#And it makes this drawing in particular creepier to me.

[albino-parakeet]

That one art of Yoshiki with his hair being blown by wind and covering his eyes creeps me out like…

I know it’s ironic since that’s just how he keeps his hair, but you can usually see at least one of his eyes.

I feel like I’m being cursed every time I see this art.

[todayisafridaynight]

:)

[coolest-capybara]

We get an extra long description in the Maniculum Bestiaryposting Challenge this week! The Gerzlaem is a beast of many facets.

There are even three different kinds. I depicted the short, curly haired, peaceable ones, but there is also a tall, straight-haired, fierce one, and a secret third option the author won't tell you about.

I am pretty sure I know what animal is being described, but that's based on one of the more metaphorical bits of the description, so it was relatively easy to just focus on the physical aspects we learn about.

The gerzlaems' most notable attributes seem to be that "their brow and tail show their mettle; their courage is in their breast, their resolution in their head." For an impressive breast, I gave them an inflatable throat/chest sac like many birds and reptiles have. The gerzlaems' tail is also important for obliterating its traces when it is being hunted, so I made it extra big and swishy.

Lastly, for the brow, I was inspired by the many beautiful dinosaur-based entries we have had so far (for example and in no particular order, @mobileleprechauns Choglaem, @moustawotts Gligglae, @cheapsweets Slaggzogg and @silverhart-makes-arts Fekthrud) to base it very loosely on a pachycephalosaurus.

They also have paws and give live birth - or, more precisely, dead birth, and then revive their young three days later, which is being depicted here. The drawing turned out a bit creepier than I originally intended, but I am very proud of the swishy curls. Past me, who hated drawing hair more than hands, would be so proud!

[clarktooncrossing]

DUDELZ of the Damned | We're All Mad Here...

HEY THERE PEOPLE OF TODAY AND ROBOTS OF TOMORROW! IT'S ME, CLARK!

A chill is in the air. You can feel it can't you? Perhaps you even recognize it. That same chill arrives every year right on the dot. With it comes a frightful howl in the moonlight, the only other sound to be heard. Otherwise there is a strange calmness settling around you, like the point of ease before the storm. By now the howling has stopped. It has been replaced by a different sound. Footsteps. Big, heavy, dragging, as if the figure didn't quite know how to use their legs. Perhaps it's a random passerby. Perhaps it's a rotting, frightful feature freshly risen from the grave. Perhaps it's some other, unspeakable horror waiting to pounce! Whatever it is, you're not waiting around to find out! Yet no matter how far you run, it can't be escaped. The chill in the air, the howling of the wind, the heavy footsteps, it all leads back to one thing: October is here! And with it comes the return of the DUDELZ of the Damned!

Yes weirdos, like last year, my approximation of Sketchtober has returned. I call it an proxy because there was no list of prompts. Nah, that'd be too limiting. This is yet another case where I compiled my own list of ideas, sketched them out, then used one color per picture. With all that said, let's see what spoopy scribblings await us today!

Alice was mighty confused. One moment she was following a strange cat through her family's gardens. The next she's falling down a hole behind the shed to a strange land called Wonderwhere. What a curious name indeed. It's almost as if the land itself didn't know where it was. Quickly Alice discovered how fitting that mindset was. Nothing made sense here. People preferred walking on the ceiling instead of the floor, doors would lead to nowhere in particular, there were staircases going in every direction, it got dark during the daytime, rabbits would randomly explode, and yet somehow there was still a Starbucks in the middle of all this absurdity. Our heroine wasn't in the mood for overpriced pumpkin spice lates, but a drink sounded stupendous right about now. Luckily the cat, Cola, reappeared and led the young girl to its master: the Mad Hatter. She was sweeter than Peach soda and bore a smile oh so welcoming. The blue lady then kindly offered Alice a chair to sit and some soda to drink. Mmm, how delicious! Wait, why is the room suddenly spinning? What was in that soda?

Inspiration, that's what! Along with making drawing most of these DUDELZ, most of my summer was spent crafting new backstories for the Clarktoons. This included AnimatedTigerGirl's addition to the You Are What You Eat series, Fizzy, a soda monster. Before this year she had no real backstory, which is what I blame for a lack of artwork featuring her. Having some idea of a character's past helps me to inform future artwork. Now I've made it so she was a High School friend of Pizza Monster, the outgoing type that was always peer pressuring her pizza-loving pal into trying new, cool things. She now lives in Clarksburg running a soda parlor, still giving PM helpful advice from time to time. Armed with this new backstory, I also looked back onto older artwork for ideas, stumbling upon Tiger drew of Fizzy as Alice with one of my now defunct characters as the Hatter. One thing led to another and now we have Fizzy as a creepier version of the twisted tea-drinker. For the record Tiger, yes, I do challenge you to draw this yourself! As for the rest of you, I hope you enjoy this sketch! And remember: never accept drinks from strangers.

BONUS QUESTION: What kind of soda do you prefer?

MAY THE GLASSES BE WITH YOU!

[finniestoncrane]

Finnie, my lovely gal, if it’s not too much to ask could I get a uhhh… no.9 with a side of you’re-a-really-awesome-writer jalapeño poppers and an extra sweet master-of-simp-fics iced tea please?

So I’m a Latina from Texas, but I am whiter than a damn ghost until around summertime where I get a little bit of a tan. ☀️ I have ADHD, anxiety, and depression, and I am somehow on the spectrum but not really (you can thank my psychiatrist) 🙃 I’m into drawing stuff especially if it’s fantastical and/or creepy. I like reading, gaming, doing stuff online, playing on my phone and lots of other stuff I rarely have time for 😅 Creepy stuff is my jam, as well as the colors pink and black and some cute things here and there. I love almost all types of music but I’m a BIG fan of classic rock and I love early 2000’s punk, Pour Some Sugar On Me is my favorite song while Green Day is my favorite band! Horror movies fill me with joy, not even kidding. I love weird facts and information. True crime stuff slaps 👌🏼Comedy shows like Friends and Golden Girls also slap 👋🏼 I have an eyebrow piercing, 5 tattoos (4 small, 1 big that was for my Nanna) and I definitely want more 😂😅 I have dirty blonde hair, hazel eyes, a scar on my back from spinal fusion surgery and I’m pretty proud of it tbh!

I’m sorry for rambling and I hope I didn’t add too much ❤️🥲

🎀 No.9: Ever Fallen In Love With Someone 🎀

tell me a little bit about yourself and i'll give you a rogue pairing a/n: ah peach this is perfect, i already knew lots about you but this was great because i know exactly who i would give you lmao💚 1k milestone info! 🔞minors dni🔞 • kofi • tag: finnie1k

ok so let's break this the fuck down!

first off, i think this particular crane is an absolute beast when it comes to mental health, so not only would he find it absolutely fascinating to be able to work with you, he could also prove to be very valuable in helping you to do some healing... or he might be mean about it, just depends on his mood i guess

i think this jon is probably a fan of classical music, but there's something about the dirty, nasty, loud vibes of punk that would get him going and the general horror/gore emotions that the songs/bands/music tend to evoke would be right up his street. he'd probably tell you how the different movements in "jesus of suburbia" really echo the movements often found in a lot of symphonies, and then request to bang you to it

artistic expression is something he would admire in a partner, or even a close friend. i don't imagine he's very artisitic himself, but he holds a deep appreciation for artwork, especially if it's on the spooky side, and especially if it's related to a beloved horror movie

which, speaking of, he'd the biggest horror movie fan ever? like canonically, the man is a buff, a dork, an obsessive loser over horror movies. having someone to get equally as geeked out over them with would bring him so much joy!!

hello true crime fan, it's probably not great for your anxiety, and he will nag you a little bit about that, but he wouldn't be above creating some reading materials for you if it's been a slow week, if you catch his drift...

he has a great sense of humour, if not slightly weird... but he strikes me as the kind of guy who has lines from shows memorised and who will use them at the worst times, making everything he says even creepier. so a binge refresh would be a perfect couple's activity! that way the next time he has someone held at knife point, teasing them to watch them sweat, he can make "could you be any more scared" the most terrifying reference to chandler bing ever. what an accomplishment!

[dokidokitsuna]

Hello I love your AU!

Could you please tell us more about Elfilis and Star Dream as well?

Well, for one thing, they're a lot harder to draw. ^^; So I will gladly accept this opportunity to talk about them now and finish my sketches later~

For another thing, I will admit that they were kind of afterthoughts for GONE (this image basically tells all the story I wanted to tell). It was hard for me to even imagine a space for them to be characters...until I tried thinking of the AU as a more casual slice-of-life thing, believe it or not. ^^;

It kinda makes sense though; for multiverse-scale rulers to take something like this in stride, to be totally comfortable taking breaks to chat and get to know each other in between murder attempts. ^^ To be honest, it's almost creepier this way...for someone to ask how you've been before ripping your head off your neck...really adds to the 'inhuman' vibe of this AU in particular.

Fecto Elfilis: Probably the most sympathetic of the three, despite also being the most brutal (in a way, I feel a capacity for kindness and a capacity for cruelty are two sides of the same coin). They kinda understand what the Master Crown is going through, since they also have a nagging 'weakness' living inside of them at all times, in the form of Elfilin. ^^ You'll see what that looks like later. ;)

Of course, they have the advantage of knowing with certainty that Elfilin is real, most likely permanent, and has feelings they can hurt (their basic dynamic is that Elfilin begs them not to do something bad, and F/E does something 10x worse just to spite him). Unfortunately, this comes with the disadvantage of having to fight with him all the time, and the constant stress and aggravation that results. ^^; Like, imagine you had a sort of sentient autoimmune disease that flared up AND psychically argued with you every time you wanted to do something fun...it's a special kind of hell, tbh, and I like to think that Elfilin knows that~.

Anyway, despite all of that, F/E is usually pretty cool and self-confident, personality-wise. They have zero respect for either of their opponents, and they get a cathartic kick out of watching the Crown have a mental breakdown and mocking it for it...even though they secretly feel the same way very often, and very deep down.

Star Dream: It thinks of itself as a benevolent god, the savior of the universe...and whether or not that idea is a half-truth or a complete delusion honestly depends on your perspective.

They ARE the only one of the three who's actually concerned with building civilizations instead of destroying them (F/E) or treating them like toys (MC). They also have the intrinsic ability to read people's dreams and grant their wishes, an ability they use to keep their colossal hivemind happy. But is this a 'real' happiness, or a sort of 'brainwashed' happiness? Does it really free people's souls from their imperfect flesh-prisons, or does it simply remake them into a sanitized ideal...?

I think it would be interesting if it offered to mechanize the Master Crown in order to relieve its suffering (which would totally count as proving dominance)...even though it's kind of its fault that MC started losing its mind in the first place. ^^;;; The 'itch' starts when it has a small but unexpected reaction to seeing Susie's face, and becomes exponentially worse when SD admits that the form it's in is something it saw in the MC's dreams. But y'know, what better way to convince MC to have its mind digitized and have the 'weaknesses' deleted than to show it exactly what it's afraid of? ^^

In case it's not obvious, Star Dream has a very 'pleasant' and calm personality-- by now, it's learned that it's faster and easier to convert people with """"kindness""" than threats of annihilation. Of course, it doesn't like being told 'no' (you could argue that it doesn't really see any viewpoint other than its own as valid) and really doesn't like entities that can challenge it, especially "repulsive" flesh-creatures like Fecto Elfilis. ^^ If there's any potential for dark comedy in this AU, it's in the dynamic between those two~

[sevicia]

blondie&glasses with ❤️🍀🧠✏️ / mary with ❤️🧊🌂🎹

OMG YAYYYYY!!! Mary is answered separate from Those Two cause they don't even know each other... she'd be like "why can't they just hold hands or something?"

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories?

I think I wrote a more descriptive version of it somewhere before cause it's #important but it's pretty much the night she kills her ex-fiancé and absorbs The Creature. Which is extremely vague I just realized... quick rundown: everyone but her wants her to get married -> camping trip with the guy -> go in the dark (forest.) -> "I can make you into an angel (flesh thing) fr" -> sure -> kills him badly. AND THE CROWD (me) GOES WILD

🧊 - Is their current design the first one?

NOOOO but it IS very similar... her 1st design was for something entirely different that involved her being super plain (also the reason her name's Mary)(DVD normal name). Then I just kinda made her messier and creepier.... KYA...... Though I haven't drawn her super creepy just yet u.u

🌂 - What genre do they belong in?

Horror and romance but the second one has a huge NEVER TRY THIS AT HOME asterisk. She shares her story with Agnes and they have cute moments Because I'm Crazy but ultimately it's just not a good healthy relationship at all due to women's wrongs, which I support, slash joking

🎹 - Do they have any hobbies?

Writinggg x) !! She gets into it after "meeting" Agnes (one-sided meeting. He did NOT fucking know her for a while) since he also writes "as a hobby" (me when I lie) and posts it online. She starts out by completing his unfinished stories or making alternate scenes, and eventually writes short stories of her own.

She also paints but that's also her major at uni so not really a hobby anymore... her paintings Have changed drastically post-creature absorption though x)

I put my other answers under da cut I never stfu #SORRY m(_ _)m

❤️ - What is one of your OC’s best memories?

Blondie: He is one of the most miserable little men to ever live but he does think fondly of his freshman year in highschool due to that being the year he was sure he had an actual friend for the first time ever. He has fond memories of hanging out at the park or the mall with her, talking about nothing in particular. Though he avoids thinking about her because it just hurts him in the end </3

Glasses: He has a very... hedonistic lifestyle to say the least, so it'd be hard for him to single out a moment in particular. His most euphoric moment though, is when he buried a body for the first time and went to school the next morning like nothing happened. Feeling invincible lasted for a bit, but he wouldn't do it again for quite some time.

🍀 - What originally inspired the OC?

Blondie: Weirdly enough I came up with him after Glasses. Basically I went "who the hell is holding the camera here???"

Glasses: Pipeline moment AUGH here we go. I listened to Ouija by Harley Poe on loop a bunch some time ago and really liked the concept of someone willingly inviting a spirit into their body in order to commit violent acts guilt-free (like first seat autopilot style ykwim). This gave way to an ENTIRELY different story and characters, in which I asked myself "who's even gonna possess this guy!?", and was trying to come up with some distant character that did very bad no good things. Around the same time I was doodling ideas like crazy and liked some stuff for a drawing of what was Basically a snuff scene. That's when I made someone up to hold the camera and when I thought to connect both stories, otherwise neither Glasses nor Blondie would be characters at all. Funnily enough the original Ouija-inspired story is not very developed at all, and I decided to cut it off ESH Diversity Loss (what Glasses and Blondie's folder is called in my drive) completely LOL<///3

🧠 - What do you like most about the OC?

This is kind of a difficult question to answer cause honestly I don't even like my OCs as people I think some of them just suck really badly. But I do like them as characters and things to write/think about x)

Blondie: I like that he could very easily be Fixed if he just like, had friends that actually liked him. He really didn't get socialized as a puppy now he's dependent on some fucking guy that views him as a limited edition snack and won't let go of him until he HAS to. Oh poor thang</3

Glasses: His hubris. ❤️

✏️ - How often do you draw/write about the OC?

Honestly my OC bouts come and go but I've got a lot more on them than I ever thought I would. Somehow they're the only story I have a rough outline for ??? ending planned out and everything. I don't draw them much though.... which means their designs will Very Likely change a lot by the time I get to do their thingy.

[ultraericthered]

My Personal Best Ways Of Enjoying The Skywalker Saga

Episode I - “The Saga Begins” by Weird Al Yankovic. Yes, really. The song tells the cliff notes version of the story in a way that gives you everything you’d absolutely need to know about it with none of the dumb parts. The pod race and lightsaber duels from the film itself are highly recommended as supplementary viewing, though. 

Episode II - Video games based on the film and that Clone Wars tie-in/follow-up animated shorts series will give you much more of value than the actual Episode II: Attack Of The Clones ever could, trust me.

Episode III - The actual film is very enjoyable and engaging on its own, but obviously it’s far from perfect in delivering what it had the ambition to covery on-screen, so the novelization by Matthew Stover is recommended additional reading so that you can get the deeper, competently told and more fully realized version of the story.

Episode IV - Controversial take, I think the Special Editions of the OT really are slight improvements over the already great original cuts. With Episode IV, I think any version of it can be watched without the experience being lessened in any significant way. But I’ll give the 2004 DVD release and the Blu-ray version props for rettaining some good alterations to the film while fixing the “Greedo shoots first” thing and Jabba the Hutt’s look (and for not including “Maclunkey!”)

Episode V - On one hand, the 1997 Special Edition VHS release has the better, creepier looking Emperor Palpatine hologram and Jason Wingreen as Boba Fett sounding better than Temuera Morrison’s dubover. But on the other hand, the 2004 DVD release has the one and only Ian McDiarmid replacing Clive Revill’s wooden take on the Emperor and reverses that confounding decision to use Palpatine’s dying scream from RotJ as Luke is falling. So this one’s a draw!

Episode VI - The draw is repeated here. The 1997 Special Edition VHS release feels better for concluding this trilogy as “the Star Wars trilogy”, if you’re watching the films as just that. But the 2004 DVD release that adds new shots to the final scene and has Hayden Christensen replacing Sebastian Shaw as Anakin’s ghost at the end feels more appopriate for concluding this chapter in the Skywalker Saga, if you’re watching it with all 9 films in mind, particularly the prequels. And neither version has “Yub Nub” or a Vader “NOOOOO!”

Episode VII - The one time where I think the film we got right out the gate was probably the best version of it we could’ve asked for. Far from a perfect film, let alone a perfect Star Wars film, but it gets done the job that it set out to do just fine, Memberberries and all.

Episode VIII - This is a movie that inspired a ton of fan edits, some not so good (to put it lightly) while others make improvements over the cut of the film we got, in particular the Rekindled Cut and the Legendary Cut. Now, the official cut is recommended watching at least once to see what all the hulabalu was about, but otherwise it’s better to stick with a version that will likely click more for you.

Episode IX - It’s like poetry, it rhymes! For much like Episode III, the visual experience of the theatrical cut is very enjoyable and engaging on its own, but obviously it’s far from perfect in delivering what it had the ambition to covery on-screen, so the “Expanded Edition” by Rae Carson is recommended additional reading so that you can get the deeper, competently told and more fully realized version of the story. Also worth checking out some fan edits and (no joke) The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special as an additional follow-up viewing later on.

[bubblesuga]

Mahina || Part 1

Summary: Jungkook couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something drawing him to you. Like the moon tugs at the tides, he needed to be beside you. genre: smut, fluff, angst word count: 4,626 tags: idol!au, fantasy!au

When Jungkook awoke this morning, something was... different.

He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the air in his room seemed to have shifted slightly. He felt lighter on his feet, a sudden bounce to his step while he pulled himself off of the bed and towards the bathroom.

He brushes his teeth as usual, carefully scrubbing his tongue and admiring his reflection in the mirror. The eyebrow piercing was a good edition, he thinks. It accentuates his high brow and sparkles underneath even the dimmest light. Spritzing himself with cologne, he opens the bathroom door just in time.

"Jungkook, I made breakfast! Hurry up!"

Smiling to himself, he trots down the stairs of the far too large penthouse he and his band mates bought a couple years ago. He doesn't mind sharing with 6 other people, though. Having grown up with no siblings, he enjoys the dynamics at play when he speaks to the members. They're all his brothers, co-workers, family... He couldn't have asked for a better turn out when it came to finding a career path.

Yoongi is standing in the kitchen when Jungkook walks in, the smell of pork and kimchi filling his nose. Thanking his hyung, he grabs a bowl and starts filling up.

"You seem happy this morning," Yoongi raises an eyebrow, "what's going on?"

"I don't know," Jungkook shrugs, "I just woke up in a really good mood. I feel like--" he takes a bit of his food, then speaks with his mouth full, "--something amazing is going to happen today."

"We just have rehearsals?" Yoongi's statement comes off as more of a question.

"Exactly." Jungkook says, continuing to munch on his food. Yoongi looks at the younger man and shakes his head, continuing to fry meat for the rest of the members.

"Hey, did Namjoon come home last night?" Seokjin asks as he walks into the kitchen. He takes a spot beside Jungkook on the counter, reaching into his bowl and grabbing a piece of pork belly. Jungkook attempts to push his hand away but Seokjin smacks it and grabs the meat anyway.

Yoongi shakes his head again, "Nah. He stayed at the studio last night, said something about a last minute inspiration."

Jungkook has noticed Namjoon's lack of attentiveness recently. It seems as though his head is always filled with potential themes and lyrics and beats, much more so than even in the early days of the band. He's curious about his inspiration as of late but Namjoon doesn't seem to want to give away his methods any time soon.

"He's been doing that a lot lately." Jungkook thinks outloud.

"More power to him," Seokjin says, "man works his ass off and it benefits all of us."

Yeah, it definitely does.

~*~*~

"5, 6, 7-"

Hoseok's counting is cut off by the music blasting again. It's the third run through of the new choreography, Jungkook is center and carefully watches the rest of his hyungs in the mirror. He moves to the left, following Hoseok's lead and smiling as he notices a mis-step on Jimin's part. Jimin throws his head back and yells, lifting his shirt up and wiping some of the sweat that's accumulated on his brow.

"It's okay, Jiminie," Hoseok sings, "this shit is hard."

Seokjin nods in agreement, "Yeah, what the hell happened to a laid back choreography for this come back?"

"It's the last one of the year. We gotta go out with a bang." Jungkook turns back to look at Namjoon, who chugs water in the corner of the room. "Speaking of big come backs, are you working on your mixtape?"

Namjoon laughs, "Nah, definitely not. I'm trying to get a couple more songs for the album."

"Don't we have like 14 tracks?" Taehyung speaks for the first time since rehearsal started.

"16 is better than 14." Namjoon smiles, listening to Hoseok as he calls everyone over again.

"One more time. 5, 6-"

It's then that the doors burst open and Hyun enters in. "And this is the rehearsal room containing the 7 men you will be photographing."

Jungkook's eyes travel to the person his manager is talking to, and he has to hold back a gasp. He feels the way his jaw drops, but he's unable to close his mouth while he looks at you. God, you're gorgeous. Your hair cascades down your back and your clothes cling to your body in all the right ways. Jungkook struggles to tear his eyes away, but once he sees your smile he realizes there's no way he can turn away. You're literally glowing, with god-like shining eyes. Who are you?

"Boys, this is _____. She's in charge of photography and will be around to film Bangtan Bombs, behind the scenes, or anything you all want filmed and made into content."

Jungkook repeats your name in his head five times. He whispers it to himself once while everyone else heads to you to shake your hand. Jungkook stands back, finally blinking his eyes.

You step forward after having shook the hands of everyone else, "And you're Jungkook," you smile again, "I like your tattoos. Glad you're finally willing to show them."

"T- tattoos..." Jungkook mutters pathetically as he takes your outstretched hand. You giggle, shaking his hand enthusiastically.

"Well, anyway. It was nice to meet you all. I'm excited to work closely with every one of you." your words are met with a chorus of 'same!' from everyone except for Jungkook.

Hyun puts a hand on your shoulder and leads you out of the room, continuing on the tour of the HYBE building. Jungkook stares after you, the doorway now long empty but he couldn't look away. You were, by far, the most beautiful woman he has ever come across. With your simple torn jeans and black t-shirt, he feels you could pull off anything you put on your body.

It's not until Yoongi speaks does Jungkook finally tear his eyes away, "Could you have been any creepier?"

"What?"

Jimin bursts into laughter, his frustration with the choreography long gone, "You were-" he takes a deep breath in between laughter, "you were staring at her like she was the last woman on the planet!"

"W- what?" Jungkook stammers.

Jimin doesn't respond, only laughing louder as he falls to the ground. Jungkook can see the hidden smirks of the rest of the members, turning his to look at everyone, "What the fuck just happened?"

"Love at first sight?" Taehyung suggests.

"More like love at first drool." Seokjin begins laughing before he even finishes his sentence, causing the rest of the members to groan at his joke.

Jungkook doesn't react to Seokjin though, as he turns to look back at the empty doorway. If love at first sight is a real thing, Jungkook just experienced it to the fullest extent.

~*~*~

Jungkook manages to continue the rest of rehearsal without a problem, except for the way his mind kept traveling back to you. Saying your name in his head again, he washes up in the gym showers. He thinks back to the way your skin seemed to be literally glowing to him, and your bright white teeth hypnotizing him.

Never in his life has he had such a short conversation with someone that had such an impact. He wants to learn everything about you, your passions, the music you like, the books you read. He hopes that you enjoy some of the same things he does, so he has an excuse to talk to you.

Though his interest in you is certainly piqued, he has to keep in mind that you are, essentially, his employee, and fantasizing about your employee is more than inappropriate.

Fantasizing might not be the right word, but he can't help and imagine conversations between the two of you. Your voice is so pretty, it's light but carries through the room. You make sure your presence is known, though with the way you shine you didn't have to try hard. He smiles to himself, closing his eyes and rinsing off the conditioner from hair. Then, he wonders what your hair looks like when it's wet.

Okay, Jungkook. That's enough.

He shakes the water off his head and wraps a towel around his body. Exiting the shower, he realizes he forgot his bag in the dance room and sighs. Checking the time on his phone, he realizes that it's after 9 pm. The odds of anyone other than the members being here is pretty slim so he can just walk his way to the rehearsal room and change in there, right?

Right.

Tightening the towel around his waist, he walks out of the gym bathroom and strolls down the hall. He scrolls through his phone while he walks, rounding the corner and hearing your voice.

"Thank you, Mr. Lee. I'm very excited to properly start tomorrow."

"We're excited to have you," Jungkook peeks his head around the corner and watches Hyun bow to you, "your work is incredible and I know Taehyung in particular loves your shooting style."

What? Taehyung knows her? Jungkook must have missed that earlier when he couldn't stop staring at you.

"Yeah! It still blows my mind that one of the bangtan boys followed my work," you let out a small, somewhat embarrassed giggle, "thank god for Instagram."

You and Hyun share a laugh, followed by a goodbye. Jungkook gasps as he sees you turn in his direction, rushing to a small doorway and pushing himself up against the wall. You can't see him like this, not already. He's nearly naked and he knows this towel isn't big enough to cover himself as well as he should in front of a stranger, so he holds his breath as your foot steps become closer... and closer... and-

"Hey Jungkook."

Fuck.

Jungkook exhales a breath and moves to tighten the towel around his waist even more. You're eyes are not scanning his body like he thought you would be. Of course, Jungkook knows that sounds cocky of him to say but he can't help but assume that that would be the outcome of this situation. Either way, his face still burns when your eyes meet his. Those gorgeous, glowing eyes.

"Were ya hiding?" you laugh, tilting your head to the side, and Jungkook realizes that he's still pressed up against the wall.

"I- I, uh-" come on Jungkook, get it together, "Sorry. I didn't want you to see me naked."

"Oh please. When humans are naked, they're at their purest forms. It's natural, there's nothing to be embarrassed about." you smile brightly, moving a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

Jungkook raises an eyebrow. Your phrasing is odd, but he doesn't question it. Instead, he swallows, "You're right, but I'm sure you wouldn't have been okay with my dick just hangin' out. Neither would the security watching the cameras."

You laugh, a proper laugh that doesn't seem to be masked by something else, and Jungkook realizes it's melodic. A fine tune singing into his ears as one of the most beautiful songs he has ever heard. It's soft, breathy, and makes him want to make you laugh for the rest of eternity.

"Either way," you say after a moment, the hint of humor still in your voice, "nothing to be ashamed of. I'll see you tomorrow, Jungkook."

Jungkook tilts his head, watching you wave and waving back as you carry your feet towards the elevators.

~*~*~

The air was even lighter this morning, and Jungkook can't help but think you play a part in his bright mood.

Following the conversation yesterday, Jungkook walked with a grin on his face to grab his clothes. You're incredibly charismatic, an stark difference to Jungkook's usual shy and laid back personality. Despite your conversations together being minimal, Jungkook feels you and him are going to be close.

Jungkook hops out of bed and styles his hair carefully. Checking his phone as he brushes his teeth, he's received a text from Taehyung apologizing because he had already left. The house sounds still, he remembers Yoongi and Seokjin opted at staying at their respective apartments tonight, wanting to be a little closer to home. Namjoon probably stayed at the studio again and Jimin and Hoseok more than likely left with Taehyung. He shrugs, making a quick protein shake and grabbing a banana before heading out of the door.

As he drives to work, he makes note at how much more productive the members have been these days. Not that they never were, but the usual slump of exhaustion that follows months of continuous promotions, rehearsals, and recording doesn't seem to be hitting anyone this time around. Surely, the explanation is the high everyone is riding from the success of Butter and Permission To dance in the west. It's motivated everyone, including Jungkook himself.

He pulls into the parking garage, rides the elevator up to the 13th floor, and steps off only to be stopped by Hoseok.

"Jungkookie!" Hoseok wraps his arms around Jungkook's neck and squeezes him tight.

"Hoseokie!" Jungkook mocks, giving a pat to the older one's back. Hoseok pulls away with a chuckle, "I guess _____ is doing behind the scene shoots today. Something about wanting to catch us in our element."

"Oh? Like individual shoots?"

"Yeah," he smiles, "she's with Yoongi in his studio right now. She told me to tell everyone to choose a thing they do on a daily basis that might be interesting to see for ARMY."

"Should I work out?" Jungkook smirks. Hoseok rolls his eyes, patting Jungkook's pecs,

"You work out enough." Smiling, he begin walking towards the commons area,

"I'm almost to where I want to be." "Whatever Jungkook, you bully us enough already." Hoseok pats Jungkook's head and walks away, leaving Jungkook to sit on the couches for a moment.

He picks up his phone and scrolls through Weverse and Twitter for a moment. Despite not being as active as people wish he could be, he does keep up with what everyone is talking about. Currently he sees excitement about their online concert from last year coming to DVD, and "JUNGKOOK'S ABS" is trending.

Yeah, he's definitely going to work out for his behind the scenes.

Holding his phone up, he snaps a quick selfie and posts it to Twitter. Once a month seems to be a good formula.

"Jungkook?" Yoongi's voice enters the room, "She's gonna shoot with Namjoon then you."

"Ah," Jungkook stands, "time to get nice and sweaty for ARMY."

"You're such a freak." Yoongi laughs, watching Jungkook leave the room.

Jungkook begins on the treadmill, listening to music and trying not to think about the fact that you're going to be photographing him while he's working out. He feels somewhat dumb, being so incredibly invested in your opinions of him already, but like yesterday proved, there was something about you that drew him in.

He speeds up the treadmill, his calves burning and his breathing quickening while he runs. It's incredible, the feeling of absolute bliss he feels after a run. When his muscles ache and his chest feels clear, he feels most at peace. Though, peace isn't difficult to come across these days. Even with the sadness of not being able to perform live like he wants to, it's not as looming as it was before. It's incredibly exhilarating to wake up not feeling like the end is near. It happened so suddenly, he's not sure what changed.

At the beginning, when they had to cancel the tour and stay in Korea, Jungkook felt as though life was never going to be the same. It was dark for everyone. He remembers Jimin crying in the bathroom after the cancellation, which caused Jungkook to start crying as well. He scrolled through social media for hours, reading the anger and frustration at those who had to return their tickets. It pained him, to see such a bleak view of the fans he adored.

Now that it's been close to 2 years, Jungkook has learned to-- for lack of a better term-- live with it. He wakes up every day and tries his hardest to live, and that's all you can do when your passion in life is ripped away from you due to an ongoing worldwide pandemic.

The gym doors slide open and Jungkook looks in the mirror to see you.

You have a camera around your neck, Jungkook recognizes it as a Canon. You close the door behind you and stop him as Jungkook starts to slow down the treadmill.

"Pretend like I'm not even here." you nearly whisper, and Jungkook has to stop himself from choking on his spit. Your voice sounded almost sultry. He can't tell if that was his imagination or if it was intentional on your part.

Jungkook shakes his head, turning up the speed just a little bit more.

He hears the shutter on your camera clicking, the action setting in full effect as he runs. You move around him, being sure not to get yourself in the mirror of the shots. The only noises in the room are his breathing and the sounds of his feet hitting the runway. It's rough, his chest heaving the more he pushes himself, but he's more interested in the way you seem to float around the room, or the fact that your hands seem dwarfed by the large camera.

It makes him wonder what your hands would look like on him.

A necklace dangles from your neck, it's gold and shines under the lights of the gym. It falls gently into the crevice of your chest, what looks like a golden moon on the end of the chain.

Again, he wonders what your skin would feel like against his.

"You gotta stop looking at the camera." you giggle.

He didn't even realize his eyes were following you. Suddenly, it's like a wave of confidence washes over him. Confidence that he was not ready for.

He swallows, taking a deep breath, "I'm not looking at the camera." Why is he saying this?

"Yes you are," you grin, "I have like 7 pictures in a row of you looking directly at the camera."

"No," he shakes his head, "I'm looking at the person holding the camera." Shut up, Jungkook. Stop talking!

"Oh?" you laugh, "what's catching your eye?"

"The necklace." what the fuck? He basically admitted to staring at your tits!

"The necklace that's right in between my tits?"

He laughs, you snap a picture.

"I guess so, I'm sorry." The usual nervousness that he would feel at an admission like that is non-existent. He feels comfortable enough to talk to you like this, and judging by the way you smile, you're comfortable with it too.

"No need to be sorry," you snap another picture, "I know they draw attention."

Jungkook nods, "They certainly do."

"What do you like about them?"

The question throws Jungkook for a loop but he doesn't let that show.

"They're perky," he explains, stopping the treadmill, "and your shirts show off the perfect amount to leave some to the imagination."

"Ah, so you're imagining my tits?"

"Yes."

You smirk, walking away. For a moment, Jungkook is scared he said too much, but it's very quickly washed away by the sound of the lock turning. "So," you begin, "you're saying that if I took off my shirt, you wouldn't be opposed to looking at me?"

Jungkook shakes his head, "I also wouldn't be opposed to touching you."

"Well," you slip off your shirt, "I'm ready."

Jungkook feels his cock twitch in his gym shorts at the sight of your bra. Of your fucking bra.

Despite the blood rushing to his cock, he shakes his head, "Oh come on, darling. You know that's not enough for me."

"Your shirt first, buddy." your eyes follow Jungkook as he grips the hem of his shirt and pulls it off. Now that there's verbal consent, your eyes roam all over his torso. He's ripped, Jungkook knows this, but under your gaze he feels like a meal. Like he's about to get devoured by you, and he can't say he's not enjoying the idea.

You reach behind you, unhooking your bra and allowing it to fall to the ground.

Jungkook's eyes widen at sight, stepping closer to you and falling to his knees. He places his nose against your torso, inhaling your scent. The sensuality of the small gasp that left your mouth fueled Jungkook. He grabs your hands and pulls you down to his level, leaning down and pressing a kiss to your lips.

It's rough and heated, all teeth and tongue. He's not used to being this way, to feeling almost primal in his movements. He gnaws at your bottom lip, eliciting another moan from you. It's high pitched and nearly whiny, proving that you're suddenly filled with as much need as he is.

"I'm gonna fuck you," Jungkook states, "right here. Right now."

"Please." you toss your head back, falling onto the padded floors of the gym. Jungkook follows suit, kissing his way down your body until he reaches your navel. Again, he presses his nose into you and inhales, you smell so damn good.

He keeps smelling, inhaling your scent as he undoes the buttons of your jeans. The less clothing there, the stronger your scent becomes. He feels insatiable, nearly ripping off your panties to get to your center.

"Fuck, you're so wet already," Jungkook groans, his voice deep with want, with need. Taking a single finger up your slit, he draws it back and sucks your juices clean, "and you taste as good as you smell."

You stare up at him with hooded eyes, holding yourself up on your elbows and spreading your legs as wide as you can. "Now that you've had a taste you might as well finish it."

Jungkook doesn't need to be told twice, diving into your soaked folds with his tongue. He moves fast but also meticulously, being sure to take note of all the places that make you moan a little louder, sink a little deeper into him. Your hand reaches down and snakes its way through his hair, tugging at the roots.

At that point, Jungkook begins to kick off his shorts without pulling away.

"Fuck, I've always wanted to fuck you," you moan in between words, "you always look so good everywhere you go."

"Yeah?" Jungkook chuckles, "did you imagine fucking me before you got hired here?"

You nod, "I couldn't help it, I knew you'd be good."

As Jungkook manages to get his shorts off, he grips ahold of his aching member. Pulling up to his knees, his thumb doesn't stop rubbing harsh circles against your clit.

"That's hot," Jungkook breathes, "I've been wanting to take you since I first saw you."

"Then do it." you demand, and a flip switches in Jungkook's brain.

He pulls his fingers away from you and leans forward, "Taste yourself."

You don't hesitate to take his fingers into your mouth, Jungkook feeling your tongue dance across the pads of his fingers. Feeling himself twitch, he strokes himself for a little bit of relief while you suck.

"Taste good?" He questions.

"Delicious."

"Good girl." He murmurs, leaning down and connecting your lips with his again. As he does so, he runs the head of his cock against your slit, enjoying the gasp you let out every time he brushes against your clit. You feel so warm, so inviting. He can taste you so well, he wants nothing more than to dive in.

So he does.

Pressing into you slowly, he feels your warmth envelope him. Your legs wrap around his hips and guide him in all the way. When he slips all the way in, you both pull away for a moan.

"So fucking good. So tight." He moves his hips achingly slow, enjoying the noises of content leaving your lips. Your moans spur him on as your tightness engulfs him yet again. He leans down and presses a kiss to your neck, your hot skin nearly burning his lips, "I don't want to hurt you."

You shake your head, "You can't hurt me. I promise."

Jungkook isn't sure what takes over him at this point, but he feels his lips begin to thrust harshly into you. He doesn't process the rest of the world, the only thing that's certain is you. You're everything that he needs to focus on now, your whines, your moans, the feeling of your legs guiding him in and out of you. He wants to take you here over and over again until the end of time, and he's never felt that about anyone before in his life.

Your lips are beginning to bruise from the rough kisses he's been laying on you, so he takes a gentle approach and sucks on your jawline. Every few thrusts, he rests his forehead against yours. Then he moves again. Then rests.

"Tell me how good I feel." you whisper against his lips, breathy.

"Baby," Jungkook's brows knit together in pleasure, "you feel so good around me. So warm. I want to cum in you and fill you up so bad. Do-n't stop squeezing- fuck."

Jungkook abandons the pace he tried to keep and slams into you, pulling you on top of him and lifting you up and down on his cock. You let out a scream as he reaches a point he hasn't touched before, your cunt tightening exponentially around him.

He latches his mouth onto your nipples, the sensitive peaks hardening against his tongue. Your nails rake down his chest while you grind against him, your ass smacking against his thighs while he begins thrusting upward.

His hands grip your hips harshly, sure enough to leave bruises by his fingertips. He feels his orgasm approaching quickly, but he needs you to cum first. He need to feel you cum around him. "Fuck," he growls through clenched teeth, "cum. I need you to cum. Cum around me, please please please!"

"I'm gonna- I'm-" your sentence is cut off by your orgasm taking over, clenching deliciously around Jungkook and pushing him over the edge. His hips stutter and he releases into you, your warmth mixing with his as he collapses onto the ground. You're both silent for a while, your chests heaving as you try to calm down. Jungkook leans up, keeping you in a hug as your knees move to either side of his hips. Neither of you make a move to pull apart, Jungkook softening inside of you but the sensitivity feels so good.

He rests his chin on your shoulder, glancing behind you and towards the mirrors. On the inner edge of each of your shoulder blades, lay two large scars. They're old, pink in color now. Jungkook reaches a finger up to trace the scars but is stopped by a knock on the door.

"Hey, I'm ready when you are _____!" Jimin's voice sounds through the gym, muffled by the door.

"Shit." You whisper, "shit, shit, shit!"

You quickly pull off of him, beginning to slip your panties and bra back on.

Jungkook flinches at the sudden loss of warmth around him, looking down at his cock and seeing a mixture of his and your cum coating his thighs. "Don't you need to clean up?" he whispers.

"I'll stop by the bathroom on the way." you murmur, now fully dressed, "thank you for that, by the way." you wink, grabbing the back of his neck and pressing a hard kiss against him. Then, you're out the door.

Jungkook is left naked on the floor, confused, and wanting to ask why exactly you have asymmetrical scars on your back.

[cinnamonest]

Kaeya Alberich - Yandere Profile

YES I love my eyepatch boy!! I really like him as a yandere, because he's definitely got several traits and behaviors that would make him a very unconventional/different yet absolutely terrifying one to have. Him or Diluc as your yandere is basically like playing a game on maximum difficulty. He's so arrogant dammit why does he have to make it hot

More importantly, someone take the ability to write n/sfw away from me I s2g... I go from trying to make serious content to nasty weird kinks and completely feral in .002 seconds the moment I add that readmore

tws: gaslighting, manipulation, yandere, mentions of mutilation

tws (below cut): noncon, a good deal of sadism, mentions of an*l

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What are they generally like? Lucid, aware? Obsessive? How do they behave?

He's actually one of the worst yanderes you could have in almost every regard, for two very simple reasons: his crippling psychological issues, and his intense selfishness. The first manifests as severe abandonment issues. It's the origin of his unhealthy feelings, most likely. Kaeya doesn't like the instability of people - based on his backstory, people always leave, or die, and even if they don't intend to, somehow it feels like abandonment, and he resents it. People leave him all alone and afraid and uncertain. That's generally all he knows, and despite the smug exterior, he's actually pushed people away quite a bit, keeps everyone at arm's length to ensure they can't become someone too important for him to accept their sudden absence. He can't care about someone, because that someone is fated to inevitably leave him, no matter who it may be.

That's why, once you manage to worm your way into his feelings and heart despite his best efforts, once he finally caves to acknowledging the feeling, he's aware. Painfully aware, because be can't stop worrying every waking moment about you, your well-being, your location. It reaches a point where he can't go about his job because he's simply too consumed with his worry.

The solution that kept him safest in the past was to avoid developing emotional attachments, but when he does, he's terrified of both your safety AND you intentionally abandoning him. Really, the latter would hurt worse, since he can't fault you for dying, but to abandon him? It would break him.

And, to some extent, he's developed a lot of  prideful anger about it, deep, deep down. He feels that he doesn't deserve to be abandoned, doesn't deserve to just be left behind under the guise of some greater purpose, and he'll be damned if he just lets you toss him aside like he feels others did. Even if you reject him, he won't accept it. You don't get to reject him. He won't allow that. What has he ever done to deserve everything that's happened to him? Nothing. You're the one person who has stayed with him, and you're going to continue to be with him. Forever.

That being said, he's still somewhat confident because he's got that arrogance about him. He doesn't perceive rejection, because he's always gotten a lot of attention for his looks, even if he's never actually followed through on anyone else's attention out of those same fears. He'll write off any perceived rejection as being for some other reason, something besides an actual rejection, and he'll seek to eliminate whatever he feels is keeping you from just accepting him.

Honestly, one of the most likely to have a full blown, classic-yandere-style psychotic breakdown. He can be driven to a snapping point, if there's enough stress or obstacles, and in case of that, he'll be a lot more willing to kill, and a lot more willing to hurt you, but it's a point that would still take a lot to reach.

But what's really terrifying about Kaeya is his delusions, primarily his ability to mentally justify everything he does without hesitation. Even most delusional yanderes struggle - they feel like it's wrong, they know it is deep down, and they take time to convince themselves of their delusions, tell themselves it's ok over and over, beg for reassurance, and get defensive when called out because they know they're in the wrong. The same isn't true for Kaeya. He automatically justifies his actions by default, and has absolutely zero doubt or hesitation to do so. He doesn't even need a complex reason for justification - it's a simple one. He deserves what he wants. Anything necessary to achieve that is fair.

How likely are they to kidnap their darling? How quickly will they do so?

Highly likely and very quickly, right up there with Diluc and Razor. And he's absolutely remorseless about it. It ties back into his delusional state and ability to justify anything he does - this is what's best for you. If you don't get that, that's your problem, not his.

He's another one to not want to pull some barbaric move like knocking you out, rather, he'd rather just trick you into walking right into your new home. He gets that you'll be upset about it, but to him, that's just part of the process. Not that he'll tolerate it for too long. 12, maybe 24 hours is enough time for you to reasonably be upset, but if you're still trying to fight him on this after that, he's going to get snappy about it, thinking you should already be over that by now.

How difficult is it to escape from them? How do they keep you restrained? How do they deal with attempted escape? 

You're not leaving.

It's not worth trying, really. How he manages to do it is a mystery to you, but he'll manage to keep you locked in right there at the headquarters with him. How Jean and Lisa haven't found out about you being there, how he convinced all of his guards to be on his side of things, you have no idea. Realistically, if you get out, he's likely to make you out to be some kind of criminal that needs to be found -- just not to hurt you in any way, so goes the order, and the knights know better than to question why.

He has eyes and ears everywhere, it won't take them anytime at all to find you. He's so confident in that, and combined with his pride, he doesn't feel the need to go get you himself. No, it's a lot more satisfying to sit back and watch as they drag you through the doors of the headquarters, slowly pull you to the end of the room and drop you down at his feet, where he can look down on you with that closed-eyed, artificially wide smile that tells you that you have seriously fucked up.

Escape attempts aren't going to be met with a single shred of mercy, really. The thing about Kaeya is he's ultimately a selfish, selfish bastard with a lot of deep-seeded, highly repressed emotional issues, and he has absolutely no problem with keeping you bound hand and foot, or maybe even make some permanent modifications to your body if that's what it takes to keep you. It's not a wise idea to even try unless you're absolutely certain to succeed, otherwise you may find yourself never getting the opportunity again. You don't really need those Achilles tendons intact, you know. And your ankle bones are just so fragile, they'll snap with just a little twist. Actually, that wouldn't be too bad, giving you more reasons to be grateful when he's doing everything for you.

He's not one to just let it go, either. No, escape attempts are the one unforgivable thing for him, the one thing that will make him totally and completely snap. You don't get to do that. You're the one thing that doesn't get to just disappear out of his life in a flash. Half the reason he sends the knights to get you rather than going himself is to give him some time to let the rage settle down, otherwise he knows he might not be able to control himself and might end up hurting you even worse than he intends to. He's not going to buy any excuses and won't go any lighter on you if you beg and grovel or anything. But you will apologize -- you get to choose how hard it is. You can apologize the easy way, or, if you don't want to, there are many ways to force it out. But by the end, he'll get an apology, and a promise to never try again, out of you, no matter what that takes. It's by far the worst state you'll ever see him in, and really, once is enough to dissuade you from trying again.

How easy are they to trick, deceive, or manipulate?

You'd have to try pretty hard. He doesn't have the sheer amount of years of life experience like Venti or Zhongli, but he's not the captain for no reason - he's perceptive, and highly intelligent.

Rather than simply mastering reading human voice and facial expressions for telltale signs of deceit, he's good at learning individuals in particular - memorizing the patterns of thought and action of a particular individual, and predicting how they will act. He can do it with everyone else with ease, how much more, then, with the object of an obsession? If you're trying to formulate some plan to trick him, he'll already predict what you'll do, if you lie, he already knows. It's creepier than the others, really, because it's not just that he can tell when you're lying, but rather he already knows you're going to lie or try some scheme before you do it. It feels so tailored and personalized to your thought patterns, it almost feels like an invasion of the privacy of your mind, which, really, is the one privacy you thought you had left.

He's great at gaslighting himself, too. He's a very good liar, and can make you believe anything he wants. He'll target your fears and paranoias, make you believe you're going crazy, and he'll do it all so perfectly you'll never suspect a thing. You'll end up coming to him for protection and guidance, exactly as planned.

How lenient are they? What privileges can you have, and what will you be denied?

Pretty strict. He doesn't let you have any outside contact, and you're limited on what you can do when he's gone. He'll bring you some books, maybe something to draw on -- no sharp writing utensils, though. In his mind, that should be enough to occupy you.

You won't get outside walks or visits. It's just too risky for him, and he really doesn't like seeing other people look at you. If you really, really beg, and you've been on amazing behavior, and you're well into your relationship, maybe a few months or so, there's a chance he'll take you out at nighttime, or sunrise, but at the slightest sign of intentions he doesn't like, you'll be dragged back, and you won't see the sun for a long time.

You'll have a very limited wardrobe, he doesn't see why you even need to wear anything, but if you're going to be stubborn, he can get you something simple, like an old shirt and some underwear, but that's about all you can have. Any requests for actual clothing are going to be denied. It's ridiculous for him to spend money on something you don't need, and besides, he prefers it this way, y'know?

What kind of rules do they have? What kind of punishment would they use?

Generally, it's a simple one: obey. You do what he tells you to do, and you don't do something if he tells you not to. This stems to similar rules that develop: be submissive, don't be argumentative, don't be defiant. Follow those, and you can both be happy, and that's what you want, isn't it? It had better be - he's not very lenient, and will harshly punish even small offenses. As for that punishment... most of it isn't going to be sfw. That's just how he is.

What he will do is emotionally manipulate you, and he's rather good at it. You wanted to escape? Ok. He'll let you have your way, let you be alone. All alone. All by yourself, in a little room, with no one at all, which is exactly how you would have left him, had you succeeded. He knows very well how that kind of loneliness bites. He's not totally cruel, though, and he won't withhold affection from you by the time he returns -- he doesn't need to, you'll already be crying and apologizing, which is exactly what he hoped for. Not that he won't briefly mock you for it.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're crying like that because you actually missed me. Oh, you did? Being all alone isn't particularly fun, now is it? I'm sure you understand that now."

How do they deal with rivals, or perceived rivals? Will they get rid of them? Will they kill them themselves, or find another way?

Kaeya's an insanely jealous person. It doesn't show on his face, but it eats at him internally. It doesn't matter if it's a love interest, a platonic friend, even a family member. It's all the same -- people who want to take your attention away from him, people who you smile at that aren't him, people you love that aren't him. He's not one to delude himself into thinking everyone secretly loves you romantically, rather, it doesn't matter. Romantic interests are the worst threat, sure, but friends and family aren't much better.

He sees himself as above killing, though. He has people to do that for him, and he likes knowing that he has that much power. He's not going to dirty his hands with it, and frankly, they're not even worthy of his time and effort to kill them. Knights and other connections can take care of it just as well.

How easy is it to make them mad? What does their anger look like?

As somewhat previously discussed, the primary form of making him mad is attempting an escape. That's on a whole new level of anger because it strikes at a very deep, wounding insecurity. On a normal day, though, he's more easily exasperated than angry. He gets frustrated somewhat easily, especially if you're trying exceptionally hard to be a brat. He has very clear warning signs. His signature little smirk drops, he gets quiet, he balls his hands into fists and digs his fingernails into his palms. At that stage, he's irritable and might snap at you, but won't get too angry until you ignore those signs and push it.

If you do push him, though, he gets genuinely mad, which is a very quiet anger at first -- he doesn't talk much when he's mad. He acts. You'll know he's snapped when he puts down whatever he's doing, and just silently stomps over to you, face completely empty and flat, looking down at you with a cold expression. It's enough to put fear in you, but at that point, even if you apologize, you're not getting out of whatever he's planned.

So they see you as above them, beneath them, or equal to them?

Strongly in the "below" camp, a rather unusual stance for a yandere. Like many things with him, there's an inexplicable duality going on there.  You would think that if you loved someone so strongly you'd kidnap them, kill for them, and potentially suffer consequences just to have them, that you would really think highly of them. On the flip side, you would think that if you really saw someone as lowly, you wouldn't care for them, you'd see them as disposable.

But neither is true for Kaeya, no, he balances both obsessive love and complete narcissism regarding you. You're not disposable, no, he can't live without you, he needs you. But at the same time, you're not gonna be on any kind of pedestal. No, if anything, he sees himself on one, more like a throne, and you on the floor before him, how things should be.

He has a similar mindset to Zhongli or Albedo - you're fragile, you're dumb, you're incapable, and you need someone to care for you, protect you, guide you, someone who knows what's best for you, since you clearly don't. However, he's lacking in the attitude those other two have -- there's no seeing you as an angel here. There's no viewing himself as being absolutely honored to take care of you, or viewing protecting and caring for you as some kind of privilege that they're blessed to do, the way those two do.

No, as much as he loves those things, he'll never admit it, not even to himself really. Rather, his mentality is that you should be grateful. Here he is, a very highly respected, accomplished, capable person, and you...? You have what to offer, exactly? That's right, nothing, really, only cuteness and obedience, the latter of which you refuse to give him even though you really ought to. He's taking on the burden of making sure you don't get yourself killed, and how do you repay him? By getting mad about it, throwing a fit like some little kid? He puts up with your tantrums, which are really undeserved, by the way. He puts up with your disobedience and repeated rule violations, your sheer determination to defy him when he's going out of his way to do what's best for you.

One day, he thinks, you'll mature a little bit and understand why he does what he does, and when you do, you'll come groveling and sniffling about how sorry you are, how you'll never defy him again, how you'll be good and obedient from now on, and he'll love every second of it. He looks forward to that day quite a bit.

"Sigh... you know, you're pretty lucky I love you so much. You could stand to show me a little thanks, don't you think?"

How determined are they for you to love them? How hard will they try to make it happen? Or are they content just having you?

He's strongly determined, and yet... doesn't do much to try. It goes back to his mindset that really, you're the one who should be grateful for him, and eventually, you will love him. He's not gonna grovel to you or try different ways of making you love him, no, he's far too proud for that. But he's a smart man. He knows the effects that complete and total isolation other than one other person can have on someone. He's just going to sit back and wait for that effect to kick in, and slowly watch your fragile little mind deteriorate until you're desperate for affection. At which point, well, he can use it against you.

"You were so mean to me before, weren't you? You fought me every step of the way, and now you're just going to turn around and act like that didn't happen...? Well, if you're really sorry, I'll forgive you. But how am I supposed to believe you really are...? Maybe you can think of a way to prove it, hm?"

Bonus: Is there anything that makes them unique, in comparison to other yanderes?

Probably the severity of his degradation. As aforementioned, most yanderes, even the more confident or cocky individuals, either worship the ground their beloved walks on and sees themselves as beneath them, OR sees their darling as some sort of fragile, angelic being, and they are simply a protector or caretaker to that being.

It's a bit different with him, ever the narcissist. It's a strange duality born out of a rare mix of neediness, obsession, and pride. You're more like a toy, or a pet - an invaluable pet that he could never part with, but a pet nonetheless. He certainly looks down on you more than the average yandere - he mentally associates you as naive, fragile, even dumb like a lot of the aforementioned protector/caretaker types, but without the reverence to make up for it.

It's a bizarre duality that not even he fully understands - don't think for a moment that that means he'll ever tire of you, or view you as disposable. No, he's actually one of the most obsessive ones, yet very demanding of attention and praise, rather than giving it.

He frequently tests you - things like leaving the door unlocked, waiting outside just to see if you'll try it. Seeing you open that door, watching your face go from ecstatic excitement and drop to wide-eyed terror, it's priceless.

"My, my, you didn't waste any time at all, did you? Why do you look so surprised...? You should know I wouldn't slip up that badly."

Pet names, but in the most infuriatingly condescending way, and uses them more often when he's mad and trying to warn you that you're pushing his limits. Particularly fond of "sweetheart," especially with a low warning tone and clenched teeth.

General perverseness: how sexual of a person are they? What’s their drive like? How touchy do they get? Do they have any reservations about sexuality?

Horny fucker, all the way. The man has a lot of stress and frustration in his life already, that much more if you're... less than compliant with your new lifestyle. Sex, especially rough and hard, is a fantastic stress reliever.

Very little reservation. He's not crude about it, but he tends to make subtle innuendos very frequently, and laughs at your embarrassed reactions. Definitely the type to pull the whole shtick in which he says something with a blatant sexual undertone, then elaborates in a way to make it sound like having meant something else, follows with that smirk and says, "Why? What did you think I meant?" It's something he really enjoys doing, and loves to get embarrassed reactions out of people, particularly yourself.

"Touchy" doesn't begin to describe it. Pretty much from the moment you meet him, he's got his hands somewhere on your person. He grabs your shoulders when he stands behind you, he wraps an arm around you from the side when he walks up to you, he's always pressing his hands on your back and sides whenever you're navigating the streets, walking through doorways, wraps an arm around your waist when sitting next to you. It's highly uncomfortable, but really, he's just got something very subtly, but very strongly intimidating about him. You almost don't want to confront him on it. If you do, he'll laugh it off, and stop -- for maybe 48 hours or so, and then he'll be right back at it.

To the surprise of, well, everyone who's ever met him, he doesn't actually live up to the rumors of having been around the block, so to speak. His experience is actually little to none - that kinda happens when you push everyone around you away. Not that he'd ever let you know that, of course, and will probably lie if asked, but you can gleam a little bit of truth from slightly awkward movements and a bit of noticeable shakiness.

How forceful are they? Do they care about your willingness?

Kind of like Razor, the issue is that he loves you, and what better way is there of expressing love? He's not much for gift-giving or words of affirmation - no, he's a lot better with words of degradation, it comes more naturally to him. And he's certainly not one to enjoy acts of service -- well, not doing them, he'll gladly take them as a sign of your love, though. No, he expresses love through touch. It's like how, when you hug someone you really love, someone you missed, you squeeze them extra tight - the love manifests as a physical urge for some strong expression. Humans are physical about their emotions -- we punch walls when we're mad, we jump up and down when we're happy, and when you love someone, sometimes you just really, really want to pound them into a mattress as hard as physically possible. That's normal. That, and really, he's got his vices. He's actually fairly weak when it comes to resisting temptations, and prone to give in to urges for physical sensations like drunkenness and sex.

Is another one to be convinced that, with time, you'll come around. And is absolutely the top candidate to be one for using your own body against you - if you get wet, if you whimper, if you cum, that's just proof that you really do want this, that you're just being difficult because you enjoy being a brat, and he'll be sure to tell you that.

What sort of kinks or fetishes do they have, or would they fill?

This is nearly indistinguishable from punishment, sadistic bastard

D/S dynamics

Arrogant fucker wants to be served and worshipped, you could see it coming from a mile away. Anything that puts you beneath him is going to make him happy - anything where you're where you're supposed to be. There's a lot of options, but it doesn't really matter, as long as he feels like he's in control and ownership of you in some way, and as long as you act accordingly.

He wants it to be something that’s not just for sex, but rather, he’ll end up carrying it over into normal life, whether you like it or not. If you just went along with it in hopes of getting it over with once he cums, you’re going to be in for a treat when it starts to carry over. He gets a little too used to being worshipped, and decides he likes that submissive attitude on you enough to want to see it all the time.

Petplay/Collaring

It really helps that he sees you as something of a pet already, but really, the collar is the selling point. Even if you never go outside, there's something unbearably hot about the possessiveness of it all - really, it's there to remind you of your status as property. He wants to own you, and for you to be forced to acknowledge that he owns you, and there's really no better way to do that than something with his name on it. It's even better with a leash, one he can pull on when he's fucking you to pull you back onto him over, and over, and over, hearing it choke you the more he shortens it.

But really, having you crawl towards him on all fours and obey little commands so simple they're humiliating is pretty nice, too.

Impact pain/painplay

There's really nothing quite so powerful feeling as watching you cry and squirm from it, y'know? He's another one that just likes the marks his hands, belts, or anything else can leave all over the skin of your ass and the back of your legs. The thing with him, though, is it's not even always a punishment, he just does it for fun, and that makes it unpredictable. Will definitely make you count, it's a sadistic torture for your mind and body.

Throatfucking

May be used as a punishment measure, may just be because he's craving it, either way, even if you have a gag reflex, you won't for very long. He'll train it out of you gradually, grabbing the back of your head and just slamming all the way down into your throat, holding you there, making you choke - it's a beautiful sound, really, listening to you gag, all while your throat spasms around him, it's the best feeling, really, and will definitely be used as a threat if you need incentives to behave.

Choking

Ties into the dynamics, but really, there’s not much to say on this one. He likes the power trip from having his hands wrapped around your throat, seeing you struggle, watching your face go red, hearing those little choking noises. It puts power over you into his hands, and if you get pleasure from it against your own will, that’s even better.

How do they feel about pregnancy or babies? Do they want them?

Absolutely one of the ones to use it as a tool. If you have a baby, you'll be so much more bound to him. You'll need him more, you'll want him around more, you'll be much less likely to leave, and in a way it feels a little bit like a sign of ownership over you.

That being said, he's also acutely aware of his jealous tendencies, and realizes he would also be very likely to become jealous if he felt like you loved a baby more than him, or gave it more attention and affection than you do him. He doesn't like the thought.

So ultimately, the latter side prevents him from willingly trying, but if you really, really have defiance issues even after he's tried everything he can to break you help you adjust, he might consider it.

What kind of (nsfw) punishments would they use?

If it's mild enough, he can just take the route of extremely rough fucking - it gets rid of the frustration, he likes hearing you whimper and squeal, and he can leave lots of little bruises as reminders of what not to do in the future.

But, again, he already gets off to putting you in pain - it'll be that much worse when you've done something to deserve it. Harder hits, no mercy whatsoever, and he just loves all your little cries, wiping away your tears and smiling at you, right before bringing down whatever instrument of pain he's chosen again. If you really, really make him mad, and he really wants to make you cry, he's not above fucking your ass, either, watching you cry and beg, but you'll learn with time that begging doesn't ever get you out of anything.

What body parts of their darling do they like the most?

Definitely an ass man. Likes fucking you in doggy, seeing the ripple every time you bounce back off of him, pulling your hair or arms to add some force. He likes seeing all the little red marks that his hands and belts and anything else will leave on the skin, views it like marks of possession. Grabbing, beating, fucking, it's all good.

[captain-tch]

The End of Days Carnival (Daryl Dixon x Reader)

A pharmacy untouched in the apocalypse was almost too good to be true. But what first seemed like a blessing, quickly reveals itself to be a wolf in sheep's clothing.

TW's for the series: gore, violence, loss, graphic descriptions, torture

part 5: the haunting of you

previous chapter

The handle of the knife was slippery in your hand. Your dominant hand had lost the finger, making it harder to grip onto the weapon. Blood was slowly seeping from the wounds on your lower arms, despite the hastily tied rags around them. Still, you held onto it as tightly as you could. Even the presence of the knife under your will allowed for your breathing to get under control for what felt like the first time since you'd stumbled upon this hellhole.

You became dauntless as you scoured the haunted house, opening all of the doors that should have remained closed. In one room, you found the decaying remains of a small body, a bloody toy bear with an eye torn out. In another room, an endless sea of cells, the darkness hiding what was in them. You whisper shouted Daryl's name.

All that answered was the silence.

When one door closed, another one opened. Animal bodies hanging from the ceiling on fish hooks. Body parts in glass jars. Walkers shackled in cages, so thin the outline of their ribs could be seen. Trinkets meticulously placed on the shelves, ranging from necklaces to family pictures. A line of eyes, different colours and various stages of decay, pinned to the walls. Your attention fixed on one in particular. They appeared to the exact same shade as yours. From the juices still wet on the nail pinning it to the wall, you knew it was fresh. Inwardly you shivered.

Your body was screaming at you to run away. You forced that instinct down, facing your fears in every room until you knew for certain, one dreaded truth. Daryl wasn't there.

A wave of nausea drowned you. You stumbled, grabbing onto the nearest wall. With your back pressed up against the wood you heaved heavy breaths in and out, pushing past the sick wanted to escape your body. The horrors of the house must have caught up with me, you reasoned, allowing yourself a moment of reprieve.

Soon the tide rolled back. You could breathe without fighting the urge to hurl. Drawing to your full height, you left behind the terrors and stepped out into the night. The autumnal air cut you like a knife, the biting wind whipping through the gaps of your clothing. Goosebumps erupted out on your skin. Clenching your jaw tight, you kept a firmer hold of your knife, tiptoeing around the carnival grounds.

It was hard to imagine that this place could have gotten any creepier. With only the light of the moon as your guide, you had to deftly side step obstacles, muttering curses under your breath as you tripped over another dead body. The smell was getting more intense, your stomach rolling in response.

"Daryl!" You whispered, praying that by some miracle he was somewhere nearby. Once again, all you heard was the sound of your own shaky breathing.

You stopped by an old popcorn stand, resting your body against the cart. Your limbs were slowly getting heavier, with each step feeling as if you pulling a cart behind you. Eyes fluttering closed, you yearned for your own bed, to sleep in until the sun was high in sky. You would sleep until all of this felt like a dream, your wounds healed and body light as air.

You're so close to getting out. This one thought acted like caffeine. Waking up from your drowsiness, you pulled away from the popcorn stand, taking a moment to look around the carnival. There wasn't many places they could hide a grown man. It wasn't likely he was at the Ferris wheel, since it wasn't moving anymore. If he was determined enough he could hop out and leave.

No, they wanted him to stay.

The only other place you could imagine them hiding him was the Hall of Mirrors. To you, it made sense, because at least if he did break free someway, he would have to navigate the mind bending hallways.

Taking a step in that direction, you let go of the popcorn stand. Your legs suddenly turned to jelly. You crumbled to the floor, colliding harshly with the ground. Cheek pressed to the mud, you wondered how your day could get any worse. A low thrum had started at the base of your skull, your finger - or lack thereof - was burning intensely and all you wanted to do was curl into a ball and sleep this all away.

Daryl.

You knew you couldn't give up, not now. If it was him in your position, you're certain he would have found you by now, not busy moping in the grass wishing that he could fast forward time. Sighing, you slowly pushed yourself to your feet, careful to avoid accidentally slicing yourself with the knife for the second time that night. The stars in the sky swirled into a Van Gogh painting; you carried on. You hobbled your way into the Hall of Mirrors, your empty hand unconsciously reaching out for the walls to stabilise your wobbly legs.

Your reflection surrounded you. It stopped you in place. The flickering of the emergency lights above cast enough light to make out your form. That person you were seeing... They had been through some shit. You looked as though your lower arms had been mummified, for the amount of rags wrapped around them, dots of red speckling the cloth. The colour of skin had paled significantly, a ghost of the person you once were haunting your physical body. Flecks of glass were scattered in your hair - it took a minute for you to remember they had come from the car crash that led you here.

Your eyes were what scared you the most.

They were hollow, lifeless. There was nothing you recognised about this image of yourself. This place had transformed you, and you were fairly certain it would be the trigger point for your evolution.

You watched as a singular tear tracked down the dirt on your cheek. This was no time to mourn, you had to push on. Scratching at the wetness, you swiped it away, effectively streaking the mud on your face.

You continued to hobble down the corridors, walking into walls and turning down the maze of mirrors. Shadows appeared in the mirrors with faces of the dead. Monsters of nightmares rose in the crevices. Your reflection gained a conscience of it's own, running in opposite directions and smiling at you with such a wide grin it started to tear your cheeks apart.

Stubbornly you squeezed your eyes shut, pushing yourself against one of the mirrors. The world kept tilting, the monsters were on your back and sweat was breaking out on your skin. You wanted to scratch your skin off, take off the layers in any hopes to cool you down. It was just too hot.

You hadn't realised you had been screaming until your voice became too hoarse to carry on. Your throat was so dry it was agony to swallow, a torture for you to speak. The pounding in your ears had calmed down. It was almost like screeching to scare the monsters away had purged yourself of all your fears.

Cautiously, you pried one of your eyelids open. Gone were the monsters, the dead family and your evil twin. All that remained was the eerie light cast by the lights above, and your own terrified reflection in the mirror. Your shoulders loosened. You opened both of your eyes.

"Y/N!" A familiar voice echoed throughout the halls. You stopped, hearing that voice scream your name once more. The southern twang soothed your heart and suddenly, all aches in your body eased. You found the energy to pull yourself away from the wall, sprinting down the corridors and following his voice.

Corner after corner you couldn't find him. You had been running for what felt like years, chasing down what soon felt like a mirage. Still, your mind became putty for that voice, the one that spoke sweet nothings in your ear, the one that calmed you as anxiety wrecked your body and addressed you with such love you melted at the noise.

"Daryl!" You forced out, hating how your voice cracked and faded. It was a surprise it even carried in the space.

"Y/N!" He was closer now, you could tell. With one last spurt of energy you ran towards it.

You collided with a wall. You tumbled backwards, falling on your backside. The adrenaline coursing through your body soaked up the ache, giving you the energy to clamber back to your feet.

Just as you were about to feel the wall to try and feel where it led, a calloused hand fell on your shoulder. Out of instinct you screamed, your knife flailing around you.

"Y/N, Y/N, it's me!"

You stopped, eyes moving up the mirror in front of you. In the reflection, you could see him. He had a hole ripped in the middle of his pant leg, a dark red stain spread around it. He was just as dirty as you were, the cut on his forehead starting to scab over. Most of all, he looked alive.

The realisation sucked you of all your fight. You crumbled to the floor, knife clattering out of your grip. Daryl was there in an instant, hands searching your skin.

"Are ya alrigh'?"

You couldn't muster the energy to nod, preoccupied with soaking him in. You drank in his features, to the slope of his nose, the curve of his lips, his beauty mark. It was undeniably Daryl.

You grabbed his hands, lifting them to your face. Heart in your throat, you counted each and every one of his fingers. A tired smile slipped on your face - he still had all of his fingers. He hadn't bought a ticket.

Daryl could escape.

All of the aches, the pain, the blood loss was worth it.

His hand found your face, his thumb stroking your cheek. You relaxed under his touch.

"Jesus, Y/N, ya burnin' up." His hand left your cheek. You groaned in protest, batting his hand away from your forehead. A line had formed between his eyebrows, but you brushed it off. Instead, you reached for you, pulling him closer to you. He collapsed into the embrace, tucking his head into your shoulder. You relished his hot breath on your neck, a signal that he was alive and breathing and here with you.

"I thought I lost you." You muttered, embarrassed at how meek your voice was. Daryl only held you tighter.

You don't know how long you stayed there for. You didn't care, taking the time to let his presence wash over you.

"Let's get outta here."

As much as you hated him pulling away, you knew you had to leave. It was only a matter of time before the carnival folk found you here. You needed to take advantage of the opportunity while you could.

Using the wall to pull yourself upright, you swayed on your feet. The mirrors twirled around you, the images flying across your eyes. The world was tilting on it's axis and you weren't anchored down. Before you knew it, you were pivoting towards the floor. A hand shot out, breaking your fall.

Daryl appeared in your line of vision. Your eyes struggled to focus on which one to look at, as three versions of him appeared in front of you.

"Hol' onto me." Daryl muttered, draping his arm around your waist. "What did these crazy fucks do ta ya?"

You only shook your head. Each second that passed your energy was fading. Keeping yourself upright proved to be a task in itself.

As he carried you through the halls, he tried to distract you. He told you his tale of the carnival. How he had been dragged away in chains, beaten. How he ended up on the carnival wheel, the knife thrown into his thigh. He told you about how they kept telling him he was dead meat, threatening to carve him up and feed him to their walker employees.

"They kept talkin' 'bout family. How family is blood. They say ya shed blood for the family or... Ya get blood put in you. I saw 'em. They were using walkers like they were god damn leeches."

Your knees gave way. He bent down, going to lift you bridal style, but you shoved him away.

"What... What did they do with the blood Daryl?"

"I don't know, they were puttin' 'em in syringes."

Your heart stopped in your chest. The aching of your body. The visions you had been seeing. The dizziness plaguing you. The sweat coating your skin, the heat of it. Instinctively your eyes glanced down to your arm. The tiniest of blood specks could be seen at the injection site.

They'd injected you with walker blood.

next chapter

the walking dead masterlist

[alexsfictionaddiction]

Review: A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers

I think anyone would be intrigued by that cover, right? I had very little idea of what to expect of A Certain Hunger but I knew that it featured a female serial killer, a particular buzz phrase for me. So, I wasn’t completely prepared for what was to come!

Dorothy is a food critic who loves food as much as she loves sex. Both of these passions often take her travelling between Manhattan and Italy, living a really quite wonderful life. Now from her prison cell, she is finally telling her story of how she ended up there. 

Like the vast majority of women, Dorothy has had her fair share of belittlement at the hands of men. I was on edge every time she was alone with a man who had tried to assert himself as the dominant party in any way. Dorothy’s voice is perhaps the inner voice of many women -sharp, unforgiving and undeniably violent. I could fully believe in her as a character, which unsettled and excited me in equal measure.

There are some lengthy, verbose descriptions of food and ingredients. When Dorothy is actually talking about food stuffs, this is a real treat for the senses but my stomach churned when she used the same descriptors for human flesh. Because yes, there is cannibalism in this book. Quite a lot of it. So, be prepared for that should you decide to pick it up!

It goes without saying that there is a lot of blood and violent imagery in the book. The way that Dorothy delights in it is horrific and to be honest, it was so graphic in places that I started to wonder how Summers did her research. Is this what it’s really like when a person is killed so violently and if so, how does she know? 

There is a bit of discussion on the difference in treatment between male and female psychopaths. It’s true that women who kill draw a much greater fascination than men who do the same and it’s purely down to how society has been conditioned to perceive women. Women are expected to be nurturing, kind-hearted, selfless creatures while violence and aggression typically belong to the world of men. The idea that there are women out there who are emotionless, unremorseful and unpredictable is terrifying for some people, so women like Dorothy become true curiosities.

In some parts, it felt like Dorothy was giving other women (female readers) advice on how to get the upper hand with men. I got chills when it felt like she was talking to me because it was almost as if she sensed something in common with herself. It’s a clever writing device and it definitely made the reading experience a lot creepier.

A Certain Hunger is a well-written, engaging story that will make you feel sick. I’m pretty sure I can’t ever re-read it, which is why I can’t really give it a maximum rating. It’s a short book but it took me a while to read because I kept having to work up the courage to sit with Dorothy again for a little while. If you like books that thoroughly unsettle, then A Certain Hunger is a good shout!

[iron--spider]

I woke up at 3am yesterday to watch The Devil All the Time and I’ve been thinking about it since. I’m gonna put my thoughts and feelings and a review of sorts behind the cut, because I am gonna talk about it freely, so there will be spoilers! So don’t click if you don’t wanna see. I’ll also be discussing the content of the film and I know that might bother people, so that stuff is in here, too! And it’ll be really long because you know I can’t shut up.

So, I loved it. I loved it loved it loved it. I read the book a long time ago when I first found out Tom was gonna be in it, and the only problem I had with the book was that the POVs would change in the middle of a paragraph lmao, but other than that I thought it was pretty perfect. I knew the movie was gonna be pretty brutal, because the book is brutal, so I was prepared.

-BUT I think the critics HIGHLY HIGHLY exaggerated how bad the content was. Like, seriously, they acted as if this was gonna be a Saw movie. I was preparing for blatant, horrific gore, but it didn’t live up to their dramatics at all. There’s blood and nasty situations, but every single episode of Game of Thrones is worse than this movie, as are most episodes of any crime drama on a paid network. I actually thought they were super, super tactful of all their horrific shit. The dog death was off screen and the shot of the body (described by the critics as literally traumatic) was so quick (enough to shut your eyes) and in the dark. I also argue that particular moment is extremely important for Arvin’s journey, because it’s the moment he truly turns on his father and turns on religion entirely, and he carries it with him his whole life (it’s what he flashes back to when he says “I know what my daddy did” because it’s the marker of all Willard’s mistakes) and it winds up being one of the last things he does before he leaves everything behind. Burying Jack’s bones. So, like, I despise dog death or any animal death in my entertainment, but it’s important here and handled well. And all the worst death scenes are either extremely fast (Helen’s and Gary Matthew’s) or shown in negative (all the photos). I think Bodecker’s headshot with Bobo is probably the worst and is also pretty quick. I don’t know if this means I’m a jaded bitch, but God the way they were all whining and crying, I thought it’d be a million times worse. It could have been, with the book’s descriptions, so it was actually pretty tame. Lenora’s death affected me the most and they cut away from that, too. I guess it’ll still bother some people, but there are many, many mainstream things that are far more violent and gory than this was.

-I thought it was a beautiful movie. I never mind films that are slightly slower but I love ones that use their time to lay things out and really show us what’s going on, build the ambiance and the relationships. I loved the narration (which I was worried about), and it really made me feel like we were visiting a moment in time that was important. Like something that was written and should be learned about. Rumors in a town you’re passing through. The ghosts of past trauma and transgressions looming over everyone that’s left.

-I liked the changes they made with Roy and Theodore because I thought that storyline kinda meandered in the book and I’m glad that Roy was actually gone the whole time and not just neglecting to come back to Lenora.

-The only real complaints I can make, I’ll get out of the way here: I wanted a little bit more time with Carl and Sandy. Carl was really creepy, but he could have been much creepier. In the book he was the one looking at the pictures constantly, Not Sandy, and that really showed that he was the one with the sickness, the one pushing them forward and orchestrating it all. I thought they did well with showing how Sandy deteriorated in her efforts with him through the years, but I would have liked to see a bit more of their personal lives together and her fear of him and her genuine feelings about what they’re doing, because the book goes into that a lot more. I also wasn’t a fan of Lee finding the picture early and knowing some about what they were doing, because I liked how it was a surprise to him in the book and yet he still did all he could to cover it up. And lastly, in the book there’s a scene with Arvin after he kills Sandy and Carl where he’s in a motel and he takes like 18 showers because he can’t get the grime of what he’s done off of him, and he looks at the picture and has a nightmare about killing Sandy, and I really would have loved if they’d kept it in. It would have been another ‘acting’ moment for Tom, and it would have been nice for us to see his direct trauma and reaction to everything that’s piling on top of him.

-BUT that’s it. I loved pretty much every single other thing and decision that they made. The cinematography was TOP NOTCH. You could tell they filmed on 35mm film, you could see the grain, and it really, really added to it. Antonio Campos is a very skilled director and I trusted him at the helm of this story. Everything looked so authentic, all the sets and the costumes. The soundtrack and score were AMAZING and enhanced the film. Technically it was just perfect in every regard to me.

-Acting! Acting! God this was like...a massive testament to the casting department and the talent of these people. Everyone was on their A game. Bill Skarsgård has been on my radar since Castle Rock (which I recommend to everybody, both seasons) and he was so natural and great in this role. Haley Bennet was absolutely adorable as Charlotte, I loved her cute face and her sweet relationship with little Arvin. Riley Keough was so great as Sandy with the limited amount of time she had, and Jason Clarke is one of my favorites but he was unrecognizable in this as creepy ass Carl. Harry Melling was a far cry from Dudley Dursley and he did a great job with his screen time, too. Same with Mia Wasikowska, who didn’t have much to do (same as poor Helen in the book) but she was able to garner our sympathy anyway. Seb Stan was slimy and gross but he pulled it off so well. Eliza Scanlen has been one of my favorites since Sharp Objects (another one that’s brutal as hell but I recommend it, she’s so scary) and she was so, so great here. Robert Pattinson was ALRIGHT, everybody talks him up over this but he felt a little hammy to me and a little too over the top, but there’s no denying his talent.

-Now, the reason we’re all here. Tom. My God. As soon as it was over I just didn’t know what the hell to do, I didn’t even know how to....go on, lmfao. We all know he’s talented, that’s why we’re here, that’s why we love him, but his performance in this is just BEYOND all that. Beyond comprehension. The man is only 24 years old and he’s out here outacting people who have been in the industry for longer than he’s been alive. He is SHOCKINGLY good. I knew he’d be perfect for Arvin as soon as I read the book, but he just completely embodied this role in a way that I couldn’t have imagined. He doesn’t show up in the movie until about 45 minutes in (which doesn’t hurt it because of the strength of the leadup, Bill’s performance and the performance of little Arvin’s actor) but God, as soon as he’s there the whole thing comes to life in a way that it hadn’t before. Tom is literally just a shining light, and he draws your eye in every single scene he’s in, and when he’s not there you’re wondering when he’s gonna come back. Arvin, to me, is a very complex character—he has been inherently changed by how his father twisted religion in his childhood, how deeply he betrayed him by his behavior, but he still has a kind heart and a protective streak and the need to be strong despite the pain nearly breaking him apart from moment to moment. Tom is just outrageously good at portraying all Arvin’s little nuances, how he clenches his jaw, how his voice breaks when he’s afraid or trying to convince someone of something or get his point across, how his hands tremble after he’s done something he wishes he didn’t have to do, how his whole body wilts when he realizes he’s emulating his father. And his eyes. Tom can do so, so much with his eyes that it’s unbelievable. He tells you so much with just a simple look, a glance, a wince, a long blink. I’m not exaggerating when I say he’s just an absolute revelation in this, he cements his place in Hollywood with a firm hand and a tender look, and I will not be forgetting what he did here anytime soon. There’s a reason that everyone called him out for being so stunning in this. He is magnificent. He has a gift.

-I wanna say, in particular, how much I love Arvin’s relationship with Lenora. Their lives were both marked by such tragedy and pain and Arvin just took up the torch of protecting her from the moment he said hello as a child. He wants so badly to be tough, and he IS, but there’s just miles and miles of love in this boy’s heart, and it manifests itself for his family—for his uncle, for his grandma, but for Lenora in particular. I loved how he just showed up when she was being harassed and just ran in there without thinking, and it’s purely devastating that he was out taking care of her bullies while a worse predator was cornering her. The scene where she was sick wasn’t in the book but it was a beautiful addition. Tom sometimes wears this very open, unguarded, honest expression, and this is the only scene in which he shows it, and it really expresses the love between them and how much she means to him. Arvin didn’t find Lenora’s body in the book, but it was the right change for them to make. Tom was devastating here, and that pain and that moment truly fuel every second of his journey through the rest of the film. “My Lenora”. The saddest siblings. Both Eliza and Tom did so beautifully with this relationship and I hope they work together again.

-Favorite acting moments for Tom: when he’s in the car in the rain after beating up the bullies, when he’s in the church crowd and realizes Preston is insulting his Grandma (the way his face changes oh my GOD), when he finds Lenora, when the cop comes to tell him Lenora was pregnant (this is just....so damn good), when he was telling his uncle to look after his Grandma, THE ENTIRE CHURCH CONFRONTATION (the way he trembles when he’s trying to get his attention, how he speaks the whole time, how he slowly gathers his strength), when he thinks Sandy has shot him, the moment where he’s over Lee’s body and just....pleading with his eyes for him to listen and realize what he’s done. And the last scene, in the car, all the emphasis on his face....once again, he can do so, so much with a look, with his eyes. Someone called out the beautiful last shot in the film, and of course, it’s Arvin’s sleeping face. And it was so beautiful (and devastating, to think of him enlisting. Tom draws so much sympathy that you just want Arvin to have a normal life so badly. He deserves it, he does, but will he get it?)

-Last thing I’ll say, I really loved how, despite turning his back on religion, that God seems to be protecting Arvin the whole time. He’s terribly afraid confronting the preacher and that could have easily gone badly, especially when he tosses the book, but Arvin was somehow able to get a shot off and get the upper hand. And with Carl and Sandy, he senses something is off immediately once they pull off the road, and he would have absolutely been killed had Carl not switched out Sandy’s bullets for blanks. And in the confrontation with Lee, he once again shoots at the same time as him, shoots without looking, and manages to come out unscathed and on top. A few spoiler reviews pointed out that the last person that picks Arvin up is supposed to be a Jesus-like figure, almost like he’s finally been saved. It hurts that everyone around him that he loved is almost forsaken by God, but he himself is protected. It’s such a complicated commentary on religion throughout the entire piece, but it’s so interesting and engrossing.

So I’d recommend this movie to anyone that loves movies, loves Tom, can deal with a gritty story that takes its time laying out all the chess pieces. It is definitely heavy subject matter but it doesn’t go overboard with the horror as it easily could have. Yes, there are triggers to look for, but the critics hugely over exaggerated how awful it was. I can probably go get time stamps for certain things if people wanna ask me after reading this, but if you can get through a Tarantino film or any HBO drama, you can do this. And Tom’s performance is one for the ages and not one that deserves to be passed over or downplayed. It is beautiful and heart-wrenching—a magnificent turn that displays his monumental ability to reach out and guide you into any world he decides to make his own.

I loved The Devil All the Time.

[conradscrime]

The Watcher

March 28, 2021 

In June 2014 Derek Broaddus and his wife Maria closed in on their dream home located at 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey. The house was beautiful and included 6 bedrooms, which was perfect because the Broaddus family had three children. It was spacious and the perfect family home. Maria had been raised in Westfield and this new home was only a few blocks away from her childhood home. Derek had grown up in Maine and worked for an insurance company and had worked his way to becoming senior vice-president. 

The Broaddus’ wanted some renovations done and a few days after closing in on the house Derek went to do some painting of his own. While he was there he happened to check the mail and found an envelope with the words to “The New Owner” scrawled in chunky letters. 

The letter read, 

“Dearest new neighbour at 657 Boulevard, allow me to welcome you to the neighbourhood. 657 Boulevard has been the subject of my family for decades now and as it approaches its 110th birthday, I have been put in charge of watching and waiting for its second coming. My grandfather watched the house in the 1920s and my father watched in the 1960s. It is now my time. Do you know the history of the house? Do you know what lies within the walls of 657 Boulevard? Why are you here? I will find out.“ 

Whoever had written the letter seemed to already know a decent amount of information about the Broaddus family including their children, knowing how many they had, though the writer had not yet identified their names. 

A letter from the writer about the children is as follows, 

“Do you need to fill the house with the young blood I requested? Better for me. Was your old house too small for the growing family? Or was it greed to bring me your children? Once I know their names I will call to them and draw them too [sic] me.“

The Broaddus family had no idea who could be sending the letters, the writer only signed them as being written by “The Watcher.” 

Derek was obviously freaked out at the amount of information this unknown person already knew about the family. Also the way the letters are written is very strange and very sinister, it doesn’t really seem like a joke. Derek called the police who were just as confused as him over the contents of the letters and asked if Derek had any known enemies. 

The Broaddus family could not think of anyone that would be sending these kinds of letters to them. They contacted the couple that had sold them the house, John and Andrea Woods and asked them if they had ever received any letters during the time they lived at 657 Boulevard. Andrea Woods claimed that a few days before they moved out of the house they had in fact received a sketchy letter in the mail from someone referring to themselves as The Watcher. However, that was the only letter John and Andrea had ever received from The Watcher and they had lived in the house for 23 years. They did think the letter was odd but didn’t think much of it and threw it out. 

The police felt that whoever this Watcher person was must be a neighbour living near the house. They advised the Broaddus family to not mention these letters to anyone while they investigated potential neighbourhood suspects. 

In the coming weeks the Broaddus family was starting to unpack things into the house and it seemed as though the Watcher was present for all of this. Maria had received another letter this time addressing both her and Derek as “Mr. and Mrs. Braddus.” Though the Watcher spelled their last name wrong they were obviously close enough in earshot to hear. The Watcher also named the three children in birth order and knew of their nicknames. 

The letters started getting even creepier. One letter in particular mentioned the sleeping arrangements and what bedrooms the children would have. 

“Will they sleep in the attic? Or will you all sleep on the second floor? Who has the bedrooms facing the street? I’ll know as soon as you move in. It will help me to know who is in which bedroom. Then I can plan better.“

A suspicious thing happened when one day Derek was showing the renovations they made to another couple living on the block. During the tour the wife said, “It’ll be nice to have some young blood in the neighbourhood.” Young blood is something that only the Watcher had said in their letters about the Broaddus children. 

Closer and closer to move in day and the Watcher was definitely around. 

“I pass by many times a day. 657 Boulevard is my job, my life, my obsession. And now you are too Braddus family. Welcome to the product of your greed! Greed is what brought the past three families to 657 Boulevard and now it has brought you to me.Have a happy moving in day. You know I will be watching.“

The Broaddus’ seemed too afraid to move into their new dream home due to the letters and they were scared for their children’s safety. One potential suspect, a man named Michael Langford who lived in a house nearby and did not work. He lived with his mother, Peggy Langford who was up in her 90′s. Several of Peggy’s adult children lived with her, most of them in their 60′s which seemed odd to Derek. 

The Langford’s had lived there since the 1960′s which the first letter from the Watcher confirmed that’s when their father had started watching 657 Boulevard. Richard Langford died 12 years earlier and it would make sense that Michael took over for him, considering the Watcher’s letter said they had been watching for ‘the better part of two decades.’ 

Michael was questioned but there was never enough evidence to charge him with anything. The police were pretty much tied with no evidence which led Derek and Maria to become quite frustrated. They didn’t feel safe in their new home, their dream home that they just wanted to enjoy. Derek and Maria tried to investigate themselves, finding out that the only family that had lived in the neighbourhood since the 1960′s was the Langfords. They even hired their own private investigator but no new information was found. 

There were a few other sketchy occurrences. For example, one of the housepainters noticed that the couple who lived behind the Broaddus family had two lawn chairs that seemed to be really close to the Broaddus house. One day the painter looked out the window and noticed the man sitting in one of the chairs, facing the Broaddus’ house. 

The Broaddus family did not feel comfortable moving into 657 Boulevard and they had already sold their house so they moved in with Maria’s parents for the time being. They still paid the mortgage and property taxes on 657 Boulevard, but refused to live there and put their children in harms way. 

Six months after buying 657 Boulevard, the Broaddus family put it up on the market. They originally priced it higher than they had paid for because they made a lot of renovations, but no one wanted to buy it because of gossip about the Watcher. 

Derek and Maria filed a legal complaint against the Woods’ on June 2, 2015 about a year after they first bought the house. They felt that the Woods’ should have let them know that they had received a letter from the Watcher before selling them the house. The Woods’ claim that they did not disclose the information about the letter because they didn’t find it threatening, they had never felt ‘watched’ in 23 years, in fact they rarely ever locked their doors while living there. 

The Watcher sent the Broaddus family 3 letters in total, all about details about the house and their life. It was reported that a neighbour living at 633 Boulevard had also received a letter from the Watcher around the same time the Broaddus family did, though not a whole lot of information has come out about that. 

In July 2019 the Broaddus family finally sold 657 Boulevard for $959,000, about $400,000 cheaper than they paid for it. Some people believe that the Broaddus family themselves were writing the letters to themselves as some scheme, to get a movie deal or maybe realized they couldn’t afford to have the house and wanted to get out of the deal, though to me it seems strange that they would do that because they lost their dream home and they lost a lot of money in the process of selling the house. 

No one has ever been charged for being The Watcher and this case remains unsolved. 

[bokunoheroanalysisforthefuture]

Chapter 14! Don’t have any particular funny quips this morning, so let’s get into things.

Well I mean there’s some jokes to be made about the third movie trailer, but that can be Later. 

[No. 14 - Encounter with the Unknown]

Nice opening art to the chapter, very classy (and I am sorry I only realized that was a pun after I wrote it). Still has Momo in the saner version of her outfit, as opposed to what comes later…

The first actual page of the chapter has three close up shots of the major villains of the arc - Shigaraki, the Nomu, and Kurogiri. It also repeats the goal of the villains from last chapter - to kill the symbol of peace. Having the Nomu being a stand-in for AFO and/or the doctor also refers to them being major players (urgh another damn pun) for the series as a whole. Possibly the doctor so that these are the three ‘major’ pawns of AFO? Sounds fine with me.

We get another wide-angle shot of the villains coming in through the portal created by the wizard Kurogiri. Hori really went ham on the designs for some of them, it’s so wild, I wonder how many are references I just am not getting?

But yeah, some of the kids are in disbelief about villains attacking, wondering why they’d be dumb enough to sneak into a school for heroes. Momo asks about intruder sensors, which Thirteen confirms exist. Shouto questions whether they’re only at the USJ or also at the main building, but that in either case, if the sensors aren’t working, it has to be a quirk involved.

He then goes on to note how the USJ is far from campus, and they’d picked a time when few people would be there, so they perhaps not as dumb as they appear, and have to have an objective, because it’s a well-coordinated sneak attack.

(Honey, he literally just said they were there to kill the symbol of peace, and maybe some of you kiddos as well.)

...no wait a second. The villains are at the bottom of the stairs, and the class is at the top. The only two people who could have reasonably heard anything would be Shouji and Jirou.

shigaraki, stepping out of the portal: so yeah, we're here to kill the symbol of peace

the class, at the top of the stairs: wait did he say something?

shouji, who heard it perfectly fine: I think he said something about krill and cheese

jirou, who also heard it perfectly fine: no no it was cymbals and fleece

the rest of the class: ???????????

But yeah, I’m gonna guess it was Jirou and Shouji who relayed what the villains were saying to the rest of the class? Which had to be awful. (Of course, maybe Shigi also had to repeat himself but louder, and thus give up the raspy voice bit for a bit because that shit does not carry at all.)

Anyways! Aizawa tells Thirteen to begin evacuation and to try calling the school, repeating Shouto’s conclusion that a villain is jamming the sensors - likely an electric-type. He then tells Kaminari to try using his own quirk to signal for help, which the boy agrees to. 

Izuku is worried about Aizawa’s chances fighting alone, noting that he can’t nullify all their quirks at once. He also notes that Eraserhead’s fighting style is erasure and a quick binding capture, not a head-on battle. Aizawa interrupts him to point out that no good hero is a one-trick pony, before telling Thirteen one last time to take care of the class and then jumping down the stairs and into the fray.

Eraserhead sugoi~ 

Wow that was cursed to type, never doing that again! 

Helmet-villain tells the villain’s ranged squad to move, with whip-hair and minotaur guy prepping themselves behind him. One of them (I think whip-hair?) notes that the intel said it was just supposed to be Thirteen and All Might there, so who’s this dude coming at them? Minotaur doesn’t know, but he’s coming at them alone. Helmet-villain concluded the guy is a dead fool, then, and all three of them are prepared to use their quirks-

Except, well, performance anxiety. Eraserhead, with the strength belied by his lanky build, whips his scarf around all of them and yoinks them into a three-person headbutt that takes them all out at once. Honestly, this is just more fuel for that idea that he has a secondary telekinetic quirk that allows him to pull off this kind of stuff. 

Some random villain recognizes Eraserhead, and that he can cancel quirks by looking at you. An evil Machamp / Graveller villain laughs and steps forward, wondering out loud whether that quirk-cancelling trick works against ‘heteromorphic types.’ Which I know is more classically known as ‘mutants’, but I kinda like the term more, even if it’s just a translation thing and not the right term. Eraserhead also uses ‘operative’ and ‘transformative’ as terms for the other two ‘branches’ of quirk shortly after, which again, pretty neat. 

Anyways, not to get ahead of things. Eraserhead punches Machamp guy in the face while confirming his quirk can’t cancel mutation quirks, only emitter and transformation. Still, we see him easily kicking said villain’s ass as he explains that mutant-types tend to excel in close-quarters combat, which is why he’s got countermeasures for them. 

Kurogiri is impressed. Or maybe surprised? Hmm.

Shigaraki starts muttering analysis, noting that Eraserhead is good at hand-to-hand, and that the goggles hide his eyes so that the villains don’t know whose quirk he’s cancelling. Even a whole mob isn’t slowing him down. Shigaraki scratches at the side of his throat as he states how he hates pro heroes, and that ordinary villains don’t stand a chance against them.

Right next to that panel, thus making it all the creepier and likely meant to draw parallels, we see Izuku also lingering behind to watch the fight, admiring Eraserhead’s ability to hold out even while outnumbered. Tenya shouts at him that this is not a time for analysis, and that they need to evacuate. 

Kurogiri then abruptly appears before them, looming over them as he states that he won’t allow that. We get brief face shots of Izuku, Thirteen, and Eraserhead, with only the last having dialogue - apparently he was suppressing Kurogiri’s quirk there, but when he blinked he’d already managed to get over there? Eraserhead considers him the deadliest one there, which I mean, true, but also…

Kurogiri condences himself down a bit while greeting them, and I love how alternate font is used for him to convey his own manner of speech. He introduces the group as the League of Villains, and tells the class that they’ve come to UA - to the bastion of heroism - to end the life of the symbol of peace. Which, since this is majorly shocking news to Izuku, confirms my earlier belief that there’s no way the class heard them before when Shigi was talking at the bottom of the stairs. 

Kurogiri’s font changes back to normal as he continues on, explaining that the villains were under the impression All Might would be there, but it seems his schedule was revised. It’s no matter, however, his own role remains unchanged. 

...interesting. Almost like he’s looking through the shadowy mist instead of being it. Hmm.

Thirteen prepares her quirk for use by flipping open a finger-cap on their glove. However, the first two to rush into the dray are Kirishima and Katsuki, pulling a pincer attack with their quirks. Katsuki states ‘not if we end you first’, while Kirishima bets that Korogiri hadn’t seen that move coming. Kurogiri, seemingly unaffected, reforms himself as he notes that it was close, and that even as students, they are the best of the best. 

Thirteen is in a panic, telling the two to get back (because they’re in the way of her own quirk), but it’s too late.

Kurogiri spreads his shadows out across the class, separating them and enveloping most of them as he tells them to begone, to writhe in torment until they breathe their last. Shouto is shown on his own, Tsuyu, Izuku, and Mineta in a group (as well as Aoyama? Hmm), Katsuki and Kirishima in theirs, and then Momo, Kaminari, and Jirou as the last. The rest are gotten out of the shadows in time by Tenya and Shouji, with Tenya holding Ochako and Sato while Shouji is guarding Sero and Ashido.

(Wonder if Aoyama ended up on the edge of the flood zone and managed to blast himself out and to safety? Would seem to fit with him being just off the edge of their group… then again, he’s standing closer to Ojiro, so might have gone with him instead...)

(Also, Hagakure’s position here suggests she should have been grabbed by Tenya or Shouji, but she apparently ended up with Shouto? Hmmm.)

Our last panel of the day is seeing a whole swirling mass of shadow covering basically the entirety of the top of the stairs, with someone in the class shouting after everyone. I wonder what happened to most of the class?

Guess we have to wait for next time. 

[ask-the-riders]

A Stranger In My Bed

War comes home after a long, exhausting day and flops down into her bed, ready to call it a night

But then she realizes something's off - that's not Pestilence that she just cuddled up to

War let out a deep sigh, flopping down into bed; today had been way too long, and she was sure she'd put in way too many work hours at once. She was totally drained, and at this particular moment, didn't know if she had it in her to summon her threads and make a hammock like she normally did.

Pulling the covers up over herself and closing her eyes, she cuddled up to the person beside her, the familiar warmth soothing her aching bones. An arm wrapped around her and she felt herself smile faintly, her cheeks flushing a soft shade of blue as she tipped her head up to press a soft kiss to her partner's jaw.

Or at least, who she thought was her partner.

An unexpected voice broke the silence, "Well hello ta you too, Sparky. Looks like ya missed me quite a bit."

War's sockets snapped open and she reeled back, suddenly wide awake. Sitting up and looking at the unexpected guest, she shrieked, grabbing a pillow and roughly hitting him with it on instinct, "YOU LITTLE-! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING HERE? WHY ARE YOU IN MY BED?!" He opened his mouth to respond, being cut off as the pillow smacked him square in the face.

Before she could hit him a third time, he reached out with a single gloved hand, grabbing onto the pillow and wrestling it away from the glitch, "Hey, hey, chillax, lil brotato chip, it's all good! S'jus' me, your ol' pal Fresh. I just wanted ta pop in for a surprise visit, is all. 'M not up ta no good dis time, promise."

War scowled, her figure beginning to glitch as she eyed him suspiciously, "Ok, but why are you in my BED? That's insanely weird, and frankly really creepy." Fresh shrugged his shoulders, arching one ridiculously bushy eyebrow at her, "Because it's comfy? It beats the bed I got back at my crib." The glitch huffed, "Go away, come back tomorrow. It's late, and I'm not about to share a bed with you."

Fresh tilted his head, entirely too casual, "Awe c'mon, it'll be fine! Just think of it like dis - a sleepover. And who loves sleepovers? Girls. And you're a girl, buddy." The female rider pinched the bridge of her nose, "Fresh, no. This isn't a sleepover. This is you breaking into my room. Now get out, I'm not sharing my bed." The taller of the two made a face, "Don't be like dat, Sparky. It'll be like way back when. Ya know, when ya were a lil bit smaller and used ta hang out with me more. We crashed on the couch together so many times, remember?"

The glitch stared at him, her brow bones knit in irritation, "Yeah, of course I remember. I'm not a kid anymore though, you can't be in bed with me. The longer you stay here, the creepier it gets." Fresh let out a deep sigh, sitting up and opening his arms, "Fine, fine. I'll go, but only after ya give me one radical hug, ya hear? I ain't leavin' without a hug, glitchy." As he began to move closer for a hug, War began to scoot back away from him, "No way in heck, Fresh. Just go already!"

He clearly wasn't listening, and catching War completely by surprise, he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her and crushing her in a hug. On impulse, she tensed in his grasp and shrieked, her sockets clouding with wars. It was only a matter of seconds before the bedroom door flew open, and she immediately recognized her soulmate's voice as he called out, "War?! What's going on? Are you-"

Finally seeing the stranger who had his arms locked around his soulmate, Pestilence was quick to draw his syringe gun, his left eye flaring up with sickly green magic, "Who the fudge are you, and why are you here? You have three seconds to answer me." Fresh seemed unphased upon having a gun pointed at him, "Yo, calm down, broseph. Dere's no need ta use dat unrad lingo a' yours. Your girl's fine, she just likes ta overreact sometimes."

Pestilence pulled back the hammer on his weapon, and hearing the click, War squirmed, willing her vision to return, "Pest, hang on a minute! Don't shoot him!" Pest shot a confused glance at his soulmate and she explained, "He's just my idiot uncle. I guess he wanted to drop in for a surprise visit or something." The taller of the two riders arched a brow bone, "If he's your uncle, why's he in bed with you?" War deadpanned, scoffing at whatever the implications of his question might've been, "Because he's a fudging weirdo? I dunno, Pest! I already told you he's an idiot!"

Fresh, finally releasing War, gestured to himself, "Can confirm dat, broseph. I really am her totes radical uncle. I even got da pics ta prove it, if ya wanna see." Pestilence slowly lowered his gun, speaking slowly, "....Fine. I'll look at one picture, but if it's not convincing enough, I'm gonna make sure you die in as much agony as physically possible." At the threat, Fresh made eye contact with War and snorted in amusement, taking his phone out and beginning to go through his pictures, "Good luck with dat, bro. Dis ain't my body, so I won't feel anything."

Practically radiating confusion now, Pestilence made a face, "What do you mean, that's not your body?" The glitch sighed deeply, holding out a hand to Fresh, "You're gonna have to do the thing, Fresh." The taller skeleton raised an eyebrow, "Why can't I just tell 'em?" War lightly nudged him, "Because it's hard to believe. Just do it already. Please."

Fresh watched her for a moment in uncertainty before he slowly nodded. As he opened his mouth, a creature similar to a starfish appeared, making its way toward its host body's bottom jaw. Pestilence blinked, staring in a mix of confusion, awe, and disgust as it hopped out of its host's mouth and onto the palm of his soulmate's hand. As it gripped onto her thumb with two small, violet tendrils, she turned to face Pest, raising her hand. With her entire body rigid and visible embarrassment on her face, she sighed, "...This is my uncle Fresh. His true self, at least. That other one is his host."

Pest very cautiously stepped closer and paused as the creature waved an individual tendril at him, suddenly speaking up, "Whaddup, broski? I fight and eat souls for a living. Ha, totes rad, yeah?" Very clearly at a loss, Pestilence glanced at War, gesturing to himself, "If your uncle is a... uhh... does that mean you're...?" War immediately answered, frowning, "No! God, no. I am NOT a parasite like him. I'm just me, as you see me now. Promise." Her soulmate nodded, trying to resist the urge to reach out and touch the parasite. A thought suddenly occurred to War and her frown deepened, "Wait a minute, Fresh, my aura. My aura isn't effecting you? How? It effects everyone!"

The parasite looked up at her with his single multicolored eye, "I don't have emotions, buddy. Not like you do, at least. Dat's probably why." War hummed, carefully moving him back over to the still open mouth of his host body, "I mean... maybe, yeah. Geez, even after knowing you so long, there's still so much that I don't understand." The parasite slipped back into its host's mouth, and a few seconds passed before its mouth closed.

Now back in control, just as he was before, the host body slipped his sunglasses down his face just enough to show his sockets as he playfully winked, "Ahh, no worries, Sparky. You're not da only one, trust me."