#i started yesterday and i am most of the way through episode three and holy shit | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

xhanisai · 4 years

Text

Blanc Noise - Chapter One

AO3 / FFN

Summary:

It first began with the feeling of being watched and the flicker of shadows.

Then along came missing items being returned in the most odd places.

Soon it was the glimpses of blue eyes in the darkness and a silhouette of white that haunted her.

Marinette thought she saved him, that she saved her Chat Noir from the dystopian timeline.

She was wrong...oh so wrong...

A/N: Wassup mah d00ds! I hope you're all doing well and everything! Anyways, on tumblr, I made a quick AU of 'What if Chat Blanc comes back but as a ghost?' and it got lots of positive attention hence I decided to start a full fledged story. After all, I am a fucking slut for Mariblanc~ Big thanks to my good friend @/gale-of-the-nomads for the title name (sometimes, he has a good idea or two despite the amount of terrible puns he spews lol). Nevertheless, enjoy! P.S: The story takes place after the episode: Ladybug. Therefore, Maître Fu is still around, the love square is still going strong and Ladybug is not the guardian. Additionally, I've tweaked the timeline. The duo have now started their final year in collège in September (the events of Ladybug happened just before the summer holidays). Do I make myself clear? Good. Have fun! Song listened to whilst writing: White Silence - TK from Ling tosite sigure

~(x)~ . . . "MmmMhmm! That smells amazing! What have brought this time, My Lady?" The feline hero leapt to his feet, faux ears and tails wiggling with delight and pupils dilating with elation. Ladybug laughed softly at her endearing partner, sitting down on their favourite beam of the Eiffel Tower and beckoning the boy to come closer, wiggling the Tupperware in her hand teasingly. Chat Noir didn't hesitate to scurry towards her, plopping down on the spot opposite the heroine as she placed the container in his greedy hands. If he wasn't such a gentleman, he would have immediately tore off the lid and scarfed the delectable goodies down his throat like the alley cat his Lady proclaimed him to be. "Guess." Ladybug humoured him. "And before you ask, the clue is that it's a savoury dish this time. Don't shake it up too much." She playfully took it away from him and then placed it on the spot between them, grinning as Chat's face scrunched up into a thinking expression. Lips pursed, eyes narrowed and arms folded. Absolutely adorable. "Hm...it can't be steamed garlic prawns. You brought that yesterday." Noir mused. "And it doesn't smell like duck pancakes either." He added, scrutinising the mystery within the container. "You mean the Běijīng kǎoyā? Not after that horrible heartburn it gave you last week." Ladybug cheekily flicked his forehead, earning an annoyed grunt from him. "Geez no need to flex on the Chinese, Mlle. I don't know a lick of Mandarin." He tried to swat away Ladybug's hands when she attempted to poke him for making fun of her, chuckling at her mock angry face. "Okay okay! I'll behave- the heartburn was worth it by the way~ I started to crave for more days after, hahaha-" "I know SOME Mandarin, stupid!" "Insults and crude words do not count, My Lady." "Just guess the food in the Tupperware already or else I won't share!" Her threat froze the black cat comically. Chat quickly blabbered out apologies, clearing his throat and then eyed the container again. The sound of his stomach rumbling broke the silence, embarrassing the hero whilst his partner barely kept in her snickers. "Vermicelli rolls?" "Nope." "Kung-Pao chicken?" "Nah." "...wontons?" "You're getting closer," "Agh...okay from when I shook it, it sounded quite hard and crispy so..." He carefully shook the container once more, ears pressed against the cool surface as he tried his best to identify the treasures. Finally, an idea struck him, evident in the way his faux ears and tail shot upwards. "Aha! Spring rolls! It's spring rolls, isn't it?" His face looked like one who won the lottery and Ladybug couldn't help but coo internally. He was such a dork. "That's right, Chaton. Now, if you guess the correct fillings, I'll let you have some." Ladybug added nonchalantly, eating up the way Chat spluttered and the frazzled gestures he made, eyes begging to let him have the treats already. "Oh come on! You're not that cruel, Bug." He pouted but didn't attempt to snatch away the container. He directed his beady glare at his Lady, arms folded. "...La-aaaaady-bu-uuuuug..." He whined. "Just kidding~ Here, Bon appétit ," Ladybug didn't waste time, tearing off the lid and beckoning Chat to take some of the spring rolls. The boy's eyes widened at the sight of the delicious looking treats. The pastry was golden and crisp, the size of each roll were consistent and big enough to finish in three bites and the enticing, spicy scent made the feline salivate. And, they were still piping hot. Hell yeah, Bon appétit indeed! Without hesitation, Chat took a bite, unaware of Ladybug's anticipating look. . "Holy shit...I'm in heaven..." The teen blurted out, eyeing his spring roll with a tearful look, as if it was too beautiful for him to eat. He shoved the whole pastry in his mouth, moaning in delight without a shame whilst his Lady's tinkling giggles was like music to his ears. What a way to spend the last evening of summer before school. A beautiful summer night, a beautiful lady and amazing food! 'Yes, this cat is content for life,' He purred to himself, smiling at his partner as she offered him another roll. "Thank dieu you enjoyed it. I wasn't too sure if you were going to be keen on the secret ingredient I mixed in with the vegetables." Ladybug twirled her roll, cheeks ever so slightly flushed with happiness. "Is it that exotic spicy scent that I've been smelling this whole time?" "Yes. Maman's friend who's from the south-east gave her these homegrown naga-chillies. They're really, really hot on their own but without the seeds, they're bearable to me and make the vegetable filling taste so good." She bit into her roll as if to emphasise her point. She was blind to the way Chat Noir watched her with a pleasant, fulfilled smile. The warmth that pulsed in his stomach provoked his heart to skip a few beats or so- a standard reaction that the love of his life always gave him. 'I wish you would be mine forever...' His unsaid words were left floating in the back of his head as he nibbled on his food. The duo spent the rest of the night laughing, joking, exchanging bizarre stories without giving away their civilian lives and before they knew it, it was midnight. "Uh-oh...I'm turning into a pumpkin! Save me!" Chat Noir wailed dramatically, curling up into a ball and leaning against Ladybug. Her hearty laughter grew in volume, the girl clutching her stomach as she gasped for a breath only for Chat to join her with his contagious laugh. Soon, they calmed down. With the calm came the thoughts. The crescent of the moon shone like a beacon. The temperature of the summer air started to cool and the beautiful city lights below shone like diamonds. The two were hesitant to leave, wanting to prolong their last summer night. The older of two wanted to spend as much time as he wanted with the girl he loved. The younger on the other hand? She wanted to keep him happy and close. After all, She would rather die than fail her partner again and let him be akumatised. Little did she know how potent her sadness was. The atmosphere turned tense in a flip of a switch, sending shivers down Chat's spine and he was quick to glance at his now, forlorn looking Lady. As if they didn't just have a laughing fit and a mini picnic. It was that damn empty, distant looking face again. The boy under the mask absolutely despised it. He would do anything to get rid of it. "You know I'm always here for you, Bug." He placed his hands on her forearms, beckoning her to look at him. Ladybug refused to meet eye contact so he tilted her chin up with a finger, delivering a soft, sad grimace. "It's been months now and yet you wouldn't tell me what happened. Did you think acting more sweet around me would distract me from your tears?" The girl hadn't noticed her eyes were watering till her Chaton pointed it out and wiped away a stray tear. She knew he was much more smarter and perceptive than most would give him credit for yet she couldn't help but pray that he would leave her be. 'He's always been too good for you. You know it. I know it. So why don't you just hurry up and throw the earrings away so that someone else who's actually worthy of utilising the power can properly look after him?' "I told you, nothing happened. Just silly, civilian stuff." Ladybug tried to shrug him off, quickly wiping her eyes and trying her best to not sniffle. "Let's just go home-" "When will you stop lying to me?" The boy hissed out, tail lashing against the beams in anger and feline ears pressed against his dishevelled locks. His acidic green eyes pierced through Ladybug's being. A deadly scowl that would surely cause the blood in Le Papillon's body to freeze and petrify him. Ladybug tried her best to not show how he surprised her, keeping a poker face and swallowed quietly. However, with the way his hands were clasped around her wrists, she feared he could feel her rapid pulse. Why was it always her that caused his rare anger to rise on an occasion or two? It was simply not fair. How righteous his anger was towards her. A sudden gust of wind swept through their hair, ending the summer season and introduced the newly born autumn with a howl. It felt like ice seeping through their suits. Yet, the polka dotted heroine didn't dare move a muscle, observing her partner with a cool, neutral expression. Chat Noir hated it. He absolutely hated it. It was one of the few faces she made when she was forced to keep a secret away from him even if it took a toll on her body and mind. He felt disgustingly useless. "I'm fine, Chat Noir." Ladybug wiggled her hands to free them of his grip, bringing them to her chest as she glanced towards the city below. "Can we please not do this tonight? Please? I want it to end on a good note." Her wish was met with a defeated sigh from her partner, not flinching for even a split second when his tail whipped against a stray beam. An echo of his anger prior. Just as it was quick to come, it was quick to leave, thankfully. "I'm not give up on you," His resolute tone induced a quiet gasp from Ladybug, the girl herself cut her gaze towards him with parted lips. "But for tonight, I'll let you be." He didn't smile but...he didn't frown either. Reaching for her hands one last time, Chat Noir brought them to his lips. His bold, fiery greens never left her soft, steady blues whilst his lips brushed against her knuckles in a traditional kiss. Taking advantage of her lack of hesitation, he kissed the backs of her hands too and then brought them to his chest so that she could feel his fierce, beating heart. It began to lash against his chest when a light rouge tinted her cheeks. "I'm always here for you, always. No matter what, you can count on me to protect you." Then, with a determined nod, he launched forward and pecked her head before letting go of her swiftly and vaulting away with an impeccable speed. Ladybug remained frozen in her position, cheeks flaming until his figure became smaller and smaller in the distance. By the time she could no longer see him, she sunk to her knees, grasping her chest as her throbbing heart felt like it was going to burst out and explode. Millions of emotions ran through her body, fighting against each other as the memory of him kissing her head replayed over and over again. Like the sweetest of poison. Addicting but deadly. Despite the warm, fluttering butterflies, despite the smooth, softness of his lips, despite the comforting, protective touch of his, Ladybug couldn't help but have the memories of the other timeline flare in her mind like a warning sign. An unwanted threat that has never failed to wreck her mind. Biting her lips, she tried to keep her tears at bay, body shaking and pushing against the sobs that threatened to spill out. She was so tempted to run back to him and tell him everything. To care for him like the way he deserves. To love him like the way he needs. Yet the haunting, crazed ice blue eyes of the past invaded the temporary soaring feelings like a virus, eating away all the positivism and hope she tried her upmost best to maintain. 'You have no right to be happy...' An ugly gloom hooded her eyes, killing all her emotions as she staggered back up to her feet, using a beam nearby for support. The harsh wind clawed through her hair, ridding her trademark ponytails of their ribbons and blowing them away to the other side of Paris. Ladybug simply didn't have the energy to get them back, using muscle memory to swing herself back home. Her ribbons long forgotten. It was a cold, bleak September now. ~(x)~ It was quiet. Too quiet. Standing up from her crouch after detransforming on her balcony, Marinette immediately spun around and glared at her surroundings whilst Tikki hovered close. Not a single sound was heard. Not even the wind. Suddenly, Marinette's heart began to pick up pace as beads of sweat started to form on her forehead. The only thing she could hear was her heartbeat as she felt something weird. Her entire neighbourhood was asleep, evident in the lights out and the pitch black environment. The only source of light in her vision were the few lamp posts on the streets as well as around the park. Yet, she couldn't ignore the feeling of being watched. Not wanting to show fear at a possible stalker, Marinette took large strides till she was at the edge of her balcony, clutching the railings and scanned the scene with more scrutiny. One of the lamp posts merely flickered as moths buzzed around it. The trees simply swayed along with the inaudible breeze. The streets and roads remained empty. Not a single soul out. Marinette exhaled softly, eyes never stopping its study of her surroundings. She took a step back, tension leaving her body bit by bit, leaving an aching throb in her chest. The adrenaline that fuelled her veins vaporised. "I don't think there's anyone around, Marinette." Tikki whispered, clutching the girl's loose strands as she also watched for anything suspicious. "Can we go back inside? I'm cold." "...okay." Marinette glared at the scene from her peripheral vision once more, almost swearing that she saw movement under one of the lamps only to brush it off as paranoia and made her way back to the trapdoor. Since she wasn't paying attention, the teen bumped into her table, almost tripping over her feet but thankfully caught herself. "Eek! Are you okay?" The little Goddess freaked out, flying in front of her charge and scanning her from head to toe for any injuries. She was waved off with a tired smile. "Don't worry, it's probably just a little...bruise...?" A slither of red caught Marinette's attention from the corner of her eye only for her to gawk. There, on the railing of her balcony was... ...One of her ribbons. Inhaling sharply and leaping towards the railings, clutching her treasured ribbon, Marinette spied around the neighbourhood desperately like a hawk. Tikki's presence on her shoulders did nothing to alleviate her stress as sweat from palpitation grew on her palms. Her mouth on the other hand ran dry and she refused to blink. She didn't dare to tremble. She was Ladybug. Nothing should scare her. ...with her partner's possible akumatisation aside that is. Regardless, Marinette fixated her stare at the specific lamp post. The area where she brushed off momentarily. The light flickered back and forth whilst moths carried on fluttering around it without a care in the world. She watched. And watched. And watched. . Still nothing. Without looking away, knuckles white from her grip on the ribbon and her free hand cradling her beloved kwami, Marinette walked backwards, gingerly going down her trapdoor and quickly closed it till it was locked shut. . The silence haunted her all night. ~(x)~ "Ma-ri-nette!!!" Instantly, said girl was glomped by her best friend in a hug that would surely asphyxiate a commoner. Thankfully, Marinette was not only Ladybug in disguise but also trained vigorously in many of the martial arts by her dear maman. "Alya! I missed you! How was Morocco with Nino and his family?" Marinette leaned against Alya as the taller of the teens hooked their elbows together, leading them inside the school. "Girllllll I have so many scoops to share, so many deets-" "The million texts and selfies you sent me daily weren't just it?" "They barely scratched the surface! But anyways, it was amazing! I couldn't believe my parents were willing to let me go even when Nora threw a fit haha! I got to relax so much, spent quality time with Nino and his extended family, took so many pictures and tried so many different food. Ah~ Best. Summer. Ever." "Oh the food...I can't believe you shamelessly ate all of that without sharing it with me," The raven-haired girl teased, pushing her hip against Alya's who pushed back without a beat. "You wouldn't be moping if you came along, Mari. Remember the tagine you tried at the local restaurant nearby and you thought that was divine? Lemme tell you, it is nothing compared to the authentic, fresh tagine made by Nino's tante. One taste and I was in heaven. Absolute heaven." "Alya you're making me jealous, I get it, I get it." Marinette playfully scoffed but then her energy soon wore off and fatigue took over her body. Alya was quick to catch the tired girl as soon as she began to sway, perfect brows sculpted in worry as she eyed her best friend. "Marinette...girl...you do not look okay. I'm telling you this 'cos I love you. Go back home and sleep." The brunette brushed Marinette's fringe gently, noting the tired, dark rings under her eyes and the unhealthy paleness of her skin. It was as if Marinette avoided the sun all her life. "I don't wanna..." The stubborn girl whined but didn't fight back when Alya led her to a nearby bench, sitting them both down. "I've been missing you all too much and couldn't wait to see you all again," She admitted, earning a coo from the curvy girl and another hug. Alya's sun-kissed honey skin was a stark contrast against Marinette's pale, porcelain skin. "Alright then but I'll be keeping an eye on you, girl. I can see the effort you put into your cute bun and soft make up. How you do your eyeliner freehand without a guide will always baffle me~" Just as Marinette was about to retort back, the duo were engulfed by a surprise hug from the back. Neither fought back as the familiar laughter and soft, masculine brown arms were registered. "Babe! And dudette! My best girls!" Nino popped his head forward, in between the girls and squished their cheeks against his. "Heyyyy~" He waggled his eyebrows stupidly, his shit eating grin widening when his girlfriend burst out laughing and Marinette following with a quiet giggle. "Nino, g'morning," Alya quickly pecked his lips. To further his dramatics, Nino pretended to swoon and flopped backwards between the girls with a dopey smile. "Finally, a good lundi morning," Nino sighed with exaggeration, his girl still trying her best to stifle her laughter whilst Marinette fondly rolled her eyes at him. "I can now brave through these useless lessons and deal with M. D'Argencourt's bullshit rambles during registration. Oh how amazing the power of lo-oooove truly is!" "Oh yeah, I almost forgot that we won't have Mme. Bustier this year. Was about to say that I was gonna miss her but not gonna lie, she lost all my respect when you got expelled." Alya huffed, pulling Marinette against her like a worried mother hen. "To think that I almost had to spend my last year here without my precious Marinette~" "But Babe! What about me?" "You wish you were as precious as sweetcheeks over here." Alya blew a raspberry at her boyfriend, cheeky grin widening at his dramatics. Marinette on the other hand simply smiled, savouring every moment. The fact that there was a possibility that she would have had to attend a different collège for her final year without her friends made her quiver and she didn't falter in snuggling closer to her best friend. She's been through so much this year. Surely she deserved some sort of happiness. Even if she failed her partner at one point... Right? 'No. You do not deserve anything but pain and suffering you selfish, self-righteous brat. Because of you, how long did your beloved partner go through that hell? How many nights did he spend wide awake after destroying the world? Face it, you don't deserve him or your friends or any sort of love-' The dark, twisted, ugly thoughts and whispers that preyed upon her mind was quick to diminish at the sound of pure sunshine. "You guys! Hey!" Marinette didn't get a chance to look up fully as she and the rest of the small group was tackled by their loving blonde friend in a comfy, sweet hug. Her heart malfunctioned on the spot as all she could smell was the fresh, crisp autumn air that lingered in his soft hair and coat. Her mind rebooted over and over again at the feel of his strong, sturdy arm wrapped around her. Her lips quaked at the feel of his brushing against her cheek despite the gleeful smile he wore. "A-A-Adrien?" The model pulled back slightly to face the stammering girl, lips quirking into a silly but sweet smile. Not thinking twice, he pressed his forehead against Marinette's tenderly, their fringes intermingling with each other and their cool breaths hitting each other's lips. Adrien's eyes sparkled like emeralds and the aspiring designer couldn't help but be mesmerised. "Missed me~?" His nose was touching hers now and his pearly whites gleamed mischievously. Poor Marinette couldn't help but blink, blush already blooming in her cheeks. Dammit. They may have gotten much, much closer yet there were still times that the boy rendered her speechless! What's with the green eyed blonde boys in her life and making her heart a complete wreck?! "B-Bro...can't breathe...I don't wanna die!" Nino's muffled pleas shattered the moment and Adrien immediately broke the hug, snickering at the way Nino gasped for air and clutched a deadpanned Alya. Though, he took a seat besides Marinette and kept an arm around her waist, leaning against her as they watched the couple bicker and banter. "Enjoyed your holidays, Adrien?" Marinette began, playing with the fraying threads of her purse and peeked at him below her lashes. Adrien hummed, sitting up and then directed his gorgeous greens at her. 'Be still, my heart.' Marinette couldn't help but beg. "It was alright. Didn't leave Paris though and had too many photo-shoots. What about you? Didn't you get to go to Shanghai for a week?" Adrien's question almost went unheard as Mari couldn't help but be hyper-aware of the warmth of his hand on her waist. The way his finger casually tapped against it. The innocent smile he had on his lips. This boy was going to be the death of her. 'But you don't deserve him. You don't deserve either of them. Be lucky that they even acknowledge your filthy existence.' The eerie whispers clawed through her brain, her body begging to run away and cry. Yet, she forced her fingers to move away from her purse and pull on the seams of her navy pea-coat, smile never faltering. "Yes, I did. I really enjoyed it there. I wish I got to stay for lo-longer..." She trailed off, swallowing down any babbles or word soup as Adrien squeezed her waist as a gesture of comfort. He was being really sweet today... "I don't blame ya- all the pictures you posted online looked so cool. The skyline at night, the food, heck even your relatives! If I hadn't known better, I'd have thought that cousin of yours was your brother." "You wouldn't be the first to mistaken us as siblings," She giggled. "When we were younger and they came over to Paris to visit, some people used get mixed up between me and him. It didn't help that I had my hair really short at the time and wore nothing but blue and red." "That would have been really cute to see. Hmm, it also makes sense with how easily you accepted that Félix and I were just cousins instead of that weird conspiracy theory that Kim concocted up." "Oh I wouldn't say I accepted it too easily. You and your cousin are like mirrors of each other. It's insane! I thought for a minute that you had an evil twin." Marinette winked merrily, her giggles simply grew while Adrien rolled his eyes at her. "Come on. Not you too." His fake pout didn't last long and he quietly chortled alongside her. Just a smile from his Princesse was enough to brighten up his day despite the small fight he had with Ladybug eight hours prior. Yes, Ladybug was the love of his life. Yes, he would go to the moon and back for her. However, he would be an absolute idiot and horrifically obtuse to deny that his feelings for Marinette weren't as strong. With rare wisdom from his lazy kwami, Adrien learned that having feelings for more than one person was not only natural but also healthy in a way. It showed that he wasn't forever stuck on one person and it eased the pain of his Lady's rejection to his advances. Ladybug and Marinette were his best friends first and foremost and he wouldn't dare to sabotage his precious friendships. It didn't mean he couldn't wish for Ladybug to fall for him one day. Same for Marinette. He's still a silly teen; he could keep dreaming and fantasising! Till then, he was going to go with the flow and see what the future entailed. As far as he was concerned, his future was leaning more towards Marinette and frankly, he did not mind one bit. Abruptly, the morning bell rang, indicating that it was time for the students to head to class for registration. Grunts and groans were heard from the swarm of students in the courtyard, Kim's distinct "It's time for hell, bitches!" being one of the more prominent voices in the crowd along with Alix's curses. "Thank fuck Mari-bee was the class president last year and made sure that we got our class to be the same for this year. I'd have eaten my own hands if I had to deal with that one annoying kid obsessed with magic again." Nino shot a friendly punch against Marinette's shoulder and then wrapped an arm around Alya's waist as she led them to their new classroom. "Did he just indirectly mention that he'd rather have Chloé and Lila over Jean as his classmate?" Marinette huffed with endearment, taking the hand that Adrien offered to help her up. The sudden rush to her head caused her to wobble on the spot. Luckily, Adrien steadied her without a word, hands clasping her forearms. "S-Sorry..." She attempted to step away but the boy's grip on her tightened, halting her. Marinette glanced back at Adrien with confusion, cocking her head to the side slightly and lips pursed. "...you're not feeling well, aren't you?" A nail in the coffin. Adrien scanned her body from head to foot, frown growing deeper. "You can barely stand." "I'm fine. I just...couldn't get any sleep. I was nervous for the first day of school and also didn't want to oversleep." Marinette answered quickly, looking away from him. She didn't expect his finger to hook under her chin, forcing eye contact. For the first time, Adrien glared at her. Glared. He leaned in closer, bending down so that he could reach her height. "Are you lying?" Neither of them budged. The mutterings and chatter from the students that were around grew fainter and fainter until all that was heard was the classroom doors slamming shut and the echos of the teachers doing the register. Marinette wanted to quickly deny the allegation. She wanted to push him aside and run to class. She wanted to forget how she momentarily confused Adrien with her partner. Though, even the Ladybug could run out of luck. "Adrien," She began. "We're going to be late." Her stoic, cool expression showed that she wasn't going to budge, pissing off her friend completely. The model tsked with irritation, quick to grab her hand whilst using his other one to adjust the strap of his bag over his shoulder. He moodily led her to their class, refusing to utter another word. For a split second, the defiance and stubbornness in Marinette's eyes were a hundred percent identical to Ladybug's. He almost blurted out his treasured nickname for her. The annoyance of said stubbornness and refusal to accept his help grew stronger instead, causing him to try and forget about it and brood later on. What's with his treasured girls and their stupid reluctance to let him help!? . He wasn't aware of the horror that was plastered on Marinette's face. The girl refused to tear her eyes away from the main door behind them as a lone, torn up, dirty ribbon flayed in the entrance. A familiar ribbon that was most definitely not there ten seconds ago. When M. Haprèle closed the door, Marinette could have sworn... ...that there was a pair of blue eyes watching her right back. . . . ~(x)~ A/N: That's the end of chapter one! It's more like a prologue ish, slow chapter since we're building up- so bear with me, aight? I hope you enjoyed reading it regardless. I stayed up till 5am to write it after all :0 If this chapter gets at least ten comments, I will update! Till then, see you next time~

153 notes · View notes

dontcallmebabyxx · 3 years

Text

Chapter 1: English Boy

Sage's POV:

7:00am and the alarm went off. It's been 3 days of this new lifestyle I'm trying to live and I'm actually enjoying the extra time I have in the mornings, given the fact I used to wake up somewhere around 11am, but hey! Adulting and productivity at it's finest, or so I like to believe.

I recently moved to L.A to pursue that dreamy fresh start every 20-something year old dreams of. After just a few days here, I found a job in a little coffee shop and have been working there since, it's really cool actually, the place is amazing, the staff is nice and I'm a whore for coffee so it's a win-win situation.

Getting out of bed after checking my phone for any notifications that I might have missed in my sleep, but all I got were a bunch of messages from my sister having a crisis after finishing the last episode of The Vampire Diaries, and I mean... I get her.

I'm really taking this whole new and improved lifestyle very seriously, I'm meditating and everything, even lighting some incense here and there to get the whole scene and mood going.

After my whole yogi moment I went to the bathroom and started getting ready for work. I stared at myself in the mirror and said my daily affirmations: "I'm smart, I'm capable, I'm a bad bitch, I'm worth it, and I'm loved" I tell myself pushing back the memories as I say that last part. Today is going to be a good day because I have an early shift so that means I get to work with my sister, who was the one that got me the job in the first place.

I am pretty basic when it comes to clothes and always prioritize comfort over looks, unless I go out. Only then and there will I risk my wellbeing and wear high heels and tiny ass dresses to remind myself that I can also be THAT bitch. On the day to day I'm pretty basic. I really like warm colors so most of my closet is based around that color scheme.

I made my way (downtown) in this chaotic ass, traffic-filled city that I love very much, hating myself for even thinking about A Thousand Miles as I drive myself to work and officially start my day.

After saying hi to the staff and starting getting everything ready, Sydney arrives.

"I'm sorry! I overslept" Syd said as she rushed behind the counter to the back of the shop and got ready for her shift.

"Chill, it's still pretty early. You still have 20 minutes and I already got everything set up" I reassured her.

"You're an angel, thanks" she said, coming behind me and hugging me.

A few hours into the shift I started cleaning some tables and saw a group of people coming in. And as I was about to greet them, I heard a familiar voice.

"Sage?" I looked at her and recognized her immediately.

"Holy shit Sarah!" I said smiling and hugging her, she hugged me back and introduced me to her friends.

"Guys, this is Sage. We were neighbors back in London". "This is Charlotte" she said and Charlotte greeted me with a hug

"So nice to meet you" She said with a big smile on her face.

"You too!" I said, smiling back.

"And this is Ny", Sarah said gesturing towards her

"Hi!" She said and we hugged too.

We walked to the counter and I took their order.

"Sydney? Since when do you two live here?" Sarah said as soon as she saw my sister.

"We moved here with my dad a few months ago, mom stayed back in London though" Sydney explained smiling at her.

As I gave them their order, Sarah said "we should get together, catch up and drink some wine like our moms did when we were little, it's our time to have those kinds of nights" Us three laughed remembering those days and how close our moms are. "The girls and the rest of the group are coming over to my house tomorrow for dinner and you two are coming" she gave me a stern look knowing that I'm not one to be around many people.

"Fine, we'll be there" Syd and I agreed, exchanging phone numbers with Sarah and getting back to work.

*The next day*

It was nearly 4:00 pm when I left work after my shift ended. Sarah's dinner started at 9:00 but she texted me earlier telling me to be there at 7:00 so we could have some time to catch up just the two of us.

I got home and decided to call my mom to tell her about yesterday.

"Hi mom" I greeted her as she answered the FaceTime call.

"Hi sweetie, how was your day? I'm sorry I couldn't call you back yesterday, the girls came over and we had a wine night" she said laughing.

"It's fine mom, don't worry" I reassured her, "Speaking of wine nights, I ran into Sarah yesterday at the cafe.

"Sarah Jones? Wow, you two hadn't seen each other since she moved! How is she?".

"She's great. I'm going to her house today to catch up and meet some of her friends" I told her.

"I heard from her mom that she's drumming for this English boy, maybe you know him!" She said

"Wouldn't know mom, I just recently started following her social media and haven't had the time to stalk her" I said laughing and she joined me.

We talked just for a little while given the time zone, then said our goodbyes because it was getting late and I had to start getting ready. I headed to my bathroom and began undressing as I put on some music. I chose one of my favorite playlists called "Middle School Me" which is basically my indie-emo-punk phase and I love it.

*Something Good Can Work* started playing and I can't help but move to the little beat as I entered the shower. I did the usual and washed my hair so it's easier to style later.

I finished my shower, wrapping myself in a towel and wrapping my hair on an old cotton t-shirt because I learned from a youtube blogger that that's the best way to prevent frizz, and I hope and pray it works because I've been bleaching my hair and it's coming to bite me in the ass now.

I moisturized and opened my closet deciding on what to wear, and after trying on my top 3 choices, I went for a black dress because you can NEVER go wrong with a black dress, and dressed it down a bit with some black boots and a oversized denim jacket that I stole from one of Sydney's ex.

I like wearing short sleeves because you can see my tattoos, which I love and adore with all my heart.

I got my keys, checked my phone to see if Sarah sent me the address already which she did, double checked that I had everything I needed in my purse and headed to the door. I got in my car and continued listening to my playlist and laughed as Avril Lavigne started playing and I sang along as I made my way to Sarah's house.

I arrived with 10 minutes to spear and rang the bell. Sarah opened the door and gave me a tight hug which I gladly accepted and hugged her as well. "Holy shit, you look great! Come in" she said, giving me space to walk through the door and into her house. She took my purse and my jacket and handed me a glass of wine which I took and thanked her for. "Where's Sydney?" She asked, seeing that I came by myself.

"She has a test on Monday so she stayed home".

"Oh yeah, you live with your dad right?" She asked, sitting down on the couch and I took a seat next to her.

"No, just Syd. I have my own place, it's not that far from here actually" I explained.

"That means you're hosting the next wine night" she said, making me laugh.

After a little catching up I remembered what my mom told me and ask Sarah,

"So, my mom told me you're some English boy's new drummer" I told her, bringing the wine glass to my lips to take a sip.

She laughed out loud "some 'English boy', oh my god that is amazing. But yes, I actually just came back from touring with him. Ny and Charlotte are also in the band and the guys you'll meet today too" she said.

"Oh, and am I meeting the English boy today as well?" I ask grinning.

"Yes, but I'm not telling you who he is, I want to see you shitting your pants when you meet him".

"Is it Tom Misch? Because if it is I will actually shit myself".

"I guess you'll have to see when he arrives" she laughed and I told her that's no fun.

It was now 9-ish and people started arriving. The first one to arrive is Mitch, who I greeted and hugged as Sarah introduced us. And I swear I could feel a type of vibe going on between them but I decided to push aside and interrogate Sarah about it another time. Then Ny and Charlotte arrived and when they saw me they approached happily to greet me which I appreciated because I was starting to get anxious about meeting all these new people.

"I was telling Sage about how we are the band for this 'English boy' as she called him" Sarah air quoted telling them as they sat on the couch and some chairs around the coffee table.

"English boy? yes, I guess you could say so" Mitch said, laughing.

"Hey! it was my mom who called him that in the first place" I said smiling while pouring Ny a glass of wine.

We continued talking about random topics, I told them a little bit about myself, and they did the same. I stood up and went to the bathroom, and as I was walking out the door I bumped into somebody.

"Omg I'm sorry, I wasn't looki-" I stared up at him and holy shit! It's Harry Styles.

"Don't worry about it. It's fine." he said "I'm the English boy, you must be Sage". He said, stretching out his hand to greet me

"Yes. Nice to meet you English boy." I said, stretching out my hand to shake his, blushing at the fact Sarah already told him but not surprised at all that she did.

"Well, if you excuse me I have to take a wee" he said, laughing and I moved to let him go into the bathroom. I walked to the kitchen and saw Sarah there.

"What the actual fuck Sarah Jones?! English boy is THE Harry Styles?" I said shocked to which she laughed.

"He is. I figured you wouldn't know because I know you, and I can tell you don't follow him like you do to others, but I told you you would shit your pants because I know deep down there, directioner Sage still exists" She said, eating a grape out of the charcuterie board she's preparing.

"Ok first of all, I was NOT a directioner. I liked a couple songs and that's it" I joked, trying to minimize it. "And if I had to choose one I'd go with Zayn" I told her, rolling my eyes jokingly. "But still, wow. I really don't follow him or his solo music really, but this is huge Sarah! I'm so happy for you" I told her, feeling genuinely happy for her.

"Yes, we have a great team. I'm giving you a copy of the album because I know you haven't properly listened to it" She said. Which is true. I only listened to Only Angel once on the radio, and it's actually a great song, it was stuck in my head for like a week. I might give this album a chance and crank it in my apartment.

We headed to the living room and Harry followed behind as soon as he exited the bathroom. He got behind me near my ear and said, "Sarah told me you're not a fan, I gotta say it really hurts my ego but I might push it behind and turn you into a fan".

"Oh, really?" I said, raising an eyebrow and turning to him.

"Well, whether or not you become a fan it's up to you, but I would like to get to know you and you to know me, the actual me I mean" he said, sitting next to me.

"We'll see about that" I told him as I brought the wine glass to my lips. I wondered if this thing actually looked hot like in the movies or if I just looked like an idiot.

We continued talking and laughing as Sarah told stories about our teen years and all the stupid shit we did.

"And that's how Sage broke her arm on a date" she finished the embarrassing ass story which I wished she had forgotten, but how could she... she was the one that came to my rescue when I fell down the window trying to sneak out the boys house when his parents got there. We definitely lived the best teen years together, I really missed her and I'm glad we met again.

Around 2:00 am I decided it was time to head back home,

"Guys it was lovely meeting all of you and I'm sure we'll hang out again soon but I really need to go" I said standing up.

"Oh come on Sage!" Charlotte complained laughing, "it's still pretty early".

"I know but I have an early shift tomorrow so I should get going" I grabbed my jacket and my purse and started to make my way around saying goodbye to everyone, thanking that I only had one glass of wine because I wouldn't be able to drive otherwise.

As I got to Harry he smiled as he hugged me "Maybe I'll come visit you tomorrow at work. Ny says your apple pie is out of this world" he said.

"If I may say so myself, it's pretty fucking awesome" I said laughing.

"Bye Sarah" I said, hugging her and walking to my car.

I arrived, got ready for bed, and stared at the ceiling until I managed to push behind all the dark thoughts and memories that haunt me daily, and finally fell asleep.

#harry styles story #harry styles fic #harry styles au #fanfic #romance #teen romance #one direction fanfiction #kennedy claire walsh #lucy boynton

2 notes · View notes

arjuna-vallabha · 4 years

Photo

Durga puja by Ramachandra.

Before I begin , let me extend to everyone my heartfelt wishes for Navaratri and Sharadiya durgotsav . Most of us are completely unaware but Devi puja has already begun yesterday in many old aristrocract homes and ancient pujas of Bengal through ghat sthapan and ‘bodhan’ ritual . Yesterday was the auspicious Navami tithi of Krishna Paksha . The puja that spans from Krishna paksha Navami to the following Shukla paksha Navami is called Durgotsav . It was much later when Durgotsav started transforming itself from a king’s royal festival to common man’s celebration , that the elaborate 15 days long worship became obsolete and the shorter 5 day alternative ( puja starting from Shashti the 6th day of Navaratri ) became normative . In modern times , most pujas begin on shashthi tithi . Most Bengalis are unaware of the original Krishna Navami bodhan and 15 days durgotsav . But although the Krishna Navami tithi is forgotten , the tale of Ramachandra’s worship of Durga remains popular . Kavi Krittivasa’s Bengali Ramayan narrates the story where Shri Ram sees Goddess seated inside the royal chariot carrying Ravana in her lap ! Realising that he is blessed and protected by the goddess , Rama looses hope and starts to despair ! The devas panic and approach Brahma for a solution . Brahma asks Ramachandra to worship Chandika and earn her favour . As Krishnaa Navami and Pratipad was already past , Rama was advised by Brahma to do a ‘bodhan’ and begin worship on Shashti . Ramachandra began to arrange for the worship with great enthusiasm , assisted by the vanaras and his associates . Ramachandra himself sculpted a clay image of the goddess and sat down to awaken her through bodhan ritual in dusk . But even after three days of puja , devi did not appear. Vibhisana advised to Rama to worship Durga with 108 blue lotuses that are only found in a distant Devi daha lake . Courageous Hanuman brought back the 108 blue lotuses and Rama began to offer them one by one after 'sankalpa' . However Devi hid one lotus to test Rama’s sincerity . When that one lotus was nowhere to be found , heartbroken Ramachandra decided to offer one of his eyes to the goddess because people call him lotus eyed one . Just as he was about to gauge out his eye , Devi appeared and held Rama by hand and said – “ Stop stop o lord . You are the purna brahman. You need not do such a thing . It is only to make my puja popular in the universe that you decided to sport such a leela . I am leaving Ravana . You may go and vanquish the demon king . This story has been passed through generations in Bengal . However Krittivasa is not the creator of this story . The episode finds mention in many puranas and tantras a long time before poet Krittivasa . In Devi Bhagavat Purana VedaVyas says –-------- “ When the separation of Sita grew unbearable , Rama worshipped Bhagavati in Kishkindhya and through that act was enabled to defeat and kill the evil demon king and his accomplices . It was only through the mercy of Devi that Rama was able to return to Ayodhya and enjoy the throne . “ At another place the purana seys – “ In the holy land of Bharata , it was Raja Surath who first worshipped the great goddess . Later Shri Ram worshipped her for killing Ravana and that is how her puja became popular all over the three worlds .” Kalika Purana describes –------ “ In the olden times , Brahma awakened the great goddess in night to bestow benediction on Rama and kill evil Ravana . Thus awakened , the goddess entered Lanka and engaged Rama and Ravana in battle as she feasted on the blood and gore of the slain monkeys and rakshasas . She ensured that this battle lasts for one week . “ Brihaddharma Purana describes -------- “ Brahma said to the devas – ‘O all knowing devas . We ought to perform swastyayana for Rama’s victory . But nothing can be achieved without the grace of Bhagavati who must be awakened . “ Then Brahma and the devas began chanting hyms to devi who then appeared in form of a child and said – “ O Brahma and devas , im pleased with you all . Hear what I have to say to you . Tommorow at dusk perform bodhan and awaken me under the bilwa tree . Only then will your desires be fulfilled and Rama get his victory . “ The next day the devas and Brahma went to the bilwa tree in a remote region and saw the goddess in form of a small girl , sleeping peacefully on a leaf of that tree . She was shining like molten gold , her waist was thin and she wore new garlands . Her lips were full like bimba fruits and everything about her was auspicious . Then everyone began to sing hymns to her to awaken her from her sleep . Devi got up , blessed the devas and disappeared . In the lalita Trishati Stotram of Brahmanda Purana one verse says - " Lakshmanaagraja pujitaa " . Goddess who is worshipped by the elder brother of Lakshmana . This small utterance also harks back to the legend of Ramchandra's Durga puja . Krittivasa merely used the puranic tales and rearranged them in his own way . Ramachandra is inseperable from the culture of Durga puja in Bengal . Which is why one finds a painting of Ram durbar on the chaala chitra ( backdrop / prabhavali ) of the durga pratima . It is believed that after killing Mahiravana , Hanuman lifted the devi murti that he worshipped and had it brought to Bengal where he installed it in the sati peetha of Yogadya . Yogaadya is one of the 51 Sati peethas where body parts of sati's body fell after daksha yajna . Eeven today , during the days of Durga puja , Ramayana paath and Ramayana gaan is performed in the temple premises . The Valmiki Ramayana however does not have any mention of Durga puja . There Ram recites aditya stav before killing Ravana . However it must be understood that the legends of Ram finds numerous expression through numerous authors and narrators in each region of the subcontinent . Each version has its own religio-cultural merit . And that pluralism is verily the beauty of Hinduism ! Even the story of Lakshmana drawing the lakshamana rekha around Sita is not there in Valmiki Ramayana but has its origins in Krittivasa's Bengali Ramayana . But think how important the idea has become in modern indian culture ! The word bodhan means to awaken the ‘Bodha’ . The same bodha which made Siddhartha Gautama into the Buddha . Bodhan also means to awaken the devi within us . In the dusk of Shasthi as the darkness slowly creeps in and birds return to roost …….. when the slight autumnal nip in temperature and the fragrance of freshly bloomed shiuli flowers have clothed the earth in robes of festivity …...... the Bhattacharya sits under the bilwa tree beside the lamp , invoking the great goddess from her sleep ! As night descends on the surroundings , light begins to shine within our hearts ! Just like the saying of Bhagavan in Gita – “ What is night for ordinary jeevas is day for the gyani “ ! That verily is the essence of bodhan !! Breaking the stillness of the night , the auspicious chants of Bodhan mantra can be heard – “ aim , ravanasya vadhaarthaaya ramasyaanugraha cha , a-kaale brahmnaa bodho devyaastwayi kritah pura “

Painting and text by Halley Goswami, if you want to buy this painting or others of the genre go to: https://www.facebook.com/Halleysart

#Rama #Durga Puja #goddess #hindu architecture #Bengal

27 notes · View notes

lilacmiracle · 4 years

Text

The Terrifying Case of Iplier Manor - Chapter 1

Beta read by @mysterio-is-the-truth

Fandoms: Markiplier, Buzzfeed Unsolved

Note: Quotation marks are Ryan narrating, bold is Shane speaking, italics are Ryan speaking, both bold and italics is the psychic, both bold and italics and in all caps is the spirit box

(AO3) Words: 4,356

The video opens on a series of clips that are presumably filmed later in the episode. The first clip shows Ryan in front of a broken mirror while looking over at Shane, asking, breathlessly, “What the fuck?” The second clip shows Ryan, still in front of the broken mirror, with a bottle of what is presumably holy water. He sprays it at Shane. The third and final clip shows Ryan, Shane, and a new person, all in a different room, this one with a wood fireplace, with a flashlight that has been brightly turned on. The flashlight switches off, and Ryan screams very loudly.

The video then cuts to the intro for most ‘Supernatural’ episodes, with the building in the background being a version of the Manor, rendered in a 2-Dimensional style.

The video then cuts to Ryan and Shane standing in front of the double doors to the Manor, with Ryan on the right and Shane on the left.

“We are here at Iplier Manor, site of the Warfstache Disappearances, for this season’s finale and my one demon sacrifice for this season.”

I’m really fucking scared, man. I -- I don’t wanna do this.

It’s fiiiiiine. I mean, what’s the worst that’s gonna happen? Spooky lawyer ghosts?

We could die! We could disappear like those other people!

Only if the Colonel comes.

“This house, if it is, in fact, inhabited by a demon, is by far the most dangerous location that we have ever investigated. As such, we have brought in a psychic to help us in our investigation.”

The new person from the third clip steps into frame. She appears to be an older woman with short, gray hair and loose clothes. She is wearing loose necklaces and an abundance of bracelets that hang off of her wrists.

Hello, my name is Lily, and I am here to help these two with their investigation on this Manor right here.

With that, the Ghoul Boys™ and Lily head inside of the Manor.

I have a Bible and my holy water.

You’re gonna be fine, Ryan.

I sure hope so.

“This episode is going to be rather out of the ordinary with regards to our other demon investigations, considering the fact that we have already covered the history of this house in our last True Crime episode. However, there are a few odd occurrences inside of these walls that were not covered in that video.”

The video cuts to black, fading into a black-and-white image of Mark Iplier. Ryan’s narration continues.

“This Manor has a long history of misery, being the place of many a divorce and untimely death, all of which were ruled to be by natural causes. Things start getting weird when the actor Mark Iplier buys the house for himself and his new wife, Celine Iplier, in early 1913. Investigators found a diary that is believed to have been owned by Celine Iplier. The entries in this diary paint a terrible picture -- Mark was being twisted into the form of a monster, wrote one entry.”

The image on the video had shifted into an image of Celine when Ryan mentioned her. Now, it shows an image of aged paper, with a message written in practiced cursive. A female voice begins to read:

“Friday, February 20, 1914,

This house has become more and more oppressive. I sense darkness within it, and I think that Mark does as well. I am concerned, for if he feels what I can -- he is not trained in anything beyond our world, he has no access to what is past our mortal realm. For the house to make itself known, even to him, is a sign of something terrible.

I can feel him changing, shifting; he has been ever since he bought this place. Hell, he changed the moment he set foot through those damned doors. I don’t know what the house is twisting him into -- I just know that I won’t like the end result.”

There is a sound effect of the turning of a page, and the image onscreen is replaced by a new one -- another aged piece of paper, the same perfect penmanship, a different message that’s somehow even more ominous. The same voice begins to read:

“Wednesday, August 5, 1914,

Mark hasn’t gotten a job in months. He quit the studio in June, and he keeps telling me that he’ll try for a job with another. He’s not going to, and I don’t have to be psychic to see that. He keeps wasting away in his office, today is no different. He keeps going to the wine cellar, but whenever I go, no wine is missing.

I don’t know what he’s doing. Mark’s beginning to scare me -- he fired our butler. Again. He wouldn’t have done that two years ago. This Mark isn’t the one I married two years ago, either.

This house is twisting him, and I fear the image that he is being molded to. My concerns aren’t being listened to, either -- everyone’s saying it’s the stress of the War. That’s not it, wars don’t make men stay away from their wives for weeks at a time. Wars don’t make men fire staff member after staff member, or buy car after car, while doing nothing at all with the luxuries that they’ve bought. Wars don’t change men like Mark has changed.

I want my husband back. And I want this fucking house burned to the ground.”

Another page turn, another piece of paper. It’s still old, and still covered in Celine’s perfect handwriting. A new message is upon it.

“Friday, May 14, 1915,

Mark is dead, and whatever’s walking around in his body isn’t him. I’ve mourned and made my peace with that. The thing wearing his face is a selfish and awful monster.

It still hosts parties like Mark did -- the same poker nights that are always won by (the writing is redacted. Written over it, in white, is “The District Attorney,” despite the fact that the person that it must be referring to won’t even be the DA for another 5 years), the same cocktail parties for the sole purpose of social climbing. Those parties are the same as before, which is almost insulting. The only difference is that Mark, our friends and I used to make fun of the pompous jerks, afterward. Now he sends them home with everyone else. He never speaks to me, either.

Parties are the only times I see my brother anymore. I miss Damien, almost more than I miss Mark. But I know that Damien is within reach. I know that I can worm my way past the monster, if only for a few hours. But Mark is too far gone to even be contacted through the beyond. I fear that I will never see him again, even after I die. That almost scares me more than the monster.”

Another entry.

“Saturday, October 7, 1916,

William returned yesterday. He says to call him Colonel now, but I don’t think I ever will. It’s too impersonal, and it glorifies the War far too much. The War cost William his leg, and too many others their lives.

Will may be my only escape from the monster. He hasn’t let me leave this house in months, not even to see Damien. There’s a poker night on Tuesday, the 10th. I know that William will be there, and I know that the layout of the house will disorient him. When he gets lost in the house, I can find him. He’ll be away from ‘Mark,’ far enough away that I can convince him to run away with me. I know that he will, I know that he still loves me, even after our breakup, and even after my wedding.

I only have one chance to escape. William is my last hope, and if I fail, my fate will be at the hands of the monster.

At times like this, I think of my husband. My real husband. I miss Mark dearly, but I know that I could never bear to look at him if he came back. His image has been far too tainted by the thing that is wearing his face.

This will be my final entry. I am hiding this diary in the hopes that it may one day be found by those who may purchase this accursed Manor. Know that if I have mysteriously died or disappeared, it was caused by something taking the form of Mark Iplier.

Know that this Manor isn’t safe.”

Well that was something.

That was an adventure. We’ve got body snatchers, we’ve got cursed houses, we’ve got reclusive husbands. Hell, this would make a great book!

(wheeze)

“These diary entries tell the horrifying tale of Celine Iplier, who was terrorized by the demon within this very Manor. It took the form of her husband, Mark Iplier, whom she was later able to divorce. She regained her maiden name, which has now been lost, along with many other names of those present at the party almost exactly four years later.”

What’s weird -- and I mean it’s really fucking weird -- is she did still disappear mysteriously. With whatever made itself look like her ex-husband.

That is weird, yeah, but it’s also four years later. I think it’s a coincidence.

But it’s four years to the day!

Coincidence. Although -- this does paint Warfstache in a whole new light.

It does, actually. He’s the hero now!

Good for him.

“Speaking of Warfstache, we are now going to be entering the room that matched the location of his supposed ‘séance room.’ When it was investigated, there was no evidence of anything supernatural at all, though it doesn’t hurt to look.”

The crew enters the room, which is set up with a table in the center. Around it are three chairs, presumably meant for Shane, Ryan, and Lily. There are three lit candles sitting on the center of the table.

We are going to be performing a séance in this room, the one where Damien and Celine allegedly disappeared. We will be attempting to contact their departed spirits, in the hopes that they will be able to give us answers as to the events that transpired in this house.

Shane, Ryan, and Lily all sit at the table. They join hands around the table, encircling it.

Close your eyes, everyone.

Shane, Ryan, and Lily all close their eyes.

We are reaching out to one or both of the twins Damien and Celine, who disappeared in this house in the year 1920. If either of you are present, please send us a sign.

Nothing happens for a moment. The room is silent, the only light coming from the flames of the candles.

Lily visibly shudders.

Something is here. I do not know who, or what, it is. Ryan, if you could ask your first question?

Yes. Are you Damien or Celine?

I -- I just felt a “No.” In my head. I don’t think that it’s either of them.

Are you, or were you, human?

Another “No.”

Are you a demon?

Lily breathes deeply, as if steeling herself.

“Yes.”

Ryan visibly tenses. Shane continues his questioning.

Are you the demon that looked like the actor guy?

Lily becomes unnaturally still for a moment, as if she’s listening to something that nobody else can hear.

It -- it says that it never looked like him. It never possessed him. It just ... spoke to him. Are you intending to harm anyone in this circle tonight?

Silence. The video cuts ahead, almost imperceptibly, as everyone is still in the same position as before.

Fifteen minutes have passed with no answer. The demon has ended the séance.

Lily opens her eyes and releases Shane and Ryan’s hands. The others follow suit.

I’m really freaking out now.

You’ve got your holy water, man. And your Bible.

I -- yeah. I have holy water and I’m not afraid to use it.

You think it was telling the truth? About not possessing the guy?

Are you actually admitting that a real demon was talking to us?

I’m not admitting anything. I’m invested in the story, though.

The story.

Yeah, the story. Was the guy possessed like the wife says, or did he just become a total douche? Fame can do that to people, you know.

You didn’t need fame for that, you dick.

Shush, you.

“After the séance, we’re going to be walking around the Manor so that Lily can get a general sense of the place and if there’s anything that she can pick up on that we haven’t.”

I would just like to say, before we leave this room -- I can feel something here. Unrelated to the recent séance.

Ryan hesitates, then says,

Please elaborate.

Something ... bad ... happened here. In this room. I sense feelings of confusion, betrayal, loss ... regret. I -- hang on.

She moves to another area of the room, closing in on herself.

Something terrible happened, right in this spot. Somebody died right here. The thing is, though, I can usually sense if it’s a masculine or a feminine presence. I can definitively say that there was at least one masculine presence, the one that died in this spot. But the other ... seems to alternate between the two. And not in a natural way, either; it feels like a woman was possessed by something male. These ‘presences’ aren’t here right now, though, Ryan, you can relax.

Ryan had tensed up, but now he relaxed slightly after Lily told him to.

These are ... echoes of people that were here, ones that went through something awful. These echoes feel very similar to each other, at least, the masculine one and the feminine part of the other. I think that Damien and Celine did die here. I can also sense that they are still wandering this plane, still stuck roaming the mortal realm ... but they left this Manor long ago. We won’t see any of them tonight.

With that, she exits the room, beckoning for Shane and Ryan to follow.

“Our first stop is by an object that most paranormal investigators have agreed is one of the most active places in this Manor.”

The crew stops near a broken mirror on the first floor of the building. There is a large hole just to the left of the center of the mirror.

There is a lot of energy here. You boys might like to use your ‘Spirit Box’ here later. I can feel ... quite a lot, a lot of people, a lot of emotion, right here. I can feel an echo of a man, just over there.

She points to an area just past the mirror, towards what appears to be a room with large double doors leading outside. They are covered by curtains, and made almost completely of glass.

There is a sense of ... pity. Towards him, from someone over here. This mirror feels ... empty. Not empty as in ‘there’s nothing there,’ but empty as in apathetic. Someone fought desperately, kicked and screamed and did everything in their power to get someone, anyone, to help them ... but nobody came. So, they slowly gave up. The fight drained until they finally realized that nobody would, or even could, save them. Now they’re trapped in the eternal hell of the mirror, abandoned by those they thought to be friends. I ... don’t know where that came from, I’m sorry.

Don’t be.

Well, I can tell you that the presence in the mirror was human, but now they’re a spirit. Neither a masculine nor feminine presence, but I think that that discrepancy is a natural one. I can also feel ... something familiar, similar to the room we were in a few minutes ago.

The séance room?

Yes. It is only an echo, but it feels ... powerful. Very, very powerful. And ... angry. On a quest for revenge, hoping to right the wrongs done unto it. Them. It feels like multiple people in one echo, which ... I don’t like that. But ... that echo held the souls of Damien and Celine, but ... not. It was them, but broken. Only bits and pieces of their souls were pieced together into this ... amalgamation. I just ... I really don’t like the energy over here anymore. May we go on?

Of course.

Shane and Ryan hang back a bit.

That was intense. Maybe it possessed her? A bit? Or the thing in the mirror was lonely, and went kind of overboard in expressing itself. Maybe?

We can ask it with the Spirit Box later. Of course, I would not be at all opposed if you didn’t want to.

Why? You scared, Shane?

It’s loud and annoying and, frankly, if I don’t have to hear it then I wouldn’t mind at all.

Yeah, it is kind of loud and annoying.

Thank you.

But we’re still doing it.

*sigh*

The video cuts to the crew walking around various hallways and into various rooms. A few occasional creaks and thumps can be heard, but they’re all easily explainable as the house settling. It is uneventful, until Lily suddenly stops at the top of a balcony on the second floor. Shane and Ryan turn around to see her grasping at the rail with a white-knuckled grip, her eyes squeezed shut.

I ... someone died here. Someones, actually. Two people died in this general area.

Can you tell us if you have any idea of who?

Yes. I need a moment, though.

She walks back to a window that she had passed a moment ago. She kneels below it, her head bowed. She stands again.

I can feel it. A man died right here, very suddenly. I would say that I smell gunpowder, but I don’t smell it, I only sense it. This man wanted justice, he wanted answers for ... I’m sorry. I don’t know.

That’s alright. Can you give any more insight as to who he was?

Yes. Something about him is very ... fixed. He stuck to what he knew, and what he was familiar with. He always had a partner, even though none of them lived to tell the tale.

The Detective.

That seems to make sense, considering everything that I’m getting from him. I think his name was ... “Abe.”

Thank you. Now, can you tell us anything about the other death?

Yes. It was over here, I believe.

She walks back to the balcony, gripping the rail. She never looks over the edge, instead staring into the camera.

It was just as sudden as Abe’s. A gunshot. They were trying to help their partner, though they didn’t blame the culprit. Everyone was high-strung at the time, and the Detective was ‘poking the bear,’ at least, that’s what I’m getting from them.

Their partner ... this must be where the District Attorney died.

This feels eerily similar to the spirit in the mirror.

One could hear a pin drop, with how silent it got. After a moment, Lily continued.

They were shot, and then they fell over this balcony right here, all the way to the ground below.

Lily looks over the railing, gripping it with both hands. Her knuckles are white, when suddenly she reaches out, screaming,

IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, I SWEAR!

It echoes in the hall for a moment. Everyone, even Shane, stands there in stunned silence. Lily retracts her hand, resting both gently upon the railing. She looks down. Her eyes are closed. She murmurs, softly, almost to herself,

It’s not fair, is it?

Lily shudders and looks up and around, coming back to herself. She folds her arms tightly across her chest and breezes past the camera, murmuring,

I’m sorry, I have to go. I’ll be in the last room.

The video shows Shane and Ryan looking at each other in confusion and concern. The video shows the crew chasing after her for a bit, then cutting to a room with a couch and a fireplace, with a hardwood floor. It is the room that was shown in one of the clips that was played at the beginning of the video, the clip with the flashlights. Lily is there, with Shane and Ryan. Lily is standing in front of the fireplace.

Are you sure that you want to do this?

Yes, I’m sure. The flashlights will provide a mode of communication, so nothing will have to use me. This will actually be the safest thing that we have done thus far -- provided, of course, that we continue to adhere to the rules of proper conduct.

What are those? We haven’t heard of any kind of rules, except for not to directly incite anything to speak.

No, that’s not what I meant. You received general advice, of the kind that could be used in contact with any run-of-the-mill demon. This one, however, requires a bit of ... decorum. Most powerful demons are like that, and this Entity is no exception.

What are these rules, exactly?

You don’t need to worry, I’ll let you know if you come close to breaking any. Just continue as you were.

Okay, well, if you’re sure ...

“We are currently sitting in the room that contained the makeshift crime scene, that was supposed to belong to Mark Iplier. The area that the body supposedly occupied was in front of that fireplace right there -” he gestured over to the fireplace “- and it is also here that he reportedly died. Once again, this was covered in our True Crime video, however, there are a few supernatural elements that we neglected to mention. Specifically, Warfstache’s reports of the body having disappeared less than 24 hours after it was discovered.”

The “poof” strikes again.

(uneasy laughter)

“There is no evidence to suggest that this body was moved through supernatural means, in fact, there is also no real evidence to suggest that a body was even here in the first place. The crude shape of a body lying on the ground was constructed of white tape, however, it was not likely that it was constructed by actual authorities, given that no records definitively place a body in this spot.”

Not to mention that the tape structure had a dick on it.

Wait, really? Like, the real outline had a dick?

Yep.

(disbelieving laughter)

“Additionally, many tests have been performed in this area to determine whether any bodily fluids, fingerprints, or any kind of remnant of a human body was present in this area. All that was found was half of a thumbprint, which could not be identified.”

The thumbprint was in the general area of where the thumb would have been, judging from the tape, but that’s not enough conclusive evidence to say, “yes, Mark Iplier did die here.”

It could’ve been any thumbprint, from anyone who was making the tape thing.

Yeah. Personally, I think that it was Iplier’s, but some may not exactly be inclined to believe that.

Lily takes the end of Ryan’s narration as her cue to begin investigating the room for an echo or a presence of any kind.

There was death here, but ... I do not sense any emotion from the victim. That’s ... very odd.

The “victim?” So the person that died here, were they mur-

NO!!!

Ryan and Shane glance at each other in shock.

Don’t say that word. It’s a rule for this demon.

Ryan gives a shaky exhale.

Thanks.

But to answer your question ... yes. The victim was ... killed by someone else.

Do you have any idea who?

I ... barely. He seems very similar to the man I sensed earlier, the one who was pitied by something near the mirror. I know it isn’t much, but ...

Thanks anyway, Lily. Now, let’s get into Shane’s favorite part ...

It’s flashlight time!

A flashlight is set up as usual, with the setting almost hovering between on and off. It’s currently on, but it would be very easy to turn off completely.

Okay, my first question: is anyone or anything with us right now? Please turn the flashlight off if you are willing to communicate.

The flashlight doesn’t change for a bit. Then, slowly, it dims and turns off. Ryan tenses up immediately, while Shane hardly reacts.

For the record ... this does feel very similar to the demon from earlier.

If you’re a demon, turn it back on!

The flashlight turns on almost immediately. It is shining rather brightly, brighter than before. Ryan shrinks back a bit. Shane, however, is laughing.

Turn it off ... if you’re gonna kill us!

The light turns off, and Ryan screams. Shane laughs at Ryan’s reaction.

Okay, demon, just one more question before Ryan starts talking ... turn the flashlight back on if you’re gonna disappear us like those other guys.

The camera focuses on the flashlight for a few minutes, but it remains off.

Wow, we’re not even gonna be a mystery? You’re just gonna kill us and not even bother making it interesting? You have no taste.

Shane is shaking his head in mock disappointment as Ryan laughs uneasily.

I am gonna be slaughtered in cold blood, and when I do I want it to be a goddamned mystery! I wanna be on Buzzfeed Unsolved! Fuck you!

Ryan is laughing louder now, and is beginning to relax.

Okay, uh, let’s get down to business. Did you kill the inhabitants of this Manor in October of 1920?

The flashlight remains off, immobile.

I think I scared him off.

Try one more question, Ryan?

Okay. Did you enable, or help along in any way, the deaths of the inhabitants of this Manor in October 1920?

The flashlight remains off for a moment. Then, slowly, it dimly turns itself on. Ryan jumps, but doesn’t freak out as badly as before.

I ... I think that we’re done with the flashlights tonight.

Awww!

Shane pouts, while Ryan grabs the flashlight and turns it off. Lily stands, and nods at Ryan and Shane.

It seems that it is time to make my leave. Goodbye, you two.

Lily begins to walk away, as Ryan and Shane wave a short goodbye. Then as soon as she is about to leave the room, she stops and turns back.

Good luck. You’ll need it.

Then, she walks out of frame.

Tags: @lildevyl @ghostly-quest @turtlecrow @sandinthetardis

#markiplier #wkm #The Terrifying Case of Iplier Manor #The Terrifying Case of Iplier Manor - Chapter 1 #bfu #buzzfeed unsolved #wkm fic #ryan bergara #shane madej #Damien #Celine #wkm the seer #wkm the mayor #wkm the detective #wkm the colonel #wkm the actor #wkm the DA

30 notes · View notes

ultrahamilham · 4 years

Note

You tagged me in a thing and I had a stroke, bless you

I get all Pikachu meme whenever I see you in my dash and you've referred to me and acknowledged my existence because it is literally the best thing ever, I have a mini stroke every time

Three ships: Jamilton, Jamilams and Jamilmads (would've said lams but then it just sounds like I'm saying the same ship in three different ways lol)

Last song: Uhh, I don't listen to music much, but Ultimately by Khai dreams

Last movie: The Hunchback of Notre dame

Currently craving: Sushi, oddly enough (I haven't had it in about nine years but still, want)

Currently reading: The Da Vinci code, and about five different fanfictions

About a very late answer to your question (My family has COVID, which is shocking to hear, or so I'm told, but they're recovering and they fortunately had a mild case and no one has any history of disease so they're going to be okay! That's what the doctor said and I'm praying), Taco hell made me laugh really hard when I read it and really lifted my spirits because I remember being in not a great place when I started it but it made me smile which was like, a thing for me, and don't judge me but I think The three way was probably my favourite and I don't want to think about what that says about me but it was really because I love works that are that long (around 50k is always my sweet spot). I'm not sure if I'm remembering right and I'm so so sorry if I'm getting the title song wrong but that one Jamilton fic with uh, Gucci and fendi in the title was really fun to read ;-;

I also remeber the first work of yours I ever read was this comfort Whamilton around 1.5 or 2k where it starts raining and Alexander is on edge but George comforts him- Okay, I'm ranting now, apologies. ;-; (idk You're super cool and I want to talk to you like, normally, but you'll hateee me and I don't want that and so here)

I never really get a chance to respond as soon as I'd like, BUT I never get to and if you don't want to know/care about my life- please skip to the next paragraph thank you. So, I did end up watching Snowpiercer! I watched all ten episodes in one day which is iffy to say the least, but I'm still alive! I did love it. And I've been alright- a bit anxious with everything, but I've been giving my tests and uni and stuff. Yesterday, I was about to go to the vet when u realised about two minutes into the ride that I forgot my dog so that was embarrassing. Almost competing with the time I dropped my phone and then followed it, dropping to my knees and immediately bursting into tears (Nothing even happened to my phone!). So if you read this, thank you again.

I wanted to ask how you were doing too! If you don't mind xxx

And as for the fanfic writer asks, would you mind answering 50 ;-;

Wgjfvqkcwkh also I heard about you and Henni getting married so CONGRATULATIONS that is the most amazing, sweetest thing and in honestly so f*cking happy for both of you. I audibly awwed when I saw that post and I can't believe I just remembered.

I'm so sorry this got out of hand with how long it is, I didn't mean for it to be ;-;

-shy anon, sincerely apologising for possibly ruining your day by oversharing and/or overstepping (also with love and congratulations for you and her)

I get the surprised pikachu face whenever you show up in my ask box ;-; It always makes me happy!!!

Okay but sushi is always good. The craving comes randomly for me as well. I didn’t crave it at all when I used to make it for a living, because I got so tired of it, but now I crave it every once in a while lol it’s really good ;-;

I really hope everyone is doing okay! COVID is scary and it’s no joke. Having it before was horrible for me and I would never wish it on anyone. I hope everyone including you is okay ;-;

I’m glad Taco Hell did what I was meaning for it to do! It’s meant to be lighthearted and make people laugh. It’s based off of my life and it’s actual situations I end up in all the time. It’s quite amusing lol

I would never judge you. The Three Way is literally the one fic I am most proud of. I could never judge you. I literally go back and read it every once in a while and go like “I made that... Holy fuck...”

Oh! Gucci Not Fendi is the title. I’m glad you liked it!!!

Rant all you want! I adore that Whamilton fic ;-;

Seriously, my dear, I can promise you that I won’t hate you at all. Believe me, I really won’t. I’m probably the most awkward and annoying person anyone will ever know and I overshare like everything. People know more about me than they really should.. Lol

I care about your life, I was the one that asked you to tell me! But honestly, snowpiercer was soooo good... Like I tried to binge it all in one day but I was trying to write as well and it didn’t go over well lmao, snowpiercer ended up winning! I’m really glad you watched it!!!

That whole forgetting your dog thing is a mood. Today I forgot to turn on the food heaters and I realized it right before it was too late. Almost lost $200 worth of meat... Oops... Lmao

I do that with my phone if I drop it even if it’s okay. I just freak the fuck out and cry before I know if there really is an issue

Also I’m doing good! I decided to just lay back and relax tonight so I’m having a few drinks and I’m gonna watch random shit lol I was up for 33 hours the night before last and slept for 15 hours after. I can’t recommend doing that, especially not when you’re like 24. I’m too old for that shit.

Hell yeah I can do 50! I will give you a sneak peak at the 3rd part of the three way... .-. It will be posted on Oct 19th!!!

Here it is. This is seriously NSFW lol:

Alexander looked down at Thomas and ran the fingers of his free hand through Thomas' hair. He licked his lips as he watched Thomas work his tongue expertly inside George. "You're such a good boy Thomas, you're already wrecking him." He purred.

Thomas let out a low moan and kept up the work, getting a little more aggressive. Alexander could feel himself getting hard in his pants at the sight coupled with George's shameless moans. Alexander looked back at George's face and grinned a bit. "Are you proud of us, Daddy?" He asked.

George pressed his forehead against the headrest and panted as Thomas wrecked him. He tried to push back against Thomas to no avail. "Fuck… Y-yes… Yes you two did so good… Please… Please do as you wish… Whatever you choose, do it… I will take whatever you give me, you de-deserve it…" George bit out desperately.

Alexander grinned in delight at that. He looked at Thomas who looked just as excited from what George just said. He then touched Thomas' shoulder. "Alright, that's enough babe. I'm going to stretch him, then we can give him a good spanking. Why don't you undress for me? I have a little treat for you." He purred. -END of the preview.

Thank you so much! We are so freaking happy that it’s happening. We were planning it more today! It’s so amazing ugh.

I appreciate it all the same! It’s not too long for me at all!! Don’t you worry my dear <3 you didn’t overstep at all!

#shy anon #sweet bean

6 notes · View notes

seven-oomen · 3 years

Text

Hi Ben! I see you’re still enjoying the absolute insanity that has gripped tumblr the last couple of days XD . As someone who’s been a tumblr lurker for a number of years, this is hysterical enough from my side. I can’t imagine the sheer ridiculousness of seeing it firsthand. Virtually every blog I check, no matter if they’ve ever seen a SPN episode or not, has been posting about it. It is WILD.

I feel like I’m at least a little lucky that I always skewed more ‘lock’ than anything (mainly because my 'who’ took a hard dive into Torchwood and never really recovered), so there’s less emotional flashbacks/richochets/rollercoastering/etc. (Yes, I did in fact see the news about Sherlock season 5, but I never saw season 4 because of some of the feedback I heard before I got the chance to watch it, so it’ll take something truly impressive to draw me back now.) Although in a roundabout way Sherlock is what eventually led me to Teen Wolf because of multi-focus blogs, so I guess I can thank it for that.

Work was one of those super fun days where the manager leaving not long after I got there was all “Yeah, it’s been really calm, and both deliveries so far have been small and should be easy to deal with." So of course, about an hour after he leaves, four more pallets full of stuff show up, so I spent pretty much my whole shift trying to get everything checked in. On the one hand, yay, less customers, on the other, hauling that shit around in a mask gets hot.

That dish sounds delicious, and definitely better than my sad lunch/dinner at work. Ngl, I’m extremely jealous.

And omg, the last line post now has me nervous again because there are multiple options of who is saying whatever it is to whom, and all of them hurt. XD Also very here for the idea of a pack of three year-olds trying to pull a Parent Trap on their respective dads. Is there a treehouse or playhouse they can lock them into to talk? A moment of Jax and Stiles pointing out that they both agree on this, so they should know that it’s serious? Trying to make them draw or write down why they’re sad, or whatever similar coping skills the dad usually has the kid use? Trying to take away a treat of some sort/ground them from doing something/etc until they agree to talk to each other? So many possibilities.

I cackled at that coffee shop guy post, because the sheer obliviousness demonstrated by the op throughout the story is almost the exact energy being displayed by Peter in my fake dating fic and seeing a story of it happening in RL about took me out. XD

Also, I’m super curious what kinds of rituals you’re planning for the fic. Good, bad, druidic, wolfy, pack, wedding, birth, sexy, friendship, binding, warding, ??? Inquiring minds want to know (whenever you are ready to share of course. Inquiring minds can also be patient. ;D )

Oh, a funny moment at work! I was picking up one of the pallets after I’d emptied it, and there was a knot in one of the boards that I almost knocked out as I grabbed it, and my brain’s immediate thought was "Whoops, almost just popped the knot on that wood”, immediately followed by the thought “Oh god, no, jesus christ, PHRASING, tonight of all nights, no." (I am super sad that there is no one I work with that I could scream about this with.)

Anyway, I should wrap up because I need to leave for work soon. Enjoy the continuing thrill ride that is this site, and best of vibes for any writing attempts today! Take care! *Hugs!*

Okay I’m gonna add the preview to your fic from your last message to this one so I have it all in one message here. Because after writing over 3K yesterday my brain is just really tired and I keep wanting to nap today. Haven’t done much and replying to two messages is a bit much.

On the flip side, I did update Final Masquerade today and that chapter is almost 7K long. So yay!

Also, my fucking feelings while writing that. Jesus christ on a pogo stick.

And in the spirit of “Oh, did you say enemies-to-lovers? Sorry, I heard idiots-to-lovers”, here is another preview from the fake dating fic, because I love this part, and it features the first appearance of Fashion Consultant Peter:

“Peter, what the hell are you doing in my closet?” Noah’s voice sounded like it was thankfully more bemused than annoyed, but Peter knew that it could be a fine line to walk.

“Trying not to cry in despair, for the most part. Why is everything you own at least a size too big and some shade of brown?” Peter called back over his shoulder, still staring at the somewhat neatly organized rainbow of dull, listless neutrals in growing dismay.

“I’m wearing a green shirt right now, asshole, and not all of us are interested in looking like we got squeezed into our clothing by force. Some of us actually acknowledge our age, and try to dress somewhat appropriately. Some of us also understand the value of blending in.”

“Okay, firstly, age, as they say, is just a number. Secondly, there’s trying not to stand out, and there’s just giving up. Though frankly, I’ve never quite put much stock in either.”

“Color me shocked to hear that from someone I’ve seen wear a cardigan like it was an actual shirt on more than one occasion.”

Peter shrugged as he continued to rifle through hangers and peek into storage containers, though he wasn’t certain that Noah could even see him from within the depths of the walk-in. “If you’ve got it, flaunt it.” The sigh that answered him held a level of long-suffering, begrudging patience that Peter was far more used to hearing directed at Stiles than himself.

—–

Why yes, there is indeed a trip suit shopping in the story. Basically, I am cramming in every random obnoxiously trope-y thing I can remember from the few rom coms I’ve seen. Also, there is so much food in this story. Like, it’s ridiculous how often there someone ends up eating something. I’m not even sure where it came from.

I’ve been reading this multiple times in the last few days, it’s just so cute!

He’s in the closet huh? Is he gonna come out?

Sorry, sorry, I’ll can it XD

And honestly, I think Tumblr’s 2012 insanity streak is the only thing keeping me sane right now. Because holy shit what a week.

I never really got into Sherlock myself or Doctor Who. I think I saw one episode of Dr. who (with David Tennant I think) and three episodes of Sherlock because my mom used to watch it.

I saw 12 seasons of Supernatural though, I definitely had an obsession with Destiel and particularly Dean Winchester. Fun fact; Cosplaying Dean made me comfortable enough to come out to my friends as transgender. Because I realized that I couldn't hide my gender even if I tried so hard for over 23 years.

And it was Supernatural that eventually led me to Teen Wolf. Well, that and Grimm, which was also a really fun show and really interesting.

Oh boy, yeah whenever a manager told me that I knew I was gonna be in for a very interesting night. For sure, sucks that you had to do that in a mask though. But on the other hand, no customer interaction does sound like it was a nice break in a way. And OMG I snorted!

It’s a good thing we don’t work together, I feel like the jokes wouldn’t have ended. My god I’m still snickering.

I do have a bit of an idea to have them go to the cinema with the kids and make them watch the parent trap, which of course leads to all sorts of shenanigans back at home where Allison and Malia are constantly trying to lock the dads in a room together, aided by Derek and Laura because Malia can’t reach the door handles just yet. Meanwhile Stiles and Jackson are coming up with increasingly elaborate schemes for two three-year-olds that involve their dads being locked in tree houses, sheds, and other places. Not to mention, the kindergarten pact.

And I like to think at some point the wives and Melissa start helping the kids as well. I mean I’d really like to build one giant polyamorous family for this fic.

#ben says stuff #my convos with anon #B #submission

1 note · View note

yurtletheturtlehenderson · 5 years

Text

S.T. REWRITE - S2:E3; Chapter Three, The Pollywog - [Pt. 4 - FINAL PART]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

Dustin adopts a strange new pet, and Eleven grows increasingly impatient. A well-meaning Bob urges Will to stand up to his fears while Y/n’s powers grow stronger, bringing to light many questions about her past.

A/n: HOLY SLEEP DEPRIVATION, BATMAN. I wrote most of this at like 3 am. Ok, now THIS is a long chapter. I would advise you to take some breaks but I don't know how many of you will actually listen so... yeah, happy reading and count this your daily reminder to drink some water! :D

||3rd Person POV||

El marched through the woods. She had been walking for several hours. Finally, she reached the edge of the woods, and her attention was drawn to the sounds of giggling.

She followed the noise and found just up the hill was a mother pushing her child on the swing.

"Pump your feet," The mother encouraged, smiling.

El couldn't help but feel saddened by this. More memories of Hopper came flooding back.

[FLASHBACK]

"I would feel so sad if I was a disappointment to her,"

Night had fallen and El had been tucked into bed. She listened intently as Hopper read Anne of Greene Gables to her, much like he did for his daughter before her passing.

"because she didn't live very long after that, you see. She died of a fever when I was just three months old. I do wish she'd lived long enough for me to remember calling her mother. I think it would be so sweet to say 'mother.'"

"Do I have a mother?" El asked timidly.

"Yeah, of course you have a mother. You couldn't really be born without one."

"Where is she?"

"She..." Hopper's face fell. "She's not around anymore."

"Gone?"

There was a pain in his eyes as he told her this.

"Yeah."

El's eyes began to water, and Hopper felt a weight on his heart.

"I'm sorry about that, kid." He said sincerely.

There was a moment of silence, and Hopper continued as El quietly wiped the tears from her eyes.

[END OF FLASHBACK]

"Is your mom here?"

El was still staring at the new empty swing set, lost in the memory.

"Sweetie?"

El tore her gaze away to the mom who now stood before her, holding her child's hand. A concerned look was etched on her face.

"School." El croaked. "Where is school?"

The mother only looked more concerned and confused. Reluctantly, she replied.

"The school? It's, uh... it's about a mile that way. At least." She gestured.

She offered El a kind smile.

"Where are your parents?"

El shifted her attention to the swing and the sound of chains rattling grabbed the attention of the younger girl.

"Look, Mommy, look."

The woman looked behind her to see she swing her daughter had previously occupied was now wrapping itself around the structure of the swing set.

Astonished, she looked back to El, only nobody was there. She had vanished.

+++

All Joyce could think about the rest of the day was those mean nasty boys.

The second she walked in the door, she went straight to the video camera. She recalled it being in Will's room. She threw open the door and scanned the messy room.

She recognized the device laying on Will's desk and she made a beeline for it.

After much turbulence and a confusing call with Bob, she got the tape hooked up to the TV and pressed play.

She saw a clip of Bob teaching the boys how to operate the camera. She frowned, as she looked at the buttons on the device. She found the fast forward button and pressed it, scanning the screen carefully. After a considerable amount of time, the camera shifted and was angled up at the sky.

She immediately pressed rewind and then play, right before the incident must have happened. It was the view of Y/n Henderson running after someone, Mike she gathered from her distant voice in the video. When sure enough, just as Bob had said, out of nowhere three teenagers in masks and makeup appeared.

"Watch it, Zombie Boy!" A boy dressed as a werewolf said, before disappearing.

"Trick or treat, freak!"

"Boo!"

As Joyce watched the tape, carefully trying to identify the boys, her face contorted in disgust. She could feel her blood boil at the sight.

By now the camera had fallen to the ground and was angled at the sky. For a moment nothing happened, that was until she heard a familiar voice.

"Will?" It was Y/n, and she sounded worried.

Joyce heard shuffling and then soon enough, Y/n came into view, and her voice rose as she yelled at the fleeting bullies. Her arms waving in her fit of anger.

"Hey, piss off! You leave him alone, you hear me? You leave him the fuck alone!"

Joyce never bothered to fight the small smirk that made its way onto her face. Those pricks had it coming to them. She reminded herself to thank Y/n later.

Her small moment of relief was immediately replaced with heartache when she heard Will begin to call out, frightened.

"Y/n! Mike!" She saw him wander carefully and cautiously into view.

Suddenly, she noticed a pause and then Will running away, followed by a very concerned Y/n.

The screen flickered ever so quickly and she paused the tape when she noticed the faint outline of something.

The screen flickered once more before it stopped. Her eyes caught on the mysterious invisible shape the camera had picked up. Something clicked in her head and she stared at the thin wispy outline in horror.

She jumped to her feet and ran to the kitchen. She ripped open one of the supply drawers and grabbed a sheet of parchment paper, and one of Will's crayons.

Joyce ran back to the television set and put it against the screen, and quickly traced it. When she finished, she knew she recognized the shape and ran it back to the table, comparing it to Will's drawing of the giant monster.

It was an exact match. And her worst fears had been realized.

||Reader's POV||

"This is the reason I was late for class," Dustin assured.

School had just ended, and Dustin, Max, Lucas and I were all gathered around Mr. Clarke's desk. Will and Mike hadn't joined us yet, they were still at their lockers and Will insisted he had to talk to Mike.

Dustin placed the trap on Mr. Clarke's desk, as he began explaining.

Mr. Clarke ran a hand over the closed trap.

"Pretty neat. These doors function?"

"Well, yeah, obviously. But it's not about the trap. It's what's inside. Now, this very well may change your perception of the world."

Mr. Clarke shrugged lightly.

"Consider my interest piqued."

"All right, first, let's just clarify that, this is my discovery, not yours."

Lucas began flailing his arms.

"Dustin, Jesus! Just show him!"

"I'm just trying to clarify--"

"Dustin!" Max insists.

"Okay, fine"

He reaches to open the trap, but before anything can happen the door swings open. Mike comes sprinting in, Will behind him.

"Stop!" Mike yells frantically.

"What is it? What's going on?" I ask.

"Nothing." Mike quickly squeezes in between me and Lucas and grabs the trap, holding it tightly to his chest. "I'm sorry, Mr. Clarke. It was just a stupid prank."

"What the hell are you doing?" Dustin asks angrily.

"I told him to stop. We need to go. Right now."

Max and I share an equally concerned look.

"Mike!" Dustin pleads.

"Right now!" Mike screams, sprinting back into the hall.

+++

Mike had dragged the original party back into the AV room, forcing us to leave Max outside.

"I'm really, really sorry Max. It should only take a minute." I quickly stepped back and explained to her.

The boys shut her out with no effort of explaining so once again, I was trying to undo some of the damage. Hoping she'd still want to be my friend.

"Wait, seriously Y/n?"

The guys were already shutting her out, and now I had to. I hated this.

"I know, I'm so sorry, but I wouldn't be doing this if wasn't absolutely necessary."

"Y/n!" Mike called from inside the AV room, and I huffed.

"I'm really sorry." I started to close the door, but then I met her eye and just before shutting it I lowered my voice. "Please trust me."

Before I had closed the door, she seemed to relax in the slightest. As if considering my words.

I walked over to stand next to Lucas and looked to each of them.

"You better make this quick..." Their expressions all shifted to that of concern at what I said next. "I have something I need to tell you too."

Now that we were all gathered around the trap, Mike caught us up.

Will had said he saw Dart last year. We were all trying to process this, and I guess some time had passed since Max began pounding on the door.

"Hello? Hello?"

I barely made out a sigh from the other side of the door.

"Guys, come on. Can I come in yet?"

I was about to reply when Mike answered her.

"No!"

I glared at Mike's behavior.

He rolled his eyes in response.

"I don't understand," Lucas said finally, ignoring our silent argument.

"What do you not understand?" Mike asked.

"Will saw something that looked like Dart last year?"

"Kind of, but there was no tail," Will answered timidly.

"But then he heard it yesterday. The exact same sound." Mike explained quickly.

"What, the screeching?" I ask.

"Doesn't matter, why didn't you tell us before?" Dustin asked.

"I wasn't sure," Will said quietly.

"So it's a coincidence," Dustin confirmed.

Mike countered. "Or not. What if when Will was stuck in the Upside Down, he somehow acquired True Sight?"

"Remind me what True Sight is again?" I asked.

"It gives you the power to see into the ethereal plane."

Lucas sighed and gestured for Dustin to continue. "Elaborate."

It clicked in my head.

"The Upside Down," I say, in shock.

"Exactly. Maybe these episodes that Will keeps having aren't really flashbacks at all. Maybe they're real. Maybe Will can somehow see into the Upside Down."

"So that would mean..." Lucas trailed off.

"Dart is from the Upside Down." Mike clarifies.

Dustin sighed heavily.

"We have to take him to Hopper," Lucas stated, and Mike quickly agrees.

Dustin, of course, jumped at the chance to defend Dart. "No way. If we take him to Hopper, Dart's as good as dead."

"Maybe he should be," Mike snapped.

I roll my eyes.

"How can you say that?" Dustin asks shocked.

I raise my hands, signaling them to stop.

"Guys, come on." I sigh and turn to Dustin. "Look, Dustin. It's sweet that you care about Dart. But you have to realize what's at stake here. This is exactly what I was talking about before, we don't know anything about him or what he is capable of."

"But that doesn't automatically mean that he's bad. Besides, we have a bond."

Mike scoffs. "A bond? Just because he likes nougat?"

"No, because he trusts me!"

"He trusts you?" Lucas asks slowly, sounding concerned.

"Yes, I promised I would take care of him," Dustin exclaimed.

Suddenly, the trap began to rattle violently and we all stepped back.

There was more pounding on the door.

"Guys, what's going on? Come on."

We could all hear Dart from inside the trap as it shook.

"Dustin, what the hell's wrong with him?" I asked, my pulse quickening.

"I-I don't know!" He stuttered.

The ghost trap shook so much it vibrated and then it was tipped on its side.

Mike grabbed the speaker from one of the radios and held it high, ready to strike.

Dustin threw his hand up, pointing at Mike.

"Don't hurt him." He warned.

"Only if he attacks," Mike argued, eyes never leaving the trap.

"Just open it already." Lucas urged.

Dustin reached for the attachment that opens the device, and after a brief moment of hesitation, he opens it.

We all stare in disbelief as Dart comes rolling out. He was twice his previous size, and several shades darker.

"Holy shit," Lucas stated, sounding disgusted.

Dart dragged himself along the desk. When he stopped, thin webs of skin where we had seen movement from earlier, were stretched out until they sprouted two new legs. And what looked like watered down jam splattered around the desk.

"Oh, my God," I mumble horrified, and sick to my stomach.

Everything went by all too fast after that.

"Oh, shit!" Lucas exclaimed, jumping back.

He looked in the direction of Lucas and me and screeched for the third time.

Mike launched at Dart, but Dustin interfered.

Dart, in an attempt to escape Mike, suddenly launched off the desk and right towards me not caring that I was in his way.

I scream.

The next thing I knew, my arms were outstretched in front of me, shielding myself and it almost felt as if a wave of body heat had rolled off me. Dart let out a painful screech and hit the edge of the desk before tumbling to the ground.

Everyone began yelling at once.

"Shit, Y/n! Did you just-?" Lucas screamed.

"I don't know!" I cried out, scrambling back. "That's kinda what I wanted to tell you guys about but I didn't know I could do that!" The words tumble out of my mouth quickly, in a weak attempt to explain as I scramble after Dart, the others after him too.

"Grab him! Grab him!"

"What do you thinkI’m trying to do?!" I yell in frustration as I scramble after him.

He had made a quick detour under the desk and around the legs of the desk, completely out of my reach.

"Wait, where did he go?"

I had almost had him, but then I lost my footing and stumbled to the ground. I looked up just in time to see Dart make his way towards the door.

It swung open to reveal a confused Max, who must have picked the lock.

"Wait, no, no, no-!" I attempted to get up, only to get trampled by the boys in the process.

The boys spilled out into the hallway, who had also managed to knock down Max.

I finally scrambled to my feet and stumbled into the hallway, my heart pounding against my ribcage.

"Where'd he go?" I asked, looking around frantically.

Max got to her feet, ignoring the question. "What was that?"

Mike whipped around to face her, his face going red with anger.

"Dart!"

"What?"

"You let him escape!"

In turn, Dustin got in Mike's face, jabbing a finger in his chest. "Why did you attack him?"

Mike pushed him aside and ran off. "Come on."

I followed after Mike, and Dustin called after us.

"Don't hurt him. Don't you hurt him!"

||3rd Person POV||

El waited patiently, in the safety behind the trees until the last bus left before she stepped out into the open.

Spotting the bike rack, she quickly sprinted across the parking lot, coming to a stop when she recognized the wide outstretched handlebars of one particular bike.

It was unmistakable. The single light that rested in between the handlebars, the seat that was so worn down, it had been taped back together. And of course, the extra seat attached to the back.

It was his bike.

And it meant he was still here.

+++

Mike made a left turn, walking swiftly down the hallway.

He waited until he passed the few stragglers that were still in the hallway, to clear the area.

"East is clear. No sign of Dart."

He trudged up the stairs, muttering angrily to himself.

"Where'd you go, you little bastard?"

He made his way to the gym, passing several hallways in the process.

El, who sensed movement, reached the end of the hallway, where he had just been. Contemplating which way to go, opted to take a right. Unknowingly growing further and further from Mike with each and every step she took.

+++

In a separate wing of the school, Dustin was scanning his area. He had donned his headset during his search. Dustin turned a corner near one of the exits and had run into Mr. Clarke, who was leaving for the day.

He plastered on his most innocent looking smile and sent his teacher off with a salute, to which he returned and Dustin got back to work.

"West is clear too. Will?"

+++

Will exited the last classroom he had checked. "South is clear. Lucas? Anything?"

Lucas ran down one of several hallways in the north wing, coming across a classroom door, just slightly ajar.

Assuming Dart was behind the door, he ran towards it, kicking it open.

Only to find his math teacher packing up for the day.

"Excuse me! Mr. Sinclair!"

"S-sorry!" He spluttered. "I was looking for study hall. Bye."

He chuckled nervously and backed out into the hallway, his face dropping and he spoke quickly and sternly into the walkie.

"Nothin' here, man. Y/n?"

She was constantly on the move, all over the school. Sweeping the halls in case Dart had narrowly escaped before any of the others had seen.

Her voice crackled over all of their comms.

"I've got a lot of ground to cover, but so far so clear," she quipped. "I'll keep you guys posted though,"

+++

Mike entered the gym, and his attention was immediately brought to the creaking noise across the room.

He noted it was the door to the locker rooms swinging back and forth.

He frowned suspiciously. Quickly and quietly he walked across the gym.

He walked into the tight hallway, most of the lights had turned off and he was starting to feel less confident.

He saw a mop to his left and grabbed it just in case. Slowly but surely, he crept through the locker spaces, and he heard something clatter. His heart pounding, he hid behind the locker, readying himself to attack.

He jumped out from hiding, yelling as he did so. Only for his voice to catch in his throat when he saw Max, board and all, looking at him like he'd grown a second head.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"What are you doing? Why are you in here?" He snapped back.

"I'm looking for Dart." She defends.

"This is the boys' room."

"Yeah, so?"

"So you should go home." He threw the mop to the ground and stormed out.

Max started after him, fuming.

She trailed him all the way out into the gym.

All her anger had finally bubbled over and she raised her voice, allowing herself to scream at the boy.

"Why do you hate me so much?"

"I don't hate you. How can I hate you? I even know you." He threw the words over his shoulder, not bothering to look at her.

"Yeah, but you don't want me in your party." She argued.

"Correct." He spits.

"Why not?"

Mike whirled around to face her, releasing all his anger.

"Because you're annoying." Max recoiled at his words, but he only continued to yell. "Also, we don't need another party member. I'm our paladin, Will's our cleric, Dustin's our bard, Lucas is our ranger, Y/n's our druid, and El is our mage."

Max's face scrunched up in confusion. "El? Who's El?"

Mike shook his head. "Someone. No one."

She raised her eyebrows. "Someone or no one?"

"She was in our party a long time ago. She moved away, okay?" He sighed, hoping she would drop the subject as quickly as possible.

Max, who had other plans, set her skateboard down and began to glide around the gym.

"She was a mage?" Genuinely interested. "Well, what could she do? Like, magic tricks or something?"

She jumped off the board and planted herself in front of Mike.

"Well, I could be your zoomer," she offered.

Mike rolled his eyes. "That's not even a real thing."

"It could be," Max insisted, not refusing to give up.

She got back on her skateboard and began to skate in circles around Mike. He just stood there in annoyance, watching her. She had her arms outstretched and smirk on her face.

"See? Zoomer,"

"Mind-blowing," He deadpanned.

"Come on, you know you're impressed,"

+++

El walked quickly passed the gym. The memories flooding back to her all at once every time she turned a familiar corner. She stopped suddenly when she heard a distant voice.

"I don't see any tricks. You're just going around in a circle,"

She knew that voice. Her pulse quickened, and her palms began to sweat.

Granted his voice was slightly deeper but it was his. Mike.

But then she heard a female voice.

"If it's so easy, you try it,"

El didn't know that voice and it scared her.

Nevertheless, she poked her head around the corner, and she saw the gym doors. The voices continued.

"No,"

"Why not?"

"I don't know how,"

"So, then you admit it's kind of impressive,"

"I think if I spent, like, all day practicing, I could do that,"

"I would give you a million bucks if you could,"

"Okay, you're making me dizzy,"

El crept towards the gym doors, terrified of what she might find.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go.

"Please just stop,"

"I'll stop when I join your party,"

El made it to the gym doors and she saw him. He was taller, much taller but he was still himself. But there was a girl. A pretty girl with long red hair with him. Smiling at him.

"It's a simple question. Am I in or out?"

And there it was. He smiled at her. The way he used to smile at El and the girl was just as happy. El felt her heart grow heavy, she hated this feeling. And after all the excitement for seeing him, everything she had risked to see him.

And yet, for some reason she could not explain, it was hard to stay mad at him. She felt herself getting angry at this girl. Like it was her fault. Like this girl was intentionally replacing her.

Her jaw clenched, and her hands balled into fists as she focused her attention on the front two wheels of the girl's board, and ripped it out from under her.

The girl was thrown off her board, landing on the gym floor with a grunt.

El's face fell as she saw Mike jump to the girl's aid. "Jesus! Are you all right?"

Nothing about what El did made her feel good.

The girl began to sit up, grasping her side. "Yeah, yeah. I think so,"

Mike grabbed her hand and helped her up, and El began to water as she watched the exchange.

"What happened?" Mike asked, his hand lingered on the girl's wrist, hurting El even more.

"I don't know. It was like a magnet or something pulling on my board," The girl explained, quickly shaking her head. "I know that sounds crazy,"

Max walked after her rollaway board, and Mike's eyes widened in familiarity.

He looked over his shoulder, from where he had entered the gym and made a run for it.

It had to be her. It had to be. Right?

And yet, his heart fell when he was met with an empty hallway, no one else in sight.

+++

Will could have sworn he heard noises coming from the bathroom, and he hadn't heard from anybody over the comes for a while.

And so, gathering all his courage, he pushed open the door and crept inside.

He hadn't realized he had been hoping to find nothing until he heard the all too familiar chittering from the furthest stall down and his stomach dropped.

He tiptoed towards the noise, not wanting to scare him off. He reached the stall closest to the windows, slowly reached out a hand and cautiously opened the stall door. Sure enough, there sat Dart.

He was curled up in the corner, where the two walls met. He looked up at will and chittered.

Will raised his walkie slowly, and spoke calmly into it, taking every precaution not to scare him away.

"Guys... I found him,"

"Where?" It was Dustin.

"In the bathroom by Mr. Salerno's," Will whispered.

"Copy that," Mike relayed.

"I copy. I'm on way," Y/n responded.

Dart began to slowly recoil, and Will tried his best to seem as unthreatening as possible.

"It's okay," he said softly. "I'm not gonna hurt you,"

Dart looked at Will before letting out an earsplitting scream.

Startled, Will dropped his walkie and ran out of the bathroom in fright.

He stopped once he left the bathroom to catch his breath, not wanting to let the others down.

There was a loud thud that came from down the hall to his left, and he froze. The lights began to flicker. This wasn't happening again, he didn't want to believe it. He looked at the lights and when his gaze returned to the hallway to his left, the hallways were covered in vines, and everything was slimy. He was back.

An exit. There was an exit just his right. Out of nowhere, a black fog oozed out of the hallway in front of it, heading straight for him. He turned on his heel and ran.

He reached the painted paw print on the wall. He made another right. He quickly looked over his shoulder as he ran and it was still gaining on him. It wasn't relenting.

There was another exit. But he was beginning to believe he wouldn't make it. The farther he ran the quicker it seemed to get. He was panting heavily now but this fog had formed its own tendrils that were reaching out for him.

He finally made it to the doors and he threw them open as hard he could. He was now on the field but he was still in the Upside Down. And that that thing was still after him.

+++

BAM

Dustin threw open every stall door of the bathroom.

He sighed in relief when he opened up the last stall, and even Dart made a noise in contention, having recognized Dustin.

Dustin smiled at his small companion. "Hey, buddy,"

Dustin knelt down and held out his hands, Dart quickly scurried over to him.

"Come here. You know I won't hurt you,"

Dart happily jumped into Dustin's open palms and he calmly stood up. "It's okay. It's just me. You're okay,"

"Let's go. Down here," Mike's voice echoed from the halls.

Lucas could be heard soon after.

"We're coming!"

Dustin panicked, knowing his friends would try to get rid of Dart so he knew he had to buy some time.

Holding Dart in one hand, he moved his headset to hang around his neck, and took off his hat, and put Dart on top of his head, before putting his hat back over Dart.

"Stay low, and keep quiet."

Mike came marching in, Lucas and Max behind him.

"Where's Dart?" Mike asked.

"I don't know. He's not here. Where's Y/n?" Dustin countered, changing the subject.

Mike began looking for Dart and he checking the stalls when he heard he wasn't there.

"We don't know. Figured she'd got here before us," Lucas said.

"He said by Salerno's, right?" Max asked.

"Yeah, maybe Will has him," Dustin quickly lied.

Lucas crossed his arms and looked at Dustin skeptically, while Mike went pale.

"Where is Will?"

+++

Will pumped his arms as he sprinted through the field. He struggled to keep his breathing check so he wouldn't have to slow down.

He could feel the presence getting closer. And the memory of that morning's conversation with Bob flashed in his head.

"Only this time, I didn't run."

His legs came to a stop. Will's eyes widened, his heartbeat quickened, and his palms began to sweat. He grew pale. But he knew it was worth a shot.

He told himself he needed to do this.

"This time, I stood my ground."

Will was panting heavily, but he slowly turned around coming face to face with the monster. It towered over the school, looking directly at Will.

"I said, 'Go away. Go away!'"

Will gathered all his courage, tears brimming his eyes and he cried out.

"Go away!"

It got closer. It was swooping in like vulture but Will didn't give in.

"Go away! Go away!" Tears were streaming down his face, and the monster got closer. "Go away! Go away! Go away!"

The monster bellowed, and one large tentacle began twirling down onto the ground, the size of a small tornado. The swirling gust of black fog engulfed Will.

He stood frozen, now trapped in the swirling fog. Several black tendrils spawned from the mass and invaded Will and he could feel the evil presence as it possessed his body and settled in his very soul.

He felt every essence of warmth cease to be, and all that existed was icy darkness.

"Easy peasy, right?"

"Easy peasy."

Will was gasping for air but every breath he took felt like hundreds of daggers were being plunged in his lungs.

"Just like that."

||Reader's POV|| -MINUTES EARLIER-

I turned yet another corner, my eyes scanning the floors. They flew to my walkie when I heard it crackle. I didn't need any confirmation from the voice to know it belonged to Will.

"Guys... I found him,"

I stopped in my tracks. My ears perked up.

"Where?" It was Dustin.

"In the bathroom by Mr. Salerno's," Will whispered.

"Copy that," Mike replied.

I briskly turned on my heel and began speed walking where I came from. I raised the walkie to my lips.

"I copy. I'm on way,"

Salerno's. I was close.

I turned the corner, releasing the speaker button on my walkie. I passed by countless classrooms in my rush to the bathroom, mindlessly making turns. My mind began to wander to Dart and just how much convincing Dustin is going to need seeing how attached he already was.

'But in all honesty, how can one find that-'

My legs stopped carrying me forward, and my body failed me, I just stood there, glued to the floor staring at what I had accidentally stumbled upon. My breath hitched, I gasped and I could hear my heartbeat in my ears.

"Oh, my God," I breathed, my eyes welling up with tears. "Eleven?"

+++

Tag List: @dickkwad @aimee-lucass @iblesstherainsdown-in-africa@miscellaneoustoasts @happyandlonely

DM me if you want to be added!

86 notes · View notes

valerie · 4 years

Text

TWITL – week eighteen – memory lane into May

May the 4th Be With You!

my watch wished me HBD

Yesterday (May 3rd) was my birthday. I am 49. Just writing it like that is super freaky to me because it’s such a big number. What is 49? I suppose it’s me now. I never thought about how it should feel so I suppose for me, it’s however I’m feeling. And I’m feeling grateful and blessed. I have a wonderful husband, loving family, and amazing friends. I try to see a bit of beauty every day even in all the craziness. And my lovelies, the world is full of craziness these days, isn’t it?

How did I spend my birthday? I woke up before 7 AM and had a rather hearty breakfast before 8 AM. Jack Whitehall and his father were on IG live cooking while I ate breakfast. I took a nap at some point and instead of making dinner, we ordered out and had Mexican food. My birthday dinner was the night before– fish and chips from Vic Stewart’s. Otherwise, we didn’t really do much during the day. I had enough time to respond to all the lovely birthday wishes sent my way online. Oh, and I watched Tyler and Sabina’s IG live brunch. I love those two! They’re so much fun to watch, especially with a glass of wine.

mocked by my calendar alerts

Saturday, May 2nd, we were meant to be in Los Angeles to watch Jack Whitehall’s show at The Orpheum Theatre. I allowed myself a moment of resignation and lamentation. Would I have been able to meet Jack? Would I had been able to get him to say Happy Birthday to me while taking a picture with him? Maybe not. But I would have been able to sit and laugh while watching him be ridiculous. Instead, I was home in my shorts and t-shirt. I did watch an episode of Bad Education just honor the fact that I was supposed to see him live. Alas.

five years ago with Tyler

Five years ago on April 30th, I met Tyler Rich. I was excited and nervous while waiting in line. He had posted on his social media that he would be coming out before the start of the show to say hello to the fans waiting. When he finally came out, I wondered if he would have enough time to get to us. I’m sure I amused my line mates but I really did want to meet Tyler. When the moment finally came, Tyler put me at ease because that’s how he is and we took a picture or two or three together. He was passing out cards with his social media links and I still have that card somewhere. When it was time for his show, I made the conscious effort to take few pictures or videos, instead enjoying the moment through my own eyes and not through the phone screen. (I made up for it the second time I saw Tyler by recording every song like a total lunatic.)

Who knew that meeting him would open my world to new experiences and new friends? I am utterly grateful to Tyler for so many things but most of all, I am grateful for the love and friendship he inspired. And I am so glad to call him my friend. He will always be My Spell Breaker…

Jack in the kitchen

Strike Back – We finally finished this last season. I very much enjoyed it and will miss it for sure. I really did love watching the new crew even if I did miss Scott and Stonebridge. If you want to watch a super kickass show, I will always recommend Strike Back. The Scott and Stonebridge years were my favorite but you can’t really go wrong with the Wyatt, McAllister, Novin years. You will laugh, you will cry, you will jump in your seat, your heart will race and at the end, you’ll want to do it all over again…

Prodigal Son – Holy crap, what a season ender! Someone tell me this show is getting another season because I must know what happens next. If it doesn’t get another season, well, it ended with a definite HOLY CRAP moment and how many shows can say that? Seriously, it’s getting another season, right? Yowsa!

Westworld – I very much enjoyed this season so much more than last season. I loved that we were in the “real” world and I loved not knowing what the hell Dolores was doing but I enjoyed the ride nonetheless. The season finale managed to have big moments and quiet moments and moments that just squeezed the heart. So well done.

bday gift from my OT

And here’s a poem I wrote during the week…

don’t admit a thing keep it close just below a whisper don’t open your heart keep it locked hide away the key don’t tell the tale keep it secret as if it isn’t real

from TWITL – week eighteen – memory lane into May

#TWITL – week eighteen – memory lane into May

1 note · View note

regular-lord-reckoner · 5 years

Text

managed to make it through the day!!

it had some ups and downs and starting out i was well on my way to a good disassociation but then i had to check in patients!!! so many fucking patients!!! holy shit. i don’t want to do this for three more days, man. what the fuck.

but i will! it’s still somehow better than switchboard so i’ll take it. it’s also helped that today two different people reached out to me in all seriousness like, “you want me to hurt your neighbor or scare the shit out of him or what?” and my nice manager called me and told me how sorry she was and kept telling me if i needed anything just call her and she was so. fucking. nice to me when i was leaving, asking me if i’d done okay because she knew front desk wasn’t as bad for me as switchboard but that it still made my anxiety bad and honestly i wish to god they’d just let her be the main manager. i’d gladly work there five years again because i know if this woman had the power to make things fair she would but the main manager treats her about like she treats the rest of us but ANYWAY

managed to make it to the bank on time with literal minutes to spare but got my check deposited which is great cause when i checked my email this morning i had a message from one hospital i owe money to that was like, “hey, we tried to do an automatic payment for $40 but your broke ass doesn’t have it, what the fuck??”

and now that i’m home it’s at least peaceful for right now. i think what the situation is with this neighbor is that he’s the grandson or nephew of the person who actually lives in that house.

it was a little old couple but the husband died i think maybe a little over a year now? but this relative of hers comes in sometimes from alabama to help her with stuff but he’s also just...taken it upon himself to terrorize everyone who lives around here and doesn’t give a fuck because he just dips whenever. not his place, he doesn’t give a fuck. which sucks because if we progress with the noise violation thing that means it’s likely gonna go to this little old lady but y’know...that’ll tell me for sure what a piece of shit he is if he’ll let her take the fall for that just so he can keep being a nightmare. i’ve even thought about offering if i can just take on whatever chores he does for her and she doesn’t have to pay me it’ll be thanks enough to keep him the ever loving fuck away but there’s also a part of me that doesn’t know how fond she is of him and if so...fuck her too, tbh.

i haven’t paid that close attention because gun shots have really just been a constant regardless of this dude it’s just they’re usually like...one or two during a reasonable time of day and it’s not as close to my house so i’ve let it be. i don’t love it, but it’s tolerable.

on what seems like mostly weekends though it’s all of a sudden like a fucking fourth of july fireworks show meets civil war re-enactment live from what sounds like it could be your own backyard!!!

and up to this point i think the most i’ve ever done is like...turn on the spooky depeche mode shit and blast it through a speaker but that’s usually when they ride their four wheelers so close to my goddamn house i can literally see them and their headlights through the trees. there are so many fucking woods in this area and you choose to be right up someone’s ass? no. we’re summoning satan over here, go away.

but yesterday i just...lost it. in a lot of ways i’m still very very very angry and upset. the shit i have fantasized about doing to this dude would make an ari aster movie look like an episode of barney. i was even contemplating fucking around with some dark magic because at this point........i dunno what kind of god would make me go through that. the initial event was enough, don’t you think? but no, let’s take the sound that more than anything sets you off and fucking bass boost it so loud it knocks shit off your walls and breaks them and then you’ll get laughed at for begging and pleading with the person responsible to stop!!!! i just...have a hard time right now feeling like any type of higher power is fond of me so fuck you right back, demons can solve my problems.

but no!!! i’ll be the bigger goddamn person!! because of course when this first ever started happening my mom was more upset on my behalf and was gonna go over there and talk to the neighbor about her grandson or nephew whatever he is but i was like, “no, maybe he’s just grieving and he needs to get it out of his system, just leave them alone.” FOOL. YOU’RE A FOOL, MADAM!!!

but!! to end on a positive note!! in what little time i has this morning to check my email and do a little looking, i emailed myself some links to potential therapists in my area. i need to whittle it down a little more by who takes my insurance and who seems best suited to deal with........all of this hopefully but yeah!! i’m kinda starting to do the thing!! god may fuckin hate me at this point but i’m still.......trying. fuck if i know why anymore but here i am!! so happy about it!!

8 notes · View notes

tessatechaitea · 4 years

Text

Review of The Twilight Zone, Season 1, Episode 15: "Astronauts Were Fucking Dumb in 1959"

I know in this Internet day and Internet age, we're not supposed to shit on other people's creative projects. I know we're supposed to bite the holy fuck out of our tongue and just try to say around the gouts of blood, "It just wasn't for me." Well, let me begin by saying, "The episode of The Twilight Zone entitled 'I Shot an Arrow into the Air' was not for me. Not at all. Not even fucking close." You can stop reading now if criticism makes your blood boil to the point that you can't not begin a terrible debate and hashtag about it on Twitter. The title of this episode (the real title and not my more apt but not real title (also, since only seven men were considered "astronauts" in 1959, I'd like to apologize to them and their legacy and say, "It was a joke title referencing the fictional astronauts in this television episode and not Misters Carpenter, Cooper, Glenn, Grissom, Schirra, Shepard, and Slayton. Luckily none of them are alive to beat me up for feeling insulted although I'm sure, even dead, some of them could take me.")), "I Shot an Arrow into the Air," was taken from a Henry Wordsworth Longfellow poem. It only uses the first sentence of the poem because if they'd included the second sentence, it would have spoiled the surprise twist ending. That sentence is "It fell to Earth, I know not where." Well, I know exactly where after watching this episode: 97 miles outside of Reno. The "Arrow" of the title is an experimental space craft. It's so experimental that, as Colonel CalmDownEverbody says, it doesn't even have a prototype. Does that mean it was the prototype? Who flies into space in the prototype?! Or, should I say, who flies a little ways into the air and then crashes in the Nevada desert in the prototype?! Because that's the basic plot of the story. A bunch of astronauts in an experimental ship crash immediately back to Earth after which they prove why they were the most expendable military men when they begin trying to figure out where they might be. Which is when I really began to have a problem with this episode. Obviously the heart of the story is man's humanity and/or inhumanity to man when faced with imminent death. Two characters remain reasonable and kind, compassionate and giving, while one character becomes a giant murdering selfish asshole. It's possible this entire story is simply a critique of capitalism and I missed it because I was busy punching holes in my wall and screaming, "Why are these astronauts such fucking imbeciles?!" If that's the case, I won't apologize because the writing was terrible and also punching the wall was cathartic. Four of the eight astronauts were killed in the crash. I suppose the four killed were the science officer, the engineer, the bookworm with glasses, and the guy with only a third grade education. Of the four who survived, one dies almost immediately from either his wounds, a lack of water, or the bitter sting of rejection he felt from Corey, the capitalist maniac. The three who survived didn't know they were dumb as rocks because people who are as dumb as rocks never know they're dumb as rocks. But, believe me, they're dumb as rocks. Maybe dumber. With their limited scope, education, and perception, they begin to ponder where they might be and they decided they've crash landed on an asteroid. Okay, fine. I don't know how long an experimental craft in a fictional 1959 takes to get airborne. But let's assume it took three days to reach the edge of space because what else am I supposed to believe? That these men riding in the spacecraft couldn't tell that the ship crashed almost immediately which couldn't possibly mean they made it into space and crashed on a nearby asteroid. Let me also assume that the creators of the show didn't mean to have any shots of the Nevada desert that included scrub brush because plant life would mean water which would mean hope, even if these men still thought they were on an asteroid. I'm really making some fucking concessions here! But I'm about at my limit. Because another clue these dolts figure out is how the sun is basically the same size as they remember it. So their conclusion? No, not that they might be in an Earth desert. They decide the asteroid they're on is in the same orbit as Earth! I'd ask if any of these assholes had ever heard of Occam's Razor but the guy with the third grade education died, remember? So why bother asking? So these fuckwits think they're stranded on an asteroid with five gallons of water between them and no hope of being rescued because they were in the prototype spacecraft which took four years to build. And yet, even though they're all fucking doomed, Corey decides murdering them all so he could last ten days instead of three would be the best option. Never mind that when one of them decides to try to pinpoint their location using the stars, he points out that he can't because the sky was overcast. OVERCAST?! That means you have fucking moisture in the atmosphere! Wait. Atmosphere?! On an asteroid?! Not to mention Colonel ISaidRemainCalmEverybody has a fucking watch but doesn't notice that the day and night cycle seems about the fucking same as on Earth. Hey! Did you notice the sun went down at exactly the same time it did yesterday, you stupid motherfucker?! Anyway, Corey panics and murders everybody because that's capitalism, baby! When other people play by the rules, you win by playing by not the rules! But then when people ask, "Hey, did you play by the rules?" You just say, "Of course! Also, let's change some of the rules in my favor so I don't have to cheat as much as you think I did which I totally didn't." Eventually, Corey climbs over a hill instead of living it up with his five gallons of water and sees highway signs for Nevada and Reno. Then he goes on and on about telephone poles and apologizes to the men he killed. Because if he'd known they were still on Earth where murder is illegal, he obviously wouldn't have done it. Colonel See?IToldYouToCalmDown!NowLookWhatYou'veGottenYourselfIntoEverybody and Pearson, being dead, probably forgive him because what do they care now? Corey almost certainly goes back into the desert to make it look like Pearson murdered the Colonel and also to get his precious five gallons of water. Later, when he's awarded a Medal of Honor for his bravery in difficult circumstances, he'll begin fostering the delusion that, of course, it absolutely was Pearson who murdered the Colonel and he, Corey, behaved in an exemplary fashion. But eventually, one of Pearson's children, suspicious about the entire ordeal, will start a Podcast which examines the happenings of this unfortunate beginning to space exploration. She'll uncover the truth through lengthy interviews with people associated with Corey and also maybe some DNA evidence because obviously Corey had sex with bookworm with glasses' corpse when he thought he'd never see another living sexpot again, what with being stranded on an asteroid with an atmosphere and moisture in the air and desert plants all around. By then, Corey will have been dead many years from liver failure as he found his delusions losing their strength of conviction and had to replace them with the blissful dark ignorance of nightly scotch blackouts. Boy, astronauts really were fucking dumb in 1959.

#The Twilight Zone #I Shot an Arrow into the Air #Rod Serling #Madelon Champion

2 notes · View notes

hallsp · 5 years

Text

Ramadan Diary

Ramadan is a month of fasting, prayer, and self-reflection for the world’s two billion Muslims. The observance of Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, a central tenet of the faith. The holy month itself commemorates the start of the recitation of the Qur’an to Mohammad, culminating in Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Destiny, which celebrates the very first revelation.

The date for Ramadan varies from year to year, as the Islamic calendar is based on the movements of the moon, not the sun. This year, it began on the night of Sunday, May 5th, when the religious authorities glimpsed the thin crescent of a new moon.

I decided, after some encouragement from my students, to fast for all of Ramadan as a kind of personal challenge. This is a diary of my progress.

Monday, 6th May

Today was long, and hungry. I didn’t eat a morsel, nor drink a drop, all the livelong day. It wasn’t easy. I thought about food quite a lot. Bron, my roommate, is also fasting so we can do iftar together. An app tells me that the evening call to prayer, called maghrib, is at 19.27, but it began a small bit later — an agonizing two minutes — at about 19.29. Maryam, my other roommate, and raised Muslim, told me we have to wait until the prayer is finished, bless the food bismillah, and then eat. I broke the fast with some water and some dates, as is the custom, then devoured a chicken curry.

Tuesday, 7th May

Small bit easier today. Didn’t think of food so often. I was noticeably more tired though. I slept for an hour when I came home. Some strange reactions from some of the teachers to my fasting, but a lot of encouragement from fellow-fasters. Advice from other fasters includes waking at 3 or 4 AM for suhur, the pre-dawn meal, and easing into the iftar in the evenings with soup and salad. I decided against suhur, for reasons of laziness, so my fast is actually more extreme, having one meal, as opposed to two meals, per day. Broke the fast with some dates, a lot more water, and the last part of my chicken curry.

Wednesday, 8th May

Getting into the swing of things now, the hunger isn’t so obvious throughout the day, but much less energy. I’m in a very good mood, though. I’ve decided to make a fattoush salad, with the help of my Syrian friend Majd, who’s Christian and thinks I’m crazy for fasting. He also helped make lentil soup, another staple dish, with Bron, my roommate. So, this was a proper iftar: dates, soup, salad, and bread.

Thursday, 9th

Talked with the Biology teacher, who’s also fasting. He tells me that people ought to re-orient their mind towards other people during Ramadan, and that it’s not about feasting once the sun goes down. Look out, not in, essentially. More advice received: do not eat an even number of dates. Mohammad used to eat three. Broke the fast with (three) dates, and water. I made my own fattoush, which worked out very well. We also had leftover soup from yesterday, and I bought chicken tawouq, which I ate with bread.

Friday, 10th May

Today is International Day at school. The worst event for people fasting. There was food from every country on the planet. I had to borrow a tupperware container to bring the food home. Worse, today is Friday. The weekend is here. I have to go on a trip to Batroun for a bachelorette party with my friends leaving Beirut at about 5pm. Drink will certainly be taken. I can’t avoid it. Anyway, I’m not doing the fast for religious reasons, so once the sun goes down, I can eat, drink, and be merry. The hangover will be tough without a lot of water to compensate, though. We arrived in Batroun at 19:30 so I hopped out of the van, chugged some water, had a few dates, then started into the champagne. I managed to squeeze in a chicken burger in between the drinks.

Saturday, 11th May

The hangover wasn’t so bad, actually. In spite of this, I broke the fast for the first time — to drink a small bottle of water. As sins go, not so heinous. I was just so thirsty day after the night before. Religiously, you can break the fast if you’re pregnant, or menstruating, or sick. Maybe a hangover is a type of sickness? Anyway, spent the day on the beach, mostly under cover, and rested. Broke the fast back in Beirut with dates, some tuna fish, and pasta.

Sunday, 12th May

Apparently there’s an exemption on fasting if you’re traveling. I could’ve done with this on the road to Batroun! It also excuses my breach the day of my return to Beirut, I reckon. Broke the fast with dates, water, tawouq, bread, and pasta.

Monday, 13th May

People are always giving you advice when they hear that you’re fasting. Some of it contradictory. Bron was told not to drink so much water before eating at iftar. We decided to try it. Broke the fast with dates, no water, and chicken curry. Then copious amounts of water after. No obvious difference.

Tuesday, 14th May

Bron makes a strong point. Those who alter their body clocks by sleeping during the day and eating all night are cheating in a way. They’re just moving their day around, and sleeping through the hunger. It’s not a proper fast if you can’t feel the hunger. Broke the fast with chicken curry, round two, and lots of water.

Wednesday, 15th May

I feel hungrier today, not sure why. More advice with recommendations for iftar. The mindfulness coach thinks I ought to break the fast with some warm water, not cold, perhaps herbal tea, as this prepares the stomach better for eating, to be followed by three dates. He’s also of the opinion that people should be humble during Ramadan, no talking about their fast, no feasts at iftar, certainly no Instagram pictures. Broke the fast with a chicken burger from Smoked Bun, post-dates. Ridiculously nice.

Thursday, 16th May

I have a day off school today, for the funeral of Patriarch Sfeir, a Lebanese Maronite Cardinal. It was more difficult being home, actually. At work, even though I’m much more active and using more energy, at least I’m kept busy. Today, I caught myself watching cooking videos on YouTube. Broke the fast with (three) dates, and beef fajitas, but made with Lebanese bread.

Friday, 17th May

Broke the fast with a gorgeous mujaddara, a spicy mix of lentils, rice, and onions, made by a chef friend of Bron’s. Eaten with some of his delicious homemade bread, and some 961 Red Ale. Today is my good friend Enzo’s last night in Lebanon so drink will have to be taken again. What choice do I have?

Saturday, 18th May

Asma, Maryam’s friend from the UK whose working with a medical NGO in the Beqaa Valley, came for iftar. She’s a practising Muslim, so we had to lend her a Qur’an and find the Qibla, the direction of prayer. It was nice to get some more insight into the traditions. Apparently we can eat as soon as the call to prayer begins. We ate three dates, some ripe peach, and drank water, followed by mint tea. Dinner included pasta, fattoush, and more mujaddara. We also had ayran, a traditional kind of sour yoghurt drink. After dinner, we drank some Turkish coffee, then some Indian desi chai, made with ginger and milk. Finally, we had some traditional sweets, heloweyat. A proper iftar!

Sunday, 19th May

No hunger pangs at all today. I think my body has fully acclimatised to fasting. A small group of us went to see some childrens’ theatre in Tripoli, directed by a friend of ours and starring some kids from a Syrian refugee camp. It was really entertaining. The boys put on a production about a couple of swindlers selling dodgy seeds. The girls had a modern take on Cinderella. I could understand most of it, so I’m happy. We rushed back to Beirut for iftar. I decided to order a Ramadan Combo from Malik al-Tawouq: lentil soup, salad, and chicken tawouq platter, and a date cookie called ma’moul. Plus, a Miranda tamarind soft drink. The guy who delivered it was fasting and so forgot to take any money! We also ate some traditional Ramadan cheese sweets, heloweyat al-jibn, made with clotted cream called ashta, which we bought in Tripoli. They were spectacular. There’s a beautiful full moon tonight, which means: we’re half way through Ramadan! Ramadan Kareem!

Monday, 20th May

I genuinely don’t feel hungry during the day any more. Intellectually, I know I need to eat, but there are no hunger pangs. It’s not an obvious hunger. My sense of smell is more active, that’s about it. I decided to make chicken biryani today, which worked out really well. No big communal iftar today, as the final episode of Game of Thrones is available. Some things are more important.

Tuesday, 21st May

Bron invited two work friends over, a Syrian Muslim and a Jordanian Christian, and we also invited Dennis from downstairs. Bron made another batch of lentil soup, which was nicer even than the last one. She made fattoush as well. I contributed the remaining biryani. We had a huge variety of ice-creams with cones for dessert.

Wednesday, 22nd May

I didn’t eat so much today. I think my stomach is getting smaller. Broke the fast with three dates, some of the leftover lentil soup, a Mexican bean and tuna fish mix, and some fried haloumi. Fried haloumi is my new favourite food. Also, had a little pot of yoghurt.

Thursday, 23rd May

The routine now is to break the fast with three dates, and follow this with warm tea, usually mint tea. This really helps the transition to eating. Today, I had a big plate of pasta, some fried haloumi, and a yoghurt.

Friday, 24th May

It’s 38° today. It’s so hot that the cold tap runs warm. It’s at times like these that you appreciate the true value of something as simple as a glass of water. Tonight we’re hosting iftar on our balcony. Maryam made a Palestinian vegetarian maqluba, meaning upside-down, which is made with layers of fried vegetables, potatoes, and rice, which is then flipped before serving, and topped with fried cashew nuts. It was delicious. I made fattoush for seven people, complete with fried pita bread, and it was my best one yet. I was relieved, as I was serving Arabic food to Arabs. My friend Shadi brought his fiancé all the way from Damascus. We eventually made our way to Mezyan in Hamra, where I was rewarded with a free drink for boldly asking for one. It’s Ramadan, after all, the season of good will.

Saturday, 25th May

Myself and my house mates, Maryam and Bron, went to the Beqaa Valley to meet with Asma, who had invited us to iftar with her boss, Doctor Fares, and his extended family. It was such an amazing evening. Typically Syrian. First, we sat around half-talking, half-watching Arab dramas, like Al-Hayba and Khamsa Wa Nos, while the family cooked. People were coming and going all the time. We then went for a short walk with the good doctor’s kids, who were adorable. His eldest daughter, Lamar, had very good English. Then we moved to the garden where we played cards, a version of Trumps. I managed to cheat a bit with help of the kids. Finally, as the sun went down, we ate in a big group in the garden, sitting on cushions around a selection of dishes. There was soup and salad, alongside three different meat dishes: chicken, lamb, and fish. The flavours were superb. The family were a lively bunch. At one point, Doctor Fares insisted on feeding us from his hand. I also discovered that they knew one of my colleagues in Eastwood. Lebanon is a very small place! We sang happy birthday to one his kids and topped it all off with cake. It was the best iftar experience so far.

Sunday, 26th May

Went to Souq al-Ahad, the Sunday market, with Bron. Such a crazy place. We bought some spices, some olives and maqdus (baby aubergine stuffed with chilies, and then pickled) from Aleppo, and salvaged an old backgammon board. It’s a great place to wander for a couple of hours. At one stage I was offered a taste of something, and when I said I was fasting he immediately said (in Arabic): “Me too, I’m Muslim. Are you Muslim? Are you Sunni or Shi’a?” I had to disappoint him by saying neither. It was at this point that he said, with utmost confidence: “It’s only a matter of time.” We broke the fast with a vegetable curry, alongside some maqdus and some Lebanese bread.

Monday, 27th May

I was a small bit busy with work tonight so I had three dates followed by a simple pasta with pesto rosso, onions, and tomato. Naturally, had some mint tea and gallons of water.

Tuesday, 28th May

Today, I had the least amount of food yet. I just had a simple pasta with spicy tomato sauce and cheddar cheese. I couldn’t even finish it. I think my stomach has shrunk over the course of Ramadan. I’m definitely losing weight.

Wednesday, 29th May

Today was a tough day. I was in a bad mood for some reason. I think it’s to do with not having enough energy. Usually, during the whole of Ramadan, my mood has been positive. I think I need to eat enough to maintain my energy levels. Tonight I made chicken vindaloo with egg noodles.

Thursday, 30th May

I had more energy today, back to my normal self. I broke the fast with the remainder of my chicken vindaloo. Also, the requisite number of dates and some mint tea.

Friday, 31st May

Another Friday is upon us. The last, in fact, of Ramadan. Tonight is a big night for Muslims around the world. No-one is quite sure exactly when Laylat al-Qadr is supposed to fall, but most believe it’s the 27th day of Ramadan, which is tonight. It’s also a Friday, so it’s a big deal. We had our last group iftar in the apartment. This time we had three Syrians with us, so we had plenty of help with the food. We had a rice and aubergine dish, a water melon and feta salad, a tabbouleh salad, and some fried haloumi. Later, I nipped downstairs to say goodbye to some friends, before moving to Strada 51, a local bar, and winding up in a swimming pool in a club at 4am. Your typical Laylat al-Qadr.

Saturday, 1st June

I had Arabic class with my friend Majd, from about 2pm. He spent half the day preparing a chicken and rice dish to break the fast with at 7.45. Bless him. I broke the fast with this and some delicious Ethiopian soup made by our friend Jodie, called shiro. It was spicy, and the perfect match for the chicken. I followed this with a few drinks with an Irish guy visiting Lebanon for a week.

Sunday, 2nd June

I broke the fast with three dates, some water, and pasta, alongside some fried haloumi. The end is nigh.

Monday, 3rd June

I had to work today, but I’ve been given the rest of the week off work to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the Festival of Fast Breaking. Today might well be the last night of Ramadan, but we’ll have to wait for the religious authorities to check on the phase of the moon. It will end either tonight or tomorrow.

If Eid begins tomorrow, Muslims will gather for special prayers called Salat al-Eid, which is usually followed by a small breakfast, the first daytime meal in a month. Eid is usually celebrated by visiting relatives, where gifts are exchanged, and zakat is given to the poor. The kids will get a tidy sum of money. Unsurprisingly, food is very important. After a whole month of fasting, all sorts of delicacies will be eaten.

It’s official. Eid begins tonight. The fast is over. I broke the fast by going to Tariq al-Jadida, a busy part of the southern suburbs, with Bron. We then went to Dahieh, where we had some saj with jibneh and zataar, before walking through the market in Sabra and Shatilla. We ended up back in Tariq al-Jadida looking for heloweyat. We weren’t very successful, but we were given free street food: foul with lemon, and seasoned corn. Tomorrow, I’ll go for breakfast in the morning, and then hit the beach.

Epilogue

This month has been really amazing. I’ve learned so much about the traditions of Islam, I’ve met so many different people, I’ve tasted lots of new foods, and I’ve had some great experiences.

It was trying at times, but the effort was definitely worth it. Ramadan really focuses the mind, and makes you very thankful for what you have. It’s also helped me to think more about portion size and also about my own health. Lastly, it’s helped me bond with others who are fasting, and brought me closer to my Muslim friends and students. I can now say with pride that I made it through the full month of Ramadan.

#ramadan #lebanon #diary #reporter

13 notes · View notes

alley-cat-sunflower · 5 years

Text

Status update!

Hello! Alley here, finally!

You may have noticed I’ve vanished from the face of the earth lately. In case my terse and sporadic update posts aren’t enough to tell you why I’ve been so inaccessible, I think it’s about time I give you something to explain what I’ve been doing, and maybe even a promise to come back online sooner rather than later. (But it’s gonna get a little long, so I’m throwing this under a cut. I apologize to those of you who can’t see it.)

As most of you know, I’m in my last semester of college. More importantly, I’m so far along in said last semester that I literally just have to take one final a week from today—the day before graduation, actually—and then I’m home fucking free after five years of torment!!!

Anyway, the whole semester has been super busy, what with holding down an internship and three classes all required for graduation (and that pressure has been real). One of those classes was “Math and the Human Imagination”, which unsurprisingly involved analyzing imaginary numbers. I’m ashamed to admit that despite my favorite professor’s best efforts, the course did absolutely nothing to help my understanding of mathematics. Another of those classes was “Bollywood and Globalization”, which is the one in which I still have a final. I have hopes that I’ll do well, if only because I’ve enjoyed the course enough to pay attention.

The last class was my “Senior Synthesis”, which purports itself the crowning experience of a Liberal Studies major, in which you can basically do whatever the fuck you want as long as you can present it to the class in the form of a speech/slideshow, a poster, and an essay. Because there are roughly three things I care about, I chose one of them and had an unironically marvelous time drawing a bazillion connections between BTS’s Bangtan Universe and Hermann Hesse’s Demian. I was scheduled to present in the first possible week, in mid-April, and spent 24 total hours out of the weekend before pulling together my presentation (because I’m broken and think that’s fun—I’d have spent just as much time on it even if I hadn’t had to for the project). As part of it, I made a six-minute video you can watch here if you like, which showcases some of the specific connections I examined.

Speaking of BTS in conjunction with April, though, that brings me to their new album. And can I just say, holy shit. I still wasn’t over “Intro: Persona” by the time the whole thing dropped, so every time I listen to the album, I’m shook all over again to this day. Thanks to timezone shenanigans, my mother the ARMY had me wake her at 1:45am on April 12 so we could be awake for the festivities. We saw the “Boy with Luv” MV the moment it came out… and then proceeded to watch it with and without subs about five times. While that was going on, I bought Map of the Soul: Persona on iTunes the second it was available and burned a CD. After that, my mom suggested going out to a deserted parking lot and blasting it in the car so we could enjoy it at a decent volume, since we didn’t want to wake the neighbors. So we did, and let me tell you, hearing “Dionysus” for the first time at full volume in the dead of night can’t be beat. That whole adventure is a memory I’ll cherish forever.

There have been a lot of those lately, especially in conjunction with BTS, and this brings me to how absolutely insane this past week has been. I’d like to lead into last weekend by stating in no uncertain terms that I owe @lightningswrath my very life for managing to land us tickets to not one, but both BTS concerts at the Rose Bowl this past weekend. They were both indescribably beautiful, though the second one in particular was perfect—not least because I actually remembered to eat that day, so I was no longer trying to process overwhelming emotions on an empty stomach. However, the experience wasn’t as surreal as I expected; I did feel elevated, but also oddly grounded. Despite their awe-inspiring stage presence and sense of showmanship, the members are also so genuine as people that I couldn’t help but accept their presence in front of me.

(Incidentally, if you’re an ARMY and haven’t looked up Namjoon’s speech on 190505, please do; the man is a true sage and I feel incredibly honored to have heard such profound words in person. The only reason I didn’t record it myself was because I was so absorbed in the moment.)

Alas, every silver lining has its cloud. This past weekend has given me an unforgettable set of experiences in the best way, but I am most definitely suffering the consequences of not being able to do any schoolwork. We couldn’t leave until after my class a week ago, and we had to come back early enough on Monday that I could make it to my last math class and explain two chapters of a book I didn’t understand. On Tuesday, I had to attend the last day of my internship and then design and construct a poster, which I finished on Wednesday morning before completing a three-page evaluation of my math class—which was supposed to have been due on Monday, but I completely spaced it out—and then presenting my poster.

But That’s Not All. Yesterday, I wrote and turned in another three-page evaluation, this time of my internship, before immediately heading home to work on my synthesis essay, which was supposed to be 15 pages. Thankfully, I actually enjoy writing about all the crazy-detailed connections between BTS and Demian, but I still only finished it in the nick of time today (at a whopping 24 pages, not counting the works cited, because I can’t be brief when I’m busy being passionate) before heading to class. I had just gotten home from that when I started writing this post, and I’ll have to leave in another couple hours to go out dancing with some friends. After that, as mentioned, I only have one final left, and then I’ll have a degree in Liberal Studies with an English minor.

Which begs the question several people have already asked me: what next?

Thankfully, my internship has provided me with a ready answer, because they decided to ask me to come in as a paid part-timer over the summer! So I can at least tell people I’m going to be continuing my foray into the field of editing and publishing. But aside from career-related stuff, I also have a lot of things I’d like to do now that I won’t have academia weighing me down anymore. Enough that I can honestly make an entire list of… uh, goals? wishes? for the rest of the year:

Finish some of my ongoing fanfiction

Work on some of my original fiction

Find more time to write and post in general

Dance more often (and learn some BTS choreography)

Get into more K-pop (VAV, Monsta X, SHInee, etc.)

Help my mother sell stuff on eBay and pay back the $500 I owe her

Buy more BTS albums/merch and FFXV’s Episode Ardyn

Play and/or replay more video games, esp. otome

Plan my move up north with @chibitorra

Move all my stuff out of my dad’s house

Sort through everything I own and get rid of half of it

Pick up my Japanese studies again

Maybe start learning Korean???

Watch more Bollywood films