Goro cupped her cheek, thumb running over the edge of her tight smile before it faded. “In that alley…I thought if you asked me, then I would help. But, you did not ask.” His tone was light, almost wistful. “You smiled and then–“ He released her, gestured gently. “–turned away.”
“I didn’t smile.”
“You did.” His expression was soft, bittersweet. “It is a not a sight I will soon forget.”
In truth the memory was hazy, volatile. There was the moment when she had first seen him, and it had been a little shock, something sharp and inarticulate. Maybe he was right.
the damn things overlap, 7 - some things you do for money
Commission by the incredibly skilled @nananarc
Also as an added bonus the original scene from Valentine's pov:
He fell back, head striking the pavement with a thump. She watched him, chest heaving, one hand on the knife still buried in her shoulder. Blood was roaring through her ears, but everything else was quiet. Cautiously, she crouched down next to his body, transfixed by the sight of him. The ripper had lost consciousness almost immediately, but this one had known what was going to happen.
<C’mon V, gotta keep moving.>
There was a wary note in Johnny’s voice. She resented his presence, but she despised his condescension more. The facile comments, the smug self-righteous air, as though he were a paragon of virtue merely for having promised her something he could not give. It was not enough that he was eating her alive, but he had to exert his control now, dig in his spurs over and over until she did what he wanted.
But she did not want what he wanted.
<He’s dead.>
Exasperation, now. There were two parts of her working along in uneasy tandem, one which regarded him with a cold professional contempt, and the other which wished they could rip him apart into silence
The remaining part of her wanted to sit there a while longer, to spite him, but the adrenaline was starting to wear off. She staggered to her feet, leaning heavily on her good leg, and then froze, catching movement at the far end of the alley.
<Persistent guard dog, isn’t he?>
Even in an untailored button down and cheap slacks Goro cut an imposing figure. It was something in the way he moved that made the animal part of her wary. Recognition of another predator. She felt herself relax as he approached, eyes drawn briefly to the corpse at her feet before his attention returned to her. He was dangerous but he was not her enemy.
“V,” he greeted her, evenly. “I wished to talk, but I see that you are busy.”
If he was still angry with her she could not find it in his face. He was calm, inscrutable. Possibly he thought she had gone insane. She found she did not want to talk.
the damn things overlap, 3 - washed in the blood
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it was all in jest but now i think ame rly wants to run people over with a car. i think whenever he drives and its a red light and people crossing hes thinking abt it rly hard. its intrusive not in the sense of he doesnt want to do that and it keeps popping up its intrusive cz he rly wants to do it but he shouldnt. i think he loves car crashes i think he loves people dying to cars. he likes cars he likes machine he does not care about the flesh
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Have you read The H Word: Bringing the Horror Home, by Dale Bailey? It's a little post on the internet that I like to chew on a lot
it didn't sound familiar, so I looked it up, but I think I have! I might have read it back when I was deep DEEP into a haunted house fixation (prompted by Jacob Geller's Control, Anatomy, and the Legacy of the Haunted House video essay, which plays in my head rent free)
The H Word: Bringing the Horror Home, by Dale Bailey
and to follow that up, may I in return offer my favorite excerpt from Kitty Horroshow's Anatomy (which is about. a fucked up house)
There is an important distinction that must be drawn between the words dissection and vivisection. A distinction that would appear to be lost on you. Your purpose was to listen and yet at every turn you have pried, you have prodded and you have interfered. Have you not been paying attention? Did it not occur to you that as an organism existing within a greater organism, your intrusion would be felt? And still you harass. And now, like the wayward spider who witlessly settled on a sleeper's tongue, you will be swallowed. Because the truth is this. When a house is both hungry and awake, every room becomes a mouth.
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me, yesterday: i'll download some yt videos ahead of time for this long road trip so i don't get bored when we lose reception! and i'll bring my steam deck with lots of games too!!
me, 15 minutes into the road trip after something in the first video reminded me of my favorite para: i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydream i need to daydr
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hell is a place and that place is the left lane of an american highway
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