#just started tonight i’ve got Theories

[cuubism]

Rock Paper Scissors

Dreamling | Pre-Slash | 5.7k | AO3

Dream suddenly gripped the lapels of Hob's jacket with a startling fervor, arms stretched across the tabletop. His gaze bore into Hob's. "I beg, allow me to represent you instead." "Now what kind of man would I be if I let others fight my battles?" Hob said, prying his fingers off before his endless grip tore through the fabric. "Hard as it may be to believe, I'm actually not a bad hand at chess. Don't worry about me." "I do not find that hard to believe. However, as I have said, this is not chess. It is an intimate and punishing battle of minds." "Alright, so it's like Go Fish."

Hob gets challenged to a duel. Too bad his opponent has it out for Dream, and has no intention of playing fair.

--

the first fic I ever started writing for Dreamling a year and a half ago, then forgot about! 😂 then randomly decided to finish.

--

“ROBERT GADLING,” yelled an individual Hob had never met before in his life, “I hereby challenge you to a duel!”

Hob squinted at him. Said individual was standing across the darkened street, dressed strangely in a white tunic flecked with gold. Then again, Hob’s barometer for strange was a bit different than what was normal, so who was he to say, really.

“What?” he said.

Suddenly this person was much closer to him. Hob flinched back, but couldn’t move much, close as he was to the pub door. “We have business,” hissed his pale-suited challenger. It was a masculine figure, blond hair swished to one side, eyes like fire. 

Hob wasn’t impressed. He’d seen worse. Better, too.

“Listen, mate,” he said, “I don’t really have time for this. I’ve already got something on the books tonight. Come back tomorrow.”

He started to walk through the doorway, but the… creature?—he didn’t think it was human—grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “We have business,” it repeated.

Hob tried to shake off its hand, but its grip was like hot iron. It seared through his jacket and burned his skin. 

“What business?” he snapped. “I’m certain we’ve never met before, and my memory is actually pretty good, long as it is.”

The creature smiled, more like a baring of teeth. “You have courted those who have harmed me—and my ilk.”

“Not clearing it up at all.”

There was a sound like the swishing of a thousand ghosts, and then Dream was beside him.

Dream. How strange, still, to have a name, a history—well, sort of—to put to the face he’d circled back to over and over again for all these years. The name cut his friend into sharp relief—Hob’s shadow, finally united with the being who cast it. 

Where the pale stranger burned white-hot, Dream emanated cold. Hob had always found his friend’s cold aura strangely comforting. It didn’t feel dangerous and biting like the winter wind. Instead, it was the cold of lake water when one dove deep enough, a subtle and quiet draw to the otherworldly. 

Well. Usually it didn’t feel dangerous. Right now, it felt positively hypothermic.

Dream’s presence chilled the air until the stranger was forced to yank his hand away from Hob’s arm, shaking it out with a hiss. Hob’s breath fogged the air in front of his face, never mind that it was summer.

“Phaethon,” Dream hissed on one long, cold breath. “You are not wanted here.”

Phaethon pulled himself up haughtily. “I can go as I please. Night, or no night.”

“You may test that theory if you wish.”

Phaethon faltered, just a bit, before recovering himself. “I am here only to deliver a message. I challenge you, Robert Gadling, to a duel.” His blazing eyes flickered over to Hob, then back to Dream. “I did not believe you were one to violate the old rules of challenge, Lord of Dreams.” 

He bowed slightly. It felt mocking, which rankled Hob, who’d otherwise been keeping his cool. 

“Are you going to explain what this is about?” he said, for the third time. “I don’t appreciate being accused of things I haven’t done.”

Instead of answering, Phaethon said, “I’ve uncovered your history. There’s quite a lot of it, isn’t there? I wager it could make quite a bit of trouble for you, having all of that information turned over to certain parties. Human authorities. Occultists. Vampire hunters, they’ll love you–”

“I’m not a vampire,” Hob snapped.

“Doesn’t matter. Point is, we can do that, or, you can choose to face me directly.”

“What do you seek to gain from the challenge?” demanded Dream. He seemed to know more about what was going on here than Hob, which wasn’t comforting. Hob didn’t particularly want to get drawn into some kind of immortal creature game with obscure rules he’d end up tripping over.

Phaethon’s grin emerged one tooth at a time. “I want… your dreams.”

Hob probably should have been more troubled by this. Instead, he just frowned in confusion. “Not sure that’s in your power, mate. You’re aware who you’re talking to?”

He didn’t need to gesture to Dream looming over his shoulder.

“If you agree to the terms,” said Phaethon, a hiss like lava dripping over stone, “then the magic will bind us.” 

Dream didn’t contradict him, but his anger cooled the air until Hob felt like he was standing atop a glacier.

“I think I’ll pass,” Hob told Phaethon. “Feel free to try to reveal me. I’m good at disappearing.” 

He turned to go—

“Lord Morpheus.” Phaethon turned the beam of his gaze on him, sunlight ricocheting off ice. “Will you stand in his stead?”

Hob grit his teeth and, against his better judgment, turned back around. “Don’t bring him into this. Look, if I win your challenge, what do I get in return?”

“You may request whatever you like,” said Dream. “Such are the terms of the agreement.”

“Fine. If I win, then I want this: you never speak to or of me again. That means no threatening me, no using me to threaten anyone else, no telling anyone about me—nothing. Got it?” God, Hob just wanted to go inside and have a beer.

Phaethon gave him a little bow. “Fair enough. I accept the terms of this challenge.” 

Dream seemed aggravated; a trickle of energy, like black lightning, scurried up the back of his neck and disappeared into his hair. But he didn’t intervene.

Hob and Phaethon shook on it. Then Phaethon retreated into the shadows again, calling, “Tomorrow at midnight, Robert Gadling. I will see you then.” Then his eyes blinked out and he was gone.

Hob shuddered. Good riddance. He rather preferred his eldritch creature to that one, thanks very much.

“What was that?” he said.

Dream’s presence was warming again by small degrees. The atmosphere was now more like an industrial freezer than Antarctica. “A minor demigod.”

“Oh, minor. Alright then.” 

“They are occupied by petty troubles,” said Dream.

Hob looked at him out of the corner of his eye, but elected not to comment. 

“Come on,” he said instead, leading the way back toward the pub. “We’re supposed to be having an easy night of it, dammit!” He wasn’t about to let some minor demigod ruin his night. He never knew how many of them he would get with his friend.

Dream’s gaze lingered on the spot where Phaethon had disappeared, but eventually, like the sweeping of a long coat tail, he followed.

---

"So, a duel," Hob remarked as they sat down across from each other in the pub booth. "I admit, I haven't dueled anyone in a few centuries, but I can't imagine it'll be—”

"It is not what you are thinking of," Dream interrupted. He had folded himself into the booth seat like a stick insect trying to cram itself in a jar. It was an absurd image, the long black coat, the spindly arms on the tabletop. "It is not a fight of the physical form. It is a battle of the mind and will."

"You're going to have to elaborate."

"In such a challenge—” Dream began, but was interrupted by the arrival of a waitress, there to take their order.

"So, what can I get for you chaps?" she said brightly.

The idea of Dream being a chap was so hilarious Hob had to stifle a laugh. Yeah, maybe he wasn't taking the whole duel thing seriously enough. Oh well.

Hob ordered a beer and a plate of chips. When Dream showed no sign of speaking, he ordered for him, too.

“You can order whatever you like,” Hob told him, when the waitress had gone. “It is my pub and all.”

Dream picked up the laminated menu gingerly. It wobbled in his hands. He looked down at it with a flat expression.

Hob realized belatedly that he probably didn’t know what to order. How much had pub food changed since— God, 1910 or so? And it wasn’t like his friend would have had much time to peruse menus since, what with all he’d been up to.

“Just try the chips,” Hob said, taking the menu away from him. “We’ll see how far that gets you.” 

"I have no need of human food," Dream said, folding his hands back on the table.

“Sure, and I technically don’t need my left leg, either, but I do rather like having it.”

“You say strange things,” Dream murmured. “As I was telling you. In such a challenge—” 

The waitress returned with their drinks. Dream glowered at her. Hob thanked her brightly.

"So, you were saying?" he said, sipping his beer. "In such a challenge…?"

"In such a challenge—”

The waitress arrived again with their chips. Dream slammed his hands on the table, shaking the chips in their basket and making the waitress jump. 

"Sorry," Hob apologized, "we've had a bit of a day." Wasn't it always.

"In such a challenge," Dream continued when she had gone, in a tone that suggested he would not be stopped this time, "one must suggest a mind-form, which one's opponent will attempt to surmount and defeat. Then you attempt to defeat their new form, and so on until one challenger is victorious. It is… a predictive game, of sorts. If one can predict what one's opponent’s moves might be, one can choose forms to foil them. This can easily become complicated."

"So, it's like chess," Hob summarized.

Dream stiffened, lips pressing into an offended line. "It is not so simple as chess."

"Checkers?"

"It will not help you to think of it so." Dream took a chip and bit into it in irritation. "You just— oh." He stared at the chip. "These are quite pleasant."

"Can never go wrong with a good chip," said Hob, then furrowed his brows. "Haven't you had them in dreams before or something?"

"Presumably. It has been at least a century." 

Ah, yeah. That. "Well, they're frying them in veg oil instead of lard nowadays anyway. Kind of a different experience." 

Dream stared at him as if Hob made no sense whatsoever.

"Anyway," Hob continued, "am I even going to be able to create these mind-forms? I'm not exactly an otherworldly being." 

"The power is in you, though it may be more challenging to harness. And easier to let slip from your grasp. It is imagination, after all. Humans are good at imagination, though perhaps not so good at holding onto it."

"Hmm." Hob munched on a chip. "Okay. I'll work on my imagination." After seven hundred years or so of life, it was possibly a tool that needed some sharpening. 

"I admit it offends me greatly that Phaethon would presume to ask a human to fight in this way," said Dream. He suddenly gripped the lapels of Hob's jacket with a startling fervor, arms stretched across the tabletop. His gaze bore into Hob's. "I beg, allow me to represent you instead."

"Now what kind of man would I be if I let others fight my battles?" Hob said, prying his fingers off before his endless grip tore through the fabric. "Hard as it may be to believe, I'm actually not a bad hand at chess. Don't worry about me."

"I do not find that hard to believe. However, as I have said, this is not chess. It is an intimate and punishing battle of minds."

"Alright, so it's like Go Fish."

"Do not joke," Dream growled. Actually, he never truly growled. It was more like his voice dropped into a lower register than usual. Which was saying something. Hob interpreted it as a growl, though. "Do not joke when your existence is at stake. Your immortality cannot protect you from this." 

"Are you saying I'd be unmade if I lost?" Hob asked. It was a concerning thought, to say the least. It had been a long time since he'd had to concern himself with his own mortality.

Dream’s tongue ran over his lower lip. "Potentially. The terms of the fight do not state so, but I do not know how such a duel will affect a human. The strain of it may simply tear you to shreds. It nearly drained me, the last time I fought."

"Wait, you had a fight like this? Recently?"

Dream tilted his head, gaze paling in confusion. "I told you that I went to Hell to retrieve my helm." 

"Yeah, but you didn't tell me you had to mind-battle– who'd you mind-battle anyway?"

"The demon chose Lucifer Morningstar as his representative." Dream’s lip curled in distaste. "Hence, the near loss."

Hob looked at him in concern. "Are you alright, though?"

"Of course I am all right." He spoke it as two words, like the phrase had never before graced his tongue. Hob wanted to let out a long-suffering sigh, but managed to restrain himself. "I am Dream of the Endless."

"Mmhmm. Yep. Okay."

"You do not have to worry about me," Dream said stiffly, parroting Hob's words from before.

Hob thought that was evidently untrue, but decided not to mention the century of imprisonment or the multiple near-death experiences— could he die? Maybe it was more like multiple near-misses with eternal agony— since then. To preserve the relative peace of the moment. 

"So how'd you beat the devil, then?" he asked.

"I had everything to lose. Lucifer had nothing to lose, and only a paltry amusement to gain."

Was that an answer? Hob wasn't sure. 

"Okay," he said. "Well, I do have all of my dreams to lose, apparently. Plenty of incentive to win."

Ice crystallized along the rim of Dream’s glass, spreading from where his fingers pressed. “You speak as if you think I would ever allow this to happen.”

Hob raised an eyebrow. “I thought the magic was binding?”

“Only by honor.”

“And so… what would happen if you violated that honor?”

The words trickled out of Dream reluctantly. “One’s word would not be trusted again.”

“Right. Exactly. I can’t let you do that, love. There’s a whole eternity of words needing to be trusted after this.” It was tempting, honestly, to let his more powerful friend step in and handle this—especially as Hob still hadn’t gleaned what the hell he’d even done to piss off Phaethon—but ultimately, it wouldn’t be right. He’d never used Dream as a clean-up tool for any of his problems in the past, and he wasn’t about to start just because he now knew he was the Lord of Dreams.

Dream’s expression darkened further. He truly was capable of embodying shadow when he was annoyed; Hob didn’t know how he hadn’t figured out the extent of his supernaturalness sooner, honestly. “You would not let.”

“Hey. Come on. I’ve solved plenty of my own problems, haven’t I? Have a little faith.” Hob kind of wanted to pat his hand, but wasn’t sure it was a good idea. “You don’t think I can win a duel against this Phaethon guy?” 

Dream seemed uncertain about it, and Hob couldn’t help but feel a little offended. Sure, he wasn’t a supernatural entity, but Hob had gotten himself out of a fair number of scrapes, and without the help of any Endless, thanks very much! 

“His rancor disturbs me,” Dream said at last. “I do not know what you have done to offend him.”

“Nor I. Never met the guy.”

Dream seemed lost in contemplation. Hob let him, and kept eating the chips.

Eventually, Dream said, “Even if this loss did come to pass… you would always have a place in the Dreaming.”

Hob’s breathing stuttered. “With you?” he said, sounding much smaller than he’d expected. It was… an ill-considered response, to say the least. 

Dream shifted in his seat. “I am the Dreaming,” he said. “It is part of me, and I it.”

“I see,” said Hob. But the thought kept turning within him.

---

No more was said on the matter until their beers were drunk and their chips polished off and they were strolling out the door of the pub. 

As they crossed the threshold, Hob was struck by a realization. He slapped Dream on the breast of his coat, stopping him in his tracks.

"I'm an idiot! Of course it's not like chess. It's metaphysical rock-paper-scissors!"

"Are you intoxicated?" Dream asked wearily.

"Nope. Just happy to have my old friend around again."

Dream’s form, unbreakable as the darkness between stars, stuttered. Behind him, his shadow wavered.

Then he swept away, leaving Hob to catch up. 

---

They met again on the field of battle, so to speak.

Phaethon was there before them, melodramatic in his white-and-gold cape. Not as melodramatic as Dream, though, whose eyeliner seemed darker than usual, somehow, and whose cloak swept all the way to the ground, pooling more like liquid than fabric. He was very displeased about these events, Hob could tell.

Hob shook Phaethon’s hand formally. Once again, the touch burned him, but he resisted the urge to shake his hand out in pain. Then they stood across from each other. Hob wished he had a sword, but that was not this game.

"As the challenged party, you commence the duel," Dream told him, standing not far from Hob’s side as Phaethon paced before them, grinning. "You may choose your form and begin."

Hob had thought long and hard about how he would start. He didn't want to go too big, else the fight escalate beyond his control. Obviously, he didn't want to pick something weak either.

What was out there that had tormented mankind, sowing destruction, breeding fear and illness and death, while barely reaching higher than an ankle? 

Hob had lived through it. The choice was obvious.

"I am a plague rat," he started, and saw Dream’s eyebrows twitch. Impressed. Ha! "Hiding in shadows. Letting sickness into our food, homes, blood."

He saw the rats in his mind. Scurrying through tunnels, climbing into grain stores, unaware of what they carried. A seething mass of tails and slick fur and beady eyes, churning, churning, churning. 

Phaethon curled in on himself, limbs creaking, boils popping on his skin and pus leaking from his eyes. Hob flinched at the reminder of those times. Horrible, horrible times.

Mentally, Hob prepared for the counterattack. Paper beats rock. What beats rat? Dog beats rat. Cat beats rat. Famine, extermination fumes, plague doctors, modern medicine—

"I," Phaethon ground out, through the contortions of his body, "am a flood."

Oof. Good one.

"A swelling, raging river, decimating any town in my path. Washing rats down to their deaths." 

A phantom wave smacked Hob in the face and hurled him to the ground. It crashed over him, gallons and gallons of water, surging up his nose, into his eyes, down his throat. He choked on it. He drowned in it. Debris in the floodwaters bruised him till he felt like a branch spinning out in the current, rather than a human.

Then. He managed to take in a breath.

He staggered to his feet.

Dream was standing a step closer, like he'd lurched forward, but he forced himself back into stillness.

"I," Hob said on a gasping breath, pushing wet hair out of his eyes, "am a drought." Phaethon had taken it to another level? Fine. Hob would go scorched earth. "Whisking away all your water. Turning everything into dust."

Phaethon choked, throat suddenly dry. His eyes went bloodshot. His skin flaked and peeled, his lips bled. He clutched at his stomach as it heaved for water.

He could go rain again, Hob thought. Or ice age. Asteroid. Biblical flood—does that count if he already did a regular flood?

"I am famine," said Phaethon, when he'd recovered himself, though he was still rasping. "I wither crops without water. I starve everything that walks."

Hob's stomach caved in on itself. He fell to his knees, retching nothing but bile. His mind flashed back to his decades on the streets, so long without food he'd thought his stomach would start eating itself—and then it had. 

His arms shook. His body felt thin and liable to crack. 

"I," he croaked, still on all fours, "am an oasis. Rising from the desert, real, not a mirage. Offering reprieve." 

Too late, he realized this might restore his opponent. 

But instead, Phaethon creased and cracked, like he was the famine, persecuted by salvation. He clasped his stomach as if it was overfull; water poured from his mouth.

Water filled Hob's mouth, too, but it restored him. He climbed back to his feet.

Dream was definitely closer now. He wasn't imagining it. Still, he didn't intervene.

Phaethon was visibly weakened, but still he said, "I am selfishness. Infighting over limited resources. Society destroying its oasis."

Hob's limbs were torn in opposite directions. He yelled, but the invisible hands on him didn't let up, yanking at him like he was the final piece of food before everlasting deprivation. He pulled at them, but it was no use.

One of his shoulders dislocated with a loud pop, and he bit down on his tongue so as not to scream. Blood exploded in his mouth.

"I am generosity!" he yelled, blood dripping over his lips. "I am brother sharing with brother. Stranger sharing with stranger."

Dream was looking at him now like he didn't know what to make of him. Phaethon, too, was staring at him, but with a look of disgust. 

"High-minded idealist, are you?" he sneered. "What the hell is generosity going to—”

His expression broke in half. His hands shook; he picked at his nail beds until they peeled and started bleeding. His lip wavered and his eyes beaded with tears.

Hob didn't know what was happening to him.

"Shame," Dream breathed from behind him. "So clever, Hob."

Hob hadn't actually known what generosity would do, but he appreciated the compliment nonetheless.

"I," croaked Phaethon, through tears, "am memory. History and anger curdled to a resentment which no generosity can overcome."

He felt Dream’s eyes on him, as he no doubt feared the anger, the resentment he so believed that Hob held over his absence would surge forth again. But it did not, for Hob had never been angry with Dream. Angry with himself, yes, and that he felt acutely, along with the fear and hurt of Dream walking away, the stewing guilt of it.

Memory held more than anger. Mostly, for Hob, it held grief. Grief for his friend who'd been imprisoned for so long, while Hob went about his life, imagining him lonely, isolated perhaps, but never knowing the truth. Grief for himself, too, for he knew that to always blame himself for Dream’s behavior had also been unfair. 

Tears slipped from his eyes. He looked over at Dream, who was still watching him warily.

Memory had far too many facets for Phaethon to use it as an effective weapon.

"I am forgiveness," Hob said, closing his eyes against a fresh welling of tears. He didn't know who he was forgiving. Himself, or Dream, who still seemed to need absolution from Hob, no matter how Hob told him he didn’t.

"I am hatred!" Phaethon snarled. His voice had gone animalistic in a last ditch effort to come out on top. But forgiveness clanged around him, pulling tears from his eyes, undermining his viciousness. "I am division even forgiveness cannot mend."

Just like that, he opened up the path for Hob to take his king. Checkmate. Game over. Rock paper scissors shoot.

"I am love," Hob said quietly, even as a sob caught in his throat as the memory of all the hate he'd witnessed in his life, the hate he'd participated in, and the fear, long-held, that even Dream might hate him, for his wrongs, or for overstepping, pulsed back to the forefront. He could never hate Dream, though. No matter what.

"Love can be easily destroyed," snapped Phaethon, but he was wavering. 

"But it always comes back," said Hob. Unwitting, he looked over his shoulder at Dream.

His friend was already looking directly at him. That tinge of red, so terrible and familiar now, was back along his eyes. He didn't speak, not to Hob. Hob followed his gaze as he looked over Hob's shoulder and spoke to Phaethon.

"Do you have a counter?"

"Love?" Phaethon laughed hysterically. "You brought love to a duel?"

"I believe Hob brings love everywhere he goes," said Dream, and Hob whipped back around to look at him, eyes wide. The tiniest smile was dancing on Dream’s lips.

Then a blade erupted from Hob's chest.

Blood sprayed. His heart stopped beating—actually stopped, he felt it. The sword had pierced right through it. He scrabbled for it with clumsy hands, but the blade shiiiinged back out before he could grab it. 

Blood spattered Dream’s face. Those pretty lips parted, eyes widened, the lordly bearing wiped from his expression leaving only a person, shocked and wounded. Hob would never forget that look of startled horror for as long as he lived. 

Which wasn't looking to be that long.

He fell to his knees, blood pouring from his chest. No use trying to stop it. It would mend itself, in time, but that knowledge did nothing to stop the instinctive rush of fear. He was dying. He was dying.

He fell on his side. Blood soaked his shirt. All told, it took maybe ten seconds after getting speared like a wild hog—

—for the world to completely blink out.

---

Hob's chest ached like a bitch when he woke. 

He was still on the ground, bloody mud around him, soaking his clothes. Oh. That was mud made from his blood. How horrifying. 

He opened his eyes in time to see Dream lifting Phaethon from the ground by his neck. His hand was a vice grip and Phaethon choked, scrabbling at his fingers for breath.

"TREACHERY," Dream snarled, louder than Hob had ever heard him. His voice boomed across the empty park. "I will unmake you."

"I'm not one of your creatures, you can do nothing to me," said Phaethon, but his assuredness flickered.

Dream’s being was a black hole eating light. "Watch it happen."

Hob coughed, dirt trapped in his throat, and shoved himself up on his forearms. Dream froze, and turned slowly to look at him, Phaethon still clasped in his hand like he weighed nothing. Dream’s attention was like being in the path of a comet.

"Hob," he said. "Are you alright?"

Hob knew, in that moment, that if he asked Dream to spare Phaethon from whatever fate he had in mind for him, he would comply. And what power that was. Hob didn't want to be the one doling out mercy or punishment, like a judge at the gates of Hell. But damn if it wasn't a thrill to have Dream look at him like that.

"Of course I'm all right," he said, with a bloody grin. "I'm Hob Gadling."

Dream smiled too, a ferocious smile, like that of a wolf.

Hob didn't tell him to spare Phaethon.

Apparently, they both had some savagery in them.

---

"So why did he kill me?" Hob asked later, when he'd showered all the blood off—God he loved modern showers—and they were both sitting at the kitchen table in his flat, drinking tea. Well, Hob was drinking tea. Dream was just kind of staring at it. "I mean, the cost of losing wasn't even that high. Not on his end, anyway."

"He was not interested in you at all," said Dream, still not looking at him. "I dragged the truth from him while you were… gone. This was all a ploy to get to me. To hurt me—indirectly, of course. Such a lower being could never hurt me directly."

"Wait." Hob tried to grapple with this. "You— are you saying I was like a kidnapped princess?" 

Dream frowned. "If you insist. The point is, he did not plan to let you walk away. By winning, or by killing you, whichever he could accomplish." 

"Damn. Maybe I should have let you fight for me."

"No. You represented yourself admirably. More than admirably. You won the challenge, fairly, and did not try to kill your opponent to do it." 

Praise from Dream always hit Hob somewhere deep. Possibly because Dream only said such things when he meant them. Possibly just because it was Dream saying them.

“Well, thanks for handling him in the end,” Hob said, instead of voicing that sentiment.

Dream nodded solemnly. “I would not allow such harm to befall you without interfering,” he said.

Hob took a sip of his tea to avoid showing how he felt about that quite so obviously on his face.

“Why did he want to hurt you, then?” he asked instead.

“He is the child of a sun deity,” said Dream.

“And… that… means…?”

“Sunlight chases away dreams. We are natural enemies.”

Hob frowned. “What about daydreams?” 

“Daydreams may take place during the daytime, but they exist in the darkness of the inner mind,” said Dream.

“Ahhhh.” Hob nodded sagely. Yeah, sure, that made sense. One hundred percent. Absolutely. “I don’t know, I feel like some dreams can survive in the daylight. Thrive, even.”

“Perhaps next time I have an altercation with a sun deity, I will call upon you,” Dream said, a bite of sarcasm in it. “To see if you can banish them with this mindset.”

“Don’t give me that cheek,” Hob admonished. Dream’s mouth popped open in offense, but Hob plowed on, “Just have an open mind about it, that’s all I’m saying. Who knows, maybe you guys are in a symbiotic relationship or something, instead of enemies. You help people see what could be possible, and they balance it with reality.”

Dream was silent for a moment, thinking. “Perhaps,” he said at last. “But I do not think approaching them in this manner will serve me well, at the moment.”

“Maybe not if they’re going around attacking you,” Hob conceded, and Dream cracked a small smile.

Sun deities, Hob thought. Really, life was full of such strange and interesting things.

“So when you went to Hell,” Hob started. Dream tilted his head, but didn’t seem thrown by the change in subject. “What did you wager in exchange for your helm? The game makes you wager something, right?”

“It was the demon who chose the other side of the wager,” said Dream. “He demanded I remain in Hell and serve him for eternity, if I lost.”

Hob was glad he’d put down his tea, as he’d probably have dropped it. “What? Was the helm really worth that risk?”

Dream leaned back in his chair, lips pressed tight in offense. Or maybe hurt. “I am nothing without my tools of office,” he said.

“That is not true,” said Hob, surprised by his own vehemence. Nothing? He thought he was nothing?

“I could not have restored the Dreaming without them,” Dream insisted.

“Okay, fine. They’re important for your job. But that doesn’t mean you’re nothing without them.” Hob went to lay his hand over Dream’s on the table, hesitated, then decided, fuck it. Dream started when their skin touched, but didn’t move away. Hob repeated his words, with even more emphasis this time. “You’re not nothing.”

Dream met his gaze, challenging. Hob didn’t back down.

“As you wish,” Dream finally said. Which wasn’t actually an agreement. “I can concede that the ruby breaking was ultimately beneficial to my power. But the helm is my symbol of office. To leave it in the possession of a demon is a continual humiliation to my realm and station.”

“Okay, I’m hearing you,” Hob said. It wasn’t that he didn’t think Dream should be able to get his helm back. But he didn’t want Dream to risk horrible punishment for the sake of his pride. Better to slink away alive to try again another day, or so Hob felt. That wasn’t Dream, though.

“Just be careful, okay?” he said. “Even if you lost your helm and everything, and everyone in Hell thought you were pathetic—which, by the way, not sure Hell’s opinion is worth much anyway? but that aside—I’d still rather have you here than the alternative.” He threw Dream a smile, hoping he didn’t take offense to the idea that he could possibly be pathetic. “It wasn’t ‘The King of Dreams and Nightmares, et cetera’ that I missed for all those years, you know?”

“You did not know who I was, then,” Dream pointed out, but he seemed contemplative.

“I liked who I did know,” Hob said. “My friend.”

“Your friend,” repeated Dream slowly. Finally, he did pick up his tea, and took a sip. “A powerful title indeed, if you would have me when it is the only one I carry.”

“If you say so,” Hob said, which brought a small smile to Dream’s lips. If Dream wanted to think of it as a title akin to his kingship and endlessness and whatnot, then Hob would bestow it on him with gladness, and with a warm sense of honor that nestled right in his heart.

“It is…” Dream added, at length, “a meaningful title. To me.”

Rare, those expressions of feeling from Dream. Hob couldn’t help but to bask in them like a cat in a sunbeam. He remembered how Dream had looked at him during the duel. Love always comes back. Worth it, all the strife, to see Dream look at him like that, he thought.

“You defended me,” Dream said. “To prevent me taking the duel in your place. To protect me when it was not warranted.”

Wasn’t warranted. Hob really wished Dream would just learn to let Hob care for him.

"Would have even if I'd known it was you he truly wanted," he said. “I missed my friend for long enough. Wasn’t going to let something happen again when I could get in the way of it.”

“Your friend,” Dream said again. As if savoring the words. His lips tipped up again in a small smile. One just for himself.

Hob squeezed his hand on the table. A grounding touch, a reminder. “And don’t forget it.”

Dream turned his hand over on the table, and squeezed back.

#rip hob lol #dreamling #hob gadling #dream of the endless #my writing #temporary character death #such a hilariously different tone than the last thing i posted

[actuallysaiyan]

hello! any fics/headcanons on dropping by high school nanami’s dorm room would be wonderful 🫶

warnings: mentions of being promoted, Reader and Kento are both 18!!! In their last year of being at JJT, smut, kissing, vaginal fingering, dirty talk word count: 1.6k pairings: Emo!Nanami Kento x Fem!Sorcerer!Reader summary: Kento just found a box set of 1980s Astro Boy and he wants you to come over to watch it with him! a/n: I wasn't sure what you wanted for this, so I took some creative liberties and rolled with it. I wanted it partly smutty and partly fluffy. I hope you all enjoy!

It was a quiet Saturday night in your dorm room. You sit on your bed, watching reruns of your favorite sitcom. Considering this was your last year at Jujutsu Tech, you knew that things would mostly be a breeze. You’ve been on more missions this year than any other year, but it still felt so much easier than training and learning theory. 

Your phone buzzes and your eyes gaze at it for a moment. Then your heart skips a beat when you see who’s sent you a text. Immediately, you open your phone and read the text.

Kento(8:45 pm): Hey are you still around? Or did you leave campus for tonight?

You(8:46 pm): I’m still here. What’s up?

Your heart is racing as you try to come to terms with the fact that your ultimate crush is texting you. You two are close, but he has no idea just how much you’re head over heels for him. He messages you again, mentioning that he’s managed to acquire the DVD box set of Astro Boy from the 1980s. You message him back, asking if you can come over and watch it with him.

Kento(8:50pm): Why don’t you come over right now? I’m just waiting in my dorm.

It doesn’t take much for you to reply that you’ll be over in a few minutes. You throw on a comfy hoodie and you turn off your devices. Then you grab some snacks from your drawer and you head out. With your door locked behind you, you walk down the hallway towards the boys’ side of the dorms. 

You knock on his door, admiring the way he’s placed band stickers and mini posters on it to give it some personality. Your smile spreads further when you see him open the door. He looks really cozy right now; dressed in a band hoodie and some sweatpants.

“Are you ready to watch this with me?” He shows you the box set.

“Fuck yeah! I didn’t even think you’d manage to find it!”

Kento smirks, “I’ve got my sources, darling.”

He invites you inside and you feel immediately at home. It’s so cozy in his dorm room. You’ve been here more times than you can count, considering you two are so close, but this is just so special for you. You place your bag of snacks on the coffee table and you sit on the sofa. Kento joins you, but not before he puts the first disc of Astro Boy into the DVD player. You two are sitting so close together, your knees brush up together.

“Thanks for inviting me over.” you bubble, leaning in close to him.

“It’s really no problem.”

The DVD menu starts up and Kento selects the play all function. Then you both sit back, watching the anime you both had been wanting to see for so long. It has become a bit of a tradition for you and Kento to watch anime together. This time, it felt a bit more intimate somehow. You weren’t sure what it was, but it was like you and him had these feelings just bubbling underneath the surface.

Eventually, he turns to you and offers you a soda. You accept with a smile on your face. Things are quiet and comfortable while in his dorm, until he stretches his arms and wraps one around your shoulders. You lean your head to nuzzle against his as you both continue to watch the show that’s unfolding before you on the screen.

“You know…” he whispers softly. “I’m glad we can still have nights like these.”

You turn to face him, “Me too, Ken. Especially since we both got promoted to Grade one recently.”

This makes both of your stomachs flutter. It was a serious move to be promoted to such a rank, but you two were the exemplary sorcerers for this position. Both you and Kento showed lots of strength, courage and ability. It took little to no time to go from Semi-Grade one to Grade one. And now you both were going on missions together, taking down curses together.

“I need to tell you something,” he finally starts up again. “It’s important.”

You turn to face him fully, your heart racing. He looks so good in just the glow of the television and the soft fairy lights he has strung up over the couch. He smiles sweetly before he cups your chin and his thumb strokes your cheek.

“Even if we end up on different paths,” he leans in closer. “I’ll always love you.”

Without another word, he presses his lips to yours. You feel like butterflies are erupting deep in your tummy. Time almost seems to slow down as you finally gain the courage to kiss him back. Your hands come up to begin playing with his hair. When he pulls away, he rubs his nose against yours.

“You’ve always been my pretty girl, yeah?”

You can’t help but nod. It takes so little effort for him to push you down onto the couch, pinning you there. Despite his slim build, Kento is very strong and muscular. He just hides it well. Then once he has you in the position he wants, he begins to undress you. Your eyes shine in the glow of the TV, and it turns him on even more. Something about this moment is just so special.

“I’m always going to be yours,” you promise as he buries his face in the crook of your neck.

He nips softly at the tender flesh, making you moan his name. Your legs wrap around him, wanting nothing more than to be as close to him as possible. He smirks against your skin, knowing just how needy you are for him now. He’s feeling just the same; needy and wanton for the woman he’s fallen for so deeply.

“Can I show you just how much you mean to me?” He asks, his eyes dark with lust.

You smirk, “Oh yeah? How will you do that?”

He’s feeling like you’re challenging him now, and that turns him on even more. He grabs your wrists and pins them above your head. You moan at the feeling of him taking complete control of the situation. Then his other hand unclasps your bra and pulls it off completely. Your breasts spring free, bouncing slightly from being freed from their confines. You whine softly; your body heating up at the sensation of being half-naked in front of him.

“Fuck, you’re so hot.” He grunts before dipping down to capture one of your nipples into his mouth.

You buck up immediately, wanting nothing more than to bury your fingers in his beautiful blond hair. But he still has you pinned down to the couch, and his tongue is flicking against your nipples. He doesn’t even have to do much to turn you on, but he’s working hard on making you so aroused. He pulls away slightly, blowing air on your erect nubs.

“Pretty girl,” he coos softly. “Such a pretty princess for me.”

You whine again, begging him not to stop. He leans back in, sucking on your tits. He makes it messy and sloppy, nipping and biting at the tender flesh. His intent is now to turn you on and to mark you up. He wants you to see yourself in the mirror tomorrow and to see these love marks. They are the marks you’ll wear on your body to show the world who you belong to.

“Ken, please…”

He chuckles darkly, “What is it, princess?”

You mewl, “Please Ken I…”

“Use your words, pretty girl.”

Your mind is almost blank with just how much this is all turning you on. He’s usually quiet and sometimes stoic. But right now, Kento Nanami was a different man. You had heard rumors that he was a closeted pervert, but this was proving to be somewhat true. The way he was touching you and caressing you, it seems like he knows a thing or two about pleasuring a woman.

“I need you to touch me,” you breathe.

He chuckles again, then he presses his lips to yours. Your two stay connected like this for a few moments; tongues rubbing together sensually. When he pulls away to let you breathe, a string of saliva keeps you connected. 

“Alright, you need me that bad, huh?”

You nod your head, “Need you so bad, Ken…”

His free hand slides down your body, caressing you in your sensitive spots. Then he slips his hand into your sweatpants, gasping softly when he feels that you aren’t wearing panties. He grunts as his long fingers spread your wet folds, prodding your tight entrance. Kento smirks, his eyes growing even darker with lust.

“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?” He asks, rubbing your clit slowly.

You shudder, “M-maybe…”

You let out a moan of his name as one of his fingers slips into your tight cunt. Immediately your gummy walls begin to squeeze the digit and this makes him grunt. He releases your wrists to reach down to adjust his cock in his gray sweatpants. Then his eyes snap up to watch you as he fingers you.

“You’re so fuckin’ tight, probably would make me blow my load in seconds.”

His words rile you up even more. Your hips begin gyrating against his hand, and he’s quick to slip a second finger into your pussy. Your juices begin gushing out of your slick hole, and you feel yourself growing closer to your orgasm faster than you ever thought would happen.

“Awhhh close already? Damn, princess, that’s flattering.” He goads. Your hand comes to cling to his arm, steadying him and yourself for the impending orgasm that’s on its way.

He moves his thumb to begin swiping against your clit and the added stimulation is what sends you over the edge. You cry out and whimper as the waves of pleasure crash over you. The entire time, Kento is right there, talking you through the intense pleasure. When you’ve ridden out your high, he leans in to kiss you so softly.

“My beautiful girl…I love you so.”

#bacon.writes #nanami x reader #nanami x you #nanami x y/n #nanami smut #kento x you #kento x reader #kento x y/n #Kento Nanami x you #Kento Nanami x reader #nanami imagine #nanami fluff #Kento Nanami fluff #Kento Nanami imagines #jjk kento x you #jjk nanami x you #jjk nanami x reader

[sailorholly]

Strictly Business Pt 2

Summary: Spencer wants to gain sexual experience before asking out his dream date. You just want a way to release stress. What could go wrong?

Pairing: Spencer Reid x F. BAU Reader

Warnings: Smut. Oral (f. receiving). 18+ only. Minors DNI. Typical Criminal Minds violence and case descriptions.

W/C: 1.2K

See the Strictly Business Masterlist here

Catch up here: Part One

The morning after Rossi’s, you got called in on a case. Three bodies were discovered and you all knew you had to work quickly or there would be another.

You and Spencer decided to wait until after you were home from the case to begin your physical relationship. You quickly learned it was easier said than done. Hotch paired the two of you on the way there. So you were around each other constantly. Your body was hyper aware of every move he made.

You were sure you had a similar effect on him. He would sneak glances at you when he thought you weren’t looking. You could tell he was thinking about it too. You had caught him checking you out on more than one occasion.

It was like you were drawn together like magnets, always finding excuses to touch each other. His long legs would brush against yours while sitting. You would touch his back when you walked by. When going over files, both of you placed your hands on the other’s and let it linger a little too long. You were practically bubbling with anticipation.

It was taking longer than usual to find this unsub. The stress was affecting the whole team. You were starting to take your frustration out on each other. It all came to a head when Derek and Penelope started fighting when she couldn’t find the answers he needed.

His misplaced anger was the last straw for Hotch. He told everyone to take the night off. He wanted you to relax and try to rest.

You just got out of the shower. You stayed in longer than you expected, but you were enjoying the spray of the warm water on your tired body. You put on a tank top and shorts. Your nightly skincare routine is interrupted by a knock on your hotel room door.

You look through the peephole to find Spencer pacing the hallway outside. You open the door letting him in. “Hey, was there a break in the case? I can be ready in a few minu-“ Spencer cuts off your sentence by placing his large hands against the sides of your face, his lips moving eagerly against your own. He pulls away as quickly as he began. You didn’t have time to reciprocate the kiss.

“I’m so sorry. I’ve wanted to do that all week. I thought if I just did it quickly, my nerves would subside. But it didn’t work.” He smiles at you sheepishly, his whole face turning different shades of red.

“It’s okay. I’m really nervous too. It’s all I can think about. Do you want to start tonight?” “Yes!” Spencer answers almost too quickly. You giggle and take his hand leading him to the bed. “Let’s talk about what you’ve done before so I know what you’re familiar with.”

“I’ve had sex once.” he replies. “Okay, what did you do during sex? Did you use your fingers?” He keeps his eyes on yours shaking his head no. “So you went down on her?” “No, I didn’t do that either.” Your eyes widen.

“So you just put it in?! Spencer, you have to get women ready first.” “I know that!” he says defensively. “You’ve read so many of my romance books, surely you know what to do.” He clears his throat. “Yes, in theory, but having you right here in front of me is completely different.”

“I wanted to do something to her, but she didn’t give me the chance. She started kissing me. One thing led to another and she lifted her skirt and got on top of me. It was over before I knew it.” You sigh, “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

You decide to start with kissing to get comfortable with each other. This time the kiss isn’t rushed. It almost feels natural. Spencer pulls away first. He nips at your earlobe. Your breath hitches when his lips latch onto your neck. He sucks the tender skin there causing a moan to escape your lips.

He pulls away, his gaze falls to your face trying to gage your reaction. You place your hand on his thigh. “That was great. I think we can move on now. Is there anything in particular you want to start with?”

Spencer lowers his eyes to your tank top, your nipples visible through the thin fabric. You take his hand placing it on your breast. Spencer loudly swallows. “It’s okay, Spence. I want you to touch me.”

That was all the confirmation he needs. Slender fingers begin toying with your nipple. His other hand pushes you gently against the bed. His mouth descends on your hardened peak through your shirt. You arch upward into him.

His movements are more confident now. His hands travel to the hem of your tank top, lifting it over your torso and off you completely. Wandering hands find their way back to your chest. He gently kisses down your stomach while he rolls your nipples between his long digits.

When he reaches the waistband of your shorts, he stops looking up at you. “Is this okay?” You squirm under his intense gaze. “Yes, please touch me.” Your response comes out needier than you expected. He smiles, loving the effect he’s having on you.

He slowly slides your shorts down your legs, leaving you exposed to him. He swipes a finger down your center, collecting the wetness already gathered there. “You’re so responsive. So wet and I’ve barely touched you.”

You watch incredulously as he places his finger in his mouth. He gently sucks before removing it with a loud pop. “Can I taste you?” he asks as casually as if he was asking to borrow a pen.

You raise up on your elbows to look down at him posed between your open legs. “I think I might die, if you don’t.” Spencer scrunches his nose before responding. “Actually it’s not possible to die from-“ “Spencer, please?!” You interrupt him with your begging.

He smirks lowering his face to your waiting heat. You almost fly off the bed when he licks a hot stripe up your center. One hand grabs your hip pulling you down. He places the other over your stomach to hold you in place.

He dives in, eating you like you’re the best meal he’s ever had. His lips tug on your clit. You reach down tangling your hands in his curls, pulling him closer. His moans vibrate against you, adding to the pressure building low in your stomach.

He laps at your core taking everything you give him. Your body arches toward him, but he firmly presses you back into the mattress. You dig your heels into his back. You can feel his fingers pressing into your hips, you know there will be bruises in their place tomorrow. But you don’t care.

He fastens his soft lips around your clit, lightly sucking while his tongue flicks rapidly against you. He doesn’t slow down when you shatter. Your legs shake around his head, cries of his name fill the otherwise silent room.

When you come back down, Spencer pulls away. He places a light kiss to your inner thigh. You sit up, handing him your discarded tank top to wipe his mouth. ��You got a little something there.”

You point to your own mouth failing to conceal your smile. Spencer snakes his tongue out, licking your remaining arousal off his lips. Although he said it was impossible, you weren’t sure you would survive this.

Part Three

Tags (if you wanna be added let me know!)

@cindylynn @potter-puff007 @multifandom-worlds @mochie85 @modern-mermaid @analethicia @marimorena06 @ghostheartbeat @clownprincess09 @thebiggestscamislife @whistle1whistle @lockwoods-coat-and-reids-vests @twsssmlmaa @cynbx @padlockedhearts @wheredafandomat @salempoe @emarich7 @itzdarling @baku-hoes-blog @anonymously-ominous @arabis-world

#criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds fic #spencer reid #spencer reid x fanfiction #spencer reid x fem!readr #spencer reid x female reader #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x self insert #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x fem!reader smut #spencer reid smut #spencer reid self insert #strictly business

[frankenstein-ate-my-left-shoe]

Pt. 1 | Pt. 2

Shorter Part 3, sorry y’all 😭

“Does this have to do with the rose?” Dustin asks them as soon as they are alone in the car. ‘Damn,’ Steve thinks, ‘I should’ve dropped you off first.’

“What do you know about the rose?” Steve asks, trying to sound nonchalant.

“I know it’s from his secret admirer.”

“You know about that?”

“Of course I do, Steve, he tells that story to everyone who will listen.” Dustin says as if it’s common knowledge.

“So who are your theories? I know you’ve got them.” Steve says

“I have no clue.” Steve looks at him confused “I really don’t. I even told Eddie that we could figure it out if we saw the note but he just shook his head and went back to grinning that goofy grin he had.”

“…And that’s bad?”

“Well no, I just figured he’d want help figuring it out, but that’s not the weird part about it all. He didn’t even have everything set up when we got there.”

Steve gives Dustin a confused glance, trying to keep his eyes on the road in front of him.

“Eddie normally gets there super early to set everything up, but even by time Lucas got there just before we were about to start, all of Eddie’s DM stuff was still in his bag. Literally only the tables and his throne were pulled out where they were supposed to be. He just kept staring at that damn rose with that lovestruck look on his face.”

“Hey, language! But yeah, that is weird? What? Don’t look at me like that, I’ve been around you all long enough to know that’s out of character for him..he loves that game.” Steve chuckles to himself, thinking about the party’s collective confused faces at Eddie’s soft one. “Alright, doofus, this is you. Tell your mom I say ‘Hi’.”

Dustin rolls his eyes and shuffles out the car door and up the drive.

Steve waits until he’s safely inside before backing out, and heading home.

‘holyshitholyshitholyshitholyshi—‘ Steve’s brain played on a loop, his face splitting into a grin.

——————

The (now) third time Eddie "hears" from his secret admirer is definitely not when he was expecting. It kind of makes sense, if his secret admirer really is into him still he'd know that Eddie plays at the Hideout on Tuesday nights. But if he's being honest with himself, the rose flung up on stage while they were still drowned in spotlight was the second most surprising thing of the night. Actually, make that third.

First was the size of the crowd. Being accused of a ritualistic murder does have one benefit then, it has a tendency to make you seem more metal than you might actually be (especially within the metal community). The dingy little bar was actually packed tonight. So many people were there to see Eddie and his bandmates that it was the start of his nervousness. And Eddie never gets nervous about playing, it’s like breathing to him.

Secondly (and the second reason for Eddie to be nervous that night) was that Steeeeve Harrington himself was there to see him play. Him along with Buckley AND Nancy Wheeler had even dressed up for the occasion, pulling out as much black and grungy looking pieces from the backs of their wardrobes as they could find. Eddie swears Wheeler is wearing one of the old band tees Robin stole from him and Steve is wear-holy fuck. HOLY FUCK. Steve Harrington is wearing his (His! Eddie Munson’s!) battle vest. How the fuck he managed to keep it is beyond him but…yep. Eddie’s vest looks just as good on Steve now than it did in that upside-down hellscape.

Only a second had gone by in the time it took Eddie to process all of this before the lights go down and the spotlight is blinding him to everything beyond the stage.

“Get your head in gear, Munson, you’ve got a whole bar full of people to blow away… shit” Eddie mumbles to himself before stepping up to the mic.

And of course, no matter his surprise or nervousness about anything (or anyone) in the crowd that night, the show goes off without a hitch. He’s saying his goodbyes to the crowd as they cheer, holler, and whistle for them, some people are even throwing things. A couple of coasters with phone numbers scrawled on them are frisbee’d onto the stage around him, one (1) singular pair of panties (wtf this is insane), and from his right, just before the lights come back up in the bar, a single red rose tied with a black ribbon.

Time slows down. That’s the only way he could’ve snatched it out of the air the way he did.

He catches it and the crowd lets loose a few wolf whistles. Eddie grins so wide his face hurts. “Thank you guys so much, we’ll be here next week!” he jeers and lifts the rose in his hand in the air like he’s showing it off. The lights finally come up, and Eddie looks directly toward where the rose came from, trying to see if he recognized any of the faces. The only face he recognizes is Steve’s, off a good bit to the left from where the rose came at him, and who is also looking around for who it would’ve come from. Steve looks up at Eddie, and shrugs, he didn’t see anything either.

‘Of course he’s going to act like he didn’t see anything if he’s the one who threw it.’ Eddie’s brain helpfully supplies.

Nope. NOPE. Not going there, that’s so impossible. Steve was a good friend, even if he was blissfully unaware of the affect he had on Eddie.

Eddie shrugs back at Steve before turning back to the guys and helping them pack up their stuff.

“What does this one say?” Gareth asks him when they’re lugging the last of the equipment off the stage.

“Ermph durnup.” Eddie mumbles around the rose stem in his mouth. He sets the amps he was carrying at the back door to be loaded into his van (Which Steve was so graciously helping with). Eddie spits the rose out into his hand as Steve comes back into the doorway. Now ALL of them waiting on Eddie to read out the note. Even Robin and Wheeler have come backstage to watch them work. “Haven’t read it yet.”

“What’s happening now?” Nancy asks, confused. ‘Was she really never around during any of the re-tellings of this story?’ Eddie thinks to himself

“My secret admirer threw this to me as we were wrapping up our set.” Eddie waggles his eyebrows at the older Wheeler “I tried to see who it was, but by the time the lights came back on and I could actually see past the stage, the crowd was already thinning out.”

“They probably didn’t want to be recognized just yet? Even I looked around as soon as I could see again, but yeah, everyone had started dispersing.” Steve chimed in from the doorway he was leaning against, arms crossed across his chest. Damn were his arms always that huge?

“Uh_uh yeah, I do love a guy with a flair for dramatics.” everyone chuckled at that

“Of course you do Munson” Steve smiled at him “Now hurry up and read it!”

“OK, OK, this one says ‘You alone can make my song take flight’.” Eddie sings the line softly, redness creeping up his cheeks as his friends react around him.

“Ew, that’s so gross I’m gonna barf.” - Robin

“That’s so sweet!” - Nancy

“You’re going to be talking about this for weeks aren’t you?” - Gareth

Various well-meaning eye rolls come from the rest of his bandmates as they take care of the amps Steve had been neglecting.

And Steve, Steve was looking at Eddie with the warmest, fondest smile he’d ever seen.

Hmm…

____________________________________________

Pt. 4 will be here! Thank you for reading!!

Now on AO3! Several Notes of the Most Amiable Nature

Tagging everyone I can!: @manda-panda-monium , @destielinimpala , @ilovecupcakesandtea , @maya-custodios-dionach , @thefreakandthehair , @youmakemyhearthowl , @phantypurple , @kerlypride , @hagbaby420 , @yes-im-your-mom , @tinydragonhuman , @beeing-stuupid , @ineffablecolors , @m00gl3ness , @background-noise-headache , @jojobeaner , @bitedownonmydestiel , @orangeandthefairroadkill , @llamaoftheinternet , @captain-daryn , @undreamingscatworld , @britishmysteries , @sharpbutsoft , @funnymagicman-named-dandy , @allbymyselfexceptformycactus , @wearelosersyoudumbfuck , @itsthebeckyzone , @thegingervulcan , @urmomification , @wonderingglances , @calciferousoai , @csinnamon-fox , @straight4joekeery , @alex-axolotl , @nitro502 , @whorenerdking , @skeletoneddie , @eddiehashands , @prosedumpofmaya , @werewolfpeterparker , @bigboyandmetalhead , @stevethescareington , @xxbottlecapx , @starkdusk , @legitcookie , @withacapitalp

#steddie #eddie munson #steve harrington #mine #secret admirer au #secret admirer #phantom!eddie #phantom of the opera #stranger things #st #st s4 #st fillet #stranger things ficlet #steddie fic #steddie ficlet #pt 3 #1500 #several notes of the most amiable nature

[botnasty]

Part Four: No More Theory

Roommate!Bucky Barnes X F!Reader

Summary: Gone are the theories...

Words: 1,2K words

Warnings: ANGST, THIS IS ANGST CITY, then fluffy cheesiness :)

Note: All mistakes are mine and please tell me if I’m missing any warnings. Also sorry on the wait for this part, completely had a writers block.

Not proofread

Series Masterlist

Laying in bed, you never felt more defeated in your life. Your mind was screaming at you for being stupid for thinking what you and Bucky had was exclusive. You couldn’t be mad at him for going after someone else tonight, you two never talked and made what you had/did more than what it really was: two friends having fun without any feelings. You didn’t want to believe it, but what happened today at the Halloween party made you open your eyes. You were just his friend with benefits. 

You whipped the tears falling on your damp cheeks and pulled the duvet closer to you. You didn’t know how tomorrow was going to be fairing, but one thing for sure is, you were going to stop whatever that was happening between you two before you got hurt. Never once had you let a man hurt you before, it won’t start now.

You picked up your phone from the bedside table and you could see so many texts. 25 from Natasha, 3 from Sam, but none from the person that mattered the most. Whatever, he was probably busy with that girl. In your mind, you hoped she was taking good care of him, but your hurt was aching. Why did you have to screw your friendship with that “Theory” bullshit? 

You closed your lamp and purged you into the peaceful darkness that is sleep - when the door opened. Only one other person other than you had the keys to the apartment and - because you didn’t want to deal with it right now - you fastly put your head on your pillow and closed your eyes, trying your hardest to regulate your breathing as you could hear footsteps coming closer. 

“Toots?” Bucky whispered. “Are you awake?” The footsteps stopped. Why was it so hard to breathe normally in his presence?

You felt a slight touch on your cheeks. “My beautiful, beautiful, toots.” You could feel his breath on your forehead and the slight touch of his lips on your nose. “Wake up.” He  said softly. You didn’t want to. You feared what you were going to say or do if you did. A kiss on your forehead. “Wake up, beautiful.” On your eyelid - which you couldn’t help but move. “Come back to me, toots.” And lastly on your lips before you couldn’t take it anymore. Your eyes felt like burning from holding your tears.

You slowly opened them. He was kneeled down right at the side of the bed. Just his smile alone made you want to just forget it happened and continue whatever it is you had. You waked and pulled yourself into a sitting position, pulling your cover closer to you like it was some sort of shield for your emotions. You almost jumped when he cupped your jaw and kissed your forehead. “I missed you, toots.” You looked at the clock, it hadn’t even been 2h since you left the party.

“I’ve only been gone for 2 hours, Bucky. I’m sure you would’ve been able to find more important people to spend your night with.” You rubbed your eyes to remove any trace that you were about to cry. Not in front of him. Never. 

“Toots, look at me.” You placed your hand down your lap and looked at him, his eyes were still bloodshot from all the weed he had taken during the party. “I love you.” Your heart exploded. It was not what you expected and you were mad. How dare him.

How dare him!

Fucking flirting and using the same technic he did on you with someone else not even a few hours before he said those words to you. What a fucking fraud of a man you were living with. You fought yourself to scoff at his words. 

He placed his forehead on yours. “I love you a whole lot. That’s why I can’t bear not being in the same room as you. You make everything so much better, you know.” Now that was just high person talk. 

You let out a small smile. “Come sleep, Bucky. You are high right now and are saying a bunch of bullshit. It’s time for you to sleep.” You went from your bed to drag him to your room. You wouldn’t let him sleep in yours when you barely could stand him right now. 

But Bucky didn’t move one bit.

“You don’t believe me…” Is what he said almost to yourself. 

Now the scoff escaped your mouth. “No I do not, Bucky. For so many reasons.”

He got up and tried to get close to you, but you stopped him with your hand.” First, you are high. And you know how you get when you are high. You ramble about things over and over, tell everyone you love them and you hug them. So, this certainly doesn't make me special.”

“You know—”

“Second, we never established what we had. All we do is fuck. Sure, you sometimes kiss me, we cuddle, but we never specify what’s going on between us.”

“I thought it was—”

“And last, you were literally flirting and using that ‘theory’ bullshit on someone else two hours ago. How can I believe that you love me when all this tells me otherwise, Bucky?” He stayed silent, looking down. His eyebrows frowning. “Do you see where I am coming from?”

“What girl?”

“The girl at the party! The one wearing a nurse costume. After you went to the bathroom, I tried to look for you and I found you being all cozy with her.”

“Oh, her.”

You placed your hands on your hips. “Yes, her.” Anger was bubbling inside of you wanting to come out like a volcano. 

“I thought she was you. You know I am not wearing my glasses.”

You shook your head. “So you were wearing contacts, what does it have to do with anything right now, Bucky.” You said desperately.

“Yes, I was wearing contacts, but those that make your iris look red, for my costume. So, I could barely see.” Your arms falling beside your body. Bucky placed his hands on your cheek, your eyes directly looking in his and he was right, his eyes were completely red, not from the weed, but because of the contacts. All anger vanished and all you could feel was shame. Shame for thinking he was playing you, for thinking he was just like the others that had hurt you. “I thought she was you, toots. I genuinely thought she was. I love you and I don’t see myself with anyone but you. Do you seriously think that, after years of trying to get your attention, I would mess it up for a random fuck?” You shook your head. “Exactly, my love. So please, believe me when I say this : I love you. I have loved you since I met you and I will love you until you let me.” 

You placed both hands on his wrist and looked deep into his eyes. “I love you too. Maybe not as long as you did, but I love you and I want no one else but you.”

And you kissed as the moonlight shines upon the two of you.

Thank you so much for waiting and reading:)

#The Theory of It All #Bucky Barnes #Bucky #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes angst #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes au #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x black!reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #roommate!bucky barnes #roommate!bucky x reader #roommate!bucky #roommate!au #sebastian stan fic #sebastian stan #sebastian stan x reader #marvel fanfiction #bucky angst #angst fic #angst #sebastian stan angst #fluff

[sunflowergirl522]

Teardrops on My Guitar

(Eddie’s Version)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Reader

Summary: Eddie thinks that you’re into Steve and he’s been in love with you forever.

Word Count: 3838

A/N: This isn’t my best work tbh. I feel like I sorta lost sight of the vision halfway through but I am my own worst enemy.

Eddie Masterlist

It’s just another movie night over at your house, Eddie sitting on your couch and your legs tossed over his own while you hold the popcorn. The Breakfast Club plays on the tv and you’re enthralled by it while Eddie can barely take his eyes off of you. He never really cared about trying to find ‘the one’ for him, he was fine with just messing around with out of towners or people looking to rebel by doing it, but since he’s met you all he’s wanted and needed has been everything that you two could be.

Lately the boys have been teasing you about a crush you have recently and it breaks Eddie’s heart for two reasons. One because you have one in the first place and two because you confided in fucking Garreth, who notoriously can’t keep a secret for the life of him and blabbed to everyone that you had the hots for someone, instead of him, your bestfriend and confidant. The two of you told eachother everything, even the embarrassing awkward stuff.

“Who do you like?”

“Huh?” Eddie’s voice almost causes you to jump because you’re not expecting it. He’s been so quiet tonight compared to how he normally is, it was a little worrying to be honest. You can usually never get him to shut up.

“Who’s the crush that Garreth keeps teasing you about?”

“Oh.” Your face gets hot and you turn your attention back to the movie so you don’t have to look at him. How are you supposed to tell your bestfriend that you’re basically hopelessly in love with him and only realized it recently when you were drinking with Garreth and Jeff in Garreth’s garage? They had both laughed at you because you and Eddie are both so obvious with your feelings but utterly oblivious. “It doesn’t matter really.”

“What if you just described him and I guess? I promise I won’t laugh.” He takes your sudden awkwardness as a sign that you’re embarrassed by it instead of what it actually is. “C’mon you can tell me Sweetheart, when have you not been able to tell me something?”

“Okay, fine.” You take a deep breath in and out before bringing your legs into yourself to sit crisscross applesauce. “He’s so ridiculously nice and sweet to me, like I have never been treated so well in my life than when I’m around him. He’s so nice to all of the younger kids in the friend group too, and they seem to really look up to him. He just has the biggest heart and I wish more people would see that. I think he’s got a great head of hair and I love playing with it. And he has the prettiest brown eyes I’ve ever had the privilege of staring into.”

“You’re into Harrington?! I didn’t realize you spent so much time with him.”

“You said you wouldn’t judge.” You’re not sure why you don’t correct him. Maybe it’s because you don’t want to tell him it’s him, maybe it’s because you’re scared of losing your best friend. Or maybe it’s because you feel like you can sense a hint of jealousy in his voice and you can’t help but think about how Jeff told you that Eddie’s been head over heels for you basically since he met you and you want to see how he’ll react to your crush not being him to test the theory out.

“I’m not! I just didn’t realize you knew him that well.”

“I mean we were classmates for like all of our student life and I’ve always been close with Robin. And you can’t be close to Robin and not be close to Steve anymore.” It’s true anytime you go hang out with Robin nowadays Steve always gets invited. You’re not mad about it, he’s a cool, funny, nice guy. Honestly you’d probably have a crush on him if your crush on Eddie hadn’t started your senior year, before you had even become friends with Steve.

When you look over at Eddie for the first time since you started talking he fakes a smile so you won’t see how upset he is. Of course you like Steve. He’s suave and charming and handsome. And he’s easy to talk to and probably shares more common interests with you than Eddie does. His family has money, which Eddie knows you don’t care about but it’s just another reason Steve’s better than him. And the whole town has never hated him. Steve’s got everything that Eddie’s had to live without.

“That makes sense I guess. Do you think he feels the same?’

“I’ve been told that I’m oblivious and my feelings are obviously reciprocated. But I don’t know, I don’t really wanna make things awkward by telling him how I feel.”

“Well he’d be stupid not to.” You just hum in response, squinting your eyes and studying Eddie’s face. He squirms under the scrutiny feeling like you can see straight into his soul. “You want more popcorn? I’ll go get more popcorn.” He fumbles with the bowl in his rush to get up and head to the kitchen.

“I don’t know what to do Robin.” Eddie groans and rubs his hands down his face. Robin sits across from him at the diner sipping on her coke. He’s just gotten done explaining to her how you like Steve and how he feels like he’s been nothing but awkward around you since finding out.

“You had to have misunderstood her Eds, there’s no way she likes Steve like that.”

“She described him perfectly and she had this faraway look in her eyes as she was talking about him that she’s definitely like, in love with him or something.” He bangs his head onto the table so his friend wouldn’t be able to see the tears or lip wobbles he can feel crawling up his throat. “And I’m so fucking head over heels for her Robs. I’m so far gone for her that I can barely even see anyone else when she’s with me.”

“Hey, Eddie relax, okay she’s not in love with Steve, trust me okay I would know.” Robin can’t help but feel bad for her friend. Normally she wouldn’t, if it were anyone else sitting in front of her sulking and wilting and complaining about something like this she would tell them to grow some balls and tell them how they feel already. But this is puppy dog eyed Eddie who’s definitely been through enough in life and all she wants to do is tell him about how you haven’t been able to see anyone as more than a friend other than him since the day you two met. You’re lucky she loves you so much and that she knows you’ll actually try to break her pinky if she breaks the pinky promise the two of you made when you admitted that to her.

“Did she tell you that?” He looks up hopeful that maybe there’s a chance.

“No, but I see how she acts around him all the time. It’s more of a brother sister relationship than anything else. I hate to be that person but why don’t you just tell her how you feel?”

“Because I’d rather be heartbroken with her in my life in a relationship with someone else than have her not be in my life at all.”

“Fair enough, but you know she wouldn’t do that.” Eddie does know that but there’s still the anxiety of it all. For a minute the only noise between the two of them is the slurping of Robin finishing her drink. “Wanna go to Family Video and bother them at work?” Eddie visibly perks up at the idea of going to see you.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Robin smiles at the better mood he’s in and leaves cash on the table to cover their meal before following him out to the van.

“Better call the exterminator Y/n because it looks like we have a couple of pests heading our way.” Steve jokes as he spots Robin and Eddie getting out of the van. You make your way next to him to see what he’s talking about.

“Eddie thinks I have a crush on you!” You blurt out as soon as you spot him.

“What?! Why? How?”

“He was asking me to describe who I liked so I described him and he thought I meant you and maybe I didn’t actually correct him because I thought maybe this was the safer option.” Some words get smushed together with how you’re rushing it out, wanting to fill him in as much as you can before they get inside.

“Oh my god.” Steve groans out burying his head in his arms on the counter. “He’s gonna hate me now. You need to just tell him the truth.”

“Shut up, shut up!” You shove his shoulder in a panic because they had opened the door as he started talking. Steve stumbles into the counter as your two closest friends walk into the store. ”Hey guys!”

“Hey Sweetheart, you guys have Predator yet?” You beam with excitement at Eddie and he swears his heart stutters in his chest a few times because it’s so genuine and it’s for him.

“We do! It came in yesterday and I already put a copy aside for you.” You crouch behind the counter searching for the VHS tape you hid from all your coworkers.

“Robin, Eddie, what are you two up to today?”

“We were just at the diner and decided to come bug you since all the kids are still in school. Has it been busy today, it doesn’t seem like it has been but I know how the rushes can be like.” Robin answers him while Eddie just sort of side eyes Steve.

“We had a bit of a rush this morning, people were really excited for the Predator and the Lost Boys. Aha! Found it!” You jump up holding up the Predator tape victorious and Eddie smiles at how adorable you look filled up with excitement. He can tell that it’s bubbling up in you with the way you’re slightly bouncing on the heels of your feet. “You’re not gonna watch this without me are you?”

“I’d never! You’re still coming over tonight right? We’ll watch it then.”

“Yeah, of course I am. I might be a little later than I normally am though, I told Steve I’d help him paint his room after work.” Steve was painting his room back to white so that way when he moves out his parents can just use it as an office or guest room. Eddie’s heart drops at the news of you going to hang out with Steve after work. Normally you would just go home, change and eat before heading over to the trailer.

“Do you guys want any help with that?” Robin cuts in in order to draw the attention to her so you won’t see the way Eddie’s smile drops knowing he probably doesn’t even realize it. “It’ll get done super quickly if we’re all there to help. And then Eddie can just take Y/n over to his trailer after so she doesn’t have to bike.”

“That sounds great! It can be like a painting party! Unless you have something you need to do Teddy?” Your curious gaze and soft smile turns back towards him and he immediately perks up.

“My only plans after this were gonna involve you Princess so if Steve’s fine with a little extra help, I’ll help.” And it’s definitely not so he can hopefully keep your attention away from Steve.

“Great, then it’s a date!” He knows what you mean, he’s not stupid, but he feels like he is with how his heart speeds up and his face flushes as you turn to the computer to check the movie out for him.

Steve wants to scoff at how obvious the two of you are. He never would’ve thought he’d have two friends as utterly oblivious as the two of you. Especially because for as long as he’s known you you’ve been able to pick up on how other people were feeling super quickly with your empathetic personality. So it’s a wonder to him you haven’t picked up on Eddie's very annoyingly obvious feelings for you.

“We’re done in two hours. You guys wanna hang around or just meet us at Steve’s after?”

“I’ll hang around. Robin, if you wanna go home first I’ll take you and come back.”

“Eds, if you’re staying, I’m staying. Besides, dingus here never sorts the movies the way I like.” You chuckle as Robin flicks Steve’s forehead and grab the crate of movies you were getting ready to stock shelves with.

“You wanna help me stock while they deal with the movies back there?” You hadn’t even finished the sentence before Eddie’s nodding and grabbing the crate from your hands.

“Lead the way darlin’.”

“Did she tell you?” Robin leans over to whisper to Steve the moment the two of you are out of earshot.

“About the whole panicky crush on me thing she did? She waited until we saw the two of you in the parking lot to rush it out but yeah she told me.”

“I knew he had to have misunderstood her! I mean I knew she liked him but Eddie kept going on about how she described you to a t and that was enough to make me start doubting what I’ve heard her say.”

“She told me she was describing him and he just assumed it was me. These two are ridiculous.”

“I know, you’d think she’d realize by now that she’s all he thinks about like all the time.” The two of them can hear your laughter at something Eddie either said you did ring throughout the store. Robin smiles knowing the exact lovesick dopey grin Eddie has on his face right now, he gets the same one each time he makes you laugh. The two of you truly deserved each other and Robin decides that she’ll stop at nothing to make it happen. “You work on getting Y/n to admit that she meant him since you work with her more this week than I do, and I’ll work on getting Eddie to admit how he feels since I’ll probably be hanging around him this week.”

“They’re lucky they have us.” Really Steve felt lucky he had all of you. Robins his platonic soulmate, you’re one of the kindest, most thoughtful people he’s ever known, and Eddie is one of the most loyal friends anyone could ask for. And the two of you are lucky to have each other, Steve hopes to find a love one day that the two of you have.

“Damn right they are.”

It’s easy for Eddie to slip into the delusion that you don’t actually like Steve when the two of you are together. Even when you’re hanging out with Robin and Steve, your attention seems to go almost exclusively to Eddie. You don’t really act like you like Steve as anything other than a good friend when he sees you around him.

He can’t slip into that delusion when he’s hanging with Robin though, which he’s been doing a lot this week since you’ve been working so much. She’s constantly bringing up how he should just tell you how he feels and that maybe his delusion is actually real life if he’d just open his eyes. It’s like she’s hinting that you actually like him instead. If he thinks too hard about it he’ll get stuck in his head though.

“Thanks for driving me to work, Eds, I owe you one.”

“You don’t owe me anything, I was coming to pick up Y/n anyway.” Eddie follows Robins lead into the store freezing when he spots you nodding and smiling at Steve from the other side of the counter.

He almost turns around completely when your grin splits even more up your face and excitement sparks within you. He doesn’t know what the two of you are talking about, he doesn’t want to know, he just wants you to be looking at him that way. Steve glances up when Robin chimes in and meets Eddie’s eyes waving before saying something else to you. Whatever he says makes you glance over his way. You beam at him causing Eddie to feel like he’s come back to life and start walking towards him.

“Alright bye Steve, I’ll see you Saturday right?”

“Yeah, eight o’clock.” You send a thumbs up his way grabbing Eddie’s hand and pulling him to his van.

“What was that about?” Eddie’s almost too afraid to ask, nervous that you’ll say you have a date with your mutual friend.

“Oh, Steve said we should go to this college party Nancy told him about on Saturday. So don’t make any plans okay?”

“Okay.” Eddie’s heart drops to the pit of his stomach taking that as a yes it is a date with Steve and that he shouldn’t expect you to hang out with him like you normally do.

When in reality you meant that he shouldn’t make any plans so he can go with you guys. Steve’s probably telling Robin about it right now. All week he’s been telling you to just tell Eddie that you meant him and today when he told you about the party he also told you that you should ask Eddie to go with you like a date. To that though you told him about how you wouldn’t take Eddie to a party as a first date. But you think that Steve’s probably right and it’s time you should own up to it.

“I’m not above begging Robin, are you sure you can’t hang out tonight?” Eddie slumps against the wall of the trailer as he asks Robin once more if she wanted to hang out. All day he’s been busy sitting in self pity because of your date with Steve and he could really use the distraction of a friend.

“Eds I told you I have plans, don’t you?” She’s been confused this whole phone call because she could’ve sworn you told her you told Eddie about the party.

“No,” Eddie groans down the line while he slides to the floor. “Y/n’s going on a date with Steve so I’m stuck wallowing.” It suddenly all makes sense to Robin and she has to hold back her laughter.

“Oh. I don’t think it’s a date Eddie. But if it’s bothering you this much, why don’t you go to her place and finally tell her how you feel before this not date.”

“If Steve likes her I don’t wanna ruin that for him.”

“Steve doesn’t like her like that, he doesn’t even consider tonight a date! So if you’re so convinced that’s what this is then at least go save your girl from heartbreak.”

“Shit, really?” He doesn’t even give Robin time to respond before speaking again. “I gotta go.”

“Yeah, see you later.” She finally starts laughing as he hangs up on the other side causing Steve to come into the living room.

“What’s so funny?”

You’re finishing getting ready in the living room with License to Ill playing on your stereo when Eddie knocks on the door. You smile rushing to the door excited to head to the party with him.

“Hey Eddie!”

“Don’t go on this date with Steve!” He rushes the words out and your excited face becomes one of confusion.

“What?”

“He doesn’t think it’s a date and I don’t wanna see you get hurt because he doesn’t see you the way you see him.”

“Eddie, what are you talking about? What date?”

“The party tonight, isn’t it a date?”

“No.” You chuckle at how he misunderstood you when you told him about it. “We’re all supposed to be going together. Steve should be at Robins right now actually. You thought when I told you Steve said we should go he meant just me and him?”

“Well yeah, with how you like him and how excited you looked I thought maybe he asked you out.” Admittedly Eddie’s feeling a little dumb even more so when you let out a little laugh again.

“Sorry, sorry I don’t mean to laugh really. I just thought you would’ve put together that I don’t actually like Steve by now after seeing how I barely even interact with him when everyone else is around.”

“You don’t like Steve?” You shake your head. “But you told me you like Steve.”

“I told you that I liked you! Really I thought that you would’ve figured it out by now. I mean I’m always with you and I choose you over Steve regularly. And I mean I described you, it’s not my fault you thought I was talking about Steve. I was gonna tell you that I’ve been practically in love with you for who knows how long after the party, maybe ask you out with that. Thought about asking you out for the party but you deserve a better date than some dumb college party where we’ll only know our small group.”

Eddie had stopped paying attention after your first sentence, only vaguely hearing the rest of your ramble. His brain replays how you described him when he asked all those days ago and his mouth drops open.

“You think I have pretty eyes?”

“Of course I do. Now can you maybe say you like me back because I’m sorta shaking in my boots with anxiety that maybe Garreth was wro-” Eddie surges forward taking your head in his hands and connecting his lips to your own hoping all his feelings get transferred through it knowing he doesn’t have the words right now. He’s too in awe that any of this is happening. He keeps expecting to wake up and ruin it all.

“Pinch me because I swear to God this is a dream.” He says once the two of you part and you laugh before pinching his arm causing him to yelp. “Jeez! Not that hard Sweetheart.”

“You asked for it.” You shrug and grab a jacket before joining him outside. “You ready to head to the party or do we need to go back to the trailer since you weren’t expecting to go?”

“How about we go see a movie instead? The Princess Bride seems like it’s right up your alley, and I don’t really feel like sharing you with anyone else after finding out how obsessed with me you are.”

“Oh shut up!” You hit his chest laughing. “That sounds good though.”

“I’m like obsessed with you too, by the way. You were the reason for the teardrops on my guitar for a hot minute there when I thought you were into Steve. The guys were getting real annoyed with me because I had this list of songs we couldn’t play because they were either inspired by you or your favorites.”

Eddie Taglist: @sadbitchfangirl​​ @notbeforelong​​​ @munsonswhore86​​​ @navs-bhat​​ @emotionaldreamer​​ ​​ @rockchickrebel​​ ​ @magicalchocolatecheesecake​​ @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce​​ ​​ @fangirling-4-ever​​  @gaysludge​​ @audhd-dragonaut​​ ​​ ​ @eddiethesexy​​ @mazerunnerrose​​ @tvserie-s-world​​ @midnightsgetawaycar​  @goldylions​ @venomsvl​ @zbeez-outlet​ @eddie-swhore​ @haileighboi @myownworstenemyyy​ @sharnnnnnn​ @bratckerman​ @spacedoutdaydreamer​ @livslifeonline​ @phantomxoxo​ @mushroomelephant​

Everything Taglist: @bejeweledmastermind​ @matchamunson​ @bubsonnobx​ @practicalghost​ 

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson x you #eddie munson #eddie x reader #eddie munson angst #angst with a happy ending #eddie munson stranger things #stranger things imagine #stranger things x reader #stranger things

[therapycat21]

All Right Now Part 9

Travis Kelce x Famous!Reader Description: The reader catches the eye of famous footballer Travis.

Warnings: None

Social Media AU

I still can’t believe it, I never thought I’d be engaged to be married, ever considering my track record, But I guess the best things come when you least expect it to. Travis and his family coming into my life was definitely a blessing in disguise. There is no doubt I love my family but it’s a different feeling of love being accepted by your partner’s family. 

It’s been a few days since Travis proposed, the news outlets obviously already know and are spinning a bunch of theories every day. 

“They only got engaged because she’s pregnant”  “She gave him an ultimatum and that’s why he did it.”

Every day it’s something new, I know it is only because we have only been together a year but jeez, people get engaged after only being together for a few months, and a lot of the time those are the couples that are the happiest and stay together the longest. (In my opinion) Travis has been over the moon and telling pretty much anyone he can, even after a game in the press room, he finds any chance to bring it up, It is definitely the cutest thing to see him blushing on TV.  I even see it all over TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, you name it and it’s there.

We have been getting calls, and texts all day. Some from friends and family others, news networks, talk shows, and everything. It has been crazy. Travis and I are both doing talk shows, not together but a few days apart.

"You think these go together?" Travis has been inside the closet for an hour trying to find an outfit when he goes on Jimmy Fallon tonight.

I look up from where I lay on the bed scrolling through Tiktok, he’s holding a black suit set. “Ohh, that would look so nice, especially with your gold jewelry,” I tell him he gives me a smile in response hanging the outfit on the side for later “You are one amazing woman, you know that?” he smiles at me once more.

We both head downstairs to film a new episode of New Heights with Jason. We settle in the chairs, pull the headphones on, and wait for Jason.

“Hello hello, family!” Jason somewhat yells. I laugh at the face he makes before Travis and Jason get into their announcements and sponsors.

“Now we have two special guests today, my awesome and beautiful wife Kylie and our awesome sister-in-law Y/n!” Jason announces loudly earning a weirded and shocked look from Kylie “Oh my” she mutters smirking at me through the camera, I try to hold in my laughter behind my hand, “gotta love Jason’s enthusiasm” I tell them laughing. We talk about a few topics before Jason brings up the big one “Okay, I waited long enough to bring it up, can we please talk about the proposal?” he asks.

I look to Travis for agreement, after a brief nod and encouraging smile “Well It was definitely a surprise I’ll tell you that, we had talked about it and I didn’t expect him to propose a few weeks after that talk.” I laugh. I turn and face Travis “You know it was perfectly timed, as someone who didn't really see themselves getting married, I knew the second we met that she was either gonna be my wife or I would never get married to anyone else unless it was her.” He replies looking at me after. I tried to hide the tears forming in my eyes, I dab under my eyes “I love you so much” I tell him giving him a quick soft kiss.

 We turn to see Jason and Kylie both smiling wide. Jason was sporting the proud big brother look “When Trav came to me and started talking to me about how he was planning all of this, for one, I was shocked cause, for one I’ve never seen him talk so passionately about someone or something as much as his car collection, so It was so cool to see him do that, and two, I was just excited to be able to watch it happen in front of my eyes.” Jason says before turning his attention to Kylie “what did you think?” he asks her. 

She smiles “I for one was kinda just like thank god, he finally asked her and now I have my sister-in-law” she laughs “When Jason told me the plans I was ecstatic, It feels good to see you both happy.” she says in response. We give them both fond smiles “Aww, see and my biggest fear was everyone thinking we were crazy for doing this too soon.” I laugh.

“If I never met you and your family I would have thought the same thing but everyone can clearly see you guys are in love and like Travis said if it feels right then it’s right and you gotta take that chance when It shows itself,” Jason tells us. We talk a bit more and we say goodbye to them.

An hour later

Travis and I are in our closet getting ready to head out for his interview tonight with Jimmy Fallon, Travis wearing the black suit ensemble and me wearing something similar. 

We pull into the studio already seeing paparazzi surrounding the entire sides of the entrance to the studio. I huff trying to mentally prepare for the swarm about to happen, Travis leans over grasping my hand in pulling it towards his face giving the tops of my hands a chaste kiss. “We got this, and always remember I got you, baby,” he reassured me. I nod my head. He leans forward and opens the car door, the camera lights flashing like crazy before it doubles when I also come out of the car, the driver shuts the door and Travis guides me protectively towards the door, pushing back over pushy paparazzi.

We finally make it inside the building and we are met by a studio rep, they guide us to where we need to be. We chill in the studio’s dressing room before we are guided over to the studio’s main stage and seating area. I give Travis a kiss before he heads back and I open the door to where the audience is and where my front-row seat is.

I hear gasps flow throughout the room I look up to see the audience staring at me in shock “Hi everyone” I wave to them shyly. I hear quick responses throughout the room and sit down in my seat where a couple of younger girls are. I give them a smile before I focus my attention on Jimmy walking out onto the stage and sitting behind his desk. “Okay, we are live, in three, two, one” I hear the camera director announce. “Hello everyone, today we have a very special guest, please welcome the man, the chief king and big yeti, Travis Kelce!” he announces theatrically before the crowd starts to yell out and Travis works his way to his seat “Hello hello” he waves to the audience, winking at me, I smile in response. 

They talk a bit about his games, and about the new documentary Jason has made coming out soon. “Okay, now we all know there is something big that needs to be talked about,” Jimmy smirks, Trav laughs rubbing his bearded chin and nodding “Yeah, I have a feeling I know” he laughs. Jimmy laughs “okay we all know you recently proposed to your now fiance Y/n L/n” the crowd starts clapping and hollering as Travis blushes “Yeah, I got her to say yes, thankfully” Travis jokes. Jimmy laughs “okay, so tell us how it happened, how did you do it?” he asks “Well, I had started planning all of it a few months ago and had the ring for a while, and I decided to set up a small park that we always went to and had her favorite flowers scattered on the ground with those tea light candles and then I did it.” he tells them cheesing big. 

The crowd awws and hollers “oh my, well that sounds amazing.” Jimmy compliments, “So of course I have to ask cause everyone was talking about how too soon it was, do you think you did it too soon?” he asks. Travis smiles shaking his head “no, absolutely not, I knew it was the right moment and me and her are big believers in if it feels right take that jump cause we see too many people lose those opportunities and I can’t lose her.” Travis tells them gaining soft coos from the audience.

Jimmy is smiling softly at him “you know, you are so right, and I just want to say congratulations to you and I know you guys are gonna do amazing, I wish I could tell y/n so please if you can pass that for me” Jimmy laughs, Travis nods smiling “actually one second” he hold a finger up before standing up and heading off the stage to the audience and holding his hand out for me to grab.

The crowd starts to yell as Travis guides me towards the seat closest to Jimmy. 

We smile at each other and pull each other into a hug “Oh my god, I can’t believe your here? It’s so cool to see you again.” He tells me I smile “It’s so good to see you too, I mean I’m gonna be here next week so” We laugh and sit down. “This is crazy, So congratulations, how are you feeling?” he asks “Thank you! And very very good, I could not be happier” I smile at him.

We sit and talk a bit more before the show ends and we say our goodbyes to Jimmy, the audience, and the production before we head home.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Taglist:

@whitemanswhore3

@bxdbxtxh15

@cixrosie

@kkrenae

@the-untamed-soul

@calirindo

@armystay89

@hotwheels1108

@awatt31

@bobthe-turmpetman29

@goldenharrysworld

@chimchimmarie

@jmamas92

@itsdesiree86

#travis kelce #travis x reader #allrightnowseries #famous!reader #kansas city chiefs

[rubyreduji]

she got the ruby — ljh

summary: you try a new shade of lipstick

tags: smut (minors dni!) warnings: explicit unprotected sex, coming inside (wear protection yall), oral (f. receiving), consensual taking of explicit photos wc: 1.2k an: "i look pretty good for a dead bitch" "she's aliiiivvee"

original request: how woozi’s s/o new shade of lipstick turns him on (yes, it’s red)?

You haven’t seen Jihoon in a week. Which, in theory really isn’t that long, but it’s still enough time to make you miss him. Luck for you though, you have a date with him tonight and then a whole weekend free to spend together.

As you finish up your makeup you grab your newest shade of lipstick, a ruby red that you’ve been saving for this particular date. You apply it generously and put on your coat before heading out the door. Jihoon normally picks you up for your dates together, but he had a last minute meeting he had to go to and was afraid he wouldn’t have enough time to get ready and make the reservation time.

You enter the restaurant and give them your name and are then escorted into the back. Jihoon is already sitting there, looking at the menu casually. He looks up when he hears people approaching and his eyes go a bit wide when he sets his eyes on you.

“Y/N,” he stands and grabs your hand, “you look…gorgeous.” He slides his hand up your arm to cup your face and press a kiss to the corner of your mouth. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you more,” you whisper back to him. You allow him to lead you over to the table and pull your chair out for you.

Jihoon takes his seat as well and you look down at the menu. Your eyes scan the wide selection of foods and when you look up to ask Jihoon what he is going to order you’re a bit surprised to see him staring at you instead. At your lips to be exact and you smirk.

“You like?” You pout your lips a bit. “I’m trying out a new shade.”

Jihoon gulps. “It looks…it’s a very nice shade. I really like it on you.”

You smile at your boyfriend and go back to looking at the menu. The exact reaction you were hoping for.

“Fuck, Y/N,” Jihoon groans as you push him against the wall. Your lips trail down his neck as his fingers fiddle with the zipper on your dress. Your dinner was going well until you realized Jihoon was just a little too out of it. It was then when you noticed how dilated his pupils were and you got the message.

Your dress slides down your body and onto the floor. Jihoon’s hands move to grab your waist and pull you even closer to him. His neck is now stained with the lipstick shade that got him into this situation in the first place.

“You’re so…tantalizing. God, you've been driving me crazy all night. Wearing that lipstick…it’s like you wanted this to happen.”

“Maybe I did,” you answer back. “It has been a week since we last saw each other.”

“Exactly, so what are we stalling for.” Jihoon grabs you by the waist and hoists you up and carries you to the bedroom. He throws you onto the bed before crawling on top of you.

He presses his lips against your neck, sucking on the skin while his fingertips connect with your clothed clit. You gasp at the contact as he starts to move his fingers in a circular motion. Your own fingers dig into the hair at the nape of his neck.

Jihoon pulls your panties down your legs and throws them onto the floor. He works his way down your body and kisses your thighs before connecting his lips to your clit. He sucks on the bud before darting his tongue out to flick at it. Your thighs tremble as Jihoon continues to work at your clit, using all his abilities to get you off. You wrap your legs around him, locking him in place. Jihoon doesn’t mind, just grips your thighs tighter and sucks harder.

“Jihoon please,” you beg. “I can’t wait any longer. I need you to fuck me.”

“My pretty impatient girl,” Jihoon lifts his head from between your legs. “What if I just want to stay here for the rest of the night?”

“Jihoon,” you whine, “do something.” You tug at his hair again and Jihoon chuckles before finally moving back up your body.

“I thought I was the one in a rush,” Jihoon jokes. You can only whine some more, but you don’t have to wait long as Jihoon kisses you again. You busy your lips with his as your hands slide up and down his back and your legs wrap themselves around his hips.

You briefly feel Jihoon’s hand trail down your side before reaching down between your bodies. Jihoon lines his tip up to you and teases you a few more seconds before finally slowly breaching your entrance. Your hips wrap even tightinger around him, clamping his body to yours as your fingers drag down Jihoon’s back. It’s been too long since you two have done this.

One of Jihoon’s hands grip low at your hip, his fingertips digging into the curve of your ass as his hips move in slow strokes against you. He braces himself on his other arm, his hand brushing against your arm. 

You relish in the heat radiating off of both of your bodies as you lose yourself more in the moment. You let your head loll back as you arch your back further into your boyfriend’s touch. His cock digs deep into you, pushing up against your walls in a delightful rhythm.

Just when you didn’t think it could get better, you feel Jihoon shift to sit up on his knees, pulling your legs along with you so your bottom half is in the air. Jihoon readjusts his hold on your hips and starts to pound into you faster and deeper. Your hands fly to the sheets beside you as you start to release wanton moans. Above you, you can hear Jihoon panting slightly as he rocks his hips, trying to keep pace.

You can feel the sweat starting to form on your brow as your pussy starts to flutter with that familiar feeling. You can barely let out a strangled mewl before you’re spasming around Jihoon’s cock. Your body starts to go limp, but Jihoon keeps his grip on you as his hips stutter, coming to a stop as he releases his load into you.

Jihoon gently sets you back down onto the bed after that and moves to kiss your lips again. You accept him, pulling his warm body onto yours, enjoying the weight of him on top of you. You two lazily kiss for a couple more minutes before Jihoon gets up to clean you guys up.

When Jihoon is done he stands at the edge of the bed, staring down at you. “You look so pretty like this.” Jihoon’s hand reaches down and his thumb brushes over your bottom lip. When he pulls his hand away, red stains the pad of his thumb. “You know this color really is beautiful.”

You stare back at him. You know he’s more talking to himself than you but you still butt in. “Take a picture, it will last longer.”

Jihoon raises an eyebrow at you. “Is that permission?” You nod to him slightly and Jihoon walks off only to come back a second later, this time holding his phone. You allow him to snap a few photos of you before he turns the screen to show you.

A picture of you, sprawled out on the bed, stares back at you. Your hair is tousled and your eyes are a bit droopy with sleep. Your tits are just barely in frame at the bottom of the photo, but the real eye catcher is the red pigment smeared across your lips. You look beautiful. 

“I think I should wear this color more often,” you hum, proud of yourself.

“I think so too,” Jihoon agrees before leaning in to smear it some more.

taglist: @pandorashbox @leejihoonownsmyheart @soonhoonietrash @chaimi-yuta @embrace-themagic @kayleeshinee @coupsgyus @joonsytip @heyxxitsxxtay @synthetickitsune @chwecardcaptor @candidupped @dreamhannies @d0nghyck @niyizh @baldi-2 @enhacolor @noniestars @heavenly-mobo @sunnyteume @debsworld23 @m1nghaos @just-here-to-read-01 @blxckswxnxge @17kwans @jeanjacketjesus @x-veex @namjoonbaby @ovai @belladaises @todorokiskitten @jihoonliker @niktwazny303 @brxzilianbaby @moshiyuron @y0lkz @im-gemmy @honeylovemoon @wonchansbrooklynn @opwolfe @luvthatleader-nim @cbgisland @lorde-oftherings @hoeforcheol @hotricewoozi @prpldahy

join my taglist: here!

#seventeen #seventeen fanfic #seventeen smut #woozi #lee jihoon #woozi smut #woozi fanfic #woozi scenarios #woozi imagines #woozi x reader #svt woozi #kpop #kpop fanfic #kpop smut #rru.fics #rru.requests #rru.writes #★ mdni

[99hook]

protective hook 😫

plot is up to you, but maybe a guy friend gets a bit too comfy, and he gets jealous

if u wanna make it smut go ahead 🫣

18+

There’s two unspoken rules that anybody who knows Hook, undeniably is aware of.

You don’t fuck with him and you don’t even think about fucking with his girl.

Hook likes when people think that he won’t do anything if they try to break those rules, and he loves when they try to test that theory, even though it gets him into a lot of trouble more often than not.

There’s been three instances, but they all go the same exact way. Some guy thinks he can sweettalk you while your man isn’t around, and you either tell him about it after you cuss the dude out, or he catches it himself.

He likes the look on those guy’s faces when they feel like someone’s standing behind them, glaring them down. They all turn around and look like they’ve seen a ghost right before their very eyes each and every time, it never fails. It’s funny to him but he doesn’t crack a smile until they’re scrambling away.

But it’s a little different tonight, because the man with the audacity to throw his arm around you is a long-time friend of his, and a new friend of yours, apparently.

He assesses the situation from where he’s leaning against the turnbuckles. He’s surprised you two don’t feel his eyes burning a hole right through you, too caught up in a conversation from where you stood behind the barricades.

He clenches his jaw, his teeth aching from the tensions. It was only when the bell rang for his match that you and his so-called buddy decided to finally look up at him, catching the daggers he was shooting immediately.

That arm that was draped lazily around your shoulder dropped to the man’s side instantly, his eyes widening when he realized his misstep.

But by that point, your boyfriend didn’t care too much about the correction of his mistake. He shouldn’t have made it in the first place.

He made quick work of his opponent, effectively locking in the redrum in under two minutes when the match was originally supposed to be three and a half long. He didn’t care, because as soon as he saw his friend lean closer to tell you something with a certain look in his eye, Hook couldn’t be in that ring any longer.

His music hit and his poor opponent who had to be the victim of his aggression was pushed off to the side. He slid under the ropes and walked straight over to the two of you.

His friend, so he mistook him for, slapped a hand on hooks shoulder in a congratulatory manner and got stiff jabbed in the jaw half a second after that.

He crashed to the floor and the entire arena nearly went silent before they started to cheer again. They probably thought this was all apart of the act but you knew it wasn’t.

One look at you with those devilishly dark eyes was all you got before he hopped over the barricade and grabbed you by the hand, pulling you through the swarm of fans until you got pushed back against a wall somewhere backstage.

“Tyler I-“

“You knew better.” Was all he said in a deep, sharp tone. You had no time to respond before you felt his hands firmly grip your hips, his chest heaving as heavy breaths lingered over your cheeks.

“What?” He asks, putting on a tone of fake innocence when he notices the perplexed look on your face. “You think he didn’t deserve to get knocked out?” As if he was reading your mind.

“He wasn’t trying to do anything. You know I always shut that shit down anytime anyone does.” You argued back, taking note of the way his lips pulled to the side in a smirk that had no reason to be there.

“Not that time.” He says as his grip on your hips tighten. “I watched you, and I watched him. I’ve known him since I was a kid. I know the way he does things. He knew better just like you did.”

“It wasn’t anything like that.”

“It shouldn’t have been anything at all.” He snaps back. You were pinned by his body pressing into yours and the cold wall against your back. He tilted his head to the side and made a mental note that you may have actually been as unsuspecting as you claim.

“I think you should’ve at least-“

“I think you should stop talking and get on your knees.” He cuts you off, his tone all too non suggestive. You should’ve known that was coming. Tyler can’t help himself. He gets so worked up when anyone tries anything with you and for some reason, the way he’s wired, all he ever wants to do is fuck you senseless before the adrenaline wears off.

He takes a step back to give you room, his thumbs hooking under the waistband of his shorts as he waits for you to lower yourself like he told you to. And like always, even though you may act like you’re annoyed or frustrated with him, the first thing you feel when he demands something like that is nothing short of pure need.

Your knees land on the floor with eyes trained on him. He slides the front of the shorts down a bit to free his hardened cock and notices the way your eyes widened at how he didn’t need any warming up to do the job.

He held it by the shaft and tapped the tip against your bottom lip three times leaving the taste of salt on your tongue when you swiped it over.

“Try to argue with me with my dick shoved down your throat.” He groaned before he pushed past your lips, effectively knocking the back of your throat with a force that made you gag around him.

His head tipped back when he felt the walls of your throat contract around his cock, letting a shuddered huff come out from his chest.

You started sliding your lips up and down his length but he quickly stopped you when you heard him say, “Give me your hands”

Next thing you knew, your hands were pinned by his against the wall while he mercilessly fucked your throat.

You stayed still and let him do whatever he wanted, and he did. His hips snapped forward and back so roughly, knocking that reflex every single time but since this is something you two have done so much before, it wasn’t that hard to keep yourself controlled.

He peered down at you, his hair fluttering against his forehead, sticking slightly by the sweat he was working up. His lips were agape, puffy and red from the way he previously bit down on them so much in the ring, and he has you and the dude probably still laying on the floor behind the barricade to thank for that.

His hands gripped your wrists tighter as he thrusted even faster, aiming to hear the choking sounds you wouldn’t be able to contain.

You tried, but there was no use.

Tears that formed in the corners of your eyes found their way down your cheeks and you couldn’t wipe them off, but it didn’t matter anyway.

He let a low grunt and a couple curses pass through his lips when his head fell back again, his hips stuttering as he twitched twice against your tongue.

He had just enough strength to look back down at you just as his juices were shooting down your throat. Always his favorite part when the two of you do this. He loves it. Can’t ever get enough.

You swallowed twice as you drained every drop from him, watching with pride as beads of sweat slipped down his torso. He drew his bottom lip in underneath his teeth as he felt himself emptying completely and let a low groan reverberate from his chest when he watched you lick your own lips and the single beads of his serum off of them.

You rose to your feet and stood there in front of him with put on doe eyes because you knew that spat you had earlier was laid to rest now that he’s let all that aggression out on your throat.

A smirk slid across your lips when you watched his chest rapidly rise and fall, coupled with the dust of pink on his cheeks and the low, suddenly sleepy eyes.

“You done arguing with me now?” You asked him with a prideful beam, but he narrowed his eyes and shook his head, letting a cocky smirk play up his lips before he said, “You tryna get this dick shoved down your throat again?”

“What if I am?” Your brows raised to the challenge and he mirrored you perfectly, finding amusement in your boldness.

He stepped forward holding that coy, slick smirk to his face. You felt his hand against your lower back but refused to shy from his intense gaze.

“That smart mouth keeps getting you in trouble, baby. Just wait til we get out of here. Ima fix that attitude for you.”

#hook aew #hook x reader #hook fanfiction #hook fics #hook aew fics #aew hook #hook imagine #tyler senerchia #hook nation rise #send hook

[five-rivers]

Blizzard

Danny checked his Ghost Time Zone Adjuster Watch (Patent Pending!) and frowned at the numbers on the dial.  It was, in theory, synced to the time on Earth– or at least the time zone Amity Park was in, but he’d noticed it got a little less reliable the further he went from the portal.  

He was hoping it was going fast tonight, because if it wasn’t, well, tonight had just become this morning.  He might have been used to late night and early morning fights, but that didn’t mean he had to like them.  

He’d wanted to get to the Far Frozen and back before he had to get up in the morning, but at this pace, that didn’t seem likely.  The Far Frozen was living up to its name, it seemed. 

But despite its inconvenient location, the Far Frozen was also the only place Danny knew of that was both willing and able to treat halfas.  And wasn’t Vlad.  Vlad didn’t count, for obvious reasons.  

Danny passed a set of melting stairs whose banister was slowly mutating into hissing snakes and the icy islands loomed into view.  He sighed in relief.  Finally.  

He zoomed towards the main island, skirting snow-laden clouds and pallid, sinuous frostworms.  Briefly, he touched down at the edge of the island, internally debating waiting for the yetis to notice him or going closer.  He bounced in place.  If he stayed still too long, he might doze off.  He’d been having some trouble with that, lately.  And he was short on time.  

Mind made up, he took off again, but flew more slowly.  The yetis should be able to notice him long before he reached their settlement at this rate.  

He saw the clouds of ice kicked up by the pair of skimmers before he saw the skimmers themselves and slowed.  The skimmers slowed, too, and they met in the middle.  

“Hi, guys!” called Danny.  “Do you mind if I take a lift with you?”

“Yes, Great One!” shouted the pilot over the engine of the skimmer.  “What brings you here today?”

Danny landed on the deck of the skimmer.  “Medical stuff,” he said, shrugging.  “You can call me Danny, by the way.  What’s your name?”

“Iceplow, Great One!  It is an honor to carry you!  Why, this is the first time I’ve had a passenger who wasn’t from the Far Frozen.”

“Yeah?” asked Danny, stifling a yawn and sitting cross-legged on the deck.  

Iceplow nodded, and launched into a story about how he’d learned to drive.  Danny, sadly, couldn’t pay much attention, because it sounded hilarious.  The skimmer bounced and jolted underneath him, but… compared to his dad… sleepy…

They skidded to a stop and Danny forced himself awake.

“Here we are!” announced Iceplow.  “Safe and sound, as promised, Great One!”

Danny nodded and smiled.  “Thanks for the ride.”

Upon hopping off the skmmer, he was swarmed.  He was maybe a bit of a celebrity here.  Way more than he was in Amity Park, which was weird because he’d never intentionally set out to save the Far Frozen.  It had just sort of happened, incidentally.  

Usually, he’d love the attention, but tonight, with how tired he was…  He started to flag immediately.  But the crowd scattered away, suddenly respectful.  

“What brings you here, Great One?” asked Frostbite, rescuing him.  “Unless I miss my mark very much, this is an unusual time for you to visit.”

Danny nodded, a less tired part of him making a note to figure out how Frostbite knew it was a weird time.  “I wanted to ask you a few, um, medical questions, if that’s okay?”

Frostbite sobered immediately.  “Are you ill?” he asked, clearly troubled.  “Have you been injured?”

Danny shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I was kind of hoping you’d be able to tell me.  I mean, I don’t know if this is something normal, or a ghost thing, or a halfa thing, or something else.”

“I see,” said Frostbite.  “In that case, we should go to the infirmary and do a thorough assessment.  If it is troubling you, after all, then at the very least it is a change to your normal status.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”  There were places to sit down in there.

Frostbite lifted Danny to sit on his shoulders.  Danny caught himself listing sideways, into Frostbite’s horns, which was really quite rude, twice.  

The infirmary caves, carved deep into the ice and rock of the Far Frozen, were kept meticulously clean and brightly lit.  It would be easy, down here, to forget that he wasn’t in a hospital back on Earth.  

… At least in some places.  In other places, the machines and equipment being used was definitely not intended for humans and the raw walls of the tunnels showed through.

Danny stared at the labeled diagram of a blob ghost on the far wall, his eyes too unfocused to make out the words on it.  A sharp buzzing sound rang in his ears.  The thought that he could steal a nap crossed his mind and was reluctantly discarded.  Or, rather, it wasn’t so much discarded as… Well, it would be rude, wouldn’t it?  To fall asleep like that?

Frostbite cleared his throat, a human habit he’d definitely picked up from Danny, jolting him out of his reverie.  “Let’s start with the symptoms you are experiencing.”

“I’ve been tired all the time.  But when I try to sleep, I just can’t.  I’ve tried getting myself to wake up more, and I’ve tried coffee, and I’ve tried wearing myself out so I’ll sleep, but…  Nothing seems to work.”

“Well, there are a few different things that could be.  Let’s start with some simple tests…”

Frostbite started with things any doctor would do.  He weighed and measured Danny, listened to his heart, took his blood pressure, tested his reflexes.  He also repeated most of Danny’s tests in both forms, took ‘aural photographs,’ and checked the energy levels of his ectoplasm.  Then came blood tests, x-rays, an MRI, an ‘ectoplasmic resonance scan,’ an ectosignature typing, and other, weirder tests.   

“Hm,” said Frostbite, looking down at the test results.   “Interesting.”

“Interesting bad, or interesting good?”

“Nothing bad, no.  I believe I may be able to do something to help,” said Frostbite, finally, “but may I ask a favor of you in the meantime?”

“Sure,” said Danny.  

“You see, I may have to consult with some of our experts, but they’re largely occupied with the children today.”

“Children?”

“You haven’t met them before, have you?” asked Frostbite.  “You have spent most of your time in the warrior’s camp.”

“The–?”  Any other time, Danny would be asking questions, but he knew that if he did now, the explanations would go in one ear and out the other.  He shook his head.  “You want me to watch them.”

Frostbite shrugged.  

Well, it couldn’t be any worse than trying to babysit Youngblood.  And it would make him feel better to actually do something useful, instead of just waiting for Frostbite to find something to fix him.  

Frostbite led Danny down another series of tunnels, then outside and up over a series of hills.  Danny started flagging right away, but Frostbite slowed to accommodate him. 

They crested one more hill, and then Danny saw it.  A wonderful, fantasy play structure that would fill any child under ten with avarice.  A finely detailed medieval castle, with slides, swings, climbing walls, and anything else you could think of, down to what looked like an accurate trebuchet and functional portcullis, all made of glass-clear ice.  Within the play structure were five small yetis.

Danny gasped and clutched at Frostbite’s arm.  “Oh my gosh,” he said, “they’re precious.”

They were small.  Well, smaller than the adult yetis.  Even at this distance, Danny was pretty sure the smallest one was at least as tall as he was and probably had at least fifty pounds on him with how fluffy they were.  

“How old are they?” he asked

“Hm, let’s see,” said Frostbite.  “Icepack is the oldest…  Snowflake is the youngest… so that would be…  They’re between fifty and two hundred and fifty years old.”

“They’re what?”

“Between fifty and two hundred and fifty years old.”

“Frostbite,” said Danny, “they’re older than me.  How could I watch them?”

Frostbite chuckled.  “I did not actually say that, if you remember.”  He gently pushed Danny forward.  “All I said was that I needed to speak with the experts here.  We do not have to go anywhere else to do that.”  Once more, he urged Danny forward.  “Please, Great One, go play.”

“I don’t…”  He looked back at the ice castle.  The children had definitely noticed him, and they were coming out.  Their eyes were sparkling.  

He couldn’t disappoint kids.  

As Frostbite went to go join the other adult yetis, who were sitting on a bench a short distance away, he approached, trying not to look nervous.  “Hi!” he said.  “I’m Danny.”

“I’m Snowflake!” said the tiniest yeti in an adorably squeaky voice.  “I’m a girl!”

“Everyone knows you’re a girl!”

“He doesn’t!”

“Yep,” said Danny, giving a shaky thumbs up, “I don’t know anything about any of you, so…”

“He’s Cryosphere.  His parents had to give him a really fancy name to make up for–”

The tallest of the yeti children put their hand on Snowflake’s head.  “I’m Snowpack,” they said. “These two are Featherice and Candleice.”

Snowflake beat Snowpack’s hand away.  “Are you a boy or a girl?”

“Uh,” said Danny, who had been prepared for a different kind of interrogation altogether.  

“‘Cause if you’re a boy, then we’re even, because Snowpack and Cryosphere are boys, and Featherice and Candleice are girls.”

“I guess I’m a boy, then,” said Danny.  

He got the distinct impression he was being sized up.  “Then you can be one of the princesses with me!  We can have a girl princess and a boy princess, then, and it’ll be fair.”

“You can’t have a boy princess,” said Cryosphere.  “He has to be a prince.”

“Princes are the ones who rescue princesses,” said Snowflake.  “Princes get armor, and princesses get crowns.  That’s how it works.”

“I know a princess,” said Danny, hoping to at least derail the brewing argument.  “She rescued herself, and she ha-aa-aaaawhn.”  Danny was unable to keep himself from yawning.

“You,” declared Snowflake, gravely and with great importance, “are sleepy.”  She tapped his nose with one claw.  This froze the air inside his nostrils and he sneezed.  

“Ahhhh,” said Featherice, “your sneeze is so cute!”

“Sleepy!” declared Snowflake again.   

“No,” he said, defensively.  At least for human children, being sleepy would be seen as uncool.  He wanted to be cool.  

The little yetis stared at him judgmentally.  

“I think it’s naptime, anyway,” said Icepack.  “So, why don’t we do a blizzard, then take a nap?”

Snowflake gaped at him, betrayed.  “I don’t need to take a nap.”

“It’s not very fair to tell someone else they need a nap, then not take one yourself, is it?” asked Icepack.  “We can all take one together, okay?”

“Um,” said Danny, “a blizzard?”

“It’s a type of group work,” said Candleice, quietly.  “You let your ice go together and shape it together.  In a blizzard, the snow comes and tucks you in, then you take a nap.”

“O-oh,” said Danny, “I don’t know if I should do that, my ice powers, um…”  He glanced over at Frostbite, who gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up.  The children were looking at him expectantly.  Danny caved.  “Okay, we can try it out.”  He could always just… not put any power into what they were doing.  

He was, upon agreement, promptly dragged into the castle’s courtyard.

“So,” said Icepack, “first, we get in a circle, and we all hold hands.”

The yetis lined up in order of height and Danny, the shortest, carefully took the clawed hands of Snowflake and Icepack.  

"Now, we start walking in a circle…"  Danny mimicked the yetis around him.  "And we wave our arms up and down.  Then we take cold in through our left arm, and out with our right.  Pass it around."

Danny had never done anything like this before, but the momentum the yetis were building made it easy to let the cold wash through him, sending ice feathering up his arms and around his shoulders.  The feeling plucked at his core, and, finally, he gave in to the feeling, adding a thread of his power.  

"There we go.  Good job, everyone."

A few meters above the circle, a storm swirled, building and building.  

"Alright, now change directions."

Danny stumbled a step, but fell back into the loose rhythm easily.  Snow began to fall from the clouds above, faster and faster, until even the constant movement of the circle didn’t stop them from having to wade through snow.  Snow gathered heavily on Danny’s shoulders, in his hair, his eyelashes.  The shifting white in front of him could have been Snowflake’s back, but it could just as easily be the snow.  He could hardly see his own hands, and definitely couldn’t see his feet.  

“And break!”

Everyone let go and threw themselves into the high bank of snow that had gathered outside of their circle.  More ice energy burst out as the circle broke, the power they were channeling and building escaping into the air and making it just that much colder, the snowflakes just that much larger.  There was some muffled giggling as the children flopped around and knocked snow onto one another.  Danny was promptly buried.  

“Naptime now!” called out Icepack.  The other children quieted.  

Danny sighed and flexed his hands, which were still bleeding cold energy.  He wanted to get up, but it’d be better if he was a good role model, right?

Although… This was pretty comfortable.  Nice and cold, the right temperature for his core, the snow underneath conforming to his body, the ever-increasing weight of the snow above, the dark and quiet, also increasing.  

Frostbite and the other adults were watching, too.  Maybe, just for a moment…

.

The blizzard cleared.  Not too long later, the five little yetis burrowed out from under the snow.  

“You were very mature, today, children,” said Frostbite, passing out little flavored ice treats.  “Thank you for your help.”

“He’s so little!” said Snowflake.  “He’s even smaller than me.  Did he really fight Pariah Dark?”

“He did,” said Frostbite, “that’s why it’s so easy, sometimes, to forget that he is a child, just like all of you.”

“Not that any of you should go off fighting strange adults any time soon!” said Driftice, their main caretaker for the day, swooping in.  “Humans age differently, and he had been a human for most of his existence.”

“Aha, yes, that is true.”

“Chief Frostbite,” said Snowflake, tugging on the end of his cape to get his attention back. “I have a question.”

“Go ahead, little one.”

“Doesn’t he know ghosts don’t take naps?  He’s got to know that, if he beat up Pariah Dark.”

“Well, he was human.”

Snowflake frowned.  “How do humans become ghosts?” she asked.  

Driftice glared at him from over Snowflake’s head.

“Oh, dear, look at the time.  You’re all late for your hunting lesson.”

“No, we’re not,” said Snowflake, even as the group was hurried along by Driftice and the other caretakers of the day.

Frostbite sighed and made an ice chair for himself.  He waited, amusing himself by making small sculptures, not something he got much practice at, with his duties as chief.  

Several hours later, the snow shifted and a rather disoriented-looking Phantom dug his way out of the snow.  “Huh?” he said, looking around.  “What?”

“You fell asleep,” explained Frostbite, putting aside his latest sculpture.

Phantom’s eyes widened.  “Sorry.  I didn’t mean to.”

“Perhaps not, but I meant for you to.”

“What?” asked Phantom, bewildered.  

“To put it simply,” said Frostbite, “you were too stressed to sleep, Great One, and somewhat overheated for an ice core as well.  I’m sorry for the deception with the children, but I wasn’t sure you would agree to rest, otherwise, and that’s the only cure for these things.”

“I,” said Phantom, frowning.  “But–”

“Do you feel better?” prodded Frostbite.

“... Maybe,” said Phantom, quietly, guiltily.

Frostbite smiled gently.  He handed Phantom one of the ice sculptures.  It was a simple thing, a series of spheres within spheres.  

“Everyone needs rest, Phantom.  There’s no shame in taking it.”

“But what if…”  Danny rubbed his thumb over the sculpture.  “What if something happens?  How long was I asleep?”  He flailed a bit more and freed a hand from the snow.  He glared at the small watch around his wrist.

“Then something happens, and you deal with it well-rested.”

Phantom, in a way that was far too adorable considering that he had no fur and hardly any fangs, pouted.  “Frostbite, I was asleep for over eight hours.  I’m going to totally miss school.”

“And do you feel better?” prompted Frostbite again.

“... Yes.  But I really have to go, now, or else my parents will totally blow up at me.”

Frostbite was glad he knew that was a colloquialism.  “You can always tell them you were kidnapped by a ghost.  It’s even true.”

“You’re terrible,” said Phantom.  “But…  Thanks.  I might take you up on that."

#danny phantom #dannymay #dannymay 2023 #dannymay 2023 day 3: blizzard #fluff #danny takes a nap

[prismatic-bell]

Hey all y’all fibercrafters and witchy types and religious types on this site, I’ve got a favor to ask. It will cost you zero dollars and like thirty seconds of your time.

Ten days ago, I had the following conversation with a coworker:

A: hey, J just became a grandma! We’re gonna have a baby shower on the second, the day after we get paid again!

Me: cool! I can make a blanket, that’ll be especially great going into winter. Boy or girl?

Me, mentally: two weeks is enough. It’ll be tight, but I can do it.

A: twin girls!

Me:

And yet, xe persisted. I found a blanket in my UFO pile and went “oh hey, that’s one of them half-done!” and got it to three-quarters only to discover a major counting error at the beginning (possibly the reason I’d abandoned it in the first place). I had to start over. I got back to 27” of a 32” corner-to-corner AND DISCOVERED I’D DROPPED A SQUARE AT THE SEVENTH INCH. This is about an inch-square hole, if you’re wondering. It cannot be ignored, especially in a baby blanket, where a hole that size could easily trap a delicate wrist or ankle. Yes, I had to frog an additional 20” of work.

I have four days to go. I’ve just hit inch 30 again. In theory, I can have blanket #1 done or almost-done before bed tonight.

SEND GOOD VIBES TO THE FIBERCRAFTING GODS FOR ME. I can do it, it’ll be tight but I can do it…as long as I don’t fuck up again.

[historicallyaccuratecheese]

I’ve now gotten halfway through Season 2 of The Magnus Archives, so as per usual, here is my fifth post detailing my thoughts, analysis and theories on every episode, this time with a focus on Episodes 51-60!

Sorry that this one’s taken longer than usual to write, unfortunately I’ve had a few things clashing with the time I spend to listen to tma and write these recently, but hopefully I’ll be able to get back on track soon enough! Also…I’m gonna be real with you, these are just getting longer and longer as I descend down the rabbit hole, so I once again urge you to take your time reading this if you’re at all interested.

As always, please don’t spoil any future episodes for me, and if you haven’t gotten this far in tma then…here’s your spoiler warning for everything up until Episode 60! And finally, I recommend you read my previous posts of this nature, as I will be referencing my thoughts and theories from those in here. There’s a link to the masterpost containing all of them right above the cut!

Anyways, hope you enjoy! :)

- Episode 51, High Pressure 🤿

Statement of Antonia Hayley, regarding a deep dive that took place near Sable Island, Nova Scotia in August 2006.

On tonight’s episode of ✨the connections✨, we bring you back to a jolly old rich dude who throws people into the void! So um…yeah, this one definitely brought back some interesting plot points. In all honesty, I have very little to say about my thoughts on the statement outside of some theories, as while the episode was really good, it’s also a pretty simple one to understand. So, I’ll just run through a few rapid-fire thoughts on the episode, and then get into a few of the meatier topics. Firstly, it’s always nice to have a statement outside of The UK, that definitely does a good job when it comes to the world building, and shows that ✨the horrors✨ really are all around us, so I like that. This statement also gets bonus points for doing another great job at scaring me. I’m not especially thalassophobic, but the descriptions of the empty water devoid of life, and the way the darker waters creeped up into the surface levels…I don’t know, it just got to me. I also found it interesting how we never learn what company Ms. Haley worked for, and how Captain Kemp seemed to have some greater awareness of what happened here, although I can’t really speculate on what all of this means outside of that I think it’s important. And…yeah, those are my thoughts on the standalone elements of this episode! It was really good, don’t get me wrong…I just don’t have a whole lot to say about it. But thankfully, this episode does bring up a good few interesting connections, and managed to further develop the story in some really interesting ways, and I have much more to say about that. The first thing I have to talk about is, of course, The Fairchild Family.

Admittedly, if it wasn’t for Episode 46 reminding me of Episode 21, I might have just forgotten about this plot point, so it’s honestly very nice to see it getting some further development. Looking back at Episode 21, we see that Simon Fairchild was an old man who went skydiving with Robert Kelly, due to a charity raised for his deceased wife, and he was also accompanied by a relative of his named Harriet Fairchild, who was his instructor. Before he dived, he yelled “enjoy sky blue” at Robert, seemingly explaining why he fell into that endless sky, and later got “eaten” by it. Here, we learn that The Fairchilds are a wealthy family located in Cornwall, who invest in aerospace technology, shipping logistics, and underwater drilling and construction. It’s also implied that Simon Fairchild was a con artist in the 1930s who owned many pieces of jewelry, and that he was thrown out of a fourth floor window, yet no one noticed. The cases that would later contain this jewelry would start to mysteriously crack, as if something had been dropped on them. Jon states that Simon Fairchild was an alias of the con artist, meaning that if the con artist is the same person, the entire Fairchild family might be under a fake surname. And finally, Simon is most likely responsible for what happened in this episode. And…that’s about all we know on The Fairchilds for now, although I must say that I have quite a few things to say about them, particularly Simon. So, I said in my last post that I think there’s a connection between The Fairchilds and Mike Crew, as they both seem to connect to and/or directly serve something known as “Vertigo” or (more fittingly in my opinion) “The Vast”. I still stand by this, and I think Simon, and potentially other Fairchilds, can throw people into wide open voids, taking the form of endless skies and dark waters. However, here lies something interesting. Initially, I thought that The Vast only encompassed the sky, given everything that had been seen up until this point, but now I think it just encompasses all horror relating to wide open spaces that just have…a whole lot of nothing in them. Because here, we see that Simon’s abilities manifest in the ocean rather than the sky, and The Fairchilds seem to invest in all sorts of…wide space-like business ventures. I personally think that he shouted something like “Enjoy ocean blue” after Antonia, and that’s what caused her to experience the dark waters. As for where he got these powers, I don’t really know, but because Mike’s weird sky related experiences seem to be responsible for…whatever weird shit has happened to him, I have to wonder if Simon’s defenestration back in the 30s did something to him as well, maybe whoever pushed him out the window was also kind of a weirdo. But mentioning him being alive in the 30s…this guy’s age is a little weird. Like, my grandpa was born in the 30s, and while still pretty healthy, is nowhere near as mobile and adventurous as this guy who was at the very least a late teen in the 30s, presuming that the con artist is the same person as this Simon (which does make me wonder what his REAL name could be…). All I’m saying is that this guy must have some INSANE stamina going on, especially if he really is coming up on a century here. So yeah, I think the powers Simon had are pretty interesting, and that the information I think it seems to provide on “The Vast” is also pretty cool. There are a couple of other things about The Fairchilds I find interesting. Firstly, I will say that it’s strange this is now the third instance of an extensive family with paranormal ties, alongside The Keays and The Lukases. I don’t know if they’re directly linked, but it makes me think that if one person in the family has a paranormal experience…it’s effects might carry over to the rest. Like, maybe Albrecht von Closen’s encounter in The Schwartzwald still haunts The Keays to this day (even though the two we know of are at least…somewhat dead.) I just wonder where exactly the weird stuff with these families starts, and where it ends.

The Fairchilds also have this weird association with riches, which like yeah, it makes sense because they’re rich, but I find it kind of peculiar as a recurring motif. Like, Simon was skydiving for a charity that directly funded the family, he wanted to uncover the riches of his great-grandfather’s shipwreck, and he was at one point a jewelry con-artist. I don’t know if this actually means anything but I just found it kind of interesting. Finally, I kind of want to talk about the dark water. The way it was described, especially with the “hand” reaching out…it really reminded me of Lost Johns’ Cave. Like, a lot. It’s interesting, because I associate that episode with ✨the horrors✨ that connect to compression and/or darkness, the former of which is…pretty much the opposite of The Vast, so these potential similarities are kind of weird to me, but still definitely interesting. Kind of makes me wonder if the events here were like…maybe a collaborative effort between The Fairchilds and The People’s Church of The Divine Host, although that might be a bit of a stretch for the time being. So uh…yeah! There’s my thoughts on The Fairchilds I guess! I really hope to learn more about this weird-ass rich family as time goes on, as I think the whole vibe that surrounds them is great, I’m a sucker for when relatively unassuming old people turn out to be pretty cunning and fucked up in reality, so I’d love to see Simon and other Fairchilds pop up again in the future. And while I do wish I had more to say about the core plot of the statement, I must reiterate that I thought it was good. Like I said, it did a good job at scaring me, so I’d consider that a win. But honestly, as fun as all of this is…I don’t think it quite competes with the supplemental, because WOW. This one is easily my favorite so far.

Let me start by saying what I’ve been saying the entire season. Jon. You need to get your shit together. Like OH MY GOD. I KNOW that he’s technically suspicious of…”Sasha”, but even then! Why is it that he stalks Tim outside of his house, sees Martin’s crush on him as threatening, and moves Elias to the top of his suspect list simply because he said “dude, stop stalking your coworkers”, but then SASHA, the lady who stares at the table you acknowledge is creepy, goes to a wax museum for prolonged periods of time every day, and who despite the abilities of the impersonator is still CLEARLY acting differently than how she did before the funky worm lady showed up, and she *somehow* lost a few tapes, is apparently still the least suspicious? What the hell are you on? Are you stealing from Elias’ secret drawer of the good shit or something? Honestly it kind of feels like Not!Sasha isn’t even trying to hide her identity, but that’s just because she has no reason to since Jon is just THAT. FREAKING. DENSE. Ffs you are an ARCHIVIST. You work at an INSTITUTE. You are INSUFFERABLE. But like, on that note, can I just compliment Jonny Sims for making a protagonist that is such an insufferable loser…and yet I still love him dearly? Like, not just ironically, I’m genuinely invested in him and still really like his character despite how insane and stupid he can be. That takes some serious writing talent. But anyways…back to the supplemental. Firstly, Jon mentions that a few new artifacts have been admitted to the storage room, namely a wardrobe that light can not penetrate, an eye carved out of rock that interferes with video cameras, and a scalpel permanently covered in disease. I get the feeling that all of these are likely to show up in future statements, with the eye being the most curious to me personally. I feel like there’s probably a connection to Gerard Keay there, but the way it makes this video cameras malfunction is very reminiscent of how the computers can’t upload any real statements. But while that’s all pretty interesting, the real highlight to me is the recording of him and Not!Sasha.

Firstly, I just need to give some serious props to Eve Hewitt for her voice acting. You can tell that Not!Sasha has become more accustomed to her new identity over time, but it’s still just so…perfectly off, and I still love the faint audio distortion in the back of her scenes. Secondly…FUCK YEAH THE FRACTALS! I FEEL SO VALIDATED. For a while now I’ve held the belief that Micheal connects to fractals, which I still think is very likely, but I also found it interesting how the patterns on the table were described in a way very similar to the fractals, so I felt like there might be some connection. …I still don’t quite know what that connection might be but PROGRESS. Now, Not!Sasha suggests it’s more like a web that has caught them, but firstly, Not!Sasha is a lying little asshole, and secondly, I think she only says that due to her personal relationship with the table. You see, ever since the end of Season 1, I figured that the table was used to transport the impersonators, but Not!Sasha’s dialogue here makes it seem like more of a prison, one that the impersonator does not want to be tethered to. Now, I’ve always assumed that impersonators are a species, and I still do given the existence of the anatomy students (which aren’t exactly the same but they’re still just too similar to ignore), but now I think that one specific impersonator was tethered to the table, and it must go wherever the table goes. This probably means that Not!Graham and Not!Sasha are actually the exact same being, and “Graham Folger” is likely to have just…vanished. Alternatively there could be still be multiple impersonators here, who get released from the table after they successfully impersonate someone, but no matter what the truth is, I just find it so interesting, as it’s really our first true look at Not!Sasha’s thoughts that come from the real entity, not the person it’s pretending to be. But like, this just makes me think about the table itself even more. Like, whether the pattern is a web or a fractal, I think the fact that it’s imprisoning another paranormal being is very interesting. If it’s a fractal, then it connects back to Micheal, someone who recognizes Not!Sasha’s true identity, and while still undeniably a messed up being given what he did to Helen Richardson, has ultimately been pretty helpful to The Institute, outside of when he stabbed Jon of course. But if it’s a web, then a web makes me think of spiders, which not only ties back to the spiders in the box that I strongly believe to be the missing piece of the table (which also had an APPLE inside! Anatomy Class!), but also ties back to the spiders killing worms in the tunnels, showing at least some level of disdain for other aspects of ✨the horrors✨. I personally lean towards the pattern being a fractal, but either option is very interesting, and I’m really starting to wonder what this table even is. Lastly, we have the interesting reveal of Not!Sasha spending time at…Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum…of all places. Ok….I mean you do not actually you I guess. I’m sure there will be some genuine relevance to the plot from this information at some point, but for now, I think I can only extrapolate small things from it. Personally, I think that..at least one of the reasons she’s going here is in order to study how to become human, which is once again very reminiscent of Anatomy Class. Which like…I get the motivation, but if you want to learn how to become more human, go take an anthropology class or something. Madame Tussaud’s is definitely good in terms of wax museums but like…wax figures are still inherently uncanny and not all that natural so…you should really find better ways of educating yourself Not!Sasha. (Honestly though, as much as I drag her for killing my beloved OG Sasha, I have developed quite a fondness for Not!Sasha. Like, she’s still very unnerving, but it’s just kind of funny to have her be that new weird coworker in the office. Like, she is living someone else’s best life.) …I got off topic. Anyways, all in all a good episode with a really interesting supplemental.

Supplemental: Micheal…come back…I miss yoooouuuuuuu…

- Episode 52, Exceptional Risk 🚰

Statement of Phillip Brown, regarding a time working at HMP Wakefield between 1990 and 2002.

Yes. YES. YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES FUCK YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS. I’M SO GENUINELY HAPPY THAT THIS IS AN EPISODE THAT EXISTS! I haven’t really mentioned this before, since my thoughts on the first 20 episodes were extremely brief (looking back at that post now is an experience btw), but I absolutely ADORE A Father’s Love. It’s such a tragic and interesting episode that I have not stopped thinking about ever since I first listened to it, not my all time favorite, but it is up there. So the fact it basically got a sequel makes me extremely happy, and while I don’t like this episode quite as much as A Father’s Love, I still think it’s really, REALLT good in its own right. Truth be told, this episode doesn’t reveal a ton of new information in summary, as we already knew that Robert Montauk died in prison, and it was likely due to The People’s Church of The Divine Host, but just being able to get a more vivid look at what happened really does add a lot in my opinion. So uh…yeah, let’s start this off by talking about the episode’s protagonist, Philip Brown. And let me just say, this guy is absolutely the gold medalist for most dickheaded statement giver in the entire series so far. Congratulations, I guess. Once again, I actually like when we get morally questionable statement givers, but maaaaannn. I just wanted to see this man suffer. Not only because I had sympathy for Robert given my prior knowledge of his past, but also because they REALLY portrayed the cruelty of many prison guards extremely well. Honestly kind of a shame that he didn’t suffer more. And you know, while his experience was certainly paranormal, I got the vibe that he was only submitting a statement out of pettiness rather than genuine fear, but that’s just another example of great storytelling. Overall glad his wife left him, but he was certainly an interesting protagonist. Anyways, I also wanted to talk more about Robert because..uuuuuaaaagghhh…his story makes me so sad :(. I actually really liked the way they portrayed him here, because it’s so real. Philip talks about his hulking size, how he broke the arm of another prisoner and was put in the exceptional risk unit due to his insane danger, as you’d expect from a prison guard who only knows him as one of the country’s most notorious and threatening serial killers. But when you look back at A Father’s Love, and how his daughter Julia talked about him…she just described him as her dad, because that’s who she knew him as. She obviously understood that he was a serial killer who did terrible things, but she still focused on the more tragic aspects of his story, and it provides such a nice contrast to that episode and this one, really showing how complicated everyone’s world views are. It’s just another great example of how good the storytelling here really is. But back to Robert…wow, it really is just so unfortunate what happened. To have this man do everything to attempt to save the lives of both his daughter and himself (presumably after his wife abandoned him, which admittedly I do wish was touched upon a bit more here), only to find that it was all for naught is just absolutely gut-wrenching. We already knew The People’s Church of The Divine Host were involved in his death but…just hearing about it from someone who (kind of, because it was dark) witnessed it directly makes it all the more depressing. Really, the only small bit of relief I got here was the part about him and Julia reuniting, but even then that was still really sad given how he felt he had to lie. But now I think I ought to discuss the most interesting elements of this episode. Truth be told, while this episode is very overtly connected to others in obvious ways, it didn’t reveal all that much new stuff. But, that being said, I still think there was a couple of interesting things here, those being Maxwell Rayner’s first true appearance, and the return of the darkness.

Truth be told, at this point in time there’s like…no information on Maxwell Rayner. All we know is that he was a defrocked Pentecostal minister, who according to Julia Montauk, might possibly be German. This would line up pretty well, as he is presumably a descendant of the World War 1 solider Joseph Rayner, whose body was found next to Wilfred Owen’s in Episode 7. Obviously he was the “detective” on the phone in Episode 9, and he founded The People’s Church of The Divine Host. Also, I completely forgot about this, but Rayner apparently disappeared in 1994, and the church disbanded around the same time. This is really strange though, because all of the episodes that definitely focus on the church have taken place after 1994, so I think it’s safe to assume that the disbandment was just a cover-up of sorts. Anyways, with all that in mind, what does this episode tell us about him? Well, not much really. All we know now is that he definitely still held resentment for Robert, and that he seemingly orchestrated his death, and really…everything weird in Episode 9 firsthand. However, I still think his presence here is important, simply due to his one line of dialogue. That being “You didn’t think you could kill it for long, did you?” This is…honestly pretty interesting. I assume that the “it” Rayner refers to is meant to be the darkness that The People’s Church of The Divine Host serves, all because of the context. You see, I initially assumed Robert was sacrificing people to appease the darkness; the more people he killed, the less the darkness would come for him and Julia. But based on this line of dialogue, I now think that he was trying to actively fight back against the darkness. I think this adds up quite nicely, because looking back, at least one of the people Robert Montauk killed was a member of the church, so it doesn’t seem too far fetched to assume that EVERYONE he killed was a part of the church as well. I think he was killing them, not to appease the darkness, but to drive it away. And that’s why Rayner looked at him with such hatred, why the darkness killed him so brutally. Robert Montauk wasn’t just a failure to the church, he was a traitor. But…mentioning his death, I actually want to discuss the darkness itself, as this episode gave a very new and interesting look into how it works. Now, the gross water and malfunctioning lights is all stuff we’ve seen before, as is the mention of things that are just kind of…wet and gross, but this episode provides a new aspect of the darkness, that being something really…animalistic. Like, we have tearing coming from the cell, Robert being dead from an excessive amount of stab wounds of all things, and then most notably, the darkness growling. I don’t know what exactly to make of this yet, but I just find it really interesting. I initially viewed the darkness as some sort of weird, mysterious force, but now I’m starting to see it more like a traditional monster, and…I don’t know, it’s causing gears to turn in my head. In conclusion, while this statement didn’t offer as much new things as some others…I’m - I’m just way to invested in this family drama to even care, and I’m so happy it wasn’t just a one-off thing. So…yeah. Great episode.

But of course, there’s the supplemental….s to discuss. Yeah, there was kind of two supplementals in this episode, I mean not really, but I don’t know where else to put the interaction with Basira so…uh…here you go! Now, the actual supplemental doesn’t grant much new information. I think it’s safe to assume that Not!Sasha is lying about her boyfriend, but it’s at the very least nice to see Jon genuinely just…not trusting her right now. (Also the phrase “produce said boyfriend” now lives rent free in my head.) But thankfully, even though the supplemental is short, we have a mid-statement interaction with Basira! Super happy to see that she’s a recurring character, and that she’s brought a new tape with her! I’m interested by the prospect about a statement on The Library of Alexandria of all things, that’s always been a very interesting historical conundrum to me so I’d love to see how tma tackles it. But as nice of a reveal as that is, it pales, nay, it SQUEALS in comparison to the reveal that TIM. IS CANONICALLY. THE HOT ONE. FUCK. YES. I mean, it was already pretty obvious, the man has managed to seduce at least two cops of different genders, but I’m so happy that we know he’s just like…objectively hot. Whatever you’re most attracted to, that’s what Tim looks like. (Unless you’re not attracted to men, or anyone, but you get the point. Also the fact that Basira says he pulls off the worm scars while Jon doesn’t like C’MON YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO HIM LIKE THAT.) I also need to appreciate the fact that the first assistant Jon thinks of is Martin. …We’ve come so far from the days of Episode 1 where he straight up didn’t consider him one…and this is the first tangible sign of Jon maybe reciprocating his feelings so I’m very happy about this. And of course, how can I neglect to mention that Jon and Basira are just going to keep Tim’s assumptions afloat to avoid suspicion. Like, considering that this is one of the most horrific pieces of media I’ve every engaged with, I must say it’s kind of insane how funny it can be at times. (Also, they might have been implying “I’m not interested” in their interaction, but I’m just going to assume that Jon and Basira were saying “I’m not straight” because shut up I can dream.) So yeah…you guys weren’t entirely kidding when you said The Magnus Archives is a workplace comedy.

Supplemental: I’m thinking about the tunnels…we haven’t heard about them for a while. Also, is Jon just not going to tell anyone about Micheal? Like, I know you value discretion, but that seems kind of important, no? I mean, he did kidnap a woman twice and then stab you so….uh….what’s going on man?

- Episode 53, Crusader 📜

Sergeant Walter Heller recording, regarding a discovery made near Alexandria during Operation Crusader in November of 1941.

Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god. Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes YES! THE BRAINWORMS ARE GOING WILD!!! Look, I already expected this episode to give some very interesting information just because of the fact it’s another Gertrude tape, but WOW. This one did a LOT. It seems fairly isolated from others on the surface, but there’s so many little connections to other episodes that make my brain go absolutely wild. There’s…quite a bit to unpack here, but I’ll do my best to cover everything that shows up in this episode, and also my theories about what it might all mean. So, I’ll start by discussing….let’s say, the core plot of the statement.

So, not only is this another recording done by Gertrude, but it doubles as a statement recorded live from subject. And I’ve got to say, Walter Heller was a great protagonist, particularly due to his VA. I will admit that I initially found him hard to hear, but that’s ultimately kind of a me problem, and it doesn’t matter because by the time I finished the episode, I thought that Harvey Kesselman did a FANTASTIC job as him. The voice acting in tma has always been of fantastic quality, but this one might just be the most real and visceral yet. He really portrayed the role of a war veteran with implied PTSD fantastic, and made it so easy to sympathize with a character in just one episode, which given Walter’s fate, is unfortunately probably the only episode he’ll ever be in. But honestly, his story was just really sad, even if the WW2 aspect of the statement isn’t the main focus, the description of that battle in the desert, him getting shot in the leg and watching his comrade die in a fiery blaze…it’s just really heartbreaking and shockingly real. I honestly kind of like how the first part of the episode wasn’t really paranormal, just a sad look at the horrors of war. It reminded me of Episode 7 in a way, although I don’t really get the feeling they’re connected. (Also between this and Episode 48 I really have to wonder what Italy did to Rusty Quill.) But of course, after the battle, we move on to the plot about The Serapeum of Alexandria. As I mentioned earlier, this is a part of history that I really like, and I think it fits perfectly in tma. But…regarding this plot line, this is where I have to get a little bit speculative. Because truth be told, there’s so many odd similarities to previous statements here, and so many weird new reveals as well that really do befuddle me. So uh..let’s get into that!

So this whole part starts with Walter falling through a wooden door. Already it’s evoking feelings of a previous episode, said episode obviously being The New Door. And not only do the tunnels that Walter ends up in kind of remind me of Micheal’s backrooms, but also give of feelings of many other previous episodes. These episodes include Lost Johns’ Cave, Old Passages, Too Deep and Schwartzwald, the last of which I feel is…particularly relevant for reasons I’ll get into soon. But as Walter goes through the tunnels, he find himself in multiple rooms, filled with scrolls. And as we learn later…these scrolls are here because The Serapeum, or at least what lies beneath it, were a previous iteration of the archives. Specifically the ones in The Magnus Institute. ….WHAT THE FUCK?! WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?! This just raises…so many questions. I mean, the tunnels kind of reminded me of the old library in Schwartzwald, but THE Magnus Archives?! What?! This just raises…so many questions. Like, what was on the scrolls? Were they also statements regarding the paranormal, or something greater. How does Jonah Magnus tie into all of this. Why and how did he replicate these ancient hidden caves when making his institute. If the archives have existed this long, is Jonah even the real founder of The Magnus Institute, or has it just existed for a long time, going under different names? And what exactly makes this specific breed of archive so special? Just…why…how…what…when…where…who…HUH?! I know that my thoughts on this are super incoherent and scrambled but like…I CAN’T HELP IT! THIS IS JUST WAY TOO MUCH! But…regarding what might make this archive and that of The Magnus Institute so special…well, I think it’s safe to say that they are both connected to the same member of ✨the horrors✨. That being the one associated with eyes. …oh dear.

So, as Walter goes through the tunnels, he finds a corpse of a knight, which Gertrude later suspects to be of The Order of St. John, which I will touch in in a bit. All I have to say for now is that this guy was…probably killed by the thing inside here. That thing is likely the long robed figure with spindly fingers and one eye. I will say that the fingers, alongside the door and the passages in general are all very Micheal-core, but I don’t know how connected all of this actually is to him just yet so…I’ll make a small note of that for the time being and just leave it as an odd similarity for now. Anyways, this figure, Micheal-related or not, gives Walter the ability to see perfectly in the dark, but also makes him feel as if he’s being watched. So overall there’s a lot of eye and sight imagery here, which is already an interesting connection to Schwartzwald and The Keay Family, but things get really, REALLY interesting when Walter comes back to this encounter post-statement. Because apparently, he experienced the exact same feeling of being watched when he came to the institute. So, combine that with the fact that the archives in Alexandria are supposedly a previous iteration of those in the institute, and something becomes very clear. Every iteration of of the archives has been fucking haunted. Not just by worms, spiders, Micheal, Not!Sasha and etc, but by one of ✨the horrors✨ in the flesh. (I know three of the things I listed I consider horrors but shut up I’m trying to be dramatic.) And I think that horror is the one associated with eyes. The very same one that is connected to The Keay Family. I already mentioned how this episode reminded me of Schwartzwald with the ancient library thing going on, and the eyes, but think about what Walter said. How he felt like he was being watched back then and felt the same thing when giving his statement. I think that Jonah Magnus might have sought to replicate the archive beneath The Serapeum, and in doing so, made it the new home of the being that once resided there. Maybe that’s the thing that’s inside the tunnels, the thing that Jon feels like is watching him. And when you think about how this thing might connect to The Keay Family, how Gerard can wield its power, not only does it make me think about how The Keays could potentially connect to The Institute (outside of the obvious yet very interesting fact of Jonah being close to Albrecht von Closen), but it also gets me thinking about Pinhole Books, Mary Keay’s bookstore. While not technically an archive, it…still could’ve been something pretty close, right. Maybe she sought to create a home for the eye horror as well. Maybe Jurgen Leitner had a similar goal with his library! (Although granted, a lot of Leitners seem to connect to other horrors so I’m not entirely sure about that one.) It’s just…it’s just a lot to take in. Obviously the institute has had to deal with things like The Flesh Hive and Micheal, but…to think that it might have been home to a horror this entire time is concerning. It gets me thinking about so much. From Jonah Magnus, to the tunnels, to Elias, to just…whatever true purpose this place might hold! There’s so many other things as well though, like how the eye horror has a clear theme of knowledge since it hangs around in ancient archives and libraries, and yet Gerard, who clearly has a connection to it, is going out of his way to BURN. BOOKS. What’s up with that? And like, what if the eye horror ends up being specific to just the archives? Does that mean that other places in the institute like Artifact Storage are more tied to another one of ✨the horrors✨? I just…UUUUUGGGHHH this is so much to take in oh my god. And you want to know what the funny thing is? We’re STILL. NOT. DONE. Because both Gertrude and Jon have follow-ups to give us, and….oh boy.

So, let’s start with Gertrude. I think one of the most peculiar things about her follow-up is that it’s very different from the one she did in Tightrope. There, she was entirely certain of what she was dealing with, seemingly having extensive prior knowledge on The Other Circus. Here though, I mean…she’s still a hell of a lot more sure of things than Jon, but it seems like this was part of an ongoing investigation she was doing, rather than being just another statement for her. Either way, she was clearly taking proactive measures to investigate this case and deal with what it implied…but maybe she was just a little bit TOO proactive. …I’ll get to that in a bit. The second thing of note here is that we learn the entire statement was done off the record, meaning that, on a sentiment shared by Jon, Gertrude did not trust the institute. And honestly, who can really blame her? I’ve already explained why I think the archives are home to some eldritch eye monster, and I get the feeling she knew that as well. Still though, considering she had a lack of faith in the institute for at least 17 years given the time between this recording and her death, I really have to wonder what she did with this mistrust? On top of that, it might add even more to the idea Elias killed her. After all, it would be in character for the head of the institute to do so if she threatened its foundation…although if he did kill her, I still think there might have been a bit more reason to do so. Anyways, it’s just really interesting to know she figured out something was wrong with this place, and I am…very concerned by what that something might be. Anyways, after bringing up some real world history, Gertrude says something…very interesting. And I’m not talking about the accounts that describe people being tortured or sacrificed in worship of pagan deities, even though that’s interesting for admittedly obvious reasons. I’m talking about the part where she says that an unnamed historian claimed that the ones who destroyed The Serapeum were not Christians…but a group known as “Those Who Sing The Night.” And if that doesn’t evoke The People’s Church of The Divine Host, I don’t know what does. Obviously night makes sense as a motif, as does singing, since Natalie did a lot of creepy singing in Episode 25. But on top of that, Walter’s torch went out for mysterious reasons while he was in the caverns, and you know how the church’s symbol is a closed eye? Well, that seems to signify a potential rivalry between the darkness and the eye horrors, which would explain why “Those Who Sing The Night” would destroy The Serapeum, and why Walter was able to see in the supposedly paranormal darkness. The eyes were combating the power of the darkness, since they are the only things that can “see in the dark.” Still though, their potential presence here is interesting for another reason. Maxwell Rayner is old, but not THAT old, so there’s a very real possibility that the church has been reforged time and time again. Rayner isn’t the true founder, just the founder of the church’s modern iteration. Hell, maybe he isn’t actually in charge anymore, since the church supposedly disbanded in 1994, although I still think there’s a possibility that was a cover-up. Gertrude also makes a strange sound after mentioning this group, which signifies familiarity to me. I feel this makes sense, due to the screams coming from Hither Green Chapel on the day she died. Finally, Gertrude suggests that The Order of St. John might have been hunting down ✨the horrors✨, and that maybe the robed figure was a previous archivist. ….If it really is Micheal I’m going to cut out my tongue.

And finally, we have Jon’s supplemental. I’m just going to start out by saying that OH MY GOD MARTIN IS THE SWEETEST MAN ALIVE. He’s so genuinely attentive and caring to Jon it’s just so…UGH! I think everyone just needs someone like him around he’s way too nice. And as always, Jon SERIOUSLY needs to get his shit together. Not only should he take better care of himself, but…come on man, do you seriously think people will believe you stabbed yourself with the bread knife when there are ELDRITCH HORRORS around? (Although I have seen people suggest Martin thought he was self harming, and if that is the case then consider my heart broken.) But anyways, Jon’s existential crisis continues. Look, I’m concerned about Gertrude’s fate as well, I’m concerned about how the archivists might date back to at least…let’s see…One Thousand, Six Hundred and Thirty-Two years ago?! Damn. But…you seriously need a nap Jon. But outside of Jon’s ordeal…we have one last reveal (hey that kind of rhymed). So…apparently, six months after the recording of the statement, an explosion happened near the caves in Alexandria that destroyed several buildings and killed seventeen people. And from the looks of things…that explosion happened because of Gertrude Robinson. …wait what. what. I-I’m sorry. WHAT?! Damn, I guess she really WAS proactive. Look, I’ll be honest and say that I already got the feeling Gertrude wasn’t my just a sweet old grandma. Firstly, her name is the most mean old lady name I’ve ever heard, and secondly, she’s appeared in multiple statements, seemingly having pissed off at least two different cults. But like…did she really have to go that far?! I know that there’s some horrific shit going on in there, but like, a guy find the remains of THE LIBRARY OF FREAKING ALEXANDRIA, and she just BLOWS IT UP? Like, as time goes on, it’s become much more clear that Gertrude wasn’t a bad archivist, she clearly took her job…maybe a bit TOO seriously, and I definitely think her poor organization of statements was done on purpose, either to get her successor to read the ones that were important, or to fuck with the institute she so clearly mistrusted. But…can I really call her a good academic when she decided to destroy knowledge THAT valuable. Shame on you, you beautiful anarchist of a senior citizen. Also, I cannot get over the fact that she was SO eager to get rid of something that, for all we know, might also have a home in the institute, that she travelled all the way from London to Alexandria, and KILLED 17 PEOPLE. JESUS FUCKING CHRIST. I…desperately need to know more about her, if I don’t know everything she’s capable of I will start fearing for my safety. Jon WISHES he could be her. And you know what, if Elias did kill her…I can totally see why! He might have not just been protecting himself, the institute and those close to him, he could’ve very well been protecting THE ENTIRE WORLD. Hell, it doesn’t matter who killed her (ok I mean it still does but like you get what I mean), because that sentiment remains true for EVERYONE. Is…is she the true threat of the series? Should I somehow be more concerned. …I don’t even know at this point. Anyways…great episode, loved the protagonist, the implications are amazing, Martin is the purest man to ever grace god’s green abominable earth…but I really need to take a second and contemplate. I’m afraid there might be a Gertrude under my bed…

- Episode 54, Still Life 🐅

Statement of Alexander Scaplehorn, regarding his evaluation of The Trophy Room taxidermists in Barnet.

ANGLERFIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISH!!!! THE PLOT THICKENS YET AGAIN! So, after having to recoil from last episode, you know, what with the eye horrors and the old archives and Gertrude killing people, etc etc, it was nice to have a shorter episode here. That being said, WOW did this one give me some things to think about. Just…the amount of connections that are showing up…this podcast, especially this season, has never ceased to surprise me with what it’s capable of. The protagonist, atmosphere and pacing already made this a great episode on its own, and the callbacks to the earliest season 1 episodes made it even better. So, let’s just get into it! (Oh and, this isn’t really relevant but I might as well put it here. …TAX collector. TAXidermy. Ha ha ha. Ha ha. Ha ha. Ha. Comedy.)

So, I’ll start off with some of the basic things. Firstly, I have to mention that I really, REALLY enjoyed Alexander Scaplehorn as a protagonist. Like, we STAN a king who simply does his job and otherwise minds his own business. Literally went through the horrors and then just went back to living as normal, what a champion. Honestly, this is probably the most sympathetic portrayal of a tax collector I’ve ever witnessed in a piece of media, and I’m surprisingly not upset about that. Also, some other people have pointed this out, but I think it needs to be said just in case. This man is excited to infodump on some guy he just met about taxes, is fine doing so as long as he’s attentive, immediately notices how uncomfortable the atmosphere is, struggles making conversation, is simply trying to get through his day without trouble…and then goes on to say he has a cousin with autism. I think someone needs to tell him something about himself…and that’s all I’m going to say. (Also jsyk this is coming from an autistic person who experiences all of this, so I’m not trying to make stereotypical assumptions or anything.) …Anyways, outside of the second most legendary protagonist after Joshua Gillespie, I’ve gotta say that I really liked the whole atmosphere of this episode. Taxidermy, while admittedly kind of freaky, is something that I’ve always been a little bit drawn to ever since I learned about it just due to the vibes alone (unless it’s of a cat, if it’s of a cat I cry), so I really liked the whole vibe of an old taxidermy shop. And like…I get why some might be freaked out by it, but I’d be lying if I said the idea of someone owning some of the world’s oldest skin didn’t kind of entice me, that’s just a pretty cool thing to own. One other small note I have, although it’s not from the statement, was Jon’s line here. “I may not entirely trust my assistants, but…I won’t lose them.” …. :(. Anyways…moving on to ✨the connections✨…(who’s going to tell him…)

Ok, so, the first obvious connection to a previous episode comes from when Alexander first enters The Trophy Room. (which by the way, is apparently the name of a real world taxidermy shop, but only in the US.) Here, Alex sees a stuffed tiger in the window with glassy eyes. As soon as I heard this, I immediately thought back to Tightrope, where this same tiger made an appearance. Not only does this connect the episode’s plot to The Other Circus, which I’ll get more into later, but from both episodes, we can tell that this tiger isn’t exactly….real (although the skin might still be), but it’s definitely capable of “coming to life.” Definitely seems like this applies to the other taxidermies as well, and based on Tightrope, as well as other parts of this episode, I really do think that The Other Circus is Daniel’s supplier for the taxidermy, or at least part of the circus. And speaking of which, we have Daniel Rawlings. Now, much like Sarah Baldwin from Skintight, Daniel Rawlings was mentioned in Episode 1 as one of the people taken by The Anglerfish, and he too seems to now be an avid smoker with a connection to the monster. Along with this, both of them have a very apparent connection to skin which is…interesting. And obviously, The Anglerfish itself is here as well, hooray!(?) Not too much to say about its appearance here, other than that Alex was probably smart to have not went down to the basement in the end, and that I found it interesting how it was repeating a different phrase than what it did in the first episode. I think it’s fair to assume that The Anglerfish changes the phrase it uses to lure people depending on its location. It asks for a cigarette while in the alleyway, and acts as a shop clerk while in The Trophy Room. I think that’s why Alex says it was almost mechanical in its speech, because the things it says are like auto-generated phrases made for specific circumstances. And the final overt connection to previous episodes was the return of everyone’s favorite delivery…somethings, Breekon and Hope. I’m honestly kind of surprised by how frequently they show up, but I’m not complaining. I was also reminded by the last episode with how all of the taxidermies looked at Alex, but I’m not sure if that genuinely means anything or not, especially since the eyes were all glassy, signifying a lack of pupils to properly look at someone with. So, that’s a basic assortment of recurring characters and concepts, but with all of that in mind, how does everything connect?

Let’s start off with Breekon and Hope, as well as The Other Circus. These two already have a very apparent connection, as Breekon and Hope were seen as members of the circus in Tightrope. Now, when I gave my thoughts on that episode, I suggested that these two left The Other Circus and started their own business, and while I still think that’s the case, I think that they might have less of an antagonistic relationship than I initially thought. Granted, it’s possible they stole The Other Circus’ taxidermies, and they’re giving them to Daniel in order to keep them hidden, but I kind of think that, while now separate, their delivery company is still on good terms with The Circus, or maybe a straight up offshoot of The Circus, and that’s because of…motivations. You see, the more I think about it, I realize that Sarah and Daniel seem to spread fear in a very similar way to that of the circus. You see, Sarah and Daniel never hurt the protagonists of the story, they just…unnerved them. Sarah pulled her skin off in front of Melanie King, and Daniel made the taxidermy move in front of Alex, but they never really tried to kill them. Daniel…might have been trying to, but given how neither he nor Breekon and Hope bothered to give chase, I don’t really think he was that dead-set on murder. And then take a look at The Other Circus. Now yes, Leanne Denikin’s ex-boyfriend died because of the calliope, but granted, no actual member of the circus played it themselves in that scenario, and when Nikolai Denikin, an actual member, did, no one was seen dead. And yes, Yuri Utkin’s brother Ivan did die at one point, but there’s no real evidence that his death was caused by The Other Circus. When we look at what the circus actually did…they just scared people, nothing more. So you have these two groups with very similar methods of scaring people, and…I don’t know, it makes me think that The Other Circus and servants of The Anglerfish might be chill with each other, and that might in turn mean that Breekon and Hope maintain some form of a positive relationship with the circus, even if they aren’t direct members anymore. But…that all gets me thinking even more. You see, on my list of ✨the horrors✨ I cited two of them as “The Anglerfish” and “Whatever The Other Circus serves”. But now I’m wondering…what if The Other Circus serves The Anglerfish? They have this apparent connection now so…maybe. I still need quite a bit more time to wrap my head around this idea, but like think about it for a second. The Anglerfish HAS servants, and The Other Circus acts in a similar way to how they do, functioning with things like fake audiences, dolls and taxidermies…it just feels like it connects in some sort of way. But then again, as time goes on, it kind of feels like The Anglerfish is struggling to live up to levels of eldritch that the other members of ✨the horrrors✨ are, so what if it isn’t a horror at all, and something a bit lesser? WHAT IF- Ok. Ok I’m getting a little bit incoherent with my thought process now. Look, the cut and dry is that I definitely think The Other Circus, Breekon and Hope, and The Anglerfish and it’s servants have some sort of connection, due to them all playing into this episode, and the fact that they all have similar themes, and that they’ll all end up coming together at some point or another. This statement is really good and a lot of fun on its own, but…it certainly has given me a lot to think about, even if it’s not in the most coherent way. But of course, I can’t just stop here. Because we have a follow-up and a supplemental to get through and…well, it’s…certainly pretty interesting…

So, I already mentioned that…absolutely gut-wrenching line from Jon, but that’s obviously not everything there is to talk about here. Firstly, Jon mentions that The Trophy Room is still in operation. There isn’t all that much to say about this, other than that it’s…concerning to know that whatever weird operation this trifecta of factions seems to be a part of is still continuing. But that aside, what really gets me here is the involvement of our beloved little freak, Not!Sasha. Now, I think it’s safe to say that she’s obviously lying about how there wasn’t anything all that strange there (which Jon should REALLY catch onto soon), but as unnerving as that is, it’s also pretty in character and expected of her. What’s a bit more intriguing here though is how…eager she was to investigate. The most simple reason I can think of as to why she wanted to go check the place out was that she clearly likes wax museums, and…taxidermy stores certainly have a similar vibe. But I think there’s a bit more of a reason as to why she went to The Trophy Room…and that lies in what Jon tells us about Daniel Rawlings. You see, outside of the identical hair, the Daniel who owns The Trophy Room looks nothing like the one who went missing in 2006. Couple that with the fact that Daniel is strongly implied to be a taxidermy himself, so you know, not a real person, and I start to get thinking. What if The Anglerfish skins it’s victims, and puts them on top of non-human beings that then start pretending to be those people? What if the real Daniel Rawlings, and the real Sarah Baldwin are dead? What if “Sarah” peeling off her skin was a way of showing Melanie King her true form? What if they are somehow aligned with the anatomy students? What if these non-humans are extremely similar to the impersonator, but need a higher being to give them identies, rather than just taking one themselves? What if Not!Sasha is a direct servant of The Anglerfish, who seeks to bring harm to the institute? …I know I’m making some big claims here, but…I just feel like I might have uncovered a big mystery. I’ve thrown out the possibility of The Anglerfish maybe not being one of ✨the horrors✨, but in all honesty…I still think it is. I’m starting to wonder if maybe just maybe, all of these characters, Sarah Baldwin, Daniel Rawlings, Breekon and Hope, Not!Graham/Not!Sasha, the anatomy students, The Other Circus, and maybe even more, are all servants of The Anglerfish. All of them faceless monsters who are given new identities by their god, and seek to do its bidding by unnerving as many people as possible? At this point, I’ve basically just devolved into crack fan fiction, but I have to be honest when I say that, while I’m certain I’m far off from the truth in some aspects…I feel like I might be on to something here. In short, I think that Episode 1 is much more important than I initially thought, and that a lot, and I mean A LOT of things are going to connect back to the very first spook. …As scared as I am by Episode 53 introducing the prospect of one of ✨the horrors✨having been in the archives this entire time…I’ve gotta say…Not!Sasha is giving it some close competition. But with all of that out of the way…um, what about the supplemental?

“Supplemental: I broke into Gertrude’s flat.” OH MY GOD. That has…no right being as funny as it is. I would say “I’m afraid Jon’s hit rock bottom”, but there’s still 26 episodes left of the season, and 146 left of the entire series, so I get the feeling that his downward mental spiral is only just beginning! Yay…I-I think? Well, outside of Jon’s 16th felony of the month, what did he actually find in here. Well, not much, as from the looks of things Gertrude was a minimalist, but there were a few things worth noting. Firstly, we now know that she owned a laptop charger, meaning she…well, she obviously was in possession of a laptop at one point of another. This is intriguing if only for the fact that I feel like the series might be heading in a direction where Jon’s going to have to break into her laptop, kind of like that one part of Gravity Falls if…anyone who’s reading that has watched it. (And if you haven’t, go do that it’s really good.) Secondly, Gertrude threw away books after reading them. Since most of her books were apparently on history, I wonder if she was secretly studying ways to get rid of ✨the horrors✨, and decided to get rid of the books in an attempt to cover her tracks. And finally…the few books she did own had eyes cut out of the faces on the covers. Given what might be lurking in the archives I can’t entirely blame her…but it does make me wonder if much like Jon…she was suffering from her own paranoia. Hm. Well, that about wraps it up. Overall this episode was thoroughly enjoyable but…man, my brain has been absolutely frazzled. I’ll probably take a break tomorrow just to process everything, as there’s so many other rabbit holes I could go down if I wanted to but…I just don’t have the energy. Gertrude, the eyes, The Keay Family, Micheal, Not!Sasha, The Anglerfish, The Other Circus, Breekon and Hope, Jon, Elias….it’s all running through my head, and I need a break.

Supplemental: Ok, there are a couple of other things I should mention briefly. Firstly, I cited Breekon and Hope as servants of The Anglerfish who unnerve people…even though they don’t do it nearly as much as others. There is an explanation for this though, that being that while I think they’re still on good terms with The Other Circus, they’re still somewhat disconnected nowadays, and if the circus does honor The Anglerfish, they might not be AS devout to it as others. Even so, they DID deliver the table to the institute, so I think they still serve it in one way or another. Another thing I wanted to mention was Martin, specifically that note about him lying. I haven’t brought much attention to it since the initial reveal, but someone in the YouTube comments mentioned that Martin has a fondness for spiders…and spiders do seem to be a prominent member of ✨the horrors✨. However, that fondness for them could still be nothing, and even if it is something, it’s worth noting that the spiders are currently one of the more mysterious aspects of the story so…I’m not too sure just yet, but I thought it was interesting. Anyways, onwards to Episode 55!

- Episode 55, Pest Control 🐜

Statement of Jordan Kennedy, regarding several encounters while working in Pest Control. Statement taken direct from subject.

AND IIIIIIIIIII WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOOOOOOOUUUUUUU!!!! So…it’s confirmed. Jane Prentiss is officially, indisputably dead. Her ashes are indeed with Jon…:(. Well, suffice to say, it was very nice to get an episode that kind of felt like a memorial for her, just a nice little sendoff. But despite me mourning her forever and always, WOW this episode made me giddy. It had another statement live from subject, which is always a pleasure, presented a great look at Jon’s mental state and trauma from the infestation, and also set up some extremely interesting and EXTREMELY exciting plot points for the future. Man…this season just keeps on dropping amazing episode after amazing episode. Much like Section 31, this one had a structure where is was sort of…multiple statements in one, so I think I’ll go one after another. So, that means I’m starting off with the ants! …gross.

So, before I get into the statement, I should start with the few things that come before. As mentioned earlier, the statement comes live from one Jordan Kennedy, an exterminator who helped burn Jane’s body. Now I admittedly don’t have all that much to say about Jordan as a character (and NO, it’s not just because he killed the best character), there’s just not a ton to say about him that isn’t obviously seen in the episode. However, apparently Jonny was in a band at some point, and both Jordan and Basira are voiced by other members. I just think that’s really cool, and I might have to listen to that band at some point… Anyways, the other think that stuck out to me was Jon’s mental state because…wow and yikes. Yikes as in…I don’t think he’s doing that well, but wow in the sense that I’m very happy with how they portrayed his trauma here. It’s just nice to know that despite things like Gertrude and Micheal, the podcast is still very aware that the infestation hurt him badly. I mean, it hurts to see…but it is very good writing. Well, with all of that out of the way, what do we learn from Jordan’s first statement? Well firstly, it’s nice to know that tma is still persistent in its efforts to prove that I find large amounts of insects disgusting, even when in my heart I wish I didn’t. Just….ugh, the image of all of those ants in the house makes me squirm. I will also say that the whole scenario here really did remind me of Blood Bag, so while I initially found connections between that episode and The Flesh Hive ones pretty speculative, I’m a LOT a more sure of it now. …I feel like the institute could’ve made use of that syringe in retrospect. I mean Salesa DOES give artifacts to them so…like, what the hell dude? You couldn’t have spared ONE syringe? So yeah, the ants are absolutely terrifying, I don’t like the fact that they didn’t immediately die, and…oh god, what the hell was in that fridge? (Well, you know, outside of ants.) Anyways, this could’ve just been written off as another gross as shit statement…until we’re met with the return of John Amherst, the creepy guy from Taken Ill. (Side Note: I already thought he was involved due to the description of his suit and the yellow oily residue, so getting those suspicions validated post-statement was VERY satisfying.) Anyways, Amherst’s presence here is…strange. Jon had already made comparisons between Jane’s statement and that of Nicole Baxter in MAG 36, but that was more of a reference to how the statement givers both talked about fear in similar ways. Outside of the general theme of…gross, as well as a fly landing in Amherst’s face, any other connections were interesting, yet tenuous. But now…yeah, there’s a very clear connection! Obviously both of them gave off a very similar smell, but they also care deeply for the insects that reside with them, Amherst with his ants, and Jane with her…well, they call them worms, but in retrospect I actual think they’re supposed to be Wasp Larvae, especially with the new information in this episode. I’ll still call them worms though. The major difference here though is that Jane was basically a walking corpse being piloted by her worms, while Amherst is a lot more human and in control of himself, although he is still clearly unstable given how quickly he was willing to kill Jordan…and also the fact that he seems to be making an effort to make his (former) home as disgusting as possible. Jane was also very destructive all of the time, while Amherst is clearly capable of holding back when he needs to, such as in MAG 36. So while I think these two are definitely connected, and both have probably forged connections with The Flesh Hive, said connections clearly work differently, and I’m interested to see where they go with this in the future! It’s very cool to see them delve more into the concept of regular humans who just happened to be marked by one or more of ✨the horrors✨, and as someone who loves Jane dearly, I’m very excited by the prospect of more like her, even if Amherst doesn’t quite live up to her yet, in my opinion.

There is…one other thing here in this story about Amherst that is pretty interesting though. The last major similarity between him and Jane is that they are both very weak to fire. Granted we already knew this, since C02 was used against Jane, and Trevor the Tramp and his companion seemingly set fire to Ivy Meadows, but this similarity becomes a lot more interesting when we look at the second story Jordan tells us. Oh uh…yeah, my thoughts on this story individually. Uh…yeah it was really good, super gross and I’m interested in Amherst. But anyways, the second story. Now, since Hive is still my favorite episode, I obviously REALLY liked this part. Not only because it’s a cool callback, but also because as much as I love the abstract, slam poetry-like storytelling in Hive, it does make the episode a little bit hard to follow at times, which I overall think adds to the horror, but getting a look at those events from someone who isn’t…basically dying was nice. So, the first thing here I find intriguing is the wasp’s nest in Jane’s attic. Firstly, I already thought it was responsible for what happened to her, but this just confirms it, because…ew, I don’t like this thing. It might have produced one of if not the rawest line in the entire story so far but…ew. (Also, this doesn’t connect to the wasp’s nest but I don’t know where else to put it; Jordan mentions a smashed TV in Jane’s attic, which reminds me of the episode Arachnophobia, and the spiders clearly have some sort of antagonistic relationship with The Flesh Hive so…hm…) But, here’s the more intriguing part. The wasp’s nest is described as being unnaturally spongey, and both it, Amherst and Jane are all easily flammable. (also did Amherst die there? Or do we just not know? And like, I know we like to joke about all of the Micheals, but there’s a lot of Johns as well. Ok I’m getting sidetracked.) Now, a couple of people in the YouTube comments pointed out that both of those are cited as features of vampires. And now that I think about it, isn’t it weird that Trevor Herbert, a vampire hunter, somehow knew how to deal with some sort of weird sickness that was seemingly entirely outside of his deal? Unless…the two of them are directly connected. Tma already has a pretty unique depiction of vampires, so to make them Flesh Hive people would honestly just be icing on the cake. Granted what little we’ve seen of vampires doesn’t really have many themes of disease or bugs but…I don’t know, it could work! God…I am still really befuddled by Trevor. Like, how did he survive? Was the person with him Basira’s cop friend? Ugh god I’m getting sidetracked again. Anyways, this story from Jordan is all fine and good, it’s nice to get some more context on Episode 32…but things get really interesting when we see more of Jane’s landlord, Arthur Nolan.

So, this guy was mentioned all the way back in Hive, and if I’m being honest, I…did not think much of him initially. His death in a fire seemed a little suspicious, but all things considered..I had more pressing matters on the mind after that episode. But…wow. Turns out this guy is a lot more important than I initially assumed. (Side note: As I’m writing this, I just realized I finally understand why The Flesh Hive hates the institute. It’s probably because it’s home to another one of ✨the horrors✨! Sorry, it’s just that I’m really realizing a lot of new things about my favorite episode lmao.) Obviously, Arthur Nolan has clear knowledge of the threat that The Flesh Hive poses, so much so that even though he’s a landlord (which is probably the scariest thing in the entire episode), he was willing to burn the entire building and even sacrifice himself if it meant getting rid of that wasp’s nest. Now, not only is that a testament to how fucking scary The Flesh Hive is, but…there’s some other really weird things about Arthur. He didn’t just burn down the building on a whim, because according to Jordan, his flat was extremely warm, and he had an intricate scar on his chest that looked both like a flame and a face in pain. …And all of these connections to heat and fire are just a little bit too suspicious for me to ignore. I’ve had some time to think about it, and I think Arthur Nolan was likely connected to the Sumerian demon Asag, maybe even a part of the same cult that Diego Molina was a part of, and that also seemed to be responsible for the events of Burnt Offering. The general connection to heat is one thing, but just…once again, the fact that he knew how to deal with The Flesh Hive shows a great enough understanding of ✨the horrors✨ from him. And if my classification of ✨the horrors✨ is somewhere along the lines of being correct, then that means The Flesh Hive is opposed to, and likely weak to at least three of them. Those are the eyes associated with The Keays and The Institute, the spiders, and Asag. So…yeah. That about wraps it up on the statement of Jordan Kennedy. In conclusion, Amherst and Jane are clearly connected, The Flesh Hive is weak to fire, it has some strange similarities with vampires, Arthur Nolan has…some sort of relevance, and even though Jane is dead…this story is far from over.

So, what about post-statement and the supplemental? Well, truth be told, there isn’t much here that I haven’t already gone over, outside of two things. Firstly, I found it really weird that Jon said The Flesh Hive “doesn’t seem like the sort of being that would work well with others.” In my opinion…I feel like this kind of goes against the point. Sure, Jane was a walking corpse, but the whole point of The Flesh Hive was that it was…well, a hive, a hivemind. It functioned best when together, it gave Jane a twisted sort of love and affection, its whole goal was to infect more people. (Speaking of which, I think it would’ve been cool if we had gotten to see some more worm zombies than just Jane and Timothy Hodge. Eh, maybe we still will, who knows?) So…yeah, this just comes off as a weird thing for Jon to say in my opinion. But more interestingly, as short as the supplemental was, it does reveal that JON FINALLY GOT A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP FUCK YEAH!!! Super happy for you king, now let’s PLEASE start making that a routine :). Also I do find it funny that the institute gets a fuck-ton of fake statements in Halloween season, that’s just perfect. Well…since I don’t have much more to say, I might as well just mention a largely unrelated theory I’ve been having while I’m here. That kind of seems to be a running theme with this part of the post. Like, this episode is great on its own, but it really does just get me thinking about other stuff. So, something in the YouTube comments I found interesting was theory about how maybe there’s a “four horsemen of the apocalypse” thing going on here. The theory suggested that The Flesh Hive is pestilence, The Piper is war, The Reapers are death, and some unknown thing is famine, and the entire series is building up to some sort of apocalypse. Now, do I believe this theory. Honestly…no. The apocalypse idea just doesn’t have a lot of evidence right now, and there are many other beings like Micheal, The Anglerfish, the spiders, etc, that are just as, if not more weird and eldritch as the ones listed here. However…it did get me thinking. I pretty much entirely forgot about The Reapers for a hot second, and the more I thought about it…they really don’t connect to any of ✨the horrors✨ I’ve listed so far. The only possible connection is one of them showed up during a war like The Piper, but that honestly seems like a MASSIVE stretch that not even I’m willing to take. And I mean, Nathaniel Thorp did kind of imply The Reapers were at the whims of a higher power… So..I’d like to add a new being to ✨the horrors✨, one I’m dubbing “The Master of The Reapers” until further notice. While shrouded in mystery, I could absolutely see this thing being one of ✨the horrors✨. Now, I’m not going to update my list, because I’m still wavering on whether or not The Anglerfish and “Whatever The Other Circus worships” are the same being. If they are the same being, then I still probably have one more horror to uncover, assuming that my number of 14 is correct. But if they’re separate…well, consider the list complete until further notice! I know this might seem out of nowhere, but honestly…I’m pretty confident about this one. I’ll just have to wait and see how close to truth I end up getting. So…yeah! That’s Pest Control. Overall it was another great episode, and I’m very satisfied with how it followed up on my favorite, and with how it sets up a potential return of The Flesh Hive in the future.

Supplemental: Doing school from home while also having terrible ADD can make things very hard when trying to pay attention during online lectures. So, I have come up with a solution:

- Episode 56, Children of the Night 🛏️

Continued statement of Trevor Herbert, regarding the latter years of his career as a vampire hunter.

OH MY GOD. LITERALLY RIGHT AFTER I TALK ABOUT HIM AT LENGTH. TREVOR. THE FUCKING. TRAMP. APOLLO HAS GRANTED ME THE GIFT OF PROPHECY. So, needless to say, I was very excited when this episode began. I mean, I’ve been wondering about Trevor’s relevance in the story for quite a while now, so obviously I’d be very interested. So with that in mind…this episode is…kind of a weird one for me? Not bad, I still have a lot of good to say about it, it’s just…I don’t know. It might be due to the fact that it’s directly continuing off of a much earlier statement, and also the fact that parts of it are intentionally emitted, but…I have scrambled thoughts about this one. I’ll get into it as I go along, but for now…just know that this is a bit of a strange one, and it’s kind of hard for me to discuss. But regardless, was the episode good? Of course! All of them have been enjoyable and this one isn’t any different! I’m always up for a direct continuation of an older statement, which this season in particular has done a great job with, it’s nice to get confirmation of Trevor’s relevance, and it adds some interesting new elements to a plot point set up in an episode that in all honesty, if it wasn’t for the reveal that all the statements are real at the end of Season 1, I could’ve interpreted as complete bullshit if I wanted to. But with all of the preamble out of the way, let’s get into it!

Firstly, I’d like to talk a little bit about Trevor’s characterization here, and how it contrasts his previous statement, because I think it’s one of my favorite parts of the episode. In Episode 10, Trevor was…a bit more of a comedic character, or at the very least a notable standout. Compared to every other statement giver before him, and maybe even everyone after him so far, all of whom were unsure about what really happened to them with varying degrees of knowledge, Trevor seemed…entirely aware of what he was up against, which made him very memorable in my eyes. But while a little bit of that homeless tramp charm is gone here, I’ve got to say, I REALLY like the contrast in this episode. Here, Trevor isn’t fighting against vampires, he’s fighting against a seemingly completely different horror, and grappling with his murder of another human, both of which make him just as lost and scared as any other statement giver, and help to insert him into the modern story. While I do miss his earlier portrayal..I have to admit, seeing a man that was once much more sure of himself now be shaken like everyone else really puts into perspective how mysterious and terrifying everything is right now, and it’s a very interesting direction that for his character that I like a whole lot, and it makes me excited to see what happens with him next. I guess I also should mention the..odd lack of vampires here as well, considering he is THE vampire guy. Admittedly, while it is a little strange for them to not really be there, I did just write out a theory on how the previous episode connects to vampires so…I don’t know, I’m fine with it. But uh..anyways, what about the things that actually happen in the statement? Well, I feel like I should start off with the structure. Now, this is obviously a direct follow up to Vampire Killer, but not in the way that, let’s say…Tightrope follows up on Strange Music, more in the way that Desecrated Host follows up on Confession. The difference here is that Desecrated Host came right after Confession, while this episode is 46 after the one that contained the first part of the same statement. At the end of the day, I was still able to get a grasp of what was going on, since I still remembered Trevor’s initial story well enough, but…it was just a bit of a shock structurally. Combined with the fact that there are still more missing parts of this statement (which can obviously be resolved in the future, but as of now it’s still a bit of an annoyance), and this episode…just kind of throws you back in after a massive break from the storyline. Usually, episodes take their time getting into things a bit better, and even when they don’t, like in Infestation for example, you still expect those episodes to be chaotic based on what’s going on at the time. Here though…I don’t know, it’s nothing beyond redemption but…it just threw me off my course when I started listening. Honestly, I think a better way to handle it would’ve been to have Trevor submit a second statement entirely separate from Episode 10, since we already know that he didn’t pass away right after giving it like we thought, and it would’ve just allowed for some better flow. I know that was quite a lot of criticism, but ultimately, it’s nothing that can’t be fixed. It kind of reminds me of Episode 4. I initially found that one to be confusing as all heck, and while I still think it might just introduce a little bit too much for one episode, I’ve only grown to appreciate it more and more as I learn more about The Keays, The Leitners and Mike, and I think the same could go for this one. I plan to re-listen to tma one day, since there’s probably a lot that I’ve missed or that’ll be recontextualized, so who knows? Maybe I’ll look at this episode more fondly one day, but for now…the pacing was just a little too odd for me. Still though, if the institute can find those missing pieces and finish the statement, I think It’ll all be fine :). Ok, ENOUGH NEGATIVITY. Here’s some things that I actually liked.

Wow I got sidetracked. Ok, NOW I’m actually going to talk about what happened in the statement for real. So, while the stories here are pretty short, I think they’re actually very effective. I still kind of wish that we got to learn more about some of Trevor’s other huntings that are alluded to here, especially since the statement opens with one of those stories finishing, but I like what we got here as well, especially with the newfound unawareness in Trevor we see here. The first statement directly follows up on a minor plot point from Vampire Killer, and…wow. This was genuinely…very bleak. This is probably the only part of a statement that genuinely isn’t paranormal (at least as far as I’m concerned), and yet…it’s one of the scariest things I think this podcast has produced. Not in a shit-your-pants kind of way, it’s just…really depressing. There’s no strange explanation, no interference from ✨the horrors✨…just a sad scenario where a guy, who while not innocent did not deserve death, is murdered by a tortured soul out of said soul’s own trauma, convictions, addictions and mental state. Just…a really bleak and depressing scenario, and Trevor’s writing here really seals the deal. If you couldn’t tell, my favorite part of this episode is just Trevor in general, I already liked him a lot, but this episode really made him grow on me. Honestly…he might be one of the most terrifying statement givers so far. Not Jane levels, but…he’s just so morbidly conflicting. Because like, you UNDERSTAND him, you realize why he thought Alard was a vampire, you understand how deeply distraught he was after commuting the murder, and really do sympathize with him, and yet he still terrifies me. The way that he talks about the hunt being an addiction harder to remove than heroin, the way it becomes so clear that he’s become so traumatized and used to a life of stalking and killing monsters, that he can easily make a slip-up as grave as this…it’s just really depressing, and one of the best things about this episode by far. Ultimately, I don’t have much to theorize about here, since like I said, this doesn’t seem to be remotely paranormal, although I will say that the scars on Not!Stanley Kubrick (I know he’s not one of those things, I just think it’s funny wordplay) we’re pretty interesting. I doubt they were actually from Alard but…maybe Stanley had a chance encounter with some actual vampires. Hm.

The second story that Trevor tells us is..almost the inverse of the first one. It doesn’t have quite as much in terms of interesting character writing for him, but it does have some very interesting lore implications. Even then, I still think there’s some interesting character writing here. This was definitely the moment where Trevor’s life stopped becoming just about vampires, when he got involved with other parts of ✨the horrors✨, and it shows. Like, Jonny Sims REALLY did a great job with the delivery, even if it’s slightly less comedic than Trevor’s last appearance. It was also interesting how he talked about “things lurking in the dark”. That does feel very Divine Host core to me. (Oh btw, I’m just going to calm it The Divine Host now, because the full name is way too long lmao.) Honestly, given the name of the episode, I fully expected The Divine Host to play at least..a partial role in the story here, and yet…nothing. I mean, I know they played a role in at least one, most likely two very recent episodes but.. “Children of the Night?!” I mean, what does that rule even signify outside of “spooky monster?” Ok, I’m getting ahead of myself…what about what actually happened here? Well, I can’t really say much about Craig for the time being, due to the pitiful amount of information, but I can talk about the spider lady. This is the first time spiders have been prominent in a statement since..Hive I think, and given how I speculate spiders connect to one of ✨the horrors✨, I’m more than happy to see more of these little things, even though I did not expect it at all. But anyways, the thing that really caught my attention with this spider lady was just…how similar to Jane she was. I mean, she pulls Trevor in like the wasp’s nest tried to do with Jordan in the last episode, she’s described as being kind of greasy, gross and later hollow, and is crawling with insects! That’s literally just Diet Jane! …But that’s so weird to me. I talked at length about how I think Jane and Amherst are at the very least vampire-adjacent, but Trevor looks at this thing that is so similar to Jane, and goes out of his way to separate it from vampires as much as possible, so there’s already a hole in that theory made right after I proposed it. And secondly, the spiders are implied to have an antagonistic relationship with The Flesh Hive, what with them eating the worms and potentially forcing it to attack the institute early, so WHY DO THEY FUNCTION SO SIMILARLY?! Someone in the YouTube comments proposed that maybe the worms, spiders and ants are all against each other, and while that could explain Jon’s weird comment about how Jane and Amherst don’t seem like beings that would want to work together, it also..it just makes things so much more complicated at the moment. Because either I have to make ants their own thing (which forces me to make The Anglerfish the figure of worship for The Other Circus before I’ve even decided if that’s the route I want to go down), or I have to make all three bugs the same thing, and quite frankly, I CAN’T HANDLE THAT RIGHT NOW. …This whole podcast is one big mindfuck and I love it so much. So…yeah, this one spider lady is driving me insane, and I have no idea how Trevor is dealing with it now. And you know, on that note…I do have one more grievance.

I’m just going to add a quick disclaimer; I’m about to be so fucking petty. Look, like I’ve said a million times, I do still like this episode. In fact, as I’ve been writing this, and as I’ve been thinking more about what the episode does well, I’ve come to like it a lot more than I thought I did initially. The moral of the story is that first impressions are bullshit. But, I am basically tasking myself with documenting all of those first impressions, so here’s the thing. While I’m sure all of the strange mysteries surrounding Trevor will be solved eventually, and that all of these dumb complaints will mean nothing in the end…I was expecting a few more answers. The reveal of the reason for Trevor not dying just being that…Martin got the wrong idea was, while a completely acceptable answer in the long run, a little bit anticlimactic for me. I think I need to accept that as time goes on, there’s a very real possibility that the answers might not be as crazy as I thought (which in some cases is a good thing, holy shit I will get to that when I talk about the supplemental), and that’s ok. I just…I guess after wildly speculating about how he survived in my head for 20 episodes, I was a little disappointed. But on top of that, there was some other things I was really hoping to get answered. I was hoping for more information on how vampires function, more on that person who seemingly helped burn down Ivy Meadows, and just more on…what Trevor is doing right now. Like, what’s his goal? How far has he moved away from vampires, and onto something greater? And all of this wouldn’t be that big of a deal if Jon had bothered to question some of it himself. Like, I know I worry for him constantly digging down rabbit holes, but like, I’m doing it too, AND INSANE CONSPIRACY THEORISTS STICK TOGETHER GOD DAMNIT. But in all seriousness, I would’ve just liked him to speculate a bit more here, especially considering that it was him who revealed the identity of the old guy in Episode 36, not the actual statement giver. But like I said, please just understand that all of this is very nitpicky , and going on the assumption that most of these plot points get answers down the line, these complaints will likely be irrelevant one day. Also understand that I would not be bitching this much about something I don’t absolutely love, I do NOT have the mental stamina or the time to be a genuine hater. Even if I was initially a little bit disappointed by the lack of answers, and even if this isn’t my favorite episode in the season, it was still very good, which I’ve determined is the usual minimum quality for this podcast. While I hope to see some more answers in the future, this was still a worthwhile episode, and it gets me excited for what’s to come. Still a great time :).

But you know what, the statement could’ve been utter garbage and I’d still hold the episode in high regards due to the supplemental. Holy shit. Holy shit you guys. I’m not even breathing I’m hyperventilating at this point. So..Jon…man….I think it’s time for your sedation 💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉💉 I…I don’t think this twink is doing too well everyone. Ugh, and this happens right after the episode where we get confirmation of a good night’s sleep for this “man”. This is by far the most unhinged he has ever been, and while I kind of love that..I am also terrified by it. Once again, I have to give serious props to Jonathan Sims (real life) for his deliveries, because HOLY FUCK HIS POOR VOCAL CORDS. The fact that a simple misunderstanding, one that occurred MONTHS before…not even this, but the fucking Prentiss attack, can drive him so far over the edge is NOT. A GOOD. SIGN. I’m coming to love unhinged Jon, and the sheer furious energy of this scene only makes me love him more, but POOR MARTIN. Like, this guy is the only person in this show I can look at and be fully confident he has done nothing wrong, and yet HE has to suffer being yelled at by his loser crush. And he handles it so well too it’s just UGH I LOVE HIM SO MUCH HE’S THE SWEETEST GUY AND I WANT ALL THE GOOD THINGS FOR HIM. He’s willing to expose his greatest secret to calm down Jon in a moment of emotional distress and, you know, if it wasn’t for all of the other shit that needs to be sorted, I would have Jon and Martin kiss right now. If there are plushies of them out there, please let me know, I would like to mash their faces together, and then tuck Martin into bed while I defenestrate Jon. Oh, and mentioning his secret…oh my god. 14 episodes of buildup, wondering what big secret Martin had…and this is the answer. I never expected him to be evil or anything, but I did expect the reveal to be pretty big and shocking…but no. He just…he just lied on his résumé. That. Is. ….peak comedy. Absolutely hilarious, ten out of ten. I am never going to forget this until the day I die. What an absolute icon of academia. He drops out of High School (Bri’ish) to support his mom, lies about PARAPSYCHOLOGY of all things on his résumé, and then some random stoner guy just recruits him, and the next thing he knows he is being hunted down by worms. He is the silliest guy known to man oh my god. This might just be the best example of a purposefully anticlimactic reveal I’ve ever seen, and that is saying something. And OH MY GOD IT MADE JON HAPPY! FUCKING YES! Now, I would say that I think this will help repair Jon and Martin’s relationship, and that Jon will finally calm down. The only problem is that I don’t actually think that, but…it’s progress. So, yeah, amazing supplemental, probably my favorite. Goodnight Tumblr, I hope you have dreams of squeezing Jon like a squeaky toy. :)

Supplemental: call me micheal the way i lure people into liminal spaces with my charm

- Episode 57, Personal Space 🔒

Statement of Carter Chilcott, regarding his time spent in isolation aboard the Space Station Daedalus in September 2007.

Everyone seems to say that you will eventually find an episode of tma that targets you specifically. I don’t really want to give a definitive answer as to what that episode is until I’m finished, but for now…this is absolutely that episode. Holy. Shit. What sins have I committed that warrant experiencing those 21 minutes of raw, unbridled fear? What does Rusty Quill have against me? And why is it that despite how fucking shaken I am, this is absolutely one of my favorite episodes in the entire series? Like, IT HAS NO RIGHT BEING THIS GOOD AFTER WHAT IT JUST DID TO ME. Wow…I’m still processing what I just witnessed. From the moment this episode started, I knew I was in for an experience, and while the plot is fairly simple without a whole lot of moving parts…that just makes it all the more terrifying and brilliant. I…have thoughts on this episode. Boy oh boy, do I have some thoughts. So…let’s just get into it as I try not to scream. Actually, I shouldn’t have to worry about that now that I think about it. After all, no one can hear you scream in space :,).

So the episode starts, and I’m already scared shitless. Usually there’s a bit more of a slow build towards the horror, but NOT HERE. They just threw me right in, and it was horrifying all throughout, yippee! Granted though, I haven’t really felt that since…Burnt Offering, I guess, but the feeling hasn’t been this strong since Hive so…yeah you can probably see why I love this episode so much. Carter’s speech at the beginning…haunted me. Thinking about how tiny and insignificant we are in the grand scheme of the universe is already pretty terrifying to me, but I at least find a little bit of comfort in the idea that we aren’t the only living things out there, that there’s more than just black void out in space. So to have Carter, this man who has seen the horrors of space firsthand immediately refute this idea with such conviction, while still standing by the idea that we are so finite…damn. So already, the episode is off to a great start, but what about the rest of it? Well, a lot of my more in depth thoughts only really come out when you consider what’s revealed to post-statement, so for now I’ll just talk about some neat and terrifying aspects of the episode that I found notable. Firstly, there’s some pretty clever imagery here with the names of certain things. Most people probably know the name of the space station, “Daedalus” as the name the father of Icarus from Greek myth. You know, that guy who knew jack shit about how heat works? Well, Daedalus was also the guy who built the labyrinth, which was notably used to imprison and isolate certain people and monsters. These references to isolation continue with Carter watching “28 Days Later”, a film that deals with such a topic. Just thought those were some cool references. But, on the note of the name Daedalus, I did find it a little bit interesting that one of Carter’s hallucinations was that of the door opening. It’s probably a stretch, but…given how Micheal’s backrooms were kind of reminiscent of the labyrinth, I do wonder if there’s a connection there…hm. But anyways! What about all of the terrifying stuff? Well, I don’t have that much to say about the spacesuit, as I honestly have…no idea what that was supposed to mean, outside of providing false hope of seeing another person, but…everything else was freaky as shit. The earth being gone, the cameras being cut…and the message on the lock. Holy fuck. That will haunt me in my nightmares. “NO ONE IS COMING” is the new “Take her not me”. …I don’t know if the code in the safe has any significance though. And like…can I just talk about how tragic and traumatized of a character Carter is? Like it still amazes me that this show can make episodes about people nailing meat to their walls, and then make THIS, AND BOTH OF THEM STILL WORK REGARDLESS. Just…the fact that this guy was putting in all that effort to get prepared for the experiment, STILL experienced all of that psychological torture, and tried to kill himself in order to get out of what he genuinely considered to be hell (that part also haunted me)…what a poor soul. Honestly my only complaint with this episode was that we never got to learn if Carter was ok or not. I NEED him to be ok. So…yeah, that’s just an assortment of notable observations and things that scared me. But with all of that out of the way, it’s time I talk about the bigger implications. At the end of the episode, we learn that the Daedalus operation was being run by The Fairchilds and The Lukas Family, and at the very least had some involvement from The Divine Host. And..I certainly have some thoughts about this.

I’ll start off by covering The Fairchilds, as they’re probably the least I have to say about in this scenario. Firstly, I do love that the two big rich eldritch horror families are working together, I think that’s pretty funny, but secondly…yeah, their involvement here just makes sense. I don’t have much more to say about it. I mean, it seems like the family definitely serves the being called The Vast, and given that we are in the VAST void of space, it makes perfect sense for them to be involved here, since such an experiment allows them to throw people into an endless void without even having to use cosmic powers, and we already knew that they worked in aerospace so…yeah, it’s not a surprise to know that they were involved. If I had to guess, I’d assume they were responsible for the empty space suit and the earth, sun and moon disappearing, since both of those deal with some sort of emptiness. Outside of that, all we really learn is that they have a collaboration with The Lukas Family, which is pretty interesting. (Side Note, this episode is currently battling with Literary Heights when it comes to what my current favorite episode of the season is, so…yeah, The Vast does good work.) But mentioning The Lukas Family, what about them? Well, to my understanding, they have the biggest involvement in the experiment. I mean, I think The Fairchilds probably did the most when it came to developing Daedalus itself, but the experiment itself was probably manned by The Lukas Family. We already know they have a habit of isolating people, as show in the other two episodes they’ve been involved in, and obviously the experiment was being manned by Conrad Lukas. (Side note: Considering his mention here, as well as the fact he owns the company that the crew of The Tundra works for, I assume that Nathaniel Lukas is likely the “ruler” of The Lukas Family, and if it’s a Manson-esque cult like I think it might be based on vibes, then he would be the cult leader.) So yeah, I definitely think this episode’s threats are mostly provided by The Lukas Family, which includes things like the lock, the clock stopping, Carter’s weird dreams (which are of graveyards and an open sea, both of which relate to one of the previous Lukas episodes each), and…potentially the cutting of the camera, although that could go multiple ways. So yeah, this episode doesn’t give us that much new information on The Lukas Family, but it does still show us a new member, provides a connection to The Fairchilds, and also shows another strange action of theirs, which is more than enough. But before I get on to the final group, I have a couple of other things I want to briefly discuss. Those things are the food, and the other crew members.

Now, I don’t exactly know what group or power was responsible for infinitely restocking the food, but I think I might have a hunch as to what the food was doing. It’s implied that when Carter nearly starved himself to death, his colleagues took him back to Earth before he died, but I have to wonder if that’s not the case. You see, so much of what happened to Carter…shouldn’t be possible. Obviously The Fairchilds and The Lukas Family set some things up, and can make paranormal things happen, but as far as we’re concerned, none of them were actually onboard so…how would you get all of this weird stuff to happen when there’s no one who can make it happen. Well…there might be an answer to this. Some other people also pointed out something similar in the YouTube comments but…I have to wonder if Daedalus was just a simulation. I know that is a bold claim, but think about it. In a simulation, anything as illogical as what happened on the station could happen perfectly fine, without needing a Fairchild or Lukas on board. So maybe…the food was keeping Carter inside the simulation, and when he stopped eating he simply woke up. It’s still entirely possible that he did starve himself, and that he really was in space, and that his colleagues did bring him back down…but I really like the simulation idea. It makes the whole thing even more tragic and terrifying, because it would mean that Carter never even got to go to space in the first place…which admittedly might be a blessing for him nowadays, but still. And then we have the matter of the the other two astronauts. There’s two possibilities when it comes to what role they play here. The simplest answer is to assume that they were just there in case of emergency, maybe also there to make Carter’s despair greater, since he KNEW there were others outside his confinement. But the thing is, they apparently were also there to do their own experiments, and while that could be a lie…I have to wonder. You see, there’s likely three factions, each serving one of ✨the horrors✨, in charge of the Daedalus operation, yet Carter’s experiment has a clear bias towards The Lukas Family and their desire to isolate. So, what if the other two astronauts were being put through their own torture experiments by The Fairchilds and The Divine Host respectively? And if Daedalus is actually just a simulation…what if they’re still in there? I mean, Carter never ACTUALLY saw them, so…I genuinely do not know. This idea can go either ways, and both of them make me squirm with fear. But with all of those theories out of the way, we have but one more thing to talk about, that being The Divine Host.

So, The Divine Host isn’t actually mentioned by name here, but they absolutely have some level of involvement with what’s going on. This is because Optic Solutions Ltd., the company that provided the cameras, are stationed in Ny-Ålesund. Ny-Ålesund was mentioned in Growing Dark, an episode that VERY clearly featured The Divine Host (or whatever it’s called nowadays), and was listed as the coldest place in the world where the nights are longest. Natalie Ennis kind of implied that the church was going somewhere, so I suspect that Ny-Ålesund is where they’re stationed nowadays…likely to do something very bad. Now, it’s entirely possible that The Divine Host’s involvement here is the same as that of The Fairchilds and The Lukas Family. They’ve launched people into space or a simulation, and want to do some freaky experiments. That makes perfect sense, and I’d assume they’re responsible for…well, obviously the cameras, but probably the 20 minute blackout as well. However…I have to wonder if their involvement was a little bit more antagonistic. Obviously they were involved in the experiment but…maybe not in the same way as the other two groups. You see, I just find it weird that The Divine Host would go out of its way to set up a camera, and then secretly cut the wires to make Carter feel more isolated, not only because that’s kind of elaborate and unnecessary, but also because the isolation is more of a Lukas Family thing. Sure, it could pray on the fear of being alone in the dark but…I don’t know, it’s weird. And mentioning that, outside of the darkness of space, The Divine Host seems to have the least reason to be involved this experiment. Hell, even when the earth, sun and moon disappeared, there were still shining stars visible. So I’m just think that while the idea that they’re working alongside the other two groups makes sense, it’s also possible that maybe…maybe they were trying to sabotage the experiment. Maybe they set up the camera in an attempt to lessen Carter’s isolation, but it was later cut by The Lukas Family. Maybe the blackout was a result of them trying to cut the experiment short. And this makes more sense when you consider the fact that even though The Magnus Institute isn’t really involved with this experiment, The Lukas Family, who is, is a strong ally of the institute. And assuming that the institute connects to the eye monster in Alexandria, and that the Divine Host opposes that monster due to their closed eye symbol…then they’d have every reason to go after a faction that allies itself with their enemy. And OH MY GOD, I just remembered that someone in the YouTube comments pointed out that maybe The Divine Host killed Gertrude, since screams were heard coming from Hither Green Chapel on the day of her death, and as archivist for the institute she’s probably be their enemy, and…ajdjfhejhfjdjsjdjjfjdjjd. ….Ok, I’m absolutely spiraling out of control here. Simply put, I find The Divine Host’s involvement here the most interesting overall, and I think it could easily go in multiple different directions. It’s connections to The Fairchilds, The Lukas Family and likely The Magnus Institute are all very interesting, and I’m just very excited to see everything start coming together.

Wow. What an episode. This is at the very least my second favorite episode of Season 2 after Literary Heights, and it might even top that. The main character and themes of isolation and mental trauma were both relatable and absolutely terrifying for me, the connections between different factions it provides are all extremely interesting, and I really hope to see more of Daedalus in the future. As for the supplemental…well, there’s definitely quite a few things worth mentioning here. Firstly, I’ve noticed that Jon is getting a lot sloppier when it comes to hiding his activity. His meeting with Elias, as well as him admitting he doesn’t trust his assistants on a main recording once was already something, but this is just reckless and…I’m very concerned by that. Secondly, his dialogue here implies a future statement regarding Hill Top Road and the children who lived in that house, which is super exciting! Hill Top Road hasn’t shown up since Episode 19/20, and the children haven’t been mentioned since Episode 8. It’s a very interesting part of the lore to me, and hopefully I’ll learn more about what happened to all the kids living there soon enough. But while that’s all intriguing…we then have Not!Sasha. Firstly…it is CERTAINLY interesting that she asked Jon not to record their conversations. Why is that? Hm? Is it because the audio is weird? CARE TO ELABORATE?! As for the items in her desk, well, the ripped paper could be anything, from scrap to actual torn apart documents (I’m implied to believe the latter, unfortunately), and as for her boyfriend…well there’s a few possible explanations for that. Tom, if that is his “real” name, is described as looking like a stock photo. I hope he too is some sort of monster, but it’s also possible he’s like…a wax figure or something, or maybe Not!Sasha is just editing herself into stock photos, idk. Either way…her behavior is as concerning as ever. So yeah…that sure was an episode. …I’m going to go curl up into a hall now, I think I’ve been a bit too scared today…

Supplemental: Regarding the idea of The Divine Host killing Gertrude, it does seem a little bit obvious, and I’m still most suspicious of Elias, but I will admit that it’s a pretty compelling argument and it makes me suspicious.

- Episode 58, Trail Rations🍴

Unsigned statement regarding potential cannibalism while attempting to travel the Oregon Trail.

…That was nothing like the Starkid musical :(. No lobsters whatsoever. Ok, self indulgent jokes aside, this was a pretty decent one. I don’t have TOO much to say about it, (which is fine given how much I’ve been saying about recent episodes), but I still thought it was a pretty good…if pretty disgusting episode. It definitely has one of the best and most unique framing devices so far, an interesting protagonist and plot line, and a couple of potential connections to other episodes as well. Unfortunately though…my thoughts are just kind of simple, so my commentary will be noticeably more brief than usual. But, with all of that out of the way, let’s talk about yet another episode that displays a normal life in America!

Starting off, I have to say that one of my favorite aspects of this episode is by far the general premise. If you’ve had a U.S. education, then you’ve inevitably read at least a couple of excerpts from Oregon Trail journals, (and also probably played the game based on them, which is a certified classic), so you would therefore know that they are historically freaky as shit. Like. GOD. The things that happen there are…yikes. So I’m very happy that they decided to make an episode based on it, since it feels like a great thing to take inspiration from. And honestly, it really does read like an actual Oregon Trail journal…just if the circumstances were even more dire. Oh god, and speaking of that writing style, what about that opening. I always love it when tma displays the psychological state of its protagonists, and the opening did a really great job doing so. Anyways, what about the statement itself? Well, another thing I really liked about it was the protagonist, Mrs. Carlisle. It’s always a pleasure to have a genuinely intelligent protagonist in any horror story (hence why we stan Joshua Gillespie) and I really liked how she was portrayed as the smartest person in the story, as I feel that’s an unfortunate rarity among women in old-timey stories. It’s just a shame that she was too late to save her husband, I honestly felt really bad for her. As for the rest…well, I thought Eustace Wick was a pretty intimidating, if kind of fun antagonist, and the part where Benjamin tells his wife to eat him after death…yikes. That was…certainly morbid. Lastly, I did really like the ambiguity on Mrs. Carlisle’s fate, while it seems unlikely it does give me hope she survived, and I do have other reasons to believe that which I’ll get into in a second. And…yeah! That’s about it for my general thoughts on the episode. It’s just a very brutal and sad tale about one of the most brutal and sad journeys in U.S. history, with a great framing device and protagonist. I like it! But, there are definitely some notable connections to previous episodes, so I’ll make sure to go over that.

So, starting off, I definitely think that this episode connects to the member of ✨the horrors✨ with a relation to bones and meat, and that Eustace Wick is a servant of it. Granted, he doesn’t display supernatural abilities like The Boneturner, but his prayer towards meat instead of Jesus makes me think he definitely serves this being, and that cannibalism is a part of the process. But that prayer actually adds a new element to this body horror thing, that being an…oddly religious one. This whole religious aesthetic is very present throughout the entire episode, and I find it pretty interesting. Granted, there are multiple cults that seemingly serve different powers, but none of them really take much from real-world religions as far as I’m concerned, outside of Asag being a Sumerian demon. This however…is very overtly Christian in its aesthetic, and I just find that kind of interesting. It also REALLY reminds me of Confession and Desecrated Host. These episodes are among the few that prominently feature Christianity so far, and if you recall, Edwin Burroughs ends up committing cannibalism after having his mind plagued by ✨the horrors✨. It does make me wonder if maybe the college students he ate also compelled him to, at least through his point of view, but unlike Mrs. Carlisle he actually gave in. The only problem is that I think he was being plagued by Asag, due to the amount of heat in Hill Top Road, and I’d be surprised in Asag and the body horror thing are the same. Then again, it’s possible Edwin was subjected to multiple members of ✨the horrors✨, since there was an eye in the window of the church he saw, he walked through a twisted version of his home like Antonio Blake, and the whole thing was seemingly influenced by Breekon and Hope, who are seemingly most allied with The Other Circus, not Asag, so…I don’t know, I could definitely see there being a connection here with religious cannibalism. Another connection that everyone and their mother has pointed out is the last name of our protagonist and her husband, that being “Carlisle”. This is notable as we have already heard that name via Toby Carlisle, who conveniently also showed up in the 18th episode of a season, and had connections to meat. So, I am definitely of the impression that Toby Carlisle is a descendant of our protagonist, which is why I suspect she might have actually survived and made her way to Oregon in the end, but I guess only time will tell if that’s the case. But if that’s the case, then it makes me believe that whatever Eustace was working with…followed her even after she let the cave, and might have continued to haunt her family centuries down the line. The main question posed by Jon in The Man Upstairs was where Toby got the meat…and nowadays, I definitely think that the meat…got him. And lastly, we have what is probably the biggest point of interest here, that being…why in the hell is this journal even here. Mrs. Carlisle never submitted a statement to The Magnus Institute, and yet it is still here within the archives. So…what the fuck. This means that Jonah Magnus, or maybe someone working for him, went out of their way to go to some random cave in Idaho or whatever, and retrieve this journal that, by all means, might not even be paranormal at a first glance. Obviously what happened was terrifying, but Eustace could’ve just been some random psychopath, and Benjamin telling his wife to eat him could’ve easily been written off as hallucinations derived from starvation, fatigue or trauma. We only know it’s paranormal because Jon has to record it on tape, meaning it is very real and important. But like…what the fuck was going on with Jonah? Why and how did he find this single journal inside of some guy’s corpse? Why was it so important? WHAT DID HE KNOW AND WHAT WAS HIS PROBLEM?! God…I’ve got nothing against overworked Victorian men that possess potentially homosexual relationships with their correspondences, but you are all so annoying god bless.

Well…that was a short one. Yeah…I do quite like this episode as a fun individual tale, but I just don’t have much to say about it that isn’t already blatantly obvious. Still though, I’m glad I was able to glean the information I was able to, and it definitely does bring up some interesting revelations about Jonah and the meat. As for the supplemental…oh thank god they’ve suggested therapy. I mean, it’s a shame it hasn’t exactly worked, but I’m glad I’m not alone in thinking that. Also, I now just feel really shitty for kind of forgetting about Tim. Granted, it’s hard to when you’re listening to what’s going on with Jon all the time, but…yeah, Tim also got pretty fucked up, didn’t he! AND THE FACT THAT HIM WORRYING MAKES JON MORE SUSPICIOUS GRRRRR. Either way, I’m glad that him and Martin are trying to do something to help him…I still think knocking him out with a brick would be a good idea but that might just be me. And on one final note…I-I still can’t get over the fact that revealing he lied on his résumé was what Martin needed to make Jon trust him. That is…possibly the funniest workplace scenario I’ve ever heard. Recording ends or whatever.

Supplemental: I said this one was exceptionally short, but then I looked back at my first of these posts and…yeah nevermind I’m actually pretty satisfied with the length here. Me three months ago was a little coward who couldn’t be bothered to write anything meaningful down lmao. …Or maybe I was just a lot more sane I don’t know.

- Episode 59, Recluse 🍏

Statement of Ronald Sinclair, regarding his years spent in a teenage halfway house on Hill Top Road, Oxford.

HOLY FUCK. HOOOOOOOOOLLLLLY FUCK. I. WHAT. I’M GOING ABSOLUTELY INSANE I AM AT MY FUCKING LIMIT WHAT THE FUCK. Hold on, I should stop using the devil’s tongue, lest Raymond Fielding throw me to the spiders. I…I am not ok. This episode…did so much. It gave so many answers but also SO many questions, validated one of my earliest theories, and…well it’s just making me spiral out of control. It was absolutely fantastic all things considered, but…oh my god. I’m pretty proud of myself for keeping up with things up until this point, but…am I even going to be able to do that anymore? Is this some kind of sick joke being played by god to punish me for my hubris, where he sends me into the never ending chasm of knowledge as I search for the answers at the bottom that doesn’t exist? ANSWER ME YOU SICK BASTARD. So…I’m happy we got another Hill Top Road statement! Definitely a very interesting part of the lore to me but…wow that’s a lot of lore. Unfortunately, I was being an inconclusive little coward when I wrote my “thoughts” on the other Hill Top Road statements, so before I get into the events of this episode and the truckload of implications it provides, I’m going to a brief overview of what’s currently known about this house and it’s history, as it’s very important to understanding what happens here. So…let’s start with a brief recap. May god have mercy on my mind. …How dare Jonny jumpscare me after the Oregon Trail cannibalism episode.

So, what did we know about Hill Top Road before this episode? Well, the house was bought by Walter Fielding in 1891, inherited by Alfred Fielding in 1924 and then inherited again by Raymond Fielding in 1957. Raymond was a devout churchgoer who used the house as a place where teenage runaways and young people with mental problems could stay and be rehabilitated. At some point in time, a young girl named Agnes showed up, who some presumed to be Raymond’s actual daughter. When she showed up, more and more of the kids living there disappeared, until it was just her and Raymond when she was a young adult, with the latter saying all of the other kids had simply moved on. Eventually, Raymond disappeared, followed by a few local pets and a five-year old boy. In 1974, a week after the boy disappeared, the house burnt down, with Raymond’s corpse being found within, his hand severed. Agnes was nowhere to be found. Now, the timeline gets a little bit tricky here, since Ivo Lensik and Edwin Burroughs’s statements do not line up chronologically, seemingly due to mistakes on the writer’s part. I’m just going to go with Ivo’s statement for simplicity’s sake, so let’s just say that in 2006, Ivo Lensik started re-construction on the dilapidated house, eventually tearing down the tree in the backyard and destroying the box beneath it. He also met a man who claimed to be Raymond Fielding, who observed the tree in the backyard, before leaving the house with singes on the floor. On the same day, Edwin Burroughs seemingly reached the peak of his demonic possession and insanity, which eventually led to him cannibalizing two college students and being given two life sentences at HMP Wakefield. He also lost the ability to say words like “God” or “Jesus”, and to do prayer. According to Martin, one Agnes Montague was found to have hung herself in Sheffield on the day of Ivo tearing down the tree, with a severed hand (presumably that of Raymond Fielding) tied to her waist, seemingly having died the same day she did. However, this Agnes was aged 26, which could not have been the same age as the Agnes who lived on Hill Top Road. And I’m just going to say it right now: I think Ms. Montague is a younger relative of the Agnes on Hill Top Road, and that the reason Raymond’s hand was said to have died the day she did was because Raymond only truly died either when he left the house for one last time, or when Edwin performed an exorcism, and that man who claimed to be him was indeed a ghost. So…yeah. Quite the complicated history surrounding this place. In short, there was a creepy house with two creepy people, it burned down killing one of them, the fate of the other is up in the air although someone who at the very least has connections to her died in 2006, and now the house is dilapidated and haunted as all hell. Overall a mysterious history, but while we are still missing a lot of pieces, this episode gave a lot more insight into what was going on here. So, let’s FINALLY get into it, as well as my overall thoughts on this…absolute ride of a story.

First of all, I just want to say I’m very happy that we got this statement two episodes after it was teased, because I never want to have to bear the burden of waiting 10 episodes for Hive ever again. Anyways, going over the basics first, this episode comes from the perspective of Ronald Sinclair, one of the teenagers who stayed at the house during the 60’s. Not only does this give us a look at what Hill Top Road was like before it burned down, which is just really cool, and makes the other statements even creepier now that we know what happened, but it also made me realize…man. I hate the justice system! Like, I know that Ronald was somewhat troublesome, but that is not how you treat abused children. Actually, how did they not figure out what was going on when the children disappeared? Like…did they just not care to go looking for them. Or was there a more sinister answer….oh no. Anyways, I felt really bad for Ronald, and I’m not surprised that he’s still suffering from the trauma to this day. And that is…pretty much all of the surface level thoughts I have on this episode. Yeah, this one is just so full of back to back reveals and implications that I really don’t have much more to say outside of my wild speculation so…I might as well just get into the real meat right now. The main thing this episode does for us is reveal more about the relationship between Raymond Fielding and Agnes. Initially, Burned Out kind of led me to believe that Raymond was a victim of the creepy girl named Agnes, but now we know that while there’s still quite a lot of mystery surrounding the latter, that information was meant to deceive, and the truth is quite the opposite. So let’s talk about…what the fuck is even happening.

I’m just going to cut to the chase: Raymond Fielding was a massive dick. And also a servant of ✨the horrors✨. Seemingly the one associated with spiders. So, at the end of this episode, we learn that Raymond was secretly killing the children who “left” the house, and then started using their bodies as egg sacks for spiders. First of all…ew. Second of all…WHAT?! This was…a very shocking reveal, especially with its timing in the episode, but it also just makes my brain go WILD. Like…WHY was he doing this? What is the purpose of having all of these spiders? How did the authorities never find out? How many children did he kill? What about his ancestors before him? I just…SSDHHJGGGHHH. Now, Raymond’s methods seem to mostly tie into the table…but that’s its own can of worms, so I’ll get into that later. All I’m saying is that this man was absolutely terrifying, and I am GLAD that he’s seemingly dead for real now. But while this is certainly a shocking reveal, it also reveals some interesting new information about the spiders. They’re tied to control. You see, throughout the episode Ronald and other kids…didn’t necessarily feel like they were being controlled, but just…urged to do things that they usually wouldn’t do. And while I’m glad that an eldritch god still cares about good hygiene and morals…kind of, this was still creepy as fuck, and at the end, Ronald is DEFINITELY being mind controlled as he head into Raymond’s basement. (Side note: I will never not think of Micheal whenever there’s mentions of a creepy door opening.) So this is clearly another power of Raymond’s, but it also applies to the spiders in general. For example, in Arachnophobia, Carlos Vittery was forced to kill the spider from his childhood over and over again, until eventually meeting a fate…very similar to his friends. In Children of the Night, Trevor felt a very similar compulsion when he met the anonymous lady filled with spiders, and Jonathan Archivist Sims himself was compelled to smash a spider on his wall for…no apparent reason, which then led to the worst day of his life (so far.) And while these incidents didn’t involve spiders all that much, need I remind you that Ivo Lensik destroyed the tree out of a strange compulsion, and that Edwin Burroughs said words against his will, and both of those incidents took place at Hill Top Road. So…yeah, the spiders definitely have this interesting relationship with control, and as much as I like to and still will do my best to connect Micheal to everything (please come back baby I miss you so much)…I might unfortunately have to agree with Not!Sasha describing the pattern on the table as a web. I no longer think she was just saying that due to her personal relationship with it…I think she was telling the truth. So yeah! Raymond Fielding was a shitty spider man with mind control powers, how delightful! But while this is…obviously very terrifying, we can at least find some solace in the fact that there was one person who could combat him. That person was dear old Agnes. Holy shit, where to begin with Agnes.

Like I said, I was initially unnerved by Agnes, even in this episode. I thought that Raymond was a sweet old man who ended up being one of Agnes’ numerous victims. Now, while she is still a little bit spooky, I realize that the truth was the stark opposite. Agnes showed up at Hill Top Road two months before Ronald was to “leave”, which seems to discredit the idea that Raymond was her actual father, unless his motivation for murdering children was divorce. If she’s not his actual daughter, then her appearance there is all the more strange, because…why? Well, either way, I’m glad she showed up, because before Ronald left, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. And later on, right before he was about to become a spider nest, said cheek erupted in hot searing pain, and broke him from Raymond’s control. This shows us that Agnes was a hero, and hopefully means that no children after Ronald died…although I’d still be cautious of that assumption. But this gets me thinking about Agnes’ power. You see, I initially thought Hill Top Road was associated with Asag, due to the whole heat thing going on. Now, you’d assume that after this episode I’d come to the conclusion that the house is haunted by the spiders, but hear me out for a second…why not both? Agnes herself is anything but a servant of the spiders, and has these connections to heat, so what if there’s actually TWO beings haunting Hill Top Road. Both Asag and the spiders reside there, residual forces left behind by Agnes and Raymond, who burn and control those who come into their house. It’s interesting that someone so young could forge a connection to such a powerful and horrific force, and I have to wonder if she even connects to that mysterious cult at all, since she doesn’t seem to be a member. Either way, it’s very interesting that we now have two members of ✨the horrors✨ who are weak to heat and fire…makes me wonder more about how The Flesh Hive and the spiders are connected…also why the hell was Raymond a churchgoer if he was clearly worshiping something else? Or was he not? Was it all just a ruse to keep the neighbor’s suspicions at bay? Or was the church also full of spider worshippers? Is that why the neighbors all hated the children? WHAT THE FUCK WAS GOING ON IN THIS HOUSE?! …did you know that Basira’s colleague Daisy mentioned spider husk people in MAG 43? Idk, where else am I going to mention that? So yeah, Agnes was definitely a much better person then I anticipated…but this relationship between her and Raymond still leaves a lot to be desired. While this episode sheds a lot of light on what was going on when Hill Top Road was still a halfway house…there’s also quite a bit that needs to be unpacked about it’s future. There’s a lot left to understand. And I am GOING to understand.

So, welcome to the ✨theoretical timeline of Raymond Fielding’s halfway house on Hill Top Road, Oxford until further notice✨, starting after Ronald Sinclair escaped from his spidery clutches. So, according to Anna Kasuma, all of the children left (or were killed) when Agnes was 18 or 19, with it just being her or Raymond in the house, so that’s roughly eight years after she first arrived and started saving people, starting off with Ronald. …And that also means that she was there past the age she was supposed to leave, making her appearance there blatantly different from that of every other child. Now, Raymond clearly knew that something was…off with Agnes, and I doubt it would’ve taken him eight whole years to realize how she was helping people. So why didn’t he just…kill her? Well, Ronald thought that Raymond was afraid of her, and I’m inclined to agree. If Agnes’ power was capable of severing the control over the kids, then I think it’s safe to say that Raymond knew not to trifle with her out of fear for his own life. I think they spent the next eight years locked in a stalemate, where Raymond kept on trying to kill his kids (that is a sentence), and Agnes kept on trying to save them. (lmao, imagine being weak in the face of an eleven year old, get fucked bozo). It’s said that around this time, Raymond went missing, followed by local pets and a five year old boy. Now, Burned Out made me suspect Agnes was behind this, and I mean…that could still be the case. I can’t say with certainty that Agnes was 100% good, I mean she does have eldritch god powers and looks like the twins from The Shining. But…I still think this was Raymond’s doing. Because, think about it for a moment. Raymond’s body was found in his house, meaning that he couldn’t have gone far. And according to Ronald, he was a recluse who never left the house outside of church, to the point where neighbors would often worry about him. If Raymond simply stopped going to church, which he very well could’ve given that there was no one to go with at this point, then people might’ve just proclaimed him missing because they never saw him anymore. So, maybe those pets and that young boy ended up becoming his new prey now that the house was almost empty. And while I can excuse child murder, I draw the line at animal cruelty. Fuck you Raymond, everyone hates you. (If you’re wondering why I hate him so much more than any other antagonist so far…I don’t know, I need someone to vehemently hate so it might as well be him.) Anyways, it was after the disappearance of the young boy that the house burned down, and I’m inclined to attribute this to Agnes due to her likely connections to Asag. I think she burned the house down, killing Raymond in the process, and fled with his severed hand for…some reason. However, due to the fact that the place was home to two servants of eldritch gods…things probably god freaky. Whatever powers Raymond and Agnes served still lay dormant in that abandoned house to this day, burning and controlling whoever walks inside, explaining what happened to Ivo and Edwin. Finally, we have the matter of Raymond and Agnes’ fates, along with…that tree. That damned tree. I…still have no idea what the fuck is up with this thing. It’s like…THE thing that this episode avoided giving answers on. Still though, I’ll try to rationalize what I can, although this is where my thoughts get a lot more muddy.

So, Raymond seemingly persisted as ghost into the future, and I personally think he was tied to the tree. It would explain why the tree was bleeding, and also why his box was underneath it, although why, when, and how he was tethered to it, as well as who tethered him to it and put the box underneath (who is most likely Agnes but that’s still subject to change), is a complete mystery. Either way, I think Ivo’s destruction of the tree and box, Edwin’s exorcism, or both is what led to Raymond truly dying, explaining why what is presumably his hand was found to have died on the day Ivo and Edwin visited. This is very very speculative, but it’s the best I can do when trying to rationalize the timeline. As for Agnes…she’s even MORE difficult to pin down! I initially said that I think Agnes Montague is not the same person as the Agnes from Hill Top Road, but is still related, likely biologically. This is because she was of an age much younger than Hill Top’s Agnes should’ve been. However, I will concede that there’s a slight possibility she is the ghost of Hill Top’s Agnes in the same way as Raymond, explaining why she looks 26, as she wouldn’t have really aged. However, I think there are a few flaws in this way of thinking. First of all, assuming that Hill Top burned down around the time Agnes was 18 or 19, the chances of her being 26 and dying in the burnt down house are ultimately hard to pin down. It’s not impossible for that to be the case, but I can’t be certain. Secondly, I’m playing by traditional ghost rules when discussing Raymond, in that I believe he was bound to the tree, and the house by extension. But Ms. Montague was found dead in a Sheffield, so she can’t really work in the same way as Raymond in this scenario. And finally, Ms. Montague had an actual tangible body after death, where as Raymond, assuming he only truly died after Ivo and Edwin arrived, did not as far as I am aware. So the idea of Agnes also truly dying due to Ivo and Edwin’s actions seems a bit far fetched to me. So, I’m still sticking with my original theory here. That theory is that Agnes Montague is a descendant of the Agnes on Hill Top Road, who was given Raymond’s hand, and died on the same day Ivo tore down the tree for mysterious reasons. And…that’s about it! In short, Raymond and Agnes were quietly beefing with each other for eight years, give or take, Agnes burnt down Hill Top Road, killing Raymond and stealing his hand, left behind two eldritch gods, a creepy tree and Raymond’s ghost, said ghost was dealt with when Ivo Lensik and Edwin Burroughs visited the dilapidated house, and Agnes Montague, a descendant of Hill Top Agnes, hung herself on that same day with Raymond’s hand on her waist. This is…extremely bold of me to make. I only do this because much like Micheal, Hill Top Road is something that is very clearly important with tons of connections to other things, but is also extremely difficult to rationalize at the moment. So…I’m just going to take whatever headcanons I have on Hill Top as fact when writing these until further notice, and then use those headcanons to craft theories that’ll probably end up being wrong. Overall, there is still a lot to learn and a lot of questions to be answered. Like, what’s Raymond’s history? What’s his motivations? What’s Agnes’ history and her motivations? What happened when Ronald left? What is up with the GOD. FORSAKEN. TREE?! All of this is very interesting and I’m very excited, but also terrified of uncovering the truth behind this creepy house and its creepy residents. …But do you want to know what the funny things is. We’re STILL. NOT. DONE. Because there is one last thing. One thing that I have neglected to mention. The thing that from now on will haunt my every waking moment until death. The fearsome, gruesome, UTTERLY TERRIFYING…

tabel :-)

Let me just start off by saying that: I WAS SO FUCKING RIGHT!!! One of if not my single oldest standing theory I’ve had while listening was that the box underneath the tree was the missing piece of the table, and finally, after FIFTY-ONE episodes of waiting for the answer, I FINALLY HAVE IT CONFIRMED. THAT IS SO FUCKING GRATIFYING YOU HAVE NO IDEA. Part of why I love this episode is because it really makes it feel like I’ve gotten to a point where so much is starting to come together, and that tiny little reveal was just the icing on the cake for me. But enough gloating…this stupid piece of wood. WHY MUST YOU HAUNT EVERY LITTLE CREVICE I TRY TO HIDE IN YOU SICK FREAK?! So…this is an interesting episode in regards to the table, in that it is the only one to have it, while also not featuring the impersonator. Now, I can think of a few reasons for this. You see, Not!Sasha described the pattern on the table as a web, which I do believe now due to Raymond’s powers, but there’s also a lot that suggests she said that because the table has trapped her, she must go wherever it goes. So, it’s possible that at this point in time she just…wasn’t bound to it. However, it’s worth noting that in all statements that feature the impersonator, the box is missing from the center. So maybe the impersonator was inside the table, but due to the presence of the box, its bindings were even stronger than usual, to the point where it couldn’t even take anyone. And as for the final potential theory, which is COMPLETE crack; I just think it would be kind of cool if maybe the impersonator was like…the souls of all of the children being used as egg sacks. Like they all got sucked into the table, and start taking over other people’s lives in order to get their own ones back. There’s like…a two percent chance that this is the case but I thought it was an interesting idea. Ultimately, all this really does is make the timeline more confusing…and also makes me think the impersonator doesn’t have a good relationship with spiders. And speaking of which, I feel like it’s worth mentioning how Raymond utilizes the table himself. I think his having everyone gather around it on Sundays was basically his way of keeping control over them, and that maybe the table was what gave him this ability in the first place. Since it’s capable of binding the impersonator on its own, maybe he learned how to harness its power and use it on the children. It’s also pretty clear that the apple in the box is what ultimately caused all of those kids to die and become egg sacks…but given how Ivo destroyed the thing I don’t know if we have to worry about that anymore. But I think the biggest takeaway from all of this is that the table is a weapon. It can be used for good purposes like binding the impersonator (which has backfired multiple times but like…it’s better than just letting it run rampant), but can also be used for sinister purposes like mind control. And given how it’s in the institute as we speak…well, I can only hope that it’ll be used for good going forward. But…UGH there’s so much that its presence here opens up! Like, how do Breekon and Hope fit into all of this? At what point did they bring the table to Graham Folger and then the institute? How many other people was it brought to, if at all. Why was the box separated from it? And why didn’t Jon mention it post-statement?! I….SSTFYGFTUUJGREEERTTYYUUIIUIKJFEWWERYUKKKLL!!!!

Well…that was certainly an episode of The Magnus Archives, a podcast distributed by Rusty Quill, and licensed under a Creative Commons attribution non-commercial share alike 4.0 international license. There is a LOT that I did not touch on in this episode, and probably a bajillion things that haven’t even occurred to me. Hopefully though, I’ll touch on those in the future when they’re appropriate to bring up. And like I said, Hill Top Road is like another Micheal to me (oh god…the table…and the fractals with Ivo’s dad OH NO) with how it just feels like it connects to EVERYTHING. The history of this house, Raymond, Agnes and just…everything that surrounds it is so mystifying to me. I feel as if I’m staring into the face of an endless void as we speak, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. Hopefully I will get answers regarding this house soon, but for now…uuuuggghhhh someone save me before I have to give in and become a Jon kinnie. Oh, and speaking of Jon, what about the post-statement and supplemental? Well, we learn that for whatever reason, information regarding Hill Top Road has been largely lost or damaged, which is…concerning. I get the feeling that further information on this house must be…pretty heavy stuff if it’s all been destroyed. Jon also mentions Martin’s fondness for spiders here, which we already knew about but…it’s a bit more strange to me nowadays. I don’t want to be too suspicious of him, especially after he delivered the most legendary plot twist of all time, but I still find it to be an interesting little quirk of his. Lastly, we learn in the supplemental that everyone’s avoiding Jon. And while I do feel bad for him, truly…yeah no shit. I mean I’m sorry sweetheart but you’re not exactly being subtle in your investigations, you shouldn’t be all that surprised by this. …oh dear god. I reach the mid season finale tomorrow…please just be somewhat digestible….

Supplemental: oooooohhhh spooky

- Episode 60, The Observer Effect🪞

Statement of Rosa Meyer, concerning a persistent feeling of being watched.

Well…here it is. The mid-season finale of Season 2. Now, while this episode isn’t quite as grand and shocking to me as Desecrated Host, it is a very, VERY intriguing one. The statement is one of, if not the shortest one yet, which is fair as it needs to make room for the fairly lengthy supplemental, but it does seemingly help to further verify a few of my theories, brings up some interesting new ideas, has some VERY a interesting implications on a thematic level, and it definitely feels like it’s pushing the story into…I guess, another phase or something like that. While I think that this is a solid way to end off the first half of the season, I might not have as much to say about the plot of the statement as I do for some others, as while it is definitely very intriguing, it doesn’t have nearly as many shocking revelations as an episode like the last one for example, just adds to some things that were already implied or suspected. But that’s absolutely fine! Hell, I think I needed something to take my mind off of piecing together Hill Top Road lore, so this is more than welcome. But enough preamble, let’s get into the episode that was…oddly personal to me, but like…personal in a really weird way…yeah…

So, I kind of just want to start off by answering why this episode was so…personal to me. Because it’s really weird. It’s not personal in the same way episodes like Lost in the Crowd or Personal Space are, as while this episode did scare me quite a bit, it wasn’t on a deep, psychologically personal level. No, the reason it’s personal is just a lot more simple. It’s personal because not only do I live in Norwich, (which isn’t that big of a deal, I mean it was bound to show up in tma eventually)…but my dad edits for BBC Look East. …The same show Rosa Meyers, the protagonist of this episode, presented for. So like, this episode doesn’t affect me that deeply, but it just felt…WEIRDLY targeted by how well it lined up with a notable part of my family and I’s lives, and that’s already gained this episode a special place in my heart. Ok, that’s enough of revealing personal details that’ll hopefully not bite me in the ass during future job applications. What about the actual plot of the statement? Starting off, can I get a YIPPEE for our FOURTH cold opening in a row?! HOORAY FOR TRAUMA!!! The whole opening segment…is just so incredibly well performed on Jonny’s part. He always does a great job portraying statement givers in distress, but honestly, this single scene might just be the second best example of this after, like, all of Hive. He REALLY sold how distressed Rosa was when giving this statement, and I fully believed that she was spiraling and breaking down as she wrote it. I’m also really happy that the episode allows this whole breakdown to take up a decent amount of time, as not only does it hint at Rosa being a…somewhat unusual statement giver, but it also helps to drive home what I believe is the main point of the episode, although I’ll get into that later. Anyways, the opening is great, and honestly managed to tap into my own fears of being watched with how visceral the voice acting was. Going forward, we learn about how Rosa gained this feeling after doing inventory for her deceased brother’s estate. And based on the way she described his stroke, as well as what he was involved with…I mean yeah I doubt he died normally. The man was clearly digging very deep into things he probably shouldn’t have, so I think that “stroke” was actually something much more sinister. Oddly enough, his death reminds me of that of Ivo’s father in Episode 8, and Paul McKenzie in Episode 27, both of whom died in seemingly normal ways that had much more sinister undertones. I was also a little bit unnerved by her sibling-rivalry comments on Christopher, which I’m 99% sure doesn’t mean anything, but…Lost Johns’ Cave did things to me so….yeah. Anyways, we also learn here that Christopher Meyers was doing research into ancient religious artifacts, which is obviously…a very interesting thing to mention given the presence of cults and artifacts throughout the podcast. He even wrote about vampires at one point too… This weirdness is backed up later when we learn that he was doing research into “outer cults” and their practices, which I can only assume refers to things like The Divine Host, The Cult of Asag, The Other Circus and more. All of it seems to further suggest that the driving force behind this plot is a war between ✨the horrors✨. It’s all very peculiar, and given his mysterious death…as well as the fact we learn he was consulting with The Magnus Institute for unknown reasons, I definitely think that Christopher Meyer will hold some significance later. This statement was given in 1972, meaning that not even James Wright, Elias’ predecessor, would’ve been in charge at this point, and it’s very possible that Gertrude wasn’t either. So I assume it’ll be fairly hard to dig up information on Christopher…but it’s interesting nonetheless.

Anyways, going back to Rosa, it’s here that she opens one of Christopher’s boxes, and finds the note and mirror that lead to her being watched and gaining extreme paranoia. (By the way, I learned after listening that the title of the episode refers to a phenomenon where you alter the behavior/state of whatever you see, simply by just observing it. Just thought that was pretty cool.) Admittedly, I’m not all that concerned about the note and the mirror in terms of what they could do. The mirror’s shattered now, and either the note can’t act without the mirror or is just kind of creepy, so I’m more concerned about where exactly Christopher even got it…and what it might’ve done to him. Breekon, Hope and Mikaele Salesa obviously have a reputation of handing out creepy artifacts…but I’m more concerned by the possibility he got it from The Magnus Institute itself. And unfortunately…I think that might be the case. You see, this mirror and Rosa’s following experiences have to be tied to the eye horror, because what else it going to be? This horror has always stuck out to me because of how little it seems to show up compared to other ones…but maybe that’s by design. This thing is an observer, a spectator by nature, so it naturally doesn’t get involved all that much, unless someone directly triggers it to, or it’s being…carried around by someone like Gerard. And I think that nature is why it connects to The Magnus Institute, why it likely makes its home there, because the institute is the means through which we are told these stories. Most of the people who are working there don’t directly connect back to the statements themselves (at least as far as we know and with the exception of Not!Sasha), so they are therefore also just outsiders who observe the story, collecting knowledge but not really trying to get too involved. So if we have this spectator being that usually doesn’t get involved unless someone walks directly into its domain…well, where else would Christopher have gotten that mirror? It lines up pretty nicely with Crusader as well, since Walter Heller was haunted by what was seemingly the same being after stumbling into an older archive. So yeah…while the mirror itself doesn’t scare me much, the circumstances behind it definitely do. Following Rosa’s encounter with the mirror, she ends up dealing with extreme paranoia and loses her job, eventually bringing her to giving her statement, in hopes of learning more about what’s happening to her, and her brother’s involvement, ending the story. Now while this episode definitely provides some intrigue here and there, especially regarding the eye horror…it is still pretty short and simple. Not a bad thing at all, I still thought it was very solid and chilling, but outside of connections to the eyes, which are clearly VERY important…it doesn’t seem as grandiose as the halfway point of Season 1. However, I still think it works for one reason, that being how Rosa parallels, and potentially foreshadows Jon.

Throughout this episode, there was just…a lot of really weird similarities between Jon and Rosa that really scared me, maybe even more than anything confirmed in the statement itself. The most obvious similarity between them is their sheer amounts of paranoia, which is at the very least partially stemmed from the fact that they are both being watched, likely by the exact same thing. …This unknown observer genuinely terrifies me with how mysterious they are. They both have gotten increasingly paranoid, doing whatever they can to get answers on the things that haunt them, start mistrusting people or things in their job that were once familiar to them (which makes Elias stating they don’t want to fire him VERY upsetting), and it’s gotten to the point where both of them have caused some level of harm to others. These parallels might not mean much, outside of the obvious connections it provides between Jon and the thing that watched Rosa 24/7, but I think it’s what makes this ultimately work really well as a mid-season finale. We’ve witnessed Jon get progressively more and more unhinged as the season goes on, going as far as to stalk his coworkers, suspect them of murder, and break into Gertrude’s flat, and these parallels, combined with the supplemental which I’ll get to later, really do drive home how far the listener has come, and it feels like a nice way to end the first half. But…there is one thing about these parallels that worries me more than anything else. You see, Rosa apparently murdered a delivery van driver named Danilo Costich, who was seemingly delivering stationary to the institute, threw out the stationary, and replaced it with petrol before stealing the truck. Not only is this very reminiscent of Gertrude’s actions in Crusader (which kind of creates a parallel triangle between Rosa, her and Jon)but it’s clearly meant to tell us that Rosa had plans of blowing up The Magnus Institute, likely due to the fact she felt more watched in the institute than anywhere else, and figured her observer was in there. This is already worrying enough on its own…but when you consider how her story seems to parallel Jon….it makes me really worried that he’ll end up doing something very very stupid sooner rather than later, something that may hurt his colleagues. And there’s one last thing that bothered me. Despite how similar Rosa’s situation was to his…Jon didn’t bother to even draw any attention to that, even though his voice was a little bit shakier than usual. This has been a weird pattern of his recently, one very evident in cases like him neglecting to mention the table in Hill Top Road. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t feel like it’s unintentional, I think it’s a case where Jon, while not exactly in denial like he was in Season 1, is just trying not to draw attention to the things that affect him directly, in order to keep what little sanity he has left. …All in all I’m very scared for him. So…yeah. That’s The Observer Effect. This is a very intriguing episode, it’s short and sweet, but it’s brought me back to some ideas I’ve neglected in the past, and is absolutely one of the most thematically rich episodes for me so far. It’s really making me think about this anonymous watcher…how it feels like everyone in the institute is its puppet. Well, hopefully the second half of the season will give some big answers, but I’ll just have to wait and see in the meantime.

Look…I know it’s a unfortunate situation. I know it’s a result of Jon falling so deep into paranoia and insanity that he’s hurting both himself and the people around him. I know that it really hurts to see that he’s fallen this far, and that his relationships with people who may have once been his friends have fallen apart this much, to the point where he can’t trust them and they can’t trust him. I understand it’s a terrible result of trauma and that we hate to see everyone write off his paranoia as folly when there is at least one eldritch monster among them. But…if I’m being honest…thank GOD they finally gave him an intervention. Like HOLY SHIT this was long overdue. So yeah, as much as this supplemental did kind of hurt to listen to…it’s probably for the best that it happened in the first place. But on top of that, it comes with some pretty interesting revelations that’ll likely change the course of the season from here on out. Starting off, I’m absolutely insane about how Jon recorded the intervention that was regarding him recording things. That is…so uniquely him. I’m also insane about how despite everything that’s happened…Martin was still decently nice to him. Just…can someone please give him all of the riches in the world? Admittedly, this intervention does really show how damaged Jon’s relationships with everyone else have become, but Martin’s behavior here at least gives me hope that they’ll be able to get on amicable terms in the future. (maybe even…kiss…) I also really enjoyed the part where Jon mentioned monsters being out there, and cuts himself off before suggesting any of them might be one…oh god that hurts considering Not!Sasha but it’s so good. Oh yeah, and Not!Sasha continues to be a dirty little liar in the worst ways possible. Don’t get me wrong, I think she’s kind of a vibe, but…”we care about you Jon” and “let’s have no more of this paranoia” made me want to punch her so badly you have no idea. …I kind of hate the fact that I’m getting used to her being around. All in all it’s just a really unfortunate but extremely well written scene. Even though we don’t get to see much of the archival assistants and Elias in Season 1 overall, you can really tell how much things have worsened after Jane showed up, and…it hurts. I hope that Jon will be able to repair his relationships with everyone, but logically speaking I really don’t know if that’s going to happen anytime soon. …There is one last thing, however, that I find very intriguing. That is obviously how Elias gave Jon the CCTV footage of the week Gertrude died. This…seemingly proves that Gertrude was not murdered by anyone in the archives, and Jon starts suspecting that she was murdered by whatever is in the tunnels. Now, I could honestly see this as a red herring. After all, I’ve suspected Elias ever since the cause of death was revealed, and he was the guy who gave Jon the footage, so for all we know he could be obscuring things…but I’m honestly not all that sure. The being in the tunnels is a…complete mystery as of now, like I genuinely have no idea who or what it might be, nor do I know who’s apparently sneaking in when Jon isn’t looking. (My best guess is Not!Sasha but part of me thinks it could be Tim since he was the first person to find them.) In all honesty, I’m now open to multiple interpretations. I don’t feel like I can be fully on board with this theory of Jon’s until we learn more about the tunnels, but I am definitely a lot more open to the idea of the killer being someone outside the institute now. I also found it interesting how Gertrude was described as constantly going in and out, looking frantic. After he broke into her flat, I’ve come to the conclusion that Jon and Gertrude were more similar than he would like to admit, so I definitely think she was dealing with her own paranoia sometime before death, and this nearly confirms it for me. It’s also interesting how there aren’t any cameras in the archives…despite that being the room where all of Gertrude’s blood was found…hm…also when is Jon going to find her laptop?

Overall…this feels like a pretty substantial change. It doesn’t reveal much new information…but it feels like it’s sort of changed the direction of the story. I suspect that in the second half of the season, we’ll get more information on the tunnels, Jon will turn away from suspecting his employees…a bit, (which is concerning given the existence of Not!Sasha but…I digress…) and he’ll probably start digging in other directions to find Gertrude’s killer. I think we’ll get more insight into the members of the archival team going forward, and hopefully, there’ll be some big answers around the time of the finale. But, only time will tell. In conclusion, I thought this was a very satisfying mid-season finale. It’s different from what I was expecting, but I think it serves as a nice way to segue from one half to another, and it definitely pushes the story in new directions. But…I’m more concerned for Jon than ever holy shit…

Supplemental: I just recently had a thought regarding Not!Sasha and the table. For a long time, I’ve assumed that the table, and by extension the spiders, are like her captor, and while I do still think that makes the most sense…I did think of a potential alternative. You see, I’ve compared her to the anatomy students quite a bit, and the anatomy students have a lot of apple symbolism…which might be relevant given the presence of the apple in Hill Top Road. I still think she has more connections to The Anglerfish than anything else, and that the table is her enemy…but it’s interesting food for thought regardless.

OH MY GOD I’M FINALLY FINISHED. Wow…that was…excruciatingly long. Like, it was fun, I’m very proud of the work I’ve put in but LORD ALMIGHTY. So yeah…I’ve somehow reached the halfway point of The Magnus Archives Season 2! It’s…genuinely kind of insane to me that not only have I made it this far…but that I’m in the mental state I am because of it. Like, I knew this was going to be my new big thing as soon as I listened to Do Not Open, but…WOW. This has absolutely taken over my life and brain, and…it’s just…HOW DID I GET FROM A CREEPY GUY ASKING FOR A CIGARETTE TO…ALL OF THIS?! AND WHY AM I TALKING THIS MUCH ABOUT IT?! Overall…I am simultaneously anticipating and dreading what comes next. This season has already been significantly more packed with insane shit than all of Season 1, so I am NOT PREPARED for whatever comes out of it in this next half. Anyways, thank you so much for making it to the end, you have no idea how much it means to me, and I hope you’ll be around for the next post, where I’ll be covering episodes 61-70! Bye! :)

Supplemental Supplemental: Ok there is actually one last thing that popped into my head just now. I’ve taken some time to dwell on it since Still Life, and I’ve come to the conclusion that if The Anglerfish isn’t directly worshipped by The Other Circus, then it’s probably just a smaller branch of whatever it does worship. I think I just needed to stop being set on the idea of The Anglerfish being one of the big bads, because as mysterious and inscrutable as it is, it is entirely possible that it’s a lesser monster more on the level of…vampires or something. So, here is my current list of ✨the horrors✨, updated for Season 2B, now with some potential servants listed as well!

- The Flesh Hive (6, 22, 26, 32, 39, 40, 45, 55)

Servants Include: Jane Prentiss, John Amherst

- The Vast (4, 21, 46, 51, 57?)

Servants Include: Mike Crew, The Fairchilds

- The Piper (7, 42?)

Servants Include: Maybe Alfred Grifter?

- Asag (8, 12, 19, 20, 37, 43, 59)

Servants Include: Diego Molina, Arthur Nolan, Agnes

- The Spiders (8, 16, 19, 20, 38, 59)

Servants Include: Raymond Fielding

- The Darkness (9, 25, 52, 57?)

Servants Include: The Divine Host…In General…

- The Observer (12, 20, 23, 53, 60)

Servants Include: Gerard Keay, Potentially all of The Keays, The Alexandrian Archivist, Potentially the entire Archival Team?

- Isolation Thing (13, 33, 57)

Servants Include: The Lukas Family…In General…

- Meat and Bones (14, 17, 18, 30, 49, 58)

Servants Include: Angela, Jared Hopworth, Tom Haan, Eustace Wick

- Compression (15, 41, 50)

Servants Include: George Gilbert Scott, The Governor, Maybe Laura Popham, Maybe whatever is in the tunnels

- The Anglerfish (or something close to it) (1, 24, 28, 44, 54)

Servants Include: The Other Circus, Breekon & Hope, Sarah Baldwin, Daniel Rawlings

- Micheal (8, 26, 47)

Servants Include: …Himself? idk (:/)

- The Master of The Reapers (29)

Servants Include: The Reapers…duh…

And then there’s probably something else I’m missing. Or maybe not idk. Ok, goodbye for real now! :)

#tma #the magnus archives #jonathan sims #not!sasha #basira hussain #gertrude robinson #walter heller #martin blackwood #jordan kennedy #tim stoker #elias bouchard #simon fairchild #robert montauk #the anglerfish #jane prentiss #trevor herbert #carter chilcott #raymond fielding #mag 51 #mag 52 #mag 53 #mag 54 #mag 55 #mag 56 #mag 57 #mag 58 #mag 59 #mag 60

[abbatoirablaze]

Surrogate Luna, Chapter 24

Word Count:  2.1k

Warnings:  implied fantasy smut.

“Hey…are you okay?”

Cinna nodded, smiling up at her friend, “yes-I just-it’s amazing to see how all of you have accepted me and my pups into your pack…”

“We may act like barbarians, but we are a very accepting group,” Nat smiled sweetly, “and anyways, you’re our luna.  Our pack has waited what feels like forever for you.  I don’t know if you noticed or not, but Bucky isn’t willing to compromise about things that he’s passionate on…and one of those topics is his mates.  He’s had offers for years to settle down with someone and for us to have a luna, but he wanted to have faith that he’d be okay…that he’d find the right one eventually.”

Cinna bit her lip, “I noticed.”

Yelena nudged her, “you’ve made our alpha very happy…I’ve never seen him like this.”

“N-not even with Steve?”

“It was…different with Steve…” Nat admitted softly, “not bad different, but they were young pups.  And Steve’s father wasn’t accepting of the pairing…and neither was his pack.  But we all get along well with the Stark pack.  He’s been kind to our alpha, and vice versa.  We are glad that he chose you!  He must really love you.”  

“Can I ask something, Nat?” she asked, “will-will you be honest with me?”

“Natasha is always too honest,” Yelena laughed as she continued on with their stroll, “don’t test that theory.”

“Do either of you think that it’s odd?” you asked, “we-we haven’t heard anything from Steve and Sharon…but they seemed pretty intent on war when we were at the Stark pack summit.”

“I think that if it was meant to be then it would be,” Natasha replied thoughtfully, “Sharon is a bully…but not truly powerful.  I think she’s only kept Steve around because she feeds off his power with her mark…but I don’t think that she’d truly last in a war.  Our pack would crush hers.  And I think that deep down, she knows that.  She’s an idiot, but not wholly suicidal.”

Cinna nodded, taking in the information as they started to come up to the training grounds, “you know, if you are interested in learning how to fight or protect yourself, we could always teach you…and believe it or not, Clint is a sigma.”

“A sigma?” she asked, her brows popping up in surprise, “I didn’t-he doesn-“

“Doesn’t come across as one?” Natasha smiled.  Cinna nodded, “we know.  Alpha Barnes…Bucky-he has a program for sigmas and omegas…anyone that really wants to better themselves at ignoring alpha commands during battles…Clint was a test subject of sorts.  He found out that if a designation is put in the right conditions, they can actually ignore alpha commands…”

“H-how does he do that?”

“It takes years of training!” Clint admitted, practically appearing out of nowhere, “we’ve been working on it since we were pups, because I had been taken as a POW in a war with another pack.”

“Clint was actually from a pack in the Midwest,” Yelena admitted, “our pack rescued him when he was what…eight?  Ten?”

“Six,” Clint corrected, “my pack was wiped out…Bucky’s father was the one who rescued me…me, Bucky and Natasha all came up together…”

“And then we got stuck with Yelena when my parents wanted another pup!” Natasha teased as she grabbed her little sister and pulled her close.

Yelena playfully snapped at her sister, and the two siblings smiled, pushing away from one another, “so, luna…what’s on the agenda for today?  We’re having a pack feast tonight, so-“

“Another one?”

“Alpha Barnes believes in celebrating life,” Yelena smiled, “our pack dynamics are a little…different than most.”

“I’ve noticed!” Cinna smiled, “but I love it here, and so do my pups…so I’m not complaining!”

“TO OUR LUNA!”

The drinks were thrown up in the air, chalices and glassware clinking wildly as the roar from the pack put butterflies in Cinna’s stomach.  She looked at Bucky and couldn’t help but swoon as she saw Saradia snuggling into his chest.

It was far past the three-year old’s bed time, but she’d wanted to be part of the festivities, much like Peter and Stevie, who were both animatedly talking with the other pups next to their own head table. 

Bucky reached out with his free hand and Cinna took it, longing to touch Bucky at any chance that she could. 

“Looks like you may have a new shadow, alpha!” Cinna teased, gesturing to her daughter who was basking in the fact that Bucky was holding her, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen my fiery little sigma so attached to anyone…”

Bucky smiled at his mate, “I want a whole pack of pups, omega…I’ve always wanted that…and I think that Saradia sees that and feels safe with me.”

The three-year-old, who was trying so hard to stay awake nodded, shifting so that she could look at her mother. 

“Hello little one…”

“Our pack, momma…”

“Yes baby…this is our pack…”

“Daddy pack.”

Even knowing how close Bucky and her had become over the past few days, Cinna was still surprised to hear the words uttered from her lips. 

“Yes baby…” she smiled softly, her other hand reaching out to stroke her pup’s cheek.  She looked up at Bucky, “maybe I should put the kids to bed…it’s late.”

“Whatever you want, omega!”

“No, momma!” she begged, shifting out of Bucky’s arms and towards her mother, “wanna stay up…like Peter…”

“Peter and Stevie need to sleep too baby!” she cooed. 

“Uh uh!” she giggled, shifting out of the alpha’s arms entirely before running over to Peter and clinging to his side while she watched him interact with the pups from Bucky’s pack. 

“I-it’s nice…you know!” she admitted after a second, “seeing my pups together…having all of them here.”

Bucky reached out and was gentle in how he pulled his mate’s chair closer, before shifting her onto his lap.  He pressed a few soft kisses to her neck before she turned to look at him.

“I’m happy that you’re happy, luna…”

“I’m home!” she sighed softly, nuzzling against him, “home and with my pups…and my mate…how could I not be happy?”

“Luna?”

Cinna looked up, broken from her thoughts of her first night there, “I’m sorry, what?”

“We were asking if you wanted us to get the pups down for a nap before the festivities?” one of the caretakers asked. 

Natasha giggled from beside her, nudging her, “you thinking about your alpha over there?”

“Wh-what?”

Yelena rolled her eyes and left the group.  Cinna’s own eyes followed her, and that was when she noticed what had pushed her into a trance like state.  Bucky had been play-fighting with Saradia, Peter, and Stevie, showing them how to use the stick swords, laughing as he talked about the old, civilized way of fighting with a sword and shield. 

And the kids seemed like they were having the times of their lives, each of their little faces lighting up as they poked the big alpha with the fake swords while he attempted to outmaneuver them. 

But she had noticed the sweat that had formed on his tan, developed abdomen.  The droplets and how they had paraded between the ridges and valley of his deep cut abs. 

Her pupils dilated as she watched his form. 

‘Take the kids in!’ she whimpered softly, not bothering to spare the entourage a look.  They were quick in removing the giggling children.  She noticed the surprise on Bucky’s features, and how he was about to ask where they were taking the pups, until he saw his omega’s face. 

Until he smelled the scent of her arousal filling the air around him.  He smiled, stalking towards her, ‘omega…’

The simple call of her designation was enough to set her soul on fire. 

She growled at him, and he growled in response.  His chest heaved as he breathed in deeply to catch her scent, ‘smell so sweet, omega.’

‘Need you, alpha!’ she purred, feeling the butterflies moving from in her stomach to a tingling between her thighs.

‘Can smell you!’ he exclaimed, sweeping her into his arms.  She moaned, and her eyes closed as he pulled her into a searing kiss.  

‘Bucky!’

He growled yet again, and cupped her ass, squeezing the fleshy globes, ‘gonna put a pup in you, omega…’

‘Put a whole litter in me!’ she begged.

‘Never gonna stop!’ he growled between kisses as he slid his hand down her thigh and pressed her against the wall.  She moaned, feeling his hardened length only sheltered by his denim, ‘gonna keep you full, luna.  Gonna build up our pack with so many pups…’

“MOMMY!”

Cinna was shaken from her thoughts when she felt a set of hands wrap around her leg.  She smiled, seeing that Stevie had run up to her and was hugging her. 

Peter and Saradia were close behind, attacking her thighs with just as much energy as the alpha pup. 

“I made it first!” Stevie proclaimed happily.

“That you did, my little alpha!”

“Well, I got here second!” Peter grinned.

“Also true, my sweet little omega.”

“I made too!” Saradia frowned. 

She leaned forward and picked up her youngest, perching on her hip.  She kissed her cheek, “and my fearless little sigma…how could I forget you?”

She giggled as Bucky joined the group, fake sword perched on his shoulder, “I lost all my little soldiers…”

“Momma!” Saradia smiled, as though it were the most obvious thing.

“That’s right, little sigma,” Bucky grinned, pinching her cheek, “We always protect our omegas…especially our mothers and pups.  You three were right to come protect your mother…because I’m going to eat her next!”

The pups giggled as Bucky dropped his sword and scooped his omega into his arms, before peppering her face in kisses.

“No, daddy!” Saradia said quickly, trying to push Bucky’s face away, “you don’t eat momma.  She’s luna.”

“That’s right!” he proclaimed, pressing a kiss to Saradia’s cheek, “your mother is our pack’s luna…do you know what that makes you?”

“Princess?”

The boys laughed from between Bucky and Cinna, shaking their heads at their baby sister, but Bucky nodded as he plucked Saradia from Cinna’s grasp, “that’s right, Saradia.  You’re a princess.  You’re daddy’s little princess and princess over the whole pack!”

Her eyes seemed to light up as Peter looked at Cinna, “princesses don’t exist, do they, mommy?”

“Of course not!” Stevie laughed. 

“In Europe, they don’t go by pack leaders,” she reminded them, “they do call them princesses and princes…if we ever went, Bucky would be a king, and I would be queen of the Barnes pack…just as you two would be princes and Saradia would be a princess.”

“I’m a prince!” Peter smiled. 

“That you are,” she grinned, “come little pups…I came to get you because Natasha and Yelena reminded me about the feast tonight!”

Stevie’s eyes lit up, “another one?”

“Yes, another one…come on…I need to get the three of you bathed and napped beforehand.”

“But I’m not tired, momma!” Saradia whined.

“But if you nap, you can stay up with me and mommy…and Peter and Stevie,” Bucky reminded her gently, helping out in his own little way, “you can stay for the whole party.”

She seemed to think about it for a second before nodding, and reaching back out to Cinna, who was mouthing a quick ‘thank you’ to him. 

Bucky watched as Cinna got the kids all lined up and headed towards the packhouse.  He felt his inner wolf howling at how she walked away from him, hips swaying.  He breathed a deep sigh and paused. 

His brows furrowed as he noticed the sweeter scent. 

“You okay, alpha?” Sarah asked as she rejoined him after putting the swords away. 

Bucky nodded, “I just-my luna…she smells sweeter.  Have you noticed?”

Sarah shook her head, “sorry, Buck…wasn’t sniffing your mate…who knows…only time I’ve ever known her to smell sweeter though was when she’s about to go into a heat, or when she was pregnant…”

“Yeah…”

“I mean, you two did have that romp at Tony’s summit,” she laughed, nudging the alpha, “who knows indeed.  Maybe the Barnes pack is about to see their first heir through their alpha and luna.”

She laughed for a second, but stopped when Bucky’s eyes snapped to hers, and the realization hit him. 

“She’s been here four months, Sarah…” Bucky said quickly, eyes going wide, “I-she hasn’t had a heat since the night we sent each other into a breakthrough one…”

“Well shit,” she smiled, slapping the alpha on the shoulder, “looks like the Barnes pack might see it’s first heir after all…congratulations, Alpha…”

“Holy shit…” he murmured to himself, “i-it’s really happening…”

“So,” she smirked, “when are you going to tell Cinna?”

Chapter 25

Tag List:  @lohnes16, @prokey16, @tenaciousperfectionunknown, @teambarnes72, @mrsevans90

#surrogate luna #a/b/o fic #marvel #marvel au #the avengers #bucky barnes #a/b/o #bucky fanfic #bucky barnes smut #james bucky buchanan barnes #james bucky barnes #bucky #the winter soldier #white wolf #natasha romanov #natasha romanoff #yelena belova #clint barton #hawkeye #black widow

[silkjade]

hii!! just coming over from reading your genshin men as wedding dates pt 1&2 and OHMYGOD THAT WAS AMAZING😍i haven’t been this hooked on a fanfic in years🤩🤩🤩🤩please keep writing more amazing things like these🥰

oh and if you’re taking requests - genshin men (as many or as few as you want, i leave the character limit upto you) + pov: you like to leave little sticky note messages on the fridge for bae when he wakes up bc you need to leave super early for work, but one day you forget and….

💜much love to you and def hit the follow button so i can see more of your work!! if you have a tagslist please include me!💜

Aw thank you so much! I don’t have a taglist atm but I’ll be sure to add you if I ever make one in the future! And ty for sending in a request, this is such a cute, wholesome prompt 🫶

genshin men when you forget to leave a daily message

Featuring— diluc, childe, zhongli

gn!reader, modern au, established relationships

DILUC

as a big ceo, your boyfriend diluc travels a lot. it’s just unfortunate that the one morning he gets to sleep in, you had to go into work extra early

he might not always be home for your sticky note messages, but he sure loves reading them when he is. so needless to say he’s a little disappointed since your fun little messages always leave a small smile on his face

so he decides to do the same for you as a little surprise when you get home

except he leaves little notes everywhere

just to name a few…. on the tray where you leave your keys: ‘welcome home! i’ve missed you’ ; on your vanity mirror: ‘you are so beautiful’ ; on the refrigerator: ‘let’s go out for dinner tonight?’

his messages aren’t as fun or witty as yours but it’s the thought that counts and wait… on the shoe rack: ‘you’ve been running through my mind all day’

ok fine he asked kaeya for help on that last one; he swore it’d make you laugh (it did!)

CHILDE

he loves loves loves the little messages you write to him each morning; they're like his little daily motivators from you! and since you always stick it on the fridge, he just ends up taking it with him for the day as a good luck charm

so…he’s got a theory now because the one day you forget to leave a note for him…boom. worst day ever

nothing is going right. his luck could not get any worse today. like did scaramouche seriously just quit? and now he has to finish both their work by the end of the day? ugh that’s just as frustrating as the embarrassingly huge coffee stain on his shirt

at least in this case, causation does equal correlation

he’s super pouty and whiny and clingy when he gets home. basically tackles you, hugging you from behind while he’s soaking wet because of course it started randomly raining on his way home

“you’re my good luck charm y/n” and then proceeds to explain to you all of ajax’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

now you owe him lots of kisses and cuddles and two sticky note messages tomorrow (his terms)

ZHONGLI

he’s emotionally mature, he totally understands

but what he DOES worry about is whether in your rush to get to work, did you eat breakfast? did you forget anything? did you bring lunch?

luckily for you his only consultation appointment today isn’t until the afternoon so he is definitely preparing you lunch. and when he’s got the time…boy can this man cook (it’s canon hoyoverse told me themselves)

he knows your schedule like the back of his hand. the front desk calls right before your break to let you know someone’s here for you and surprise it’s zhongli dropping off homemade lunch

give him a big kiss on the cheek and he’ll be all ☺️

you open the pack and on top of your lunchbox is a sticky note: ‘Hope you’re egg-cited for lunch today, I made your favorite. See you at home, darling : )’

#— 𝓼𝓲𝓰𝓷𝓮𝓭 𝓙. ༯ #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #diluc x reader #childe x reader #zhongli x reader #genshin x reader #genshin impact x you #genshin hcs #genshin impact headcanons #genshin impact imagines #genshin impact scenarios #genshin impact fanfiction #genshin fanfic #genshin fluff

[vivalas-vega]

real friends / jake ‘hangman’ seresin x reader / part two

hiiiii -- I’m back with these two new pals. I’m really loving their dynamic :) please let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist for this!

real friends / jake ‘hangman’ serein x reader / part two

read part one 

word count: 2.3k

warnings: language, jake being a shameless flirt, thats about it

taglist: @potato-girl99981 @olliepig 

“I wouldn’t go for that shot if I were you,” you taunted, sipping your beer as you watched Hangman line up his shot at the pool table. Hunched over with his arms flexed he flitted his eyes up to yours, taking the shot anyways without breaking contact. Your eyes trailed away, watching the trajectory of the ball as it slid into the pocket.

“If you want to distract me, Gopher, you’re going to have to try a lot harder than that.”

“Gopher?”

“You know, gopher snakes… look dangerous but are all talk no bite,” he smirked, watching as you surveyed the table, looking for your best option. You rolled your eyes and focused on the game, clearing all of your remaining shots and smirking at him as you lined yourself up. Out of the corner of your eye you saw him lean against the table, muscles tensing as he braced himself against the wood, watching you with a heavy gaze and you pretended not to notice as you sank the eight ball. 

“What a pity…” you tutted, “I’ll take a spicy margarita, thank you.” You waved him off to the bar with his tail between his legs after his second loss of the night. 

“You two seem awfully chummy tonight,” Rooster said, approaching you with an unreadable expression.

“Is that so?” you hummed.

“Expected some raised voices at some point, maybe even some peanuts thrown in his direction.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” you shrugged.

“I take it your conversation with him the other night went well?” he prodded.

“And what would you know about that, Roo?” you asked, raising an eyebrow at him. You knew it was only partly Hangman’s idea to show up at your house just a few nights prior.

“Hmm? Oh nothing,” he sipped his beer.

“If you must know, yes it did go well. He was actually quite genuine, we’ve decided to try and be real friends.”

“Does this mean no more screaming matches in the hangar?”

“I can’t make such lofty promises,” you replied, taking your drink from the pilot in question with a smile.

“Had Penny make it extra spicy, just how you like it.” You took a sip and smiled again, wondering when he had picked up how you liked your drinks made.

“Wanna go again or have you had enough shame for the evening?” you asked with a slight smirk.

“You’ve tired me out, darlin’,” he slid into the booth of a nearby table and you followed, Rooster deciding to occupy himself over at the dartboard. 

“Two rounds is all you’ve got in you? No wonder I see so many angry glances thrown your way in here,” you teased and he kicked your foot underneath the table.

“Watch it, Cobra.” His tone was serious but his eyes were all mischief and you chuckled as you took another drink.

“No, that’s good to know, affirms my theory that your God complex is a mere overcompensation.” You held his eyes and smirked as they grew darker.

“It’s almost as if you’re challenging me to prove you wrong.” 

“I’d do no such thing, Bagman, it’s just so easy to rile you up.” Silence fell over you as you both wracked your brains for what to say next… neither one wanted to take the plunge into starting a real conversation, one not rooted in playful jabs or work related topics.

“So… how have you been?” he finally asked and you snorted.

“I’ve been well, Hangman, how are you?” 

“Oh, you know…” 

“I don’t.”

“I’ve also been well.” You fought back a laugh, if this was anyone else you might have felt awkward, might have gone for any excuse to scramble away but instead you just found it amusing. 

“This is delightful conversation, I feel really stimulated right now.” 

“Well, what would you like to talk about?” he shot back.

“Pick a topic,” you challenged.

“What’s your favorite color?” You let out a full laugh now, taking a large swig and finishing off your drink.

“Alright, this is painful and I need a change of scenery.” You stood, and made your way towards the door, smiling at the hurt expression on his face. “Well, are you coming?” He moved quickly, following you out the door as you began walking onto the beach and towards the water. “This is my favorite time of day out here,” you mused, taking in the way the sky was painted in hues of orange and pink, darkening by the minute.

“Mine too,” he watched as you plopped down into the sand, your eyes gazing outwards with a hint of admiration. He carefully sat beside you, trying not to position himself too close.

“I grew up in a one-horse town, sometimes it’s still so crazy to me that this is the view from my local bar now.” 

“Where at?” he asked.

“A little blip on the map about two hours from Austin.”

“You’re a Texas girl? How did I not know this about you?” He looked towards you now.

“Never had the chance,” you shrugged, “you quite enjoy dominating the conversation about our shared home state.” He looked back towards the ocean.

“Yeah, I do that, don’t I?” 

“It’s kind of nice though… when you get really into it that little accent slips back in and it reminds me of home.” 

“Did you stay home for college?”

You shook your head, “straight to the Naval Academy, I always knew I wanted to be a pilot and didn’t want to waste four years to get started. What about you, did you always know?”

“I think so, but I meandered a little bit… family business was a big deal and studied at UTD for a few years before throwing it all to the wind and joining the academy.”

“How’d your folks take it?” you asked, leaning back on your elbows.

“Disappointed at first, but in the end they weren’t surprised. They always knew it was a matter of time before I flew the coop.”

You nodded, “sometimes my mom still tries to convince me I can do literally anything else, like moving back home and settling down. I think I’ve shaved a few years off her life with how much she worries.”

“Same,” he chuckled, “before each deployment mine begs me to just come home.” 

“I’ve stopped telling mine when I deploy, she sends herself into a tizzy each time. We now communicate just as often as I would when I’m gone and my dad says it���s better for her that way.”

“Do you ever miss them?”

“Sometimes… It's rough being the outlier of the family. My sister married her high school sweetheart and is a dutiful stay-at-home mom to their three kids. My brother owns the local hardware store and has a brood of his own. The small town life works for them, makes them happy but it makes my skin crawl to think about, I love them but it’s easier being so far away. They just don’t quite get what I do or why I would ever want this life.” You’d both moved to lay down now, elbows brushing as you watched the stars begin to appear in the inky sky.

“I get it, my sisters call me crazy every time we talk. They can’t fathom why I’d ever want to risk my life to fly around in scary looking death traps every day… meanwhile I can’t fathom a life doing anything else.”

“It really does choose you, doesn’t it? The rest of the world thinks we’re insane, while we find it insane to be doing anything else. I’ll never forget my first award banquet, my mom cried for hours afterwards,” you chuckled, thinking back to the memory.

“Why is that?”

“We were standing with an admiral who’d had maybe one too many whiskeys and he let some details of the mission slip, they were meant to be high praise but it terrified her.” 

He laughed, “well, to be fair, her daughter is one of the scariest people in the Navy.”

“She doesn’t need to know that,” you hummed.

“If you weren’t a pilot, what would you be?” He asked, tilting his head slightly to look at you as your fingers absentmindedly drew patterns in the sand by your side.

“When I was in high school, just before I applied for the Navy I briefly considered enlisting in the Army and trying to be a combat medic,” you replied.

“So, something just as dangerous and stress-inducing?” he joked.

“Yeah,” you chuckled, “I guess I thrive best in high tension environments.” 

“Well, it suits you. If I had to pick someone to be in a dogfight with it’d be you, no contest.”

“Why is that?” you asked, turning to meet his gaze.

“You’re fast, faster than Maverick… not just in the way you fly but in the way you think. I know you earned your callsign based on the actual snake, but I like to believe it’s actually because you follow Cobra Kai rules in the sky.”

“I know it’s my moniker but I’m really offended you associate my name with that dojo.” 

“With your general disposition you would one hundred percent be a part of Cobra Kai.” 

“I’m only tough on people who deserve it, unlike Johnny Lawrence.”

“So I deserve your bullying?” he asked, feigning hurt. 

“You’re lucky all I do is bully you, strutting around with that ego of yours it’s like you’re just begging for me to knock you down a peg.” you teased, and he shoved your shoulder playfully.

“I could say the same about you, Cobra Kai.”

“This is my least favorite nickname for my nickname,” you sighed, but unable to fight off a smile.

“It’s better than the ones you give me,” he retorted.

“Okay, if you read into it, Ken Doll is actually a compliment.”

“Except you only use it to essentially call me an airhead,” he protested and you laughed.

“Well…” He shoved you again and you let out a loud laugh.

“Hurtful and untrue.” 

“It’s a little true,” you giggled, fighting back. “It’s not your fault the universe went a little heavy on the looks and a little light on the brains when making you.” 

“So what you’re saying right now is you think I’m attractive?”

“Instant regret. The second it left my mouth I knew it was a mistake,” you said, pulling away from him and rolling onto your back. 

“You can admit it, I see those little looks over your shades when we play dogfight football,” you looked over to see him wiggling his eyebrows at you and you rolled your eyes.

“No more than you ogle at me.”

“Difference is I have no problem admitting I find you utterly irresistible, if you can look past your generally sour mood,” his eyes trailed your form and you were suddenly acutely aware of the way your sundress was fluttering in the breeze, maybe exposing a little more of your thighs than you’d originally intended, your hand coming down to smooth over the fabric. 

“Are you flirting with me right now?” you asked, narrowing your eyes at him.

“Am I flirting with you?” 

“That is what I asked, is it not?” Somewhere between the talks of your families and the playful banter you two had moved closer, your faces not as far apart as they once were and you tried to keep your breathing even as his eyes flicked between yours and your lips.

“I just found the question a little amusing.”

“Why is that, Seresin?” you asked, voice coming out in a whisper. 

“Of course I am, I think I’d be an idiot not to.”

“And you don’t think this is a little bold of you considering the fact that we’re barely even friends?”

“I think it was a little bold of you to bring me down onto the beach to watch the sunset and stargaze while talking about family and Karate Kid… seems a little romantic to me.”

“Well, I apologize that I gave you the wrong impression.” you said, holding eye contact and he wasn’t deterred in the slightest. 

“That’s alright, darlin’, I’m patient.” He sat up suddenly, and you followed him without a second thought. He extended his hand to you and pulled you off the sand, and you found it a little hard to swallow with how close you two were, his hand still in yours, chests brushing. 

“You’ll be waiting quite a long time then, cowboy, because it’s never going to happen.” You walked side by side, making your way up to the beach and to the parking lot where he accompanied you to your car, opening the door but keeping an arm in front of it to prevent you from getting in.

“I think you’ll find as we continue to build this friendship that I’m quite irresistible myself,” he said with a smirk.

“There’s the Hangman I know and loathe,” you said, pushing past him and moving to get into your car. 

“Text me when you get home, yeah?” he asked, voice softening as he watched you sink into the seat. When you nodded he closed the car door, giving you a little wave before you drove off and you tried to shake off the warm feeling in your chest. As you navigated the familiar roads, slipping into autopilot, you convinced yourself there wasn’t any weight to the words he’d said, it was just Hangman being Hangman, finding it impossible to not flirt with anyone that had a pulse. This thought comforted you all the way until you fell into bed, not sending him anything more than an emoji of a house and a thumbs up, allowing sleep to tug at the corners of your mind and deciding you’d pay his flirtations no mind. Just as you almost drifted off into a cozy slumber, you jolted awake as the image of Hangman beneath the moonlight, gazing into your eyes clouded your mind.

“Fucking Seresin,” you groaned. 

previous part / next part

#Jake hangman seresin #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake seresin #jake seresin x you #jake seresin x y/n #jake seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin x you #hangman #hangman x reader #Hangman x Y/N #hangman x you #top gun maverick #top gun fanfiction

[hannahssimblr]

Chapter Two

I think my back is getting burned. We’ve been lying out on the beach a while now, and it’s starting to feel too hot for me. With my cheek resting on my scratchy beach towel I ask Kelly to put some more suncream on me, and she squirts a cold blob of it onto the small of my back. I shudder. She tells me that she doesn’t mind getting burned, and that in a few days it will turn into a lovely golden tan so it’s worth it. Kelly’s got sallower skin than I have, so I don’t listen to her advice. I know I will burn. 

Kelly tans so easily every summer. Every September when she comes back to school she’s always this beautiful golden colour, and with her dark hair and eyes she doesn’t even look Irish. She says that she thinks she’s related to the sailors from the Spanish Armada that were shipwrecked along the western coast in the 1580s. It’s a romantic notion I suppose, but the older I get the more people I meet who say exactly the same thing to explain their dark colouring. I’ve come to believe that it’s bullshit, not everybody with brown hair can be Iberian. 

Claire and I wade into the sea later on, and the water is so clear and still that I can see the sand and tiny shells at the bottom. Little ribbons of seaweed slither past me as I slowly submerge my body. It’s so cold, but I quickly dunk my head in and get the worst part over with. I feel so much better then, the sweat and heat and sand have dissolved from my body. There’s nowhere I love to be more than in the sea. I wait all year until the summer rolls back around and I can swim for the first time, just to be peacefully submerged in it again, belonging to it.  

I float on my back and look up at the clear blue sky. It’s like like stretched silk above me, seagulls circling serenely beneath it. With my ears dipping below the surface and I let the gentle waves caress my cheeks, hearing nothing but my own slow heartbeat and the gurgle of the water all around me. The ties of gravity fade to nothing, I’m just floating, gliding along on the surface with no fear of falling. I lift one foot up towards the sky above me, and the cheery coral of my nails looks pretty against the expanse of pale blue, and so I lie back and enjoy the colours until I can’t blissfully ignore the pallor of my leg any longer. I’m so white it’s startling. I wonder who my ancestors are. Pale, skinny, mousy. Definitely nothing to the Spanish Armada. 

Claire’s talking nearby and I assume it’s to me, so I right myself and lift my head out of the water, but I see straight away that she isn’t. A young man has emerged from nowhere and he’s trying to speak to her. I assume she needs rescuing and I swim towards them. 

“Oh and this is my friend Evie.” she tells him as I erupt out of the water next to them combatively. 

The man barely glances at me and says an impersonal hello. Up close I can see he’s less the slime monster that I assumed, and actually quite good looking. He’s got dark cropped hair and deeply tanned skin. He reaches up to push his wet fringe from his forehead, and I notice how muscular his arms and shoulders are. Hmph,  I think protectively let’s see what he has to say. I don’t move. I stand next to my friend with arms crossed over my chest, fully aware that I look like a drowned rat with my hair matted to my scalp and in comparison she looks like an angel fallen from heaven.

“And Evie, this is Flavio.” Claire smiles at him, and I wave hello awkwardly. “Actually you can call me Evelyn.” I say to him, but I doubt he even hears me. I have a theory that men have selective blindness and deafness when they’re around women they find unattractive, and Flavio is case and point. He continues his conversation with my friend as though I never arrived. 

“We are staying by the beach.” He says to her, gesturing towards the string of holiday homes on the south end of the strand. His accent is thick Italian. “So if you would like, you can come tonight to my house to spend some time.” I’m staring at him unblinking as he says this. How old is he? I swear I can see crows’ feet around his eyes. 

“Well, I’ll have to ask my friends first.” She tells him. “But I think it could be fun.”

“I think we’re busy.” I say but Claire shrugs me off. “We’ll say it to Kelly and see what she thinks.” I stare at her incredulously. I am not going to hang out with a crowd of strange men tonight! The mere suggestion is outrageous to me. This is how girls end up on Unsolved Murders. 

“If you come” Flavio says “I would be very happy. We will have some music, some drinks, I make a very delicious pasta…”

“I’d say you do.” She says and then he gives her the address of his house. I am beyond words as we wade out of the water after saying our goodbyes to him.

“Claire! What was all that about?”

“I think he seems really nice.” She says innocently. “He’s only visiting for a week, he has a few friends with him, and if they’re all as fine as he is then… no harm going along for a few hours is all I’m saying.”

“Yeah, how old are they though?”

“Ah, Evie, does it matter? We’re all adults, we can do what we like.” It’s not true. Kelly is the only one that’s eighteen. Granted, Claire’s birthday is coming up in August but I’ll be seventeen until next March. I know there’s no point in arguing. I’m aware that I already seem like I’m trying to ruin the fun, like I’m on a mission to make our holiday as boring as possible. I throw my hands up in defeat. “Well, it’s up to Kelly then. I can’t fight the two of you on it, but just so you know, I won’t be happy if I end up getting dragged to that dinner party tonight.”

Prev // Next

#sims #sims 4 #ts4 #simlit #sims 4 story #sims story #writing #fiction #romance #sims 4 storytelling #sims storytelling #sims4 storytelling #lucky girl part 1