#it was literally the strangest experience of my life

[gentlesounds]

ngl alhamdullilah for everything but I genuinely feel like emotionally I’ve hit rock bottom

[alargehunkofdebris]

Why There’ll Never Be Another Good Omens 2 Experience

The strangest thing happened after a few days post my watching of S2. I got a wave of real, bittersweet sadness.

Not due to the obvious – I was dealing with that too, but with more excitement than anything – but because I realized something, as a writer and consumer of media. I realized that it’s unlikely I’ll ever get a media experience close to what I experienced at the end of Good Omens 2. Because really, its setup was absolutely unparalleled – in general, and for myself personally.

I am currently writing my third romance, and what I’ve learned primarily about the genre, the way for it to really work, is that there needs to be something keeping the couple apart initially. The more things keeping the couple apart, the stronger the romance hits. The more the couple clashes with each other, the better it is. Societal norms, class issues, initial dislike, literal danger—all these aspects are what make a romance a story. It’s that conflict that creates the compelling narrative. No romance was ever popular because things worked out well from the beginning – it’s that “look at what we were, and look at us now” aspect that gives readers/watchers that satisfaction. It’s the “I can’t believe this happened” effect. The “I would never have foreseen this” effect. The “they’ll never be together” effect. It’s why forbidden romances are so incredibly popular.

Another aspect that makes a romance story really work well is the amount of time it takes for the romance to develop. A couple that gets together after a few days? Eh, it’s tricky. You better make it really dramatic somehow. A great example is Titanic – class differences, betrothal, and a huge amount of danger threatens this couple, so them being in love after only a few days works. But what really sells this one is because we can see how this romance has survived beyond those few days. We see it 80 years in the future, still there, in the memory of Rose. That is why it hits so hard. Romances that span over long periods of time (especially ones that are bittersweet/tragic) hit so much more than ones spanning a short period.

But wait! There’s more!

You can up this effect by not only having the romance take time in story…but having it take time in real life, for the viewer/reader.

This is why romances in TV shows that take years to finally work out are so compelling. It’s that “Pam and Jim” effect, that will-they-won’t-they deal. We are waiting right along with them, and we’re feeling that same relief when all those things keeping them apart finally fall away. This is harder to pull off, because there’s never that guarantee that the story will make it that far. TV shows get cancelled, creators lose interest or die, etc. So it’s not just “Will They, Won’t They,” it’s “Will They, Won’t They, Can They Even Try?”

This is also compounded by that fear that it won’t happen in-story after all, and while in romances you’re pretty positive that things work out (they kinda have to, for it to be labeled a “romance”) in other media, there’s always that possibility. Look at Community – there’s a forbidden/conflict-ridden romance that didn’t end up working out, even though it was “Will They, Won’t They”d for six entire seasons. You also then have shows and ships where fans are almost sure it won’t happen, but still hold out hope. (See: Supernatural, Sherlock, etc.)

Now. Now look at Good Omens. Look at that absolutely unparalleled, unbelievable set up. It’s unbelievable because it takes almost every single thing that makes a romance compelling, and not only uses all of them, but dials them up to 11.

Why are they at odds? Why are they forbidden from being together?

Because they are literally the most opposing forces you can imagine in Western Canon. They are the Angel Guarding The Gate and The Serpent of Eden. The literal only way you could’ve made this a bigger deal would’ve been to make it God and Satan, and even that would’ve not hit as hard, because it’d be like two CEOs getting together – there’s no fear of a higher power adding that delicious conflict. And to add to all this, in real life, the couple is portrayed as two men, which adds that second meta level of conflict.

And what fear/danger is keeping this couple apart?

Not just familial disappointment—but disappointment from God and Heaven and Hell. Not just moral guilt, but the guilt of potentially dooming the entire Earth. And finally, on top of that, the very real danger of being killed. Not only that, but making it as though you never even existed.

And in real life, they face all those roadblocks that queer couples in media have been battling for years and years, but I'll talk about that more in a second.

Okay, then Time. How long have they been kept apart?

For…all of it.

All of the time that ever existed.

They, quite literally, could not have been kept apart longer.

And this leads into those final two points, the ones that actually really sell it. Because I can sit down right now and write a story about an angel and a demon falling for each other at the beginning of time against all odds…but what I can’t do is to have already written it thirty-three years ago.

That’s how long this story has existed. Thirty. Three. Years.

I’m not even counting how this is using characters that have existed as opposing forces for thousands of years. I’m not even saying that, even though that’s also a part of it. But besides that, this story, this exact story started thirty-three years ago, and is still being continued by the author to this day.

Do you know how uncommon that is?

Yes, we have canon that has lasted for many, many years. Hundreds. We get new versions of beloved older stories ever year. But it’s so very rare that they are by the same creator. We get new Sherlock Holmes content, but it is not written by Arthur Conan Doyle. This, on the other hand, is actual canon content, written by the author of the original. That is unbelievably rare.

That means we’ve got a fandom where some people have grown up with these characters. People who read it at twenty are fifty-three. People who read it at fifty are eighty-three. Kids who saw their parents reading the book now have children of their own. It is a cult classic that has been in the hearts of so many people for generations. Me, personally, I fell in love with it ten years ago, at age twenty, at the very beginning of my own writing journey. This story means so much to people, because it’s stood that test of time.

And yet, this story was never explicitly romantic. So many saw it that way, but it was never something confirmed. Because this was a book from the 90s, at a time where this kind of romance just wasn’t in popular media if it wasn’t played as a joke. It was, back then, the same kind of “forbidden” as a romance between angel and demon. So people imagined, but they never expected anything more. And they’ve continued not expecting more, because even in the 2019 first season, there was never any true confirmation of anything, and people accepted it. You have a 33-year-old story here – it’s possible that this major change/confirmation could happen, but all things considered, it was unlikely. You would never blame the creator for not making major developments to a story they wrote with their late friend a lifetime ago. And no one in production was saying a word to confirm or deny, but we’ve seen all this before. It was a Will-They-Won’t-They…Probably-Not situation.

And then you have the end of S2.

And that's where that bittersweet sadness comes in for me, personally. Not at a huge level, not to the point where I'd have it any other way, but it's there regardless. Because I realized that this was a unique situation that could never be replicated, for me, and likely for many, especially readers of the book pre-show. In all likelihood, I would never again experience a romantic payoff like this one. Because it was the most forbidden of forbidden romances, the couple of which have been kept apart by the worst of all dangers and highest level of guilt for the longest amount of time literally possible, written over a real-life span of time where this kind of romance went from “completely taboo even in real life” to “finally acceptable in popular media,” written by the same creator, and not confirmed as canon until the story reached the age of Jesus Christ himself.

And the real kicker is, even after everything these two literally star-crossed lovers have gone through…they’re still being kept apart. They’ve still not taken down those final, seemingly insurmountable barriers between them. It wasn’t a “here you go 😊” move to make long-time fans happy – it’s being used as a perfect, painful plot point. After 33 years, we’re still having to wait longer.

Chef's kiss. Couldn’t have been a better set up if it was mathematically calculated. And yet, the best part is that it happened organically.

It just works.

[birdsong-18]

i was late to one of my classes today for reasons (and i’m never late for class ever) and i walked in and everyone just… started clapping? and then my prof said “welcome [full name not nickname i always use] please have a seat you have found us in the middle of dictations”

anyway that was the most surreal experience ever, i’m not sure how to feel, it felt like a lucid dream. also it was a small class that all know each other really well, so it wasn’t malicious in any way.

[radiocrypt-id]

The bad kids haven't really looked too closely at the Rat Grinders (meta wise I know it's a commentary on different play styles and how shitty xp farming is and how op players/parties can become by doing the bare minimum if they put in the time while everyone else plays the damn game) but I find the split perspective problems absolutely fascinating. I can't wait for the Bad Kids to look at the Rat Grinders with envy and anger that the Rat Grinders got to live a normal highschool life without all this insane danger and experience being a teenager without it being the end of the world for them. Right now they just hate the Rat Grinders energy and are matching it back (which is a very high school thing to do. To have beef with a whole other group of kids and not even know why but you'll die on this hill because they started shit first)

Because to the Rat Grinders, from a purely outside perspective, the Bad Kids are fucking monarchs of the school, right? They skipped classes, ran around town, fought people, got arrested, hung out with a big devil? Every new staff member came at their recommendation? One of them has both her dads working at the school?? The destroyed school property, got teachers killed, straight murdered the coach? These fucking kids run around and are apparently scott-free? because the principal liked their chaos enough to let it go and help them avoid the police? To the Rat Grinders, the Bad Kids are untouchable. They're exempt from the law. They're liars, cheats and need to be humbled. It's unfair. From everyone elses perspective, it really does look like the Bad Kids have been given crazy favourtism.

Meanwhile, all of the Bad Kids have died at least once. They've been irreparably changed and are in a constant state of fight or flight. They assume everything is dangerous and anyone might be an enemy because for two goddamn years that was the exact case! They couldn't trust any adult first year! Literally anyone could have been infected with Kalina second year! who knows what happened with the Night Yord but I fucking bet they had issues with Yorbies pretending to be helpful just to kill them! Everyone, for two years, has been out to get them! They can't even sleep! And now they have to grind so hard or they fail. Adaine has a seemingly full time job after school basically every day because she literally can't afford to live? Fabian has taken on the most physically strenuous classes and sport one dude could and has dreams of also being a social legend because he's fucking lonely in that big house and he just wants to fill it. If anyone in the party fails or dies Riz is shit out of luck and wont ever get into a university? He so desperately wants his friends with him so he's working over time and ignoring his limits to make up for his party members not caring about the future. Fig is going through the strangest arc I've ever seen in my life? she's hard avoidant and taking three classes, so a 250% work load, because she's desperate to fill her time so she can't think about all the other work she has to do that if she ignores too long could crush her under the debt of her band from her label, or how alone she feels without her girlfriend around. Gorgug is so desperate to prove himself that he's doing four years of school work in one, trying to play catch up and also prove himself at the same time, he's taking it all so seriously but also is so fucking tired. And Kristen. Mother fucking Kristen "hey girlie" applebees. Expected to dedicate her life to a god with no direction, with the weight of failure being her gods death, while also being in school and also at your friends insistence needing to run for student body president and getting your priorities so mixed up and being completely left behind by her peers who didn't have to rework their entire world view and understanding of life in the span of a few months every few months.

The Bad Kids are in a terrible place. They're suffering. I want them to just say it out loud, to stop pretending they have it handled and are fine. I want Riz and Adaine to yell at the party to get their shit together. I want Fabian to tell someone how alone and abandoned her feels. I want Kristen to scream at Cassandra that she agrees, that it's not fair, she's just a kid, how could she be enough all on her own with no help? It sucks a god can only rely on a child, for both the god and child! They're both suffering from this arrangement! Neither is happy! I want Gorgug to beat the shit out of Porter with his inventions and rage at the same time, to make the best shit and use it in the most stunning way anyone has ever seen. I want Fig to finally get some freaking help, to have her teachers and parents reach out in a meaningful way and stop telling her to figure it out alone because clearly the pressure is too much for her to handle and she's drowning. I want someone, anyone, to look at the Bad Kids and tell them to stop. To help them. But I know it wont be that easy. I know it'll be the Rat Grinders yelling at how unfair it is the Bad kids get everything while they're on the sidelines that'll get under the Bad Kids skin and they'll yell about how awesome they are and that they didn't ask for any of this shit to happen to them and to fuck off. I know it's gonna get so much worse before it gets better. I know they'll figure it out and that it'll be a painful road there.

[nightcolorz]

okay i swear last from me tonight and no spoilers for show but i need armand happiness can we have some book armand / devils minion headcanons. literally about anything- their relationship, what they like to do, post canon, general armandisms that make me love him So Much?

don’t worry about bothering me I love when u interact with me <33 ok so I have a rlly cringe post canon devils minion head canon that I have been wanting to talk about but it’s rlly cringe and self indulgent 😭💔 but tbh, about as cringe as anything in late book canon so 🤷 I hope u enjoy and it makes u feel better, it’s my go to comfort headcanon

so I think Anne rices canon introduction of “through Science™️ vampires can conceive children with the help of DNA 🧬 , but they will come out as genetic clones, literally like identical twins but they r ur child, and lestat has a canon clone son” is a stroke of unhinged world building genius that is greatly underutilized by the fandom! I also think the vampire chronicles fandom is rlly missing out on some cringe fandom trademarks (like fandom ocs, ridiculous aus, stuff like that) bcus of the lawsuit thing probably. So anyway, I made the change I want to see in the world, and I have a genetic clone fan child oc 🙏. inspired by Armand’s canonically paternal personality and nurturing tendencies and soft spot for children, I like to think that way way post canon (around modern day) Armand and Daniel decide to Start A Family, and go through the process lestat did of conceiving a clone child with a surrogate (through armands dna), and they have a son (clone of Armand) named Ivan (after Armand’s father, I’m sappy) ! 🥰🥰 . It’s so silly I know, but I think having the opportunity to raise a human child and getting to give him and watch him live the mortal life he constantly envies and hoped to be able to provide Benji and Sybelle (before it was stripped from them) would be like, rlly good for Armand, and definitely I could see him in later canon wanting to pursue having a child with Daniel bcus of this unresolved grief. The clone layer, as ridiculous as it is, adds another dimension of sappy bcus not only will Armand get to live out the catharsis of giving a human child the fulfilled human life he never got, he will also get to see *himself*, or an almost too literal embodiment of his inner child, get to experience what he never did, and live that happy and safe childhood that Armand was deprived of. I think watching his son who looks just like him grow up and become a man while Armand is eternally frozen as a teen would be hard for him, but still healing and important.

So in my heart, post canon Armand and Daniel have their shit together enough to healthily (tho imperfectly) raise their clone son Ivan, who lives and dies a mortal. Ivan is the most spoiled child to ever live and he has a lavish playroom that is practically a house, fifty iPads, probably like ten ponies, etc etc. I imagine since he shares so much of Armand’s dna he strongly carry’s a lot of his traits, such as autism and strong hyper fixations. And I like to think he’s a little bit of a brat like Armand was as a child🙏 especially since his other dad Daniel does little to discourage those tendencies 😭. Ivan is a screen addict, a model train addict, and a Wolf Kid. He grows up to be the freakiest, strangest, long haired big bearded 5’6 ginger man at the gay bar. As a toddler Armand dresses him like a tiny fancy little man bcus he won’t have any son of his committing any fashion crimes, but unfortunately for Armand Ivan takes after Dad-niel in the fashion department and by the time he’s able to dress himself he wears wolf themed t-shirts and cargo shorts everyday 💔💔

Daniel is rlly naturally good with kids which is incredibly sexy and romantic to Armand. He’s the fun dad 💀 Armand is a little too strict and a little to over protective bcus of how trauma based I imagine his parenting would be, and daniels laid back, comfy and understanding energy helps level that out. When he’s a teenager Ivan goes through a rebellious emo phase and Armand and Daniel have to spend all of their energy desperately trying to ensure Ivan doesn’t tap into his addiction gene or his strong susceptibility to inheriting his father’s personality disorders 💀. He is very doted on and very loved, he is given more care and attention than any other child would be capable of receiving 😭. Armand is convinced he’s a child genius and will definitely cure cancer and become a world leader, so he tends to parade him around like his prized possession that everyone needs to know is incredibly special during Vampire Family reunions or whatever goes on post canon. ivan is not allowed to interact with Most vampires, except for Uncle Louis, who finds it emotionally difficult to be around children 😭 and Uncle Lestat (only under careful supervision of Uncle Louis), who loves throwing Ivan around like a ragdoll and telling him embarrassing facts about Armand 💀

I hope u like this lol, thank u for the ask!!! <33 u r always welcome to ask me for headcanons or ask for my thoughts, that is my favorite thing. Anyways, for those who r invested, here’s my Ivan art

[11bobear]

My experience with SP (Sleep Paralysis)

I’ve notice that SP has been becoming popular as a method for shifting so I wanted to share my experience because why not !! ✌🏾

Things to keep in mind : 🐇

(For the people who are afraid of SP)

- It’s only scary if you let it be.

- It’s harmless.

- Disrupt your sleep schedule will most likely be the cause of SP.

I’ve seen people talk about how scary sleep paralysis is and then they’ll say they avoid sleep so they won’t get it and I just sit there like 🧍🏾.

you are basically self sabotaging yourself because lack of sleep is one of the common causes of SP.

Now let’s talk about my experiences with SP :

The first time :

I didn’t see any figures the first time I got sleep paralysis, the only strange thing I saw were the walls in my room because they were glowing green.

The second time :

The second time I got SP was on August 26th, 2022. I was really tired that night and of course I decided to sleep on my back <3. I woke up to growling in the corner of my room !!! I couldn’t see the creature but it was terrifying especially since I always sleep in complete darkness. I kept my eyes closed and waited for it to end and it eventually did.

The third time :

I was binge watching a Sally Face gameplay by Kubz Scouts til like 4 am-ish. I fell asleep on my stomach and woke up to the same growling creature AGAIN but this time the noise was even louder. This was the first time I had gotten sleep paralysis in a position that wasn’t me laying on my back.

The fourth time : The strangest one

This one happened not too long ago probably like almost closer to the end of school year but It was a school night and I got like 3 hours of sleep. This was the first time I had gotten SP during the day time. I woke up and was in SP for like a minute or two and then I remember getting out of bed somehow and opening my closet door and walking in. My closet felt like a portal as I walked inside. I didn’t go far because I ended up falling backwards into one of the shelves in my closet. Instead of cracking my head I fell through the shelf and into some sort of void. It’s hard to explain but It felt like reality was literally breaking apart around me and I couldn’t do nothing but sink in deeper. I don’t remember how long I was falling for but I eventually woke up back inside my bed…

The fifth time :

This happened either on the 21st or the 22nd which was when I first heard about using SP as a shifting method. I was listening to Alunir’s (void + raven + heartbeat) method but I didn’t have the intention to get SP that night I decided to stay still while I did my method and relax. After I finished the method, I decided to go to bed and had the intention to wake up in my DR. I could not fall asleep even if my life depended and it was so frustrating (I looked like a hotdog rolling around in my bed). When I finally fell asleep I woke up on my side and I was in SP. Being the idiot that I am I immediately started affirming and then not even 2 minutes later I was out of SP. I didn’t see anything weird that night but while I was affirming I started seeing the outline of a persons face.

Final Thoughts :

This post is low-key random but relevant ig.

It’s important to remember that YOU control YOUR reality and I guarantee after you experience sleep paralysis a few times you’ll realize that SP is not as scary as people make it seem.

Don’t let fear win

Thats all

Happy shifting !!

🩵💛🩷💚💜

[hangingslothcentral]

what i didn't realise when i started making Spirit Box Radio back in 2020 was how inexorably it would become tied up in my own real life transition. before i started recording the show, it felt like my decision that i would play Sam, who was originally only going to use he/him pronouns, was a risk because i was pre-t. would people misgender him? how would i feel about that? would it make people switch off?

i made that choice as a person who was expecting not to be able to start transitioning until after the show ended. when it became clear it would be sooner than that (thank u Indigo Gender, my beloved), my feelings about playing Sam changed. i decided he'd use the same pronouns as me - he/they - and that i wasn't going put off going on t until after the end of the show, though i did very seriously consider doing that.

i went on t halfway through the show's middle season. my voice didn't properly drop for ages but it got a smidge deeper quite quickly, and i had to make a decision, fast, about how i would manage that in the show's world. throat spiders? weird magic effects? or... just. make it so Sam transitions medically at that point, too.

and i opted for the last option not really thinking about how it would make me feel. the story of Spirit Box Radio is very much a story about stories, those which get told about us, those we tell about ourselves and each other. stories have the power to shape our lives , and in the world of Spirit Box Radio, they often do this literally.

Sam as a character is someone who takes up his mantle of host of Spirit Box Radio with nervous enthusiasm, in much the way I started making audio dramas in the middle of COVID lockdowns after five years of my manuscripts getting steady rejections from literary agents. we both being unsure of ourselves and how valid it is for us to take the role we find available; for Sam, host; for me, showrunner, director, writer, main character, sound editor, etc.

the show is coming to an end now, and just two months after it does so, i will be getting top surgery. my voice seems to have finished changing and is now just sort of evening out as the story of SBR reaches its conclusion. and it all just feels very... neat.

i don't really have a point to make here, just that it's very emotional for me to be getting to the end of the show. finishing any project is emotional, especially a long one, but my relationship with making SBR has been one of many ups and downs and a lot of emotional turmoil, and the experience of making it had been the backdrop to one of the strangest, most exciting, most terrifying times of my life.

i really hope those of you who've listened to the show have enjoyed the jouney it takes you on. thanks for coming with me on this one, folks. you're the real ones <3 <3

-- Eira xxx

[the1975attheirverybest]

Being Funny In A Foreign Language

Chapter 4- Oh Caroline.

read all other chapters here

Warnings: brief depictions of mental illness. Light smut.

———

Matty crawled, shirtless, in the artificial grass towards peanut. He learned from doing this bit of the show every night that, there are some days when he finds it completely routine —just a performer doing the scripted bit that he worked hard to orchestrate for a very specific purpose—and there are other days, like today, when the entire experience feels uncanny. A real lived experience of his personal life being broadcast for the world to see. He is face to face(literally; their faces are inches apart) with his own naked likeness; comforting it, stroking its arm gently, treating it with care and tenderness.

He laid right behind peanut and wrapped his arms around his body double, spooning him in front of thousands of cheering fans. This was always the strangest part. He’s all too aware of the worlds eyes on his every move even as he attempts to drop the act and be vulnerable. The thing about manufactured vulnerability is, though, that it’s always inherently, at its essence, an act. some nights, he wondered, as he laid there next to himself, how much was manufactured and how much was vulnerable.

Tonight, his thoughts drifted back to that brief moment of respite that he experienced in Amelia’s arms. He kissed a line along the expanse of peanuts shoulders, tightening his arms around him. When the platform lowered again, taking peanut away with it, Matty rolled on his back. Tears rolled down his cheeks as the screens in the venue displayed a close-up zoomed in on him.

Moments later, the platform came back up, a guitar and a microphone ready for “Be My Mistake.”

***

Matty and Amelia never spoke of that night after it happened. They found it difficult to speak about anything at all. A fact that unnerved Matty endlessly. But he didn’t know how to be around her anymore. Every time he tried, he found himself clinging too tightly to a pretense of normalcy; trying so hard to act as though nothing had changed between them. He couldn’t bare the way it made him feel, even worse, he couldn’t bare the fact that it was his fault their friendship had now broken.

He leaned into the routines of tour life. Waking up, working out, writing, performing, and getting ready to do it all again in a different city the next day. That is, until he woke up on the morning of the first day of their week off.

His first mistake was not getting out of bed as soon as he’d woken up. What was intended as a relaxed start to the day turned into Matty not getting out of bed at all. After hours of endless scrolling, unanswered texts, and ignored notification, he set down his phone and noticed the lump in his throat. He turned to the other side of the bed, pulling the duvet protectively over himself and squeezing his eyes shut. He felt stuck. Like the whole world around him was moving at whirlwind speeds while he laid there, perfectly still. Even the thoughts inside his mind and the beating heart in his chest seemed to move faster than he could handle. He tucked his knees up into his chest and tried to breathe through the worst of it.

It was 6 pm before Matty had managed to get himself out of bed. And it wasn’t long before he returned to it. The first two nights of the week went by without him leaving his hotel room.

***

“Amelia! Joshua! Welcome back!” The couple turned around to find Mark, sipping on A cocktail at the hotel bar.

“Mark, you’re here.” Amelia hugged him.

“Did you kids have a good trip?”

Mark always made Amelia smile and put her at ease. She thought it was his warm paternal energy, a comfort to have around when you find yourself in a strange and unfamiliar place every other day while on tour. But, perhaps it was even more than that, Mark genuinely cared about each of the boys, their friends, and there partners. He was sincere when he asked to hear about their trip to Joshua’s hometown, and whether or not the weather over there was good. It was clear to everyone why Matty loved working with Mark.

“What about you? You guys must have cut your short trip if you’re already here drinking tonight.” Amelia observed.

“Oh we never went anywhere.” Mark sipped on his drink. “I mean, I think George and Charli are off on holiday. Reckon Adam’s out of town as well. Seen Ross out and about. Not entirely sure where Matty is but he’s in town.”

Amelia couldn’t shake that feeling in her gut. Mark’s words echoed through her mind as the elevator shot them up to the top floor. Not entirely sure where Matty is, but he’s in town. That doesn’t make any sense. Matty often used his days off in the US between New York or, if he was feeling messy, LA. For him to not pack up and go somewhere, when he has an entire week to do was he pleased, was very unusual.

She looked down the dimly lit hallway as she stepped off the elevator. Matty’s room was somewhere in the darkness. Something told her she needed to be there.

“Hun?,” she whispered, tapping Joshua’s shoulder. “Would you mind taking my suitcase and heading in without me? I- just wanna check on Matty.”

***

“Amelia” Matty barely mustered when he opened the door to her knocking.

She scanned him head to toe, noting that he was in a t shirt and boxers. “You don’t seem happy to see me.”

“Just….erm.” He scratched his head “thought you were room service or— house keeping or something.”

It was difficult for Amelia to keep a straight face while looking at the dark circles underneath his eyes, his unshaven face, his defeated look. But she knew Matty well enough to tiptoe around these observations. “Aren’t you gonna let me in?”

Matty hesitated, briefly, but it was Amelia. He could never turn her away. “Yeah. Right. Come in.”

She surveyed her surroundings, her heart shattered into a million pieces. The empty bottles everywhere, the clothes piled up in different corners, his guitar laying diagonally across the floor, various cables and wires everywhere, plates of uneaten food resting on the entertainment unit and the dresser. Everywhere she looked, there were signs telling her that she was already far too late.

“Oh, gosh. Matty…” words escaped her.

Matty averted his gaze, embarrassed.

Her hands reached out to him but Matty stepped back moving out of her reach.

“N-no, no. It’s fine. I’m…I’m fine. You should go-“

“Just wanna keep you company. Can I? Can I just sit with you for a little while?”

“Amelia, please-“

“You need help. Why won’t you let me help you?” She walked over to the couch, pushing the random books and papers that had covered it into a corner and sitting down.

Matty paced back and forth anxiously. “Because I don’t wanna get it wrong! I don’t want to do this- this- depression thing the wrong way-“

“Do you hear how insane you sound right now?

“No; you’re insane. You’re insane. I- listen to me. This thing within me- It’s not attractive or broody or anything. It’s- this!” He gestured passionately at his surroundings. “There’s nothing glamorous or artsy about how I feel. I cry a lot. And drink a lot. And I haven’t had a shower since the show a few days ago and- and I’m scared. All the fuckin time. I’m somewhere between terrified and completely numb.”

Matty felt the ground underneath him shift, losing balance, he quickly sat down next to her with a loud thud of his body hitting the couch.

“You get dizzy?” She asked, already knowing the answer. “Whens the last time you ate anything?”

“Depends….what day is it?”

“Oh for fucks sakes, Matthew!”

Matty leaned his head against her shoulder, cuddling into her. “I don’t want to eat. Please don’t make me do it.” He whispered as he closed his eyes.

Amelia remained perfectly still at first, allowing him to get comfortable. When she was certain that he wouldn’t spook or pull away, she slowly reached for his hair, stroking it gently as she spoke to him in her softest tone. “You been keeping up with the gym?”

Matty shook his head.

“Jiujitsu?”

“No.”

“Have you been sleeping?”

“Everything feels like sleeping. Like daydreaming or sleep-walking.”

They were both silent for a moment.

“What do you need right now? Can i- call down for some food? Do you…wanna go to sleep? I-“

“I need you.”He lifted his head off her shoulder and turned to look at her, pressing his forehead to hers, “please, Amelia? Just this once?” His nose brushed against hers, his lips a hairs breadth away from hers, begging for her to kiss him.

Amelia’s hands rested on either side of his face. “Will you let me take care of you?” She kissed him.

***

She pulled the shirt over his head, tossing it to the floor. When she reached for the waistband of his underwear, Matty’s hands quickly stopped her.

“Uhh-umm I’m still- erm…having t-trouble there.”

“Oh. Ok-okay. That’s alright.” She smiled at him reassuringly. “Is there a…specific reason or— I mean is everything alright? Medically speaking….” Her words were clumsy, anxiety building in her stomach as she recalled how badly she’d fumbled this conversation the first time around.

Matty simply shrugged.

“You really need to learn to take care of yourself, Matty.”

Matty laid down, looking up at the ceiling. He whispered. “I don’t deserve to.”

“Don’t say that!”

“I’ve fucked everything up- I-“ he gasped as she brought her lips to the skin of his stomach, peppering him with kisses.

“I have an idea…” she mumbled, barely speaking in between kisses. “We should…come up with a system. Teach you how to let go.”

Matty’s brows furrowed. “System?”

She looked up at him through her lashes, pausing her loving for a moment to give me a slightly coy smile. “For your dopamine addicted weirdly wired brain….rewards for doing the right things, and….” She bit at his skin sharply, making him jolt and wince. “Punishments for doing the wrong things.”

“Might as well start there.” He spoke quickly. “I’ve done a lot of wrong things. Hurt you. Hurt the guys by risking their careers…well, if you believe Twitter, I’ve hurt entire demographics-“

She silenced him with a firm kiss. “I make the rules.” She whispered in his ear, smiling, “you hear that?”

Matty nodded slowly.

“We’ll come up with rules and expectations. They should mostly be around taking care of you. Making sure you get better.”

“Amelia, you don’t have to do all that. I-“

“Yeah, yeah. That conversation is for a bit later. For now, tell me, you ever been fucked in the ass?”

[koos-kave]

Satan isn’t the gentleman he usually is when under the weather…

I’ve never heard of proofreading or editing in my life.

•••

Satan gave a hoarse moan, his throat sore from violently coughing and retching throughout the day. He laid flat on the living room couch, neck propped up by two pillows, arm hanging over the side of the couch. Two fingers were lazily hooked under the rim of a plastic container just in case he needed to vomit. 

He looked to be the teetering on the edge of the large cliff that is several minutes of consecutive vomiting  (you knew from experience that Satan could win a competition when it came to longest sessions of nonstop vomiting.)

“Fuck…” He moaned yet again, cringing in discomfort from the bright light violating him from the hallway as you sauntered into his room. “I’m genuinely going to die.”

“Don’t be melodramatic,” you chided, “It’s definitely just a stomach bug. You’ll be over it in under a week.” 

“You’ll be crying over my grave...” 

“Whatever you say, pretty boy.”

The move he made to bring the bucket up to his level was so sudden that it caused you to jump back in surprise. It took you only a second to process what was going on before you were rushing to his side to gently sweep his golden hair out of his face.

——————————— shit below—————————————

•What’s happened to your chivalrous and romantic boyfriend?! 

•If anyone had a problem with him acting all pretentious before they’ll certainly love him now since all of a sudden he’s sleazier than Mammon. (Sorry Mams.)

•You’ll notice that he doesn’t want to talk much when he’s ill. He instead opts for making noises and pestering you until you manage to figure out what it is he wants.

•Sometimes you won’t be able to find him. If that’s the case, check under a pile of your clothes or blankets. 

•Sometimes he’ll be in the strangest places.

•You screamed so loud when a hand reached out to grab your ankle from under the couch that Leviathan paused his game to come check on you.

•Satan is a little whiny bitch when he’s ill.

•A little whiny horny bitch.

•He tells you that it’s somehow your fault for not knocking. You’re sure he left the door unlocked on purpose for you, he would never run the risk of having one of his brothers walk in on him. 

•He gets a tad bit grumpy, often hurling insults at whoever gets on his nerves.

•For some strange reason he really loves watching reality television when sick. 

•And he absolutely despises reality television.

•Except for the Great British Baking Show, literally everyone knows that it’s the shit.

•If you find him wandering about when he’s sick he’s ALWAYS wrapped in his favorite Hello Kitty blanket.

•You think he manages to look even sexier when he’s sick. He’s absolutely slaying that fever.

•Whenever he runs to the nearest bathroom you’ll time him to see how long it takes him to stop retching. 

•Mammon takes bets on how long it’ll take him to be out, he also takes beatings from Satan if he manages to find out Mammon is trying to make a quick buck from his torment.

•He avoids Lucifer like the plague when sick.

•He loves it when you feed him, however, he doesn’t really like it when you announce “here comes the airplane!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Loud enough for everyone in the house to hear.

•Tells you increasingly strange factoids depending on how sick he’s feeling.

•Prefers to use a tablet to read when sick. 

•Sends you countless scientific articles and even more random facts if you go to school while he stays home sick.

•He’s not afraid to admit he enjoys your pampering.

[just-jordie-things]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Megumi never found out why or when he got here. He just remembered that he got knocked out during a battle, and that he woke up in another world, one where curses Never existed.

It wasn't the strangest part yet, because somehow he wasn't living in Japan anymore. He lived overseas.

Now, he was just a normal student, not a sorcerer, not anything he was before.

But life was just as hellish in this world as it was in the one he came from.

Megumi knew what other people said behind his back.

"Weirdo"

"Emo"

"Asian kid"

And so on. That was, until one day, you walked up to him. You were the first one to act kindly around him.

Needless to say, he grew quite fond of you.

You spent hours talking togheter, and Megumi couldn't help the feeling he got each time you talked about your passions and hobbies.

The way your eyes sparkled, the excitement bubbling in your voice, the energy that bursted out of you.

He couldn't help but feel jealous.

Because, apart from sorcery, he never had any hobbies, or passion.

He never had time to think about that.

Megumi never realised how abnormal his life actually was, how many experiences he never got to experience, how much there was still to discover for him.

Until one day, where his world literally came crushing down.

You were talking to him like usual, when you brought up the argument of a new manga you were reading.

"It's called Jujutstu Kaisen if you're interested, it's really good".

"Jujutsu?"

"Yeah. Jujutsu Kaisen. I can lend you the first volume if you want."

Megumi stared at the volume in his hands, completely frozen in place.

There was no fucking way.

He then realised. There was a connection between the two worlds he had lived in.

In one of those, his life was a fucking manga.

His whole world. His friends. His life.

It was all the imagination of someone else.

A lie.

"Megumi? You fine? You look like you just saw a ghost or something."

Your words snapped him back to reality.

"Yeah, I'm fine" he muttered.

"I'ts just that I never thought you would have read this"

"You know jujutstu?"

".....yeah....".

You paused for a second, surprised by his answer.

"Soooo.... What's your fave? Y'know, your favourite character".

What was he supposed to say?

Megumi stayed silent for a bit, before answering: " No one in particular. Yours?"

He couldn't deny that he was curious.

It was probably Gojo, or Geto.

"Me? Megumi, hands down"

"What?"

Megumi froze in place. He was your favourite character. He was actually loved by someone.

"Why do you like him"

"Let's see..." You began " First of all, you can't deny it, he's Hella gorgeous. Like, dude is just too handsome to resist. His techniques are badass. And his personality and character development are amazing."

".... Really?..." His voice was almost whisper.

"I never met someone that liked Megumi before..." He then said.

"Really? He's pretty popular. Of course, not on Gojo levels, but still."

Right then, a new strange feeling blossomed in Megumi's chest.

People actually liked him. He made people happy.

But maybe it felt so good because he knew that you liked him.

He wasn't a hero. He wasn't even a sorcerer anymore.

But he never expected to be an idol to someone.

He never expected people from another world to love him.

Seeing you, right now, as you talked about why you loved him, was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Even though you will never know who he truly is.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here it is! My second Megumi one shot.

It is based on one of my previous brainrots.

Hope you like it!

love this so so much. comforting my comfort character is just so fluffy it's making my insides turn into cotten hehe

very well done thank you for sharing with us!! so sweet!!

[silversodas]

Future Leo, bending down on one knee to Leo’s level: It wasn’t your fault, you were just a kid

Leo breaking out into tears then barrels into Future Leo’s chest. Future Leo holds him and shushes him till he cry’s himself out

Future Leo sitting on the floor, holding a sleeping Leo, and thinking to himself: Wow, I am literally hugging my inner child right now.

Casey jr rounding a corner: SENSIE!! THERE YOU- oh!…uh

Future Leo: This the strangest, and the most cathartic experience of my entire life!!

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

Forbidden knowledge and the one time you're allowed to use it

Warnings: heavy angst and I mean that!! I cried so much writing this and have debated abandoning it several times!!

Listen to this for the full experience because that's what I listened to while writing this.

---

"I really don't think we should be doing this..." Sizhui tried, pulling onto one of Jingyi's sleeves. He swatted Sizhui's hand away, and he picked up some random book, a decidedly different one from what Hanguang-Jun had told them to get when he handed them the token for access in the forbidden section of the library.

"C'mon, aren't you even a little bit curious what's in here?" Jingyi replied, flipping through the pages of the book. "It's not like there's anyone to tell on us or anything, and who knows when we'll get the chance to snoop around here again?"

"Maybe there's a reason why we aren't allowed here so liberally, Jingyi... We should just go..."

"Sizhui, my man, live a little." And Jingyi tossed him a heavy book. "See what's in there, look for anything that's very powerful and very forbidden."

"And exactly why do you want to learn very powerful and very forbidden things?" Sizhui asked, suspicious, though he began sifting through the book as told.

"Because I'm curious and I also want to be the coolest guy around, obviously!"

"Jingyi, you can be cool without using whatever forbidden techniques are written in these books, you know?"

"Yeah, but what's cooler than the forbidden and the occult?"

"Not getting punished to do handstands for 12 hours..." Sizhui mumbled, sending a talisman to the ornate doors of the library to warn him if anybody walked in. He'd lie if he said he wasn't curious too, but it felt a bit too risky to just waltz around in the Lan sect's dark knowledge dungeon like it was the most normal thing in the world.

Still, he reasoned, he'd already broken the rules by disobeying a superior and he'd already looked into a book that he hadn't been allowed to - he'd get punished either way. And perhaps Jingyi had been right, it was incredibly rare for junior cultivators to be allowed into the forbidden section of the library, might as well make the best of it.

---

The night hunt had gone haywire so quickly and so unexpectedly that Sizhui and Jingyi hadn't even had time to think of the tipping point that led to their current situation. One moment they were slaying a small horde of fierce corpses, the next they found themselves trapped in the strangest array they had ever seen, with a literal army of ghouls attacking them from all directions.

They tried asking for help - they sent all of their flares flying, but that strange array blocked them, extinguishing the firework-like signal before it lit up the sky.

There was no time to think of how to break the array, not with corpses and demons jumping at them ceaselessly, fueled by such resentment that it backed the two cultivators into a corner, back to back, trying to protect themselves and each other, struggling for a solution, for survival.

---

"Hey, Sizhui, look at this!"

The book depicted a figure gathering their qi in the center of their chest, manifesting it as a large, powerful sphere.

"Apparently, this is some kind of ultimate technique that can destroy a large number of enemies and purify cursed land, break any curse or spell and is largely invincible. Isn't that cool?"

Sizhui read over the page around the drawing and frowned. "This technique... anyone who uses it dies. Painfully. It requires draining your life force out of your body, and in order to do that it..."

He tore his eyes from the book and shut it closed. "Let's just go, Jingyi."

---

"No!" Sizhui shouted, blocking another fierce corpse's strike. "No way, no!"

"What else is there left?!" Jingyi shouted back, throwing the last of his talismans against their assailants. "Nobody's coming, and we're running out of time and energy already! How much longer do you think we can go like this? A few minutes at most!"

"I fucking said no!" Sizhui all but growled, eyes fierce. "I'm not doing that! And I'm not letting you do it either!"

---

"What are you writing there?" Sizhui asked, peering over his friend's shoulder. He expected to find some silly romance story or a journal entry - but his eyes darkened in disapproval instead as his eyes recognized the writing. "Jingyi."

"I know you disapprove, but hey, it could be useful!"

"Why are you so hung up on that particular thing? Did you like reading about how you'd die if you used it that much?"

"That's not it." Jingyi shook his head, "There's a rule about using it. Apparently it doesn't work just when you want it to. Your body and your spirit would fight it unless this condition is met."

Sizhui hated that his interest was piqued. "What condition?"

"The condition is-"

---

Sizhui screamed, pain tearing through him as the corpse's claws dug into his chest, tearing the fine material of his robes and the delicate layer of skin underneath.

Jingyi cut it down before it could do any more damage, and rushed to help Sizhui balance as he burnt the very last talisman he had to keep the monsters at bay.

"Sizhui... come on, we can't go on like this forever."

Sizhui tried to steady himself but the pain and the damage of past injuries caught up to him, collapsing onto the ground even as Jingyi held him. "No- Jingyi, no, I can't-"

Jingyi wiped the blood off his face with a small smile. "I'll do it, it's okay."

Tears filled Sizhui's eyes, his hands coming to grip his friend's wrists. "No, no, please, don't... there has to be another way..."

Jingyi tried to keep the smile on his face and ignore the tears threatening to fall down his own face. "There is no other way. Not this time."

Sizhui pulled his friend into the tightest hug he could muster, shaking with the force of it and his sobs. Or perhaps they weren't only his own. They had imagined their lives so many times, the future twin jades of Lan, honoring their sect and their seniors for decades to come, growing up together, building families and worthy reputations, helping people.

All of those things, they would never come true. There would be no future and nothing to share. No together, nothing at all.

"Let go, A-Yuan. The talisman's going to burn out soon." Jingyi mumbled, trying to hide the shake in his voice as he spoke into his friend's shoulder.

"Just a little longer."

Jingyi swallowed the hard lump in his throat and gently pushed Sizhui away. "It's going to be okay. You don't have to look."

But there was no way Sizhui would be able to close his eyes, there was no way he would convince himself to be blind to his friend's - no, his brother's sacrifice. The least he could do was look, admire his bravery and his power and his love, and catch his body as it would fall, limp and lifeless, to the ground.

Jingyi took in a deep breath, his expression steely, determined. Sizhui could never imagine himself so courageously facing death, and he wants to scream his cowardice and his weakness and his sorry to the man that would give his life just to save Sizhui's.

Slowly, Jingyi began coaxing his qi outside of his body, thin, white streams of energy coiling around one another in front of his chest. His brows furrowed, in pain, but he said nothing, uttered nothing of his discomfort, only the thinnest ribbon of blood falling from his lips. He'd bitten his tongue.

The sphere started taking more shape now, tragically beautiful in its wielder's hands, and it was for a brief second that Jingyi turned his head and opened his eyes to take one last look towards Sizhui, a serene, resigned, painless smile on his face.

...and then, for a few seconds, blinding light swallowed everything, all the beasts, the forest, the array, the moon, the stars and the entire world. For a few seconds, there was nothing, nothing but the gut-wrenching scream Sizhui let out.

---

"The condition is that you can only use this technique if somebody you couldn't live without is in mortal danger."

---

The light died out, and the world returned to its muted, dark colors. There were no more corpses, no more monsters, no more wounds on Sizhui's body.

There was no more Jingyi.

Nothing was left.

Not even ashes, not even a shred of clothing, nothing at all.

---

"This technique... it destroys the spirit... there's nothing left after, no reincarnation, no chance to respond to Inquiry, nothing at all. It's like you never even existed, ever."

"But if you think about it... it's not something you use lightly. The condition says you can only use it for someone you can't live without. If they die, isn't that the same thing as having your soul destroyed?"

---

It started to rain.

Jingyi used to hate the rain.

[meetinginsamarra]

My Fave Sherlock BBC AUs - Magical Realism

Around mid-month I’ll do a fic rec list with my fave AU genres or tropes. Summaries are taken from OP on AO3.

Not always tagged with “Magical Realism”, these fics feature supernatural beings and/or circumstances. No vampires, demons and merfolk here, they already have their own lists. No ghosts as well, they’ll get a rec list of their own later.

“The Horse and his Doctor” by khorazir @khorazir

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3591864

Invalided after a run in with a poacher in Siberia, veterinary surgeon John Watson finds it difficult to acclimatise to the mundanity of London life. Things change when a friend invites him along to a local animal shelter and he meets their latest acquisition, a trouble-making Frisian with the strangest eyes and even stranger quirks John has ever encountered in a horse.

“The Summer Boys” by khorazir

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8460733

About half a year after the fateful events at Appledore, Sherlock and John embark on a private case in Sussex. For Sherlock, it’s a journey into his past, bringing up memories both happy and sad that he has locked away for almost thirty years. For John, it means coming to terms with the present – and a potential future with Sherlock.

“Rise and Fall” by All_I_need @the-reading-lemon​

https://archiveofourown.org/works/5968354

Sherlock Holmes is a Fallen looking for a distraction. John Watson is an invalided soldier looking for a flatshare. When they meet, both get more than they bargained for. But while Sherlock keeps John in the dark, someone else is patiently making sinister plans for the two of them.

“The destruction of ice” by All_I_need

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18898750

The year is 2081 and Sherlock Holmes never expected to encounter a threat to his Silence, the conditioning that keeps him sane and unfeeling. John Watson, on the other hand, never thought he'd find a flat in London. He certainly didn't expect to find one that comes with a Psy flatmate: brilliant, emotionless and more intriguing than John would like. When a series of brutal, random murders shakes London to its core, it is up to them to stop a vicious psychopath - preferably before Sherlock's latest experiment gets them both killed.

“The Wicked Path of Destiny” by hogwartswitch

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3531719

To save the man he loves, Sherlock sacrifices his life to become the God of Death for eternity. He walks the earth in a new, monstrous form, but a part of him has always remained human. John Watson has been touched by tragedy from his first breath. After losing all of his loved ones, he finds himself at the wrong end of a bullet. A prophecy, an act of sacrifice, and an epic quest for redemption link their destinies irrevocably.

“Darkling, I listen” by You_Light_The_Sky @youlighttheskyfanfiction​

https://archiveofourown.org/works/396130

No one who enters old London ever comes out. They say that the beast devours them. When his sister disappears, John ventures into the dead zone beyond the wall, and finds a brilliant madman under a terrible curse...

“Not the hands that kill” by You_Light_The_Sky

https://archiveofourown.org/works/388864

Having wings does not make Sherlock Holmes a guardian angel, not in the way that John Watson is his.

“A study in strays” by philalethia

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1397611

John Watson moves to 221B Baker Street. Unfortunately, the flat's already occupied.

“Left” by lifeonmars​

https://archiveofourown.org/works/639976

John Watson is left-handed. He’s tried not to let it affect his life, but as any Lefty knows, that’s almost impossible.

“How to sell your soul and get it back” by WhatIfIAmInsane @whatifiaminsane​

https://archiveofourown.org/works/9811478

Sadly unfinished but still so good!

Sherlock made a deal with the devil, quite literally. After years of drug abuse and neglect his body wouldn’t let him go on. Obviously, it happened right when he had finally found something to make his life interesting. The logical response was to offer his soul in exchange for a working transport. That had happened when he was 27. Now, at 34, he gets an unexpected visitor. The devil needs a favour and is offering Sherlock’s soul as payment.

“Hell Sent, Heaven Bound” by ConsultingHound

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15915207

Ex-War healer and current angelic guard John Watson is not having the best day. He overslept, he’s underpaid, and now there’s someone tagging the Council’s building walls. However things may be about to get interesting: there’s an unusual stranger hanging around (the definition of tall, dark, and handsome), a literal underground cult is brewing, and rumblings are coming from hell. Can he keep his neighbourhood safe, how and why is he being connected to all this, and who the hell is Sherlock Holmes?

“Chaos Theory” by entanglednow @entanglednow​

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1718366

"You want me to let him go, of course," Mycroft says, before John even opens his mouth to speak.

“Mineralogy in slow motion” by entanglednow

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1248079

All John wants is somewhere to spend the next few months, while he's blind as a bat. Just the next few months. The doctors were optimistic.

“Genius of the bottle” by GoldenUsagi @fancybedelia​

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1718333

The last thing John expected to find in the desert was a bottle containing a genie named Sherlock.

“An impermanent destination” by GoldenUsagi 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2229504

Out of all the species on the planet, dragons were the only ones that had a human level of intelligence. And that’s why they were the most dangerous.

“Anachronisms” by GoldenUsagi 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/1248034

“Do you ever wonder if there’s something wrong with us?” “We’re gods created by an age that had no use for them. I would be surprised if something weren’t. We were never welcomed by the others, nor adored by humanity. We should have withered long ago.”

“Secrets of the mind” by kryptaria  @kryptaria​

https://archiveofourown.org/works/445564

In a world where almost a tenth of the population are born gifted, psychics and nulls live side-by-side, without fear or prejudice. Children are tested in their late teens. Those who are gifted are trained in the safe use of their gifts. After training, they are tattooed with the mark of their gift, proudly displayed for all to see. Throughout history, the most feared serial killers and mass murderers have been multis: psychics born with multiple gifts. To be a multi is to be fated for a lifetime of incarceration for the good of society. There is no way to hide a psychic gift — no way to escape detection.Unless you’re Sherlock Holmes.

“Trenchcoats and Capes” by jomochi (Jominerva)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/6087484

He’s twirling a strand of hair around the finger of his other hand. His coat, which honestly looks more like a cape than anything, is spread out beneath him. His chest rises and falls slowly with calm breaths, the tight black material of his suit stretching to accommodate the movement. John has seen many pictures of him but not one did him any justice. The sight before John is breath-taking. It isn’t right. Evil shouldn’t look this good.

“Curse of the Were-Tuna” by WhoGroovesOn

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4607241

John couldn’t help but feel as though the large tuna beyond the glass was staring at him, which was weird because it’s not like fish had eyelids, they always seemed to be staring at things.

“Stranger at the gate” by bendingsignpost

https://archiveofourown.org/works/334825

As far as initiation rites go, kidnapping a human doctor from a defended town ought to seem extreme. When James Moriarty offers him the challenge, Sherlock never considers saying no. (Fantasy vampire AU)

“Man and Beast” by Jupiter_Ash

https://archiveofourown.org/works/496440

Sherlock is a werewolf who is captured by a facility which wants to experiment on him.  When John is placed into his cage they expect Sherlock to attack him, but instead, he tries to mate with John.

[avelera]

Hi! Sorry for a long ask, but my head has been filled with Hob thoughts lately and I had to vent it somewhere

One of the reasons our fandom treats Hob as "just some guy" is because the rest of the characters in the series include: personifications of fundamental concepts governing a good chunk of the universe making sure the reality as we now it stays intact, the literal Satan, several angels, demons, gods and goddesses from different cultures and religions and many other ridiculously overpowered beings. After all that immortal being who has been alive for six centuries and who has lived through one of the biggest wars in humanities history pales in comparison.

Do you think Hob finds it refreshing to be the "normal one" in a relationship for once? Before Dream whenever he got on with someone he always had to be careful to keep his immortality a secret. He had to remember the details of his fake past, had to make sure he always talked age-appropriate or didnt mention some kind of historic fact no one else could now, keep his Intensity in check, stuff like that. But now he's dating Dream of the Endless and suddenly he's no longer the strangest person in the room. Do you think that after being with Dream for a very long time he forgets to put on his Absolutely-Normal-and-Ordinary Humansona and his mortal friends go "wtf, were you always this fucked up?"

(Absolutely adore your fics btw)

Thank you! And thank you for this ask!

One of my first bits of Hob meta was talking about how Hob is only "Just a Guy" when compared to the Endless. By any other measure, in any other story, he'd be the most powerful individual you'd ever encounter. True immortality that isn't a prison because you can die when you choose? I've said it before, but if Hob ever went full persistence hunter, he'd be one of the most unstoppably powerful forces in the world.

Now, to your question, I think the answer could be complex?

- I think on some level it could be strange in not a good way to be the normal one in the relationship for Hob. I only say this from a pride perspective. I do think that for the most part, Hob's reaction would be positive, but I want to first carve out a nod to how it might also be a bit... humbling or even irritating, for example if Dream or others discounted him as beneath notice because of it. 600 years is still a lot, Hob is by most standards the most supernatural thing anyone would ever meet. I could see him thinking he's chill with being the less interesting one in the relationship but having moments of like, "Whoa, hey, wait a minute, just because I'm only an indestructible human who has lived over 600 years doesn't mean I'm boring for fuck's sake."

- I think it would be a much bigger deal for Hob-with-Dream to not need to lie anymore all of the time. With each lifetime Hob lives, he has to remember to cut away or gloss over or alter more of his life and achievements. It must be second nature but still painful at times to have to switch over from, "I achieved this," to, "My "father" achieved this and I just inherited it."

- Suddenly with Dream, he doesn't have to do that all the time. He can just casually mention things like the late 1300s in the first person, or his marriage to Lady Eleanor, or the fact that Robyn died when he was 20 (most likely as someone who looks mid-30s, Hob can only talk about Robyn or his death by making it sound like he died as a child, given how young Hob looks, especially in modern times, he'd get odd looks appearing 35-ish and saying he had a son die at age 20). Not needing to filter his personal experiences through historical anecdotes he'd "read" or altering the details to fit would be I think, strange, refreshing, perhaps deeply emotional, and very rare for him. Not because he'd never been able to be candid with others (like other immortals, or perhaps people he was close to that he opened up with) but Dream was actually there. He actually walked the streets of Tudor England, he actually knew Hob in 1389. I think it would be an aspect of being with Dream Hob would, y'know, "know" would be an aspect he looked forward to, only to be truly blown away by the reality of being able to openly, without thinking, talk about himself in a way he hasn't been able to do... possibly ever, with anyone.

[isabelopaque]

swear to god this panera worker jut tried to gaslight me. looking at my order literally in my email and she was like well you didnt actually order that. if you give me a dollar ill up the size of your cup I ALREADY PAID YOU? strangest experience of my life why was she playing games with me

[lighterium]

Uhhh. Au. sobbing.

tl;dr: Devil Spamton Angel that just looks like that because of videogame-like corruptions (see this for example)

And of course, LORE DUMP BELOW THE CUT

Devil was one of Spamton’s Angels where he is a manifestation of his good sense in which in this setting, Spamton blames everything but himself for his downfall and misery. Devil happened because he is a corrupted pipis and ended up with weird graphics and color schemes similar to old video game corruptions, which are often compared to being satanic in nature. The devil helps Spamton get through his downfall and back on his feet as at least a pretty well off worker for the new computer/internet era. It is humiliating as it takes a lot of admission of errors and his faults and being held accountable for his actions. But at the same time devil helps Spamton, he manages to gets his own success by helping other cyber city denizens and lightners. The energy and attention he gets makes him grow bigger, to a short addison size, independent and better as he climbs up the success ladder. Spamton has a cushy job, a good potential life ahead of him but not learning his lesson and somehow being shadowed by a mini demon version of himself that never went away because of a strange glitch makes him deeply unsatisfied, angry, bitter, etc and begins to plot against Devil to get rid of him now that he's well off and be on the limelight again. Devil knows of what’s coming, he wasn’t stupid, so he uses his corruption powers to modify his own code  to create an autorun script for when he is inevitably killed by spam and have all his info absorbed by him. At this point he is influential but he isn’t strong like a whole darkner. (The minitons in my hcs, have their data always return to spamton once they are terminated, but spamton is in control and gets it all of their memories and experiences, and has no safety measures because this isn’t supposed to happen) So the script he makes basically formats and expels all of Spamton’s memories and "soul", and the only thing in his system becomes Devil’s code. As a result he basically got the vessel and became a solid darkner individual. He basically vomited spamton dust and put it in a jar as a bragging piece. Devil is all that he talks about, he gets his job done and is confident about it, probably the most stable guy in the room because he literally killed all his insecurities and bad habits/issues in the strangest of senses. He's the opposite of spamton, and killed his worst flaw while also being his own person He’s also a tad narcissistic but in a healthy amount(because people can be full of themselves and still good), He knows his own flaws too and knows that if he fucks up he'll own up to his mistakes hile knowing his own worth. I thought it was interesting to subvert the ‘angel good’ thing and make him straight out a dude who gets things done by being direct and holding people accountable for their mistakes. It may be a punishment to some, but in the end it gives you opportunity to be better and move forward in life and past your fears.

.....his dialogue sounds like the devil from shadow fandub. (not voice completely though)