#tony is about to do an exorcism

[just-jordie-things]

HELLOO CAN I PLEASE REQUEST FOR 59. Kissing So Desperately That Their Whole Body Curves Into The Other Person’s WITH GOJO SATORU PLEASE (this one is just so- )

59: Kissing So Desperately That Their Whole Body Curves Into The Other Person's ** manga spoilers for gojo's past arc** ___

you'd seen a lot of blood and gore in your line of work. you'd seen bones sticking out of bodies at angles that don't even look human, you'd seen blood coughed up by the bucket loads like vomit, you'd seen teeth get knocked straight out of people's mouths and jaws hanging slack like they'd come unhinged. that didn't even begin to cover the disgusting things you've seen when exorcizing curses themselves.

so it was safe to say you'd grown used to seeing such gore. sure, sometimes it made your skin crawl. sure, sometimes the smell of so much blood and other bodily fluids could make you gag. but there had never been anything so significant that you were frozen in fear.

seeing a blade pierce through gojo satoru's untouchable body had your limbs locking up. a trauma response, you were able to recognize, but self awareness did nothing as you watched fushiguro toji retract his blade, leaving a gaping, bloody hole in satoru's abdomen.

suguru is loud, gasping in shock.

in any movie you'd ever watched where a scene like this played out, the surrounding witnesses always screamed. they would fall to their knees, everything else would tune out around them, and they'd scream in pain and denial at watching their loved one take a deadly hit such as this one.

but now, all you could do was stare, your eyes unblinking, your feet unmoving, and the weapon in your hand trembling as your panic shuddered through your body.

satrou's staring at the open wound in his stomach when Toni's blade pierces him again, this time through his throat.

you feel something churn in your stomach, and despite not having eaten anything today, you think you might throw up. you think you might throw up until there's nothing left in you at all, until you're dry heaving on the acid of your stomach and the blood in your throat.

watching the untouchable man fall to the ground like a limp pile of bones gives you a sense of dread beyond anything you could conjure. it feels like your world is ending, watching someone you love lay lifeless in a puddle of their own blood.

you think the world could end without gojo satoru in it.

it's odd how quickly your mind wraps around the fact that he's gone. that he's been killed. he was supposed to be unkillable. but there he was, frozen, limp, dead.

you're not sure when your limbs finally do move. your vision is read, your mind is black. you can't feel the strain on your muscles as you wield your weapon with the utmost ferocity.

(later, suguru would tell you that you had him afraid you'd even strike down him, that your bloodlust had made you unrecognizable)

you're telling master tengen the news when you return to jujutsu tech, that even though the three of you had done everything right to protect riko, the plasma star vessel had been lost, and so had the honored one.

you didn't want to be the volunteer for such information, but suguru had been dealing with the aftermath of the reports for the failed mission, and you knew he was hurting just as much as you were, so it wasn't fair to put this responsibility on his shoulders, too.

but you're storming out of the chambers of the elders when tengen informs you there's nothing to worry about, that there was another plasma star vessel being retrieved the moment riko amanai drew her last breath. you're scolded for turning your back to the elders, but their threats fall on deaf ears as you slam the door behind you and march away.

you're not sure where you're going, but you know you're getting far, far away from them. going to your dorm would mean breaking down. going back to suguru would mean breaking down. and going to shoko- oh, shoko, you'd have to tell shoko the news as well-

your steps came to a halt in the dimly lit corridor, the setting sun painting the empty space in warm orange and pink. and for the first time since it happened, your eyes begin to burn.

fat tears splash off of your eyelashes and onto your cheeks, before plummeting to the linoleum beneath you. you don't make a sound, not a whimper, not a wail, not even a word, as you stand and give into the grieving tears that don't stop, and you're not sure they ever will.

more than being the honored one, satoru was a friend. he was a partner. a classmate. a force that was always present, radiating sunshine so much so that he'd warmed even your heart with his charm, no matter how much you'd tried to distance yourself from the loud mouthed sweet talker, he'd wiggled his way closer and closer until he had wormed his way all the way into your heart where you held him close.

not close enough, though, you thought bitterly as your vision blurred completely. not close enough that you could protect him.

the first sound you croak out is the smallest of gasps, followed by a small choke on your constricting throat.

it didn't matter how much you loved him, no amount could have been enough to protect him.

you don't hear the footsteps approaching, or the worried voices of your friends until they're standing before you, and forcing you to give them your attention.

"woah, hey, look at me, take a breath,"

the instructions are soft and slow, but they feel distant, like they're merely a figment of your imagination. it takes a pair of hands on your shoulders for you to snap out of it.

at first all you see is blue. dazzling, cerulean, beautiful ocean blue. you have to blink your eyes a few times for your sight to focus, for you to make out that you're not lost at sea, but your lost in the same pair of eyes you'd been lost in since your first year.

his name falls from your lips in a choked mumble, and despite seeing you so distraught, satoru grins at you brightly.

suguru wants to scold his friend for not being more delicate with your emotions, seeing as he'd died in front of you and you were clearly mourning. but you both know satoru well, and you know that there was nothing delicate about satoru.

except maybe the way he cups your face in his hands so you could feel the warmth of his skin and know he was real and he was alive.

"it's me sweetheart," he laughs heartily. a twisted part of him is delighted to see you so heartbroken over his brief touch with death. "you don't have to cry-"

but now you're sobbing, and you're throwing your arms around him and burying your face into the crook of his neck with abandon, your tears pooling at his collarbone as they stream down his skin just like your own. your hold on him is trembling, but it's tight nonetheless, and he returns the fervor of your embrace.

"you died-" you gasped, squeezing him tighter until you could feel his heart beating against yours. "he killed you i saw it- i saw you die"

"oh don't be so dramatic," satoru hums, earning an eye roll from your third friend- who was slowly backing away as he had a feeling where this reunion was heading. "i'm perfectly fine!" he pulls away from you, having to push you a little harder than he'd thought just so you would look at him.

strands of your hair stick to your wet face as you sniffle and finally take him in.

"just some marks, no biggie," he says with a grin too large for a man with stab wound scars on his throat. your lips tremble as you feel more tears overwhelm you at the sight, and satoru begins to panic.

his smile falters and his eyes are worried as he shakes his head at you, reaching for your face again to tuck your hair behind your ears, and wipe away your tears even as they fall relentlessly.

"no no no, you're supposed to stop crying, you're supposed to be happy" he shushes you quietly, but you can't help it.

"i- i am happy," you stutter, nodding our head back at him in small movements. "i just- i just thought i lost you and-" you hiccuped, and took a moment to catch your unsteady breath.

you stare at him for a long minute, your eyes beginning to run out of tears and your lips beginning to curl into a smile the longer you gazed at him.

he may have had scars, but he was standing before you. he was holding you close, he was staring right at you. he was fine. he was perfect. you're so overwhelmed by your love for him that you couldn't possibly keep it to yourself any longer.

"i love you so much," you gasp, and then in the same breath, "i'm so glad you're okay"

and before you could try to catch your breath, you're surging forward and planting your lips on his. it's a kiss that surprises the both of you, but you fall into it instantly, and completely.

satoru's arms wrap around your lower back, pulling you into him so completely that he's nearly dipping you backwards to bring himself to your height. you don't mind. you're just relieved to feel him so closely, to know he was right there, and as long as you held him and he held you, he wasn't going anywhere.

he was still the honored one, but no longer was he completely untouchable. ___

xoxo ~ jordie

#gojo satoru x reader #satoru brainrot #satoru #gojo #satoru gojo x rader #satoru x reader #jjk #jujutsu kaisen

[anonymityisfunwriter]

Two Sides of The Same Coin - Chapter 6: "It's Nice To Have A Friend"

"Something gave you the nerve to touch my hand, it's nice to have a friend..."

Pairing: Sunshine!Reader x Grumpy!Bucky Barnes

“You read her file,” Sam states, seeing the solemn, downright depressed look on Tony’s face when you two return to the compound the next day.

He left you sitting on the couch just outside the conference room while both men watch you from the other side of the glass. 

“I did,” Tony confirms, still looking at you with sadness and indignation for you.

“Don’t look at her like that,” Sam hisses under his breath.

“Like what?”

“Like you read her file. You’re gonna upset her.”

“I'm going to upset her? She upset me. Do you know how hard it is to make me sad?”

“Yes, it’s sad,” Sam concedes, turning himself and Tony away from the window before you can make out anymore of their conversation. “Yes, she went through a lot, but she’s happy now. She likes living with me. We have a lot of fun together.”

“She can’t read?” Tony asks, wincing at his many sarcastic remarks he made the day before. 

Sam sighs. “She's learning. She's picking it up pretty quickly too.”

“I made at least two sarcastic comments about her not being able to read caution labels yesterday. I feel like a jackass,” he admits.

“You are a jackass,” Sam confirms. “But we knew that before you made those comments.”

“Alright, momentary sadness over. Thanks, Wilson,” he jokes halfheartedly. “Did they really-?

“What?”

“Perform exorcisms- like actually perform them on her? That can’t really be a thing in this day and age, can it?”

Sam’s mouth pulls in, he tries not to think about it. Think about the things that happened to you. He learned your triggers very quickly, but it was not something you ever really talked about outside of therapy. “Yes,” he whispers solemnly. “Amongst other things.”

You sigh loudly, sitting alone while Sam talks to Tony. Though you couldn’t hear them, you had a pretty good idea of what they were talking about. You could tell from the way Tony was looking at you when you first walked in.

Though you're lost in though, you immediately notice Bucky walks into the living area. He's definitely pleasantly surprised to see you sitting there all alone. “Doll? What are you doing here?”

“Sam wanted to introduce me to more people,” you explain as he comes to take a seat next to you. Without even thinking about it, you shift closer to him, leaning your head against his shoulder. He lets out a sigh as you come to rest your head, so quiet that you don't even really hear the comfort in the exhale. 

“Well don’t look so excited about it,” Bucky sarcastically mutters, resting his arm on the back of the couch. 

A smile tugs at your lips. “It must be exciting, being here all the time,” you remark, subtly redirecting the conversation.

“Eh, it has its ups and downs. Not a lot of privacy- at least you and Sam only have to share with each other.”

“That’s true,” you nod. “I met Steve, by the way. And apparently he doesn’t like it when people touch his shield.”

“You didn’t,” Bucky laughs. You smile up at him, always feeling particularly proud when you can coax a hearty, loud laugh from Bucky.

“It bent so easily,” you continue. “I told you so.”

“I don’t doubt it. That’s why I told you to leave my arm alone.”

“And I did!” you laugh, already feeling more at ease with as you continue conversing with Bucky.

-

“So you two were looking pretty cozy,” Steve comments, having seen the two of you laugh and endlessly chatter as he, Tony, and Sam all discussed the logistics of getting you slowly integrated into the team.

Bucky scoffs, throwing another unsuccessful right hook. “Say what you have to say, Steve.”

“Nothing,” Steve insists, the two of them circling the boxing ring in the training room. “How long have you known her?” 

“A few months now. We’ve gone on a few missions together. Why?” Bucky grunts, dodging another one of Steve’s punches. 

“Nothing, really. Just wanted to know if she's the reason you’ve been in such a good mood the last few months.”

“I haven’t been in a good mood,” Bucky replies, leaving his side open for Steve to sneak a punch in.

It's not just today that Steve's noticed something going on with Bucky, the super soldier seemed happier, more distracted, content to focus on things other than their next mission. And now that Steve had seen Bucky interact with you, it wasn't hard to put the pieces together. Steve continues circling the ring, taunting, “Come to think about it, you’ve been oddly eager for your missions with Sam. Always coming back smiling to yourself, smelling oddly floral, I thought you were seeing someone to be honest.”

Bucky shrugs, getting especially frustrated with Steve’s particular line of questioning. “She doesn’t really get personal space. I don’t have the heart to say anything.”

Steve eyes him with a knowing look on his face, successfully swiping at Bucky's ribs again. “And I’m sure if it bothered you that much, you’d say something.”

“I never said it bothered me, but that’s why I smell like flowers all the time.”

“Interesting," Steve smirks. "How many missions was that with Sam?”

“Does it matter?” Bucky counters, grunting as Steve sneaks jabs his side again. 

“No, I could just go look myself. I’d rather hear it from you.”

“A few a week.”

“A few a week for the last few months seems like more than a few missions. Actually, you’ve been gone a lot lately, even on days you don’t have missions,” Steve smugly points out. 

“You’re reading too much into it, Steve. I’m just doing my job.”

“Such a hard job,” Steve smirks, sweeping Bucky’s leg, sending the man down onto the mat. “Hanging out with a beautiful woman every single day. Letting her hang all over you. Flirting with each other.”

“You’re insane,” Bucky rasps, taking Steve’s extended hand to stand up. "And we're just friends."

"Sure you are, 'just friends'."

"Friends," Bucky repeats more sternly, stepping out of the ring. "That's all."

“What does Sam think about all of this?” Steve asks as he unwraps his hand and Bucky takes off the glove on his metal hand, the one that kept him from inflicting unfair damage during these little training matches. 

Bucky takes a large swig of water, rolling his eyes at Steve. “Don’t know and I don’t care. Sam’s the one that put us together in the first place.”

“Very defensive for a man that doesn’t care.”

“Alright, I’m done with this conversation,” Bucky nods, standing up and walking out of the training room.

"I'm glad someone's finally making you happy!" Steve teasingly calls as Bucky walks further away from him. 

"Just friends!" Bucky calls over his shoulder. 

"Yeah, okay," Steve sarcastically scoffs to himself.

Previous Chapter⏐Next Chapter

"Two Sides Of The Same Coin" Chapter List AnonymityIsFun Masterlist

#anonymityisfunwriter #anonymityisfun #grumpy sunshine trope #grumpy x sunshine #james buchanan barnes #james bucky barnes #bucky barnes #bucky #sam wilson #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky fanfic #bucky fic #bucky barnes fluff #bucky fluff #bucky barnes angst #bucky angst #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x female reader #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x y/n #x reader #inspired by taylor swift #reader insert #marvel fanfiction #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes au #its nice to have a friend

[space-mermaid-writing]

Is this seat taken? [IronStrange]

Summary: “You know, when someone is asking you to watch their stuff, the one thing you shouldn't do is run off and abandon said stuff.“

Stephen looked at him over the edge of his book and raised a brow. He didn't even wonder how Stark knew. “Your stuff was perfectly safe.“

“Yeah, sure.“ Tony’s words dripped with sarcasm.

(Your regular coffee shop AU but they still have their powers)

Relationship: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange

Tags: Coffee Shop AU, different first meetings, they still have powers, fluff, strangers to lovers, bamf Stephen, Stephen keeps his magic a secret until the last second, a lot of banter, soft idiots falling in love

Ko-fi | Read it on AO3 | Masterlist | Word count: 6.6k

Author’s note: I started this last year, abandoned it and recently dug it out to finish it. Bon appetit.

Is this seat taken?

There was this small coffee shop in Greenwich Stephen liked. It was just right around the corner of the Sanctum and sometimes he went there to read and enjoy one of their brews.

The Sanctum was his home, but sometimes it was too quiet. Stephen was still a people person, even after all these years. He liked the buzz around him, like feeling the energy of life.

Like today.

Of course, it was rush hour and the shop was crowded. Stephen joined the queue and scanned the tables while waiting his turn. They were all occupied, but at some there was still at least an unoccupied seat.

There was a woman with a fidgety baby – no thanks. At the next table another young woman, clearly waiting for somebody. At the one in the corner sat some guy with a hoodie, base cap and sunglasses combination, working on a laptop. He looked kinda sketchy, but was probably the quietest of them all.

He ordered and waited at the side for his cup. With that in his hand, he went to Sketchy Guy. “Is this seat taken?“

He got a short glance in response, but it was enough to recognize the man. “Help yourself.“

Stephen didn’t reveal his discovery. He was here to read. And so he sat down and opened his book.

They sat in a comfortable silence until his table neighbor rolled back his shoulders and stretched his arms. “Gotta run somewhere quick. Can you keep an eye on my stuff?“

“Sure,“ Stephen hummed with the indifference one typically had toward strangers.

The other man gave him a quick, scrutinizing glance before taking off his sunglasses and placing them on the table. Then he went to the restrooms.

Stephen used the interruption to magically refill his drink. The rush hour had died down and the barista behind the counter had time to take a breath and refill the baked goods.

That actually wasn't such a bad idea, Stephen thought. His stomach could use some food. With a small flick of his fingers, he laid a protective spell over the table and then stood up to take a look at the cake of the day.

Refills were one thing but Stephen wouldn't be the reason that took the coffee shop out of business.

With a plate of apple pie he went back to his seat to continue reading.

Stark came back and put on his sunglasses again. Stephen hardly minded him. Until he heard a scoff.

“You know, when someone is asking you to watch their stuff, the one thing you shouldn't do is run off and abandon said stuff.“

The sorcerer looked at him over the edge of his book and raised a brow. He didn't even wonder how Stark knew. “Your stuff was perfectly safe.“

“Yeah, sure.“ His words dripped with sarcasm but for once Stephen didn‘t take the bait. He wasn‘t here to start an argument and – honestly – he simply didn‘t care enough about that man‘s opinion. So he kept his tongue silent, while Stark packed his belongings into a backpack and left.

At last Stephen had the table to himself.

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When Stephen entered the coffee shop two weeks later, it again was rush hour. He should really keep a tab on time, but after three exorcisms in one week he deserved a break. Unfortunately a lot of people seemed to think the same.

Scanning the crowd while waiting for his drink he weighed his options.

There was a free seat next to someone on their phone. Distracting.

Two teenagers. Nobody wanted to sit with teenagers.

And then there was… well, at least this was going to be entertaining.

Stephen took his cup to the table in the corner. “Is this seat taken?“

“Help your-…“ Brown eyes met blue ones. “…nope, absolutely not. Liars don’t get a seat at this table.” He was apparently quite petty and still didn’t take their last meeting well. Stephen didn't let it bother him and sat down anyway.

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" Stark asked. He was wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap indoors again, as if that would suddenly make him unrecognizable. The glasses weren't even fully tinted.

“I did. The thing is, I’m not a liar, Stark.”

Stark leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. If he was upset that his ridiculous attempt to remain incognito had failed, he didn't let it show. Or perhaps his annoyance at Stephen's presence simply outweighed it. "Is this some kind of practical joke? Did someone from the team set you up to annoy me?"

Stephen opened his book and flipped through until he found the right page. “You don’t have a lot of faith in your team.”

“What’s your deal then? Is this for your youtube channel? Any hidden cameras?”

“I just want to read in peace and enjoy my coffee.” Demonstratively, Stephen pointed to his book.

Stark was not very convinced. “I’m keeping my eye on you.”

“I’m flattered.”

Silence spread as the two men went about their work. But Stephen could not concentrate, he was hyper aware of his surroundings. It might have been because he was running on too much coffee and too little sleep. Or maybe the last demon he had exorcized had cursed him after all, before the sorcerer had managed to banish him back to his own dimension.

After a few minutes of reading the same paragraph over and over without really taking in what it said, he rubbed his forehead – and caught Stark's gaze, who was indeed watching him as announced.

"Okay, I'm curious," Stephen said, "if you're that paranoid, why ask a stranger to watch your stuff in the first place?"

"Statistically speaking, someone is less likely to steal if you give them the task of watching."

“So, you asked me because you didn’t want me to steal your stuff.” He huffed a laugh. “I’m not interested in your technology.”

Tony raised a brow. “You sure? I saw your phone last time. It’s the most ancient thing I’ve seen this century and you could really use an update. Not that you would have gone far with the stolen stuff.”

“I’m offended how little you think of my abilities of thievery.” Stephen wasn’t offended. He was amused. This conversation was way more interesting than his book. Yeah, he really needed a good, solid 20 hours of sleep. Maybe more.

Stark was about to retort something – Stephen's words only reinforced Stark's sour mood – when his phone made an alarming beeping noise, interrupting the two men. The engineer sighed and put on his sunglasses.

“Is it really this important, Fri?”, he asked no one specific in the room. Then, “Fine, I’m on my way.”

Stark turned his face to Stephen. “You’re lucky I gotta go. Someone is attacking the city hall using ice blasts.”

The corners of Stephen's mouth twitched up. “Do you need someone to watch your stuff while you’re gone?”

Stark was still wearing the glasses so Stephen couldn’t see the roll of his eyes, when he collected his laptop and left with a muttered, “Asshole.”

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It was 2 am when Stephen entered the coffee shop. Surprisingly he wasn’t the only patron at this ungodly hour. There were two students at a table in the back with various books and notes clattered in front of them, fueling on more caffeine than was healthy for them. With a small smile, Stephen recalled his days in medical school and later as a resident. It had been good times. Sometimes he felt that even back then he got more sleep than he did now as the Sorcerer Supreme.

The late opening hours of the coffee shop were among the reasons why he loved it. With a book and a cup of tea, he sat down at a table by the window. Despite the late hour, he wasn't tired, but there was an eerie mood in the air and he kept his third eye open – masked by a simple glamour – just in case.

The door of the coffee shop opened with a soft ring and a few minutes later a shadow fell on the sorcerer. He looked up and spotted Tony Stark, wearing his sunglasses and base cap as usual, even though it was the middle of the night.

“Three times’ the charm, I heard.” He looked tired, had dark circles under his eyes and a cup of coffee in his hand.

“Apparently,” Stephen replied.

Stark waited a moment, but Stephen didn't offer anything else. He sat down anyway, although enough other tables were unoccupied. Tonight he was not looking for privacy, but distraction.

Stephen seemed to notice that, because he pushed his book away, turning his attention to the other man instead.“How did it go the other day? The City Hall is still standing, so I guess you were successful.”

“Yeah. We got her before she turned it into a winter wonderland. She is currently under investigation with those powers.” Stark sipped his coffee. He was careful just to share information that made the news anyway, not sure how much he trusted this man in the coffee shop he seemed to meet quite regularly. He side-eyed Stephen. “So, you’re always sitting here with your books. Are you secretly the owner of this coffee shop, who likes to go undercover and talk to people? You know, like offering them life lessons.”

Stephen chuckled. “I can barely afford a beverage here every now and then. I definitely don’t have enough money to open a shop and keep it running.”

“What’s your deal then? What language is this even?” Curiously, Stark peered into his book.

“Sanskrit.”

“Gesundheit.”

“I read it for work.”

“Must be either an exciting field of work or an extremely boring one.”

“I find it quite interesting.”

There was a pause, before Tony said, “Don’t tell me all the details at once.” For the fact that this man could drive him up the wall with ease, he was quite secretive about his own person.

There was a small smirk on Stephen’s lips. “I will tell them, if you spill yours.”

Stark mirrored the smirk. “Touche.” He was sure that between the two of them he held the more delicate secrets with the Avengers and Shield, but he understood the sentiment. “Are you a librarian?” he asked anyway, because he was intrigued by this man who wasn’t intimidated by his name and face.

“No, that would be Wong,” Stephen said. “My work is more on the practical side.”

Stark had lots of follow-up questions. “What is the practical side of a librarian? Are you secretly going on adventures to retrieve long lost artifacts? What is this book even about? And what’s a Wong?”

“Excuse me, gentlemen.” They were interrupted by a barista, who stepped to their table and looked apologetic. “We would like to close.”

The men looked up in surprise. The students had disappeared and the barista had put the chairs up on every other table but theirs. They were the last patrons.

"Yes. Yes, of course." Stark got to his feet and reached for his jacket. Stephen followed him. “Sorry for making you work overtime.”

The barista politely waved it off, his voice full on customer service. “It’s fine, really. It’s just…”

“You want to go home and sleep. We get it.” Tony made sure to add an extra tip in the jar for their trouble.

No sooner than they stepped outside the door the sign on the window behind them was flipped to 'CLOSED'. The morning shift would arrive in a few hours, but until then the two men were without a place to pass the time.

Stark turned his head to Stephen. “Need a ride home?”

“I live only a few blocks away.”

“I’ll walk you. The streets can be dangerous.” And with that he started moving in the direction Stephen had pointed. The sorcerer followed him. He didn't mind Stark's company, it was nice. So was the silence in which they walked.

It might have been the late hour, but neither of them felt the need to continue their previous conversation or to start a new one.

It took them only a few minutes to reach the doors of the Sanctum.

Stark eyed the old building. "I don't know what I was expecting, but it fits with your weird books."

Instead of being offended by this, Stephen followed Stark's gaze and tried to see the Sanctum through the eyes of a stranger. To him, it was the epitome of home. He had never felt as much at ease anywhere as he did here. Even the expensive penthouse apartment he had lived in when he was a neurosurgeon didn't come close. Maybe his parents' farm when he was a little boy. But not even that anymore, since Donna left.

The building might be old, but it was reliable. It was a safe haven. And only those who needed it could see it.

He turned his head back to Stark.

“Why did you visit the coffee shop in the middle of the night?”

The inventor tilted his head, not questioning this weird change of topic. “Call it the side effects of my line of work.”

And didn’t Stephen understand that way too well? It was the same for him. He walked up the steps to the door.

“Hey,” Stark stopped him. “You never told me your name. I call you Annoying Coffee Guy in my head but, you know, a name would be nice.”

“It’s Stephen. Doctor Stephen Strange.”

Tony raised his eyebrows. He couldn’t help it, it sounded kinda made up. But whatever. “Nice to meet you, Stranger.”

Stephen rolled his eyes, but his smirk betrayed him. Behind him, the Sanctum door opened on its own. "Goodnight, Tony." He stepped into the dark interior and behind him the door closed again.

If Tony smiled on the whole way back to his car then, well, wasn’t that anybody’s business but his own.

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“So, your doctor title isn’t in some weird linguistic field but you’re an actual doctor.” Tony didn’t even pretend to look for a different table, before he sat down.

Stephen looked up, hiding the fact that he was pleased about it. “You googled me,” he said instead.

“I bet you did the same after realizing who I was.”

Stephen did a thing with his eyebrow, like Tony just said something really dumb. “I didn’t need to google you. Everybody knows who Tony Stark is.” He has the courtesy to keep his voice low enough for others not to listen in on that part. “It’s hard to ignore when your face is plastering the news every few weeks.”

“Well, what can I say? The press loves me.” Tony’s smile twisted into something more professional he used in interviews. “Don’t believe everything they say, though. That story with the Bengal tiger was definitely exaggerated.”

Now Stephen raised one of his eyebrows and Tony wondered how it was possible for a man to be this expressive with these?

“I will keep it in mind.” It was Stephen’s only comment on the matter, before he turned back to his book. It was a sign for Tony to pull his laptop out and start working.

There was a comfortable silence between them. The coffee shop around them was in full swing and Tony liked having background noises.

He was absorbed in his work until a voice interrupted his thoughts.

“Excuse me. I don’t mean to bother you. I just wanted to thank you for the help you do around here.”

Tony knew the game. Despite his – admittedly poor – disguise of 'just add a base cap', he was often approached by people. And it was fine. He always tried to make time, even if it was just for a minute. He switched to his PR smile he wore like a second skin and flashed it to the person (an older woman, apparently another patron) – and he was just about to open his mouth when he noticed that the older lady was actually talking to Doctor Strange.

Bewildered, he needed a second to close his mouth. That was a new one.

Stephen smiled politely at the women. “Of course. I’m happy to help.” He eyes wandered briefly to Tony, he had definitely noticed his misapprehension and it seemed to amuse him.

“My granddaughter was one of the kids with… bad teeth.” The lady paused for a moment as if to add something else, but then didn’t.

Tony thought it was weird, but Stephen didn’t bat an eye.

“Are the new teeth working well?”

“Yes, very.”

The doctor nodded, satisfied. “I’m glad I could help and that your granddaughter feels better. I’m making sure the tooth fairy will leave her alone in the future.”

The older lady smiled and left to get back to her own table.

Tony looked at Strange. “I didn’t know you were also a dentist.”

Stephen was not. But explaining that he had fought a tooth fairy gone rogue would be too soon in their… whatever they had going on.

So instead, he deflected.

“You first thought she was talking to you,” he stated, still amused about the fact.

“Well, naturally. No one told me, you are some local doctor hero.” He emphasized the word mockingly, but his words were genuine.

“It’s complicated,” Stephen said cautiously. “It hasn’t been the same since…” He trailed off, looking at his slightly trembling hands. After all this time it still wasn’t easy for him to talk about it.

“The accident?” Tony helped out and Stephen nodded. Of course Tony found the articles from it when he did his research. It was one of the first things that came up in google when you put in his name. Stephen wondered if that would still be the case if he hadn’t completely disappeared afterwards. Maybe if he had started working as a consultant or continued as a researcher, it would be different.

“Some scars never truly heal, I guess.” Tony’s words interrupted his trails of thought. The engineer put his fingers on his own chest, where the arc reactor had been for many years.

Their eyes met and there was a certain understanding between them. They were both middle aged men, both with their own demons and trauma.

“Do you like what you’re doing now?” Tony asked and Stephen nodded.

“I can’t imagine doing anything else.” And he meant it. “What about you? Being Iron Man can’t be easy.”

“Oh, I tried to live another life. To do something else. Didn’t work out. I come as a package deal.” Tony’s breakup with Pepper had been all over the news when it happened. They had broken up and he made her CEO. One of the best decisions of his life, even if it had been heartbreaking. But they worked better as friends. A lesson he learned the hard way.

Tony didn’t know why he added that last sentence. Or maybe he did, but he wasn’t ready to face that reason yet.

“I figured.” Stephen wanted to say more, but at that moment his phone rang. Since there were basically only two people who had his number, he glanced at the display (it didn't even have a touch screen, Tony noticed in dread. It really belonged in a museum).

"It's work," Stephen apologized and stepped away for a moment.

Tony emptied his coffee. His eyes fell back on his laptop, which still had his latest project open. He saved the progress and turned it off.

“Sorry, that was Wong,” Stephen said, coming back. “There was an incident at work. I have to go.”

“I’ll walk you.”

For a second it looked like Stephen was going to refuse, but then he nodded and they both packed up their things. It wasn't far to the Sanctum and he wouldn't lose much time walking instead of opening a portal in the next back alley.

He had told Tony that he lived and worked in the same building. So the engineer was not surprised when he took that direction. They walked most of the way in silence, each preoccupied with their own thoughts.

Only when they were almost at the Sanctum did Tony speak up again. “So, Wong, the librarian, is your co-worker.”

“And friend,” Stephen added fondly.

Tony turned his face to him. “Are you two… like a thing?”

“What? Wong? No!” The sorcerer chuckled. “That would be weird. No, I’m not seeing anyone.” He met Tony’s eyes, amused, but there was also the inevitable counter question. "What about you?"

They had arrived in front of the Sanctum and stopped. Although Wong's call had been urgent, Stephen lingered, not wanting to leave the company of the engineer yet. Standing in front of him, the difference in size between them was much more present than when sitting at the table. It was endearing to watch Tony look up to him, while he took a step closer to him.

“I’m seeing someone right now.”

“Yeah? Is he any good?” Stephen asked huskily.

“I guess there’s only one way to find out.” The air grew thick around them. They were definitely having a moment, Tony felt it – and then they were interrupted by the ringing of a bicyclist who sped past them way too close.

"Hey!" Tony jumped back, but managed to stay on his feet without stumbling. Stephen had sidestepped into the other way and looked equally surprised.

“Jeez, kids these days. You okay?” Tony asked.

“Yeah.” Stephen did a subtle gesture. The cyclist wouldn’t get far with a now flat tire. The sorcerer was not petty at all.

He looked at Stark, who shrugged his shoulders. “I guess work is waiting for you.”

“I guess.” Stephen was unwilling to have their moment ruined by a random bicyclist and he walked back up into Tony’s personal space. “I was wondering if you would like to–“

“Yes.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to say.” Stephen raised an eyebrow.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m in,” Tony replied breathlessly. His eyes darted between Stephen’s eyes and his lips. “Also, I’d really like to kiss you. Wanted for a while actually.”

The sorcerer smiled. His trembling hand came to rest on Tony’s cheek, holding him gently, before kissing him. Tony closed his eyes, leaning more into it.

Unfortunately, it had to remain a short kiss, a soft promise for the next time they would see each other. Stephen wished they had more time, but duty called. His fingers brushed over Tony’s skin when they broke away from each other.

There was just one more thing he had to do, before he left. Because Tony deserved the truth.

“I have to tell you something.”

“What is it?” Tony knitted his brows. This sentence after a first kiss usually came with nothing good. He braced himself for being told that Stephen was still in a complicated relationship, maybe even married. Or terminal ill. None of these options were appealing.

And Stephen probably could have found better words. But he was distracted by Tony, by his closeness, by the kiss, his scent, his brown doe eyes and their dark lashes. He may be the Sorcerer Supreme but he was also just a man. Which was why he blurted out, “I can do magic.”

Tony laughed, relieved, and to Stephen it was the most beautiful sound on Earth. “I’m sure you can. But wait for it for an actual date, alright, magic man?”

“I’m serious.”

“I’m looking forward to a demonstration.” Tony nipped Stephen’s lips, partly because they looked delicious and partly to shut him up.

Behind them the Sanctum’s door opened. Stephen really had to go.

“I’ll see you soon.”

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Wong was not amused that Stephen had taken his time to arrive and Stephen felt a bit guilty because it turned out to be an actual emergency.

Despite everything he was a responsible human being. And therefore he sent a text message to Tony (he had no idea how or when the engineer had managed to save his number into Stephen’s phone) before he disappeared from this dimension for some time.

S: “Hell broke loose. Won’t be in the city for a few days. Text you when I’m back.”

T: “Do your worst, magic man.”

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Stephen was gone for a week. It felt even longer in the dimension, which Mephisto had invaded and which he and Wong defended.

Time worked weird like that.

When he returned home, he fell face first on his bed and slept for 30 hours straight. Afterwards he felt recovered enough to contact Tony and invited him for a date. He was aware that he had to clear it to the engineer what his actual job was.

Tony would understand, he was sure.

Stephen needed three tries to magick a good enough outfit. The first was way too formal, the second too casual. He settled for dark pants, a grey sweater that shows off his arms in just the right way, and a red scarf that is the Cloak of Levitation in disguise. The sorcerer knew if he tried to leave the cloak at home, he would just follow him like a lost puppy anyway.

The restaurant they agreed to meet was in midtown. Tony arrived first and stood up when Stephen entered the room. The engineer rocked a classic black and white combo and looked incredibly handsome. Before today Stephen had only seen him in hoodies to blend in, but today Tony had made sure to impress his date.

They sat at a table at the window.

“Good to see that hell spat you out in one piece,” Tony joked and Stephen froze for a moment, thinking what Tony knew. But then he remembered the text message he had written to the engineer, before he left.

“You have no idea.”

They ordered and toasted when their drinks arrived.

“About what I said the other night,” Stephen started. “About magic.”

“Ah yes, I’ve never dated a magician. What party trick can you do?”

“It’s no party trick,” the sorcerer scoffed. He couldn’t blame Tony for not being serious but it bothered him anyway.

Fortunately, Tony relented. “Of course not, sorry.” He gestured for Stephen to continue.

“I think you have the wrong idea of wha-…” A big shadow approached the window they were sitting at, growing larger and larger. Stephen reacted on instinct when a car that had been flung across the road crashed into the window. Glass shattered and people screamed in shock. Green glowing lines appeared, covering the car and the shards, before someone got actually injured.

Stephen stood on his feet, the eye of Agamotto on his chest on full display and open.

Tony stared at him – as did all the other guests.

“What the fuck?!”

Stephen turned his face to him. His brows were drawn together in annoyance at the interruption and because there were clearly dark forces responsible for this, but his eyes were sorry.

"As I was saying… magic."

He moved his fingers and turned time back. The window repaired itself, the shards reassembled into a solid surface, and the car flew back. Stephen didn't return it the whole way back, but dropped it halfway in the street – like it had been picked up from midair. Until he knew who or what had thrown it, he didn't want to risk it coming hurtling right back in his direction again.

Tony, in the meantime, had also jumped to his feet. “You have a lot of explaining to do.”

“To my defense, I told you about the magic. It’s not my fault you didn’t believe me before.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault then?”

Stephen did not answer, his gaze was directed outside. Cars didn't just fly through the air. He noticed that the asphalt of the street was moving almost like something was pushing from underneath.

"I'll be back in a minute."

He took a step toward the window and the red scarf around his neck changed back into the cloak, which settled around his shoulder. At the same time his carefully put together outfit changed into his blue robes. With the second step he suddenly stood on the other side of the glass.

The cloak took him into the air so that he could get an overview of the situation. There was a crack in the asphalt that was spreading further and further, stretching along the entire road and causing chaos in the traffic.

That wasn’t good.

Tony jogged out of the restaurant, using the door, you know, like a normal human being.

“Hey! You don’t get to leave mid-argument! God, now I know how Pepper felt all those years. Are you actually wearing a cape?”

“It’s a cloak.” Stephen landed beside him. “Can this conversation wait until we figured out what’s happening here?”

“Fine,” grumbled Tony, not at all happy about giving in. “But only because this looks really bad.” He touched the house unit on his chest and the nanosuit bled over his body. He followed Stephen, who moved back into the air

“Friday says it’s all over the city, centered in Crotona Park in the north. Seems almost like something tries to break through.” Crotona Park was about eight miles away. Child’s play for his suit’s speed. “Can your magic keep up?”

Stephen smirked and opened a portal. “Can your tech?”

Oh, it was on! Tony hated the magic man. He wanted to kiss his stupid face.

He hesitated only slightly before he followed through the portal. It helped that Stephen had stepped in first and that Tony could actually see the other side. There wasn’t a black void. So he told himself it was fine. And it kinda was.

There’s even more chaos in the park. The earth was broken up, vaulted and something like lava leaked out. Some trees were on fire and there was smoke. It looked like Armageddon or the Judgment Day.

“Remember when I told you I wasn’t in town because hell broke loose?” Stephen had moved up next to him and Tony opened his face plate.

“Please don’t tell me…”

“They did the same in the twenty-third dimension. They are probably here because they are not happy I stopped them.”

Tony wondered briefly who ‘they’ were but anything related to literal hell couldn’t be nice. “Well, can you stop them again?”

“Yes, but you need to evacuate the park.”

“On it. Backup is on the way.” Friday had told him on screen that the team had already been notified, suited up and would hopefully arrive any second now.

Stephen dived right into… whatever it was he was doing. His fingers and arms moved in intricate gestures and gold glowing mandalas appeared, sealing the cracks and extinguishing the fire. The sorcerer was clearly in his element here.

Tony watched the man in awe before the readouts on his screen reminded him, he better got to work too. He set about getting the people out of the park.

Stephen did his best to prevent Mephisto from breaking into this dimension. He repaired crack after crack and fought back the attacks.

Wong appeared at his side. Alarmed by demons knocking in the city’s wards, he helped it to contain hell. He whirled around and cast his spells at every dark aura he noticed.

A smaller demon slipped out of a crater that had formed and jumped onto the armor of Tony, who had the misfortune of being closest to him. Wong created Crimson Bands of Cyttorak to catch it and hurl it back to where it had come from. Tony spun around and returned the favor by blowing away another demon that had just crawled out.

Stephen appeared from somewhere. “Tony, that’s Wong. Wong, Tony.”

Tony opened his face plate just to show his bewildered and very pretty face. "...what kind of ninja monk library do you guys operate?"

Because those robes, the acrobatic Moves of the librarian, and their glittering powers were pretty much the exact opposite of the ancient books and weird building Tony had associated with Strange. He was missing something and he didn’t like that feeling.

Any response was interrupted by the arrival of the Avengers, who were now checking in with Tony via comm. He gave them a rough summary of the situation, though he wasn't quite sure of it himself yet. But the words of the magic man had been clear and for now Tony decided to stick to them, because Strange clearly had more of an idea what was going on.

He joined the Avengers in getting the civilians off the battlefield, but let Friday keep an eye on the mages.

“How do we stop this? Nothing we do has any effects on it.” Rhodey asked his friend, as they tried to eliminate more demons with gunfire side by side. Unsuccessfully.

"They are Mephisto's creatures. Non-magical weapons are useless against them." It was Stephen who answered him and Rhodey turned to him, his brows drawn together, at this sudden and unexpected interference of this private conversation. “Excuse me, who are you?”

Tony sighed. “Rhodey bear, this is Stephen.”

���That’s Coffee Guy Stephen?” Rhodey asked skeptically. “He is the exact opposite of what you told m-…”

He was interrupted when a huge red hand erupted from the ground between them. Immediately, Stephen created a spell to hold the king of hell back. Wong rushed to his aid, but even together it was only a temporary solution.

They needed something stronger, Stephen realized.

This date was not going at all as planned. It was probably the worst date ever – without being too dramatic.

“I’m gonna end this nonsense once for all.” With these words, his cloak carried him high into the air.

Tony and Rhodey had been closest to the red hand and had been thrown back as it broke through the ground. Fortunately, their suits had caught them before they hit anything.

“What is he going to do?” Tony asked.

“Probably something extremely stupid,” Wong grunted, struggling to hold that spell on his own.

“I take it back,” Rhodey said to his best friend. “He is exactly your type.”

Stephen hovered over the battlefield. It looked bad. Not only had the ground turned into a crater field, more and more creatures from hell were slipping through the cracks.

With determined gestures he pulled powers from other dimensions, gathering them in his hands. He needed enough to shove back a force as great as Mephisto, the King of Hell, and to seal the tears between their worlds. In other words: he needed a lot.

He didn’t go for complicated spells or a finesse technique. He went for raw power and determination. His fingers drew golden light from the air that filled his body. The screams of the people decreased for him and he no longer heard the crackling of the asphalt tearing apart. His ears were filled with a white noise of static, almost like electricity.

Stephen closed his eyes and concentrated on this feeling, centering it inside him.

When he opened his eyes again, they glowed faintly, and he shot a giant beam of magic to those arms that tried to crawl onto Earth.

The red arms twitched, the clawed hands tried to grab hold, but had to retreat eventually. They moved back until they were gone.

Stephen took a breath and put his palms together. "I need your help for this, friend," he whispered to his cloak. Then he shot down to earth, gathering the last bit of energy he could muster between his hands. Only just before the center of the torn rifts did he slow down a bit, but his impact on the ground could still be heard loudly.

The sorcerer poured magic like water into it. Golden light shot along the cracks, stitching them back together until they were gone.

As the crater beneath Stephen repaired , he was thrown backward by the force of magic. His loyal cloak caught him midair, because the sorcerer had no more energy to do it himself.

He definitely overdid it. He hadn’t been to full capacity anyway after last week and now he was drained even further. But it was fine. Mephisto wouldn’t get his hands on Earth today.

The cloak descended Stephen slowly. His eyes were still faintly glowing, an after effect from summoning these immense powers. His feet touched the ground and he stumbled as his knees buckled. The cloak immediately helped him by carrying his weight.

Tony was the first to approach him, jogging up to him “Holy shit, Strange. That was… incredible. Hey? Are you alright?”

“’m sorry,” Stephen mumbles. “I should have… I didn’t mean you to find it out like this.” He wanted to reach for Tony, when he noticed the strong trembling of his hands and retreated. They were even worse than usual and wouldn’t be of any use in the next few days.

“It’s fine.” Tony hugged him anyway, his suit retreating into the house unit on his chest.

It was not the right place nor the right time for the talk they definitely had to do. The streets were back in one piece but there was still chaos:cars were turned on their roofs or even stacked in piles, people were still in panic. The sirens of various ambulances were on full blast.

The Avengers did their best to start the clean up but also glanced at the sorcerer curiously. Wong was probably on his way to capture the demons that managed to escape.

Tony’s hug was tight and Stephen inhaled the scent of shampoo, sweat and smoke. He tried to hug back, but it felt awkward with just using his arms. His hands hung useless.

“I’m fine,” he repeated. “Just need some sleep.

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They met up a few days later when Stephen was back on his feet.

The sorcerer was grateful the other man had taken care of the cleanup and the press after the fight, so he and Wong could return to the Sanctum.

That was also where they were sitting now: in one of its cozy rooms with a fireplace. Stephen had made coffee for them both and his cup hovered in the air beside him. His hands were bandaged and still hurt, though less badly than right after the fight.

“You should join the Avengers.” It was the first thing Tony said after Stephen explained his magic abilities to him.

“No.”

“No?”

“Look,” Stephen sighted, because he had dreaded this conversation. “I appreciate you asking but we – the order of the Mystic Arts – are trying to be subtle. We operate in the background.”

His hands had healed enough to use magic and with a motion of his finger he guided the cup to his mouth.

Tony raised his eyebrows. “Okay, first off: what you did there in the park was anything but subtle.”

And didn’t Stephen know that. He was glad that Wong had backed him up when the elders had voiced their dissatisfaction about the incident.

“Secondly, so you’re telling me, you’re not only secretly a wizard, but also in a cult?”

“It’s not a cult,” Stephen said automatically.

“Uh-hu. A secret society with old ass looking robes? Definitely a cult. I hope you’re at least allowed to date or I will have a word with your cult leader.”

That made Stephen perk up. After everything that had happened Tony still considered dating him? That was more than he had hoped for.

“Well, technically,” he drawled and Tony braced himself for whatever Stephen would throw next at him. He couldn’t be sure with these wizards. “… I am their leader.”

Tony cracked a smile and laughed. Because of course he was. Everything with this magic man has been fucking strange so far and Tony loved every minute of it.

#IronStrange #Tony Stark / Stephen Strange #Tony Stark x Stephen Strange #Tony Stark / Doctor Strange #Tony Stark x Doctor Strange #SpaceMermaid #spacemermaid writing #marvel #strangeiron #mcu #coffee shop au #is this seat taken

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

As I leave the land of my spotty youth and leave behind most of the 2022 midterm elections, I do so with a real nostalgia for the following provision of the U.S. Constitution:

Article IV, Section 4: The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.

This was placed into the new Constitution as a further device to exorcize the evil spirits of the Articles of Confederation, which blew goats. The passage has gone largely unexamined almost since it was adopted with the rest of the Constitution. (For example, it’s hardly mentioned in the Federalist Papers, and the Supreme Court, when it has taken up the subject at all, is incoherent on it.) But whatever “a Republican Form of Government” means, it cannot possibly mean the situation as it stands in Wisconsin.

On Tuesday, the Democratic Party got 51% of the vote statewide. This got the Democrats…30% of the seats in the state legislature. Any reasonable definition of “a Republican Form of Government” cannot possibly include this kind of result. It is completely and utterly a product of grotesque partisan gerrymandering sanctioned by the Supreme Court in its disgraceful decision Rucho v. Common Cause three years ago.

The die was cast on this atrocity last April, when the state supreme court ruled that this year’s elections would be contested on the ludicrous maps produced by the state legislature, itself the product of past gerrymanders. The U.S. Supreme Court was a critical accessory after the fact. From Wisconsin Public Radio:

"It was a reversal for Hagedorn, who joined the court's liberals in early March to choose a legislative map drawn by Gov. Tony Evers. But after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Hagedorn's ruling based on the way it applied the federal Voting Rights Act to draw Black-majority districts in Milwaukee, it sent the case back to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to consider all over again."

You will note that the carefully manufactured conservative majority on the court was not shy about meddling with maps in this instance.

"'We could construct one ourselves or with the assistance of an expert, but time and our institutional limitations make that unrealistic at this juncture,' Hagedorn wrote. 'The remaining option is to choose one of the proposed maps we received as the baseline. Only one proposal was represented as race-neutral in its construction: the maps submitted by the Legislature.'

For Democrats, the decision was likely the worst-possible outcome. For the past decade, they've felt the sting of the 2011 map, which Republicans drew when they controlled all branches of state government. Even during years when Democratic candidates have performed well statewide, Republicans have maintained large majorities in the Legislature, thanks in part to a map that political scientists have said is among the biggest partisan gerrymanders in modern U.S. history. The new map, drawn by Republicans and made law by four justices on the state Supreme Court Friday, further entrenched that advantage, giving Republicans a realistic shot at a two-thirds majority that would let them override a governor's veto. It took effect despite being vetoed by Evers last year and being initially rejected by the state Supreme Court last month."

The best chance that Wisconsin has to un-fuck itself here comes next April, when an election could bring a Democratic majority to the state supreme court, which theoretically could open the door to maps that less closely resemble a game of three-card monte. Of course, John Roberts and the gang put the kibosh on the last attempt at un-fucking last April. The roundness and completeness with which extreme conservatism has deformed the American republic is occasionally stunning.

Maps are an indispensable tool for outlining natural features, human boundaries and transportation networks. But when it comes to depicting how many people are in a given place — how populations are distributed —a traditional map has distinct drawbacks. Mapmakers have sought to offset this limitation through an innovation that's known as a cartogram.

There are two types of cartograms. Distance cartograms are often used to show stylized bus or subway routes. They depict networks without strict adherence to location or range. The other type is called an area cartogram. In these graphics, the size of each shape making up the map — like counties, states or nations — is adjusted to represent a different variable, often the number of people living there.

Cartograms can highlight the difference between places with large populations (or large amounts of whatever variable is replacing area) and places with large amounts of land and/or water, but which have small populations. In other words, a cartogram shows population density in a graphic format.

There are many different ways to develop an area cartogram. In a contiguous cartogram, the shape of a specific area is altered to account for differences in population (or another variable), but shapes retain their positions relative to one another. This approach leads to distortion of the basic shapes. Another is a non-contiguous cartogram, which means that the shapes can move and resize without remaining in position with their neighbors. Rather, the shapes keep their usual form, and are scaled in size based on population (or other variable).

Cartograms can be helpful in interpreting data when the number of people is important. For example, area cartograms are often used to display election outcomes when the variable of interest is total number of votes — not some rate or percentage. An election results cartogram is an increasingly common tool used to help highlight dynamics related to population density. In conventional maps showing election results large areas that are sparsely populated take up the most space, and thus have the most visual impact, while more densely populated areas that take up very little land area have far less visual impact despite representing many more people.

In an non-contiguous area cartogram of Wisconsin, the state's counties have been resized according to their their populations. Counties with large populations grow bigger than they would appear on a standard map, and counties with sparse populations shrink in comparison.

These two maps of Wisconsin's counties highlight a few key points about the distribution of the state's population. First, the cartogram emphasizes how overwhelmingly large Milwaukee County's population is, relative to all other counties in the state. Dane and Waukesha counties stand out as the next two largest after Milwaukee. In addition, the other counties on the southern and eastern edges of the state together represent a preponderance of Wisconsin's total population. Another takeaway is just how different an area-based map and a population-scaled map look. It's easy to think of Wisconsin's rural areas as making up a lot of the state, but in terms of population they are quite small.

A cartogram can help make sense of any topic where the important information is in the number of people, and there is wide variation in population density in a region. For example, cartograms can be useful illustrations of economic activity, immigration, school enrollment, votes, jobs or housing numbers.

#us politics #news #op eds #esquire #charles p. pierce #wiscontext #maps #data #data visualization #gerrymandering #wisconsin #2022 midterms #2022 elections #2022 #gov. tony evers #Wisconsin Public Radio #us constitution #cartograms #land doesn't vote people do #representative democracy

[casspurrjoybell-17]

HEART'S REDEMPTION - CHAPTER 25

*Warning: Adult Content* 

Sam Asato stares at the burnt wreck of the car with a strange expression shifting over his face. 

His dark red eyes narrow as he surveys the blackened ground and his gold-feathered wings shift uneasily on his back.

"There are traces of magic here," he says, his short, sharp fangs showing as he bites his bottom lip. 

"The car didn't just burn. Someone used it as the focal point for a ritual. Whatever happened here, it wasn't anything good."

"A ritual? For what?" Ian Foley asks, still studying the charred frame of the car, working up the courage to look inside and see if it contains a corpse.

"I don't know," Sam says quietly. 

"All I can tell is it was something dark. I can see the...shadow of a symbol of some kind. Any idea what this means?

He kneels and traces something in the dirt. 

It looks like an oblong oval with a horizontal line through the center.

"No," Ian says. 

"It looks familiar but no idea. We can look it up when we get back to the Lodge. How about you, Carlos? Seen that before?"

Carlos Martinez shakes his head. 

"Sorry man. Magick is, like, kind of above my pay grade, you know? Maybe I come from a family of Asesinos but I'm just a guy who works in a bar and helps out in his aunt's auto shop sometimes. And gets possessed a lot," he adds with a shrug. "If you want to know more about rituals and symbols and shit, you'd be better off asking Toni."

"She or your mom, didn't teach you about that stuff?" Ian asks, curious.

Ian: ‘My own dad had tried to teach me everything he knew when I was a kid. It had been like attending regular school and being home-schooled at the same time and I hadn't excelled at either. Now that my dad was gone, I regretted not having tried harder to learn from him back then. Whatever knowledge I'd failed to absorb whatever he'd failed to pass on now it was lost to me forever, taken to the grave.’

Carlos stares off at the horizon, hands on his hips. 

"No," he says. 

"I guess if you want to be technical, my family weren't Asesinos. They were Asesinas. Only the women got the knowledge. The men could help out the way I did with Toni's exorcisms but they were never let in on all the cool secrets and shit."

"Huh. That's like my family but the opposite," Ian says. 

"Until recently, the male side had all the power. I think it's better now that things are more equal. Maybe Toni would teach you, too, if you asked."

Carlos lifts a shoulder. 

"Maybe. The thing is, I don't know that I'm interested. I'd rather just be a normal guy."

"Speaking of normal guys," Ian says, turning to look at Sam, 

"You'd better lose those wings before the Walkers show up."

Sam nods and shuts his eyes but when he opens them, he still looks like a golden angel with horns.

"Urgh," he groans. 

"I thought I had the hang of this. Fuck me. What if I'm stuck like this now?" 

He looks down at his talon-tipped hands with a frown.

"You usually turn back after you satisfy your desires, right?" Ian says. "So...what do you want?"

Sam laughs. 

"Right now? Nothing we can do at a possible murder scene, with Carlos watching and a dead body a few feet away."

"Nothing?" Ian asks, raising my brows at him. 

"There must be something you want that doesn't require an X-rating."

Sam gives him a lop-sided, sharp-toothed grin but it slowly fades into a softer smile. 

"Fine," he says. 

"Just hold me, okay? And say that you love me again."

Despite the grim setting, Ian laughs. 

"For a demon, you sure are a softie," he says, shaking his head as he slides his arms around Sam’s back and under his wings, pulling him close. 

"Are all... uh... what did you call them? Ai..."

[invncibleiron]

@bokketo said “Rumiko reaches up to poke Tony’s nose irritably. “You’re going to dinner with me right now and on the way you’re going to explain that gigantic bruise on your face. Capice?”

Tony scrunched up his nose as she poked him. She had to reach up high on her toes to do it, which was worth it just to watch her try. Less amusing was her plan for the rest of the day. Tony bit back a groan. Ever since he’d been outed as Iron Man, he’d thought he was officially done having to hide things from her, that they were both on the same page. But as it turned out, Tony didn’t totally know how to do that. He had grown used to keeping secrets, so much so that it stopped feeling like a secret, like a lie, and started to just make sense: why bother her with the details when the details weren’t nice? Why worry her when it wouldn’t make any difference? So she knew he was Iron Man, and that was nice, really nice, not to have to lie about where he was darting off to when he had to cut their dates short. But knowing that he was Iron Man wasn’t the same as knowing all that entailed, what it really meant to be behind the armor. 

But Tony also knew better than to argue with Rumiko once she’d made up her mind about what they were doing. She was very much in charge of their social schedule, and that was just fine by him. 

“Would you believe I walked into a glass door?” he asked, opening the car door for her. “Windex is really doing it’s job. Couldn’t see the door at all. Tried to walk right through it. We should really invest in their stock.” He walked around to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel, finally sighing and telling her the truth which, frankly, was harder to believe than any bad excuse he could have come up with: “I have an old friend, well, sort of. She’s vowed an oath to kill me years ago. But anyway, she got possessed by a demon.” He backed the car out of the garage, heading for the restaurant. “That was actually after she hit me though. A lot. Well, the demon was already in her, I suppose. But it hadn’t really taken over yet, and I didn’t know it was there. So she’s trying to kill me, as is her grand life purpose--which I was handling just fine, by the way--when Doctor Annoying shows up and says we have to do an exorcism. So in the middle of this B-movie horror flick, I slapped together a zero-point energy bubble to contain her by neutralizing her energy projections and Doom whipped up a, if I’m being honest, pretty impressive force field, but she used her magical demon powers to hack into FRIDAY, ripped off my mask, and--” He pointed vaguely to the bruise covering half his face. “But it all worked out. She’s in custody now. The demon’s gone. So, how was your day?” 

#tony: you really shouldnt ask me these things #[queue] i will explain it when we get back; i will draw pictures; i will use puppets #bokketo #v: avengers assemble

[yes-i-am-happyaspie]

Sicktember story preview/teasers when?

Uh. Now is as good of a time as any, I suppose. 😂😂😂 [I'm so glad you're excited about this, anon, my friend]

The prompts used are:

Sick on Vacation

Sunburn/Frostbite

Exhaustion/Lethargy

Preview below the cut for vomiting cw

[Peter] could feel Tony’s hand on his shoulder and glanced up just long enough to see that there are a few people looking in their direction. Then the next wave hit, practically folding him in half as he heaved. During which time, the man at the front continued to talk as though nothing was happening. 

“Shut up,” Peter half-laughed, half-panted, followed by another pathetic gag.

“Oh my God,” Tony whispered in a combination of horror and awe.  “You just vomited in technicolor”

Tony waited a grand total of six seconds before reopening his mouth to ask, “Do you think you can move now? Because I feel like we should get out of here before someone notices and starts trying to perform an exorcism.”

#sicktember 2022 #happyaspie writing #preview time #peter parker #tony stark #irondad and spiderson #iron man #spider-man #mcu #marvel #tw vomiting #tw illness #sick peter parker

[pbpsbff]

3, 20, 22~

hiiiii thank u for the ask

3. What is that one scene that you’ve always wanted to write but can’t be arsed to write all of the set-up and context it would need? (consider this permission to write it and/or share it anyway)

ok so this is less a scene and more an entire fic concept but i literally cannot figure out a context to put it into and it hurts because i really like it

there’s a family living there now, from what he’s heard. a mom and a dad, and two daughters. maybe he should tell them about the money. but what would he even say? hey, there’s a twenty dollar bill somewhere in your walls. also, a part of me died here and i’m afraid his ghost might be wandering the halls. is he overstaying his welcome? i’m sorry if he is, by the way. i’d recommend you a nice priest for an exorcism, but he’ll probably just leave if you tell him to go.

peter thinks maybe he’ll slip a note under the door instead, but there’s too many words to fit on a page to describe the way his bones ache when he passes by the building, how he still wakes up in the morning expecting to smell burnt toast and hear may singing along to some garbage song from the 80’s she claims is the best thing she’s ever heard, or all the different creaks and moans of the apartment, all its quirks and flaws that he once knew like the back of his hand.

he could explain it all away; that faucet leaks because i was an overachieving nine year old who thought he could take it apart and put it back together without a problem, or that weird brown-ish stain on the ceiling is from when may accidentally flung spaghetti across the room, or why are you trying to rid this apartment of all the evidence of it being a home?

maybe i make it into something post nwh?? idk. this isn’t even all of it

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

i wish i could say that all my writing is really deep and there's clues everywhere but most foreshadowing in my fics is something i did on accident and then went holy shit i can use this. i'm a genius.

i will say though, the way tony rhodey and peter's dynamic changes throughout everything i have posted for r&r (and everything in my drafts oop) is probably my favorite thing ever like idk i'm a huge fan of the walking dead and the way relationships shift with each new experience and that is exactly what i wanted to do when i started the series

i was gonna look through a couple of my fics to see if i could find specific references but ao3 is fucking. DOWN and i'm too lazy to pull up my google docs. god bless

22. Do you reread your old works? How do you feel about them?

i reread them all the TIME omfg. a lot of the times i'm cringing at spelling or grammatical errors (and then i fix them) but idk there's something so fun about being able to go back to a fic and think wow i would've done that differently if i wrote it today. it's also fun to read through a fic i don't remember writing at ALL and being like holy shit............ banger.............. it's an ego boost i guess

#also sometimes i reread specific fics because nobody wants to write fics in this niche i've gotten myself into and i need stimulation #anyways. #thank u for the ask lets also kiss

[fullmoonreviews]

CLICK THE LINK ABOVE FOR THE FULL REVIEW

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER pretty much met all of my low expectations, not doing much in adding to the legacy of an iconic horror film from fifty years ago. The film is kind of dull for the most part, as it's not scary nor does it have tension or suspense. The exorcism portion feels like a watered down version of what we’ve seen before [in this franchise and other exorcism movies] despite having more characters involved. There are subplots that pop up in the final half that could have elevated this movie, but are rushed through without leaving much of an impact or excitement for the next installment. David Gordon Green’s direction isn’t all that different from what he did with his HALLOWEEN trilogy, even if the cinematography is quite nice. And the use of Ellen Burstyn - the less said about it, the better.

That being said, the acting is quite good - in particular Leslie Odom Jr, the two possessed girls [Lidya Jewett and Olivia Marcum] and Ann Dowd as a nurse with a past. The first half, which plays out like a true crime/missing persons type of movie, is actually quite compelling as it builds character development and sets up for what’s to come. And as I mentioned, the look of the film is nice.

Other than that, THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER isn’t the best possession movie of 2023. Hell, it’s not even the best film with the word “Exorcist” in the title this year [hey Russell Crowe]. I don’t think this is the worst film in the franchise, but at least EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC had balls. Maybe David Gordon Green or whoever could add some for THE EXORCIST: DECEIVER in 2025. The power of Christ doesn’t compel me to be excited for whatever comes next. What a shame.

#horror #horror movies #review #full moon reviews #supernatural #demons #2023 #the exorcist #the exorcist believer #david gordon green #blumhouse #universal studios #possession #leslie odom jr #ellen burstyn #ann dowd

[writteninscarlet]

✦ — [sender] and [receiver] search for ghosts (but like...scooby doo style don't @ me) ;; @overclocks

fall/autum/halloween prompts ; accepting

"If you tell me one more time that there's no such thing as ghosts, Velma, I'll be sure to find the proof," she retorted, glancing back at him and then making a face. She had ALWAYS believed in ghosts, had heard stories from her parents growing up about them. Folktales, she knew that. But she still believed. And now? Now, as a witch she'd performed exorcisms. She'd seen demons. The supernatural were in the natural world. Even if sceptics didn't want to believe as such.

But this?

"But, fine, I shall give this one to you, Anthony, this is no ghost. Probably." She glanced down at the ground, raising a hand in the direction she was looking at. "Well, how are those FOOTPRINTS for a clue? I don't think I know of any ghost that leaves those." Oh. And she so had been to take Tony for a trip to the supernatural wild side. There was always the chance one MIGHT run into a ghost. But it seemed this was potentially just someone trying to scare folk away to carry out a dastardly plot - nothing unique, and quite childish. How dull. But they could make the most of it. There had been RUMOURS of some sort of devilish creature haunting the area. It was strange and unusual, because most of their villains cared little about collateral damage - they didn't try to scare people off, they just took what they wanted. And some of the rumours did sound like actual demonic hauntings. Wanda would know. But there were so many inconsistencies. It was odd. But it was also Halloween - could it be a prank? An actual demon? A villain chasing people off? Who knew! But she had wanted to investigate, to have that little thrill and perhaps a spooky tale. Wanda Maximoff - ghost hunter! With her sidekick, Trick-or-treat Tony. Oh, you had to make your fun somewhere. And with the shop being run by Darcy, this was just the kind of thing to keep her occupied.

Or it had been, but each step made her pout just that tiny bit more on the inside. It was truly looking like this wasn't a ghost.

"You know I really feel like some of the villains we're facing have gone from a-list to b-list. If not even lower than that. Truly. Their costumes and schemes could be wacky, but merely dressing up to chase people away?" She shook her head and gave a little sigh, "It's as though people aren't even trying anymore and--"

She stopped speaking as a wailing came through the building. Well, that was new. The wailing and moaning continued, an unearthly sound that seemed filled with pain and sadness. But... was that a tinny quality to it as well? Wanda looked at Tony, curiously, and mouthed, "Speakers?" Had to be rigged up. Oh gosh, she wasn't believing in this anymore either, were they both the Velma's of this ghost hunt? At least if that were the case, they'd get to the bottom of this mystery in no time and could actually enjoy their night. ....Though it was a little fun to have traipsed around some spooky sights in order to bust a myth about some creature haunting the place.

They continued onwards, Wanda trying to sense any magical or mystical energies. Certainly someone had been here recently. And just as suddenly as the wailing started, it stopped - and a great big furry beast rushed out at them, snarling, hissing, slobbering. A shadow so black it drew in the light. Was it demonic? A ghostly spirit? Wanda started with a gasp, reaching out to take Tony's arm and then--

"A cat." Still grasping his arm, she looked at the cat now sitting before them, licking a paw. Looking pleased with itself. Oh. Wanda released her grip, straightened herself out, and looked at Tony. "Please. Never speak of what just happened."

She bent over to scratch the cat behind it's ears, the cat sitting quite nicely for her to do so. Cute thing. Now it wasn't jump-scaring them. And now that she was bent down, she could see those footprints again, in the dirt and dusk on the ground. And they led straight towards a wall. Dead end.

Hm. Ghost or not... "We have a mystery on our hands," she remarked brightly, straightening up and clasping her hands together. "Unless there's a Shadowcat about as well, not too many humans are walking through walls."

#proper old school scooby doo #is it a ghost? a baddie in some costume they shouldn't know how to make or afford? #an actual demon! #who knows! #overclocks #ᗢ ⋆˖⁺‧₊☽ once and always a witch ; ic

[ladylesboenthusiast]

Base from Pinterest

"Hill, why are you suddenly so nice? Did you kill someone?"

#maria hill #steve rogers #natasha romanoff #tony stark #bruce banner #thor #clint barton #og6 avengers #marvel #mcu #domestic avengers #fanart #blackhill #lady hill is acting strange #tony is about to do an exorcism

[hexandbalances]

Hello! I saw your post about summer solstice and was wondering if you could recommend any good Southern Gothic novels?

Oh, there are so many. I tend to prefer Southern Gothic horror subgenre (as Southern Gothic tends to include classics like The Sound and the Fury, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, etc., which are all well and good but don't quite scratch that itch). I'll include the first to come to mind, in no particular order:

Beloved by Toni Morrison - This one really is at the top of my list. There is a supernatural element but that’s not the true horror of the story. It’s truly wrenching.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - More of a whodunnit than horror. There's an HBO series based on this that I also enjoyed.

Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell and North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingrud - I adore Ballingrud's work. He's based in Ashville, NC now and is a regular at Malaprops.

The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural by Patricia C McKissack - this is actually an illustrated children's book but it was one I loved growing up.

Harrow County - a graphic novel series from Dark Horse Comics. It has a spin-off series, Tales from Harrow County, that is being released now.

Almost anything written by Shirley Jackson. I find Jackson herself fascinating, if not her work, and so I find myself favorably disposed to it.

"To-Read" items I'm looking forward to:

The Toll by Cherie Priest - southern Gothic with eldritch horror elements. Cherie Priest is very popular in Southern Gothic horror; she's also written The Family Plot and Boneshaker.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones - this takes place at least in part in North Dakota. It follows four Native American men after a traumatic incident in their childhoods. Jones has been described as "the Jordan Peele of horror literature" so my hopes are high.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia - promises to be a slow-burn, eldritch (you may be noticing a theme), Brontës styled horror in Latin America.

My Best Friend's Exorcism and The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix - these just look like silly, fun reads.

To Be Devoured by Sarah Tantlinger - this one is set in the South but may not be Southern Gothic. It sounds very macabre.

Other Media (in case you're interested). Podcasts:

Old Gods of Appalachia (podcast, anthology)

Unwell (podcast, series) - this doesn't do a lot of horror so much as the classic strained tension of Southern Gothic, but some of the scenarios and one liners the characters whip out are delightful.

Alice Isn't Dead (podcast, series) - this takes place all over America as a trucker tries to find her wife who has gone missing. It absolutely captures the feel of Southern Gothic in its tone and atmosphere of seedy truck stops, Wal-Mart parking lots, and highway diners.

Music:

Adia Victoria

Chelsea Wolfe, particularly her Birth of Violence album

Rhiannon Giddens, previously of the Carolina Chocolate Drops

Zeal & Ardor (some)

Myssouri

The Goddam Gallows

Heathen Apostles

Murder by Death

#southern gothic #southern horror #horror literature #book recommendations #southern gothic aesthetic

[fluoresensitivearchived]

Hi Yah Yah. I hope you are well. I absolutely love reading your work on your site. You've inspired me to read more horror and even given me the motivation to get back into writing. I was just wondering how do you gather inspiration and also do you have any horror literature/films recommendations for a newbie? Wishing you lots of happiness and success x

GOH, THIS IS SWEET! Congrats on continuing your writing and reading journey!

I really gather inspiration from things all around me, media and the such! It’s sort of hard to describe exactly when inspiration strikes, but it’s best to just remain observant!

Some horror literature and films that inspire me / that I would recommend to any new horror fan are,

LITERATURE

as with all literature, please check for content warnings! i can only list what i remember!

Beloved by Toni Morrison ( tw for sexual assault, it’s a tough read, but super essential imo)

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris ( tw for transmisogyny, please do all the reading about the book you can do before you get into it!)

Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin ( tw sexual assault )

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Books of Blood Vol. 1-3 by Clive Barker

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Vegetarian by Han Kang

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix

The Between by Tananarive Due

Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff

Shiver: Short Story Collection by Junji Ito

Uzumaki by Junji Ito

When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carrol

Through the Woods by Emily Carrol

Twelve Nights at Rotter House by J.W. Ocker

Perfume by Patrick Suskind

FILMS

Invisible Man (2020)

His House (2020)

Midsommar (2019)

Us (2019)

Cam (2018)

A Quiet Place (2018)

Annihilation (2018)

Hereditary (2018)

Get Out! (2017)

Blair Witch (2016)

Train to Busan (2016)

The Gallows (2015)

The Vvitch (2015)

The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014)

Goodnight, Mommy (2014)

It Follows (2014)

A Girl Walks Alone at Night (2014)

The Babadook (2014)

We Are What We Are (2013)

Stoker (2013)

Excision (2012)

V/H/S (2012)

Helter Skelter (2012)

American Mary (2012)

You’re Next (2011)

Black Swan (2010)

Jennifer’s Body (2009)

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Possession (1981)

Ganja & Hess (1973)

#🌙 #recs by yah yah #Anonymous

[pwilzfan73]

True story behind The Conjuring 3 – inside Arne Cheyenne Johnson’s “the devil made me do it” court case

The latest instalment in The Conjuring franchise once again has its roots in a real-life case.

By Patrick Cremona, Radio Times. UK.

Published: Friday, 21st May 2021 at 2:56 pm

The Conjuring 3 takes its title from a real-life court case that dates back to the 1980s. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It takes a look at the case and the Warrens’ involvement in the case that originated the phrase “the devil made me do it”.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren for the next instalment in The Conjuring horror franchise, with the new movie heading to UK cinemas on 28th May 2021.

As with the previous movies in the franchise, The Conjuring 3 is taken from a real case file with reported connections to the supernatural. Previously we’ve seen spin-off movies focused on the Annabelle doll, also inspired by the Warrens who keep it in their occult museum.

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson as Lorraine and Ed Warren. Warner Bros Pictures.

The case in question this time around is the trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, a man who was convicted of manslaughter in Connecticut in 1981 – becoming the first person to have claimed a defence of demonic possession during a murder trial.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It true story

The Conjuring 3 is inspired by the trial of 19-year-old Arne Cheyenne Johnson, who was charged with murdering his landlord Alan Bono in February 1981. During the trial, the defendant gained infamy for becoming the first person to claim a defence of demonic possession in a United States court – although perhaps unsurprisingly this version of events was not accepted by the judge.

His defence rested on testimony given by the family of his fiancée, Debbie Glatzel. Debbie’s 11-year-old brother had reportedly been the subject of demonic possession in the months prior to the murder, with his parents having grown increasingly worried by a number of unexplained and ominous events.

The story really starts in July 1980, when the 11-year-old David Glatzel was helping Johnson clean up a Connecticut rental property he was prepping to move so he could move in.

While there David claimed to have come across a “burnt and black-looking” old man who he claims pushed him into a waterbed saying he would bring them harm if they moved into the house.

When David returned home he continued to see the old man. He described him as having a white beard, wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. David claimed the man’s skin was charred as if he’d been burnt too. The young boy experienced night terrors and woke up with bruises and scratches on his body. He’d wake screaming and tell his parents he’d seen the sunken features of the old man “like an animal”, with horns, pointy hears and jagged teeth (via People). (The Conjuring 3 demon appears to have gone a different route, with early photos showing a white masked man wearing a striped red long coat.)

The family said they also had heard unexplained noises coming from their attic.

In trying to get to the bottom of the issue they had called in Ed and Lorraine Warren – who by this point were already well-known paranormal experts – to diagnose and cure their son.

Ed Warren said he heard banging and growling sounds coming from their basement, and that he also say a rocking chair move on its own. Speaking to paranormal researcher Tony Spera, Ed claimed David’s toy dinosaur also walked on its own towards the family. He also said a deep voice spoke to them saying: “Beware, you’re all going to die.”

Lorraine also claimed she saw a black mist appear next to David while her husband interviewed him. “While Ed interviewed the boy, I saw a black, misty form next to him, which told me we were dealing with something of a negative nature. Soon the child was complaining that invisible hands were choking him—and there were red marks on him. He said that he had the feeling of being hit,” she told People magazine.

David’s mother Judy had previously claimed it was a ghost, but the Warrens rejected this idea saying it was an indicator of a demon.

Lorraine also claimed she saw David being choked by invisible hands and he told her “he had the feeling he was being hit”. She told People that she could see red marks afterwards and she heard him growl and hiss. Lorraine also claimed he spoke in unrecognisable voices, that he recited passages of the Bible as well as Paradise Lost. Debbie Glatzel also claimed he spit, bit, kicked and swore at her and he flopped around “head to toe like a ragdoll”.

She also told the Chippewa Herald Telegram that “he manifested. Just a face on the wall. High cheekbones. A narrow chin. A thin nose. Big black eyes hidden in dark holes. He showed his teeth.”

Ed Warren also told The Washington Post: “Right away, I knew there was something to this. I felt like a good fisherman when he knows there’s something on the line.” He added that he thought there were 43 demons inside the boy, and David named them all.

David Glatzel’s exorcism

In the movie, Father Gordon (Steve Coulter) blesses the home. The priest’s name was changed for the movie, but a Roman Catholic priest did visit the home to bless it.

After continued efforts from the Warrens, the Glatzels, and multiple priests (including Rev Francis E.Virgulak) a formal exorcism took place, with witnesses claiming that a demon fled the child’s body.

Ed Warren claimed Arne, who was present at the exorcism, shouted: “Take me on, leave my little buddy alone!”

Apparently, David showed signs of improving, but Arne started to deteriorate. TV series A Haunting covered the case in the episode Where Demons Dwell, claiming that the demon took control of Johnson’s car forcing it into a tree. While he was uninjured, he was shaken by the experience. The series also blamed a demon when Johnson fell from a tree while working.

Judy told The Washington Post she paid $75 an hour for a session with a local psychiatrist too, but it was up to church officials to set up and pay for further psychological testing (via Newsweek). David’s parents were told he was “normal” but had a “minimal learning disability”.

Alan Bono’s murder

Clearly not content with its newfound freedom, though, the story goes that the spirit then immediately took control of Johnson and it was under his control that the murder of the landlord took place several months later.

Johnson and Debbie Glatzel decided against renting the original home, and instead rented a small house near Debbie’s work. Debbie was working a dog groomer for the landlord, Alan Bono, 40, who was also the kennel manager.

Bono, who has been renamed in the movie as Bruno Sauls, lived in an apartment above the kennels.

On the day of the murder, Johnson had taken the day off work and spent the day with Debbie, 26, at the kennel. Along with some other companions, Debbie, Johnson and Bono had lunch at a local restaurant and enjoyed a few drinks, becoming drunk in the process, and when they later returned to the kennel a heated fight broke out with Bono becoming increasingly agitated.

During this argument, Bono seized Debbie’s nine-year-old cousin Mary, who had also been present, and refused to let her go – which then led Johnson to confront him and eventually stab him repeatedly with a five-inch pocket knife, all while growling like an animal. Bono suffered “four or five tremendous wounds” mainly to his chest area.

Bono died several hours later and Johnson was later arrested roughly two miles away from the murder. The murder is believed to be the first murder in Brookfield, Connecticut’s 193-year history, and the first in the 30 years since the town had police records.

The next day, Lorraine Warren immediately claimed that it was a case of demonic possession, which naturally led to much media coverage around the world.

Ed and Lorraine Warren

Ed and Lorraine Warren arrive at Danbury Superior Court - Getty

Arne Johnson’s Trial

Johnson’s trial began on 28th October 1981 at Connecticut’s Superior Court in Danbury.

Johnson’s lawyer Martin Minnella attempted to enter a plea of “not guilty” due to demonic possession stating Johnson “was possessed by a demon, and it was a demon who actually manipulated his body.” It was the first known court case in US history that had attempted this defence.

Minnella, speaking about the case and the fame that followed, said: “The courts have dealt with the existence of God. Now they’re going to have to deal with the existence of the Devil.” (via the New York Times).

However, the plea of not guilty due to demonic possession was immediately thrown out by presiding judge Robert Callahan who said that it would be “irrelative and unscientific” to allow testimony on these grounds, and so despite the ensuing media attention the jury was not legally allowed to consider demonic possession.

Johnson’s defence claimed that he hadn’t been the same after Glatzel’s exorcism, and witnesses were called upon saying they saw a demon transfer from Glatzel to Johnson. Debbie Glatzel also testified that Johnson behaved similarly to Glatzel. Ed Warren claimed Johnson had made a “fatal mistake” by taunting the alleged demon.

Debbie claimed Johnson had come to Bono’s apartment to repair a stereo for him, but that Bono had been drinking red wine and the pair got into an argument about payment for the repair. She also said Johnson was in a trance when he stabbed Bono.

According to reports, in the three months Debbie and Johnson had lived next to Bono they had been friends. The police believed that Bono and Debbie’s relationship was more than boss and employee, but Debbie denied this despite the police claiming the argument was over her rather than the stereo. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It does take this angle into the story, exploring the ‘jealous lover’ plot, which was also shown in the 1983 movie The Demon Murder Case (starring Kevin Bacon).

L-R Patrick Wilson (Ed Warren), Sarah Catherine Hook (Debbie Glatzel) and Vera Farmiga (Lorraine Warren) in New Line Cinema’s ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.

After the jury deliberated for more than three days, Johnson was convicted of first-degree manslaughter on 24th November 1981 and was sentenced to between 10 and 20 years in prison. He was released in 1986 having only served five years of his sentence.

Even though demonic possession was not actually allowed as a legitimate defence in the trial, the case became colloquially known as “the Devil made me do it case” – hence the subtitle of this film.

Where are the Glatzels and Johnson now?

Johnson married Debbie Glatzel while he was in prison. He also got his high school diploma while inside. The pair went on to have two children.

Lorraine Warren went on to write the book The Devil in Connecticut with Gerald Brittle detailing the case, and they shared the profits from the sales with the Glatzel family. David’s brother Carl Glatzel did speak out against the book when it was republished in 2006 saying it was a “complete lie” and that “the Warrens concocted a phoney story about demons in an attempt to get rich and famous at our expense.”

Carl claimed the Warrens told the family they’d be millionaires – it was later confirmed they were paid $2,000. Carl also says David was suffering with his mental health at the time, but he recovered. In 2007, David and Carl filed a lawsuit against Brittle and the Warrens for unspecified financial damages. They sued the authors and publishers for violating their privacy, libel and “intentional infliction of emotional distress.”

Brittle claims his book is based on fact and he interviewed the Glatzel family for more than 100 hours, which he has video of. Lorraine Warren also said the six priests who performed exorcisms on Glatzel agreed that he was possessed.

Debbie Glatzel and Arne Johnson have always backed the account of the possession, but David’s father denies his son was possessed.

How the movie tackles such a complicated case and how closely they stick to the real life events remains to be seen.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It is released in cinemas on 4th June, 2021 on HBO Max and 28th May in the UK.

#radio times #arne johnson true story #the conjuring the devil made me do it #patrick wilson #patrickwilson #actor #pwilzfan73 #movies #edwarren #verafarmiga #lorrainewarren #vera farmiga #sarah catherine hook #arne johnson

[lazydoodlesandfanfic]

Possessed Sister (Natasha Romanoff X Sister!Reader)

Characters: Natasha Romanoff X Sister!Reader

Universe: Marvel, Avengers

Warnings: Possession, fighting

Request: Natasha romanoff x sister!reader has the ability to talk to ghosts and can be possessed against her will which can cause manic and destructive episodes.Natasha has kept her completely secret from the rest of the team and possibly Fury. A similar possession happens and Natasha goes to help and then the rest of the team is called in. They could capture her and Natasha could be crying and insisting they leave her. Natasha helps her return to her body and introduces her to the team and hot chocolate

When Natasha had heard that they’d brought a girl in, restrained with black eyes and growling, believed to be a mutant after causing destruction with telekinetic powers of some sort, her heart had dropped and had demanded to see the girl. When permission was denied, she started to force her way to find out where they were holding you, and it wasn’t long until Clint noticed what she was doing, and he and Steve confronted her about it. 

“Why are you interested in this mutant?” Clint had asked her. Natasha didn’t look up as she continued to look through the paperwork and files. Steve came over and put his hand on her shoulder. 

“Nat. Talk to us. Do you know her?” He asked her, Clint coming to the other side of her, and she finally stopped, taking a deep breath in. 

“...She’s my sister. She’s my little sister.” She admitted. The two men looked at each other, nodded, and motioned for Nat to follow them.

They still faced some resistance, but it didn’t take long till someone broke and they got access to your cell. By this point, what they were doing was heard by the rest of the team, and they also went to investigate.

Your cell was hulk proof, and you were perfectly still, staring at the door. At least that’s what was presumed, your eyes totally black. Natasha came up to the glass, stopping right in front of it. “Do you know how to fix this?” Clint asked as the entrance to the room opened and the rest of the team came in. 

“What are you three up to?” Tony asked them as they approached, stopping in front of the cell. “Is this the demon kid?” 

“Don’t talk about her like that.” Natasha snapped at him, surprising everyone except Clint and Steve, before she looked back at you. “That’s my sister.” 

“Pardon?” Thor asked. 

“Natasha, do you know why she’s like this?” Wanda asked, and she nodded. 

“She’s got a connection to the dead. She can see them, she can communicate with them. When she’s around the dead, they become stronger- they can move things, they can manifest and show themselves, and they can also become physical. Some of them are strong enough to possess her body. Sometimes she allows it to happen so they can say goodbye or give information of how they died, however sometimes angry spirits possess her against her will. This is what’s happening right now.” She explained, not taking her eyes off of you. 

“Okay… you know what you’re talking about… how do we… unpossess her? Do we perform an exorcism or something?” Bruce asked her. 

“I wish it was that simple. We’ve tried that… the best way we’ve found is to just wait. The spirit has already used a lot of energy by move things with it’s mind. That’s physically demanding on the body, and the spirit forgets to feed the body and sleep because they don’t feel those urges, so the body grows weak and when it does, so does the spirit.” 

“...Steve, my dear friend.” Thor spoke up. “Are you up to piss off a spirit and allow it to throw us around to make it leave the body it possesses?” He asked. Steve shrugged. 

“Sounds good to me.” 

And that’s exactly what they did. They even brought in heavy objects, including Mjolnir, for the spirit to try and throw. They took things getting thrown at them like champs, Thor mostly doing the teasing, and even belittling the spirit when it couldn’t lift his hammer and laughing in it’s face before promptly getting thrown against the wall. Soon though, it was clear it was paying off. The throws weren’t as powerful, and they could physically see the body becoming tired. “Come on Y/N…” Nat whispered to herself from the other side of the glass. 

“What do we need for her for when she comes back?” Tony asked her. 

“Something to eat and drink and a bed.” She told him. He nodded, and him and Bruce went to arrange it. 

“Maybe I could help?” Wanda asked, going near the glass, and they watched the light dance between her fingers in your direction. All the violence stopped as the body stopped. 

“Wanda, be careful, it might try and attach to you.” Clint fussed, but then they heard a gasp come from your body, your head looking up and your muscles tense, the eyes going wide as the black disappeared from your eyes. Wanda dropped her hands, and your body relaxed, your eyes closing as you lost consciousness. The two men in the room reacted quickly, rushing and catching your body before you hit the floor. 

When you finally started to come around, you were greeted by the smell of hot chocolate. Something that your sister always prepared for you after a possession. It got sugar in your body to give you enough energy to last until you had proper food and then you could properly recover. You opened your eyes, being in a room you didn’t recognise, and you turned your head, seeing the warm mug on the bedside, and your sister sat on the floor, her back against your bed. “Natalie?” You asked her. She turned to you, and smiled. She wasn’t hurt from what you could tell, which was good. 

“Hey sis. How you feeling?” She asked, getting up off the floor. You tried to force yourself to sit up, but your arms shook as you tried to do so. Natasha put her arms under yours and helped you sit up and fixed the pillows before she handed you the drink- it even came with a straw so you wouldn’t have to lift it as much. 

“Tired...I’m not very hungry though… how long was I out?” 

“Just a few hours actually. The spirit took you out for a joy ride and my coworkers found you and two of them took it upon themselves to literally bully the spirit out of you.” She explained to you. That made you laugh for a moment, before you started to get upset, and Natasha sat on your bed and hugged you. “It’s okay.” She assured. 

“I hate this… I hate that they can control me and make me do things without me being able to do anything.” 

“I know. I know… however, we might have a solution.” She told you as she pulled away. “One of my coworkers- Wanda. She can look in your head. She was the final force that got the spirit out. If she was able to get it out, she could probably put some sort of block in your head to make it so the spirits can’t possess you- or at least to that extent. So if it happens again, you might be able to fight back and get it out on your own.” She suggested. 

“It’s worth a shot.” You immediately agreed. “When can we start this?” 

“When you’re strong enough. Now drink that, then we’ll get you some food, and you’re gonna rest until you’re strong enough, and then you’ll meet with Wanda.” She told you. You nodded, taking a sip from your drink and pulled a face. 

“Who made this? It’s bitter.”  You commented, and Natasha took the drink and took a sip as well. 

“I think Tony mixed your hot chocolate for his coffee, be right back.” She said, leaving the room with the mug. You smiled as you heard your sister call for the man down the hall, letting yourself relax against the pillows. Maybe finally you could get some control over these spirits.

Hope you like it! If you have any questions, please send them in! 

*Not my gif

TAGS:  @klanceiscannon14​ @waywardemo​ @marvelhoeingismyhobby​ @bellamyblakemorley @dummiesshort  @abbybills22​ @waywardemo​ @mutantjediavenger​ @theoraekensnotsosecretlover​ @alicedanganh  @courtneychicken​  @graysonmalfoy​ @bellero​ @originalpottervengerlock​ @supernatural-pan​ @esoltis280​ @lena-stan-xavier​ @lady-of-lies​ @sebstanismylife​ @macbetheliza @mandywholock1980​ @cdwmtjb8​ @caswinchester2000​ @determinedpines​  

#marvel #Avengers #natasha romanoff #tony stark #Steve Rogers #clint barton #bruce banner #wanda maximoff #thor odinson #thor #Black Widow #Iron Man #captain america #hawkeye #hulk #Scarlet Witch #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x fem!reader #natasha romanoff x sister!reader #x reader #x fem!reader #x sister!reader #reader #fem!reader #sister!reader #oneshot #writing #story writing #question #request

[handlewithkara]

I sat down and finally did some bingewatching of other shows on the weekend. 

Dragon Prince is a fantasy cartoon show in a somewhat similar to Avatar the Last Airbender (one long arc, somewhat complex mythology). I’m still not 100% sure I completely like it. I guess the main couple fulfills my fondness of bossy action heroine girls and slightly more sensitive boys. I really dig the “medium” villains who might still switch sides. I find I’m really bored on the flashback/backstory centric episodes. 

Heels: is the new show from “Arrow” Stephen Amell, it’s kind of a family drama in the Westling scene. I guess it entertained me enough for now to watch all the episodes. I notice all the men are jerks because they can’t talk about their feelins and all the women are much smarter. Stephen kind of seems a bit too old for the character he is playing? Even though he is supposed to be the older brother? I guess for now I’m mostly invested on whether Crystal will get to be a wrestler and where her story goes? I could see myself dropping the show if I find myself not liking where they go with her. This show also really feels like they should have dropped the whole season rather than going episode by episode. 

Evil Season 2: This show really, really continues to impress me. I feel like there is an attempt every couple of years to do a exorcism/church procedural, but this seems to be the best and most successful at it. 

I really appreciate how much of a flawed trainwreck the main female character is, it’s not quite Walter White and Tony Soprano territory but it hits pretty well how I want female characters to be portrayed, flawed, makes interesting mistakes, gets to have her own spiral of making everything worse with every decision she does but it doesn’t feel like the show is overly defensive of her (which to me often feels like the problem in a lot of Shonda Rhimes shows), she just gets to be an interesting layered character. 

I’m also really amazed how seamless season 2 feels next to season 1. I bet when you watch this years later, you would never guess they were impacted in their filming by Covid. They really didn’t miss a beat. (compared to how various shows incorporated Covid and it’s going to invariably date those seasons quite a lot). 

Also the scene between the main psychiatrist character and the main faith/priest character about forgiveness versus purity really hit home with me and really falls very neatly into things I already believe about the world anyway. It really is a good show. 

It’s odd, I normally find myself rooting for forbidden romances with priest characters, but with David and Kristen, I actually hope they keep them platonic. I actually liked his chemistry with his “sister in law” in season 1. Kinda wish they would bring back that backstory stuff of his. 

#evil cbs #evil paramount #the dragon prince #heels starz