#it wasn't AFI...or was it...

[goldengodcannibal]

Somebody help me who has covered What Difference Does It Make by The Smiths

[merthurians-prat-and-idiot]

I love that they were wearing christmas-afied versions of their usual on stage outfits- with extra santa for Sam ofc. (And that he only made the front of his hair white bc he was wearing a santa hat but then took it off so soon 🤣)

[trash-bats]

I think I'm finally at the point where I could potentially call this Trash Bat illustration finished, but I'm posting it here to see if any of my fellow AFI fans have any ideas of last-minute additions that could slip into the few blank spaces that remain, as I agonize over the final finicky details.

Included is the list of items I've drawn (I'll likely make a guide numbering each item when it gets officially posted). It's a mix of merchandise, items from music videos, and things related to the band's history. I've attempted to represent as many eras as I could, but being a somewhat younger fan there may be stuff I don't know about that could fit the scene. Let me know if you have any thoughts, either as an AFI fan or from an art standpoint! I know the composition ain't perfect, but I'm sticking with what I've got besides nudging a few items around because oh god I have spent probably like 40 or more hours on this thing haha...

(please wait to reblog until I share the finalized version, ty <3)

[vitospaghetta]

In honor of tomorrow, here are two [of the literal only good quality] pics from the last time I saw Green Day in the pit back in 2010!!!!

That first pic of Billie is still so cute to me lmao. Also Davey Havok of AFI came out to sing "Who Wrote Holden Caufield" which was insane.

GUESS WHO GOT A PIT TICKET TO SEE GREEN DAY IN HERSHEY ON SATURDAY

[anittmyer]

I need Top Gun 3 to really expand on Hangman, like for instance, that his first air-to-air kill wasn't the best moment and its how he lost a wingman, how else do we Maverick-afy Hangman then by having him lose a wingman.

Top Gun 3 needs to be the near break down of Hangman and how he is 90% bravado covering up trauma that eventually boils over.

Mav sees so much of himself in Hangman and will stop at nothing to help him, that and Rooster sees how broken Hangman is and THEN we learn the history between Rooster and Hangman by Hangman having a heart-to-heart with Maverick.

TOM CRUISE IF YOU CAN HEAR ME!!!!

[ohmygodryan]

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 | Creepypasta Reverse Harem x F! Reader (Part 3)

“𝓗𝓮𝔂 𝓜𝓲𝓼𝓼 𝓜𝓾𝓻𝓭𝓮𝓻, 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓘? 𝓜𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓾𝓽𝔂 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝔂 𝓲𝓯 𝓘 𝓽𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮?” -AFI

★ ₊ ˚⟡ Following a series of mistakes on Halloween, a college girl, and her group of friends, are thrown into a sequence of events that will ruin their lives forever.

𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓼 - Eyeless Jack, Tim Wright (MH), Brian Thomas (MH), Jeffery Woods, Toby Rodgers, Helen Otis

I am unsure of the original creator of these images, if known please tell me and I will credit :)

Previously called as Morosis. Please see my blog for more chapters!

3┆Exit Strategy ★ ₊ ˚⟡

"'𝓒𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓘'𝓶 𝓽𝓸𝓸 𝓭𝓪𝓶𝓷 𝓭𝓮𝓼𝓹𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓫𝓵𝓮. 𝓘 𝓱𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓮 𝓬𝓪𝓾𝓼𝓮' 𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝔀𝓮 𝓭𝓸 𝓲𝓼 𝓱𝓲𝓭𝓮 𝓪𝔀𝓪𝔂." -Teenage Disaster 

                 The girl had felt like she'd showered nearly 100 times, yet she couldn't get the scent of death off her skin.

Becca, Jen, and herself had been temporarily moved from their apartment while the biohazard team disposed of Cass's body. Police and the press had swarmed the building for days, making it nearly impossible for the group to go anywhere without supervision. They had been held in custody for a day after the incident was reported.

Becca had barely spoken since the morning Cass was found. She spent most of her time lying in bed sobbing quietly to herself. Jen and the girl had done their best to get through to her, but she didn't utter a word. They all seemed haunted by the unspoken truth, the demon had visited them. They had all seen him that night, yet no explanation arose for what befell Cass.

The girl had tried to take the brunt of the situation upon herself. The police had questioned them thoroughly, although their story had been less than convincing. She tried to piece together a plausible narrative, but how do you explain what had occurred that night?

"You're positive that what you heard in the forest was a person, not an animal?" The same detective who had questioned the girl over and over again sat across from her.

"How many times do I have to say it? Whoever it was followed us home." The girl looked him dead in the eye, crossing her arms.

"Your friends say they saw a man come into their room at exactly 2 am. How would one enter multiple rooms at the same time?" The detective inspected his notes, quirking an eyebrow.

The girl looked down for a moment as she tried to come up with something that wouldn't sound like she was having a mental break.

"It probably wasn't 2 am on the dot, ok? I mean I was suffering from serious sleep loss, we all were. It could have been later." The girl said nonchalantly.

The detective glanced down at his notes, "Your friend Jennifer mentioned you saw someone earlier that night in the student center, is that correct?"

"Yeah, I swore someone was in there with me. It could have been someone playing a prank I don't know, but it could have been the same man that—" She paused, the lie felt despicable on her tongue, "killed Cass."

"Are you positive that there was someone in the room with you? After all, you said yourself you were sleep-deprived." He crossed his arms and leaned back.

She rolled her eyes, "Seriously? There were nail marks on my shoulder, he literally grabbed me!"

"Are these 'marks' still there?" He raised an eyebrow.

The girl looked down and shook her head. When she'd woken up the morning after the incident, it was like he had never sliced her shoulder, her skin was perfectly healed. It was as if the demon was trying to gaslight her.

The detective went silent for a moment before closing his notes and looking at her with a serious expression.

"Miss (L/N), where were you the night of Sunday the 27th?"

The girl looked taken aback, "What? Why do you want to know that?"

"Multiple witnesses testified you were at the house party of Alpha Sigma Chi on Sunday evening, is this true?" He tapped his pen impatiently.

"Yes, I was, our whole group was there. Why do you want to know that?" She shot back.

"Because, Miss Hawthrone, the bodies of Harrison Campell, Elijah Torres, and William Carter were found last night. You were the last person to see them, correct?" His voice was tinged with accusation.

The girl felt her blood run cold. The night of the party was a blur. She could recall them in the back of her mind, and that she had taken an Uber home. She couldn't imagine that those same taunting faces were now lifeless.

"I was. They followed me to where I met my Uber. I went home after that, I have no idea what happened later." She fought to stop her voice from shaking.

"Could you provide proof of that?" The detective leaned forward expectantly.

He wanted proof?

She looked at him incredulously and pulled out her phone, "Fine."

She opened her Uber app, but as she went to her ride history she felt her hands shake. The ride had been canceled. If she didn't ride with that driver, whose car had she gotten into?

The detective leaned over to look at her phone. He made a noise of surprise.

"I swear I took an Uber home, Becca can tell you. Cass brought me in from the car. It was the same truck in the picture, this must be some kind of mistake." She nearly choked on her words.

"Did you happen to see the license plate on the vehicle? Was it the same as the app?" He asked.

She scoffed, "I was drunk, I can barely remember when I got home, let alone the license plate!"

He sighed, "Well Miss (L/N), I suggest you take it up with Uber then."

"I didn't kill Harrison or Cass! I could never do that to someone." She cried, looking at him in desperation.

"I think we're done here." He got to his feet, motioning for her to leave.

The girl huffed in compliance, storming out of the office.

~

The girl was escorted out of the police station and she spent the entire ride home contemplating how royally fucked she was. One of her best friends passed away, now Harrison too, and on top of it all; she was the prime suspect. She didn't know how she was going to convince the police she was innocent and it was not like she could afford a lawyer. Being a broke college student will do that to you.

It was all because of that demon. She would find a way to make him pay.

The girl sulked into her apartment, slamming the door behind her. She threw her keys on the table and shut the blinds in a swift motion. She was sick and tired of the press constantly swarming their building.

She sat down at the table and put her head in her hands. She felt like screaming and crying all at once. Yet, her sobs were not the ones she heard.

She looked up, her eyes trailing to Becca's room. The girl stood up and slowly walked over. The door was cracked, which she took as an invitation. As she stepped inside, she beheld Becca in a crumbled state. Becca sat with her back facing the door, sobbing.

She turned towards the girl, wiping the tears from her eyes, "Sorry, I didn't want you to see me like this."

The girl sighed, she had seen Becca cry many times. She didn't know why it had to be different now.

"No one is blaming you for being upset." She sat beside her friend, "You're just working through your emotions."

Becca sniffled and sat there momentarily, "They called you in for questioning again, right?"

The girl nodded, feeling her stomach twist into knots.

"Yeah. I can tell they didn't believe a word I said." She trailed off, looking away.

"Did something happen?" Becca asked, scooting a little closer to her.

The girl could practically feel herself going pale. She took a deep breath as she found the words.

"They found Harrison, Elijah, and William dead. Their estimated time of death was the night of the party. They... They think it was me who did it. They didn't explicitly say it but I was the last person to see them." Her mouth felt dry.

Becca looked at her in shock. She paused and clenched her palms into a fist.

"You took an Uber home! You have an alibi, they can't do this to you!" She protested, her eyes welling up with tears.

The girl gave her a solemn look, "I know, but I'm their only lead. Then there's Cass..."

Becca let out a sob, "It should be me! It's my fault. It was all me."

The girl froze, her lips parting in shock.

"What?"

"When the demon came to us that night, he gave us all a choice, right? I know you and Jen said he took something from you but I lied... I didn't agree to his deal. He said if I refused, he would punish me for summoning him. I thought he would just kill me or at least hurt me but he did something worse, much worse." Becca was in hysterics, " He took away the one I love most, he took away Cass. She would still be alive if it wasn't for me."

The girl felt her heart squeeze in her chest. What if she had refused the demon? Would any of her friends still be alive right now, would she be?

"Becca, don't say that! It wasn't your fault. You didn't kill her, you couldn't have known!" She placed her hand on Becca's shoulder.

"But it is! I was the one who wanted to summon a demon, I was the one who made you guys do the ritual. Ruining my life is one thing but ruining all of your lives is another. It's unforgivable." She put her head into her hands with another sob.

The girl was quiet for a moment, stroking her back comfortingly.

"You didn't know. It's not your fault." She reiterated softly.

"I'm going to turn myself in." Becca whispered, "I'm going to tell the cops it was me."

"What??" The girl blurted out, "Becca you can't! Are you crazy?"

"I need to take responsibility for my actions. I don't care if I didn't kill her, I need to do this." Becca looked at her bitterly.

The girl jumped to her feet, shaking her friend's shoulders.

"Are you even listening to yourself? You can't do this, you're innocent! I won't let you take the blame for this." She practically yelled in her face.

Suddenly, another voice chimed in behind them.

"What's going on here?" Jen stood in the doorway, her backpack still in hand.

The girl turned around and pointed at Becca accusingly.

"Becca says she's going to turn herself in. She thinks all of this is her fault, we can't let her do this!" The girl protested.

"Seriously? Why?" Jen hurried in, kneeling next to Becca in concern.

The girl explained everything to Jen. Her expression dropped as she shared the news. Jen did her best to console Becca, but she held firm. The girl played with her necklace as she watched them. There had to be something they could do, anything to stop Becca from being locked away.

"What if.." The girl started, her heart racing, "We ran away?"

"What? This isn't a coming-of-age movie!" Becca widened her eyes.

"I'm serious! The police are never going to believe us if we tell them the truth. Plus, we have no idea if the demon is going to come back. I think our best choice is to just leave." The girl explained.

"No, we can't. Our lives are bad enough, running away would make everything worse." Becca slumped down further into her bed.

"I think she's right Bec. We won't let you go down alone, so we might as well take the risk. I mean the worst that can happen is that we all go to jail. At least you won't be by yourself." Jen cut in, giving them a small smile.

The girl scooted closer to her friends with a determined gaze.

"We can leave tonight. The longer we stay, the more time the police will have to pin the case on us. Please, Becca, let us do this for you. We got into this mess together, and we will get out together." The girl brushed Becca's hair from her eyes.

Becca gave her a desperate look and squeezed her into a hug.

"You're so stupid." She sobbed.

"I've been told." The girl laughed.

"Fine. Let's do this."

~

It was in the early hours of the morning when the group was ready to leave. They made their way out of the apartment, sneaking out to Jen's car. They would figure out where they were going later, taking off onto the main highway without a second thought.

The girl spent most of her time staring out into the abyss. Her stomach was twisted with anxiety. There were things she would miss, like the normalcy of coming back from class and spending time with her friends. However, normal was no longer an option. She knew she would have to tell her aunt at some point. Her aunt was the only family she had left. Her mother spent most of her time in and out of rehab and her father wasn't in the picture. Her aunt had taken her in and had cared for her without a second thought. She was always given her independence but she wasn't sure how to tell her something like this.

She would eventually, but for now, she needed to figure out where life would take her next. Or, more importantly, why that same white Tacoma had been following them for hours now.

"Uhh Jen? That truck is still following us." She gestured out the window.

It was now the early afternoon and the vehicle had been trailing behind them since the morning.

"Seriously? I have taken like 8 random turns, what is this guy's problem?" She protested, looking out the rearview mirror in concern.

"It's a highway. Maybe we're just going the same way." Becca grumbled.

"Turn without your blinker or something." The girl suggested, "Look there's a dirt road up there."

Jen huffed, mumbling something about how they were going to bust a tire. She took the turn quickly, speeding off down the random road. However, the truck persisted, catching up with them soon after.

"What the fuck?" The girl gasped.

The truck approached them, flashing his brights into the back seat. The girl cursed and looked to the front.

"Dude get him off us!"

Jen groaned, "I'm fucking trying, ok? It's probably some dick reporter, shit how are we already getting caught?"

"I told you this would end badly," Becca added.

Jen rolled her eyes and continued down the road. Soon, she merged back onto the state highway, the white truck hot on their tail. She sped up as fast as she could until they got stuck behind a slow-moving Honda.

"It's always the mom cars, shit... Hang on, I have an idea." Jen grumbled.

She swerved around the Honda, driving straight down the other side of the street. She kept on until another car appeared in the distance, ready to hit them dead on. Just as they were about to collide, Jen merged back into the right lane, trapping the white truck behind the row of cars.

"Hah! Fuck yeah, now that is some getaway driving!" The girl cheered.

Becca let out a long breath, "You are going to kill us all one day."

~

They continued down the highway for miles without a sign of the truck. However, as if the universe itself was trying to spite them, the car's engine began to sputter. The vehicle slowed and Jen pulled off, cursing under her breath.

"What's going on?" The girl asked, shaking herself from slumber

"We're out of gas because someone didn't bother to check before we took off," Becca commented, glaring at Jen.

"Well sorry, I was focusing on getting the fuck out of dodge. That sicko in the truck didn't help either." She replied, unbuckling herself with a spiteful expression.

The group argued for a while, yet the petty comments didn't change much. In the end, they were still left with an empty tank.

Jen hauled the spare gas can from her trunk and the girl pulled up the map app on her phone to find a nearby station.

"A 6-mile walk, that's not terrible" The girl offered a half smile.

Jen sighed, "Fantastic."

"Yeah, maybe that nice guy in the truck will come by and give us a ride." Becca chimed in.

They began the trek down the side road unceremoniously. Hardly any words were exchanged between them. Eventually, they arrived at the gas station.

It was a rundown place with one of the letters missing from the sign. Only one car was parked outside and the sun was beginning to set, basking the scene in an eerie glow.

"Perfect." Jen declared, "I'm gonna go pay for gas. You two wait outside."

She marched off without another word, clearly annoyed by the pair. Becca and the girl exchanged glances.

"I have to pee." Becca declared, trudging after Jen.

The girl sat outside with a dumbfounded look. They had ditched her in the parking lot of this sketchy gas station. As she looked around the desolate area, she felt the pit in her stomach deepen. How had things ended up like this? One moment she was fully enrolled in college and the next she was throwing it away, all because a random demon decided he was hungry. She pressed her hands to her throbbing head. She needed a drink, or really anything to take away the anxiety that shot through her veins.

She paused for a moment, wondering if gas station booze where worth it. Better yet if she was willing to buy a pack of cigarettes for the occasion. Neither option sounded good. As she was about to resign herself to desperation, she spotted a man leaning against the wall of the building. He was around the side, occasionally bringing a pen to his lips. The girl's eyes practically lit up.

He had weed.

She hurried over to him, doing her best to not look as insane as she felt. The man was far taller than her with scruffy blonde hair and a fair amount of peach fuzz above his lip. He wore a brown jacket that lightly obscured a yellow hoodie beneath it. He turned to look at her, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

"Can I help you or...?" He began, puffing smoke from his lips.

She couldn't help but notice the small gap between his front teeth, it only added to his appeal. She was already putting aside her feminism for weed, it may as well be from a hot guy.

"Hey, this is really awkward but I'm desperate. Could I maybe get a hit off that?" She gestured to his pen.

He paused for a moment before cracking a smile. He laughed softly, looking down as he did.

"Seriously? You're going to a random dude outside a gas station for weed? I wouldn't call that a smart idea." His voice was tinged with a slight southern accent.

She couldn't help but laugh, aware of how fucked up she sounded.

"Yeah, I know. I don't usually do this but it's been a rough day. I'm kinda out of options." She shrugged.

He hummed in response, "I saw your group walk over, did your car break down?"

She sighed in defeat, "Yeah, that's embarrassing. We ran out of gas."

He chuckled a bit, raising his eyebrows, "You' road-tripping or something?"

She smiled awkwardly, "Or something."

He observed her for a moment before laughing again.

"You know what, go ahead. You need it more than I do." He handed her the pen.

She grabbed it, giving him a grateful look. She took a long drag from it, soon letting a plume of smoke fly from her lips.

"Thanks." She said, finally.

"No problem, but you should be more careful. There's a fentanyl crisis, you know." He replied playfully.

She turned to face him again, smiling softly.

"I'm glad you said that after I took a hit. Don't worry, I usually only ask sketchy strangers behind gas stations for drugs anyway." She glanced at him with a small grin.

He smirked in response, "Am I really that sketchy?"

She shrugged, "Only a little bit. What are you doing back here anyway?"

He paused for a moment, debating his answer.

"I'm waiting for a friend. We're taking a little break from the road." Although his smile was relaxed, his voice held a guarded tone.

She took note of this, leaning back against the wall with him.

"Are you guys also 'road-tripping,' as you put it?" She asked.

"You could say that." He looked off into the woods with a sigh.

She handed him back his pen, smiling softly in an attempt to relax him. He grinned, taking another drag without a second thought.

"So now that we've smoked together, I think I should know your name." She looked at him expectantly.

He smiled, running a hand through his hair.

"This is gonna sound weird but I don't usually give out my name. I'm uh, trying to keep it on the down low right now, if you know what I mean." He laughed, a hint of seriousness behind his voice.

The girl threw up her hands in defense, "Hey, no pressure. I'm not exactly looking for attention right now either, so don't worry. I wouldn't tell anyone."

He chuckled, eyeing her curiously.

"You' also on the run from the police?" He teased.

She faltered, the comment taking her off guard. She paused for a moment too long, trying to gain her composure. She watched his expression fall slightly.

"Well—" Her excuse was thankfully interrupted by the concerned voice of Jen.

"(Y/N)!" She jogged over with a concerned look on her face, "Have you seen Becca?"

The girl paused, "No, she went inside to use the bathroom I thought?"

Jen groaned, "She was supposed to be with you!"

"I don't know, I've been out here the whole time. She just went to the bathroom. How lost could she be?" The girl shrugged.

"Well I checked the bathroom and she wasn't there—" Jen froze mid-sentence, eyeing the mysterious blonde next to her.

"(Y/N), who is this?"

The man laughed, awkwardly tousling his hair again.

"Oh, it's all good. We were just making small talk." He smiled innocently.

Jen didn't look convinced.

"Jen relax, he was just letting me borrow his pen." The girl explained, although it only seemed to infuriate her more.

"Are you kidding me? You're getting drugs from strangers with everything that's going on?" Jen threw her arms up in frustration.

"No no, I swear he's chill. You're chill, right?" The girl gestured to the man.

"I'm chill." He gave Jen a little salute.

Jen shook her head, "Unbelievable! Do you k—"

She was cut off by the sound of a familiar scream coming from inside the forest.

"Holy shit that sounds like..." The girl began.

"Becca." They said in unison.

"Wait, your friend ran off into the woods? Why?" The man raised an eyebrow, looking between them and the trees.

The girl shook her head, "She tends to wander off, I don't know, ok?"

"Shit, we need to go get her." Jen cursed, storming off towards the woods.

The girl looked apologetically at the man, "Sorry, thanks for the weed but I need to go rescue my friend."

He didn't respond, only staring off into the woods with a faraway look. The girl turned to follow Jen but was swiftly stopped by his hand.

"You can't go out there, it's dangerous." He looked at her with a serious expression.

She furrowed her eyebrows, "Well yeah, but my friend could be in trouble."

He hesitated as if looking for the right words, "You don't understand. You just don't know what's out there."

She gave him a confused look and he sighed.

"I'll come with you guys." He declared.

"No." Jen called after, "Hell no! I'm not letting his ass lure us in there."

The girl glanced between them and let out a huff.

"I trust him, ok? We need all the help we can get." The girl gave her a desperate look.

"You just met this guy, (Y/N)!" She gave the man a scrutinizing look.

"Listen, I'll help you find your friend and then we can part ways like this never happened, ok? It's getting dark and I don't exactly feel comfortable letting you two go out there by yourself." The man put up his hands in defense.

Jen glanced back at the forest and sighed in defeat. She waved them along and took off into the trees with the pair quickly following her.

~

The group soon became lost among the trees, Jen and the girl occasionally called out Becca's name. The girl's head began to spin the longer she gazed at the trees. As she tried to take in heavy breaths, the air around her turned static. She reached out to a nearby trunk for support, but as she caught her breath, she realized Jen and the man were nowhere to be found.

"Jen...?" She called out, looking around.

The branches began to blur together as if they were an old film reel. She heard a noise come from behind a cluster of trees and headed towards it. As she approached the noise, the static became increasingly worse. Swiftly, a hand clamped across her mouth and she was dragged behind a nearby tree.

The girl struggled to get a look at her captor, looking up and letting out a noise of surprise.

"Becca??" The girl pried her hand off her mouth, "What are you doing here?"

Becca gave her a dangerous look, "I covered your mouth for a reason dumbass. Shhhhhh."

The girl went to respond but thought better of it. Becca nodded her head in the direction the girl had just come from. As she turned to look, her breath hitched.

The tree was moving towards them.

What had once looked like gnarled trunks were impossibly long legs and what had been branches was a spindly arm reaching out towards them. As she followed the limbs up to the face, she was shocked to behold there was nothing to look back at. A smooth surface stared back at her, somehow looking through her without eyes.

She tried to call out to Becca to run but her voice was filled with static. It buzzed in her ears and through her mouth, making it impossible to think straight. Before the creature could lay a hand upon them, however, a deafening crack broke through the screeching.

The static receded as the creature winced back from the noise. The man from the gas station stood a few paces away from them with a gun aimed at where the creature had been. Jen was right behind him, looking just as horrified as the pair was. Without missing a beat the man bolted right for the girl. He looped his arm around hers and pulled her and Becca along.

"Move!" He yelled, breaking their daze.

"What the fuck was that?" The girl struggled to keep pace with him.

"No time to explain, we need to get out of here." He responded curtly, pushing the girl along.

Jen followed behind them practically seething in anger, "Becca why the hell did you even home out here?"

"I heard a sound in the woods, ok? It sounded like one of you guys screaming, I had to check it out." Becca wheezed.

The girl glanced back at her as they ran, "Are you serious? Why would you investigate?"

The man groaned, "You can argue later, we need to focus on getting out of the forest."

As if on cue, the buzzing static returned to their ears. The group pushed through the trees, finally catching sight of the gas station's light through the darkness. The girl was the first to burst through, yet she had no time to catch her breath, as she was met with a gun pointed straight at her head.

"Don't fucking move!" The perpetrator called out.

Another man similar in age to the one before looked back at her. He had messy black hair with thick sideburns and his eyes greeted her coldly.

The girl froze and put her hands up, "Chill, chill! I'm not doing anything."

His eyes surveyed her distrustfully, "Step into the light, let me see your eyes."

She did as she was told, maneuvering under one of the parking lot lamps. The man squinted at her but before he could even say another word, the rest of the group dashed out of the trees.

"Tim, put it down man, she's good!" The man in the yellow hoodie called out, standing between them.

Jen and Becca stopped behind them, exchanging glances.

"She was in the woods, I'm not convinced." The man with the gun, who was apparently Tim, retorted.

"I had to pull them out of there myself, ok? They're fine, but we need to get the fuck out of here because it's not far behind." The one in the yellow hoodie pointed back at the forest.

"Um, can someone please explain what's going on?" The girl spoke up, looking between the two men.

Tim ignored her, "They are not coming with us."

Jen scoffed, "Yeah aren't going anywhere with the psycho with a gun."

"You don't have a choice, last time I checked, you all don't have a car." The man looked sternly at Jen.

As she went to respond, the static worsened and a figure began to move amongst the trees.

The man looked back at Tim, "We need to leave."

"I already said no." Tim glared at the three girls, "I suggest you start running."

"We can just let them die! Come on man, stop being a dick you know I'm right!" The man gave his friend a serious look.

The girl inched closer to Tim, looking at him with pleading eyes, "Please. First chance we get you can drop us."

Tim met her gaze and paused for a moment.

"Fine. But if you aren't in by the time I start the car I'm not waiting for you." He gave a frustrated sigh.

There was no time for a 'thank you' as the creature emerged from the woods. The area once again filled with static and they all took off running towards the single car in the lot. The man in the yellow hoodie opened one of the decrepit doors for them and ushered them inside. He hurried around to the passenger just as Tim started the engine.

Yet as they sped away, the creature showed no signs of stopping its pursuit. It was as if it had been toying with them, as it was keeping pace with the car now.

"God damn it, Brian, do something!" Tim yelled from behind the wheel.

The man in the yellow hoodie, 'Brian,' quickly nodded and took the gun from his pocket. He rolled down the window and began to fire shots at it. Every single shot flew fruitlessly into the distance and the creature only seemed to get closer.

"Brian!" Tim emphasized.

"I'm trying!"

The girl let out an exasperated sigh. Without warning, she leaned into the front seat and nabbed the gun from Brian.

"Oh for fucks sake, let me do it!" She spat.

"(Y/N), what are you doing? Put that down!" Becca gasped, reaching a hand out.

"Holy shit, get that away from her!" Tim said in turn.

However, they were both too late as the girl was already pointing the weapon out the window. She took a deep breath. She had done this before when her aunt had taught her how to shoot, all she needed to do now was focus.

With a final breath, she took her shot.

A subsequent screech was heard and after a few moments, the static dissipated.

Only silence proceeded, they all looked at her like she was crazy.

"Who the fuck are you?" Tim said finally.

The girl let out a sigh, this was going to be a lot to explain.

~

Songs referenced: Exit Strategy by Teenage Disaster

Next Part

[candyswirls]

I am here to request the Great and Valiant Garm guarding Varska while he recovers plz

Varska belongs to @jaghatai-khock

Lumi and Finnyr belong to @platinummice

Afi is old Norse for Grandpa

Getting Varska to the apothecarium was a near impossible task. Especially with Garm. The Wolf priest who had sedated Varska was incredibly thankful he'd been wearing his armor. Many toddler sized bite marks were scratched into the ceramite.

Leman was able to calm his youngest enough for Finnyr to grab her, and others brought Varska to the apothecarium. The ankle-biter wasn't held back for long, though.

Garm ended up lying prone across Varska's chest, snarling at anyone who approached.

One of their guards was trying to tempt them away with their wolf plush.

"Come on," he urged. "Come get it, come get... um, Pico?"

Garm growled.

Another guard scolded, "It's Snori! You weren't even close!"

Lumi offered an entire handful of cookies, "Come on, pup. Just let me get close."

They snapped at him, not even acknowledging the snacks.

Garm had placed up a psykic barrier around Varska and herself. He told others they were a prodigy, but sometimes he wondered how she knew such specific things.

They were a determined toddler, determined to prevent nasty wolf priests from getting near big brother with sharp tools and needles.

Rune Priests finally arrived. Garm snarled and barred her teeth as they began dispelling the barrier.

As soon as it broke, Leman snatched the toddler. Garm shrieked in defiance and began biting his hands. They flailed and tried hitting, using every known tantrum tactic they had.

She got out of his grip and bolted towards Varska. She bit Lumi's hands. He still persisted, determined to help the elder Russ child.

Finnyr grabbed Garm and rushed to the door. They kicked while screaming and let out a mass psykic demand.

Get away from my brother and get OFF OF MY SHIP!!

Finnyr lost his grip on them. She dropped and ran back to shove away marines.

Leman grabbed her again and held her up to his face.

"Puppy, you have to let them help him! He needs it!"

Garm started crying and writhing again.

Logan Grimnar had arrived just in time. Upon seeing the angry toddler. He reached out his arms. Leman handed Garm to him. She buried her head into his beard and cried.

The old wolf stroked their head, "There, there. It's all right. Afi is here."

He gave them enough time to work on Varska as he took her out into the hall.

Garm was now back in the apothecarium, marching around Varska's bed. The elder Russ child was still unconscious, and the monitors dictated that he was stable. But Garm wouldn't let anyone near. They'd somehow gotten a combat knife. It was like a sword for how small they were.

Finnyr entered, and Garm jumped into a stance, ready to defend Big Brother.

She perked up as she saw he what he carried.

"Even those on duty need to eat," he told them.

Garm set down the knife and reached out for the plate. She began scarfing down the sandwich upon it as Finnyr smoothed back their hair.

Thank you, Papa.

"Remember to drink," he told her as he handed her sippie cup. "I'll be back."

A few moments later, he was back with a bundle of blankets and pillows. Garm cocked her head.

"You'll need a fortress," he told her.

He set up a blanket fort next to the bed where Garm could easily see out. He stacked the pillows and moved back.

Garm climbed in, inspecting it. Finnyr held out their wolf plush, Snori.

She grabbed it, flopped back onto the pillows, and began sucking their thumb. Finnyr rubbed their back.

"You really are upset," he commented.

Garm sighed and eyed Vars'. Finnyr pulled a spare wolf pelt and wrapped it around her. She climbed into his arms, nuzzling closer.

"He'll get better," He assured.

Garm suddenly bolted from his arms and grabbed the knife. She growled, pointing it at Lumi, who was trying to sneak up to Varska.

"Come on, pup," the wolf priest sighed. "I just need to change his bandages."

Garm glared.

He held up the guaze, "See? No tools. Just bandages."

She wouldn't budge.

A hand brushed her back, and she whipped around to bite it.

They let out a happy squeal upon seeing it was Varska. She shoved their face into his palm and rubbed it. The knife clattered to the ground.

Lumi snuck over to Vars' other side. Before he could lay a hand on him, Garm lunged from their side, snarling at the wolf priest. She laid across Varska's chest, blocking Lumi.

Her brother weakly reached up to stroke her head.

"Finnyr, I need your assistance," Lumi mumbled.

"On it. Puppy, let's have Vars choose if he wants Lumi's help."

Garm pressed her head onto Varska, refusing to let up.

"This will be difficult," the Wolf Priest muttered.

[allthingsfangirl101]

Den Mother McGee – Timothy McGee

Masterlist

McGee's POV

The last thing I expected when I brought my Scouts to NCIS was finding out that one of them was a missing kid. I tried calling Y/B/N's older sister, but her phone went to voicemail. I left her a message explaining that I needed her to come talk to me. I sent the rest of the kids home and kept Y/B/N with us.

"Tim," he said softly. "Am I in trouble?"

"Of course not, bud."

"But AFIS says I'm a missing kid."

"I know," I sighed. "I called your sister. When she gets here, we will figure it out. But I promise, you're not in trouble."

I watched as he figured it out. "Am I going to be taken away from Y/N?"

"Taken away?" I repeated.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "If I'm really a missing kid, aren't they going to take me away from her?"

"Hey," I whispered, "I will do everything I can to make sure they don't take you away from Y/N. I promise."

Y/B/N's parents were killed in a car accident three years ago. Since then, his sister Y/N has raised him. According to Y/B/N, his sister had a big book publishing job in New York when their parents died. She walked away from it all so she could raise Y/B/N. Now she owns and runs a small bookstore downtown.

After getting Y/B/N a snack, I went to my desk to look into the missing child case on him. I looked up when the elevator dinged. As soon as the doors opened, Y/N came running out.

"Tim!"

"Y/N," I started.

"Where's Y/B/N? Is he okay? He must be terrified. What's going on, Tim? Where's my brother?"

"He's fine," I tried to soothe her when she took a breath.

"But you called me and said you needed to keep him here," she said. "Why would you have to keep him here, at NCIS? Did something happen? Did he do something wrong? Tim, please tell me what's. . ."

"Y/N," I stopped her as I gently grabbed her shoulders. "Y/B/N is fine. He's with my friend, Abby. The reason I called is because something came up."

"What are you talking about?"

"And who is this?" Tony smirked as he walked over. For some reason, I felt weirdly protective of Y/N when Tony looked at her.

"Y/N, this is Agent DiNozzo," I said, trying to ignore that weird feeling. "Tony, this is Y/B/N's older sister, Y/N."

"It is so nice to meet you," he attempted to flirt. Y/N scanned him before immediately turning back to me. She grabbed my hand and pulled me away from Tony.

"What's going on, Tim?" She asked. "Where's my brother?"

"He's talking to Abby and my boss, Gibbs," I explained.

"He's okay?" She double-checked.

"He is," I reassured.

"Then what's going on?"

"Let's talk," I sighed. I led her to the conference room, not entirely sure how to approach this topic. "Y/N, your brother's fingerprints connected us to a missing child case," I explained. "Any knowledge of this?"

She instantly shifted in her seat. "It's a little more complicated than that," she said softly.

"What do you mean?" I gently pushed.

"Y/B/N isn't my biological brother," she confessed. "He's technically my cousin. His parents weren't capable of taking care of him. His mother slept her way through Virginia and his father was too focused on his drug business. With his father constantly out of town and his mother wanting to keep herself busy, she dropped him off at our house all the time. He was a baby and she'd basically leave him on the doorstep, Tim. She wasn't fit to be a mother. But my parents? We were a better family for him. We raised him. We took care of him. We protected him. We loved him."

I reached over and grabbed her hand when her voice broke. "From what I've seen, you and your parents have taken wonderful care of him. He loves you. His biggest concern all day was that he'd be taken away from you."

Y/N let out a shaky breath as she intertwined our fingers and continued. "He was with us on and off for two years since he was three months old. When he was two, his mom left him with us for six months. After a long conversation, his parents agreed to let us raise him. They got a legal document stating that my parents were Y/B/N's guardians. They went as far as adopting him. My parents even added me as a guardian in case something happened to them. . ."

Y/N's voice dropped again. I was about to tell her she didn't have to keep talking but she continued anyway, "I don't know why his biological parents filed a missing child report. We had an agreement."

"Any chance you still have a copy of that agreement? Or the adoption papers?"

"I do!" Y/N perked up. "I have a copy of both at home. Would that clear all of this up?"

"Yes," I smiled. "It would. If we can prove that they filed the report after they signed the agreement and the papers with your parents, the report will become void. We could even arrest them for filing a fake police report."

"But why?" Y/N asked, her voice soft. "Why would they do this? They have known Y/B/N's entire life that they gave us custody. When did they file it?"

"About four years ago," I told her.

"Four? Why four? How would they benefit from filing this?"

"My guess," I sighed, "his parents wanted him back."

"And by claiming he's been missing his entire life, the courts would just give him back?" Y/N scoffed.

"Not with the signed document you and your parents have," I instantly said. "Odds are, they knew they didn't have any legal precedent to take Y/B/N back. And they couldn't hire lawyers so. . ."

"They tried to turn my parents into kidnappers."

"But it won't work," I said, the look on her face worrying me. "The document that your parents got signed stops Y/B/N's biological parents in their tracks. They can't fight it."

Y/N nodded as she stood up, instantly wiping her hands on her pants. She was about to leave the room but froze with her hand on the door handle.

"I can't lose my baby brother, Tim," she said, her voice breaking.

"You won't," I said softly as I walked up behind her. "You show me the document giving you and your parents full custody and this all goes away."

"And Y/B/N comes home with me?" She asked as she turned toward me. It was then that I saw the tears in her eyes.

"He goes home with you and stays with you."

My heart jumped into my throat when Y/N wrapped her arms around me.

"Thank you," she whispered. She pulled out of the hug and I instantly saw the blush on her face. "I just mean. . . Thank you for taking care of my brother. You should know, he really looks up to you."

"He does?"

"Of course," she shrugged. "Whenever he gets home from Scouts, he's always buzzing about what you taught them. And he has the biggest smile on his face. He adores you, Tim."

"He's a great kid," I chuckled. I smiled softly as I added, "You've done a great job of raising him."

Y/N paused, her smile slightly falling. "Can I see him before I go get the document?"

"Of course," I said. I grabbed my phone and called Abby. "Hey, Abs. Can you bring Y/B/N up to the squad room? His sister wants to see him."

"Thank you," Y/N mouthed. I hung up the phone and put my hand on her back. I led her out of the conference room without a word. When we got to the squad room, Y/B/N was already there.

"Y/N!"

I smiled as Y/B/N ran toward her and jumped into her arms. Y/N instantly grabbed onto him tightly.

"Are you okay?" She asked him gently. She let him go, knelt down, and looked him over.

"I'm fine," he laughed. He lowered his voice when he added, "Y/N? What's going on?"

Y/N looked over her shoulder at me and sighed. "It's complicated, honey."

"Am I a missing kid?"

"No," Y/N said instantly. "You're not, bud, but it is a little complicated. I promise to explain it to you. I just need to go home real fast and get something for Tim. Are you okay to stay here with Tim's friends?"

"Of course," he said, his voice soft. She leaned down and kissed his forehead before following me to the elevator.

"You okay?" I asked her when the doors closed.

"How am I going to explain this to him?" She asked, her voice barely audible.

"Just tell him the truth," I said honestly.

"But what if he. . . What if he hates me?"

I reached over and flipped off the elevator. I gently grabbed her arms and turned her toward me.

"Y/B/N is not going to hate you," I tried to reassure her. "It doesn't change much, Y/N. You are still his sister."

"No, I'm not," she whispered. "I'm his cousin."

"You're his adoptive sister. It still counts," I said firmer this time. "You've been his sister his whole life. You've raised him. You've taken care of him. You've protected him. You've loved him. That's all that matters."

"So he won't hate me?"

"I don't think Y/B/N could ever hate you," I said as I let out a small chuckle. "Besides, don't you think it's time he knew the truth?"

"I know," she stuttered. "I'm just. . . scared."

I thought about it before offering, "If you think it'll help, I could be in the room when you tell him."

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

"Of course," I shrugged. "I wouldn't say anything but I'd just be. . ."

"Moral support?" She teased. I let out a sigh of relief when Y/N smiled.

"Exactly," I laughed.

I flipped the elevator back on and we rode the elevator in silence. I drove Y/N to her house and brought her back to NCIS once she found the documents.

"Hi, Y/N!" Y/B/N yelled as soon as we walked back into the squad room. "Hi, Tim! You guys are back! I have an idea! Let's go get pizza! Maybe we could bring it back here and watch a movie on that HUGE screen."

"What is wrong with you?" Y/N laughed as Y/B/N bounced up and down on his toes. "Did someone give you sugar?"

"Nope!" He yelled. "Something called cafrine."

"You mean caffeine?" Y/N asked as she gave me a look.

"Sorry," I sighed. "Abby must have given him a Caf-Pow."

"This is gonna be a long day," Y/N laughed. She lowered her voice and said, "Maybe I should wait to have that talk with him."

"That's probably a good idea," I whispered back.

"What are you two whispering about?!" Y/B/N yelled. "Is Tim finally asking you out?"

"Wait, what?" Y/N stuttered. She looked at me like she was studying me. "What does he mean finally?"

"I'm not sure," I lied.

"You know what I mean," Y/B/N laughed. "I see the way you look at her whenever she drops me off or picks me up. It's the same way she looks at you."

"It is?" I asked him but kept eye contact with Y/N.

"I think so," Y/N said under her breath. "But it kind of depends on if you look at me that way."

Y/N and I had kind of an awkward staring contest before Y/B/N came running over and nearly tackled me to the ground.

"Careful!" Y/N gasped. "I should get him home before he crashes."

"I can walk you two out," I chuckled. "I'll help carry him if we don't get him to your car in time."

"I appreciate that," Y/N smiled.

We got into the elevator and Y/B/N instantly leaned against Y/N. She and I shared a look. "That didn't last long," I whispered.

"Turns out I'm going to need your help carrying him to the car after all," she chuckled. She looked at me and her smile softened. "You still up for being my moral support?"

"Absolutely," I said instantly. I had a random burst of courage as I said, "About what Y/B/N said on his Caf-Pow burst about me finally asking you out, I guess I should get it out. Would you like to grab dinner sometime?"

"I'd love to," she smiled. She looked down and laughed at her brother who was barely awake against her side. "Maybe after we get Y/B/N to rehab for his caffeine addiction."

[princessofwallachia]

Analysis: Who are the Mikaela subjects? Are Ferid and Crowley brothers?

Are Ferid and Crowley brothers?

This matter has been discussed before on tumblr, but I'm gonna speak about it again. If you already know what I'm talking about, you can skip and get to the next part where I explain the Mikaela subjects.

We know of Ferid's older brother in his flashbacks when he was a human. Well, what if I tell you that his brother was actually Crowley before he got reincarnated?

Ferid's plan has remained for centuries, even until now, to stop the reincarnation cycle. When he killed his brother, he headed towards Romania, where in another flashback Rigr is shown to be in Romania. I suppose Ferid met Rigr on his way towards the east.

In the light novel, ferid refers to crowley as a brother (or even in the manga, I'm not sure but he definitely called him that) and he even said that he has been waiting to see what his brother looks like TO CROWLEY. Ferid mentions that he has waited 150 years for Crowley. Ferid mentioned that this plan which is ongoing currently in the manga has been planned for a millennium, from when he turned Crowley. Why do you think he turned Crowley into a vampire and especially targeted him before he was even born, and why do you think he turned him from Rigr's blood?

If you logically think about it, even the way Crowley lived his life in the LN was another answer to him being his brother in his past life. Since the manga has now taken a turn and has made us focused on reincarnation with Ferid's flashback, let's think what kind of life his brother would have gotten.

Because of his pride and ignorance of people who served him while he was wealthy and lucky enough to get the throne, he would have gotten unlucky in his next life and not very wealthy. Crowley mentions that his family wasn't that poor, yet since he was one of the youngest siblings, he didn't get to inherit anything from his parents and had to work for his money more.

The Mikaela subjects

Kagami said that each name meaning of the characters in OnS have a meaning. I don't think people realized that he LITERALLY meant that and it's not a simple word answer that google gives you. I've looked deeper into Rigr's name meaning and the discovery I made kinda blew up my mind. (I already knew two mikaela subjects + mika himself but I didn't expect Kagami to get so inspired by their names.) 🤨🤨 My friend will also make a post about Lest's actual name meaning and a general analysis of him (I hope so @l1va22 🙄😡) so check it out (if she posts it 😒)

When you search "Rigr name meaning" you get that the meaning is simply "King", but if you open the page below, from the source which gives us this information, it leads you to a page about Rígsþula, a norse mythology myth.

«In Rígsþula, Rig wanders through the world and fathers the progenitors of the three classes of human beings as conceived by the poet.»

Hmm, sounds a little familiar, doesn't it?

«Rígr was walking along the shore and came to a farm-hut owned by Ái (great-grandfather) and Edda (great-grandmother). They offered him shelter and poor, rough food for a meal. That night Rígr slept between the pair in their bed and then departed. Nine months later, Edda gave birth to a son who was svartr (swarthy, dark). They named him Þræll (thrall, serf, or slave). Þræll grew up strong but ugly.»

This made me think of Guren, (because of his constant appearance within Guren's presenve in the LN. Rigr is a perfectionist and doesn't waste his time on matters which don't make him gain something.) implying that Rigr also implanted his adn in the ichinose family. Guren has dark hair and in the LN was considered to lack power and like 'a slave'. As far as I know his family wasn't wealthy, though I don't think there was any mention of him being poor. (correct me if I'm wrong)

«Traveling further, Rígr came across a pleasant house where a farmer/craftsman, Afi (grandfather), lived with his wife Amma (grandmother). This couple gave him good food and also let him sleep between them. Nine months later, a son, Karl (churl or freeman), was born, who had a ruddy complexion. Karl married a woman named Snör or Snœr (daughter-in-law; sometimes anglicized as Snor), and they had twelve sons and ten daughters with names mostly suggesting a neat appearance or being of good quality. One of the names is smiðr (smith). These became the ancestors of free farmers, craftsmen and herdsmen.»

Who was good-looking, hard-working and middle class? Crowley was. He's also often described as being very beautiful like Krul and Ferid.

Now this one, is surely not a coincidence ⬇️

«Traveling further, Rígr came to a mansion inhabited by Faðir (Father) and Móðir (Mother). They gave him excellent food served splendidly and, nine months later, Móðir gave birth to a beautiful baby named Jarl (earl or noble), whose hair was blond and who was bleikr (bright white in color). When Jarl grew up and began to handle weapons and to use hawks, hounds, and horses, Rígr reappeared, claimed him as his son, gave him his own name of Rígr, made him his heir, taught him runes, and advised him to seek lordship.»

Who was a noble with very light hair, blue eyes and very attractive? FERID!!!

When I first read the manga, when Rigr appeared (before his asiatic surgery...) I thought that was literally Ferid with shorter hair. THEY LOOK LIKE LITERAL TWINS!! Why? Because Rigr is really his father and whenever Ferid calls him that, it isn't a stupid silly name.

Only the eye shape is different. Ferid is confirmed to have more elongated eyes, while Rigr had rounded eyes.

So, these are the mikaela subjects and I don't think their wealth class is prominent in the manga, yet I think Kagami made their personalities to appear different the way the wealth of these people in the myth is.

Idk surely about Guren being a mikaela subject, but that also explains why Ferid was keen on making deals with him. Crowley and Ferid are surely Mikaela subjects though.

[silvyysthings]

Timothee hasn't run his awards campaign the usual way, but I don't think that matters. It is unlikely that he will win like Austin, but then again, Austin wasn't competing against truly spectacular Adrien Brody performance. Timothee and Austin cannot be compared in this situation at all.

Significant to me is that Timothee is a producer on ACU, and ACU hasn't missed any precursor that it should have received (meaning guild nominations, AFI, NBR, Globes, Critics Choice, BAFTA, etc.) Only 3 other movies this year have done this -- Emilia Perez, Anora, and Conclave, and those 3 are the front runners to win Best Picture. For ACU to also have achieved this means that Timothee knows what it takes to produce a movie that is loved by the entire industry. Even if ACU completely blanks and doesn't win anything (mainly because it's up against stronger movies), he's walking away with invaluable knowledge for future projects.

Thank you

[grahamkennedy]

The fact Graham wasn't even nominated for an AFI for Don's Party makes me so upset

[the-kr8tor]

November 1st...start the countdown. 6 days (counting today). Daily Hobie HC! Will I give you hints to whats coming? nuh uh. Will I say that this round is based off a song? Yeah (Miss Murder by AFI) Hobie hummed to himself as he moved around the kitchen, cooking some spaghetti for dinner. His eyes absent-mindedly moved towards the direction of the door, waiting for you to come home. As if he had predicted your arrival with thoughts of how you'd cuddle him tonight and he'll listen to all your adventures, you walked through the front door. Unable to hold himself back from teasing you, Hobie took one look at you and smirked, calling you 'his little robin hood'. You couldn't help but roll your eyes fondly, practically collapsing into his arms. You leant against his body in a hug, enjoying the warmth that emitted off him. Hobie gently stroked your hair and held you close, kissing the crown of your head lovingly, keeping an eye on the sauce. Hobie watched as you pull away, clearly intent on having a bath. You couldn't help but kiss Hobie shut as he placed his hands on your waist, teasing you about the surprisingly non-existent blood on your shirt. As your body leaves his hands to go have a quick bath to wash off the stench that came with dragging and fighting drunk assholes, Hobie is quick to wash his hands (So any possible dirt doesn't contaminate food) and return to cooking. By the time you came out, dinner had already been served. Hobie could notice the bags under your eyes as you both eat, talking about some highlights of the day in between bites. Even though it was your turn to do the dishes, he wouldn't mind taking this one for you. He encouraged you to get comfy in bed, lightly nudging you away whenever you even tried to get close to the dirty dishes. With the use of puppy eyes though, Hobie internally smirked as his tactic worked. There wasn't much to clean up, as Hobie had done most of them while he was cooking, which gave him more time to cuddle with you in bed. Once he had put everything back, Hobie made his way down the hall and into the bedroom, seeing your sleepy and loving gaze on him caused his heart to completely melt like butter. He climbed into bed, pulling you close to him under the covers and holding you against him. Hobie felt your arms loop around his body as well, one of your fingers tracing gentle patterns against his back. Hobie contentedly hummed in response as you rambled on about your various murders today. A lot of drunkenly undeserving-of-children parents, but it was a Sunday. Only a couple of uncaring policemen, but otherwise nothing else. The blood that had been splattered on your clothes before you came home must've been from a dirty fight with one of the drunks, as you tiredly mentioned. Normally, you could get people just fine, but one of them tried to wrestle away your gun away from you. A stupid move which would only work with Hollywood plot armor, inevitably leading to their demise. Hobie chuckled upon hearing your comparison of Hollywood plot armor to the stupid move. You weren't wrong, but your tired and grumpy voice made it more amusing. Eventually, you managed to drift off while talking, your voice quietening until it was nothing but soft breaths against Hobie's chest. He gently pecked the tip of your nose, bringing up the blanket to be tucked snuggly at your shoulders. Hobie gently stroked your hair, going slow and soft until he himself had fallen asleep. -🐦‍⬛

Counting down to what? 😧

Daily Hobie HC ❤️❤️❤️

Give hints pls I offer uh...more hobie fluff in the coming days?????

Coming home to Hobie while cooking in your frilly apron must've been a sight to behold!! Such a domestic scene 🤭🤭

The mention of blood took me out lmaooo and here I thought r was like a regular office worker 😆

R is secretly a badass!!

Lol glad u mentioned hobie washing his hands again after that bc I went "wash your fucking hands before--- oh" 😂

I bet Hobie makes the meanest spaghetti ever!! Now I'm hungry

Awww he's too sweet 🥺

Lmao just casually talking abt murder while in bed with the love of your life like you're just talking abt what happened at the office 🤣

[ninjaturtlecosmo]

@mightbmel

*During Study Hall at Karakura Highschool*

Uryu;*working on some classwork, acting like it's just a normal Monday*

*Unbeknownst to Uryu at first, Ichigo, Rukia, Chad and Orihime are all staring at him.... specifically at Uryu's finger nails decorated with black nail polish*

Uryu:........ ? *realizes his closest friends are all staring at him as he looks up* What?

Ichigo:............ What do you mean "What"? Uryu, I think you know exactly what's up.

Rukia: Uryu...... What's with the nail polish? I thought only women wore that in the living world.......

Chiyo:*sitting next to Uryu* Hey! Don't shame my boyfriend just because he's not conforming to outdated gender stereotypes!

Uryu: It's fine Chiyo, remember things are different in the Soul Society..... But, since you guys are curious, I'm trying something new.

Orihime: Oh.... I see! ^v^ Did you paint them yourself?

Uryu:........ Actually.... Chiyo did them for me over the weekend.......

Chiyo: Yep! ^v^ I sure did! We hung out at my place on Saturday while my mom and dad were out on a date, and out of nowhere he tells me he wanted to try wearing nail polish! I showed him all my cosmetics, he picked out what color he liked best out of all my nail polishes, and I helped show him how to paint his nails!

Orihime:*giggles a bit* Uryu told me how big you closet is, that you keep all your clothes and beauty products there! It sounds like you have a Barbie closet! ^v^

Chad: Well..... *small smile* It looks good on you, Uryu. That color fits you, too.

Uryu: Heh..... Thanks......

Ichigo: I noticed you were entering some kind of goth/emo phase since we all met Chiyo, but.... I wasn't exactly expecting this. *smiles* But hey, good for you, buddy. Better late than never, right?

Uryu;*rolls his eyes* I'm not emo, Ichigo.

Orihime:......... Then why were you listening to Pierce The Veil this morning before school?

Uryu:.................... It's just a band, Orihime, that doesn't mean anything-- Wha-- Rukia, give my phone back!

Rukia:*looking through Uryu's "Study/Sewing" playlist* Pierce The Veil, Escape The Fate, Falling In Reverse, Mayday Parade, Three Days Grace, All Time Low, Sunny Day Real Estate, AFI, Evanescence, Good Charlotte, In This Moment.....

Ichigo:*takes a peek too* And the most well known of them all.... My Chemical Romance.

Uryu:..........................

Chad: Didn't Chiyo also say you were really invested when she showed you Repo! The Genetic Opera?

Orihime: You also recently bought a book that had all of Edgar Allen Poe's poems and stories......

Ichigo: Oh god......... *trying not to laugh* Whats next, buddy?....... When can we expect to see you wearing eyeliner and spiked chokers? B) We might have to start calling you Ebony Darkness Dementia Raven--

Chiyo: NO! We do not speak of that era........

Rukia: Heh..... Funny that Captain Yamamoto thought YOU'D be a bad influence on her, Uryu..... it seems like it's turning out to be the other way around.

Uryu:............. Chiyo? Princess? Love of my life?

Chiyo: Yes, sugar?~ ^w^

Uryu:........ 8) What the hell are you doing to me, woman.....?

[oscarupsets]

1984 was a tough year to settle on an upset for. Can anyone compete with Amadeus?? Two of my critic lists mentioned Places in the Heart as a notable alternative. None of the other sources could muster up a better Best Picture winner.

It's important to note first that basically everything in Amadeus is fake. You shouldn't watch this expecting to learn anything more about Mozart than you already know. But that should not deter you from watching it.

As a violinist, I LOVE Mozart's music. The soundtrack, composed primarily of Mozart's own pieces, is my favorite part of the whole movie. I played the opening number, the first movement of Symphony No. 25, in my community orchestra last spring. I keep the soundtrack CD in my car!

That's not to say that the acting is anything less than. Tom Hulce brings an unhinged, giddy quality to Mozart that I cannot get over. I'm in love with him. F. Murray Abraham plays an equally unhinged, sinister Salieri. They will both be nominated in the Lead Actor category, and it's sad it couldn't go to both of them!

Places in the Heart looked decent from the premise and the cast list. And that being said, it wasn't terrible. It was just clear from the start that it was Oscar Bait-y.

Sally Field does a great job playing a determined, yet grieving, widow. But I worry that the rest of the cast and the storyline were never given a clear path. Are we upset at the racism? The Depression that put them into this mess? The banker for being a complete dick to Sally Field on multiple occasions? It's hard to tell. Everyone gets a quick scene of character development and calls it a day.

Ed Harris is in a significant part of this movie with no purpose other than to have an affair with Sally Field's sister?? It's almost as if they were making a 90 minute TV-movie and decided to add that storyline to bring it to the big screen. It doesn't fit.

Neither made it onto the top 10 highest grossing for 1984, led by Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters and Temple of Doom.

At the 57th Academy Awards, Amadeus won 4 of the Big 5, with Abraham and Hulce's nominations being the most recent time that two of the Best Actor nominees were from the same film. It also won the typical awards for a period piece - Costume Design and Makeup (no hair yet) - and a couple others.

Thanks to my new favorite resource Screen Time Central, I was amazed to see that Lindsay Crouse was actually in almost 17 minutes of Places in the Heart, despite her character having almost no purpose.

Amadeus was favored at the Golden Globes and with the Los Angeles Film Critics Circle, but surprisingly didn't make the National Board of Review Top 10 list. It was nominated for 9 BAFTAs, winning 4 (for cinematography, editing, make-up, and sound).

Places in the Heart received one Golden Globe from 3 nominations, but had zero nominations at the BAFTAs. Best Film went to Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo.

Amadeus placed #53 on the original AFI list, but was absent from the 10 year anniversary list. Places in the Heart was listed as #95 on the "100 Cheers" list.

Unofficial Review: Places in the Heart didn't stand a chance. Sorry this post is just me shitting on it. Go (re)watch Amadeus!

[sleepwalker--x]

We held hands on the last night on earth. Our mouths filled with dust, we kissed in the fields and under trees, screaming like dogs, bleeding dark into the leaves. It was empty on the edge of town but we knew everyone floated along the bottom of the river. So we walked through the waste where the road curved into the sea and the shattered seasons lay, and the bitter smell of burning was on you like a disease. In our cancer of passion you said, "Death is a midnight runner."

The sky had come crashing down like the news of an intimate suicide. We picked up the shards and formed them into shapes of stars that wore like an antique wedding dress. The echoes of the past broke the hearts of the unborn as the ferris wheel silently slowed to a stop. The few insects skittered away in hopes of a better pastime. I kissed you at the apex of the maelstrom and asked if you would accompany me in a quick fall, but you made me realize that my ticket wasn't for two. I rode alone.

You said, "The cinders are falling like snow." There is poetry in despair, and we sang with unrivaled beauty, bitter elegies of savagery and eloquence. Of blue and grey. Strange, we ran down desperate streets and carved our names in the flesh of the city. The sun was stagnated somewhere beyond the rim of the horizon and the darkness is a mystery of curves and lines. Still, we lay under the emptiness and drifted slowly outward, and somewhere in the wilderness we found salvation scratched into the earth like a message. 

[ohmygodryan]

𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 | Creepypasta Reverse Harem x F! Reader (Part 6)

“𝓗𝓮𝔂 𝓜𝓲𝓼𝓼 𝓜𝓾𝓻𝓭𝓮𝓻, 𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝓘? 𝓜𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓫𝓮𝓪𝓾𝓽𝔂 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝔂 𝓲𝓯 𝓘 𝓽𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮?” -AFI

★ ₊ ˚⟡ Following a series of mistakes on Halloween, a college girl, and her group of friends, are thrown into a sequence of events that will ruin their lives forever.

𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓼 - Eyeless Jack, Tim Wright (MH), Brian Thomas (MH), Jeffery Woods, Toby Rodgers, Helen Otis

I am unsure of the original creator of these images, if known please tell me and I will credit :)

Previously called as Morosis. Please see my blog for more chapters!

6┆ Where Do I Sign?★ ₊ ˚⟡

"𝓝𝓸 𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓼, 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻𝓽𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴. 𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓭𝓸 𝓘 𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓷? 𝓟𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮 𝓱𝓮𝓵𝓹 𝓶𝓮. 𝓘'𝓶 𝓵𝓸𝓼𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓶𝔂 𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓭. 𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓭𝓸 𝓘 𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓷?" -Weathers

             The past few weeks simultaneously flashed before her eyes as she stared at the scene before her. He wore the same white hoodie, except this time the fabric was significantly more pristine than when they had last met. The thought didn't sit right with her, however. The night outside the auditorium flooded back to her memory. That pale face contrasted with dark hair. He had been there, hadn't he? She couldn't trust her own memory, she wasn't even sure he was even real.

The thought barely had time to cross her mind at the sight of dull metal flashing under the moonlight. In the struggle, her driver had managed to knock Tim out. His body lay limp in the snow without a chance of defending against the blade headed straight for his chest.

The scream left the girl's mouth before she could fathom the situation, "No!"

The man's arm paused just before cutting Tim open and turned towards her slowly. Swaths of black hair covered his face. As he moved, she caught sight of one of his dark eyes in the silver light. There was a time she could have remembered his face fondly, but his current state nipped away what little positivity she had left. He had saved her, yet that blade could turn to her at any moment. The look in his eye only betrayed only one emotion, bloodlust.

"Please don't hurt him." Her voice wavered as if any word could set him off.

He looked between his knife and back to her. Mangled scars ran across the sides of his mouth as if at one point he'd slit open his face. She recalled that night, but she couldn't be sure if that had been real blood or not.

"Why not? He was going to hurt you." He pointed out in a low voice.

She wasn't sure if she knew the answer herself. All she could think about at that moment was the conversation she'd had with Tim a few days before. The way he stared at her with those soft eyes. She wanted to remember that, not the fearful look he'd given her when she'd revealed his identity.

"Just don't. He doesn't deserve it." Her voice was barely audible.

The man scoffed, "Are we sure you saw the same thing I did? He was going to gut you. I am just returning the favor."

She clenched her teeth together. She didn't have a good enough response to stop him.

"Please." A whisper was all she could manage.

The silence was palpable. He stared at her for a while, his grip on the knife tightening each second. Finally, he got to his feet and stormed over to her. She stumbled away from him, only for him to hastily grab her arm.

"Come on." He pulled her along, "We're leaving."

She nearly choked as he dragged her through the snow. Her legs felt like they were carved from marble both from exhaustion and numbness to the cold.

"What?" She sputtered, barely able to comprehend what was going on.

"I'm sorry, do you want to stay? I'm sure your companion over there is going to be very understanding when he wakes up." He retorted, his grip tightening on her.

She managed to steal a glance back to Tim fading away in the distance. He was still unresponsive, but she wasn't sure for how long. She could still feel the ghost of his hands pressing her body into the snow, fully set on tearing her open. She winced and turned back to her driver. As she scanned him over, she couldn't help the questions pouring from her mouth.

"Hang on, how are you even here right now? Did you follow me?" She hesitated at the last part.

"Save all questions for when I'm done saving your life, yeah?" He gave her a look of warning.

She pressed her lips together, wanting to refrain from upsetting him even more. He continued to lead her through the forest with an iron grip. She wasn't sure how many waves of trees passed before she caught sight of the road in the distance. At that rate, she was certain she'd had enough running through the woods.

That same white Tacoma was parked haphazardly on the side of the road. The mere sight of it caused flashbacks to the crazy driver from the day they ran away. He pushed her in front of the passenger side and opened the door haughtily.

"Get in." He demanded.

She looked between him and the truck in disbelief. Her gaze hardened as she turned back to him.

"You did follow me!" She declared as if it wasn't obvious.

He chuckled, releasing her arm with a sigh. He scanned her over as if sizing her up. She stood her ground, planting her feet deeper into the snow.

"Do you want to freeze?" He finally responded.

She opened her mouth to retort but as she did so, she became increasingly aware of the fact she was covered in snow. The water seeped into her clothing and chilled her to the bone.

"Fine." She relented and pulled herself into the car.

He followed soon after, driving down the icy road without hesitation. It was a miracle they weren't careening off into a ditch with how quickly they were gathering speed. Her spot next to him seemed hauntingly familiar and she shuttered to think about how helpless she had been that night. The adrenaline from the situation was quickly wearing off and she was beginning to realize this time wasn't so different from their last meeting.

"You never answered my question." She looked at him cautiously.

He sighed at her insistence, "Alright, you want the truth? I did follow you. I have been for a while, you want to know why?"

His voice was challenging and she recoiled at the harshness. She gulped and nodded her head slowly.

"Because you're a fucking dumbass." He said bluntly.

"Excuse me?"

He laughed wryly, "Yeah, you're actually the dumbest bitch I've ever met. You have this insane ability to get yourself into deeper shit no matter where you go. I mean you ran from the police and managed to get into something even worse."

"So that's your excuse? You want to watch me crash and burn?" She marveled at his audacity.

He faltered at her statement. He kept his eyes trained on the road and tightened his fingers around the wheel. He glanced at her briefly and back out the window.

"I just, I don't know. I was trying to..." He trailed off as he tried to find the right words.

"What, protect me?" She scoffed, "I didn't ask for your help."

He stayed quiet for a moment before huffing, "You think I want to protect you? You're a disaster waiting to happen."

He tried to hide the conflicted look on his face as he stared determinedly at the passing road. She studied him through furrowed eyes. She knew he was capable of terrible things, considering the context clues from their first meeting. The scars on his face only added to the mystery. Against all odds, for whatever reason, he had returned her home that night. Better yet, he'd been the one to rescue her.

"Thank you." She hadn't meant for her voice to be so quiet.

He looked at her quizzically, "What was that?"

"I said thank you." She reiterated, "For back then too. I don't know why you keep helping me but you did save my life. So I can't be completely mad at you for stalking me."

He laughed in response, "Oh, so you do have manners."

"Seriously? You still followed me, creep." She shook her head, giving him a hesitant smile.

She focused her gaze back on the forest and mulled over her experience. She had no idea if she could trust Brian and she couldn't entertain the thought of Tim. Suddenly it hit her that Jen and Becca were still there alone with Brian.

"Where are we going exactly?" She turned to the man apprehensively.

"Away from the psycho killer? I thought that was obvious." He deadpanned.

She shook her head profusely, "No way, we can't leave my friends with them. We are going back."

"Like hell we are." He replied, looking at her like she was crazy.

"They could be in danger! We need to go back, I'm not letting one more thing happen to them." She pleaded.

"I saved you, I never said I was going to help them." He said sternly.

She glowered at him incredulously, "Well I never said I wanted my fucking Uber driver to come back out of nowhere and kidnap me."

He took a deep breath, clearly trying to refrain from further arguing with her. He sighed in annoyance.

"Just call me Jeff, ok? And I'm not kidnapping you goddamnit." He gave her a pointed look.

She pursed her lips, trying to figure out whether or not she believed him.

"Well then Jeff, please can we go back for my friends?" She tried to remain as calm as possible.

Jeff tapped his fingers, clearly having an internal battle. He grit his teeth together, making the scars across his mouth even more prevalent. He hadn't wanted to get this wrapped up in her, but the more he watched, the harder it was to stop. He cursed the way he felt about the stupid girl in his passenger seat. He wished she'd stop looking at him like that.

"This is the last fucking time, got it?" He hadn't meant to sound so harsh.

She let out a breath of relief, "Fine by me."

She went silent after that, each second making him regret the decision even more. After a few minutes of staring out the window, she looked back at him begrudgingly.

"Thank you." She sighed.

Just like that, he found himself speeding up the car. He hated how he acted around her. She made everything so much harder.

~

The girl practically ran to the cabin as soon as they parked outside the lodge. She had managed to convince Jeff to wait in the car to not escalate the situation further. She reasoned she'd just scream if something happened, but she trusted three against two weren't the worst odds.

As she burst into the cabin, her heart dropped. Tim was already there. Jen, Becca, and Brian were all pacing around nervously, it seemed like she had caught them mid-conversation.

"Get away from them!" She gasped, dashing in front of her friends protectively.

They all looked at her in surprise. Brian seemed relieved upon seeing her, although she couldn't ignore the glances he sent to Tim. He knew more than he was letting on. Tim stepped back from Jen and Becca, looking immensely guilty.

"Listen, I know you have no reason to trust me right now but I need you to listen to me." He raised his arms to show he meant no harm, "I'm not going to hurt anyone."

Jen grabbed the girl's arm, "What's going on, where have you been? Tim said you went missing."

"Yeah, this is the second time you've decided to disappear. What the hell were you two doing?" Becca added, crossing her arms suspiciously.

The girl shot a glare at Tim. He had been trying to act innocent like she was the one in the wrong. She felt rage boil in her chest at the mere thought of it. She ignored their questions and gave Tim a challenging stare.

"Why should I listen to you? You attacked me!" She shot back.

"He fucking what?" Becca exclaimed.

Brian looked at her grimly. It was exactly as he feared. Tim looked just as dejected.

"I didn't mean to, ok? That wasn't me." He stated cautiously.

The girl sneered, "Oh, that wasn't you? What, because you were wearing a mask?"

The boys exchanged looks, a feeling of mutual dread spreading between them. Tim had never wanted to see that piece of plastic again. Time and time again he'd woken up with it still on his face and every time his hands were never clean.

"He's telling the truth." Brian straightened out, looking more serious than she'd ever seen him before.

Her heart sank, "Of course, you knew something about this. I can't trust either of you."

"Someone better start explaining right now or I swear to fucking god." Becca nearly shouted.

Tim clenched his nails to the palms of his hands, the thought alone causing him pain. He didn't know how to explain it without making everything infinitely worse. Yet the situation was entirely uncontrollable.

"The Operator's virus doesn't just make you sick..." He began, "It makes you lose yourself too. It takes control of you and when that happens, it's like you're trapped in a void. I can't feel anything until it's over."

Brian nodded in confirmation, "It happens to us both. Tim always had it worse though. God, there are so many times we've woken up and didn't know where the fuck we were."

The girl couldn't believe what she was hearing. Part of her was relieved that Tim himself hadn't actually tried to kill her. However, the other half was enraged at the idea they'd kept it a secret.

"Why didn't you tell us before?" She hated how hurt she sounded.

Jen and Becca were practically frozen in place. Neither of them made a move to interfere, the revelations still freshly marinating. The girl's words seemed to strike a chord in both men as they couldn't come up with an answer.

"I thought it was getting better," Tim hesitated, "I thought we had gotten far enough away that I didn't need to take my meds anymore."

The girl shook her head in disbelief, "You could have just explained the situation."

She turned to Brian, although she regretted it as soon as she did. His soft blue eyes looked so ashamed. He stepped closer to her apprehensively.

"Listen, we didn't want to lie to you. It's just hard when you know you don't have control of yourself. It's not exactly easy to explain." He tried to keep an even tone.

The three friends looked at each other nervously. The girl didn't know how to feel. She couldn't imagine how hard it was to have the lingering threat of losing yourself hanging over your head. Yet they had deceived her all the same.

"We didn't mean to put you in danger." Tim cast his gaze to Brian accusingly, "I told you this was a bad fucking idea."

Becca cleared her throat and glared daggers at the two men, "You're right, we should have never done this."

Silence lingered among the group. The girl couldn't bring herself to look at the two men. Those moments she'd had hope felt meaningless in the face of the truth. She should have known things couldn't be that easy.

Jen stepped forward finally, "I think it would be best for us to leave."

As if on cue the front door swung open. Just like that, the group was on edge once more. They turned defensively towards the intruder. Jeff stood there, holding his knife menacingly.

"Alright time's up, what the fuck is going on in here." He pushed into the room and the girl immediately ran in front of him.

She held out her hands in desperation, "Chill! Everything is fine, I told you to wait in the car!"

"Excuse me, what the hell?" Becca blurted, looking between the girl and Jeff in confusion.

Tim narrowed his eyes in recognition. He pushed past Brian and stood next to the girl, looking outraged. He completely ignored the girl's attempt to protest.

"What the fuck did you do to her?" He demanded.

Jeff glared right back and stepped up to him undeterred. He flashed the blade of his knife, although Tim seemed anything but impressed.

"Last time I checked, you were the one who wanted to kill her." Jeff accused with a sneer.

"Wait wait, isn't that your Uber driver?" Becca spoke up, "There's no fucking way."

Brian and Jen looked equally perplexed, watching the scene unfold in sheer confusion. The girl groaned, she had already had enough of him.

"Yeah, that's a long story. The point is, he's the one that saved me." She admitted.

"Exactly." Jeff's glare only hardened at Tim.

The girl scanned the group, trying to figure out the best course of action. She knew they couldn't stay there any longer. Any time wasted meant a greater chance of both the Operator and the demon catching up to them. She detested the thought of what she needed to do, but it seemed she had no choice.

"Don't bother fighting, we were just leaving." The girl glanced at Becca and Jen.

Jeff sighed in relief, "That's probably the only good idea you've ever had."

Brian cut in, looking at the girl skeptically, "Right now? With that guy?"

"We are not leaving with the creepy stranger," Jen added, joining the girl's side in concern.

The girl ignored Jeff's angry protest and gave her friends a determined look. She couldn't selfishly endanger them anymore. At least with Jeff, she knew he wouldn't randomly lash out at her. At least she hoped he wouldn't.

"What choice do we have?" She pointed out, trying not to betray any sense of regret.

She could feel both Tim and Brian's stare. At the moment, she wasn't sure who she could trust more. She had to do this for her friends.

"Come on, at least take the night to sleep on it?" Brian prodded, looking at her with desperate eyes.

"Like we're trusting you again." Becca scoffed.

The girl sighed and looked up at Brian. She shook her head, trying to push away her apprehension.

"I'm sorry." She whispered.

She shrunk away and turned back to Becca and Jen. She knew she hadn't known them for long, so she couldn't understand why that part was so hard to say. She moved away from Brian, ignoring the way he was looking at her. She pushed down the feelings that bubbled up when she thought back to their morning coffee run.

She didn't get far as a hand wrapped around her shoulder. To her surprise, she looked back to see Tim staring at her pleadingly.

"(Y/N) please, can I at least talk to you before you leave?" She had never heard him sound so gentle before.

Becca stared her down, silently warning her against giving in to him. The girl knew she shouldn't listen. He had done nothing but mislead her, plus she had no idea what to expect from him. Although not everything he did was worth condemning. She owed a proper goodbye to the man who comforted her when she was scared.

"Start packing your bags, I'll only be a minute." She said sternly to Becca and Jen.

"Oh, there she goes again." Another unsolicited comment left Jeff's mouth.

Jen stopped Becca before she could debate the decision. It seemed at least one of the girl's friends understood her feelings. Jen simply nodded and guided the angry brunette out of the room to collect her things.

The girl turned to Tim expectantly and he silently led her to one of the other bedrooms. He shut the door, leaving a small crack so as to not make her totally uncomfortable. She could sense his confliction from where she stood.

"I've never been good at saying what's on my mind," He began, furrowing his eyebrows together, "But I wanted to tell you I'm sorry."

He ran a hand along his sideburns as he tried to find the right words, "I never meant for this to happen. Especially not to you."

She felt a pang in her chest at his statement. Somehow that only made her feel worse. She looked down at her feet in an attempt to distract herself.

"I don't know what to say." She admitted, her voice lowering.

He let out a nervous breath as if he was afraid of what he was about to say.

"I know you have no reason to trust me, but you can't leave with him." He said the last part with a hint of aggression.

She shot her gaze back up and was met with a look of unwavering resolve. She hated how confused she was. She felt her stomach twist into knots as she continued to stare.

"What else am I supposed to do Tim?" She huffed, "You and Brian both insisted that things could get better. But I'm hundreds of miles away from home and everywhere I turn there's nothing but danger."

Her words sunk in like a knife he'd held to her throat hours before. This is exactly what he'd fear, letting another person down. This is why he preferred to be alone. Against all odds, he wanted to see her—all of them, find a way to be safe again.

"You think that a guy who's been following you is going to be any better? I'm not an idiot, there's reason he was there to save you."

Tim trailed off, ruffling his hair once more.

"There's a bus station in the town nearby. You and your friends can ride it as far as you need. We can part ways there and never speak again, ok? Just let me do this for you." He insisted.

His expression was unreadable, yet she wanted so badly to believe him. Could she trust him one more time? She knew Jen and Becca would detest the idea. As she was lost in her thoughts, the door creaked open. Brian peeked in, looking at the pair in concern. He crept over to the girl, giving Tim a nervous glance.

"You're seriously going to do this?" He asked, "I mean have you seen that guy?

Tim sighed and ran his hands over his face, "I told her about the bus. We can leave in the morning."

The girl sucked in a breath, no longer able to contain her emotion. She was terrified. She realized that every day since Cass's death she had never been in control. She was missing an organ, her friend, and now even her hope.

She looked up, trying desperately to prevent herself from shedding any tears. She couldn't cry in front of them, she didn't deserve to cry. She needed to be brave.

Brian noticed her change and demeanor and without thinking grabbed ahold of her shoulders.

"Hey, hey, it's ok. You're gonna be fine." He shook her gently to get her attention.

She looked into his gray-blue eyes and did her best to blink away her tears. She shook her head, hating how pathetic she probably looked right now.

"It's not fine! You gave me hope damnnit. Hope that we could get out of this alive, that we could figure it out. But all you really did is lie." Her voice cracked involuntarily.

She could see the pain in his eyes. He may not have known her for long, but he was more familiar with that fear than anything in the entire world.

"I know," He sighed, "I know not telling you everything was wrong, but you need to think about yourself right now. You and your friends have to make the best decision to keep yourselves safe. Personally, I don't think it's trusting someone like him."

All she could do was gaze at him through blurred eyes. His expression was so soft and understanding as if he'd been in her exact position at some point. She knew he was right and she let her head drop in defeat.

He began to rub her shoulders comfortingly, "Whatever decision you make, I wish you the best. Either way, I know you'll figure out your situation."

She cast her gaze over to Tim who had been staring at her unwaveringly. He nodded slowly, consoling her in whatever she chose. She knew what she would do, but she wasn't sure it was the right thing to do.

~

It took a lot of convincing to get Jen and Becca to agree to leave in the morning. Jeff in turn had a lot to say on the subject but had relented to keeping watch for the rest of the night.

As soon as the sun peeked over the horizon the group was on their feet. Jen, Becca, and the girl silently packed their small backpacks and begrudgingly piled into Tim's car. He had insisted on taking them, and for once Jen could agree seeing as Jeff had nearly run them off the road a few weeks before. Jeff followed behind them in his truck, the entire time cursing the girl for what he deemed an idiotic choice.

The bus station wasn't too far away. It had a cozy little transit center next to it and the girl was elected to be the one to figure out the tickets. Jen and Becca busied themselves with purchasing any spare supplies for the journey. Jeff watched intently from outside, leaning on his truck like the creep he was.

The girl found herself staring at the ancient ticket machine, fighting for her life to figure out how it worked. She had no idea why she couldn't mobile order a ticket like any other transportation center in the continental U.S.

She groaned as she heard yet another beep of rejection. She gripped the sides of the machine, slowly beginning to regret her lack of sleep. She felt a presence next to her and looked up to see an exhausted Tim.

"I know you don't want to hear this, but I think you need help." He tried to look as genuine as possible.

It seemed he was attempting to extend the olive branch and she was doing her best to put her stubbornness to the side.

"It's not my fault this thing is a fucking fossil." She gestured to the dim screen.

It was covered in scratches and fingerprints of previous travelers. She stepped to the side, allowing him to take a swing at the impossible task. He silently fiddled with the machine and she looked around the room tiredly.

The place was nice enough for a travel center in the middle of nowhere. There were a few small couches and stands with pamphlets on them. An attendant sat behind a window across the room. She was an older woman and she gave the girl a pleasant smile as she made eye contact. The girl cast her eyes to the TV next to her with a yawn. A well dressed newscaster rambled on about something she didn't care about, but it was the best distraction she had right now so she resigned to listen anyway. As she was about to pester Tim about what was taking so long, a hauntingly familiar face popped on the screen.

It was her.

'Murder suspects of the Cassandra Denning case (Y/N) (L/N), Jennifer Calloway, and Rebecca Sinclair have officially been deemed missing. Police are asking anyone with valuable information to come forward.'

That was all the girl had time to hear before the dread began to sink in. She turned to Tim in panic.

"Did you hear that?" She whispered.

He was already looking at her and nodded his head quickly. She glanced back at the attendant, praying she hadn't been paying attention. Unfortunately she was staring right back at her.

The girl didn't have time to react before Tim began dragging her outside. She made no move to stop him even as the frigid air pierced her skin. He pulled her over to Jen and Becca, who were being assisted by Brian in stuffing their bags with snacks.

"What's going on?" Jen asked, looking at Tim accusingly.

Jeff seemed to notice the commotion and headed over to the rest of them. His glare caused Tim to realize he was still latched onto her.

He released her and began to usher the group behind the building.

"We shouldn't talk here." He urged.

Becca shook her head quickly, "That's not happening. Gonna pull your gun on us back there, huh?"

"God damnnit Becca, he's telling the truth." The girl hissed, grabbing onto her with a harsh grip.

She led her bewildered friends along with Tim and Brian behind the center. Jeff followed with a groan, trailing alongside the girl reluctantly.

"What happened?" Brian questioned, breaking the silence once they were out of dodge.

"We're on the fucking news." The girl tried to suppress her rising panic.

"What?" Jen said in disbelief.

She wanted desperately to convince herself she heard her wrong.

"The lady inside saw me, I think she put two and two together." The girl continued, looking over her shoulder as if she'd find them.

"I knew it," Becca whispered.

For the first time since they left, she saw the fear in Becca's eyes. She had finally cracked.

"It's over," Her voice faltered, "It's only a matter of time before they find us..."

She put her head in her hands and cursed loudly. She twisted her fingers through her hair in desperate knots.

"We are going to be sitting ducks in prison."

Tim, who had been quietly observing the whole time, let out a small sigh.

"That's not gonna happen." He spoke up.

The girl gave him a fearful glance, "She saw me, hell we bought tickets! They're gonna find out where we're headed."

"Plenty of people have outrun the government." Jeff cut in, "You just need to learn how to do it with finesse."

Tim shot him a glare and turned back to the friends.

"I'm talking something more foolproof than outrunning the cops. You need to disappear." He asserted.

Becca looked at him hysterically, "Like faking our death? How the fuck is that gonna work?"

"He means changing your identity." Brian prompted before Tim had the chance to reply.

The girl looked at him hopelessly, "Maybe if we were in the '80s, what's gonna happen when we get ID'd or worse?"

Brian shrugged his shoulders, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Look, we know a guy that can get you fake IDs. The rest is up to you. If you change your appearance enough, you can pull it off."

The girl looked between her friends hesitantly. Would something like that even work? She didn't like the odds.

"Why would you do that? I thought the deal was to part ways here." She asked and gave Tim a confused look.

"Take it as an apology for what we did, ok? Then we can call it even." Tim responded adamantly.

Every choice she had to make seemed crazier and crazier by the day. Compared to the rest, this seemed like nothing. She figured they were doomed anyway, what was the harm?

"Alright, where do we start?"

~

Song referenced: Where Do I Sign by Weathers

If you guys don't listen to any other song from the chapters listen to this one. It's criminally underrated. 

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