#(but not Immolation AU lmao)

[decarbry]

#my hero academia #boku no hero academia #aizawa shouta #Aizawa fan art #eraserhead #so my favorite take on Aizawa's life post-UA is where he just. continues to spiral #after they graduate he continues to pull away from Hizashi and Nem until they hardly ever hear from him. it's like pulling teeth getting hi #on the phone and impossible to see in person. working himself to death in the underground hero world and making pennies #sometimes so deep in it that he has bouts of houselessness but refuses to ask anyone for help. for YEARS. #so when his friends finally pry themselves an opening they find him at rock bottom and are the only real reason he gets pulled out of it at #all to become the Aizawa we know in canon #he spends the next few years after leaving UA and prior to joining an agency as a self-described terrible friend and all he's good for is #being an underground hero so he runs himself down to do so #I love fics that focus on this era it's so good #they get Dark but that's how I like em #more of that please #and all of my Aizawa art adheres to this telling of his past #even in the Yabureme AU #(but not Immolation AU lmao)

[qierxing]

Hear me out, Yandere twst isekai au, during the masquerade event. Imagine the drama with RSA and Rollo when you add the whole yandere aspect- just a random thought I had while rereading it tho

oooh that's fun, although I will say I don't really read in depth with future event spoilers, but I do have a general gist of how the event went down from hearsay. that said most of this may not be accurate bc I haven't played the story lmao (speaking of RSA, I have a WIP in the works with yandere heartslabyul & chenya in the isekai au >:3c) tw/cw: twst spoilers from jpn server, immolation/arson, graphic descriptions

As much as you wanted to see the City of Flowers, you did not want to see the student council president of Noble Bell College.

For many reasons, of course. There is the fact that being magic less and also quite literally from another world has its implications, and you don't want to subject yourself to Rollo's piercing gaze when he learns of this. And...even if he was beloved by others, you cannot say the same. His backstory is tragic of course, but there's something in his eyes that make you squirm. As if you were a sinful criminal before a judge, awaiting your verdict.

It is for these reasons that you linger in the back of the group, hoping desperately his cold sharp jaded eyes will pass over you in introductions. You don't even gaze at him directly, opting to instead focus on the mobs behind him. And yet, for all your efforts, his gaze still focuses on your face when he speaks of formalities and activities the following days will have.

So you decide to stay out of his way as much as possible. Screw what Crowley told you, you were not going to be a part of another mess that was about to go down. Instead of showing up to the group sessions that was meant to promote friendly relations between NRC and NBA, you indulge Grim's bad habits and ditch to hang around the quaint city. The cafes around here are relaxing to be in, and it's too easy to lose yourself in the calm atmosphere of sipping coffee and nibbling on madelines. You're ordering a plate of macarons when someone sits at the table you and Grim have situated yourselves in.

Your heart drops when you stare at an irritated Rollo Flamme crossing his arms across from you.

"Care to explain why you haven't showed up to to our activities, Prefect?"

The others give you confused looks when you're dragged in by Rollo's firm hand on your wrist. No matter how much you tug, it doesn't budge and he has the nerve to sit you in your chair like a child. And instead of trying to keep a modicum of discretion, he sits in the very chair right next to you, separating you from Grim. It's very obvious that he looks distastefully down on your furry companion, although if it's because he's a mage or because he's right by your side at all times, is something you've yet to discern.

It escalates, somehow. Somehow. He's always one step away no matter what you try to do to shake him off, always claiming that you must remain under supervision to make sure you weren't off causing trouble--as if Grim wasn't always left to his own devices as soon as Rollo put a hand to your back and ushers you to the hallways.

The holy fire that sweeps the place is unbearably hot. Not only that, you're separated from the others, pressed against the raging pyromaniac. Some have said being burned alive is somewhat similar to being frozen to death. With the heat, numbness takes over first; then an itching that urges the body to tear at the skin, to get rid of the terrible sensation. You would say that it was worse than that. Burnt flesh has a very particular smell, after all. These flames, which Rollo claims to be the height of purification, was like a rash that no ointment could sooth, forever branded into the very cells of your body.

Before you could take your nails and claw them down your throat in desperation, the heat is gone, replacing your skin with a low, raw ache. When you open your eyes again, it's not fire that greets you but Chenya and Neige's worried faces. "What...the hell...took you so long..." is the last thing you can get out before you straight up faint into Chenya's arms.

When you wake up again, it's pandemonium. You can barely understand who is saying what and what is going on. RSA came to the rescue of NRC? Yes yes, you already knew this, can someone explain why you weren't in a hospital bed, but instead in a shiny canopy bed that looks too expensive to be lying in?!

"My, my, they awake! Callooh, callay!" You scream at Chenya's head suddenly popping into existence directly above you. He snickers as you try to swipe at his head as it bobs just out of your reach.

"You--! Don't do that!" His eyes twinkle with mischief as the rest of his body materializes, still hovering parallel to yours on the bed.

"I think you guys should let the young'un rest, instead of burbling all this info to them, y'know?" The cheshire cat grins widely at the disgruntled NRC students. They reluctantly acknowledge his statement, leaving you to an empty room.

Well, a mostly empty room.

Chenya's face turns serious as he floats closer to you. "You should know, prefect, that the priest lad is also here."

At your confused look, he shrugs, body starting to de-materialize. "He wouldn't leave, no matter what Riddle and his crew would threaten. It's up to you on what you wanna do."

His chuckles echo in the air as his head disappears.

"If you decide to see him, that is."

#asks #anon #yandere twisted wonderland #yandere twst #yandere twisted wonderland x reader

[redrobemerle]

hey what if i made an ffvii au based around a very niche musical i enjoy. woe dolls of ffvii be upon ye

the narrator : the Planet itself (tells the story, also tries to warn people about the consequences of their actions but cannot be heard by the rest of the cast) the gambler and the monk : JENOVA and a cetra (maybe ifalna, maybe just a random one. its not like theyre mentioned by name anyway) jasper : grimoire valentine (this is mainly bc annabel had to be lucrecia) annabel : lucrecia (she canonically sort of brought vincent back from the dead. sort of. she probably wouldve brought grimoire back if she could have. its also lowkey implied that she may have had a crush on grimoire?)

((now heres where the roles go off the rails in regards to what their original relationships were))

edgar : hojo fay : vincent (THATS RIGHT BAY BEE IF JASPER IS GRIMOIRE VINCENT HAS TO BE FAY. whos the guy vincent leaves hojo for when he realizes Oh This Guys Fucked Up Actually? probably cid or reeve. i dont really ship vincent with anyone so like. as long as its not one of the Kids. anyway also thinks about how grimoires last words in canon are "tell vincent im sorry". thinks about "i took the liberty of bringing your dear old dad back. you can talk to him again! but only if you come back and marry me". thinks) byron : sephiroth (let sephiroth be an anarchist lmao) amelia : angeal ("amelia"s shitty dad is hollander obvs) priscilla : aerith (the obvious choice, but also im always thinking about the similarities between aerith and vincent (vincents similarities with cloud are far more obvious, but listen to me. aerith and vincent have their parallels too). priscilla reminding jasper of fay (aerith reminding grimoire of vincent)) soldier 7285 : theres so many people it could be but im leaning towards zack or cloud? everyone else gets to be voodoopunks

BUT TUMBLR USER REDROBEMERLE NONE OF US IN THE FF7 FANDOM HAVE ANY CLUE WHAT DOLLS OF NEW ALBION IS! YOU ADMITTED IT'S NICHE AS HELL!

fear not, for i have typed up a summary of the musical under the cut! if you read the summary and get upset about the way ive fucked with the relationships from the game for the sake of this au, please refer to this post <3

CONTENT WARNINGS: offstage but explicitly mentioned suicide, also very brief but explicitly mentioned parental abuse, immolation mentions (sort of), execution by a militaristic police state (near the end)

The Dolls of New Albion: a Steampunk Opera is a folk opera by Paul Shapera

the opera is split up into four acts, each following a generation of a single family. each act has a narrator telling you about the world as time passes. while not all of it is directly relevant to the story at hand, it tells you something interesting about the world. however, there is a recurring motif of a gambler and a monk who played a never-ending card game. this is important later. the city of new albion was built around them by the people who came to watch them play. but more importantly, in the Now, annabel(/annabelle/annabella. the script cant decide how its spelled) mcalistair is raising up the dead

okay so basically. annabel had a big ol crush on a guy in school. they had never talked until one day they talked and kissed and they became friends for a little bit. but then annabel was expelled for stealing cadavers for her own research. and she became a shut-in and he got married then died young. and she's figured out how to call his soul down into a doll she has built!

the doll is very lifelike but cant really move and cannot talk but he can play the radio! isnt he great? look at annabels doll everyone! she can go anywhere now bc hes proof that shes brilliant! shes conquered life and death! but not everything you love loves you in return. and when she realizes that he cannot, will not ever love her back or speak to her, he doesnt want to be back, she destroys the doll. and throws all of her notes in an old trunk in the attic.

and so passes the first generation.

the narrator informs us that annabel gets married and has a son named edgar at some point. edgar grows up and falls in love, as people often do, with a woman named fay, and on the night he was planning to propose to her, she tells him that while she loves him and she really tried to make the relationship work, hes got Issues and so she leaves him for another man.

in his anger, when edgar goes through the old trunk in the attic and finds annabels notes on necromancy, he makes a business out of it! he summons back the souls of the dead for anyone who asks and pays, and when his business becomes successful enough he uses the money and influence he has to run the business of fays new partner into the ground.

he goes and finds fay and is like. "look. i have a very successful business. the man that you say you love is ruined and poor and I know you cant live like that. and whats more than that, you know your dead dad who you loved so dearly? yeah i brought him back for you, but the only way you can talk to him is if you come back and get married to me. :)" and fay does but shes also like "what the fuck. i actually loved you once why did you end up like this this is why i left you in the first place" also the person whose soul edgar brought back is jasper, the same man annabel brought back originally.

and so passes the second generation.

edgar and fay have a son named byron. now, byron becomes a voodoopunk. voodoopunk is one part religious movement, one part political party, one part punk subculture. yes i know voodoo is a closed practice i dont know that the person who wrote this does and yeah.

so basically his whole plan is to run jasper for mayor? and theres this girl named amelia whos also running with the voodoopunks. it is unclear how old she is, but she is referred to as "a girl" rather than "a woman", so it is likely she's either a teenager or a young adult.

but jasper has figured something out. jasper has figured out how to string together songs on the radio to finally speak for himself. and byron is like "here listen to our doll give you a speech and prove that the dead can run this country better than any of the vultures that are politicians in any part of the political spectrum!"

and jasper sings.

and he sings about how he did not want to be brought back. death was peaceful and he did not want to be here.

and amelia heard this. and she had no friends. and she lived only with her father who was abusive (presumably both verbally and physically? it is never elaborated upon but we do know its at least verbal.)

and she kills herself with only the words of the song jasper sang as her note.

at which point theres public outcry bc ALL the dolls have been singing this song. in the publics eyes, the dolls killed amelia. and so people start rounding up the dolls -- who there are more of than living people in new albion by now -- and burning them alive (for a given definition of alive? its really more of releasing their souls again but really violently) byron manages to "save" jasper though.

and so ends the third generation.

we revisit the card game. the gambler died of a heart attack during the final hand, and cursed with his dying breath that the game was not yet finished, promising the two would come back to finish it one day.

and so begins the fourth generation.

New Albion has become a military police state, killing anyone with any sort of memorabilia of the dead. we see priscilla, byrons daughter, hiding in a basement and playing a never-ending game of cards with jasper. (YEP THATS RIGHT ITS KINDA IMPLIED THAT JASPER AND PRISCILLA ARE THE REINCARNATIONS OF THE MONK AND THE GAMBLER, and even if theyre not, theyre still the ones continuing the game they started).

we also see soldier 7285 join the police.

priscilla loves her great grandfather jasper dearly -- and he loves her back. she reminds him of fay, when fay was younger and more innocent, and jasper lets slip during their card game that he still wants to die but he is willing to stay because he wants priscilla to live even more. because if theyre found, they both die.

priscilla is like what the fuck thats not? fair??? why should you have to sacrifice your death for my life??? and she thinks about it. and decides that a life of hiding isnt much of a life at all.

and she calls the cops on herself.

a firing squad happens, despite jasper doing all he can to prevent it because her life for his death isnt fair to her, either.

but soldier 7285 doesnt fire.

he is court martialled and stripped of his duties/rank for it. soldier 7285 thinks about how priscilla loved jasper so much she was willing to die if it meant his freedom, and goes. hey what the fuck sort of country do i serve that thinks caring about the people we loved past their deaths is punishable by death??? im going to tear this country down and rebuild it on the graves of the people who decided this, and if i die in the process, at least i can be a martyr and inspire people to finish what i started the way she inspired me.

and thats the dolls of new albion!

#rrm.txt #the dolls of ffvii #not maintagging this bc this post is not like. polished at all and i am FULLY aware im butchering character dynamics for this #but also if i dont post it it wont leave me alone #also lmao this au does mean both hojo and vincent are sephiroths dad #sticking my middle finger up both at canon AND the ppl who try insisting vincent is actually sephs dad despite it being confirmed otherwise

[unproduciblesmackdown]

spinning off of "winston being fantastically (literally fantastical (literally related to fantasy)) clairvoyant (he is also figuratively clear-sighted / figuratively preternaturally perceptive just like, in the show. which is where this all comes from. plus him calling himself cassandra, always seeing the future. he really has always / continued to be thusly) and taylor literally has a broadsword" type fun and games that are very loosey goosey b/c billions aus go spinning off into their own separate dimensions super easily when billions canon is so rooted in its specific Stage Settings of modern day US law n finance battles in the office, sidewalks, and eateries:

the thought of winston & tuk and winston gets to be a fairy. jokes, please. changelings are right there with the common theory of "was this to explain disabilities & go 'something could go Wrong and the baby's not a Person and get rid of that,' unlike nowadays where people do that but go 'b/c that baby's disabled'" and also one goes Thinking Emoji about how apparently New Mothers and New Brides were susceptible along with New Borns to become swapped out with a fairy and now something's wrong with them and get rid of that. had to be about Something given that people apparently did act on changeling lore and martin luther is taking a stance like yeah another thesis, it's important to kill them And okay to kill them b/c they don't even have a soul anyways. okay thanks martin luther....meanwhile also witchcraft and getting after anybody for that too. and fairies generally as Problems, the etymology going back to [fate], the range like "ooh hehe causing funny little inconveniences just because" to more so "yeah they could cause life-threatening illness for that" and "yeah they'll just kill you"....and i think fairy/fey as respective noun/adj re: being gay is of Unknown Origin, like "gay" also is. and you never know, if being fey is like, well something's not right and it's dangerous, whether this is the inspiration....though by the time this slang starts turning up, and even in the time of prior possible origins / the roots in other usages / potential inspirations, theoretical actual fairies are surely becoming more Fanciful, this being around like, the 18th century, rather than "here's martin luther telling you to immolate! that! baby!"

but that like, you can have it all ways out here. the Always Small fairies i think being a later kind of victorian deal, rather than "fairies are shapeshifters & can become animals e.g. & May have a 'tiny little inches or millimeters high mode' but that's just a mode & the fact that generally though they just look like people, maybe with some stylistic variations and tells, means watch out" and i think wings came up ever, across yknow the various centuries and regions of folklore out here lmao and possible origins / influences yet further across time & regions & cultures, but again "always small and always winged" being a very relatively modern victorian deal. but we can draw on that to be sure when, additionally, a Potential mutual [would prefer to avoid] between fairies and humans (as opposed to "if your house or some shit is on a fairy path bestie just build them another door to walk straight through cuz they're Gonna") becomes "no, fairies mostly avoid humans more than the other way around" type of imbalance of any threat means like, well hey sure, the Real Self could then become a tiny little magical guy having fun with wing designs who is shy and elusive but maybe another fun little guy can accidentally become aware but then have a secret little hidden friendship hmm....

but then also just thinking of the version where you just look exactly like everyone else and live amongst them, changeling style. and potentially don't Know you're different, or at least not Why, b/c this is a "from birth" thing like hmmm ya don't say. and the whole thread where in some folklore fairies Aren't nonhuman, the difference is only about the separate fairy Realm you live in, which is different, with like "yeah sometimes fairies come from people who died." and alongside / overlapping with everything like "yeah you could disappear for a few days to that realm and then be like 'don't wanna / can't talk about it'" and whatever all various like "watch out for the liminal and unknowingly wandering or being taken into the fairy world and Then watch out for communing with them b/c then you could be Permanently affected, or permanently continually affected or vulnerable, or just stuck there. and we wouldn't want that" like well don't let them know your name but maybe try to find out their names b/c you can get at them in turn that way, don't get in on any food, don't get in on any parties. though variations, sometimes people getting whisked away for particular tasks that apparently Only humans can do. or forever potential for helpful / sympathetic fairy interventions in life. like fairies raising humans b/c their human parents were awful

also, that some classic Tests for "is your baby a changeling?" were very like, "well i guess if we drowned or burned that person and they just died about it....our bad," in the way that like apparently the way to go could be "put them in the fire. where they'll either burn or fly out the chimney." or "start going tf beating them with objects. so that they go away" like and they never stop beating winston with hammers out here!! or the classic "idk abandon them in the forest so fairies can take them back" like well they do also like [i prefer to pretend winston doesn't exist / forget that he does] lmao. this isn't really related. just the ol "ballpeen hammers kind of goated when it comes to putting someone in a sack and beating them to death" factor out here for your local changelings

also sure thinking of like ohh watch out for winston and his gayass Realm he exists in which is wrong and not of our own and potentially will forever change you with its gayass ways. uh oh don't get corrupted into a whole other powerful magical mode of existence if you commune with him in some deep fundamental nourishing ways. oh nooo watch ouuuut....one of the "you might be a changeling if" moments being "when they think they're alone do they act up?? dance??" like yeah i'm stimming and bursting into motion and making noises and existing wrong when i think i'm alone. Old Souls (theory as well that newborn changelings were secretly elderly fairies)....existence in the Fey Realm just making you different and out of place huh. and it would just be a guy though like either [undetectable except by already trying to kill them] and/or [actually just a human, fairies are just humans, fairies b/c they're in/from the fairy realm] but uh oh don't let him corrupt you. don't go hanging out with him and talking with him and partaking in his activities and embracing his ways. you'll be changed. you'll never fit in around here and be able to do things right ever again. we'll have to start beating you with hammers. and all for what. your weird gayass little guy and a whole possible other dimension of existence? vs all This? smh

#that fey little mf. all the same glasses hoodies cargo pants winston.... #winston billions #you can't go wrong. sort of semi fantastical au. or just modern day ''fairies can even be in your hedge fund office'' magical realism #not even like there's clear Powers lol like what do fairies do? well bit fuzzy on that but one things for sure: #cause problems for US!!!! like wow the way symptoms & definitions of disabilities are approached much? #you might be a fairy if....ouch i'm dead of unclear causes in 1337. Not very 1337.... #winston is truly always causing problems. also learned that ''oaf'' (another word i've recently thought like ''i would just not say that'' #b/c for some reason the nyt i believe described orville wingate as [still an(?)] Oaf & i was like a) huh b) excuse me) derives from fairy #as it was a term for a changeling specifically :I which juuust so happens to lead to connotations of Stupidity(tm) & Clumsiness(tm) #hmm! you do not say it! #what could changeling winston do? up for grabs. but the point is: change(ling) your life. and other fun things :) #also i think another potential fairy ability was: seeing the future as well lol. it's all coming together #seeing winston with fun bird wings b/c you've communed with him ''too much'' already. not an angel thing. a fairy thing #(sidebar abt how some Lore was that they Are an angel thing. see: influence from whole other traditions lol) #winston Becoming a bird b/c he can do things like that b/c fairies are shapeshifters. he's a pigeon =) you have a nest for him =) cooing #another parallel like ''definitely don't fuck him or you're locked in to his gay autistic realm for sure'' #just like how as a theoretically real world autistic person everyone just knows winston isn't allowed to have sex #nowadays how ridiculous to imagine going: we think someone is weird & dislike their vibes; they shouldn't exist. we should ostracize them #we would never be like; some corruption has caused your child to exist wrong. basically taking your Real child away from you #or when they do tragically exist that they should be driven away to any possible extent up to ''just kill them :( sorry for You btw'' #with the Possibility fairies could give you your Real Human Child back.... #autistic kid? number one recommendation totally isn't ''put them in specialized abuse school where we try to banish the autism for you''

[redrobin-detective]

I had a great little fantasy going as I was waiting for sleep last night. Almost got out of bed to share but decided to wait.

It’s mid-S2 Ba Sing Se, very late at night and Uncle is worried because Zuko has not returned from his late night vigilanting Iroh can’t seem to talk him out of ‘walk’. He waits and waits and waits and soon its almost dawn and his nephew is not back. He searches all over and finally gets desperate, he knocks on the Avatar’s door.

“Hello children, I am glad to see you are well,” he smiles anxiously as he looks around the home. “Tell me, has my nephew come by for tea?” The Gaang, predictably, freaks out. What are you doing here? What are you doing HERE in this city? Why would z u k o come here? He handwaves that they’re now humble refugees but, more concerning, Zuko didn’t come home last night. Can you please help me? Everyone but Katara is for it; Aang as repayment for the whole Blue Spirit thing (and he’s nice like that), Toph cause she likes Iroh and wants to yell at the angry nephew for worrying him and Sokka is just so down for the irony of tracking down Zuko (how do you like it now, jerkbender?).

So begins the Great Zuko Hunt ft the Avatar and friends. Iroh is getting increasingly more agitated and worried and is babbling on all sorts of randoms facts about Zuko along with embarrassing childhood stories. Its funny but also a bit awkward having their enemy humanized so much. (If you want some angst, imagine they hear rumors that the Dai Li or someone killed some nameless wanderer and they think Zuko died and Iroh completely breaks down at the idea of losing another son to Ba Sing Se with the Gaang trying to comfort him)

Anyway, at some point they reconvene back at the teashop which poor Zuko has been trying to manage alone. Iroh is pouring all the energy he wants to give to screaming at his nephew to instead hugging him and thanking all the gods who will listen. He blusters a big game but finally it turns out Zuko was doing some Sick Ninja Moves on a rooftop that was a little more slippery than he was expecting and took a spill and knocked himself out for a good several hours. He woke up at dawn and staggered home, wondering where his uncle had gone (they probably just missed each other lol). Now he’s got an armful of crying Uncle and even the Avatar and others are holding him and crying how grateful they are he’s okay and wow okay maybe he hit his head harder than he thought. The tea customers are LIVING for the drama.

It ends with either Gaang/Zuko being like ‘right uh this was fun, lets uh pretend this never happened for the rest of our lives’ and the Gaang heads back to the Upper Ring and just... does their best to ignore that their former pursuers are chilling in the Lower Ring. Or Iroh, who’s suspected from the very beginning of the series who will end up the Avatar’s firebending teacher, is like ‘oh right Zuko weren’t you out searching for the Avatar’s bison’ and somehow gets roped into all that and, oops, he’s now in the group now sorry we don’t make the rules. Zuko resigns himself and the finale plays out much differently.

Anyway in typical me fashion, its a long indulgent AU to give Iroh a chance to spill so much tea about Zuko and also just the hilarity of the Gaang wandering Ba Sing Se looking for Zuko likes he’s a lost cat or something while the dumbass is unconscious on a roof somewhere.

#atla #atla au #it was a very pleasant way to pass the hours before I eventually fell asleep #god do I have FEELINGS on Iroh thinking he lost Zuko and this will be the SECOND child he let die in Ba Sing Se #can you imagine the trauma? he wouldn't recover if Zuko did actually die #he'd either just give up at life or with nothing holding him back be like 'lmao I'm going to immolate the Fire Lord' #the Gaang wandering the streets: Zu- fuck Li! Where are you! Your Uncles worried come home!!! #Iroh: would you like to hear about the time Zuko put 5 baby turtle ducks under his shirt and tried to free them into the city #sokka taking notes with tears in his eyes: nothing would make me happier #we need more Iroh/Gaang interactions #hmm Im tempted to write #it'd be half crack/half heart felt story which is the best genre

[lacrow]

Forger Spookfest Poem- Nightmare Before Christmas AU

@gonnahypatia (lmao I just saw your ask) I posted this earlier but took it down to change some words and stuff. Now I will copy and paste everything again *ahem* I know you didn't directly suggest this but all your Tim Burton AU's got me thinking and I came up with this. Somehow you always get us motivated to make shit, so I dub thee Official Den-mother of Forger Spookfest. May you wear your title with honor and pride XD

I'm debating whether to put this on Ao3 or not since it's just a poem and I don't wanna flood the place with my stories, but regardless I plan on dusting this bad boy off come December (two holidays with one fic, booya!)

The Storied King of Fright

This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...

Vampire bats and midnight cats,

checkerboard snakes and gnarled-toothed rats,

haunting spirits of the freshly turned dead,

and sharp clawed monsters best left under your bed.

All give praise to the man as he arrives,

All sing the song of the storied king of fright.

This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...

He rides on an effigy of twisted wood and straw,

brandishes a torch to the crowd, and gives pause.

The gathered ghouls and goblins hold their breath,

and shut their mouths to silently witness his death.

But death is not death as he casts himself alight,

for you cannot kill what's already dead. Such is the storied king of fright.

This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween..

He burns and kindles and dances the whole time,

swinging his arms and legs to some haphazard old rhyme.

The crowd claps and sings in horrible cheer

as their king immolates himself just as he did last year.

When the fire wanes his mask falls and reveals two blue eyes,

cold enough to steal your soul; eyes befitting the storied king of fright.

This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...

When the dance is over the crowd cheers once more,

and the man takes his final bow to the tune of their roar.

There's a twinkle in his smile as he goes to shake hands

and promises another terrible year as the king of Halloweenland.

Witches and sirens chase him feverishly into the night

in a desperate attempt to spend some time with the storied king of fright.

This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...

He loses the vixens and makes his escape

back to the seclusion of a graveyard where he waits.

All night, every night, looking up at the stars,

waiting for something to change, though the prospect seems far.

For what, he cannot say, though a friend waits by his side,

a ghost dog, Bond, accompanies his master, the storied king of fright.

This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...

On that fateful night, another joins him in secret,

a woman between headstones, as close as she can get.

Timid and shy, she hides and she waits,

content to just stare quietly as he wallows in place.

His pity and loathing he casts on the world like a blight,

lamenting himself, he, the storied king of fright.

This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...

Her body of nothing but stitches and threads

she twiddles her cloth absently and thinks in her head,

"Perhaps I should go over. It won't be that bad,

if I sit at his side, maybe he won't be so sad."

With all her conviction and an embarrassed sigh

Yor willed herself forward towards the storied king of fright.

This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...

His head spun around several times as she came,

angry, at first, though his anger soon waned.

Bond lapped at her feet as she took up a chair

next to them both, and pulled back her hair.

There on the bench she looked quite a sight,

one that thoroughly vexed and perplexed the so-called storied king of fright.

This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...

"I've already given you this year's dreadfully dull show,

so why have you come here to share in my woe?

The same old thing, year after year, is what you demand

and begrudgingly I indulge you as the king of Halloweenland."

"I used to be scary! I was once quite the sight!

But now I'm nothing more than my title...the storied king of fright."

This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...

When he was done moping and woeing, Yor laced her fingers

and took a moment to search his face. His eyes lingered,

she paused, and soon gave him a smile.

"Honestly I haven't been to one of your shows in quite a while."

Her admission was biting, though her face remained bright.

"That's not to say I'm not a fan...I just get nervous around you, Mr. Storied-King-of-Fright."

This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...

"You're the most terrifying, most horrific, most talented scarer ever.

I was made to be scary, too, but I'm really not clever.

I envy you so much, though not with ill will

because I greatly admire you, even now still.

So cheer up! You're the best of the best, and this is your night!

I couldn't bear to see you so sad, Mr. Storied-King-of Fright!"

This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...

He blinked through his blear and focused on her,

the pathchwork woman who'd twice now called him mister.

She was cheerful and odd, though he found it unique

and the longer he stared, the more he started to think.

"Who says I must do the same old show every Halloween night?

I can do whatever I want, when I want, for I am the storied king of fright!"

This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...

First thing was first. He reached for her hand.

Cloth turned bright red as he started to stand

and dragged her with him under the glow of the moon.

Bond boofed behind Yor as she gazed at him and swooned.

To her burning red eyes, his cool blues were a sight,

and she couldn't help but to shudder in the presence of the storied king of fright.

This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...

For the first time in the long time she'd watched from afar, he smiled.

Hand in hand with him like that in the graveyard, her heart started to beat wild.

"I must thank you for helping me get my head back on straight.

Though Halloween's nearly over, perhaps it won't be too late

to go back into town and put on one more show for the night,

but one that I want to do. Not them, me, the storied king of fright."

This is Halloween...This is Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...Halloween...

Yor nodded and smiled and was glad she could help and readied to make haste into town by herself,

but stopped in her tracks by a pull that she felt.

Brought in close, a warmth brushed her lips

and her eyes nearly boggled at the touch of his kiss.

"From now on," he murmured as the two parted ways, "If you'll have me, I'll make you my bride."

"The only woman I'd ever ask for her hand. So sayeth I, the storied king of fright."

#spy x family #forger spookfest #loid forger #yor forger

[words-writ-in-starlight]

Heya!!! I remember way back that you mentionned having read some of Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files, and I wanted to know if you got the time to read some of them and your opinion on the way the series is going if you did! Or if you haven't, your thoughts about what you did read! Or not at all, that's cool too university is a Bitch(tm) and you may not have the time to think abt that lmao

I have still read all of two (2) Dresden Files books because I have the attention span of a fruit fly, or on good days a hamster.  I may or may not have read the third, but the fact that I’m couching it as “may or may not” suggests to me that I don’t remember it regardless.  So I do not have any thoughts to speak of about where the series is going, because I am super fucking behind.

HOWEVER.

I am planning to read more of it because I...love Harry.  He’s a disaster, and there’s nothing I love more than an unreasonably powerful character who also cannot be trusted to tie their own shoelaces.  Can you pull lightning down from the sky and immolate a demon, but also cannot function as an adult person in the world?  Good, you’re hired as my favorite character in your given universe.

I also love shamelessly smashing fantasy universes together, which Harry’s Chicago is great for, and I have to admit that I am LARGELY DISAPPOINTED in the internet’s insistence that Harry Potter is the best mashup for the Dresden Files.  WHERE are my fifteen hundred Labyrinth/Dresden Files crossovers.  WHERE is my AU where Harry is old friends with Hellboy or Constantine or some shit like that.  WHERE are my fics about how he went on a trip out to San Francisco to check up on an old friend’s uncle and ran into the old friend’s supposedly-died-forty-years-ago cousin instead, and she’s a weird angry faerie with blood powers.  WHAT are you doing, Internet, I am ASHAMED.

That being said, here’s the best Labyrinth/Dresden Files crossover I’ve ever read, and here’s a Welcome to Night Vale fic about how Carlos is actually a Warden, you’re so welcome.

#dresden files #labyrinth #wtnv #you are SO welcome those fics are unbelievable #book rec #fic rec #? #uhhhhhh yeah i'm real fuckin behind on this series #there's also a very good fic with the elric brothers floating around somewhere #i'm watching fma with my roommate who has never seen it before #hughes just died last night and she tried to kill me so i think she's enjoying herself #idiot teenagers with a queue #lovelypieceofjade #asked and answered

[praesidioest]

06. Victorian AU !!!

V A R I O U S . D R A B B L E . A U S .

06. Victorian AU (girl YOU KNOW MY HEART) where Aerith works as a fortuneteller to a cursed traveling circus, and Gladio is the strongman she gets to do shit for her, because fetch quests is your Aerith’s thing LMAO (Infernal Circus AU)

@petalwind​ ║ not accepting !

“The kittens have gotten into my laundry again!” Aerith announced with the sweetest lilt of exasperation Gladio had ever heard. 

He was still half asleep when she’d brushed the tent flap aside and swept imperiously within, as though she were entitled to even his early morning hours. Gladio rubbed the sleep from his eyes, so assiduously that he could see little star bursts in the dark behind his sight. “The what?” he asked groggily, his voice made profound with disuse. 

“The babies,” she explained, a hand planted prissily on the jut of her hip. “Cullen’s kittens. I can’t be sure if it was Lizzie or Lydia. I should really put it to Dite to outfit them with pretty colored bows to wear, to distinguish them better. That way, I know which ones to scold later. At any rate, I’ll need your help retrieving my stays and bloomers from the oak tree beside my tent. The little darlings left them on too high a bough for me to negotiate.”

The kittens were, in point of fact, lions of indeterminate and inconstant age, perplexingly sometimes cubs and sometimes large cats too frightening to approach, much less ‘scold.’ While Gladio, the resident strongman, wisely held reservations about dealing with the barely-tamed animals, he had witnessed the little fortuneteller bapping them on the nose with a finger and bidding them ‘behave!’ more times than he thought was shrewd. Was it prescience that granted her the boon of her boldness? Maybe. Another one of her mysteries he could contemplate when he was a little more awake.

Yawning, he followed her out into the chill of the morning air, to her tent where rose-colored underthings and floral-embroidered articles of clothing littered the tree that loomed over the little pavillion she’d built herself. The knots in the bark were unforgiving against the pads of his hands, rendered sensitive with the cold. But still he climbed, seating himself on a low branch to reach for her clothing and toss it down to her waiting arms. Delicate laces and silk stockings, satin stays and flimsy cotton chemises followed one after the other to the ground. The blush on Gladio’s cheeks reddened exponentially at every delicate item that snagged in indelicate hands, nicked and notched and unworthy of handling them. 

At least the heat in the back of his neck, the tips of his ears warded away the autumnal chill, thought it was augmented brutally when Aerith pulled him down by the hem of his shirt to lay a kiss on his cheek that left him devastated.

“Thank you!” she chirped, giving a little wave as she dipped inside her tent, leaving Gladio to the silent immolation of a disastrous crush. 

#petalwind #THIS WAS LONG AND STUPID AND SUCKY #IM SORRY #remember when u sent me this #a month ago #HAHAHAHA killme #but also #EYES EMOJI #SUE ME i love gladio having a cute crush on oneechan Aerith