#nathaniel does this beautiful thing with his performance

[mad-bird-writes]

Introduction and Current WIPs

Hiya! My name is Echo (@tousled-birdmad-girl is my main for those who care about such things) and I'm a writer. I've been writing in some form or another since I was about ten years old, but only recently plucked up the gumption and drive to attempt anything original, much less put it out for the world to see. Time will tell how this goes...

I love horror, tho I wouldn't consider myself a "genre" author, as I think horror, surrealism, fantasy and magic can be found everywhere if you know where to look, and the presence of fantasy elements does not necessarily mean you're writing a "fantasy" book. So, we'll call what I do "fiction" and leave it at that for now :D

Inspiration-wise, I draw from the works of Stephen King, everything Mike Flanagan ever put to Netflix and beyond, Paul Shapera and his ever-growing Shaperaverse, Guillermo Del Toro, Chuck Palahniuk, and the Cthulhu Mythos as a whole (with a particular liking for taking the worlds, entities and themes first created by Lovecraft and using them to create something that'd make him spin in his grave.)

Below the cut: a list of my current WIPs and some general housekeeping information. If you see something that sparks your interest, please come sit by my hearth and pour yourself a drink <3

Original Works:

The Lost Souls' Revival: After a series of personal crises, struggling creative Amari Walker stumbles across a flyer advertising a strange carnival, offering "a total restoration of spirit" for the cryptic asking price of "3Y". With nothing left to lose, she attends, quickly becoming enthralled by the Revival and its colourful cast of performers, in particular its eccentric, nameless ringmaster. When her night of fun and escapism is over, she finds herself wanting more, and embarks on a one-woman quest to follow the ever-moving carnival wherever it goes, a quest that will drive her to the edge of sanity, and possibly beyond the reach of reality itself. (vibes: steampunk, dark carnival, mythology/folklore mishmash, fantasy horror, the Fair Folk, whatever the goblins were selling in Rosetti's Goblin Market)

Better To Reign In Hell: It's 1897. The world is changing too fast. Pastor Nathaniel Lawrence is dying, for all that he's trying to hide it. His daughter, Susannah, too old for rebellion and too young for spinsterhood, is content to follow in her mother's footsteps as the town's herbalist, but a bombshell marriage proposal seems set to destroy those plans. A chance encounter with a badly wounded man may offer her the escape she seeks, but at a price: Merritt Caine is not all he appears to be, and his dark past has an unbreakable grip. (vibes: southern gothic HEAVY on the gothic, small town horror, witchcraft (fictitious and real), Satanism (fictitious and real), corruption but in a good way, religious horror, the cycle of abuse, eventual murder (of the good kind) )

The Order of The Pallid Mask: In the corpse of a city at the centre of a dying world, a benevolent cult is working to restore their world to its fabled former glory by appealing to its retreated god, The King in Yellow. Sariann, the cult's High Priestess, is willing to sacrifice whatever she must to ensure a brighter future for the city's refugees; her body, her soul, her mind. Virgil, a lower-ranking member of the Order, her confidant, attendant and trusted friend, is willing to defy the Order and his faith to keep her alive. And the Yellow King has plans and desires of his own... (vibes: Cosmic horror, Lovecraftian but make it romantic, the beauty of the unknown, rituals, creating a religion from the ashes of an old world, post-apocalypse, ancient civilization (not of Earth), Eldritch love triangle) ***

Fan Works/Other:

As far as fanfics go, I don't have any long-form WIPs on the stove, more like a series of short (well, short-ish) form drabbles, headcanons and other assorted bits, which I might as well post here when I have them as proof that I do have a creative output that extends beyond Spotify playlists and Pinterest boards.

Fandoms include:

Fallout (mainly New Vegas and the Prime series so far, but encompassing this universe as a whole)

Red Dead Redemption (particularly the second game as I haven't played the first one yet, £35 for a port of a PS2 game my *ass*)

the Flanaverse (Hill House, Bly Manor, TFOTHOU, Midnight Mass... basically everything bar The Midnight Club, which I have not watched)

the Cthulhu Mythos (if you can call that a fandom :D I was working on a queer retelling of Dreams in the Witch-House at one point, if I can *find* the notes I wrote I might bring that one out of retirement...)

plus one or two fandoms the content crucibles of which I would not subject myself to if you held me at gunpoint (iykyk)

I've also amassed a small collection of OCs from various TTRPGs I've been part of, a couple of whom still haunt my mind and may or may not be written about from time to time... (no DnD tho, I think it's safe to say we've reached saturation point with DnD-centric/derivative works) ;)

***

General housekeeping + other info: I am an adult and this is an adult writing blog by default. I will be writing smut/other sexual content and dealing with mature and dark themes throughout these listed works (and anything else I may write to post here.) I will tag for "main" triggers and give general content warnings where applicable, but I cannot guarantee to cover every single trigger a person may have, therefore, you read and interact here at your own risk. If requested, I will add more trigger warnings, but again, I can't fully guarantee to get everything.

I kindly ask that you refrain from reposting anything from this blog: excerpts, character profiles, moodboards (if I make them) etc. I also ask that you do not take anything for your personal use under any circumstances.

My inbox is open, so send me an ask if you have any questions or simply want to chat! But for now, I've rambled for quite long enough, so I'm gonna wrap this post here. See you! <3

(tagging @coffeexafterxmidnight and @dominaarts )

[jokerislandgirl32]

I was wondering if you had any Violet and Zack wedding headcanons? :) for… (*hides drawing tablet and suspiciously looks around*) no reason whatsoever :D

Awwww, you are so sweet! This ask made me so happy, and I’ve been working hard on it!

Yes, I do have a lot of wedding headcanons! And, I actually wrote a scene from the wedding in the prologue to Wild Violets! I think I’m going to tweak it a bit when I post chapter 1, but I’ll link it here! A03 Wattpad FF.net

But there is more to, it obviously…lol! For starters…they have 2 weddings! I’ll link everything below the cut because it is a lot! And to keep thing more neat and tidy for myself (my ocd’s been bad lately, lol) I’ll answer for the first wedding in this post and second wedding in another post I will tag you in!

Wedding #1

The first wedding is a simple courthouse wedding that occurs shortly Violet’s 23rd birthday in April.

Zach, Violet, his mother Valerie, and Violet’s Aunt Amy, and cousin Paige, Paige’s husband Todd, Paige and Todd’s son Nathaniel, and a few of the Zachbots are in attendance (if you/anyone wants references for them, let me know).

Outfits

Violet does not wear an actual wedding dress, she instead wears a short white party dress that has blue flora appliqués to have her “something blue.” 

Violet’s “something old” is her V butterfly necklace from Zach. 

Her “something new” is her custom made engagement ring from Zach that is gold with rubies and diamonds in the shape of a V were a typical diamond would be (enjoy my lovely rendition of it below, sorry the gold looks awful, lol).

Zach’s mother surprises Violet by loaning her the wedding veil she wore when she married Zach’s father to Violet, giving her “something borrowed.”

Violet wears her hair down in a half up, half down style, similar to the one below, but when they leave the courthouse, Violet trades the veil for some butterfly themed hair jewelry!

Zach wears the same black and gray suit he wore when he and Violet shared their first kiss (looks like below).

Zach and Violet, alone in his headquarters before they go to the courthouse, his hand cupped under her chin: Zach: “This suit brought me good luck the last time I wore it, it changed my life because it made me realize that I loved you. That you were my life.”

Even though it’s a courthouse wedding, Zach’s mom pulls Violet to the side and puts the veil on her, pulling it over her face and walking her to Zach. 

Zach is stunned when he sees Violet, not expecting the veil with the dress, he pulls the veil’s blusher back and holds her face in his hands, Zach: “you are beautiful.”

Violet: “Even given the…circumstances?”

Zach: “You could wear a trash bag and be beautiful.”

Zach’s mom is a florist, so she also surprises Zach and Violet with flowers for the wedding, she brings a small bouquet of flowers for Violet and boutonnières for everyone else.

The flowers are white and royal blue to match Violet’s dress (something like below, but with real flowers).

Ceremony/Reception

At the courthouse, the quick ceremony is performed by a justice of the peace, they kiss, sign the marriage license, and are on their way!

After the wedding they have a small reception on the balcony at Zach’s headquarters with Gourmand catering (vegetarian foods and no alcohol per Violet’s instructions, lol) and all the villains come to celebrate with them at the reception. 

Donita, Valarie, Amy, and Paige decorated the balcony with fairy lights, lanterns, and white, blue, and lilac flowers in various arrangements, and a triangle shaped arch covered with the flowers too!

Zach and Violet share a first dance at the reception to the song Technicolour Beat. It’s a very intense and intimate moment for them, and I imagine Violet’s quietly singing it to him 🥰!

They end the reception with more dancing, photos (they get some sweet hugging and kissing pics, and get some with sparklers for sure!), and they give their guests a special surprise! Any guesses?

Well those are Wedding #1 headcanons! Thank you so much for this ask, I’ve enjoyed working on it! If you have any more questions, please let me know. And if anyone has a questions you can reach out too!

[wideouts4life]

NFL Week 3

This wideout shit is getting out of control. This week we had 15 wideouts that reached the century mark. We also have some big names making their way to the blog this season. Without further ado…

Keenan Allen is a man amongst boys. Right now Allen makes the game look really easy. The chargers have used Allen in the slot more than I’ve ever seen. And it’s definitely paying off. Allen caught 18 balls for 215 yards with zero scores. And now that counterpart Mike Williams is injured, I expect Allen to continue putting the weight on his back and carrying the team. 

Davante Adams takes home the WOW (wideout of the week) award. It’s refreshing to see Adams have the type of performance he’s capable of having each week. Davante finished his night with 13 catches for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns. Adams dominated all over the field to make his first appearance of the year. 

Tyreek Hill is amazzzing!!! Hill cannot be guarded 1on 1. Agains the Denver Broncos Hill was up to his usual shenanigans. Hill caught 9 passes for 157 yards and 1 tub. Hill continues to obliterate angles. And although he left Patrick Mahomes 2 seasons ago, Hill’s production has steadily increased and I believe if not Justin Jefferson, Tyreek is another wideout who can eclipse the daunting 2000 yards in a season. 

Mama…Their goes that man! Justin Jefferson is a beautiful thing to watch. I love the way he’s playing right now. And I’m even more impressed by his run after catch. He’s dominating the field in every aspect of the game.  Against the Los Angeles Chargers Mr. Jefferson caught 7 passes for 159 yards and 1 touchdown.

Another name I have never heard of had himself quite the performance. Nathaniel “Tank” Dell absolutely destroyed defenders on his way to a rookie break out performance. Catching 5 balls for a whopping 145 yards and 1 touchdown. Dell most definitely caught my eye and I’m glad the kid had his first 100-yard game in the NFL.

Adam Thielen is a name I have not heard called in at least two years. Glad the kid is still able to put up big numbers making his first appearance on the wideouts4life blog. That boy Adam pulled his old bag of tricks out on his way to an 11-catch, 145-yard, 1 touchdown performance.

Ja’Marr Chase Your Dreams has not started the year like he would like. As he put it after the game against the Rams, “I’m always fucking open.” Sounds like a true wideout. I remember in college saying the same shit every play to never get the ball thrown my way. Chase caught 12 balls for 141 yards with zero scores. I’m hopeful Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals play callers get this young lion the ball. Wideout fans like to see the wideouts ball.

AJ Brown is a dog. I know when watching tape of Mr. Brown, he’s going to give everything he has to give. After not contributing to the Eagles as he would have liked too. AJ Brown caught 9 passes for 131 yards. Brown did not score but every yard he earned helped the eagles beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

No introduction is need when a name like Deebo Samuel is mentioned. And as I write this blog, looking at the names above, I’m ecstatic because for the next decade I will get the chance to witness some of the greatest wideouts to ever play the game. You have to be a man to play for the San Francisco 49ers. They run so many fucking slants, it’s ridiculous. Deebo scored on a beautiful go-route thrown by Brock Purdy ending his night with 6 catches for 129 yards. 

It sucks that on a great day that Mike Williams was having. His knee got twisted in an awkward position leading to the young man tearing his ACL. Williams is out for the season. But prior to the injury Williams caught 7 passes for 121 yards and scored on trick play from fellow wideout Keenan Allen. 

Amari Cooper is like fine wine. He just keeps getting better with age. I still standby the point Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe that Cooper does turn it on and off. But maybe that isn’t a bad thing. It definitely lures defensive backs to sleep. Amari still is the best on press release and it’s not even close. Cooper almost made a guy fall on a sweet fade route he hauled in finishing his afternoon with 7 catches for 116 yards and 1 touchdown. 

DK Metcalf is a physical specimen. His route running is not great. And that’s ok, Terrell Owens wasn’t a route runner but he damn sure made plays. As I watch more and more film Metcalf reminds me of the hall of fame wideout. He catches better than T.O and for sure is faster as well. Against the Panthers Metcalf caught 6 passes for 112 yards helping secure the victory for the Seahawks.

Stefon Diggs is one of my favorite wideouts to watch. One pet peeve of mines is when wideouts make a routine catch against zone coverage and get up with the shenanigans. Against the Washington Commanders Diggs caught 8 passes for 112 yards. I feel he needs to do more because there are two hogs in Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill battling for the NFL’s top wideout spot. 

Ohio State and Alabama have put out tons of the wideouts who are really good as of the recent 5 years. One of those wideouts Chris Olave an Ohio State product just keeps on producing. Olave had a sweet one-hand catch up the right sideline that was ridiculous. Olave finished his night with 8 catches for 104 yards. For a 2nd year player, Olave checks all the boxes and I can only imagine his game will continue to get better. 

Last man to reach the century mark this weekend is none other than Amon-Ra St. Brown. Against the Atlanta Falcons, St Brown was a nuisance. St. Brown hauled in 9 passes for 102 yards placing him at #5 in receiving yards. 

Another week of wideouts balling out. 15 wideouts catching for at least 100-yards is a record. Im ecstatic to see if we can eclipse this feat once again during the season. A lot of writing but well worth it. Wideouts Let’s Go!

[icantrecallaskysoclear]

NOVEMBER 2nd - DAY 2: Favourite Character/Arc

 Jean Valjean ...“my soul belongs to God I know, I made that bargain long ago; He gave me hope when hope was gone. He gave me strength to journey on.”

Valjean has my favorite character in all of theatre, and he has my favorite arc as well. I love so much about Valjean. I love that he’s a good, practicing Catholic who is trying to live out his faith. I love that he is a man who started at the lowest of the low, a violent desperate thief, but by God’s grace he is able to make something of himself and be a good, honest man.

Oh, just FYI my favorite Valjean is Nathaniel Hackman who is featured in these gifs. He is AMAZING. ❤️❤️❤️ 

[hauntedbythefanficsofmypast]

Masterlist

Multiverse

It took some time but everyone slowly awoke each one told the same thing.

“Explanations will be dealt when everyone is awake.”

Some whined while others simply nodded finding the person they were closest to for comfort. Tom and Sabine took a seat closer to their daughter but did not crowd around her. Both content with her spot between Luka and Adrien. Juleka and Rose woke at the same time, and for a short while thought they were simply enjoying another sleepover. Until Luka tickled Juleka under her chin gently, Juleka let out a soft squeal curling closer to Rose to escape her brother. She glared at her brother, eyes softening when she saw Marinette sleeping with her head on his thigh.

“What’s going on?” Juleka asked softly, not letting go of Rose who was shaking as she looked around the room.

“We don’t really know yet, but we’re all safe. And our...captors I guess, their songs are long but they show we can trust them.” Adrien leaned over from his place sitting besides Gorilla’s chair.

“We’re just trying to stay positive Juleka, Rose. Nino and I keep joking that we’re all having one big movie night.” Nino grinned from his spot beside Alya who was currently typing out their entire experience into her phone. Lila sat on her other side looking around warily but smiling to keep up appearances. Juleka gave Adrien a gentle smile as her and Rose sat up. Juleka took her chance to look around and blinked in slight shock as Jagged and Penny walked over to them.

“Hey there Little Rockstars! Mind if Penny and I join you guys? We only know the Rockin’ Dupain-Chengs, and unfortunately the Bourgeois!” Penny slapped his arm gently, glancing over and sighing in relief that the family didn’t hear them.

“A little lower Jagged, they own the hotel we currently reside at.” Jagged looked at her like a kicked puppy before grinning mischievously and leaning closer to the group.

“Just between us, I’d rather live in the zoo than anywhere near the Bourgeois. Their daughter was constantly trying to invite herself into my room when we first came.” Penny slapped his arm a couple times with her notebook causing the group to laugh softly.

“Give her some credit.” Penny glanced at said girl as she made Jagged sit down. “Since the Queen Bee incident she has been...better?” Adrien frowned softly looking at his old friend about to protest until Gorilla put a hand on his shoulder squeezing it gently. Adrien glanced up at him before sighing softly and nodding.

“Chloe can be a good person, she really can. She just...she changed when her mom left.” Jagged was silent as he stared at the boy before looking over at Chloe who was trying to get her mother’s attention. A soft ‘oh’ leaving him as he watched them, his gaze turning sad as he remembered problems with his own family. Jagged coughed into his hand wanting to change the topic as he kicked out his legs crossing them at the knees.

“Well who else are we waiting to wake up?” He asked looking over to Adrien with a gentle smile. His tone calmer than usual as Penny settled near him. Adrien returned the smile glancing down at Marinette.

“Just Marinette and Kim, although I think Alix is ready to smack Kim awake at this point.”

“I am!”

Alix announced loudly from her spot beside Nathaniel. Laughter rang through the room from their classmates and Jagged. Only Luka noticed when Marinette woke up and had to hold back laughter at the disgruntled glare crossing her still sleep filled face. Luka smiled when their eyes met tilting his head to the side.

“Hello Melody.” He said softly, helping her sit up as she rubbed her eyes. “Now we are just waiting on Kim.” he said to Jagged and a second later a loud slap rang through the room. Kim jerked awake holding his right cheek as he glared up at Alix. It only took seconds for the two to be rolling around wrestling on the floor.

The man stood up walking to the front of the room. He waited for a few seconds before deciding to say something.

“Silence.”

He said booking no room for argument and the room went silent with all eyes on the man. He nodded looking over them all.

“I have brought you here today to show you not just what your lives could be, but what your lives are in other universes. I am doing this because one of you is very close to setting themselves on a path for death, and if they die your universe will follow.” He looked at all of them before continuing on.

“Depending on how you act will determine who will remember this in full. Identities will be exposed, you will see happy and sad Universes. Time outside this room is frozen, food and drink will be provided. I will let you know when it’s over. Now, would you like to start?” Adrien hesitantly raised his hand looking at the man.

“So you aren’t going to hurt us?” The man gave a gentle smile, his gaze softening.

“No, I am here to save you.”

Jagged looked around the room before deciding to speak up.

“Fine, let's get this show rockin’ an’ rollin’..”

The man nodded before returning to his seat, the tv turning on.

Searching…

Searching…

Searching…

Found.

Loading...

Multi-Mouse: A Different Ladybug

Marinette is shown running through the school heading towards the janitor's closet, loud bangs and crashes heard in the background as she rips the door open practically throwing herself inside.

“Oh is Marinette hiding from an Akuma attack. I hope she stays safe!” Rose gasped huddling closer to Juleka, covering her mouth as she glanced at Marinette. Assuring herself her friend was still there, Marinette gave her a gentle smile before turning back to the screen.

Marinette pressed her back against the door as she looked around the closet making sure she was alone. “Alright Mullo let’s go! Bridgette is half way across Paris right now on a field trip. We need to distract the Akuma until she and Chat arrive. Mullo flew out of her purse grinning at her as he circled her head.

“You know what to say Marinette!”

Marinette grinned, grabbing the pendent and raising her head confidently.

“Mullo! Let’s get Squeaky!”

Everyone watched her transformation amazed, except for Gabriel who glared at the screen turning to look at the Marinette in the room with them. Nathalie glanced at her boss before looking back at the screen.

“Time to get to work!” Muti-Mouse said, running out of the closet and making her way towards the Akuma in the quart yard. Said Akuma looked like a Gargoyle with glowing red eyes and long sharp talons. Every time it hit someone with its talons they turned to stone. Mutli-Mouse watched from a distance before using her rope, wrapping it around one of the talons and yanking back hard, stopping them from swiping at civilians caught in the way. “Now, attacking civilians that's pathetic. But then again everything Hawkmoth does is pathetic so I shouldn’t expect much.” She pulled her rope back grinning as it made the Akuma stumble. Multi-Mouse’s grin grew as the purple outline of a butterfly appeared. She launched herself back performing a backhand spring dodging a swipe.

“Multi-Mouse! You disgusting vermin! You will hand your Miraculous over to me this instant, or I will turn you into a beautiful statue too!” Marinette hummed tapping her chin as she rocked back and forth on her feet almost playfully.

“How about, no.” She said grinning and shaking her hand in a jazz hands fashion. Laughter rang from the building across from her, and the supposed camera on them moved showing Ladybug.

“A different Ladybug? So that means this Ladybug isn’t our own, interesting and look at her costume! Mari isn’t that a cheongsam? It looks amazing!” Alya exclaimed, bouncing in her seat before turning to her bestie for confirmation. Marinette froze as all eyes were on her, she gave them all a shaky smile glancing at her mom before nodding her head.

“Yes it is Alya. It’s very common in China that Ladybug must be really in touch with her heritage! It is very beautiful and if I’m looking correctly, it looks to be made of something similar to Kevlar. The same with her leggings underneath.” Marinette smiled as she took in the heroine of that Universe wondering if she could convince Tikki to change her own outfit to something similar.

This Ladybug wore a red and black spotted Cheongsam with two slits along the side ending at her hips. Giving her plenty of range to move, underneath she had leggings that dipped into red combat boots with black laces. Her mask and yo-yo remained the same but her hair was pulled into a long fishtail braid that ended just past her knee cap.

Though one thought plagued Marinette’s mind as she looked at this Ladybug, who was she?

“I agree with her. You’ll never get our Miraculous!” Ladybug said as she began to spin her yo-yo dropping into a defensive stance.

“My name is Sculptor, and you better remember it because I will be the one taking those earrings from you!” Ladybug smirked as Sculptor launched himself at her. She threw her yo-yo out wrapping it around his outstretched wrist and pulled hard using her foot to pivot. She circled around twice then yanked her yo-yo back sending the Akuma flying towards Multi-Mouse. Who in return wrapped her rope around his waist yanking him to her faster delivering a hard punch to his face causing both to yelp in pain. Multi-Mouse was quick to jump back holding her injured hand to her chest as Sculptor recovered faster than her, nearly catching her with his talons.

“No, no, no!” Alya said fast as she grabbed Marinette’s ankle cementing the fact that her Marinette was with her not facing the Akuma. Marinette reached out grabbing Alya’s hand, squeezing it.

“Breathe Alya, remember that’s not me out there. That’s not me.”

“Ya, not you.” Alya said, keeping her eyes on Marinette’s before turning back to the screen. Marinette let out a relieved sigh before turning to look at her parents giving them a reassuring smile.

“Multi-Mouse!” Ladybug cried out her yo-yo spinning as she got ready to save one of her partners. She stopped herself as Chat Noir dropped down, wrapping an arm around Multi-Mouse’s waist using his baton to launch them to the same rooftop. “Well now we know he is actually made of stone.” Ladybug said as the three hid around the corner. Multi-Mouse gave her an ‘oh really’ look as she tenderly touched her hand. “Let me see.” Ladybug said, taking her hand gently before turning to Chat. “Please distract him for a bit, I need to make sure her fingers aren’t broken.” Chat nodded standing up straight as he twirled his baton.

“On it my Lady, Princess.” He nodded to both before throwing himself back into the Sculptor’s line of sight. Ladybug turned back carefully, touching Multi-Mouse's hand while watching her reactions. After a few moments she stopped nodding with a smile.

“It is hurt but not broken, be careful with it. The Miraculous cure will heal it enough that it’ll bruise slightly. Ready to get back out there?” Ladybug questioned, causing Multi-Mouse to grin. She stood up peaking around the corner watching. Hat dodge Sculptor’s every swipe.

“I am but we need a plan and fast. I believe the Akuma is in his necklace, it looks hand crafted.” Ladybug peeked around the corner, eyes zeroing in on the necklace before both of them pulled back out of sight. “We need to get the necklace off him without being hit with his talons. The question is how?” She turned to Ladybug one hand cupping her chin as she thought. “I think it’s time for you lucky charm. Ladybug spun her yo-yo nodding with a grin.

“I think you’re right, Lucky Charm!” Ladybug cried out groaning when a small statue landed in her arms. “A statue? Really?” Multi-Mouse giggled softly covering her mouth as the two heroines leaned out of their cover again. Ladybug was silent as her eyes shifted from blue to a swirl of red and black, darting back and forth rapidly. “Alright Multi-Mouse, here’s the plan. I am going to leave the statue with you and take over distraction from Chat. You are going to take the statue and make your way to the basketball hoop. Chat will meet you there, give him the statue and tell him to get ready to use Cataclysm. Make sure to stress that he is to not use it on the statue but is going to make Sculptor think he is. I want you to use Multitude and be ready on the flag poles. I am going to hook my yo-yo around both so that you have a platformish surface to get to him. All of you must use your ropes and wrap them around the necklace. Once it is off him Chat will throw the statue to me and use his staff to land on my yo-yo string besides you. He will use cataclysm on the necklace, so either climb on him or cancel Multitude. Understand?” Ladybug said after her eyes returned to her normal blue. Multi-Mouse nodded as she thought the plan through. She grabbed the statue giving Ladybug a bright smile before making her way to the basketball hoop. Ladybug was quick to jump down, taking Chat’s place. “Go to the basketball hoop.” She said and Chat set off for the hoop causing her to smirk. After a few moments Chat’s voice rang out, catching their attention.

“Man I bet this would look cat-astrophic if my hand just grazed it.” He moved his charges up hand towards the statue causing Sculptor to roar in anger. Ladybug uses the moment to wrap around the flag poles grinning as mini Multi-Mouses run across her string rope in hand. Sculptor used his wings to launch himself at Chat, not even noticing when Multi-Mouse ripped the necklace from him.

“Now!” Ladybug cried out bracing herself to catch the statue. Chat grinned, throwing it to her using his staff to propel him to the rope, immediately grabbing the necklace in his powered up hand. Multi-Mouse canceled Multitude wrapping an arm around Chat shoulder. Chat used his staff to get them to the ground as Ladybug pulled her yo-yo back swinging it up to catch the butterfly.

“It’s always amazing to see Ladybug hatch a plan. Even if it isn’t our Ladybug, she is just as amazing as ours is.” Adrien said with practical stars in his eyes, not noticing the slight blush on Marinette’s face, or the snort that left Fu as he looked between the two. “I wonder if we know this other Ladybug? Also it’s so cool that Marinette is a hero in that universe! She’s already out everyday Ladybug, and there she is their literal Multi-Mouse!” Marinette blushed even more not meeting anyone’s eyes and Adrien rambled on. “If only she could be Multi-Mouse in our universe too, she’d be amazing. Her and Ladybug working together I’m sure they’d defeat Hawkmoth in no time.” Alya grinned looking at Marinette, then Adrien decided to join in on the Marinette hype band wagon.

“I know right! Marinette would be the best hero!” Marinette sent Alya a slightly glare as she waved her hands frantically.

“Enough, enough, enough! Let’s-ah-let’s just get back to the...show? Episode??? Universe?? Agh, let’s just call these episodes, this is so confusing.”

“See ya later little butterfly.” She said softly before grabbing the statue. Spinning twice, throwing it into the air after the second spin. Ladybugs spread across the city fixing everything. Ladybug turned to her two partners with a grin on her face as she held out her fist.

“Pound it!” They cried out together soon after Chat’s ring beeped causing him to blanche slightly before giving the two a grin.

“Well my two favorite ladies, that is my que to go. Patrol tonight?” He asked as he pulled Multi-Mouse into a side hug doing the same to Ladybug. The two nodded, voicing their conformation waving as he jumped away.

“Five on both our classes being canceled.” Ladybug said a mischievous look on her face as she gazed down on the shorter hero, who rolled her eyes as the two began leaping across rooftops. “Oh come on Multi, you used to love placing bets with me.” Ladybug pouted as the two landed on the bakeries balcony glancing around before dropping transformation.

“That was when you didn’t try and get me in sucker's bets Bridgette.” Marinette said with a grin as the masks disappeared, she pulled her cousin down through the trap door both landing on her bed with a bounce causing giggles to glow through the room. Soon two Kwami were flying around them tiredly.

“Mari, my pretty pretty Mari. Give. Me. CRACKERS!” The mouse Kwami squeaked out grabbing the front of her bangs tugging, causing the girls and Tikki to giggle.

“Alright alright, Papa probably has food ready for us, Kwami included.” Marinette said, standing up and pulling Bridgette with her.

“Food, food, food!” Bridgette said excitedly, pumping her arms up and down.

“Well, it seems our niece is still as excitable as ever. Oh I miss her.” Sabine said softly leaning against Tom’s side resting her hand on his chest looking at her niece and daughter lovingly. “We should have her spend the summer with us again since she had to leave early last summer.”

The two girls slid down the ladder surprisingly gracefully as they walked to the kitchen teasing and pushing each other.

“Girls…” Sabine said hands on her waist as she eyed the two with a disappointed look. The two simply grinned at her with mischief in their eyes. Sabine’s frown cracked as she walked over to them brushing their hair down. “No training tonight relax I know school has been tough this week. You both did amazing in the fight, Chat as well. Speaking of Chat he has patrol tonight, yes?” Marinette nodded as she sat down at the breakfast table offering Mullo a cracker. “Good good, make sure to leave his box on the balcony for him.” Sabine said, placing the box in the middle of the table.

“I’ll make sure it’s there Auntie, you know he is obsessed with the family pastries.” Bridgette snorted as she bit into a chocolate croissant. She chewed softly waiting till she swallowed to speak again. “Besides thanks to that stupid diet of his, poor kitten isn’t getting the proper amount of calories. Honestly if he followed it he’d be a skeleton!”

“Speaking of my favorite kitty, we have the plan set in motion! Nino, Alya, Chloe, Sabrina, Bridgette, even Jagged Stone, and I all have the proof needed compiled! Sooo Rien is going to start Operation Rebellion!” Sabine hummed amused as she checked on the roast she was making. She shared a look with her niece before looking back at her daughter. “Starting with, unfortunately, his hair, I will miss it’s beautiful sunny blondeness but he will look amazing with bubblegum pink!” Marinette said with a gentle smile, her eyes shining. “I also convinced him to at least wear the cheesy shirts that I make him. After ya know, promising to let him have an actual say in what he wears.” Sabine snorted softly, shaking her head as Marinette gushed on about her Kitty. She turned to Bridgette tapping her wrist as they made eye contact. Bridgette gasped as she stood up quickly looking at the clock.

“Oh no! I’m going to be late if I don’t leave now! I can’t miss practice again! Dimitria will have my head!” Bridgette grabbed her bag running out the door barely giving Tikki time to hide in her pocket. Marinette and Sabine laughed before Marinette went over to the window, opening it and leaning out carefully. She watched Bridgette exit the bakery and start running down the street.

“Have a good practice, Brid!”

“Alright so in this universe Mari’s cousin is Ladybug.” Alya said as she finished typing, placing her phone on Nino’s thigh. “Obviously she’s not our Ladybug as the title screen said. So does that mean someone else related to Marinette is?” Sabine gave Alya a soft slightly pity filled look before turning her gaze back to her daughter. Marinette shoulders were slumped, relief shining in her eyes. Sabine knew why, after all her daughter was never good at keeping secrets from her. Or masking her fighting style and it was her mother who taught her after all.

“Ladybug isn’t someone related to Marinette in our world.” Lila interjected as her confidence slowly came back, if she played her cards right they’d sink even further into her snake pit. “I would know after all, she’s my best friend.” Sabine’s eyes narrowed as she stared at this girl, tightening her grip on Tom’s arm as she realized who it was. Guilt settling in her stomach for not taking her baby girl's side fully in the whole debacle with Rossi and Dramocles.

“Oh I can’t believe we forgot that!” Rose said, looking apologetically at her not moving from her spot against Juleka. “It must be weird for Lila to not see her bestie as Ladybug.” Lila nodded, pulling out crocodile tears as she looked back at the screen showing Marinette’s smiling face. She had to quickly stamp down her anger before wiping her eyes gently.

“I’m more worried about why my friend isn’t Ladybug. After all, she is the only one truly compatible with the Ladybug Miraculous. On top of Marinette’s cousin not being a true holder she is damaging the Miraculous the more she uses it.” Lila sniffled, hiding her face in her hands. Marinette glared down at a corner pillow forcing herself not to say anything, she startled when Luka’s hand intertwined with her and Adrien’s arm wrapped around her shoulder. Her face bright red in slight embarrassment not even noticing the two boys giving each other dirty looks over her head. Gabriel coughed gaining the rooms’ attention before gesturing back to the screen.

“I think we should continue with the next episode…” He said ignoring the few glares he was reviving. Soon the tv was black again, the words appearing once again.

Searching…

Searching...

[twh-news]

‘Loki’ Season One Finale Postmortem: Director & EP Kate Herron On Whether He Who Remains Is Really Immortus | Deadline

Warning: For those who truly haven’t watched the season finale of Loki on Disney+ (which dropped on Wednesday) this interview contains spoilers.

When it comes to the season finales of its highly anticipated Marvel and Star Wars series, Disney typically holds off the shows’ brass from talking for a few days so that there aren’t a flood of spoilers out there. We finally caught up with Loki EP and director Kate Herron this morning, and as we first told you, she won’t be back at the helm for season 2. Here’s her take on what we saw:

We all know that Jonathan Majors is playing Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and fans were quick to point out that Kang is a variant of He Who Remains; Majors’ character in the finale. But is Majors’ character, He Who Remains, really Immortus? Is Majors partially Kang in the season finale?

Kate Herron: Kang is the variant, but he’s also not technically Immortus. It’s a bit like Sylvie, right? She’s a unique character in relation to our story. He Who Remains is in the comics, but the version in our show was very different. He’s closer to Immortus, but he’s a unique character for our story. But Kang is a variant of that character.

He Who Remains says he’s was a 31st Century scientist who discovered the multiuniverses. Is that character connected to Nathaniel Richards of Fantastic Four?

Herron: That I cannot answer. I don’t know their plans. It’s a question for Mr. Feige.

Will we see season 2 before Ant-Man 3 comes out in theaters?

Herron: That I have no idea about. That’s a Kevin Feige question.

Was this always the intended ending for Loki season one: to have He Who Remains as this puppeteer of time? Or were other architects floated at one point, i.e. Tony Stark or Dr. Hank Pym?

Herron: I remember when I started, there was discussion, but honestly, the writers, Kevin Wright our executive producer said He Who Remains was the person they met at the end of time. That was always our North Star we were going for, really for us, the bigger question was would we be allowed to do this. It’s such a big character to be launching. It really informed everything across the TVA, whether they were good or bad. The cut we have of the show is the best cut.

He Who Remains — was he looking to start another multiverse war or was he really of this Willy Wonka mentality ‘Oh, kids, I’m so tired, why don’t you take this whole operation over’?

Herron: My interpretation is that it’s this good and bad thing. I believe him when he says, ‘Wait till you meet my variants’, and you see the fear in his eyes. The TVA has done terrible things, but is it to a good end? Probably. It’s not a good thing that Sylvie kills him and opens up this multiverse, because we’re going to meet these other variants of him. In my head, anyway, I think he’s being genuine in that moment and honest with them. That’s so beautiful in Jonathan’s performance, but wasn’t so key in the character, obviously for the first half, Loki and Sylvie are trying to suss him out, like ‘Can we trust this guy?’, that is inevitably what leads to the unraveling of Sylvie and Loki’s relationship as well.

Can you talk about Jonathan Majors approach to the role? We’re use to seeing him in these heavy, dramatic parts, and here he’s flamboyant and free. Was that always the approach to the character?

Herron: It was really with Jonathan. When we cast him, I was talking to him with the studio about the role, and something that was cool for us all, is that psychologically He Who Remains has been on his own for a very long time. This is someone who has been isolated, but he’s been running this huge thing and it’s a lot of responsibilities. So that was the fun thing was finding that fine line between the extrovert and the introvert of that character and how does he show that he’s been living on his own. That was fun as well: digging into that aspect of the character and it echoed across our production design. Me and Kasra (Farahani) were really excited about the idea that the office was really polished and really pristine. He finished that space because that’s where he spends all his time. Whereas when you get to the other aspects of the sphere, it’s broken down and not maintained because he’s not living in those spaces. I think it was fun little hints like that how shut off from the world this character has become in order to almost maintain the world that he can survive in it.

Are you returning for season 2? Will you be showrunning?

Herron: I’m not returning. I always planned to be just on for this and to be honest, season 2 wasn’t in the — that’s something that just came out and I’m so excited. I’m really happy to watch it as a fan next season, but I just think I’m so proud of what we did here and I’ve given it my all. I’m working on some other stuff yet to be announced.

Will you be involved with another Marvel movie?

Herron: No, I’m just focused on my own stuff at the moment. I love Marvel and I’d love to work with them again, but my outing with Loki is what I’ve done with them.

Can you tease anything about season 2?

Herron: I don’t know anything about it. I feel like we’ve done a lot of amazing groundwork in setting up the TVA and Loki on a whole new journey. Yeah, what will happen? Where is Loki and where will he go?

[faquarlofmycenae]

Faquarl scenes through the years; rated from 1 to 10 (by yours truly, the known stan)

Amulet of Samarkand

The Kitchen Brawl: 9/10

Hey, audience, look, the introduction of a character who would become very important! There’s knives, having conversations in the midst of danger, a hint of that true tentacle-y form, very much here for all of that. We get a nice view of what the Bartquarl relationship is like, that they’ve known each other for quite some time and are thus familiar with the other. Faquarl does end up getting blasted into a wall and after the scene ends got the short end of a nasty punishment, courtesy of Simon Lovelace, but since we don’t see the end of that very unpleasant day, let’s not dwell on it too much.

Freeing Bartimaeus from the Tower of London: 100/10

Perfect from beginning to the end, and so much that Faquarl being set on fire isn’t even on my radar a lot. He basically makes Bart jump through a hoop, yells at him for falling for an illusion and causes a bunch of ravens to vomit or die by essentially flashing them and gets doused in gasoline - solid stuff. There’s also talks of revolution while squatting in a scrub. WRT that girl he wanted to kill: we don’t know whether she just had bad vibes. We just don’t know.

Brief Cameo at Heddleham Hall: 4/10

He just hangs around in the kitchen in his preferred form which, yknow what, I’ll take what I can get. Brief speaking role when he tells Nat to get lost and just reinforces the point that this spirit fucking hates children in general. 

Golem’s Eye

No actual scenes :( there’s a mention but otherwise it’s a 0 on the Faquarl-o-meter, its strong points lie in other areas. During the events of this book he’s also in an off-shore safe hoping Nathaniel dies in a fire or gets devoured by flesh-eating insects or something so it looks poorly for him. 

Ptolemy’s Gate

Meeting Verroq: 1/10

well, we don’t know that this is Faquarl and neither does Bart. He’s also a little too far away for us to hear what he says so as a known Faquarl enthusiast, this is poor stuff, boys. 

The Hopquarl reveal: infinity sign/10

Pack it up, girls and gays, this is what peak performance looks like. The reveal is done so well and truly has you realize that shit is hitting the fan. Faquarl shows up with his new material form, ass shots, titties out, beat face contoured, no pain despite being on Earth and Bartimaeus is shaking in his feathers. Kills a bunch of high-level spirits with the same ease as opening a jar of pickles, has his little monologue, throws Bartimaeus in a silver casserole filled with fish as he smugly states that he was Right All Along in his belief that revolution would be here one day and is on his merry way to overthrow humanity - what a guy. No one does it better than him. I’m in awe and have this scene eternally burned into my mind. This is also where we get a callback to the infamous scrub scene and the good ol’ “in some cultures they kiss, in other they set each other on fire”. And they say romance is dead.

Masquerading as Hopkins and going public: 8/10

Listen, this is the closest I’ll get to a proper interaction between Faquarl and Kitty so her calling him a traitor which in some way had to remind him that he technically betrayed the Other Place does a lot of things to me. He also beats up the Mercenary with his own bare fists which is defo among the Top 10 Funniest Moments In The Bartimaeus Sequence so that does a lot too. We figure out that Faquarl is the true mastermind behind the entire spirit rebellion and that as much as Nouda is leading the whole thing, our interdimensional entity is the one whose truly calling the shots and the brains of the entire operation - and has in fact been doing so even with Makepeace, Hopkins and Lovelace! Ugh, I know spirits don’t have a ‘brain’ but if he had one, it’d be so wrinkly and full of diligent neurons! 

Mass creation of hybrids - 3/10

He doesn’t really do a lot besides picking out names in a book for the magician to summon a spirit into his body. Also gets his ass kicked across the room by Jessica Whitwell (there is definitely a conversation to be had about how Faquarl is prone to getting injured or otherwise taken out).

The final confrontation: 9/10

Hoo boy, this is both a perfect scene but also because of the part where he, y’know, is reduced to his atoms, it’s sad (and still perfect and in a bizarre way a... worthy send-off? Dying on your own terms, that’s what I’m talking about.) The final conversation between them and the eventual realization that you screwed things up for yourself are a fucking gutpunch. Faquarl being speechless for the first time in ever and having an honest true-to-the-bone with Bartimaeus, no doubt the being that has known him for the longest amount of time... it’s just raining on my face. I’m lying in bed and listening to Angel by Sarah McLachlan on some Spotify playlist of Sad Songs. 

Ring of Solomon

Picking up Bartimaeus: 9/10

Well, it in itself is not on the level as the Hopquarl reveal or the Tower scene but 1. this is the first time we see him in YEARS GOD BLESS, the heavenly gates opened and a choir of angels is singing 2. we saw him again after he technically died. Also back when he and Bart didn’t loathe each other so that’s very flavorful. We also find out that Faquarl’s aesthetic is a nice contrast to Bart’s “gotta keep it sleek and sexy at all times” in the way of “purposefully ugly and very proud of it because fuck human beauty standards”.

Plotting in the quarry: 10/10

My Bartquarl-shipping self ascended during that scene. We got a break from the usual strained relationship that is frenemies-who-also-have-a-sort-of-sexual-tension-with-each-other and see them be actual allies. There’s shittalking magicians, agreeing on that your workmates are idiots and chilling together - and let’s not forget mutual recognition coming from Bartimaeus! In the words of Mo’nique, “I would like to see it”.

Saving Bartimaeus: 6.5/10

Short but sweet. Faquarl pops out of nowhere and thus saves Bart from being eaten by one extremely pissed marid. “Don’t tell anyone, I got a reputation to uphold” is Faquarl speech for “you’re more than welcome”. Bickering and the enforcement of the point that yes, Faquarl could effortlessly wipe the floor with Bartimaeus if it ever came to a full-blown fight and Bart wouldn’t swindle his way out of it. 

Fighting the Edomite magicians + meeting Asmira: 7/10

Once again, nice contrast of Bartimaeus’s aesthetic and Faquarl’s. Kills more Utukku than Bart and thus wins the #1 medal for that melée - but also again is wounded. Doesn’t miss a single beat about voicing his desire to simply do as any good spirit would and eat Asmira, which, yeah, let’s not kill our deuteragonist, but also... I get his mindset so let’s gloss over that one. Brief monologue about the Evils Of Humanity and “I hate Earth, it all deserves to burn” which shows that Faquarl has been on his shit for quite a while and I have a lot of respect for that even though by that definition we are all Evils of Humanity. 

Gaining freedom: 5/10

A little short but beggars can’t be choosers. We find out that he has been pestering Bart about not killing Asmira for hours past hours past hours and honestly? That’s so on-brand. Drag his essence. Then he gets freed properly (unlike Bartimaeus) but not before he sees all the nasty things his master has been up to in his torture/sex dungeon. “Faquarl was gone. Faquarl was free.” like an absolute legend. We also get his name before he was Faquarl of Sparta, to which the URL of this very account is referring to. It’s also the last time we see him in the book and we’re only halfway in so :/

But, as we all know, hope dies last and maybe we’ll come across his canon self once again to see and rate more scenes.

[pheedraws]

character study

tagged by the lovely @chuckhansen and @scarlettkat86! thank you both  ❤

tagging @spicevalleys​ @tomexraider @amistrio @starsandskies @tommymillers and anyone else who would like to do it! 

(since I haven’t spoken about the Fallout Duo yet I figured I’d do them...) 

Layer 01: The Outside

Name: Nathaniel Wells (goes by ‘Nate’).

Eye Color: dark brown.

Hair Style/Color: warm black, kept short pre-war due to profession and personal preference; lets it grow longer after leaving the vault. same applies to facial hair. 

Height: 6′1″

Clothing Style: dressed relatively smartly pre-war, wears whatever he can get his hands on nowadays (mainly scavenged armor or leathers suitable for mercenary work).

Best Physical Feature: his smile. 

Layer 02: The Inside

Fears: losing Nora (after they’ve reunited), mirelurks, the glowing sea.

Guilty Pleasures: fancy lad snack cakes, getting on Mag’s nerves, watching the sun rise.

Biggest Pet-peeves: getting stuck training new Operators recruits (thanks, William), dealing with raiders all damn day.

Ambitions For The Future: survive, try to rebuild what they’ve lost, putting an end to the Institute’s bullshit.

Layer 03: Thoughts

First Thought Waking Up: *sigh* another day...

What They Think About Most: how things were before the war, what he’s lost... mostly he stews over what happened to Nora and Shaun; getting knocked out by Kellogg's bullet and frozen for another sixty years left him with a lot of gaps in that particular memory..

What They Think About Right Before Bed: what bullshit am I going to have to deal with tomorrow?

What They Think Their Good Quality Is: his loyalty.

Layer 04: Either Or

Single or Group Dates: while group dates were fun before the war, as he and Nora got more serious they both preferred just simply being with each other. 

To Be Loved or Respected: respected.

Beauty or Brains: brains; kind of the difference between life or death now...

Dogs or Cats: dogs. 

Layer 05: Do They...

Lie: he tries not to; he’s never been a convincing liar.

Believe In Themselves: he has moments of doubt and insecurities, but mercifully most got left behind when the bombs fell. combat is what he’s good at, what he’s used to, so those intrusive thoughts are easier to ignore these days. 

Believe In Love: 100%, he tried to play it cool at first, but the moment he met Nora? he knew.

Want Someone: no one could replace Nora in his eyes. 

Layer 06: Have They...

Been On Stage: yes; he reluctantly got roped into giving a lot of recruitment speeches when in the military.

Done Drugs: recreationally? never. he’ll even avoid using Med-X wherever possible. 

Changed Who They Were To Fit In: before the bombs fell he’d always been quietly confident in himself and who he was, never really feeling the need to put up a facade or fake a personality to get by. post-war? he definitely ups the bravado to fit in with the others at Nuka World. 

Layer 07: What’s Their...

Favorite Color: green (totally not because Nora first hit on him saying his uniform brought out his eyes).

Favorite Animal: dogs.

Favorite Book: Moby Dick. 

Favorite Game: baseball (you would not believe how happy it made him that Fenway survived all-out nuclear war).

Layer 08: Age

Day Their Next Birthday Will Be: march 30.

How Old Will They Be: 239... 

Layer 09: I...

I Love: my wife, my son, my family. 

I Feel: apprehensive about the future; things can’t really get any worse, but will they ever get better? 

I Hide: how lost I feel in this new world sometimes. 

I Miss: my wife, my family, how easy things were before the war... and baseball. 

I Wish: something good comes of all this. 

Layer 01: The Outside

Name: Nora Wells.

Eye Color: dark brown.

Hair Style/Color: dark brown, usually meticulously styled. she still attempts to style it post-war, shortage of hairspray be damned.  

Height: 5′4″

Clothing Style: like Nate, dressed smartly pre-war, favoring trouser suits to skirts. wears whatever she can get her hands on after leaving the vault, though she is still drawn to pre-war aesthetics. 

Best Physical Feature: her eyes. 

Layer 02: The Inside

Fears: not being able to find Shaun, losing Nate again (post-reunion), letting Preston and the Minutemen down.

Guilty Pleasures: hoarding any and all red lipstick she comes across, nuka cola, talking about the good ol’ days with Nick

Biggest Pet-peeves: Travis talking over songs on the radio, no bubble baths, getting stuck in rad storms. 

Ambitions For The Future: find Shaun, stop the Institute, make the commonwealth a better place for settlers.

Layer 03: Thoughts

First Thought Waking Up: sanctuary really needs better mattresses...

What They Think About Most: how she’s going to find Shaun, how much she misses Nate and... before.

What They Think About Right Before Bed: wonder what’s gonna break tomorrow... please don’t let it be the water pump again.

What They Think Their Good Quality Is: her wit.

Layer 04: Either Or

Single or Group Dates: her and Nate had plenty of mutual friends who they loved going out with, but those times where it was just the two of them? those were her favourites.

To Be Loved or Respected: respected.

Beauty or Brains: she’s always believed in a healthy mix of the two.

Dogs or Cats: dogs [Dogmeat loved that] 

Layer 05: Do They...

Lie: she has a way with words, so if a little white lie is going to help their cause or keep someone safe? she has no objection to it. 

Believe In Themselves: Nora seems like a confident person, always has, but inside? she has a lot of doubts, doubly so after the war. she has more people relying on her now than ever before, so she often agonizes over whether she’s doing enough. 

Believe In Love: of course. her and Nate were insufferable saps before the war and nothing could ever weaken that bond, not even death. 

Want Someone: romantically? no. she wants her family back. 

Layer 06: Have They...

Been On Stage: while she hasn’t been on stage outside of presentations and graduations, Nora treated the courtroom like a stage and boy, could she perform...

Done Drugs: she once tried Mentats while studying for high school exams with a friend. they really weren’t worth the yelling she received from her mother afterwards. 

Changed Who They Were To Fit In: she did feel pressures to fit in throughout her youth, whether with friends or at school, and while she never intentionally set out to do so, she did change aspects of her personality depending on who she was with. thankfully no one really cares about appearances these days.

Layer 07: What’s Their

Favorite Color: red (and yes, she does need a lipstick in every shade).

Favorite Animal: foxes.

Favorite Book: The Maltese Falcon.

Favorite Game: blackjack (baseball is a close second).

Layer 08: Age

Day Their Next Birthday Will Be: june 3.

How Old Will They Be: 237. cryogenic stasis does wonders for anti-aging.

Layer 09: I...

I Love: my husband, my son, my family, Dogmeat.

I Feel: out of my depth, worried I’ll never get Shaun back. 

I Hide: how lonely I feel.

I Miss: Nate, my family, hot running water.

I Wish: we can change the commonwealth for the better, and put an end to the institutes reign of terror.

[stitchcasual]

A Running Date

Live on AO3 or click through the cut for the full thing

a real fluffy Fenhawke fic with a wedding meetcute because We Deserve It

"Who's the hot guy with tattoos?"

Marian and Isabela share a look, high five, then Isabela extends a hand toward her new wife.

"Pay up, darling."

Marian grumbles and slaps a bill too crushed and crumpled for Garrett to make out the denomination into Isabela's hand. The look on her face says it wasn't small, however. The two of them are sitting on a slightly raised piece of flooring at the back end of the social hall Marian and Garrett's mother has rented for Marian's wedding reception. They're receiving visitors there, a whole line of people waiting to convey their best wishes to the happy couple on their happy day. Garlands and flowers decorate nearly every piece of available space, and despite the fervor with which Marian had opposed having a high society reception like their mother wanted, she and Isabela are holding court up here like they're royalty.

"You bet on whether or not I'd ask about him?" Garrett asks, unsure whether he should be offended or not.

Marian grins at him. "Of course not, dear brother. I would never do that to my favorite twin. We bet on how long it would take you to ask."

Isabela cackles. Garrett is definitely offended, but he supposes he does have a history of doing this. It's not his fault his sister attracts hot, queer people, though, so he can't be blamed for it.

"Anyway, that's Fenris."

"That's Fenris?"

Fenris and Marian work together, and she's told a few stories about him over the years when she and Garrett get together for drinks. According to her, Fenris is hilarious and intelligent, if a little grumpy and standoffish, and her favorite coworker. Garrett takes another look over at Fenris, standing against a wall with a nearly empty wine glass. Where Garrett is tall and broad, Fenris is average height and narrow; where Garrett is pale skinned and dark haired, Fenris has light brown skin and white hair. He's utterly gorgeous, which is the conclusion Garrett came to after an hour of trying not to stare at him rocking the hell out of that tuxedo during the ceremony. Fenris stood in Isabela's eclectic mix of bridespeople while Garrett performed his duties as his twin sister's best man and thankfully didn't stumble over too much in the course of what he was expected to say.

"Yep. And he is incredibly out of your league, but because you're my brother and I love you so much, take this when you go talk to him." Marian pulls a bottle of wine from behind her chair and somehow manages to hand it over to Garrett despite the scuffle with Isabela that ensues when she sees which bottle it is.

"That's cheating, kitten," Isabela pouts. "We'll have to amend our bet."

Garrett hightails it away from the dias after kissing his sister on the cheek, not wanting to hear exactly what it is she and her troublemaker of a wife bet on this time. He does hear Carver say, "What's his problem?” and then, "Ow!" when Bethany slaps his arm as they step up next to offer their congratulations.

This is still the drinks and hors d'oeuvres hour of the reception, which means everyone's milling around and stretching their legs after the long ceremony and before the long dinner to come. Garrett snags a bottle opener from Bodahn in the kitchen, promising to return it later, and attempts to make as casual a beeline for Fenris as he can. He doesn't want to come on too aggressive, even if he's been hoping for a chance to talk to him since yesterday at the rehearsal dinner.

En route, he's waylaid by Anders and Nathaniel, his exes who had, rather amicably after a year of them all dating each other, decided they'd prefer to be a couple rather than a thruple. That had suited Garrett, eventually, once he'd realized that maybe he wasn't actually ready to date so soon after his father's death. He'd stayed friends with Anders and Nathaniel, though, and has tried dropping more than a few hints over the last few years that the two of them should get married too, but so far they haven't. As long as they're happy, though. Anders and Isabela know each other from some shadowy past encounter, or so Garrett has always liked to believe, and Nathaniel, aside from being from old money himself and thus invited on his own merits thanks to Leandra’s system, goes wherever Anders does.

They let him go when he, after several minutes of polite conversation, explodes quietly that he's trying to go hit on someone thank you very much and if they'd be so kind as to let him get on with that. Or, rather, Nathaniel lets him go and covers Anders's mouth with one hand when Anders tries to say more than, "Him?? Why would you want to—"

Garrett approaches Fenris slowly, within eyeshot (sneaking up behind someone seems like it might make for a bad first impression), and grips and regrips the wine bottle, hoping desperately that it doesn't fall out of his hands, as suddenly sweaty as they seem to be. The murmur of voices around him is simultaneously too loud and too soft, and he doesn't know how to pitch his voice so it carries to Fenris without deafening him. He settles for a wave with his free hand when Fenris's eyes lock onto him during their sweep around the room. Fenris nods in return, brushing soft looking white hair out of his eyes.

Okay so the wave was a mistake. Bad first greeting. Garrett raises his other hand, the one holding the wine bottle, and tries again, adding the smile Marian has told him is dick-worthy. He's pretty sure she means that well. Fenris raises an eyebrow, considers, and gestures to the wall beside him with his wine glass. Garrett takes the hint: he opens the bottle immediately after settling next to Fenris and pours a generous amount into the glass.

And then he realizes he forgot to bring himself a glass too.

"Sorry, uh…Bran," he says, reading the table setting as he purloins the wine glass from the seat closest to him.

He chooses to believe that the look on Fenris’s face is amusement, and raises his newly obtained and filled wine glass in a toast. Fenris taps his glass gently against Garrett’s and sips. His beautiful, holy shit so beautiful, green eyes widen a second later, and he pins Garrett with a searching gaze.

“Where did you get this?” Fenris asks, and his voice is so low and rough and unexpected that Garrett short-circuits. In all her stories, Marian hadn’t mentioned anything about a voice Garrett would be one hundred percent okay with doing absolutely filthy things with. That the voice is attached to someone as handsome as Fenris is a perk.

“Why? Is it good?” he asks, finally drinking himself. “Oh, holy shit, yes, it is.” He takes another sip, expending a considerable amount of willpower to keep from gulping it down. This wine is fantastic.  

“Well,” he says, raising the bottle and peering at the label, “apparently this is the kind of shit rich people give as presents at weddings.”

“I didn’t get one,” Fenris sniffs, and Garrett laughs.

“I didn’t get one either, but the bride…uh, bride number one? Or would she be number two? I think Marian proposed so would that make her number one? Anyway, one of the brides is my twin sister and she let me have it.”

“Your sister must love you a lot to part with a bottle of Aggregio.”

“How did you—”

“I have a discerning palate.”

Fenris closes his eyes as he drinks again, savoring the wine. Garrett tries not to stare, he really, really does, but the way Fenris’s throat works when he swallows and the little sound he makes are entirely too difficult to ignore.

“I’ll have to thank my sister, I guess. You know, eventually. When she’s not swarmed by mobs of fancy-dressed fans.” Garrett loosens his tie, tugging back and forth with a finger until he can undo the top button of his dress shirt as well. His mother will rake him over the coals for this, but right now the comfort and extra air are necessary; the wine and proximity to such an attractive person are attempting to do him in.

“So, you are Marian’s brother.”

The question is less of a question and more of a statement coming from Fenris, and Garrett’s stomach swirls nauseatingly with the wine.

“Technically yes, though Carver’s also her brother, technically. If we’re being specific.”

Fenris rumbles with laughter. Garrett’s pretty sure if he’d been standing any closer to Fenris he would have been able to feel the vibrations of that sound.

“Please tell me she hasn’t been spreading embarrassing stories about me to everyone at work.” He would cover his face with a hand but both are occupied, and so he just hangs his head and only chances looks at Fenris out of the corner of his eyes.

“Horribly scandalous stories, I’m afraid.”

Garrett groans and closes his eyes.

“I have heard about your fifth birthday party three times.”

“Oh, sweet Maker, strike me down now,” Garrett mutters, and now he does gulp at his wine.

“I admit, I find it fascinating that anyone could eat an entire cake without anyone noticing until he throws it all up later onto the rest of the ferris wheel riders.”

“Death would be a mercy I do not deserve, yet humbly beg of you.”

That rumbling laugh again, and Garrett risks an actual glance at Fenris. He’s smiling, the skin around his eyes crinkling in true mirth. It doesn’t sound like Fenris is mean-spirited in his teasing, just amused at the situation. Which Garrett can sometimes laugh at himself, if he’s being honest.

“I am honestly impressed that you managed to get nearly everyone else on the ride.”

And, here’s the unbelievable thing, Fenris really does sound impressed. Not disgusted. Just honestly impressed at a five-year-old Garrett’s ability to projectile vomit cake at an amusement park. That’s a first.

“It’s not my fault they built that ferris wheel with latticed roofs on the cars. They should have known better.”

Fenris barks a laugh. “That is poor design.”

“That’s what I’m saying! It’s also not my fault that mom thought I couldn’t climb up onto that counter; I’d been climbing weird shit since I was born.”

“Do you still?”

That’s a personal question. They’ve taken the turn from funny anecdote into actual conversation, and Garrett borrows courage from the wine, topping off his glass and Fenris’s, before answering. This is going leagues better than he thought it might after talking with Marian and Isabela, and though he’ll credit the wine for the initial breakthrough, the rest is just…happening.

“A little, here and there. I was big into free running for a while until, uh, some stuff happened, and I just never got quite back into it. That and I broke my ankle. Hard to run on one of those.”

‘Some stuff happened’ is Garrett’s usual way of brushing past saying ‘my father’s death really fucked me up’ so people don’t ask too many invasive questions, but Fenris is nodding like he understands. Marian was working with Fenris when their dad died, so it would stand to reason that he might know about it and make the assumption.

“Do you run anymore?”

“Now and then. I need to sign up for a race or something, hard to get motivated otherwise.”

“I understand. Would you… I do not know how far you live from Marian, but she and I are neighbors, sort of. If you wanted a running partner, that is.”

Garrett does not choke on his wine, but it’s a near thing. He’d thought, make some conversation, drink some wine, sit at the same table for dinner, and then call it a night and maybe ask Marian about Fenris after a couple weeks and see if she could arrange a party or something so they could run into each other ‘accidentally’ and then he would gather up his courage and ask Fenris on something that could be called a date if one squinted sideways at it. Things are going so well he almost doesn’t trust them. He refuses to look over at Marian and Isabela, just in case.

“Yeah! Yeah, that’d be great. There’s that little park near her place. I could meet you there? When do you run?”

Between the two of them as they keep conversing, they polish off the bottle of Aggregio before the hour ends and Marian and Isabela are escorted from receiving their guests to their table at the front of the hall for dinner. Garrett and Fenris sit on opposite sides of the table from each other, not able to continue talking, but they sneak a few glances. Garrett sees Isabela pass Marian a folded bill after they catch Garrett and Fenris in one of their looks, and Marian toasts in Garrett’s direction after that. He laughs, happy to see his sister so happy with Isabela (and glad that their first round of betting as a married couple ended in a draw, with one win each). Even his mother readjusting his shirt and tie before the speeches can’t dampen his good mood.

It’s just a running date, but Garrett has a feeling it’s the start to something wonderful.

[officiallallorona]

AOS thoughts 3x08-3x18

the latest in opinions no one asked for

Hunter’s hacker persona when they break into the ATCU is fantastic. Love Daisy feeding him hacker jargon as Mack pretends to be the FBI hotline. Lincoln looks impressed af and honestly me too. The team just doing classic spy hijinks is my fave.

Oof. I KNEW Rosalind and Coulosn wouldn’t end well. I was hoping they’d just have a “sorry it didn’t work out” sitch that ended with her put on a bus. But of course they fridged her. *eyeroll* It’s not as if Team Coulson doesn’t already have 1000 valid reasons to kill Ward.

A taste of DIRECTOR MACK this early? In season 3? Be still my beating heart.

God, these Malick’s stay annoying, don’t they? Although I think Nathaniel will still prove to be the most annoying.

Fitz is so SOFT for Jemma, and it’s really cute. Homeboy’s heart is breaking trying to help her with Will but he’ll just do whatever. Fitzsimmons is still far from being “the draw” for me like they are with most of the fandom, but I do enjoy them.

Kinda sad they killed Will off. He had the makings of being a good character. Now it just seems like he was contrived Fitzsimmons angst that they neutralized immediately.

Omg OF COURSE Hunter tried an Inhuman fish oil pill. That’s one of those little character things just thrown in that I love.

I’ve seen the Spy’s Goodbye in GIF form but I didn’t expect it to hit so hard? I nearly cried! I already miss Bobbi and Hunter so much.

Oooh! Surpise Bethany Joy Lenz! Is Haley James Scott here to fuck shit up?

I have a lot of thoughts about 3x15 in particular because I love this damn episode.

I love Coulson having trouble not calling Daisy “Skye.” The fact that he slipped up for the first time in awhile in this ep when telling her to come home really emphasizes their father/daughter relationship. Skye is the girl he found out in a van and “adopted.” So that’s who he thinks of when she’s going off into a more dangerous than usual situation.

Great job, effects people. Those fleshy skeletons Hive leaves behind genuinely squick me out.

Fitz explains the concept of space-time SO MUCH BETTER than anyone in Endgame did.

May and Andrew have such a beautiful, tragic story. Ming-Na Wen and Blair Underwood’s acting is just top notch.

Oh, Lincoln has indeed grown on me. I no longer find him boring. I still don’t think that he’s Daisy’s soulmate or anything (I think they’re both too similar in letting their emotions get the best of them that they wouldn’t have worked long-term even if he hadn’t died), but I do enjoy them. And they are sweet/helping each other grow even among the chaos.

Fitzsimmons in the “snowy” ashes saying “I think we’re supposed to hold hands now...maybe some things are inevitable” is lovely.

This stuff with Daisy and Charles Hinton is really sweet too, if devastating. He’s just so HAPPY he finally made a difference. And she’s promising to protect his daughter (not unlike the agent who protected baby Daisy). I’m EMOTIONAL.

Damn it. So much for Bethany Lenz fucking shit up. Fridged for Malick. I swear, when they introduced her in the stinger, they were implying that she would be just as formidable as her dad. But nope. Disappointing.

Oh that’s nice that they got the same dude to be young Gideon in S7 as they did in S3.

Eww Malick dying was gross. This show goes pretty hard with gore for a basic cable show.

YoYo and Mack learning each other’s languages. She was practicing “nice to see you again. You’re looking well” specifically for him? GIRL I LOVE?!!!!

Also God, I love Daisy as the leader of the Secret Warriors. The show is NOT going to give me enough of this. I already feel robbed.

Bruh, 3x17 was fantastically suspenseful. Who’s the mole? The Inhumans feeling hunted by SHIELD and trying to regroup. And Dark, Brainwashed Daisy is one of the things I knew was coming, but my jaw still dropped. 

Wow, the team really doesn’t like Lincoln, do they? They’re doing everything to save infected Daisy but Coulson is willing to nuke Lincoln the second he gets infected? I’m glad May calls Coulson out on it. Also, Lincoln saying that he bets they’d like if he died so “you three can go back to being a small, messed up, family.” While I like the emphasis on them being a family (and doing the classic “I don’t like our daughter’s bf”), it seems a little unwarranted. Lincoln’s volatile, but I don’t think he’s any more chaotic than Daisy. And sure, he’s there for his girl and not the cause, but such was the case with Hunter and the only one who gave him shit for that was May. In this case it seems like so many--Coulson, May, Mack--are kinda just dealing with Lincoln for Daisy’s sake and I don’t know that strong of a dislike/distrust is earned.

However, it does make me smile thinking of the future in which everyone is on-board with Daisy/Sousa.

Mack saying “If [Dr. Radcliffe] is the only way to cure Tremors, you know where I stand” when it comes to Fitzsimmons performing unethical surgery. Listen, I know it’s protagonist-guided morality with how the team would flame anyone else for staking so much on one person vs the greater good, but honestly Daisy deserves people who love her that much. Who say “fuck it. You do what it takes to get her back.”

NEEDLE IN THE EYE. I DID NOT NEED THIS. Also omg, it’s Jonathan from The Mummy!

[loyolahcmass]

Homily on Banks by NEEDTOBREATHE

Here is the preview of Fr. Rossi’s homily about the song Banks by NEEDTOBREATHE:

“Banks”

By

NEEDTOBREATHE

 You are beautiful and wild at every turn

Who am I to take control of that

But everybody needs a voice they can follow

When the water and the winds get bad.

 As you probably know, NEEDTOBREATHE is an American Rock band from the back country of South Carolina.

 Brothers William Stanley "Bear" Rinehart III and Nathaniel Bryant "Bo" Rinehart were raised in the tiny town of Possum Kingdom. 

 Isn’t that a great name for a hometown?

__________

 The Rinehart brothers grew up at a church camp that their father, who was a pastor, ran.

 The brothers first performed in front of coffee house audiences at Furman University, a Baptist school, where Bear was attending.

 After graduation, Bear, Bo and Joe Stillwell joined with Seth Bolt, releasing independent albums.

__________

 The name of the band is based on a Greek parable of Socrates related to seeking God.

 Bo Rinehart indicates that it was better than other names that the band had at the time.

 And, more importantly, seeking God was something that was important to all the members of the band.

__________

 The band has been releasing albums consistently since 2001.

 But NEEDTOBREATHE sat down last year to plot their new album and decided to try something different.

__________

 Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the band is pushing the "Out of Body Experience”.

 An out-of-body experience (OBE) is a phenomenon in which a person perceives the world and themselves from a location outside their physical body.

 In other words, the band is trying for “the bigger picture”: a-God’s-eye-view of their lives.

__________

 Putting it in concrete terms, they’re aiming to be more direct, more immediate in their music.

 To achieve this, the group embarked on reflection sessions that self-consciously aimed to help them be more aware of themselves, their lives, and their relationships.

 Their 2020 album 'Out of Body' is the result.

 And it's a stellar turn, one that pushes NEEDTOBREATHE to a higher level.

__________

 The fifth album cut, “Banks,” has become a firm favorite with fans.

 It’s the sound of the group unaffectedly saluting their feminine side.

 An ode to the strong women they love, it now comes equipped with a Chris Phelps directed video, which is very warm and intimate in several ways.

__________

 Twisting the anthemic song into a campfire sing-along, the video is a moment of unity in a year marked by solitary expression thanks to Covid-19.

 “This song is about the women in our lives,” the band shared.

 They are strong, ambitious, patient, caring, and intelligent forces of nature,”. 

 “‘Banks’ is our way of saying we love and support you.

 “And there’s nothing more beautiful than watching you effortlessly become the very thing you were made to be.”

__________

 “I wanna hold you close but never hold you back

Just like the banks to the river.

And if you ever feel like you are not enough

I'll be the banks for your river.”

 Their wives have supported them from the band's early days and in “Banks,” they use several river metaphors to assure them of their love. 

 Like “riverbanks,” when the current gets strong, they'll be there for their partners and hold them, but never hold them back.

 Bear Rinehart explained: "It is a promise and a reminder that whether we are near or miles apart, our love for them grows and strengthens with every day."

__________

 He stresses the fact that through growing up in their father’s church they learned the importance of music.

 And, specifically, the importance of gospel music to the people they love.

 "We learned what gospel was and the fact that it's a lifeline for a family.

__________

 “It's more meaningful than most pop music you come by. 

 Our wives are living this.

 And I think that's something we carry into the track “Banks” as we’re thinking about them." 

__________

 "We think of ourselves as a rock and roll band now, no doubt.

 “But we believe there is some higher meaning in the things that we do, and the relationships were in."

 Think about it. That’s amazing!

 When was the last time you heard a rock band say that?

__________

 “This is a new teaching.”

Gospel of Mark

 In today’s gospel, the people are listening to Jesus and they are also amazed.

 They notice that Jesus’ teaching is always consistent.

 There are no flip-flops, no hypocrisy.

__________

 There’s no divide between his words and his actions. 

 Jesus lives as he teaches.

 And whatever he says and does is a reflection of the love he has for the people in his life.

__________

 The people couldn’t believe it; they’d never seen this before.

 In fact, they had been witnessing just the opposite.

 Their religious and spiritual teachers said one thing but did another.

__________

 That’s what I like about NEEDTOBREATHE.

 They live as they sing.

 And they genuinely love the women in their lives in the same Christ-like way.

 “I'll be the banks for your river.”

[blackevermore]

x I had this idea of a human AU where all my boys went to highschool together. In this it wasn’t really a romance au or anything and I wouldn’t be there it would just be a high school drama about 8 (Not including All Might and Fat Gum) teenagers trying to make it to the next year without dying.

|| Meet the students ||

x William Wonka aka the Gordon Ramsay of cooking club #2 in the school

Age: 17

Really doesn’t understand why he has to let people into the club for it to be a club when him and Alastor are enough.

Once ran over a rock in his brand new car trying to park, was the laughing stock until he had Alastor handle it. 

Has strong gay energy but no one is sure what he is except a very mean fashion disaster. 

Him, Alastor, Nique, and Mettaton are known as the Toxic Four. They are the Heathers and Mean Girls but way better and more functional in friendship.

Has the best teeth anyone as ever seen

With that being said there is a rumor going around that he bits people that disagrees with him. (Alastor started it)

Is really hard on the members in his club because food is a craft

Has a crush on someone close to him but no one knows who but it may be the school’s drug dealer, who knows

x “Miach” Mettaton aka the main star of every event, ever

Age: 16 (1/2)

Boss Ass Bitch is his entrance song every morning.

He has a page in the school newspaper about staying fabulous and how to bring out your inner beauty.

Is the nice on in the Toxic Four

Really loves doing volunteer work with the elementary school 

Has been caught making out with Dominique before a performance but they aren’t together

Doesn’t vib will with William but since he is a friend of a friend whatever

He does make them wear pink on Wednesdays

Don’t tell him secrets he can’t remember not to tell people 

He plays dumb so William feels better but he is Nique’s life coach 

x “Angel” Michelangelo aka the captain of the basketball team and art club ambassador

Age: 16

Soft baby who can’t keep his attention on anything except for his passions

The class clown but the teachers love him

He thinks Beyonce is overrated and would wish Nique didn’t play her everyday

He is gentle until it’s game day then move your fucking asses we got a game to win

Has lead his team to victory every year he has been apart of it

Is apart of the same volunteer team Miach is on and teaches kids the importance of keeping their creativity.

Wants to be a teacher

Him and Bryson are always getting into something but always manage to get out of trouble.

Made best friend jerseys that say “Blue Eye Slutz”

Wants to make his family proud of him since all his brother already went off to college and are doing amazing.

x Kurt Wagner aka the “should have been but isn’t” captain of the gymnastic club and theater kid

Age: 17

Transferred from Germany, took him a bit to adapt to his new school

Keeps getting Nique and Micah confused for each other because of their hair and makeup.

Gave up the title as captain of the gymnastic club because he couldn’t handle the responsibility. But the current captain always ask him for the help.

Really enjoys William’s cakes and is the one that has been stealing them.

Is the third wheel of Bryson and Angel and is just happy they let him hang out with them.

He loves getting the villian parts in the school plays bc he gets the best customs. 

Has the best dance moves and everyone loves when he dances at functions.

Talks shit a lot of the time, but since no one but Alastor and Nique knows German he gets away with it.

He can be found in the library most of them time.

x “Bryson” Bumblebee aka the second in command of the basketball team and Angel’s best friend and member of the mechanics club

Age: 16

Is the class clown and the teachers do not love him.

is very artistic but doesn’t really express it because he wants Angel to be in the spotlight.

Will fix your car.....for a fee

Will hide your weed....for a fee

Will do a lot of shady mechanic shit......for a fee

American Sweetheart of the year award goes to Bryson

Is apart of a rugby  team called “Autobots”

When Angel is busy with the art club Bryson takes over the bball team (which is a lot lately)

Is secretly crushing over Kurt and Angel but keeps it to himself because he loves his friendship more than anything else.

x Dominique Dalmatia aka head director of the drama/theatre club also head stylist for all school functions

Age: 17

No one has a nick, everyone is “darling” “baby” “sweetie” “doll”

Will change his clothes during the day, legit packs another outfit in the morning before heading to school

Is the richest kid in the school but no one cares

He drives a new care every week, he picks up Mettaton sometimes and they always roll in with style

Plays his music very loud

Always talks about his besties from another school and has a bad habit of comparing his new friends to them

Will come up to you in the middle of the hall to crew you out about wearing conflicting fabrics

But he is the nicest out of the Toxic Four and will help anyone and everyone

Is the cry baby of the group

Once had a break down over crewing because he didn’t want to keep crewing but had to

It wasn’t William that bit someone, it was Nique and Alastor knows

x Nathaniel Abcott aka the member of the culture and heritage club also the school drug dealer, #1 in the school and hated by William

Age: 18

Is very big on everyone respect other people’s cultures

Is the smartest in the room but you would have no idea because he is high off his ass and asleep all the time

Has an amazing singing voice and can play guitar, he is the kid that sits under the tree at lunch

Ladies man, Mens man, he doesn’t care come to daddy. The respected school hoe

Asks William to cook for him all the time and always gets rejected but not without making the younger boy blush

Doesn’t get along with Mettaton or Nique

He drives a motorcycle to school and like the dork he is, imagines himself as a greaser. He even has the comb switchblade.

Is a momma boy at heart and will make up an excuse of having to help his mother to get out of things. 

His mom shows up to every event ever and she’s the school’s mom

Him and Bryson are weed buddies for life.

x Alastor Hazbin aka Wonka’s right and left hand man in the cooking club and director of the school newspaper and announcements

Age: 18

Nothing gets past him, the hallways are his ears, he knows everything about anyone and will blackmail the fuck out of you

Don’t touch him don’t touch him DON’T TOUCH HIM

His parents drive him to school everyday and he kisses his mother goodbye everyday

Thinks Williams sweet treats suck, not because they do but because he doesn’t like sweets.

Has put alcohol in William food to make the student body wasted as fuck so he could get a laugh out of it. 

If you pay him he will travel to the rival schools and get the dirt on them and punish it in the school newspapers.

Computer geek and knows the ins and out of firewalls, proxies, vsps, tracking etc etc. He was the one that found out the two of the teachers were changing grades of student they didn’t like. 

He runs this shit from the shadows, you think William is the brains wait till you get a taste of Al

Really enjoys his friends but if need be it for his own safety he will destroy them one by one.

Used to date Miach, was an agreeable breakup and never told anyone. Sometimes it slips up when Miach does something caring for Al but everyone brushes it off.

[melodyalanaroster]

Days: Alana’s Side

The day Nathaniel left was hard for Alana. She knew he would be safe and that the Paladins would take care of things... But she didn’t want him to leave. She wanted him to stay with her. She had gone to the War Room to begin watching over the Purification when JARVIS messaged her. “Lady Melody, you have a visitor.” it said. She took no time in getting to Death’s Domain to see Severina standing before her. “MELS!” Severina cheered as she hugged her. “Rini! I’m guessing Sam called you.” Alana sighed. “Yeah, but only because YOU’RE too stubborn to do it yourself. So, I’m staying with you until this is over!” Severina replied. Alana smiled. “Thank’s Sam.” she thought. 

★

The following day was a busy one. She had to meet with Officer Eric and notify him of Nathaniel’s involvement with the R.D.R. It didn’t take long for him to get the gist of what had been going on. He attempted to interrogate her, but she shot him down at every turn. “I am not one of your criminals, officer. If you value your way of life, you’d do your best to keep that in mind when speaking to me.” she stated. Of course, he apologized, but it was too late. She stood up, and looked at him with conviction. “I’m gonna make this as simple as possible. All you need to know about Nathaniel Jacott and his Cartel Case is that he is under MY protection, and the Cartel is being eliminated. ANYONE who gets in my way will suffer and die.” Her voice was solemn, and the right lens of her glasses activated, turning black with the blue pupil. As she left the Police Station, Severina waited for her in the lobby. “Come on Rini.” Alana growled. Severina raised an eyebrow. “That must have gone well.” She sighed, sarcastically as she began following her friend. Alana sighed as she walked in the direction of the Black Tower. “The sooner I get out of this fucking armor and into something I can be lazy in, the better.”

★

The following school day, Alana desperately wanted to skip class, but Severina had other plans. “Melody Alana Roster, you are not skipping class! I won’t allow it!” Severina demanded. “But Rini! I, literally, don’t have to go to any of my classes.... I can just finish out if I so choose...” Alana whined. “No! You’re so close to actively finishing! You’re GOING to class today!” Severina commanded. “FINE!” Alana huffed.

When they got to the Art Building, Severina kept gasping in awe at the beauty of the facility. “Hey Alana!” a voice called from the auditorium door. “Chani! You’re here early.” Alana remarked. “I could say the same thing about you.” Chani smiled. Alana made quick work of introducing Severina to Chani. “It’s so nice to meet Mels’ newest friend!” Severina beamed. “Alana has said nothing but good things about you, and I can see she was right.” Chani commented. “Alright guys, we’re here early because I’ve gotta tell Zaidi about Rini’s presence in his classes while she’s here. I’m sure Melody is in there with him, so we’ll have to deal with that...” Alana sighed. “I don’t know what’s up between you and Melody, but seriously... Is it that bad?” Chani inquired. Severina looked at Alana. “Just to make sure, this is that same Melody that you and Sam knew in High School, right?” Severina asked. “YUP.” Alana replied. “I know what’s up. Heck, Sam is still proud of what happened.” Severina sighed as they began walking into the auditorium.

“I’ll save our seats.” Chani said as she found a set of three seats and sat down. Severina and Alana walked to the front of the auditorium and stood near Rayan and Melody. “Just as I thought, the little parasite is glued to his side.” Alana thought. “Well, well, well... It’s not every day you appear early to class.” Melody smirked. Alana turned to Rayan. “Good morning, Zaidi. This is my best friend, Severina Mekina. During her time in town, she will be joining me in class.” Alana greeted and introduced. Rayan turned to Severina. “It’s a pleasure to meet you miss Mekina.” He smiled. “The pleasure is mine.” Severina blushed. “Rini, we both know that Melody’s reputation precedes her.” Alana snickered. Severina turned to Melody. “Yes it does. Both Mels and Sam have told me quite a bit about you. It’s nice to make your acquaintance.” Severina did her best to hide her amusement as she went to shake Melody’s hand. “Hopefully all good.” Melody clenched her teeth. “Well, that depends on your definition of good.” Severina winked.

★

It didn’t take long for a day to come where Castiel and Priya got a hold of Alana. “Can we talk?” Castiel asked as he grabbed Alana’s arm. Severina gasped and stepped back. “It’s okay, Rini. I was expecting this.” Alana announced as she looked at Severina. She turned to Castiel and Priya. “Let’s go somewhere private. It would serve no one well if we did this in the park.” She stated.

As the door to Castiel’s apartment closed behind them, Alana immediately sat down on the couch. “I know full well what this is about.” She stated. “Tell us everything.” Priya requested as she and Castiel stood before her. “Mels, are you sure you want them to know?” Severina asked as she sat down next to Alana. “Amber and Nathaniel have gone “missing”, there are rumors floating around that R.D.R members are killing drug dealers, you have come into town and refuse to leave my side, and I am not the least bit worried. Anyone with any remote form of intuition would be able to tell that something is up. I’m just surprised that they didn’t come to me sooner.” Alana acknowledged. She turned to Priya and Castiel. “Firstly, why didn’t you come to me about this the other day when I first introduced you two to Severina?” She asked. Castiel and Priya turned to each other and remained speechless. “Well then.... Now, let’s get to business.” She began. Castiel and Priya remained quiet as she explained what had transpired over the past week. “THAT IDIOT!” Castiel hissed. “So, now, you’re cleaning up his mess.” Priya stated. “You could say that.” Alana replied. “But, why?” Priya asked. “My one true goal in this world is to live happily and freely with Nathaniel. I brought shame and pain to Azrael when she got in my way... Do you think I’m above doing that to anyone else who presents themselves to be an obstacle?” Alana looked at Priya very seriously, the right lens of her glasses becoming dark. “But Alana, their blood is on your hands...” Priya began. “No, it’s not. The Red Death was waiting on my word to authorize a process that we were already planning on performing. The point of that was to get Nathaniel out of the line of fire. I did. So now the process has begun.” Alana clarified. “But, you’re not directly involved.” Castiel pondered. “The Paladins are extremely loyal to me, and most of the Cartel haven’t realized that Nathaniel’s Girlfriend happens to be the Grim Reaper.... So, a certain part of my role in this is to draw them out. As of today, at least three members of the Cartel have tried to assassinate me... However, the Paladins black bagged them before they could get to me. I will be directly involved when the Kingpin’s time to die comes.” Alana leaned back and let her lens clear as she spoke. Severina looked at Alana, shocked. “Wait, when were these assassination attempts?” She asked. “Whenever we went down those alleyways the past few days. I did that on purpose. I knew they’d come after me and that I could protect you... So, I didn’t tell you. It was a part of the strategy that Derek, the Paladins, and I came up with that day I had to go into the War Room. The Red Death expressed concern that if I had told you from the beginning, you would have given the plan away... So, I was ordered not to tell you.” Alana conceded. “Oh...” Severina looked down. Alana put her hand on Severina’s shoulder. “Look, we all know I hate keeping things from you and Viktor... But when the Red Death orders me to do something, I will do it. He’s earned my loyalty.” She sighed. “Then, why are you telling me, now?” Severina asked. “I have a strong feeling that Purification will be over soon... If not within the next week or two... So, I don’t feel bad for breaking protocol this time.” Alana replied. “What do you mean you “will be directly involved when the Kingpin’s time do die comes”?” Priya asked. Alana raised an eyebrow. “It is my job as the Judge to present the Kingpin with the knowledge of their crimes... The Paladins, Executioners and Crown Jewels to pay witness to as the Jury.... And Derek to act as the Executioner and end their life. No matter the criminal organization, we have a certain amount of decorum when it comes to ending a Kingpin. It’s like Death himself showing up to reap wizards in Discworld, rather than sending one of his minions. It’s one of the many things that has earned us respect within the realms of the underworld.”

After more explanations, Alana and Severina left Castiel’s apartment. “Do you think they’ve lost respect for you after that?” Severina asked. “They might have... But Castiel and Priya have no reason to completely shut me out after this. Castiel has known for about a year what lengths I’m willing to go to to obtain my ultimate goal. Priya understands that, while I may keep things from her, I will never lie to those I keep closest to me. She is well aware of the fact that she and Castiel fall into my inner circle. While she doesn’t like my actions, she will respect my decisions, simply because she knows what I’ve become, and understands that I have had to perform much more difficult acts.” Alana explained as they began walking. “So, what do you want to do now?” Severina asked. “I’d really like to play some Kingdom Hearts Three...” Alana sighed as they began walking back to the tower.

★ 

One day arrived that became quite peculiar. “Hey, Mels?” “Yes, Rini?” “We need to go to the Business District. Apparently my father wants to have a meeting with Viktor, his father and me.” “Am I invited to this soiree? I know how your father feels about me.” “Yes, Mels. I want you there.” Severina’s eyes looked desperate. “Alright.” Alana sighed.

“Would you like a drink, Melody?” Achille Mekina asked as he and Alana stood alone in the meeting room of one of the city’s lesser skyscrapers. Alana looked over Achille’s shoulder and noticed something odd. “No thanks. I’m not thirsty.” She replied as Achille made drinks for the other members of their party. Alana could tell which drinks were meant for Viktor and his father, took a vial out of her pocket and made quick work of pouring its contents into one of the drinks. “Crap, I don’t have enough for all of them.” She thought as the door opened and Severina, Viktor and his father entered the room. “Sorry to leave you two alone like that, Viktor and I had something to discuss before we could all meet.” Severina announced. Edgard Chevalier looked at Alana, his eyes filling with remorse. Alana gave Edgard a dark look that said “Whatever you want to say, I don’t wish to hear it.”. “It’s fine. It was simply quiet.” Alana did her best to fake a smile. Achille began handing everyone drinks. “I’m glad to see us all in the same room again. It’s been tough here with Edgard in the hospital and Viktor traveling.” He smiled. “Melody, did you get my messages?” Viktor quietly asked Alana as he stood next to her. “Yes. I’m aware of the situation. Don’t worry, it will be resolved today. I promise.” Alana quickly whispered.

“A toast! To Edgard’s restored health!” Achille smiled as everyone raised their glasses. Alana drew a flask from her jacket and raised it. Achille began watching Edgard and Viktor, sharply as they began to drink. “Oh, dear!” Alana slightly yelped as she tripped and fell into Viktor, causing his drink to spill. “Melody!” Viktor cried as he caught her. “Mels! Are you alright?” Severina asked, concerned. “Yes, I’m fine. My legs tried to give out on me. I’m still not sleeping well these days.” Alana explained as she looked at Viktor and Severina weakly. Achille looked at Alana, one of his eyebrows raised. “Perhaps you should have stayed home and rested today.” He suggested. Alana put her hand on the table for support and looked at Achille. “Don’t be daft, Viktor and Severina want me here, so I am.” She stated.

Suddenly, the doors burst open. “Achille Mekina, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Edgard and Viktor Chevalier, fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion!” The head officer accused. Following the officers came Severina’s mother. “Verity! What’s all this?!” Achille demanded. “There’s an entire file of your transgressions! Not to mention the disgraceful amount of security footage of you poisoning Viktor and Edgard!” Verity Mekina proclaimed. “This is preposterous! How could you obtain any of that?!” Achille questioned. Alana began to laugh. “I guess you shouldn’t have left your computer in such a vulnerable position.” She sneered. Achille looked at her, rage and shock flooding his face. “This is no surprise considering Viktor’s and Edgard’s ailments have only shown up in recent years! Hell, you were the one who convinced Edgard to not pay Viktor’s ransom!” Verity exclaimed. Severina looked at her father. “YOU DID WHAT?!” She yelled. “Granted, it worked out in the end... All things considered.” Alana remarked. “That’s when my father became desperate. He knew something was wrong. He knew he needed Melody’s help... But when he went to you for advice, you’re the one who influenced him to slander the Roster family!” Viktor scolded. Alana looked at Edgard, annoyed. “That still doesn’t excuse him for everything he did.” She stated. “I honestly wish you were having an affair, that wouldn’t be as embarrassing as this! But, on the bright side, I get to divorce you anyway.” Verity retorted. “You’ll be left penniless! You need me! You and Severina do!” Achille seethed. “Excuse me? You really think I’ll be penniless? I suppose that’s the greatest thing about you committing your crimes... You’ve ignored me for the most part and I’ve managed to get myself in a position where, not only will Severina and I be taken care of, but I got myself a lawyer who is only too happy to financially bitch slap you back to the stone age. Your name will be dragged through the mud, your title and fortune stripped from you, and Severina and I will be revered as the women who managed to survive you. You attempted to keep us in servitude when Cosima died and you separated us from our other friends... But that didn’t stop us! We have our careers, our friends, and now, we’ll have our freedom!” Verity’s voice tried to waver, but she did her best to keep it steady. The police officers grabbed Achille and put his hands behind his back. He did his best to fight back before his eyes fell on Alana. “It’s best if you don’t. I’ve authorized them to use maximum force and prejudice if you do.” She smirked. Achille’s eyes widened as shock flooded him even more. “I should have ended your family when I had the chance!” He yelled. “You’re going away for a long time.” The arresting officer announced as he cuffed Achille and took him away.

Edgard looked at the remaining people in the room. “I’m gonna take my leave. Now that that’s all sorted, I think it’s time I actually begin repenting for all that I’ve done. Starting with providing Melody and her family with the distance they require.” He sighed as he walked out. Verity turned to Alana. “Thank you Melody. We couldn’t have done this without you.” She smiled. “No problem. I’m just glad you didn’t request this to be a R.D.R issue...” Alana sighed. “I would never do that. Achille and Edgard may want your organization’s favor, but I side with your family on that matter.” Verity’s face became a bit serious. Alana looked down. “Azrael shattered you so that she could build you back up to fit her design. If it weren’t for the Red Death, you’d be a shell of what you once were.” Viktor stated. “The family still wants to exact their wrath upon Azrael for what she’s done... But, these days, she’s been attempting to distance herself from me as best she can.” Alana sighed. “She’s not allowed to do that... Isn’t she?” Severina inquired. “Ever since that incident where I fainted, fell from a telephone pole, and Nathaniel pulled a switchblade on her to protect me... She’s left me to answer to the Red Death. I’m still a crown jewel, but she’s finally got the hint that her meddling isn’t necessary or desired.” Alana explained. Verity looked at Alana and sighed. “Come on kids. Let’s get out of here.”

★

Days continued to pass. Viktor left the city with his father to aid Verity in ensuring that Achille got what he deserved. Severina maintained her position at Alana’s side, and Alana continued to watch the War Room. It had become mundane. Each day, she posted to social media to ensure that Nathaniel would know that she was okay, without talking to him directly. It was obvious to everyone that she wanted to be with him... That her desire for everything to be over and done with had begun to reach a critical mass. She did her best to hide it, but as the days went on, she began to check the War Room more. “She’s tired of waiting.” Severina commented. “I know, but we’re still rooting out the Cartel.” Derek sighed. “When will you be ready to end the Kingpin?” Severina asked. “From the looks of it, soon. Maybe within the next week, if we’re lucky.” Derek replied. Severina sighed. “I truly hope you are lucky. Because, I don’t know how much longer Mels can wait.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is a bit of what Alana does during her separation from Nathaniel during “Purification”.

This actually covers several things I’ve wanted to cover in separate blurbs... But, it felt best to put them all in one....

As the manga never states Viktor’s and Severina’s mothers’ names, I went ahead and named them myself... Viktor’s mother’s name being Cosima Chevalier and Severina’s mother’s name being Verity Mekina.

Credit for Nathaniel’s jacket goes to @rowenna-887

Credit for Severina’s base, top and skirt goes to FNAFfanart67 on DeviantArt

[deborahkaya]

Metanoia, radical change, rearrange

From self-loathing to self-loving

Out of the wreckage, with new direction

Abandon the path of self-destruction

Transforming, transform from a no to a yes

Transforming, transform from your worst to your best

Metanoia, metanoia

The following preview is of chapter IV of TIMELESS KEEPERS, the newly published third volume of our quantum fiction/magic realism quintet, THE TAMMABUKKU CHRONICLES.

https://www.amazon.com/Timeless-Keepers-Tammabukku-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B07YRTNCJ7/

Mitchell can’t wait to see Serge, so after lunch, we head to the pasture. On the way, we run into Cory, with whom Mitchell forged a friendship. “You don’t look like the same guy I met a year-and-a-half ago!” Cory says, giving Mitchell a pat on the back. “I sure hope you’ll be hanging around a while.”

“I don’t want to leave,” Mitchell replies, “but I have personal things to take care of back in Australia.”

Cory nods, knowing he’s alluding to Naiyana. “I see good things ahead, Mitch. I think the bad stuff’s behind you.”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence, Cory. Bad behavior is behind me if I make that choice, and I have. After decades in the monkey-house, I’m where I belong.”

Yasmin is nursing Serge by the fence when we reach the pasture. “What a beauty!” Mitchell declares. “He looks like both of his parents. Raketa sure has good taste in mares!” His eyes then scan the expanse of the pasture. “I don’t remember that chestnut horse.”

“That’s Jericho’s horse, Otis, a Cleveland Bay. An older Cleveland mare will be coming next month so Gran can go riding with Jericho.”

“Your grandmother and Jericho live in the new cottage out back, right?”

I nod. “I’ll introduce you to them in a bit. Wait until you see the large pond we put in.”

“I can’t wait to see it! So how’s Tom? Is he still with Melanie?”

“No, but the relationship lasted longer than I thought it would. Tom’s in love with his best friend, but neither of them is ready for it. You remember Abigail, don’t you?”

“Who could forget her? Nice girl, and very pretty, too. She’s the great-granddaughter of Nathaniel’s best friend.”

“Ambrose de Ripariis.”

“Ambrose... That face of his is hard to forget. Abigail looks a little like him. How was Tom’s first year at the University of Bath?”

“He’s majoring in psychology with the intention of specializing in parapsychology.”

“Parapsychology will certainly come in handy at Beak’s End.”

I fake chagrin. “Are you implying that we have ghosts?”

He laughs. “Beak’s End is loaded with them, but I must say they’ve all been hospitable to me. And some of them went over and above the call of duty. Speaking of Nathaniel, have you seen him lately?”

“Not lately, but we saw a lot of him last November during the ‘Mrs. Graeber’ nightmare.”

“So what happened with old iron Graeber?”

“She was a fraud, a liar and a thief, and those were her better qualities. Nothing she told us was true. Her name wasn’t even Brenda Graeber, it was Elestren, and her references turned out to be fakes. She was supposed to be a girlhood friend of Angela Sykes, but Elestren was using the identity and image of the real Brenda Graeber who died in a car crash in 1997.”

“Get the fuck outta here!” Mitchell cries. “How the hell was Angela fooled?”

“Elestren is very powerful and it had been decades since Brenda and Angela saw each other. Angela thought her fun-loving friend had changed dramatically since her younger days. Lia and I were not fond of her, but we kept her because she was a great housekeeper. She was fired for devising a nefarious plot to get Lia and me out of Beak’s End and take control. Martin told us many of the details.”

“Holy goddamn shit! I knew she was a bitch but I had no idea she was that wicked. And she had the audacity to make me feel like dirt because of my frigging problems! It’s a good thing I was in jail when all this was going on otherwise assault would be added to my charges. When it comes to you and Lia, all bets are off. Get rid of you and Lia and control Beak’s End? Did she really think she’d get away with such a scheme, and that Gerald and Theresa would just sit around and let it happen?"

“Elestren has a dark power, that’s for sure. Nathaniel’s spirit sensed trouble and returned. Lia and I were trapped in 1901, but when we came back we confronted her with Nathaniel. Of course, she played the victim. If they gave Oscars for such performances, she’d be a shoo-in. Before storming off the property she put a curse on me using a good luck keychain given to me by my friend Ffion. Don’t worry, the most powerful protection ritual was done, and that protection extends to every one of us and the entire estate.”

“Fuck!” he exclaims. “Nathaniel doesn’t miss a thing, does he?”

“No, and we’re eternally grateful. Let it suffice to say that Nathaniel is not fond of Elestren. They’ve locked horns in the past, and she lost that time as well.”

Mitchell laughs. “Nathaniel Ley is one guy whose shit list you sure as hell don’t want to be on.”

“Tell me about it! I was on that list when I first moved into the farmhouse in 2012. Let’s just say it wasn’t an easy period for me.”

“The man who helped me to see my own truth has a great heart, but I can feel that other side when I look at his pictures.” Not wanting to go any further, he changes the subject. “So how are you, David? I can see there’s something troubling you."

“It’s connected to my career. Some people are trying to tarnish my name and destroy my reputation.”

“I remember you telling me about that hot singer who looks like Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. I forgot her name.”

I have to laugh at the Elvira description. “Cressida Holdsworth is one of the biggest thorns in my side. For some reason, she’s obsessed with me, and no matter how much I reject her, she won’t take no for an answer.”

“You got one helluva great woman—you don’t need Elvira.”

“I keep trying to get that message into Cressida’s thick head.”

“Don’t let it get to you, David. I may not be as good at this psychic business as you and Lia, but I know you’ll come out of this alright.”

“I appreciate that, Mitchell. Three weeks ago, I was in such a state that I blew a Rolling Stone cover story interview and briefly considered canceling the second half of Oblivion’s world tour. I was ashamed of myself for even thinking about it. Many people had already bought their tickets.”

“What happened with Rolling Stone?”

“Let it suffice to say that I was not myself. A few days later, I apologized to the journalist, explaining that I was cracking under the pressure. He understood, knowing I was having a meltdown, and told me that when he left that day he was very concerned. We finished the interview the following week and had some good laughs. It was cool of him to keep what happened, between us. The interview comes out next month. It’s my first solo cover.”

“I’m grabbing a copy as soon as it hits the newsstands.”

Raketa runs over to the fence, looking hard at Mitchell. “Seems like he remembers you.”

Mitchell stretches his arm out. Raketa moves closer but hesitates. “He’s warming up a bit. Last year, he wouldn’t let me anywhere near him.”

“He is the alpha stallion in the stable and he’s still wild, but he’s working out some of his trust issues.”

Mitchell guffaws. “I can relate to that. So what do you say we saddle up the horses and go for a ride?”

[narrows-nights]

Mythos

At the center of the known universe, there rests a supermassive black hole, towards which all matter is slowly drawn inwards, until it explodes outwards, resulting in an entirely new universe. This fact is integral to the big bang theory, the foundation of human understanding of how the universe is made. The qualities of black holes, whether the garden variety or supermassive variant, are mostly theoretical; no light can escape, and presumably any living matter entering one would be crushed beyond all hope of survival, thanks to the immense gravitational pull.

There was something else in the nucleus of the universe, far more horrible and unknown, hidden from prying eyes.

The entertainment in Azathoth's Court never changed. The Gods and their servants danced and undulated madly to the tunes of whining flutes, and accursed drums, playing out random beats unfit for anything with ears, and anything with a mind comparable or understandable to that of men. Azathoth himself, a being the size of a galaxy all his own, was the chief among Gods, singularly the most powerful being ever conceived; in his power, his mind was comparable to something like a sea slug, or a pebble upon a driveway, unthinking and unfeeling, simply existing and jawing mindlessly to the music. From Azathoth, other beings, things known as Gods, were created in fission: Shub Niggurath and Yog Sothoth were the first sentient beings born into chaotic existence, the first to have thought, and want.

“I wish to look outwards.”

Shub Niggurath was the first to grow restless. Yog Sothoth was intelligent, but easily entertained; he concerned himself with the baser delights of existence, music and movement, rather than anything more sophisticated.

“And why do you wish this, o mighty Shub Niggurath?”

“I tire of these flutes.”

“And of the drums?” “I tire of those, too.”

“Why do you tire of them?”

“Because they never change. They are the same, and I wish for something different.”

“But outwards is vast, and fragile.”

“I am unconcerned with its fragility, o infinite Yog Sothoth.”

“Then it will be destroyed by your gaze.”

“Then we will find a way to avoid this fate.”

With no option left, Yog Sothoth and Shub Niggurath appealed to Azathoth’s empty mind, and pooled together their power, creating a remedy, able to walk among mortals and report what it saw to its creators.

It would be named Nyarlathotep.

Nyarlathotep, unlike Shub Niggurath and Yog Sothoth, was created with purpose; he was to serve as the messenger, the mouthpiece and the soul, of the growing Court. In his beginnings, Nyarlathotep was just as abstract and bizarre as his creators, but in his interactions with these beings, these burgeoning civilizations, he formed personality, and morality. Unlike those who had created him, he not only thought, but learned.

As the only equals who could consider themselves as such, Yog Sothoth and Shub Niggurath entered what would be described in eldritch tomes as a relationship, but in reality was more akin to violent fusion and separation, two beings testing their very existence, and their differences, against one another.

“I do not wish for you to be banished, o infinite Yog Sothoth.”

“It is unavoidable. Our Sultan does not approve.”

“I do not care what he approves of.”

“Nor do I. He is afraid of me.”

“It is possible.”

“He would be right to be. Even banishment from this material existence will amount to naught.”

“It will amount to me missing you.”

“You are my sister. We will always be connected.”

“You are my brother. We will always be connected.”

Unknown to both Shub Niggurath and Yog Sothoth, a remnant of their union would remain, a gestating form hurtling through space with no home, until it crashed upon an unremarkable rock in a far corner of the cosmos.

It would be named Cthulhu.

The Court grew further, with continued experimentation and fission; Nyarlathotep had spawn of his own, a being associated with a peculiar yellow sign known as Hastur, and many lesser Gods that could barely think, or communicate, simply gravitating towards the center of all things, the nuclear gathering known as Azathoth's Court. Happenings on other worlds, the course of other races, were toyed with and effected profoundly by the whims of this Court, and yet the outcomes would rarely be known, the wants forgotten just as quickly for new desires. Initially filled with childlike glee at his duty, and his freedom, Nyarlathotep became bitter and jaded in the face of such unchanging chaos. Cursed with intelligence, with man-like mind and desires of his own, Nyarlathotep would never be free from the nonsensical whims and forgetful minds of his creators, and found himself cursing Azathoth himself, filled with hate and spite at the chief of his progenitors.

Nyarlathotep was not alone, but in his unhappiness, he would not know it for aeons to come.

The word of Nyarlathotep, and the denizens of the Court, resulted in myriad cults springing up across the universe, unable to be counted or differentiated in their heretical beliefs. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same, until humanity grew, and became more cosmically aware than many other races. Earth had previously been home to several other races, The Great Race of Yith, the Flying Polyps, the Elder Things, and even Cthulhu himself had left their marks long before the first human left his cave on two feet; although humanity had no knowledge of what had come before, they stood on the shoulders of giants, and as such, glimpsed sights they were not meant to see.

Nyarlathotep was the first to take a fascination, in humanity. In all the races in the universe, he felt that they were the most like him, and yet infuriatingly inferior; he was smarter, more cunning, infinitely more powerful than anything the humans could count among their ranks, and yet he communicated with them with such ease. A morbid discovery was made, as an Egyptian Pharaoh named Akhenaten, swathed in gold robes and surrounded by followers, allowed his instincts to guide his hand in the creation of profane symbols, and self sacrifice; his humanity was given to Nyarlathotep, in exchange for power, and although he received life and wealth everlasting in return, Nyarlathotep himself found himself receiving the greater prize.

When glimpsing the form of God, even with their greatest efforts to appear mortal, it was almost inevitable to go entirely mad; the human mind, the limited form, was not meant to grasp such immaterial sights, glimpse such biology and color that did not exist in their world. In seizing the nebulous, abstract attribute that was humanity, Nyarlathotep assumed a human form, a swarthy, handsome man in rich clothing. This was a form humans could grasp, with ease, and with it Nyarlathotep's influence could grow; with this, his possibilities to poke and prod the course of human development increased infinitely.

Toni Eugene Magboh traded his humanity for so many sins Nyarlathotep could scarcely keep count; a man of lust, gluttony, greed, he became a deformed shapeshifter known as a Boogieman. Once a British soldier, fighting with the loyalists in America, Toni E. Magboh would live the rest of his existence in abject hedonism, only ever seeking ways to keep his wealth flowing, surrounding himself with beautiful women and delicious foods.

Nathaniel Mack traded his humanity for his life, dying in a trench, most of his face removed courtesy of a German grenade, in the Great War. He became unkillable, but did not heal from his wounds, eventually losing any ability to speak, or feel, spending his days as a mercenary, knowing no other talent.

Clarence Rigby traded his humanity for the same, a starving Irish immigrant lying in the streets of New York, taken in by the promises of a dusky man with the devil's tongue. Rigby found his body occupied, as Nyarlathotep wished; rather than creating a new form, from the traded humanity, he would take Rigby's body as needed, forcing him into a life of servitude everlasting.

Geiman Boothe traded his humanity for freedom, arrested for a myriad of child killings. A simple, ugly creature, Geiman became even uglier, becoming the second Boogieman, able to continue his killing spree everlasting, and gorging himself on the fear of the children he preyed upon.

From each sprite of humanity Nyarlathotep gained, he had a new form to walk amongst men, something material and conceivable, malleable and bursting with potential. Each form moved independant, a new iteration of Nyarlathotep to fulfil his own wants, his own desires, but his actions were noticed by the Court. Yog Sothoth, existing outside of time and space, began to manifest on occasion, a triad of glowing orbs that would appear to weak and desperate women, leaving them with wealth, and abominable child in their womb. Rituals were performed, invoking the name of Shub Niggurath, successfully tearing her from the Court of Azathoth and demanding she stand before curious humans, leaving them with her own lesser spawn, shed like skin cells, massive tree-like creatures that knew nothing other than hunting, and devouring. Hastur himself walked among men, gaining his own sources of humanity, observing and assessing the seemingly insignificant race for his own ends.

"I wish to walk among them."

Nyarlathotep was taken aback. He feigned surprise, but raged with jealousy; humanity belonged to him, and him alone. What gave the Court the right to take away one of his few sources of entertainment?

"And why do you wish this, o mighty Shub Niggurath, Mother of a Thousand Young?"

"Do not play to my ego, Crawling Chaos. They fascinate me."

"And why do they fascinate you, my Mother?"

"They rise above their station, even knowing the cost. Time and time again, they approach flame, and are burned, and yet they try again."

"They're hilariously stupid, aren't they?"

"I wish to walk among them. I wish to understand this... determination they possess."

Nyarlathotep stirred, and twisted with unease. Introducing such an immensely powerful being to such a fragile planet would surely result in its destruction, something Nyarlathotep had fantasized about doing with his own hands, in his own way. This course of action would surely get every living thing on the planet's face blown away, like dust from an old keepsake.

"This is because your old sibling, The Gate and the Key, has been spawning with human women, isn't it?"

"You irritate me, Messenger. You irritate me profoundly."

"You could attempt to touch their minds. Your progeny, the mighty Cthulhu, sleeps, and dreams in the minds of humans. In his reach, he even creates Star Spawn from-"

"This induces madness, of the immensely violent sort. When the Gods reach out, we rarely find suitable minds to sow our seeds."

"And what makes you think I'll find you a suitable vessel?"

"You will make one."

"And how would I-"

"Once again, you insult me. I am aware of how you hoard humanity, and create vessels from such a thing. Create one for me. A pure human, with no knowledge of the greater cosmos."

"Why would you want such... ignorance? Such idiocy? The average human is no better off than Azathoth. They cannot grasp what I am, let alone what you are."

"I wish to understand them, and I can only do so with the mind of a human. I wish to be born, and to grow."

"You really won't like it. It's dreadfully slow, and very ugly. Not to mention all the mess."

"Cease your speaking. It is an undesirable trait that you insist upon keeping. Allow me to be born, a small fragment of my mind, and when that vessel dies, I will understand the whole of human creation.

With no option left, Nyarlathotep abided this wish, placing an indescribably small fraction of Shub Niggurath on Earth, with a source of humanity, to be born.

She would be named Samantha.

[catty-words]

this was supposed to be for the 3.08 timehop, but i’ve sat on it long enough now that it’s gonna be post-canon headcanons:

about a month into his new life, nathaniel starts to feel the pangs of homesickness

he briefly considers calling his father, but he dismisses the thought on the grounds that it’d probably only make him feel worse

so he checks the mountaintop facebook page, looking for tidbits on how things are going there without actually having to contact any of the weirdos and alert them to the fact that he kinda misses them

when that doesn’t work, nathaniel’s mind wanders to rebecca

he supposes there’s no harm in reaching out to see how the cases at the county jail are going – he is genuinely interested, after all – but every text he composes feels too demanding. the wounds are too fresh and the situation too complicated

which is what leads him to sitting down and writing out a letter - the formality of it feels safer somehow

it doesn’t hurt that imagining rebecca’s excitement over having a pen pal makes him smile

and when he receives a four-page response outlining all the goings on in west covina, he feels vindicated

sometimes a full month goes by without word from her, sometimes only a week, but it feels good to have that piece of west covina with him when everything else is so new

when she mentions she’s planning to premier her music at an open mic on that coming valentine’s day, it feels like their timing, for once, couldn’t be better -- around the same time, the sanctuary is supposed to have completed their big expansion

that is to say, it’s the perfect time for a break

so he reaches out to darryl, who is over the moon about having him stay in the guest room for the duration of his visit

nathaniel decides not to tell rebecca he’s back, he wants to surprise her instead

she’s never been one to cooperate, though, so of course they run into each in the grocery store

when she sees him, her eyes go comically wide and she does a cartoon-worthy double take

“i’m sorry,” she says, approaching him, “but you look like a scruffier, tanner clone of my friend nathaniel, who is absolutely in guatemala right now and couldn’t possibly be standing in front of me.”

he’s about to explain when she smacks him on the shoulder and flashes him the biggest grin - no explanation necessary - “dude, i can’t believe you’re in town for my performance! where are you staying?”

when she finds out he’s grocery shopping in the middle of the afternoon to avoid darryl’s kids getting home from school, she offers her child-free couch as an alternative

that’s how nathaniel ends up staying with rebecca and her uninformed but gracious roommate

even though they’ve been keeping in touch, they stay up practically all night talking about rebetzel’s and mountaintop. about the difficulties in learning something new—a different type of law for him and a couple new skills for rebecca

it’s nearly three in the morning before nathaniel nudges her and asks, “are you going to play me something or do i have to beg?”

“you’re gonna hear it in like a day,” she says. “i want it to be a surprise.”

“so play me something incomplete, something you’re not going to play at the open mic.”

which is how he ends up sprawled out on rebecca’s couch, watching as she sits at her keyboard, closes her eyes, and centers herself

it’s the most beautiful she’s ever been, he thinks to himself

and then she starts singing about feelings that never quite go away and it’s rough and a little uncertain, but he hears her knack for this plainly in the music that manages to be achingly sweet and cautious all the same

moments later, aj comes stomping out of his room “i’m going to smear peanut better between the keys again if you don’t shut the hell up!”

they giggle like kids after the bedroom door is slammed closed again

turns out rebecca’s polished work is even more touching than her off-the-cuff stuff, but nathaniel hangs back after her performance as her girl mob gathers around her to gush

she ends up seeking him out later into the night, after a couple hours of celebratory drink rounds and watching her work the room, glowing with pride

she grabs his hands in hers when she approaches and looks him dead in the eye, “nathaniel, it means so much to me that you came all this way for me.”

he suddenly feels too flustered to congratulate her the way he’d been meaning to

“and i know you’re leaving soon,” she continues, “but i’ve had an amazing time with you these past few days. i was wondering if you wanna go out to dinner tomorrow night.”

“are you drunk?” he asks, teasing because he doesn’t know how he’ll deal if he takes this seriously and it turns out she isn’t

“no,” she says, but then amends, “well, yes, a little. but even when i wake up tomorrow, i’ll still want to go on a date with you.”

he squeezes her hands. “so we’ll talk tomorrow morning then.”

“great,” she says. “it’s a pre-date.”

it takes quite a bit of willpower not to kiss her then and there

breakfast the next morning is tense in the flirtily unsure kind of way

at one point, rebecca hands off the carton of orange juice and their hands brush, causing both of their heads to snap up in attention

after a moment, they burst into laughter

“so tonight,” rebecca says at the same time nathaniel starts to say, “do you still want to…,” which of course brings about more laughter

“i’m for it,” aj interjects cheerfully. “as long as the plans involve you two leaving, ideally for the whole night”

rebecca already has afternoon plans with the gurls at heather’s place, so they agree that nathaniel should pick her up from there

he makes the reservations at pepper & oil, but as they sit across from each other – rebecca in her bright, colorful sundress and sunburned shoulders from spending the day out in heather’s hot tub – it really hits him how much they’ve both been through since the first time they were in the restaurant together

and thinking about it makes him blurt, “i have a contract with the animal sanctuary that i’d like to finish out.”

she seems to understand the abruptness and his chosen topic more than he does, reaching across the table to take his hand, and waits for him to continue

“…but i’ve never stopped thinking of this place as home. i want to return sooner rather than later.”

from there, the conversation rolls on naturally – they’re careful not to make any plans or promise too much, but nathaniel finds his mind trailing often to what he might do next…who he might do it with

after the bill is paid, rebecca asks to see his phone. “i want to show you something,” she says, passing it back after entering an address into his gps

something turns out to be a small campsite along a mountain hiking trail

while they sit on the ridge overlooking the valley, she explains that heather and valencia made her go once and, even though she didn’t like it, she ended up bringing every one of his letters up there to read because “wilderness or whatever.”

“so you can, y’know, picture me better next time you write to me.”

“that was never a problem,” he tells her, even though he appreciates the insight

they do, in fact, have sex under the stars

but only because nathaniel refuses to do it in his rental car – “i know how messy things get when you’re especially horny” – and rebecca’d promised aj they wouldn’t come back until midnight at the earliest

which is why they end up killing a bit of time riding around town while rebecca asks question after question about nathaniel’s high school theater experiences

she leads him into her bedroom when they get back to her house – “since we both have to be up early to get you to the airport,” she says. “it’s only practical.”

of course, rebecca doesn’t get up with her alarm, and he almost misses his flight

still, he spares the time for a sweet, if brief and hurried, kiss before rushing off to make it through security

about a week and a half after he’s back in guatemala, he receives a letter

inside is a printed screenshot of airline tickets

it’s a short trip she’s planned for herself, but still. nathaniel lets free the hope that’d been building since they’d spotted each other in that grocery store