out the front door as requested and everything fell into place.

He was leaning against his Demonio 666 Lexura, mask still on, smiling at you.

You laughed a little at how pleased he seemed. You walked down the stairs to the street, stopping right in front of him and reaching out to remove his mask.

There was the familiar face you knew so well - blue-gold eyes shining, white hair bright in the darkness.

"Ya wanna ditch this party and go for a ride?" he asked.

You put your arms around his neck. "You didn't know me at first. How did you figure it out?"

Mammon put his hands on your waist. "Like I wouldn't recognize your dance moves."

Your laugh was smothered as he kissed you. He opened your door for you and you got into his car. He kept a hand on your thigh as he drove into the Devildom night, the yellow moon high in the October sky.

Leviathan

He gave himself away by bringing a handheld video game console to the party. It stuck out of his pocket when he wasn't using it and when he was, he was hunched over in a corner somewhere, the little bleeps and bloops adding a humorous quality to the music in the room.

When you came over to him, Leviathan looked annoyed that someone was interrupting him. He frowned at you for a moment and then became nervous when you asked him to dance. He tried to get out of it, but you didn't listen, dragging him by the hand onto the dance floor. You proceeded to incorporate some dance moves from the latest music video of Sucre Frenzy and suddenly Levi's attitude changed. He wasn't trying to hide who he was and asked you to meet him in his room.

When you knocked on the door later, Levi opened it, mask already discarded. He looked at you, still in your glamor and said, "Th-that's you, isn't it, MC?"

You removed your mask and smiled at him.

Levi sagged against the door for a minute before opening it wide to let you in. "I was so nervous! I thought maybe you were someone else who happened to be intimately familiar with Sucre Frenzy's dance moves!"

You laughed and hugged him, patting his back reassuringly. "I'm pretty sure we're the only ones who know those moves that well. That music video only came out a couple days ago."

Levi pulled back to look at you, pride evident in his orange eyes. "You did them flawlessly."

You blushed a little and pulled on his clothes to bring him closer. "You weren't too bad yourself."

Levi kissed you to hide his own blush, but you still saw it quite clearly.

Satan

You were standing among a group of demons, listening to their idle chatter. You had no idea who any of them were, of course, but they seemed to be discussing the merits of various cafes in the Devildom. This was a fairly benign topic until one of them brought up cat cafes. You noticed the minute the demon beside you began to ramble at length about the benefits of cat cafes. It quickly devolved into what sounded like a dissertation on the positive qualities of cats in general. As the others quickly excused themselves, you laughed and asked Satan to dance with you.

Satan seemed reluctant at first because he wasn't sure who you were right away. But when he stopped rambling and really took you in - your demeanor, the soft smile of fondness on your face - he accepted your request. During the song, he seemed to feel certain of your identity and asked you to meet him in the library later.

You had expected Satan to be deep in a book when you arrived, but instead he was watching the door. He took several steps toward you when you came in.

"I thought you might not come, MC," he admitted.

Your heart squeezed and you removed your mask. "Why wouldn't I?"

Satan took off his own mask. "I thought your attention might have been drawn elsewhere."

You closed the distance between you and looked into his eyes, now their usual mixture of greens and blues. "You say that as though I've been able to think about anyone other than you."

Satan wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you in to kiss you.

Asmodeus

It was in the sensual way he moved, how he lightly teased everyone he came into contact with, the boldness he seemed to gain from the fact that nobody knew who he was. All of these things tipped you off, but when Asmodeus stopped to look at himself in a mirror, lingering a little too long than anyone else might have, your suspicion was confirmed.

To your surprise, Asmo already seemed to know who you were, too. You didn't even have the chance to ask him to dance because he asked you first. You thought maybe he was just asking anyone and everyone, that it wasn't because he knew you. But when he asked you to meet him in the garden later, you were suddenly uncertain. Did he know you or not?

When you arrived in the garden, Asmo was looking up at the yellow moon. He heard you approach and turned around, giving you a dazzling smile.

He spread his hands, the offer of a hug. "There you are, darling!"

You considered him. You still weren't sure if he knew who you were.

Asmo giggled. "Oh, do you think I don't know you? Silly thing."

Asmo walked up to you, placed his fingers on your mask, and leaned in close. "No amount of glamor could hide you from me, MC."

You shivered. Asmo took off your mask and removed his as well, tossing them aside. Then he opened his arms again.

You stepped into them easily, pressing yourself against his body, and meeting his lips with yours.

Beelzebub

The glamor obscured Beelzebub's size and height - the things that normally made him almost impossible to miss. And maybe it would have made it difficult for you to find him in different circumstances. But this was a party. And there was food. You watched the buffet table for some time, waiting to see who never left it or who ate most of it themselves.

When you asked Beel to dance, he accepted immediately, which surprised you. As the two of you danced, you tried to figure out if he knew you or not. He seemed comfortable with you, but it wasn't any different than how Beel was with most people. And then he asked you to meet him at the planetarium. Perhaps you had gotten it wrong? Was there another hungry demon at this party? Was it actually Belphie you were dancing with?

You arrived at the planetarium, feeling uncertain about just who it was you were meeting.

When he saw you, Beel took off his mask, completely eliminating your concern. He smiled at you, the same sweet smile that made your stomach flutter. "Hi, MC."

You shook your head slightly and took off your own mask. "Why did you ask me to come to the planetarium?"

Beel looked up at the planetarium and pointed at the moon. It had an unusual yellow cast to it. "Belphie likes the planetarium. And right now the moon looks like a big wheel of cheese."

You laughed. He wasn't wrong. You took Beel's hands and turned him toward you. "I should've known."

Beel smiled again and kissed you.

Belphegor

Belphegor was eluding you. You had already spent a significant amount of the party looking for a sleeping demon, but you couldn't find one. Everyone you saw was fully awake and nobody even seemed to be slightly nodding off. He must have found a small hiding place to fall asleep and that was why you didn't see him anywhere.

You nearly jumped when you felt a hand on your back. When you turned, a demon smiled at you and asked you to dance with him. There was something about this quiet demon's demeanor that made you suspect it was Belphie. Where had he even come from? And was it really him? You allowed him to lead you out onto the dance floor. He asked you to meet him in the garden later and you felt compelled to agree. If it wasn't Belphie, you could always just leave.

Once you were in the garden, you found him standing there, waiting quietly. He was looking up at the sky, which was full of the yellow moon and a dramatic scattering of stars.

"The stars are beautiful tonight aren't they, MC?" he asked.

All doubts fled your mind then. You stood beside him and looked up, resting your head on his shoulder. "They're lovely, Belphie."

Belphie turned to you, easily slipping an arm around your waist and removing your mask. He stayed still as you took his off, too.

"You weren't sure it was me," he said.

You shrugged. "You look wide awake, that's all."

Belphie smirked. "I was on edge waiting to do this," he said.

You were about to ask what that meant, but he cut you off with a kiss.

part 2 with the rest of the characters

flufftober | kinktober | masterlist | Thank you for reading!

taglist: @anxious-chick @t0tallycoolname @libidinous-weeb

[nunalastor]

Resident Evil

The game mechanic in RE8 of collecting crystalized corpses of your enemies and selling them off for more weapons/supplies is the most Alastor thing I have ever heard. If he can't eat them, might as well sell them for more supplies to kill more people.

Anonymous asked:

Alastor has proven to be a great RE protagonist, so it would make sense to Chris that Alastor would be a worthy candidate to continue the Redfield Bloodline It’s a running joke that Chris wants Leon or Ethan to continue the Redfield Bloodline by hooking them up with his sister Claire Alastor: For the last time, I will not fuck your sister

Anonymous asked:

Resident Evil/Serial Roommates What was going on in the heads of the other detectives Guy worked work? Their coworker/friend got sent off to investigate missing persons on the Baker Ranch, but months passed and he was nowhere to be found. Searches came up fruitless and created more missing persons, and Alastor must have gone to the station constantly pressing them for any information and making it obvious if they weren't going to find Guy, Alastor would. Then Alastor disappeared too. He appeared again a day later covered in blood and god knows what else, trying to help a Guy who looked like he was starved and tortured. But he was alive and could come back on the force. But Guy was traumatized from his time in the Baker Ranch, he wasn't the same person they saw as a friend, and this was the 1920/30s so nobody knew how to deal with that. And just when they thought it couldn’t get worse, Guy started to get sick. Really sick.

Anonymous asked:

Alastor has always kept his hands hidden from view. So when the everyone sees how many times his hands have suffered it makes sense

Anonymous asked:

When Valentino saw Lady Dimitrescu on screen for the first time Valentino: I want her to sit on my face Vox and Velvet: … Valentino: Vox, I know you better not be judging

Anonymous asked:

While trapped in Alastor’s past, it was hundreds times more disturbing and terrifying for everyone. Especially when they found out first hand they can get hurt. Husk and Angel are dealing with Jack Baker and no matter what they do, he keeps coming back and can’t stay down. Charlie and Vaggie are forced to play Lucas’ twisted games. While Nifty is off killing every bug she sees; she meets Marguerite and she doesn’t get scared. In fact, Nifty is the one trying to track down and kill her. Meanwhile Lucifer is trying to search for Charlie and has to deal with Mold. Now normally this would be a walk in the park for him, but he has no access to his powers. Now he has to rely on weapons, learning to combine things and basically everything he saw Alastor do. Lucifer trying to shoot and he keeps missing his targets. Dude can’t even use the knife correctly They’re all doom. I can’t help but wonder how they’ll fair in RE8

Anonymous asked:

Since Lucifer saw Alastor’s interactions with Rosemary, he couldn’t help but find the Radio Demon even more interesting. In conclusion, Lucifer believed Alastor got it wrong, the Radio Demon is more like a mom than a dad. That creepy girl Eveline even called Alastor mommy. And Lilith isn’t around and Charlie does need a mommy and she always wanted siblings.

Anonymous asked:

Vox eavesdrops on the rest of the hotel seeing Alastor’s memories, but because he’s eavesdropping grossly misunderstands the entire situation at the Baker's Estate. Featuring gems like thinking Eveline is Guy’s child based on her referring to him as such, and completely misreading the nature of Guy and Alastor’s relationship. Aka Vox’s misunderstanding of the situation and attempting to use it against Alastor leads to Alastor being really really confused why a fake Guy is referring to Eveline as “our daughter.” He’s not being re-traumatized, it’s so absurd he doesn’t know what to do with it or how the Baker's Estate got misconstrued to this degree. 

Anonymous asked:

Resident Evil 7/8 RE8 probably didn't happen while Alastor was alive because that's too heroic a death for someone who went to hell, it happened after he was dead and everyone was in hell (the lords becoming overlords). So when Al dies to defeat the villain he respawns in heaven and immediately tries to get out. Everyone is devastated that Alastor committed self sacrifice, only for Alastor to appear in hell 5 minutes later because he clawed his way back down.

Anonymous asked:

Resident Roommates AU Quoting a previous anon ask: "Can we all agree that if Guy were to fall for whatever reason, his demon form would be legitimately horrifying? His base form would probably look mostly human like Alastor (didn’t we say he had some dog traits, like he is to dogs what Alastor is to deer?) but going into his full demon form would tap into the mold he was infected with for months in the Baker Estate and become something grotesque. Shit like his burned away angel wings regenerating comprised entirely of the mold. That, and if he died of cancer related to his exposure to the mold, what is a more fucked up demon form to have than that of the thing that caused your torture, possession, and later slow death?" If Guy is meant to have dog-traits in the afterlife, may I propose his full demon form would be a mold-based variant on Scylla? In some versions of her myth, she’s said to have multiple dog heads coming from her body so it would work. Also the line “we both know what it takes to survive” from Scylla's song in the Epic musical hits different in context of the Baker's Estate.

[reallifetangent]

Realization 1.0 (Cat King x Edwin)

I really tried writing something, this is one of the two attempts. English is not my main language, and I also have to translate Ir(me) → Spanish → English → Making Sense in English. I didn't actually finish this one, so, have this draft. Sorry if it disappoints.

---------

Based on the idea of How did Cat King react when he got back the bracelet. Technically is a One Sided Catwin, happens in the events of the series.

---------

"Hm?" A surprise sound between a purr and a question got stuck in his lips, seeing how in his characteristical flames, a cat shaped bracelet appeared in front of his bed. Just waking from the heartbreak of the last night, tired after scan the forest and each tree, Cat King (or Thomas for friends or Fandom) looked at the metallic enchanted piece. Didn't have to get closer, but yet he did. He could recognized that ghostly faded smell, and he was shocked and out of his mind when finally picked it up. Tried to think it was just an illusion, a bad taste joke about it.

"How did he do that?" He was both amazed and hurt. How come a ghost, a simple yet fascinating ghost boy hexed his handcuff, his attachment to this town, to his kingdom. Maybe he counted all the cats. "No. The spell only works if I undo it. That's the charm of this charm." Edwin was resourceful, but he couldn't find anything at Tragic Mick's. His cats around town and his own knowledge knew that no trinket from that haunted store could help them. Otherwise, Edwin, his aggressive pal and that psychic girl would've left the country as soon as they got out of his Majesty's Deck.

His small game of cat and mouse was gone, and he didn't even say goodbye. That was hurting. A well mannered gentleman like Edwin could never leave without a word, even if they didn't like it, his manners and old fashioned ways were stronger than his pride sometimes. That was attractive. He liked that correct and straight up part of him (not the straight part. Edwin has none.) The way Edwin fancily rejected and asked to take it off the first time, the panics and educated rejects at his touch. Maybe last night he was a bit rough telling him that they were only there because of that bracelet, nothing else. But Gods from heaven and hell, that was so ho-

"Heaven and hell." His sliced eyes opened wider, seeing every little part of the handcuff, the hits and tries of forcing the lock. The faded particles of a burnt wall. Thomas knew he was powerful, but not above any of the Primordial Gods, The Endless, Lilith. Even with his 9 lives, he wasn't above Death. And thought that those Dead Boy Detectives couldn't get struggling with her. Sneaky, one step ahead, 30 years running from her. Thomas liked that. Defying. But back to his thoughts, he finally felt that sting.

Edwin Payne had been claimed back to hell. Some cats told there was a creepy woman looking for them, about to "Get them back where they belong". Edwin's cleverness wasn't enough to escape her? Well, now was late to help him.

"Sir, we are... Troubled to inform you-" a grey old cat approached their king.

"I know, I know. That little dead boy has been departed to another jurisdiction. I... Got the message." He sighed, spinning in his fingers the metal piece.

"Worse, my Lord. The crazy nurse woman was there, yes. But something worse." Even the cat got goosebumps, their back hairs bristly. "She wasn't even aware. A demonic... thing... took him and dragged him to hell."

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.63 Luca's Ladies

I didn't expect I'd love traipsing around the house in my underwear so much, but I did. Though, it wasn't so much being nearly naked but the fact that I was alone and didn't have to be concerned about anyone else. I could just get out of the shower and do whatever I needed to do without worrying about what to put on. When I considered what to do with my life just before my birthday, I thought about moving out for about five seconds. I didn't know Mama would give me money and thought I couldn't afford it without a job. I also didn't think I'd like living alone. Moreover, I didn't think I was ready for that level of responsibility—and I wasn't. But I'm here now, and it's great.

Last night, I had a nightmare for the first time. Everywhere I went, I felt like someone was watching me. I became very paranoid and walked around, looking over my shoulder, not trusting anyone. In the dream, I went to bed, and when I woke up, this creepy doll was hovering over me. It scared the shit out of me and I woke up screaming. Good thing Sophia had left by then. I blamed Mama's loud ass ghost dog and still couldn't believe I met Gammy last night. I thought about it the whole time I jogged that morning and could not stop grinning. What a woman. No wonder Mama talked about her so much.

Speaking of Mama, she called on my way to the resort. I went back there to take a yoga class so I could speak with the instructor about the possibility of teaching. She said she heard I had a girlfriend and had moved in with her. I knew Less couldn't keep it together. I thought I detected a hint of snark mixed in with her excitement, and I was right. She said she was offended that she was not the first to know, especially after I had promised she would be. To cheer her up, I mentioned we would be by later so she could meet Sophia. I think that sufficiently got me out of the doghouse.

I was the only one in attendance, so the instructor began the class. She was really good—better than all the other instructors I'd experienced. And get this. I could finally bend all the backwards without falling over! While I acknowledged my continuous improvement, I frequently struggled to perceive the growth, except in distinct moments like this where the disparity from before was unmistakable.

After class, I introduced myself and presented my case. Just like the spa in San Sequoia, she was the full-time yoga instructor, but they didn't have anyone for guided meditation, and I was free to come there and host sessions as much as I wanted. That wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear, but it was something.

On the way to Mama's house, I had all kinds of emotions. I was excited for two of my favorite ladies to meet, felt dread over the potential meddling and heckling, but most of all I was relieved that I could finally put all the pieces of my life together.

"Are you okay?" Sophia asked.

"I'm perfect. How about you?"

"I'm good. No concerns here."

"Good."

I took one last deep breath before opening the door. Mama was already waiting for us in the living room and attacked me with a big hug as soon as I walked in.

"There he is! My Mr. Cute Face."

Wow. She hadn't called me that in a very long time.

When she finally let go, I stepped back to begin the introductions.

"Mama, this is Sophia."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, finally, Ms. Murillo," she said.

Did she...bow? Homage to us meeting in Mt. Komorebi maybe? I didn't peg her as someone who would pour it on thick like that, but Mama ate it up, of course.

"Oh my," Mama exclaimed. "You are even more gorgeous than I remember! You can call me Emmy. I am SUPER glad to meet you! Come sit! Tell me everything."

I knew exactly what she wanted to know: how we went from being Social Bunny friends to living together. But I couldn't tell the whole story without mentioning my other friends, and it wasn't the time or place to broach that with Sophia. Besides, I had a better story to tell.

"Wait a minute," Mama shouted. "You went to the cemetery and didn't invite me? And you saw Mommy??"

"I thought about inviting you many times, but I wanted to go by myself."

"He was gonna call you," Sophia said, "but your mother said she wanted him all to herself."

"Ugh! Even Mommy knew about you before me!"

"Well...I think he was just saving the best for last."

Magical Sophia struck again, saving me from Mama's nosy wrath.

"That is the perfect way to think about it," Mama said. "Thank you, Sophia!"

"Luca tells me you make candles for a living. I think that's really cool. I'm not very good with my hands. I can't even keep plants alive!"

She was amazing with her hands, but this was a family conversation, heh. Mama told her about she had started the business. Apparently, she was pregnant with me when Dad taught her how to make candles, but she didn't get into it seriously until after they separated. After that story, Mama went immediately into sleuth mode since I never gave her any hints about who I was talking to.

I was content to let them talk and get to know each other, but every now and then, I felt like Sophia tried to bring me into the conversation. I appreciated the gesture, but I honestly enjoyed sitting back and watching them converse as if they had known each other for years. It was really incredible. She was incredible.

Mama ushered us into the dining room for dinner later, but Sophia didn't eat. Apparently, she didn't like fish. That was news to me, and I filed it away for future reference. The radio was on, and Sophia excused herself for a private dance party, but knowing her and how considerate she was, she probably wanted to give me and Mama a chance to talk since they had dominated the evening.

"I love her," Mama said.

I knew she would, but I was relieved to hear it.

"Yeah...she's great," I said.

"So..." she said in that tone.

I shook my head, watching the wheels spin rapidly in her head. Here comes the meddling.

"Is this it?" she asked casually. "She's the one?"

I couldn't tell if that was a real question or a strong suggestion disguised as a question, but I didn't mind answering.

"Yeah...I think she is."

"Good."

I kept waiting for the rest of the questions, but she said nothing more. Maybe she was contrite when she said she'd tone down the meddling. I halfway believed her when she said it, but was glad to see she meant it.

Sophia came back to the table as Mama collected and washed our plates.

"Sorry about that. When your song calls, you gotta answer!"

"Heh, yeah..."

If she said more after that, I didn't hear it. I was in a Sophia-induced trance. She was absolutely amazing! As I gazed at her, all that remaining fear I had about everything quickly melted away. At home, we were in our own fantastical bubble where no one existed but she and I. But this...watching her in the homes I used to live in, charming and befriending my family...this was real life, and I loved seeing her in it. She fit so perfectly, and I loved her so much. All I wanted to do was tell her over and over again! But the moment wasn't right. Truthfully, I didn't didn't want Mama fawning all over me and causing a scene. And...I didn't trust that Sophia and I could keep it together, if you know what I mean.

I beckoned for her to come to me and squeezed her tightly.

"My mom is in love with you," I whispered.

"I'm flattered," she whispered back. "How do I tell her she's not my type?"

She caught me completely off guard, and I doubled over in laughter. This woman was so dangerous and had six million wonderful ways of killing me. Either way I went out, I'd go smiling.

"Luca?" Mama called from the kitchen.

"I'll be right back," I said to Sophia, and sauntered into the kitchen. "Yes, Mama?"

"Hey! I just wanted to say I'm really proud of you, and I'm sorry I made you feel like you couldn't share things with me. Hopefully we can move past that? I don't want to miss any more of your life!"

Ugh! I knew I had hurt her feelings, but I didn't know she felt completely left out.

"Of course, Mama. Just so you know, it wasn't all you. I had stuff I needed to figure out...stuff I needed Dad for."

She nodded.

"I understand. I'm glad you two got a chance to get closer. That makes me happy."

"It's getting dark. I need to get Sophia home."

"Okay. I hope you guys come see me again soon. I love you, bud. And I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, Mama. I love you too."

Need to catch up? See what you missed or start reading here!

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s2 episode 23 thoughts

i am: confused. about everything i just watched. and i can’t tell if the problem is me missing something blatantly obvious, the episode being strange on purpose because it’s building up to something, or it just being an overall peculiar plotline. but i will attempt to elaborate on this later. for now, as always, we start at the top.

the first thing i wrote down was that i was so excited to watch tn’s ep!! i missed the last few days because i was busy and i was really hoping tonight would NOT involve any sort of disease which proved to be the case

“i want these nerds to deal with an art heist someday” <- this i wrote while the opening scene began in some random hotel… like yeah yeah yeah ghosts aliens etc. solve the gardner heist. OH MY the garnder heist hadn’t even happened by this time! well maybe if they had been at the scene it never would have happened.

in this hotel, we see a guy who looks scared knocking on the door looking for “Morris” and he says someone is dead!! guy next door is listening (and yeah, so fair, it sounded juicy as hell) but when the poor hotel neighbor stands up to listen he gets… sucked into ectoplasm?? he is no longer there. also, lights are flickering.

agents in the elevator, arriving to the scene. mulder looked really comfortable in there lmaooo that was a very funny visual.

they got information from this case from scully's "contact", and the contact is one of her students!!!!!! ahhh!! she looks so proud. this is funny because she was at the academy for like 3 months lmao but clearly she made a good impression in that brief amount of time!

“heard a lot about you” detective kelly says when scully introduces mulder and HAHAAAA he turns to scully and says “we’ll talk later”. about what. do share. 

(very funny that somehow he came up "a lot" in the 3-ish months she was teaching people how to do autopsies. like girl how did you manage to bring him up consistently whilst opening cadavers. that is talent)

investigation time! (mulder sniffs a drink in the missing guy’s room) "mmm, scotch" he mumbles <- LMAOOOOO THIS MAN IS WEIRD AS HELL 

they notice a big splotch burned into the ground, and as they are investigating the burn marks, scully says it “could be the residue of burnt human flesh” and yes!!!!! I love when she says weird and unsettling things!!!!

mulder seems enthused about this case and also that there is a young detective…… give them an intern i need to see what happens. that man seems to have an instinctive need to Mentor.

detective kelly asks him what he thinks happened. the answer? “spontaneous human combustion” yes ofc!! 

SCULLY IS SO SWEET AWWW “you’re doing just fine :)” she is not going to let her student doubt herself!

scully kinda sounds like she thinks mulder is teasing the detective with such an outlandish claim but i think he’s just being himself honestly

re:human combustion “let’s just forget for the moment that there’s no scientific theory to support it” “okay :)” <- yeah i had to pause and laugh. so what!

WHAT is he doing when they get in the elevator... he is making such a strange face. does anyone have this. it was so funny. he was at once locked in and a million miles away.

okay. so this wasn't the first victim. now they are arriving at the place of an earlier victim. which is a house with all the lights off. peculiar.

“hey scully, can you spare a prophylactic?” (now yes i did have to google this word's definition!) here is my live reaction:

"like a glove? because google is also saying that this can also mean condom. okay she pulls out a glove from her pocket. okay that’s the good ending i think"

makes sense for the doctor to have lots of gloves in the pocket of her jacket. more sense than the other alternative. i was really confused for a few seconds but in the end we got there.

he uses the glove to switch the light bulb on and she says “darkness covers a multitude of sins” which is EXACTLY what i'm here for!!! please keep saying creepy stuff queen <3

enter the home... another splotch from the other victim!! who also worked in tobacco, like the hotel man!!! but he says half of richmond works in tobacco, and the first victim was a scientist, so maybe not…? but regardless this realization made me think of that post that is like “people smoke less and now we don’t get spontaneous human combustion” which is soooo funny to me. if i ever find that post again i Will reblog it. it is true, spontaneous human combustion is a lost art.

mulder is very excited to dig through the trash, which is very raccoon-coded. he finds a ticket to a train station, and suggests that perhaps someone based out of the train station is hunting people.

cut to our deeply scared looking man from earlier who seems to be able to vaporize people. WAIT... earlier it was his shadow that vaporized the other guy. and he’s hiding from light... things are adding up. no light equals no shadow equals no vaporization. sort of adding up, at least. because still, how does a shadow vaporize you?

now he was getting held at gunpoint by cops, both of whom stepped into his shadow and get zapped into splotches. this is a distressing situation, but also a silly one. 

new mulder theory: if we have 3 victims, and they were all near the train station, we could cross reference the security camera footage from those 3 days and see if we can find the guy they've looking for. “that’s assuming that we’re looking for a guy”, says scully, which made me laugh because i had seen that blooper clip and giggled profusely

mystery man is spotted on the camera and jacket identified as working at the magnet place… same as the very first victim!

off to the magnet laboratory to get the scoop on this dr. banton fellow. we get a backstory reveal: he was involved in a terrible accident! he was investigating dark matter. oh man, you can’t be fucking with such things. 

the scientist guy is babbling about particles and dark matter. and while i am trying to keep up, there are bigger thoughts taking up space in my mind. namely: scully you are soooooo pretty idgaf about the particle accelerator <3

we see the scene of the accident, where dr. banton's shadow was burned into the wall……. the energy slid through his body?? girl idk. his coworker said it was almost like he wanted it to happen. maybe you get so involved in dark matter theories that you just want to taste it for yourself. anyway, the shadow left by the zapping looks like the other splotches….. 

train station time. going with the agents to the train station. boy i wish all of the US was supported by a rail system.

he points out that dr. banton was staring at the ground for a loooong time and he's trying to figure out why.

“nonsensical repetitive behavior is a common trait of mental illness” “you trying to tell me something?” YESSSS! i have seen this gif many times and now i understand its context.

(also yes mulder has got Something going on. he has been diagnosed in my headcanon with ocd... i am sure there has been plenty of discourse as to if that is the "correct" label for what is going on in his mind but it's my interpretation and i make the rules <3)

he's taking in the whole environment of the train station, and notices that the light is soft… diffused… no shadows… maybe dr.banton is looking for such an environment... BAM he rounds the corner!

aaaand he’s running but you cannot forget that mulder is a track star! you cannot outrun him! and sure enough, they got him. mulder picks up on what's going down and shoots the lights out so there are no shadows while they talk

now banton is in a facility with soft light smoking a cigarette. very 2013 aesthetic.

he's trying to explain his affliction: “my shadow isn’t mine… it’s like a black hole”

first thought: okay??? um. how and why. second thought: can we harness this for superhero purposes? fight crime by banishing the bad guys to the Void. that's an x-men adjacent power.

dr. banton says the government is after him and they are going to "suck his brain". he begs mulder to free him before this can occur, as if that is a normal predicament to try and escape from and as if mulder has any control over this situation.

the detective’s boss is pissed the FBI is there... like girl calm down does anyone really care? all this nonsense about jurisdiction and people getting frustrated when departments cross. man, if i was in a situation like this, i would be harnessing the power of teamwork, but they never seem to do that. the agents are dismissed, but mulder tells detective kelly that dr. banton needs to be in soft light.

okay, so despite my interjection of "girl who cares", clearly they care. and i'd like to wonder aloud about this exchange:

“I hope you know what you’re doing Scully, putting Detective Ryan’s ambition ahead of all good sense in this case”

“Ambition? She’s a woman trying to survive the boy’s club, Mulder. Believe me, I know how she feels”

because he’s like “we just handed over the a bomb to the Boy Scouts”

and he thinks this new detective is gonna get evaporated but also again they have no jurisdiction so like?? i wrote that i was lost and then i rewatched the scene and was still lost. he seems to be questioning scully's judgement on letting the detective take this case, which she was not in charge of assigning the detective to, and that they only agreed to help out on. so they help and then there is nothing more that can be done because it is Not Their Case. but it also seems to be less about the fact that he is concerned with the detective getting evaporated and more into fending off the alleged brain suckers.

i didn't really get it but i wrote "the girls are fightingggggg"

X AT THE STATION??? 

ohhhh mulder wants info, but X can’t help him because he exposed his identity to skinner and scully last time!!! “and you can trust them as you trust me”, says mulder, trying to get X to believe in the goodness of humanity

X brushes mulder off and says “promise you won’t contact me again unless absolutely necessary” <- damn power imbalance going crazy 

then we se X at the psychiatric facility???? breaking dr. banton out??? is he gonna be part of the brain sucking squad? he's got 2 guys helping him out, but they step in the room and the men grabbing him got zapped out of existence. X lets dr. banton run and looks very confused about the zapping of his colleagues. 

HUH? so is X doing this because he is trying to help mulder or is he really part of the government who wants to experiment on banton? by the end of the episode, it looks like he is, in fact, allied with the brain suckers... but to what extent?

OH! dr. banton got back to his old workplace and his friend the fellow magnet scientist. but the detective catches him there. and she forces him to step against the wall and his shadow gets on her and she. uh. falls screaming into a black hole? and then leaves a burn mark like all of the other cases? man what is going on.

so banton is going back into the chamber where he was previously zapped to try and unzap himself. but he gets in the chamber and his “friend” reveals he’s working for the government that wants to catch him!!!!

BUT SOMEONE SHOOTS THE DUDE WHO HAD LOCKED HIM IN THE ROOM. It was X?! WHAT is the motive here!!!

okay, agents on the scene. accelerator is up and getting ready to zap. ZAP! another shadow shows up. so unzap the zapped equals no more banton? girl where did he go.

mulder is MAD and he is at the place X met him last time. confrontation time! mulder is pissed X used him to get to banton and again X is once again flaunting the power imbalance between them. and because X tricked him, banton is dead and so is the detective!!! boy, that has got to be bad news for mulder who blames himself for everything 

he says to X: “promise me this will be our last meeting. we’re finished” and why do I feel that this is a bad idea!!!

X says he didn’t kill banton, and walks away. and also that this is a dangerous time to go at it alone. WHAT DO YOU MEAN! first skinner's cryptic messages about the darkness that is coming, and now X?

NOOOO Scully at her student the detective's funeral... this is soooo evil. 

mulder is there but he’s late. he’s in sunglasses and they’re funny. she says this feels wrong and it shouldn’t have happened, a student came to her for help and she gave it and now the student is dead. oh scully pls do not blame yourself. it feels like they were led on this track on purpose.

mulder was late because he was tied up with a missing person’s case; the other guy from the magnet lab went missing that same morning. so maybe it was other guy in the room that had been zapped and not banton? 

X AT THE SCENE OF THE MAGNET LAB. watching the other guy run tests on banton??? a tear drops down his face. X is complicit in unethical human experimentation...

so, i’m confused on many levels. it seems like someone got the detective involved because she knew she would go to scully for help and get them roped into this case. but if that WAS what happened, you know that you buy one get one free with these 2, so why would you want to get scully involved if that meant mulder would also get involved, and mulder being the closest (arguably) to X would expose X’s involvement and whatever ulterior motive he is playing to? hasn’t scully suffered enough without being forced to wonder if her helping someone started a domino effect that resulted in death? and all of this is over a guy who zapped himself with black matter and his shadow burns people up. huh?

and how deep is X in with the government doing the evil stuff? is he just distracting mulder with various side quests to keep him from discovering the nefarious deeds they are up to? does X know cigarette guy?

i don’t like when they fight. i actually LOVE when they fight over things that make sense. but i was confused over the fight they had in this episode because he was mad that she was letting the detective… do her job? and he didn’t seem to think she could handle a guy that vaporizes people with his shadow, which i mean, fair enough, tough case for a newbie, but blaming that on scully really pissed me off because?? it’s not her fault??? they also were only involved unofficially so did he think somehow they were supposed to swoop in and rescue the dude to prevent all this from happening? and how do you even rescue a guy whose shadow vaporizes people?

either this makes no sense, i’m wildly misunderstanding something, or a plot is afoot. or all three really. pls feel free to enlighten me with what you thought on this episode and let me know if there is something i am interpreting entirely incorrectly. or not! it could be fun to try and put the pieces together myself. regardless, i am pleased we were reunited

[chrysalis-the-butterfly]

My Thoughts on the Roger Rabbit Novels

Who Censored Roger Rabbit?

The Plot: It's the 1980s, and human beings and comic strip characters ("toons") live side-by-side, albeit not on an equal social standing. Roger Rabbit approaches private detective Eddie Valiant and asks him to investigate a dispute he has with Rocco and Dominick DeGreasy, the brothers who own his comic strip. Roger claims his life is in danger, but Eddie, who's somewhat racist towards toons, doesn't take him seriously - which comes back to bite him when he finds Roger's dead body. Now Eddie has to work out who killed Roger, as well as who killed Rocco DeGreasy on the same night.

What I Liked: This is a very well-paced story. It sets up the mystery straightaway, it cracks along at a good speed, and you don't have the full truth of whodunnit until the very end. The chapters are short and punchy, and even the time spent on plot points that turned out to be red herrings never felt wasted. I was always eager to pick the book up again and read just one more chapter!

Also, in any other novel, the twist regarding Roger's killer would be a massive "What the heck?" moment, but here, it's set up far enough in advance that it doesn't feel unnatural when it comes.

And as a fun minor detail, Eddie casually mentions being one of four children, and then the next novel, Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit?, gives him two brothers and a sister! It was probably a coincidence, but I was glad to spot it!

What I Disliked: I really wasn't a fan of the way Jessica Rabbit was portrayed. Who Framed Roger Rabbit subverts her femme fatale image, but Who Censored Roger Rabbit? plays it straight, which didn't appeal to me as much. I prefer the "looks like she could kill you, is actually a cinnamon roll" trope over the "looks like she could kill you, could actually kill you" trope.

At one point in the story, Jessica claims she was forced to pose for a racy comic, but when Eddie speaks to the owner of said comic, the man claims Jessica posed for those pictures willingly and was actually eager to make more. At the time the story was published (1981), one might just about have got away with such a portrayal, but in a post-#MeToo world, it's discomforting that Jessica's allegations of coercion and sexual abuse aren't taken seriously. (Also, the man who owns the racy comic is a creepy crossdresser, which ... what? Why was that in there? That didn't need to be in there.)

As a consequence of Jessica's portrayal, her relationship with Roger is nowhere near as sweet as in the film. Their entire marriage is basically a sham. No, thank you. Give me "honey bunny" and "love cup" instead, please.

Verdict: I saw the film first, and I prefer it to the novel. Who Framed Roger Rabbit will always be my favourite piece of Roger Rabbit media. But I can appreciate Who Censored Roger Rabbit? as its own thing - a product of its time, to be sure, but also a well-structured and fast-paced read.

Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit?

The Plot: It's 1947 (more or less), sometime after the events of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Roger Rabbit, Baby Herman, and Kirk Enigma are three toons in line for the lead role in David Selznick's upcoming adaptation of Gone With the Wind. A box belonging to Selznick, a box of great importance, has gone missing, and Eddie Valiant has been hired to find it.

What I Liked: Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit? has my favourite portrayal of Roger (after the film and the comics). We spend a bit more time with him than in the previous book, so we get to hear more about his worldviews and his backstory. We also get to see what a sweetie pie he is. He's an emotional bunny who loves his wife, just like in the film, and I frequently wanted to hug him.

A key highlight for me was the moment when Roger was singing like a Disney Princess and summoning a chorus of birds to wake Eddie one morning, which Eddie did not appreciate. Can someone animate that? I'd love to see it!

The second half of this novel also introduces Jessica's twin sister Joellyn (the six-inch-tall woman on Eddie's shoulder on the cover), and I enjoyed getting to know her. And, without giving away too many spoilers, I greatly preferred this rendition of Jessica over the one in Who Censored Roger Rabbit?

What I Disliked: Unlike the first novel, this one was pretty slow to get going. Eddie isn't actually hired by Selznick until Chapter 7, and most of the time before then is spent establishing Eddie as a down-on-his-luck private eye, using people and locations that show up once and then are barely used again. Some of that fat could have been trimmed, I feel. It made reaching the end of the book a bit more of a slog.

Something else that bothered me was the high volume of old-timey slang, brand names and Americanisms that I, as a twentysomething Brit, did not recognise. I could read an entire paragraph and think, "Well, he's either drinking alcohol, smoking cigar or eating a foodstuff, but I'll be darned if I can tell you which is the right interpretation." I think the noir detective vernacular was slightly overdone, to the point of incomprehension.

Verdict: I thought this would be my favourite of the novels because it seemed the most similar in tone to the film, so I was disappointed by my lukewarm reception to it. Maybe I was disappointed because I'd hyped it up too much in my mind? That's not to say I didn't enjoy it - I greatly preferred the second half to the first, once Eddie found out what was actually in this mysterious box - but I think it could have done with a few more edits before publication.

Who Wacked Roger Rabbit?

The Plot: It's the 1940s or 1950s, sometime after the events of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and director Barney Sands is shooting a movie set in Toontown starring Gary Cooper and Roger Rabbit. He's been receiving threatening letters warning him to stay away from Toontown and stop making this film, but he can't afford to let down his investors. So he hires Eddie Valiant to be Cooper's bodyguard while filming takes place. But Eddie soon finds himself wrapped up in another mystery, involving a porcine crime lord called Willy Prosciutto and the corpse of Clabber Clown.

What I Liked: The majority of this novel takes place in Toontown, so we get some really cool worldbuilding details. We find out how the school system works, which churches are based in Toontown, and how crooked toons launder their money. I was particularly intrigued by the calm and serious toons in the Sanatorium - apparently, if you're not loud and goofy and bouncing off the walls, you're considered insane, which is the opposite of how humans think about mental health.

The blonde humanoid toon on the cover is Caitlyn "Honey" Graham, Willy's girlfriend. I really like Honey. In fact, she might be my favourite of the novel-exclusive characters. Throughout the book, you're trying to work out if she's a good bad girl or a bad good girl, or if she's really just a bad bad girl. If Who Framed Roger Rabbit ever gets a sequel or prequel or spin-off cartoon series, I'd love to see Honey on screen.

What I Disliked: The Roger we meet in this novel is a bit too stupid for my liking. In Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Roger made seemingly nonsensical choices, but he had his own (cartoon) logic to explain his actions, and he was even proved right in his assumptions a few times. So I much prefer to think of Roger as the kind of toon where you're never quite sure if he's truly dumb or merely playing dumb for the sake of a gag. Here, he's just straight-up dumb, and that's not as fun to read about.

Verdict: This was the book I knew the least about before I read it, so I was more cautious going in - but it ended up being my second favourite of the Roger Rabbit novels. I enjoyed learning more about Toontown and its residents. My favourite parts of the film had been the toony parts - Roger, and Jessica, and Roger and Jessica together - so I guess it makes sense that I'd enjoy the novel that takes place almost entirely in Toontown.

Jessica Rabbit: XERIOUS Business

The Plot: It's the 2020s, sometime post-pandemic, and Jessica Krupnik is a human in a toon-less world. She's working a dead-end job in a crime-ridden part of town, her stepmother bosses her around and belittles her, her stepsisters treat her like a servant, and her stepbrothers sexually harass her. She's basically a modern-day Cinderella. But instead of a fairy godmother, Jessica is rescued from her life of drudgery by an opportunity to apply for a role at XERIOUS, a crime-fighting organisation of secret agents. She gets the job, and is later put on a mission with Robbe, one of XERIOUS's most experienced agents, to catch a criminal mastermind called the Klown.

(And this is somehow a prequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Despite being set decades after that film. And starring a human Jessica instead of a toon Jessica. Cartoon timelines be weird, y'all.)

What I Liked: This was the most fun novel to read! I think that's because it was a spy novel spoof, rather than a gritty noir detective story. The other three novels could be quite dour in tone - yes, cases would get solved, but people would get hurt in the process, and relationships would be irrevocably altered, so there was always this undercurrent of sadness in the seemingly happy endings. After three novels in a row of that, a story spoofing spy novels was always going to feel like a breath of fresh air. Gary K. Wolf has stated that he wrote this book in lockdown and had a lot of fun doing so, and I feel that coming across in his writing.

Robbe was another great novel-exclusive character. I can't say too much about him, because that would massively spoil things, but I can say that I enjoyed witnessing his development over the course of the novel. To give the most spoiler-free explanation I can, Robbe starts out as a suave and competent spy, but also a misogynist - until something happens to him in the line of duty that shakes his confidence. Watching him grow and try to be a better person, especially towards Jessica, while also dealing with the aftermath of his accident, was truly engaging. It even got me thinking about the portrayal of disability in fiction, which I did not expect a Roger Rabbit novel to do.

What I Disliked: For a novel called Jessica Rabbit: XERIOUS Business, Jessica herself was disappointingly under-developed. The first three chapters follow her miserable life and her desire for adventure, for respect, for something more. And then there's a two-year time skip and whoop, she's suddenly a confident and glamorous secret agent! And she's ditched her glasses and dyed her hair, so she's beautiful now! And she achieved her impossible hourglass figure with nothing but diet and exercise, despite being a human and not a toon! Sigh.

There was a real missed opportunity here. Robbe already has a plot where he starts off skilled and arrogant, but then has his worldview challenged and needs to learn to embrace vulnerability. So we could have had Jessica experiencing her own story of growth alongside him, but in reverse! We could have watched as, over the course of the novel, she transforms from the beaten-down self-conscious little girl into the sensational woman she was always meant to be. Robbe would start on top and fall down; Jessica would start at the bottom and claw her way up. The parallels could have been awesome!

Gary K. Wolf has admitted that, as a man, he would struggle to write a novel about women, and it shows. The sexism Jessica experiences doesn't have any nuance; the story just says, "Harassment is bad" over and over again. There's one moment where the Klown is sharing his nefarious plan to change the world, and Jessica responds, "I like the current world." And ... huh? You like the sexual harassment you receive on an almost daily basis? You like the system that trapped you in a dead-end job? You like all the poverty and crime and misery the world has right now? The story could have really benefitted from a feminist and/or intersectional analysis.

Also, in an effort to make Jessica seem smart, the men around her are extremely stupid, unable to see through the Klown's flimsy disguises. That is ... not the best way to make your female characters appear intelligent.

Verdict: My favourite of the Roger Rabbit novels! It's not perfect, but my criticisms are born out of love and a desire to see this concept reach its full potential. But even as it is, I still found this book a lot of fun to read, and I can excuse a few flaws if I'm having fun.

Final Ranking (Compared to Other Roger Rabbit Media)

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Roger Rabbit and Roger Rabbit's Toontown comics

The three shorts

Jessica Rabbit: XERIOUS Business

Who Wacked Roger Rabbit?

Who Censored Roger Rabbit?

Who P-P-P-Plugged Roger Rabbit?

[waeirfaahl]

My thoughts about Judge Doom from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988)

"Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is one of my all time favourite movies since childhood, I would call it a perfect mix of comedy, satire, adventure, detective, drama, thriller and horror. And I want to discuss a little bit about the main antagonist, Judge Doom, who is the most sinister, unpredictable and mysterious character of the movie.

Yep, his skull cane already makes it eloquently clear which personality we will be dealing with.

He is the embodiment of Death. Cruel, unnatural and unfair death, not a force of nature. I'm so glad they aired Christopher Lloyd for this role instead of Tim Curry — Lloyd's performance is awesome in how terrifying his character is, and nobody would nail that aspect ever. Since his first introduction Doom gives that feeling of uncanny valley, when you see a human, but feel that there's something wrong with him, that it is not human, it is something that pretends to behave like a human, and this human shape is just a mask that hides something creepy and dangerous. Similar thing you usually feel toward clowns, for example. His movements are nearly robotic, his face has no natural and normal expressions the living human would make, and he never blinks in the entire movie. In Lloyd's performance it is a sinister and cold murderer in the clothes of a judge. Near the end, his transformation with revealing his toon nature is so scary also because of the contrasts — in human form he is really sinister, calm, cold and strict with tiny yet memorable sadistic outbursts, but as soon as there's no need to hide, he becomes this crazy, bloodthirsty and terrifying abomination.

As a kid, I wasn't scared so much at 1st watching the movie at night, my reaction was "Am I watching a kids movie or a horror movie now?", yet I enjoyed that. As an adult I respect the actor and filmmakers for great writing and performing and appreciate how masterfully they made the horror angle of the character and the story. I also wonder, who created him, and how Doom actually looked, because we see only these mad red eyes and yellow hand he can transform into everything. Plus, when the dip kills him, there's only yellow color, nothing else. Simply saying, Judge Doom is basically a shapeshifter, yet the yellow color is his true color, i.e. his true form. On another side, I'm very glad that the authors kept in mystery, what Doom really looked like and who he was, because that makes the fear of unknown stronger, as well as we fear him exactly because of unknown. Not to mention that, I think, no toon design would ever top over this horrifying human-toon we see near the end of the movie. If we are talking about the question "Who created Doom?", I have two assumptions that can be answers — Doom was created either by horror writer/artist (who can be a criminal and serial killer as well) or by other toons, who became criminals, that lead us to other two questions — what they used for bringing toons to life (what substance), and was Doom so evil since his "birth" or some circumstances and events made him what he is? I have some thoughts about this, but I will mention them a bit later.

I vaguely remember, people assumed that Doom's true form is this possum toon. I rewatched the movie, and it actually makes a lot of sense. Like, I noticed that the hat, the clothes, the color of hat and clothes are incresdibly similar to Doom's clothes, also the gun is the same to the one Doom uses (and the exact visual hint to it in the scene with Maroone's death), yet nobody talks about this character, as if he was forgotten and overshadowed by Roger and hence he doesn't exist anymore, but posters with him can be seen during the entire movie. Although it is unclear, whether his fur is yellow (it is more creamy, I guess, but it can be a simple lighting), but his eyes are exactly red, evil, with tiny shade of crazyness and have the same shape Judge Doom has. Possum toon apparently doesn't have teeth or has small sharp teeth usual for possums, Judge Doom has human dentures. Plus, for possum it makes sense to have a squeaky voice and to be fast and with great advantage to hide. So no wonder, why Eddy remembered only red eyes and squeaky voice. We have shapeshifting possum toon, who can take lots of various forms.

If it is Doom's true form, no wonder, why the authors kept it in mystery. Some yellow shapeshifter with diabolic red eyes and scary high-pitched voice, hiding under the mask of a pale and almost bold human in black (also scary looking) terrifies a lot. If they revealed this possum, audience wouldn't take it seriously anymore. So, about Judge Doom's background and motivation — he literally wanted to genocide all toons. At the same time he himself is a toon. So, why he wanted to do this? Maybe more sense for him to feel anger and wrath toward humans instead of own kind? I have two explanations to this: 1. Personal. The movie hints many details about Doom's past. He was a criminal, a gangster, who robbed a bank, murdered Eddy's brother, became the judge of Toontown, using manipulations, lie and money, and has weasel gangsters as his minions. Since Doom became a judge and has strong influence, he is very intelligent, calculating, cunning and experienced, so he was always a leader. The movie gives parallels with racism, where toons basically are oppressed by humans. Toons can't get serious jobs, they can only entertain humans as actors, singers and dancers, i.e. clowns and toys in fact, and humans mostly don't treat toons as equal living beings. So, toons, who don't want this humilation, basically become criminals. Simply saying, Judge Doom is a victim and a product of this injustice. Doom has self-hatred (or self-loath) issues, since instead of fighting for rights of toons he decided to become a human, an oppressor, the one who is higher than toons and free from restrictions in life, i.e. a human has a choice in how to make own destiny and fate in contrast to a toon (in Doom's eyes). We have an internalized racism theme in the movie. If a society has injustice and is okay with it, it can birth the scariest and the most destructive monsters. In this case, it is good that Judge Doom is a shapeshifter with no true face — he is the symbol of this injustice and its consequences. 2. Pragmatic. In fact, Doom is the only being, who knows how to create the dip, the only what can kill a toon. If he genocided all toons, he'd stay the only toon in the world. Immortal, invincible, nothing can kill him, and since he is a shapeshifter, who can change form and voice and hide under a mask of a human, nobody would be able to find and reveal him, nobody would be able to catch and kill him. Nobody would ever have any idea of who he is. Nobody would ever know how to kill a toon. Nobody would ever know that there's a toon still exists. So Doom would be absolutely free for committing murders or becoming a politician and getting more and more influence and power, he would be the master of own life and fate and destiny. Nobody would ever stop that embodiment of madness and death.

That is a pure horror Eddy prevented to happen. Eddy not only avenged his brother, not only overcame his trauma and fear, he saved both toons and even the world.

[treasureplanetsheep]

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice thoughts (spoiler alert!):

pretty solid sequel

the last half/third was fantastic (basically when things really started to go bonkers/it turned into a rescue mission)

the soundtrack was great

everyone seemed to be having fun (especially Willem Dafoe)

found wynona ryder to be a little...stiff? idk my mom wasn't really impressed with her either. could be bc of how different lydia was compared to the first film? idk i'll talk a little more about that at the end of this post

delores was an interesting concept of a character (more on that later)

Bob was MVP of the movie

was surprised at how prominent the presence of Charles was in the movie due to all the real life ick involving the original actor. i think they cleverly worked around his character at least i guess.

i recognize the priest from that one show Turn AMC solely from the fact that gifsets of him (usually shipping posts) would regularly show up on my dash thanks to some tumblr mutuals lololol

personally could have done without the beetlebaby (twice!) but fits with the beetlejuice zaniness i suppose

Beetlejuice has kept his part of the bargain TWICE now and Lydia keeps managing to worm her way out of her end of the deal tsk tsk lol

So now for more detailed thoughts:

Lydia:

so i never pictured her to turn out like...this? anxious, getting walked over by her creepy smarmy boyfriend. she lost her spine. :( idk how i feel about bc she's in such a vastly different headspace than when we last saw her.

Delores and Wolf Jackson:

these two kind of go hand in hand in a way? So I LIKED the concept of her character (soul-sucking (ex)wife lol get it?)...but we get so little of her???? she's such a flat character! She could be completely removed from the movie and nothing would change (except Bob would be alive 😭)! You build towards some sort of confrontation with her and Beetlejuice and then nothing happens! she finally finds him, is immediately shoved at rory and then eaten by a sandsnake!!!! curious about her total screentime bc i'm pretty sure nearly half of it is just the stayin' alive stapler gun montage)

Wolf Jackson:

you could tell Willem Dafoe was having fun lol. i really liked him ngl BUT the character schtick of him getting a little too lost in acting out bits almost made it feel like he was in a whole separate movie at times if that makes sense? like it felt like he was just doing his own thing the whole time. in his own world.

personally i think the movie should have only included one of the characters. either delores or Wolf and his police/detective tomfoolery. Then *that* character's screentime could have been dedicated to the other character.

and once again i'll reiterate that the last chunk (busting into the underworld and beyond) of the movie was just so fun. Definitely the best part.

nitpicking:

how i would have worked the beginning:

personally i wish we could have gotten the paranormal show gig stuff with lydia, had her receive a phone call and then just cut to everyone arriving at the house with the "who or what or where are they now" stuff worked in after the fact instead of going to the school and the art exhibition. *Nearly* starting off at the house would have helped move things along a little more in the beginning (i thought it dragged just a tad).

[azure-sorceress]

I finally finished The Lost Metal! Here's some (a lot of) thoughts:

Spoilers below.

The biggest problem this book has is that the stakes are too high. Wax & Wayne books work because, unlike Era 1, they are fun low stakes steampunk detective novels with a great cast of characters.

I was really sad that MeLaan left immidiatly after the beginning of the book. I wish we had had the whole gang together like in BoM, but I guess it wasn't meant to be.

I think this might have been the most agressive foreshadowing for a character death that Sanderson has ever done. It was so obvious Wayne was going to be killed off by the end of the book. Also it made me really sad. As in, I spent the last 30 pages weeping.

The problem with having a lot of Cosmere connections and a literal god/shard as your villain is that the regular villains of this series seem weak in comparision. Yes, I'm talking about Telsin. Such wasted potential...

I'm not sure I'm too excited about Era 3 to be honest... But you know what this book made me excited for? The Elantris sequels.

Omg what do you mean you can use a seal to turn yourself into an elantrian??? This makes seals so much more OP than they already were.

Also, is Moonlight Shai? Or is it another forger that we hadn't met?

I'm really worried about Sazed. I think he's right not to trust Kelsier, but I also think that Kelsier is right about Sazed losing control of the intents of the shards. I really wanted Harmony to work and be a decent god (because we are lacking in those), but I see things are about to become dangerous again. I feel like there should be a way to completely merge Ruin and Preservation because they were already merged at some point when Adonalsium was whole...

I really don't like the Ghostbloods. Maybe it has to do with the bullshit going on with Shallan in Stormlight and all the manipulation they did with her. Maybe it has to do with the fact that they are stealing Investitude from other planets. Or maybe is just the fact that Kelsier is the leader and I don't trust him even a little bit.

But it strikes me as odd how the Ghostbloods get great people like Moonlight, TwinSoul and Kaise?? And then you have Kelsier, Mraize and that creepy guy with the mask in the epilogue (also, who the hell is his sister and what do you mean she's in Roshar???).

I'm so glad Marasi didn't accept to be part of them, I didn't think she would, but you never know. In fact, she actual puts it very well when she turns them down: "I won't keep secrets when the truth could save lifes". Kelsier "there's always another secret" Survivor could never.

I wish we had seen more of Marsh. This feeling is for the entire series, in fact. He was one of my favorite characters in Era 1 and I would have liked to see him be Death a little bit more.

Overall a good Cosmere book, but a weak Wax & Wayne book. If I ever reread Era 2 I think I'll stop at BoM because I don't think I can ever reread Wayne's death.

[watermelons-dont-grow-on-trees]

He dreams of revenge pt 2.

Marci

word count: 2.6K

pt. 1.

masterlist

TW: drug addiction, withdrawal, guns, gunshot, minor and major character death, implied kidnapping, implied captivity, implied violence, implied abuse, bruises, really messed up states of mind, a creepy carewhumper, suggestive stuff again (nothing nsfw but yk it's there), trans whumpee (lmk if i missed anything)

She drew it out as long as she could. She even thought about powering through the withdrawal, just so the substances will hit better, when she does have the money to buy again, but the tremors and nausea got so bad caved in, and texted Cody.

Cody was probably short for codeine, Marci figured after a while, though she'd never taken it, her knowledge on pharmaceuticals just increased with time. This time she didn't have the money or the urge to experiment some more, she needed something and she needed it fast. Cody replied within the minute and Marci was on her way.

It was sort of chilly outside on the street, but she felt like the temperatures had dropped below the freezing point. She was shivering really bad as if she was being electrocuted with every step she took.

"It's going to be alright. You're going to be just fine. You just need to walk straight. Come on two more blocks!" she muttered and mumbled to herself, repeating some sentences, sometimes missing words. It didn't do much to soothe the nerves.

"Cody's gonna help you. It's alright. You just need to get there. It's fine." The people on the street, left her alone thankfully, they might have thought she was crazy, or figured out exactly what she was doing. She had learned to ignore the weird looks and pitying gazes a long time ago, and the shame that used to eat her alive now ebbed away, only a distant echo of it remained somewhere in the back of her mind.

The feeling of bitter failure, though, was still very much present. She wasn't detective Dallon Burke, with a shiny office at some distinguished police precinct and a law degree in progress, she wasn't the child their parents bragged about, at least not for a long time now. She was just Marci, with a retail job she could barely hold and twenty eight years of experience in being Dallon's twin.

Everything wasn't at a loss yet, she had not borrowed money from Dallon yet. She muttered about him too, before she got to the agreed upon alleyway.

"I would never. I swear on my life, I would not ask for anything. Not of you, not of mom and dad. Let me just have this." Some of the words never reached her mouth. She didn't care about the onlookers, as she cried out "I'm not a thief, Dallon!"

She fought invisible shadows cornering her in her own head.

"It's just that, I'm coming off it" she tried to explain, to no one in particular "I took something pretty heavy, it was mixed with H, I think. I can't be too sure. It's been days though, it all left. I don't feel it anymore... or at least, I don't think so."

She felt scattered. She checked her phone every second, while walking the last few yards, just to make sure she was at the right place. It had happened more often these days that she got lost.

She had explained it to Cody before, in a long ramble of apologies, there was a vacuum inside her head and she sometimes couldn't fight being pulled inside.

Cody frowned, with an unrecognizable, concerned expression, and told her to take care of herself. He also added that she would not get anything experimental for the time being.

She turned the corner into the alleyway, and noticed just a step too late to be able to turn and walk away, what was happening in front of her.

Cody sat on the ground, right by a dumpster. There was a huge, dark puddle around him, his clothes soaked, they were all black as was the pavement under them, but she was sure it all would have been painted bright red. His hands disappeared in his clothes and he hunched over, presumably clutching his stomach. She didn't hear it, but it was pretty clear he was crying.

There was a man standing above him, speaking with an even, calm tone. She took a step closer, couldn't help herself, she was like the moths that flew to the street lamps at night.

If she goes unnoticed long enough, she might be able to snatch off something from Cody's body.

The man turned around. The movements were impossibly fast for her brain to process, but there was a gun pointed in her face.

"You shouldn't have fucking seen that" he groaned, exasperated, like a child whose hiding place was discovered too quickly in a game of hide and seek. She must have kept on muttering, to draw his attention away from the dying man on the ground.

"You said there was no one coming here today. Were you trying to get the cops called on me?" Marci blinked, confused before she realized he was still talking to Cody.

Of course he was. How would this stranger know about Dallon?

"I thought maybe, after we had a little chat, I'd call an ambulance or something" he shrugged, and turned the weapon back towards the drug dealer. "I realize now, they won't be able to help"

He pulled the trigger, Marci watched with a grim fascination as the gun went off, and Cody's body fell to the ground.

It wasn't as loud as she imagined it, but loud enough for her to startle and lose her balance. She found herself sitting on the ground, a distant and dull pain registering only minutes later in her head.

"And how would I know about who?" the man turned back towards her and raised his brows. The gun was pointing to the ground, but she was sure that could change at any moment.

"I- I- I don't know" she stammered, gaze flickering between his face and the weapon. He wore glasses, with a thick black square frame. It fit his sharp features well.

"I mean, you said it, do you know any cops?" he questioned. She shook her head. The movement revived the horrible nausea gnawing itself through her body and sent a fresh wave of tremors down her arms. She lied, Dallon was a cop. But she didn't speak to him, and didn't ask for money.

"Fuck, you're totally out of it, aren't you?" he sighed "I don't know who the fuck Dallon is, you do get that right?" when she gave no response, he leaned over her and flicked the middle of her forehead with his free hand" No thoughts in there, huh?"

"I- I'm- no. I j-just needed Cody, he'd help" She looked back at him, only to realise the dealer was still lying in the very same spot as before. Cody died, Marci was pretty sure now.

"Okay, alright, I can't leave any witnesses, so" he sighed and looked around. The alley was completely empty, even the road it opened from was entirely quiet "you have two options" he held up two fingers, and Marci followed the movement.

"One, you join him there" he gestured towards the body with the gun. Her eyes tracked the wave of his hand now, but he didn't see any sign of recognition on her face. "Two, you come with me"

The weapon was back in her face. Marci stared down the barrel. The first option was bad, she realized that much.

"Will you, uhm, would you help me, I n-need, I need some, uhm..." If the man knew Cody he must have had something. Or maybe Cody didn't give him anything and that's why... He didn't look the part though, he was well dressed, confident and steady, unlike her.

"Option two, then?" He looked to be in complete disbelief, and slightly lowered the gun.

"If you, uhm, if you can help me" he mumbled.

"I can, but then you need to listen to everything I say very carefully, and follow orders" His voice was deep, and it dropped even lower with the last few words. Marci nodded.

"Let's go, then" He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her up from the ground.

...

Wesley was fuming. They left him simply no time to get his things in order before he had to run.

So he had to resort to the most dangerous and unpleasant way to go about it. He had give up on Marcelline, so they had no leverage against him.

"Tell me you understand" he commanded her for the millionth time, hiding his frustration behind some weird patronizing worry.

"I understand, Master" Marci nodded, but her face was empty. As time went on since he took her in, she started becoming more an more animated, at times they could even have conversations lasting up to an hour. All that progress was gone in a minute as he explained the plan.

"Tell me, then, what are you doing now?" He prayed at least half of what he had just said registered in her brain.

"I'm running away, and I let them find me and I don't- I don't, I can't tell them anything"

"That's right, we'll let them save you" he nodded, encouraging her to go on. Marci stayed quiet.

"I'll come back for you when it's safe again, okay?" he smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I don't want to leave" she looked up at him with such sadness in her eyes it almost made him reconsider. He had to save himself first "Please, Master, take me with you"

"We've been over this, doll, I can't. If I do, and they find us, I'll go to prison and you'll be alone for real" he explained again. They'd been over this just a couple of minutes ago. Wesley worried that all that progress of the past year was just a product of his overactive imagination.

"I don't want you to go to jail"

"Me neither, believe me," he sighed, and pressed a kiss on her forehead "and I won't, okay? Just be a good girl and wait for me"

"Okay..." Marci gave up "And how about my- uhm, my medicine?"

"Your actual meds or your drugs?" he raised an eyebrow. He already had an answer to his question, and before she could even open her mouth he pulled an orange prescription bottle out of his pocket. Of course, the contents were different than what was on the label. "There's enough in there for three weeks, that gives me more than enough time to get you back safely" Marci could barely take her eyes off it.

"And the other medicine...?" she asked shyly.

"I'm sure they're prepared for that, doll, don't worry your pretty head" Marci bit lower lip as if to stop herself from saying something.

"Do you remember everything?" he asked again. One last time, just to make sure.

"Yes, Master" she nodded. Wesley could practically see the gears turning in her head as she went over the plan. She basically didn't need to do anything, just sit on her pretty ass and wait for him.

...

The image of Marci sitting on a wobbly chair of the police station was forever burnt into Dallon's mind.

She looked like a bad replica of herself. Her hair was flat and unwashed, slightly darker brown than his own sun bleached strands, she was wearing a torn-up shirt that once was white and a pair of dark green shorts. Her skin was a bit dirty, they said she ran into a field when she noticed Dallon's squad, and had to be tackled into the ground for them to actually be able to bring her back. There were bruises, some Dallon was sure she got during the Chase, but some were older, still healing.

The ones that caught his eye the most were forming a greenish blue-ish ring around her throat. That one was enough reason for him to delay facing her; he ran into the nearest bathroom to give way to everything he'd eaten that day to come back. He stayed over the toilet heaving, even after there was nothing coming up, and only then could he collect himself.

Unfortunately, her image stayed with him.

She was quiet, as she'd always been, but it felt different. And Dallon felt if no one else, he'd know the difference.

Days had gone by like that, Marci fought them tooth and nail over everything, but didn't talk to anyone. Being given new clothes she broke down and hugged herself tightly, as if they'd threatened to take her skin off her.

Dallon gave up on that. The clothes, though she'd never have worn anything remotely similar simple garments, seemed to be some sort of comfort items to her.

He spent every waking moment by her side, and by the end of the first week he was overcome by utter hopelessness.

He found the drugs hidden in the bathroom medicine cabinet, sure the label was in her name, but it wasn't one of the bottles he got her with all sort of supplements, and it very obviously didn't look like her estrogen pills.

Dallon took the bottle and sent it to the lab with an anxious knot in his stomach, he had a bad feeling he already knew what kind of pills were there.

When she found the bottle was missing she locked herself into her room. They were in a safe house, waiting for a verdict on Wesley Shaw and whether or not he was involved. Of course he was, it was clear as day, but it was up to a very easily bribed jury and judge.

...

Dallon came to in an unfamiliar room, bound by the wrists and ankles, sitting in the corner. He felt his gut twist into a knot as he looked down to see not his blue and black event attire, but a white shirt with dark green pants. Similar to- no, the same ones Marci wore after they'd freed her.

There was a bed, with two cabinets and a chest of drawers in the otherwise sparsely decorated room.

He contemplated screaming for help, but quickly thought better of it. The more time he had Wesley unaware of him being awake, the more he could plan his escape.

He couldn't wriggle free of his bounds, the rope was tied expertly, it held steady with barely any room for movement, but it still didn't cut off circulation in his hands.

"It's actually eerie how much you two looked alike" Dallon froze, when Wesley appeared in the doorway.

We're identical twins you fucking idiot. He wanted to say, but could only get some garbled noise through the gag in his mouth. Wesley just shrugged. He didn't care to understand.

"I wonder what it would be like, if my mirror image killed me" he walked closer at a leisurely pace. Dallon thrashed and screamed through the gag. He tried to kick on his captor's direction, but all that did was leave him in an even more uncomfortable and vulnerable position.

"How did you even convince yourself I killed her?" he cocked his head to the side with genuine curiosity mixed with the venomous accusation.

Dallon didn't want to listen. As if he hadn't thought of that before. As if he hadn't spent countless nights wondering if it was his fault somehow.

All he wanted was to get her to safety and freedom. Provide her with a new life, a clean one, not tainted by Wesley Shaw and his 'alleged' drug ring. He was supposed to be the one uncovering the truth, with the triumph of bringing him down and making him pay for Marci. He seemed to be aware of it as well.

"What? Did I ruin your little saviour fantasy?" he fake pouted "I'll feel sorry when I have some freetime"

"You should never have hidden her away from me, but that's the smaller problem. You forced her into a withdrawal with no mental preparation or plan to help her through. You killed her, Dallon, not me."

"And now I'm going to make you pay for it"

[craetor]

Another Death Note book, another Tumblr post of overanalyzing details within it

This is a literal reformatted Twitter thread that was collected as the book was read, so, in theory, one could just flip through the book & find the things addressed all in order. Enjoy my needlessly high IQ going to town on this damn legendary expansion pack AU spin-off novel...

This obviously contains spoilers to L Change The World

.

"I'm no good with girls" - L Lawliet, like 2004? (He probably had a real good time having Misa around)

L calls the kids of Wammy's House "letters" (*tries not to explode*)

It's verified that the orphans are entrusted with solving cases as grave as murders to prove & train themselves

Beyond Birthday is mentioned to crack his neck in LABB, which is oddly enough also a habit of Ryuk's. Shinigami urges, especially those of the rather unhinged kind

Suruga heard that L never even showed his face to Misora, meaning she kept quiet about their encounter to everyone until her very death. Which is pretty nice.

Tbh Beyond wasn't too far off about mocking L's behavior. He does tend to crawl when he's being frantic & is also a messy eater (from getting food on himself when not provided with utensils (even when he is...), to consuming excessive amounts of sweet toppings)

There's too many "god"s in DN names... ('Kagami' can be translated to 'nurse god' which is so stupid & uncreative /affectionately)

"L's back grew rounder as he sat on the sofa with his knees tucked tightly against his chest. [...] He seemed to be burdened by the weight of something very heavy that she could not see". L's slouch gets lower after Watari dies under his surveillance. Nothing new, just fantastic symbolism that I love about him.

Also how actually well L suppresses his emotions while working on cases is really outlined in this book. It gets to a point where he seems apathetic, as people who've seemingly gone through trauma reunite over tears in front of him, while minutes beforehand, he's exuded real sadness over Watari's passing. (this is not inherently negative or positive)

His reputation with the FBI really sticks to him like a tick, yet it's suppressing his humanity that gets L to do what's needed & initiate measures necessary (which earned him the ill-willed reputation of kinky bizarre murder-loving detective. Whereby I still can't quite locate the origin of the "murder-loving" part..)

"Nobody would think anything important to be in a bag of potato chips, don't you think?" Honey, first of all, how did you fit an entire notebook into a bag of potato chips without it looking like it's your 1 pound hershey's chocolate stash... Oh, and L has a pattern of emulating tricks that people have used to try and fool him

It seems that L wasn't lying when he said that he's a fan of Misa's work, though idrk what to make of that... Not everything in the half-canon is canon, kids. M went a bit too hard on that 'L is weird & creepy' at times. Until it's not even goofy and ridiculous anymore, I'm just.. concerned?

L seems fulfilled and glad when he's stressed about saving the world. Nothing like a superiority complex, just very INTJ.

L will know to evaluate people so much as to accept food from the ones trying to deceive him, if he knows they're pacifists. Having them vacuum his room & stuff, letting them think they're earning his trust. A side of him we haven't seen thus far, just thought it to be important to share.

Watari, now officially L's mentor and father figure (we knew this but i love it)

The fact that L prones to share sweets with anyone compatible to himself or whoever he wants to tempt is not just a quirky gesture of respect, but actually seems to write out, more than anything, 'let's put us on the same level here. Have this thing that indicates gross luxury within societal hierarchy while also being the thing that keeps me going on an everyday-basis'

Fem-disguise flirty L. He's enjoying the vibe & living vicariously. That's it that's the jot

And then there's page 151. And i wonder, am I needed here at all?

The "L-organization" Blue Ship made up is comically the truest hypothesis that has existed as a theory about L. After all, Wammy's House is the founding ground of 26 Ls each generation to come

Watari seems to be involved with the Wammy's kids more than initially thought. But this could also be Kujo's illusion, as having any contact with the one closest to L at all would be a big deal and in her mind more prominently

And finally, the relationship that was created between L & Light is closer to love and worship than friendship. Even best friends. L's reliance on the thought of Light even exists as comfort in heavily emotionally distressing situations. Your definitely romantically touched soulmate-other-half-comfort-human can be your best friend too is what I'm trying to say. Like, you don't have to choose. Just add it to the list.

Verdict: I assume the main point of the book is literally to clear up misunderstandings about L, hence information about him is being blatantly pointed out and aggressively reinforced around every corner. But I'm here anyways because page 151 exists for me and me only (and everybody else who's done their thing correctly before having read this thing) as a pat on the back and a hearty 'good job'. It was fun to have found a couple more hidden details along the way too though. L called Light his 'best friend' like he called Misora 'some guy in the US who told me about capoeira'

[renaultphile]

TC tag game

Thank you for the questions and for tagging me @spudodell.

Rules: Answer the questions and tag other TC fans!

1. "He would not fucking say that" only they did and it's canon. When/who?

Ralph to Laurie in the ‘break-up’ scene, as soon as Laurie starts asserting himself:

"Don't waste time, Spud. It's childish to start an argument about whether we love each other, the moment I go and sit on the other side of the room”

What a horrible thing to say!  Run like the wind, Laurie!

2. Did they kiss in the study? Yes/no + why you are 100% correct about this.

First let’s take a moment to appreciate Spudodell's recent spot of a stealth kiss (can you re-blog that one too, I couldn't find it!) at the beginning of the ‘break-up’ scene when Laurie comes through the door, which to me is absolutely definitive and ground-breaking (not in a good way for me, but still….brilliant detective work!)

On the kiss, I am in the ‘no kiss’ camp, but it is not possible to be definitive.  I feel that Mary plays a lot with echoes, parallels, and contrasts, and for me ultimately I feel the lack of a kiss is meant to be a contrast to other moments in the book, not an echo. 

But what has exercised me more recently is, kiss or no kiss (but especially if there was a kiss), this scene in chapter two really gives me the creeps.  I have been reading around the topic for some schoolboy Ralph fics and Alec/Ralph (watch this space on that one), and it has become ever more clear (Alec Waugh’s commentary ‘Public School Life’ being the best reference on this) that Prefects really were like Gods.  He points out that prefects had almost as much power as but even less accountability than teachers due to the ‘no-snitch rule’.  You can see it in the discussion of Hazell and his confessions, and how contemptuous the schoolboys are of him for 'confessing' (or in modern terms, reporting an inappropriate relationship).

In some ways, a kiss could explain quite a lot about Laurie’s behaviour and attitudes to Ralph in the book.  But to be brutally honest, I’ve had enough of creepy behaviour in men being disguised as ‘romantic’ in heterosexual romances (Mr Rochester, anyone?) and the thought of encountering it in a gay context in such a beloved book is just too much to bear.

So, no kiss for me!  He was still behaving pretty weirdly but that’s understandable in the circumstances.

3. Mandatory question about Ralph's alleged tattoos.

I’m sold on the fic that has him get a tattoo of his sunken ship.  Love the co-ordinates of Dunkirk idea though!  But I think Lux’s one is more realistic.  My reading of that being that he got drunk and wanted to fit in so he got a load of random not-very-good-ones.

4. 53 vs 59 edition: quote a line or paragraph that is better in the edition you like the least.

I favour the ’59 edition, as I broadly feel the cuts make it read better.  But there is one exception.  When Laurie is daydreaming about swimming with Charles, Mary cuts this line:

“Take off your things and jump in."

Apparently skinny-dipping was a step too far for the US audience!  Scandalous!

5. Which TC character would feel right at home here on tumblr dot com?

Bunny but not in a good way.

6. Tag yourself at Alec's birthday party.

I’m Laurie as in sitting in the corner checking out the books.  Not as in going on a rescue mission with some drunken guy.

7. Post a TC meme.

Sorry I couldn’t find the source of this – not exactly a meme but it made me laugh!

8. Easy to talk about who deserved better. Who deserved worse?

Not that I know what happened to them, but Andrew’s relatives who tried as hard as they could to ruin his life, as if his parents dying wasn't bad enough.

9. You can break the fourth wall (at any point in the novel) and say a single sentence to our protagonist, Laurie Odell. What do you say?

I would tell him not to let Dave bully him into leaving Andrew without seeing him.  Because he knows with every fibre of his being that Andrew would not want that.

10. What's a question you have about TC? One you haven't found an answer for yet.

Too many to say.  It’s the unknown unknowns that really get me.

Tagging @gayskogul @telltaleangelina @jeork @alovelywaytospendanevening @black-bentley and anyone else who wants to play and would like to raise their head above the parapet!!

[ficreadergirl]

Welcome to my Sweetheart

Ep15

"Let's feed you love." you said as you set a plate of food in front of Gloria. She purred and started eating her breakfast. You watched her for a moment before getting your own breakfast. You were sitting at the table, eating when you heard a knock on your door. You wiped your mouth and went to open it. There was a man holding a giant bouquet of roses.

"These are for you miss." he said handing them to you. You looked at him confused before looking down at the roses.

"From?" you asked.

"From mr Barry Pierce." he replied. You stared at him for a second before looking back at the flowers. The man smiled at you before leaving. You saw a card attached to the flowers.

"Dear detective Y/n. I couldn't explain myself properly last night. So I wanted to talk to you about my offer if you'd like to listen. I hope these flowers will make up for the awkwardness of our meeting. -Barry" it said. You frowned and put the card down. You weren't sure what to think about all of this. Gloria jumped onto your lap and started cleaning herself.

"Who was that?" Helena asked walking into the room. She had just woken up. "Was it Dick?" she asked excitedly.

"No... it was someone else." you said putting the flowers down.

"Really? I thought he was trying to make up other night for you." she said with a smirk. "It was clear something happened Y/n. Don't try to deny it." she teased.

"Nothing happened Helena. Also flowers are not from him." you said rolling your eyes and trying to hide your blush.

"Then who sent them?" she asked curiously.

"Barry Pierce." you said looking down at the card. She was silent for a moment before speaking again.

"Is he a friend of you?" she asked carefully.

"No... he's just some guy I'll catch later." you said nonchalantly. "But he seems to be interested in me."

Helena felt worry creeping up inside her chest. "Y/n. You should be careful I think." she said seriously. You gave her a look.

"Why did you say that? You know him?"

She sighed and sat down next to you. "Not personally. But I heard couple of things about him. Bad things..." she trailed off.

"What kind of bad things? And how you know that?" you asked suspiciously.

"Well... Y/n... it's just... y'know I was working as barmaid." she explained. "And I met few people in there. They told me stories about him. He's not the guy you want to get involved with."

You looked away thinking about what she said. It made sense but at the same time... "I don't think you ever told me about your barmaid days Hell." you pointed out.

"That's because it wasn't important then." she replied defensively. "Look, Y/n... I'm just saying... be careful. Okay?"

"Okay." you said finally giving in. "Thanks for telling me."

"Anytime." she said with a small smile. You both continued eating breakfast in silence. After finishing, you decided to go to work early since you had some paperwork to do.

"I'll see you later then." you said giving Helena a small wave before leaving the flat.

You walked down the empty hallway towards your office, thinking about what Helena said about Barry. You didn't know much about him except for his interest in you which you found a bit creepy. You saw Dick was already there, going through some files. You didn't know how to start the conversation after what happened last night. You sat down in your chair quietly and started working on the pile of paperwork that was waiting for you.

"Hey, Y/n." Dick said after a while breaking the awkward silence. You looked up to see him leaning against the door frame.

"Hi, Dick." you replied trying to keep your voice neutral.

"Listen, about last night... I don't want you to think that it changes anything between us. We're still friends and partners." he said quickly. "I just got a little carried away."

You nodded slowly trying not to show any emotion on your face. You knew that he was right but it still hurt a little bit. "I know, Dick." you said softly. "We are friends and partners first."

Dick was about to say something else when your phone buzzed. You looked at the screen and groaned in annoyance. "I'll be back." you said getting up from your chair.

"What's wrong?" he asked concerned.

"It's nothing. I'll be right back. Don't forget what you were saying." you said rushing out of the room before he could ask anything else.

You walked down the hallway and answered the phone. "I'm busy--" you started but stopped when you heard the voice on the other end.

"Ms Y/n. You have to come here." Barry's voice was urgent. "I'm at my club. There was a shooting."

You froze for a moment. You decided he was telling true after hearing the panic in his voice. "I'm on my way." you said before hanging up. You went to your office but Dick wasn't there anymore. You took his car keys and rushed out of the building and headed to Barry's club.

When you arrived, the place was in chaos. Police officers and paramedics were everywhere. You parked your car and rushed inside to find Barry but he wasn't there. You spotted a familiar figure standing near the bar, her eyes were darting around the room.

"Babs?" you called out as you approached her. She turned around and her eyes widened when she saw you.

"Y/n! What are you doing here?" she asked clearly surprised.

"Barry called me. He said there was a shooting." you explained quickly. "What are you doing here?"

Babs hesitated for a moment before sighing. "I was... drinking. Dick has nothing but coffee in his apartment." she said with a weak smile. "I didn't expect this to happen."

You nodded understandingly and glanced around the room. "Did you see who did it?" you asked.

Babs shook her head. "No, but I heard gunshots and saw people running. I hid behind the bar." she said her voice shaking slightly. That shaky voice of her sounded fake to you but you decided to let it go.

"Okay. Did you give your statement yet?" you asked trying to keep your voice calm and professional.

"No, I haven't. But I was asked to wait." Babs replied.

"Okay. Are you okay by the way?" you asked.

"I'm fine. Just a bit shaken up." Babs said with a weak smile. You nodded and patted her shoulder reassuringly before heading to find Pierce.

As you searched the club, you couldn't help but feel uneasy. The air was thick with tension and fear. You finally found Barry sitting alone in a corner booth. His face was pale and he looked like he had seen a ghost. You didn't understand why he was so scared until you saw him. It was Nightwing.

Other eps