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sawyerconfort · 6 months

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dancing with the devil | verna x reader

I'm back!!!

this one is just a spooky season special, as I've been away for all these days and haven't done one yet, I thought it would be cool to do it now!

this oneshot comes a lot from my obsession with Mike Flanagan's work, which even led me to watch The Fall of the House of Usher recently.

and, of course, it also comes from my obsession with Carla Gugino.

so, I hope you like it!

late requests coming out soon, so stay tuned!

enjoy!

requests open, but please be patient with me.

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PROMPT: It's New Year's Eve, and you find yourself in a bar, completely alone, with no one to give you the good luck's kiss. But a mysterious new barista catches your eye, and she could be your salvation, if only she didn't hide so many secrets.

***

You weren't one to complain, but it had been a pretty horrible year.

People generally await the New Year with a lot of ambition, full of resolutions, glamorous plans and self-centered achievements. But you do not.

You just wanted the next one to be better.

As if the miserable conditions you were experiencing at Fortunato were not enough, not being paid enough for the effort you made, sitting at the reception desk at the behest of the great Rufus Griswold - who did nothing except try to harass you in every way -, in a routine exhausting where you could never sleep properly, you still had your parents, and the terrible relationship you had with them.

So, when you sat at that bar, at the lonely counter, all you thought about was stuffing yourself until you pass out, hoping for a counting miracle. Some people were getting along well when you arrived, and others were giving you side-eye, but with the thought that you were less attractive to them, you decided that the counter would be the best option.

Suddenly, those eyes that looked yellow from afar fell on you, and the figure that carried them turned around, with a subtle smile.

"I see someone needs a drink, hm?"

You looked at her, and shrugged, before answering. "Just today. I can't drink, I still have work tomorrow."

She continued to smile, and you had the slight impression that her eyes had returned to their normal color. Clear, deep and very eye-catching. But it could just be the impression, because you were too exhausted to make sense.

"Ah, I understand. Just a minute, I'll prepare something relaxing for you, miss…"

"(Y\N)."

She nodded, turning away and concentrating on preparing whatever the drink was. Like I said before, you were too tired to care about what drink you were going to drink. If you could just get to New Year with something in your throat, that would be a good idea.

After minutes that felt like seconds of waiting, the barista turned to you, two shiny glass cups in her hands. She was still smiling subtly as she slid your glass and turned hers in her other hand.

She served you with the same smile, and then looked at you. "It's funny, I can see there's something wrong with you... Something that's stopping you from celebrating tonight."

You looked back at her, frowning, and sighing afterwards.

"It's true, it was... It wasn't a very good year", you commented, feeling terrible for venting to a stranger. "But the year ahead will be better, I know that."

"And why is that? Why was it so bad?"

"My boss, my work... everything makes me exhausted... and not having anyone to talk to is really bad at these moments...", You took a sip. "Um, that's great, is it Merlot?"

"It's Merlot, but it's not one of the best...", the barista said, tapping her glass still. "I've seen and experienced better, around the world."

"Have you been around the world?", you asked, unable to resist your curiosity. She smiled and nodded. "Where did you go? On that expedition?"

"I've been there too, but not just on this occasion", she said, and suddenly stopped, as if she were saying too much. "You know, it's interesting, being on the other side. Sometimes it's tiring, it breaks my heart, but... It's good, there are things there that are worth the effort."

You were more intrigued. She didn't look like the type of person who would travel around the world, wearing black clothes and a gothic look, as if she wanted to hide on purpose. Generally, these trips are made for people who want to be seen, above all else in the world.

"What are you talking about, exactly?"

"Have you ever had a dream... a desire... a deep, hidden desire that no one has ever fulfilled, and that you yourself didn't imagine you could achieve?", she looked at you with the same curiosity as you. "I'm like... A dream maker. I go on these trips just for that..."

You frowned, still not understanding, but took another sip to hide it, nodding.

"Are you the personification of the genie in the lamp?"

She laughed. "Ah, I would like to, but no. It would be a lot of ego on my part, but I would say that I'm better than him", she laughed. "Verna is my name, but the name never makes that much of a difference to me."

“Different name, never heard it before,” you said, drinking again. "Are you from here?"

"I'm from nowhere. I'm everywhere, at all times... it's strange, I know, but it makes sense to me."

You nodded, finding it strange. And then, he found it even stranger when she helped herself to the Merlot on the counter and drank some. She smiled at you, still tapping the glass.

"But what about you, (Y/N)? Do you have any desires that you thought would be unrealizable, unattainable? Please be honest with me."

You opened your mouth, and then thought a little. "No. I think I'm happy this way. Except for a few little things that I would change here and there..."

She softened her gaze and took a sip, her clear eyes suddenly yellowed again and wide, fixed on you. "What kind?"

“Like, my boss giving me the justice I deserve, and stop hitting on me,” you laughed, drinking the last sip and pouring yourself again. "Not much."

"Your boss is too terrible for you, (Y/N)," Verna replied, smiling. "Don't ask me how I know this, but I do. One day someone will show him what's really good, don't worry."

You frowned. "You seem so sure, are you some kind of psychic?"

She laughed. "No. I would like to be, but no. I... I see people's possibilities. And that's it. I help them based on the possibilities."

She stared at you again, and looked away at the TV, where the ball was falling on the screen in Times Square.

"Oh, it looks like it's almost time," she whispered, laughing. "Your year is going to be great, (Y/N), I'll make sure of that."

“You…” you started, but she shushed you, smiling.

"You just have to make a deal with me."

"What kind of deal?"

Verna thought for a while, and then smiled. "Wow, you seem so sure..."

She was mocking you, of course, you realized right away, and with a muffled laugh, you glanced back at the TV, hearing people echoing a countdown. The ball finally reached its destination, and you turned around, seeing Verna's yellow eyes glued to yours again. She suddenly leaned over and stole a peck from you, taking a little too long to pull away.

“Was that your deal?”, you whispered, smiling mischievously. Verna took a moment to open her eyes and then tilted her head, as if agreeing.

She thought for a while and then finally said, her voice low, slowly close to your ear, as if she wanted to seduce or bewitch you. She had one of the softest voices you'd ever heard, and apparently she knew how to use it.

"Actually, it was a plan to find out if you were trustworthy, if you were innocent enough to accept my deal…", she whispered. "And because I know, deep down, that what you wanted most was to be kissed on New Year's Eve, my sweet client."

You trailed off, looking at her, getting lost in the soft expression on her pale face. Suddenly, an impulsive idea occurred to you, and you leaned in again, kissing her, this time with more intensity. When you touched her hair, behind the back of her head, you had the impression that it melted at the touch, as if Verna were just an illusion, as if she were the literal cosmic dust from which human beings possibly emerged.

However, the kiss didn't last long. She pushed you away with her feather-light hands, and to the naked eye, it looked like it was just a breeze of wind stopping you both. She touched your face, running her fingers lightly across your cheek as she whispered:

"We can't do that right now, (Y\N). I'm afraid you're not sober enough, and it wouldn't be wise for me to take advantage of this."

You looked at it for a moment and realized it made sense. But she had kissed you first, so it was clearly just an excuse, as always happened. You started to wonder if your kiss was that bad.

"But, Verna…"

"Please, darling. I'm trying to be reasonable. Like I said, I work with possibilities, and the possibility of us working out is less than zero. Don't get me wrong, it's just in case…", she hesitated. "Condemning pure-souled humans to my cruel and inevitable fate wouldn't be extremely political of me."

You sighed, and gave her the space she needed, even though you couldn't take your eyes off her. Verna was the same, and you could feel that, despite what it seemed like, that moment you shared wasn't just fun, much less just a New Year's kiss.

Verna poured you the rest of the Merlot and, with the same soft expression, touched your face again. This time, her voice was clear, and in a moment of vulnerability, she made it more than explicit that she wasn't lying when she said:

"But we'll still meet, (Y\N)," she whispered, her fingers again like soft feathers touching his skin. "Our deal may not have been sealed, but you've proven enough innocence and courage to convince me that you're capable of this. You'll have a great new job, I promise, and your boss will never bother you again."

She nodded, and you allowed yourself to nod too, so confused that you definitely didn't know what to believe anymore. There was a little devil on your shoulder urging you to try again, and there was another devil, right in front of you, who would be harder to convince than you expected.

"And of course, you will have my full protection," Verna whispered, smiling. "I'm not going to promise you eternal life, because that would be impossible even for someone like me. But I promise, and I need you to believe me on this one, I promise that I will move mountains so no one will hurt you again."

You smiled, and drank the last sip. Suddenly, another impulse. This time, a question, instead of an action.

"What are you? An angel? A genie without a lamp? A tempting devil who seeks souls and deals?"

Verna smiled, and simply looked away at her glass again, magically empty. "I already told you. I'm nothing, I don't have a life. I'm just what your mind wants me to be."

You were confused, but suddenly, a memory hit you hard. When you looked at Verna, it was as if she already knew.

"I really need to go. My mom will be furious if I get home late, even on New Year's..."

She nodded. "Please don't take any chances. This part, I won't be able to protect you."

You laughed, stood up and slid out the only dollar bill you had. Verna looked at the ballot, he turned it around and handed it back to you, denying it.

"No need. The bill is already paid."

"What?"

"Please don't insist. I insist."

You looked at her, shrugged, and frowned, suddenly realizing that maybe it was for the best. She kept watching you, until you left, and as soon as you turned outside, on the street, you noticed who had just walked through a solid wall.

The bar was gone.

And she was gone too.

Even more confused - and blaming the drink -, you put your hands in your pockets to protect yourself, and walked back home, into the daylight. As soon as you crossed the street, however, another very curious thing caught your attention.

There was a raven, standing still, resting on a post. It was just any raven, but it was a raven, and it looked down at you. Suddenly, you had the impression that he had winked at you.

"What nonsense. Ravens don't blink," you whispered to yourself, looking at the raven again. He remained there, standing still, as if he hadn't even noticed you. Deciding to ignore that crazy night, you turned around.

As you disappeared down the street, you whispered to yourself once again.

"Ravens don't blink."

Oh, but if you only knew that they do more than blink... If you only knew...

#lgbt #romance #oneshot #imagine #fluff #angst #the fall of the house of usher #tfothou x reader #carla gugino #carla gugino x reader #verna x reader #I love verna I would make deals with her for sure #this year's spooky season is finally out!#yes I'm back who cheered #requests coming soon

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ratwavegamehouse · 8 months

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One of the games in my month-long Hidden Gems Sale (also known as the the I'm unemployed pity party) is Fear the Taste of Blood. It's an asymmetric game using playing cards and dice to tell a story inspired by classic movie monsters: towering aristocratic vampires, frightful werewolves, constructed creatures and invisible fiends.

Throughout play you’ll record the attacks of the monster, how the survivors try to fight back and deal with the horror they are facing.

By default the game plays 3; one player acting as The Survivors, one player acting as The Monster and one player acting as the Night they're going through. It accommodates plenty of different sizes though.

It's based on the rules of Beyond the Rift via Anyone Can Wear the Mask.

There are rules for creating your own setting, monster and survivors but the game also comes with three pre-written scenarios. I sourced the art from old public domain horror magazines and comics.

Werecat by Night is werebeast story at an ice skating competition, with the human form of the Werecat among the survivors.

In The Widower of Count Dracula an all queer cast, including Jonathan and Mina Harker's grown up child, faces down the late Dracula's lover in post war London.

Man-Made Phantom is a mashup of the Invisible Man and haunted house stories, as well The Old Dark House.

I played both Werecat by Night and Man-Made Phantom at GenCon (with an expanded cast of 5/6 players including me) and had a lot of fun both times. Our Werecat by Night ended with the figure skating judge burning the Werecat to death with a flower and then a troubled skater choosing to take the blame for the attacks.

Here's a video from Philippa Mort talking about the game some more and recommending it for dark and spooky nights.

youtube

So yeah you can get 20% off as part of the sale or bundle all the Hidden Gems together for $40. I'll try and do some posts about the rest that's on offer this month.

#ttrpg design #indie ttrpg #ttrpg #sale #for spooky season theres something special Fear the Taste of Blood wise coming up #i wonder if this is a game thats a hidden gem because of its specific aim or because I released it too soon after transgender Deathmatch Le #also its really funny to just look at your own back catalog and declare some things hidden gems #everyone should do it #Youtube

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goldenpinof · 6 months

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the sims video on the weekend?

#if dil is coming back next #before spooky week #im not sure they will want to do sims Halloween edition that soon #dnpgames

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cerise-on-top · 2 months

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Heyyy so out of Valeria, Laswell and Farrah, who do you think is the most to freak out over a bug, just kill it or take it outside? Silly ask but yk, thank ya!

Hey there! That is a pretty silly ask! I hope I was able to do it justice!

Valeria, Farah and Laswell Reacting to a Bug

Valeria: She definitely just kills the bug. She doesn’t have the time for something as stupid as some bug and doesn’t really care much for it either. If it was up to her, then all bugs would be dead whenever she comes near them. They’re small pests, doesn’t matter if they’re good for the environment or not. She’ll kill a wasp as much as she’ll kill a ladybug, she doesn’t see any difference in bugs. They’re all stupid, worthless and annoying and are better off dead.

Farah: She takes the bug outside. Farah can appreciate animals. While she may not be the biggest fan of bugs, she doesn’t hate them either. They’re such small creatures in such a big, hateful world. No, she won’t kill them. Although she won’t feel bad for squashing bugs either if she does so by accident. However, they’re usually deserving of life, as long as they aren’t being nuisances. But even then she’ll show them mercy and be nice to them. Besides, some of them look cool. Laswell: I wouldn’t say she freaks out per se, but she does get uneasy around some bugs. She’s been around the world, she’s likely been stung by some wasps or bees and knows that they can be little shits if they feel threatened. Or if they just feel like it. Laswell will flinch a bit whenever a wasp comes near her, but, as I’ve said, she doesn’t really freak out too much. If she can kill the bug, that’s fine, but if it flies outside she won’t complain either. She’s probably killed a stink bug before and figured out the hard way why they’re called stink bugs.

#cod #valeria garza #farah karim #kate laswell #I personally hate most bugs. got stung by a wasp once and I want each and every single one of them dead since #I'm actually really afraid of bugs that fly that aren't butterflies or ladybugs. those don't do anything and are pretty to look at #plus here we say that ladybugs bring good luck. another reason why they're awesome #but I do also like moths. moths are so pretty #one of my OCs is a moth demon and I adore her. she's my favorite among the bunch #but other than that any and all bugs should stay away from me. I don't ljke them they're spooky scary #unfortunately bug season is coming back soon enough 😔 It's gonna be hell on earth again with all the wasps #but bumblebees are pretty cute! right now the bumblequeens are coming out of their burrows to find new ones #bumblebees are adorable. I love it when their little butts stick out of flowers full of pollen #I always called that a bumblebutt. god they're so so cute.#so yeah #not all bugs are bad but most of them are. there are only few exceptions. but exceptions validate the rule as we say in German

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miscellaneoussmp · 7 months

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I should go back to being a fluff writer. Anyways, here's how Tina wasn't always a demon (cw/tw: general horror elements):

For all intents and purposes, Tina has a pretty good life. She lives and works in a small village, and it's pretty nice. She helps farm carrots by day and reads about magic by night. The only thing she would change if she could would be her reoccurring nightmares. She's had them for years. Maybe shes had them her whole life. It's not every night she wakes up in a cold sweat after being shown a vision of her possible death or a version of herself she wouldn't recognize in a mirror. When she asks th rest of the villagers, they also seem to have reoccurring nightmares. The nightmares started around the time Tina came to the village. She had been traveling around before settling in this village. Maybe it's just something to do with the water or food? Surely it wasn't Tina causing this. She didn't have any capability for magic outside of potions. She just liked learning about magic.

The nightmares were bearable, Tina's been dealing with them her whole life. Every night, she woke up, sat bolt upright drenched in cold sweat. What wasn't bearable was the carrots she pulled from the ground that rotted before her eyes. The first time it happened, she screamed and threw the carrot. Nobody believed her. It was just a rotted carrot, no big deal. It was only the carrots she pulled that were rotted. Pure, unadulterated bad luck, maybe. The flowers and grass around her small cottage at the edge of the village started to die and wilt. It got worse every day.

Her nightmares started following her in the waking world. The person in the mirror wasn't her. It couldn't be. The sharpened teeth, the horns, and cat-like pupils weren't hers. The shadows at the edge of her vision seemed to taunt her. The other villagers claimed to be overcome with pain when around Tina. She wanted it to stop. She wanted it all to stop. She stopped leaving her house.

One night, after waking up from her third nightmare in a row. Tina couldn't take it anymore. She threw her head back and screamed, begging for this all to stop. That's when one of her books seemed to be thrown off her shelf. It fell open on a specific page. She isn't capable of magic, but maybe her prayer, begging, was heard. She scrambled over her bed to the floor to where the book was. Tina immediately started to read the words written as fast as her mouth could speak. As she read, her vision started to fade, and she felt like she would die from the pain alone. It felt like her very heart was being ripped out of her. If this is what it takes to make it stop, she would do it. Her vision faded completely.

Tina wakes up, and she's by a river. She isn't sure what exactly happened. She leans over to look at herself in the clear, slowly moving water. What's staring back at her is cat-like pupils, horns, and sharpened teeth.

#qsmp #qsmp drabble #qsmp fanfiction #qsmp tina #q!tina #writing horror for the spooky season #i will go back to writing fluff soon i prommy (maybe a lie)#tina being haunted by/being partially a cosmic horror is the vibe.#idkhow songs are also the general vibe

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nonuggetshere · 1 year

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@featherlouise I am VERY normal about them (is lying)

#spooky arts #selfcest #OKAY THAT'S THE LAST ONE. SORRY IM GONNA GO BACK TO BEING NORMAL NOW #I just couldn't get that pose out of my head KDBDJDN #I will make normal art soon I prommy #Hollow gets AAALLLLL the kisses they deserve

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simmysunset · 5 months

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coming soon...

#omg i'm in love with spooky #he's my bbg #also i'm so sorry i haven't been updating whoever loves her next #i'm really lacking inspiration rn #i only even have 1 part of this done even though i'm obsessed with it #hopefully my creativity will be back soon :(#sims 4 story #sims 4 storytelling #*forged by fire

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vargaslovinghours · 2 years

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Incoming, Outgoing

#💟#Digital art #Art #Nny #Scriabin #I never know if Edgar counts in situations like these lol #Edgar #*drags in another crossover kicking and screaming*#And yet more DSMP lol I am incorrigible #As soon as I saw that animatic and Will's glasses going from reflection to his eyes showing I was like ''ScrIABIN'' lol #I wasn't really thinking through the implication but I guess this would be a split where after the world resets #Nny and Scriabin make it back to their respective bodies but Edgar doesn't - Replacement Complete very suddenly #Although honestly I was thinking Edgar would still be there just buried a lot deeper than normal - something closer to Convalescence #Well it's always an imperfect fit when borrowing lines haha ♪#It's funny 'cause I've kicked around a couple different AUs to do with Edgar and Scriabin's separation but this is neither of them lol #On the art side it was shockingly fun to do Nny's word bubbles ahh ♫ Normally I find them a little tedious but that was really enjoyable #Also not me scrolling DAFonts for like 45 minutes looking for a decent spooky font since the best I had previously was GoodDog lol #I'm a fan of the splatters hehe #I also forgot how fun those hair-antennae actually are to draw??? Damn what a good time #I wish I could draw his face better to justify doodling those more often lol #Also thanks to the stream for inspiring the rat shirt haha ♪ Have fun trying to decipher the rest

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aqqleshiqqing-archive · 6 months

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hii, it's the anon that asked about red earlier. thank you so much for explaining I understand now! but also I would love to hear what inspired u to ship w/ red👀

(no pressure tho, I love reading about what drew ppl to their f/os, in a way it's like their story of how they met)

WELP OKAY HERE GOES!!! (thank you so much by the way, im always so happy to know there's people out there who enjoys my rambles!)

alright... these pictures should help get the idea first

so, almost a year ago - I actually started selfshipping with THIS red, but the twist is that he's a creepypasta equivalent for pokemon! or pokepasta I should say. keep in mind this isn't jaide :3 this is emme! she's only exclusive to the pokepasta media

this red design was taken from frid.ay nigh.t funki.n's community created mod named hypno's lullaby which basically revives the classic "scary" stories you'd hear back in the day but they turned it into a rhythm HORROR game ALSKAKKEKEKAA (if you know fri.day n.ight fun.kin then you probably know how this game could look like. it's so high quality for something that's community created.)

^^^ LOOK THERE HE IS ^^^ MY EDGELORD BABYGIRL

anyway so while I was busy crushing on this red, (he is named glitchy red here!) I kinda got curious how he actually looks like (my common knowledge for pokemon was very poor at the time) and mind you, I did not play pokemon yet. at least, I didn't get addicted yet 💀 so I went to check, saw the many iterations of red via his gallery etc etc and then... i saw sm red 😭 and I just ???????????????? hello???? that was the first time I saw him

.... and then I saw the fanart..... 💥💥 (which means. i now dig him too.) and that's how it happened 🧍i simultaneously like the spooki and normal one :3

thank you for listening ☕

#honestly very happy I get to talk about glitchy red because the day i started liking him is on october 26! itll almost be a year!!#though.... i ended up liking another iteration of red in the same medium along the way so like aksjhsjjkss 😭😭#literally falling for every red im sorry 😭😭😭😭#though im currently enjoying glitchy red in a more /p manner lately but redemme holds a special place in my heart #because it was the reason why i went back to playing pokemon ^^ like if it werent for me checking this horror mod-#appleshipping would not have happened at all #its also thanks to my friends who- despite how niche the pokepasta community is - still stayed to interact with me abt pokepasta #i was actually suuuper shy to open up about glitchy red because hes my first “horror”esque f/o #this got a little sentimental because its almost a year now but thats it! :]#thank you for allowing me to talk about him!#me and my friends are still riding high on the spooky hype because they actually got a big update for pokepasta coming soon and we're happy!#so you might see glitchy pop up again #~ mailbox #anon tag

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