#He awesome and the story might be told from his point of view

[kurishiri]

Chaotic Night ┊ Are you scared of me .ᐣ

꒰ ִ ֺ ⊹ @ notice ⊹ ֺ ִ ꒱ this translation may not be 100% accurate or contain creative liberties due to characterization or narrative flow purposes. if you enjoy, please consider reblogging, but don’t repost these or claim these as your own!

— this is nica schwartz's chaotic night (halloween) story, which is available if you obtain his card, an early clear bonus alongside william. you can view the tl for william's story here [@.judesmoonbeauty]!

— cw: some suggestiveness, like physical touch or lack of personal space.

(I’m usually able to sleep by this time, but that’s hard to do now...)

Everyone having consumed the extract made from the queen of the night flower, the party was disbanded thereafter.

(I don’t know what might happen, so I can’t go out of my room.)

I did as Victor had told me, returning to my room without a fuss, but——

(I’m worried about everyone, and that’s keeping me wide awake.)

(But at the very least, I can do as I’m told and not leave my room.)

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Nica: Guten Abend, Spatzi.

Kate: Nica?

(What could he need this late at night...)

Remembering Victor’s words, I hesitated for a moment, but...

Nica: Could you open the door?

(It should be fine, right?)

The moment I opened the door, Nica nimbly slipped in like a cat.

Kate: Ah——

Nica: I’ll be here a little while then. It’s a pretty night, isn’t it.

When I looked at him, I felt a certain something was a bit off.

Kate: Your eyes...

Nica: Pretty awesome, right? They became completely red.

N: Ring’s eyes are the same color too. I guess we just aaalways have a knack for matching like this.

As he sat on the bed, I couldn’t catch even a glimpse of his normal blue amid the red that dyed his eyes.

Kate: It’s because of the extract, right? Do you feel unwell, or...

Nica: Not at all. In fact I feel better than ever.

N: I was wondering what sort of reaction I had, so to think only my appearance would change...

N: I was more so expecting the heightening of our abilities.

He looked down at himself, finding anything else that could have changed, when I realized yet another strange feature.

Kate: Were your teeth always that sharp, Nica...?

Nica: My teeth?

With a grin, he lifted the corners of his mouth, and there were indeed two that stood out, elongated into sharp points.

Nica: These are fangs, aren’t they?

Kate: Fangs!?

Nica: I was thinking how something hit me.

N: But I think that’s about all? Other than that, I’m the good old me.

N: So you have nothing to worry about, Spatzi.

He had a soft expression on his face, and while I was worried about those unfamiliar eyes and his fangs,

he invited me to sit beside him, so I decided to do just that.

Kate: So, what brought you all the way here?

Nica: I was thinking you might’ve been bored.

N: You know, seeing as you were told to not leave the room?

N: But since it’s you, I figured you might be worrying about others and all, right?

N: As far as I could tell, everyone seemed fine, and nobody seemed to be in any dire state.

(So he came to tell me this because he figured I would be worried.)

I felt calm from his hand caressing my cheek, and then they lowered down to my chest——

Nica: Süßes oder Saures.

Kate: Huh?

Nica: I realized I hadn’t said it yet. So go ahead and pick one.

N: A treat? Or a trick?

I was surprised at his sudden words, causing me to pull back.

(I didn’t have any treats prepared though!)

Nica: Could it be you didn’t prepare any?

His teasing voice made me stand up and try to leave.

Kate: I can go to the kitchen and...!

Nica: But you were told to not leave this room, right?

His words and the arms that restrained me seemed to control that.

Nica: And with that, a trick it is.

Kate: Wah——

He pulled on my arm so strong that I lost my balance, and Nica lifted me up,

and sat me atop his knee so I was straddling him.

Kate: Let me down...

I tried to get myself down, but he held onto my waist, so I couldn’t move.

Nica: Well, regardless whatever you chose, I didn’t really need any treats and all that.

We were so close I started to feel shy, and I felt heat rise on my face.

I placed my hands on both his shoulders, trying to bend back to create more distance between us when...

Nica: What, could it be you’re getting shy now?

Kate: That...

Nica: Oh, what an adorable little Spatzi, getting so red over that.

N: There there, shyness go away.

Kate: Stop treating me like a child!

Nica: Don’t you think it’s more like cheering up an angry cat rather than treating you like a kid?

I resisted against how he patted my head gently, as though he were comforting a crying child, when...

Kate: mn...

Nica: See, I was right, you really are like a cat. There there now.

This time he tickled beneath my chin like he would do to a cat, and I tried to swat his hand away...

Nica: Ow——

All of a sudden, Nica pressed his hand against his lips and looked down.

Kate: Are you okay!?

Nica: I’m fine, I just cut myself a little...

It was then I saw blood seep out from where his fangs pricked the corner of his mouth,

and while trying to wipe the blood off, he ended up licking some of it.

Nica: Aren’t I like a vampire now?

Red eyes, sharp fangs, and blood from his mouth.

What was supposed to be a frightening sight seemed to change into something more fantastical with the way the moonlight streamed in.

(I...can’t take my eyes off of him.)

His eyes then widened at me as he was patting my head.

Nica: I think I figured out why I have fangs.

N: I’ve been feeling this unbearable urge to bite since a while ago.

Kate: What!?

His lips traced the back of my neck as he took a breath...

Nica: I might end up activating my ability without knowing,

N: so let me bite you here.

Kate: Wh—no, wai—ah——

He forcefully bit into me then.

Kate: ...!

(Ouch——ah...?)

Along with the pain, a sudden heat rose from within my body...

Nica: So? Did anything change?

Kate: ah——

The moment he caressed my cheeks, it felt so good my body ended up reacting.

(I feel dizzy...)

(It’s kind of like feeling intoxicated from alcohol? No...it’s more like...)

(——when he’s pleasuring me...)

I grabbed desperately on his clothes, and reflected in my unsteady gaze was an amused figure...

Nica: Haha, I see now.

...and I was met with a gaze laced with sadism.

Nica: So when my ability is heightened, you end up getting turned on.

Kate: No way...

(I have to get away——)

With what little strength I could muster, I tried to create more distance, when his fingers made their way to the ribbon at the back of my neck——

Nica: I wonder how many times I can bite you before you go insane?

He had a devilish smile playing on his lips, and I ended up swallowing, forgetting about the notion of resisting.

Kate: ah...

Just then, the ribbon came undone, leaving me to hold my shirt up in a panic as his fangs hovered over my collarbone——

(I...was wrong.)

I hadn’t broken my promise to leave the room, and yet I hadn’t thought about how letting someone in the room would pose dangers.

That, and of all people, to let in the one whose ability was to charm people...

Nica: I’ll make you feel the best you’ve ever known.

Until I lost my sanity and went mad...

——this night would not end.

Fin.

【Are you scared of me?】 Nica

masterlist🍒 ╱ ko-fi ☕️ ╱ comms🤍

END NOTES: fyi, guten abend means "good evening," and Süßes oder Saures means "trick or treat," at least according to the translation ikevil provided, haha. i always enjoyed vampire stories...! so i think it's nice cybird gave us a story where nica acts like a vampire, hehe.

i haven't translated nica in a hot minute so there were a bit of challenges in how i should portray him if that makes sense, but i hope i did him some justice! i'm hoping maybe i can try to translate his main story when it comes out, so i figured better get a bit of practice in these little bites as they come.

[the-kestrels-feather]

I know I'm SO late to the party, but In light of the hbomberguy video, I wanted to drop a list of some of my favorite video essayists on here who are all great. Some are well known, some of them not, but all deserve a lot of love thrown their way!

Any creators I know are Queer will have a * next to their names if that's what you're looking for! (Note some of them might not have a star that should, that's not me trying to invalidate anybody I just didn't know, please feel free to correct me!)

EDIT ADDED 6/10/25- Previously, this list included the creator Wendigoon. This was before I learned about his concerning views. I stopped watching his content about a while ago, and as this post is about a year or 2 old at this point I honestly forgot about it until someone reblogged it and mentioned that. I have removed him from this list, and sincerely apologize for promoting such a creator

Dominic Noble- book content! Has a series called Lost in Adaptation that judges how faithful movie adaptations of books were to their original source material, but also does some reviews/summaries as well. Very publicly denounced JKR after she was revealed to be a TERF and stated he will no longer review anything by her on his channel. Also deleted ALL of his HP videos after finding out she was a TERF (which were his most popular videos), so I have a really deep respect for him tbh. Former Channel Awesome member who publicly denounced them on several occasions, and an all around swell guy.

*Overly Sarcastic Productions- channel run by 2 people who go by Red and Blue. History and Mythology/Literature content, as well as analysis of tropes and media! I've been told their History content can be a bit... Iffy, but I'm not a Historian so I don't know, however if they get something wrong they're good about correcting it for what that counts for. Very interesting to listen to, I've watched Red's Videos roughly 100 times each. Also has a podcast.

*Strange Aeons- fandom/Tumblr history mostly, as well as some history, and weird businesses too. Reads a LOT of cursed content for her channel.

*Lindsay Ellis- Media/film analysis. obviously not as unknown as some of the others on here, but I absolutely adore her content and will forever be sad that she isn't on YouTube anymore.

Cruel World Happy Mind- MLM/explanation of controversial figures. I'm not sure how best to explain her content, but she seems genuinely lovely and is interesting to listen to. Also a victim of Illuminaughtii's ire and deserves some love. The video she made on Blair is a bit outdated since she made it at the start of when this all came to light, but imo it's definitely worth a watch. Her talking about her interaction with Blair genuinely broke my heart.

*Night Mind- Analog horror/Unfiction/ARG content! Analyzes and explains various internet horror pieces, and also has a very nice voice to listen to.

*Lola Sebastian- Film/Media Analysis!

Li Speaks- Deep dives into various nostalgia, mainly flash games!

*Princess Weekes- Media/film/literary analysis!

abitfrank- summaries and analysis of various "darker" children's content such as Coraline (book and movie), Nightmare Before Christmas, and various dark fairy tales

Hello Future Me- writing advice and world building information!

Curious Archive- deep dives into the various bestiaries of video games and the animals in real life that they're similar to, I love his Subnautica video!

In Praise of Shadows- Horror media analysis! Will often focus on specific franchises, but also covers things like horror comics and tropes as well.

Wait in the Wings- theatre! Deep dives into the back stories behind the production of various musicals! His video on Rogers the Musical that he did for April Fool's last year is comedy fucking gold

Weird Reads With Emily Louise- conspiracy theory/cult/weird thing analysis! Looks at things from an objective and skeptical view, and is very in depth. Recently served as a consulting producer on an HBO Max documentary on the Love has Won cult.

Ask a Mortician- death content! Covers various historical events and darker stories of death from the view of a Mortician.

*Izzzyzz- deep dives into fandoms, as well as well as different video games and kids' virtual worlds.

Disney Dan- Disney content! Covers the history of different mascot costumes at Disney and Disney-like parks! Has collaborated with Definctland in the past too!

Yesterworld- theme park content! Discusses history behind rides and parks, as well as some Disney movies. I think has also collaborated with Defunctland and Disney Dan?

Legal Eagle- legal content! Breaks down news about ongoing legal cases in a way that feels approachable. I like him because both my parents are paralegals and his videos have helped me understand what they mean when they're talking about work a little bit

Super Eye patch Wolf- media video essays! Mostly about anime/manga and video games, but also covers things like influencer scams and pro wrestling. His "what the internet did to Garfield" video is SO GOOD

*Jessie Gender- Media Analysis, loves Star Trek

*Laura Crone- Media Analysis video essays, her videos on the Swan Princess are fucking great I highly recommend!

*Lady Emily- Media Analysis, did a whole video on Spuder-Man turn off the dark that is SO good. Co writer for Sarah Z

Tale Foundry- covers different forms of fiction, their xenofiction video is great, as is their Angelarium one!

Defunctland- Theme Park ride and Children's TV History channel!

Jenny Nicholson- one of the sort of "big three" commentary channels with Lindsay Ellis and Sarah Z imo, covers all sorts of stuff but her most recent one is a 3 hour video on the theme park Evermore Park!

*Sarah Z- Fandom history and Media analysis! I really enjoy their content, the Johnlock Conspiracy and DashCon videos are my favorites!

Li Speaks- Flash games/virtual world analysis mostly! She has a very soothing voice to listen to, if you played like. Any MMOs or virtual worlds growing up I Highly recommend. I've watched her video on Horseland SO many times.

*Codex Entry- Video game coverage! Her videos on Pathologic are great if you're like me and wanted more after the Hbomberguy video!

*Savvy Writes Books- book, Anti-MLM, and American Girl content!

Dino Diego- Dinosaur fiction, like movies, video games, books, short stories, etc. his 2 videos on West of Eden and Winter in Eden are two of my favorites!

Haley Whipjack- I don't know how to describe her content really? She does a lot of deep dives (her Shrek one is my favorite), currently doing a recap of Once Upon a Time by season that is very fun. She's an elementary school teacher by day (that's not me dozing her she talks about it on her channel), and so she has fun unhinged teacher energy!

Other channels that are a sort of collection of different people talking about different things rather than 1 or 2:

TEDx

PBS

The Exploring Series

[sonic-gallery]

Another World Ogiri August 2023 [What are Blaze and Silver doing...? ]

Please come home, master!

Two characters appear every month in surprising outfits and situations! Let's enjoy Ogiri together with illustrations that will make your imagination run wild!

This time, Blaze and Silver are back with a new look! High fighting ability and awesomeness that are unbecoming of a maid or butler! What kind of enemy will these two fight against, relying on each other and working together?

What kind of lines or narration would you use?

You can style it based on the atmosphere and world view of the two of you in the game, or you can create a bold arrangement! In the example, it seems reliable enough to turn away any unwanted customers... Even such free and interesting stories are OK!

Please enjoy it and tweet with the tag "#Isekai Ogiri" on Twitter ♪

We will introduce the good ones in a reply from Sonic's official Twitter account.

We are looking forward to your fun Ogiri posts!

Act8: “Reunion of the Magical Princess”

＜＜Gashaaan! >>

A large number of sharp pieces of window glass are scattered on the hotel's luxurious scarlet carpet...!

The monster's strong arms didn't stop as it tore down the glass wall of the second-floor atrium with all its might... It gouged through the floor, grabbed a white cafe table that had been thrown up, broke it into pieces, and headed towards a point. I threw it.

＜＜Dogagagaga! >>

The terrifying throw of destruction seemed to crush the poor waiter who was near the kitchen...but all of it was blocked by a psychic barrier that shone in cobalt blue, and it shattered into pieces. Masu.

"A monster that obstructs business! I'll eliminate it!"

It was Silver, a silver hedgehog with psychic powers, who screamed and his whole body was filled with psychic green light.

The monster that stands in the way is a giant golem that looks up at you and is made of a collection of toys and junk. The moment when Silver, his black garcon apron flapping in the air, tried to wield his "power" towards the monster...!

＜＜Dooooooong! >>

This time, the crimson flame arrow grazed Silver's side and hit the monster. Blow away that giant body.

After a roar, the maid descended to protect Silver while brushing off a veil of flames, turned around with her elegant black silk apron skirt, and spoke to him without even moving an eyebrow.

"Run, waiter. This is no place for ordinary people."

...Silver is not amused by being suddenly interrupted and treated like an amateur.

"You're a maid, aren't you? What on earth are you!" "The one who protects the weak from evil monsters... is the Magic Princess Blaze!"

"Magic, Koujo...?"

Blaze jumps towards the monster, leaving behind Silver, who becomes stunned for a moment. Silver couldn't resist protesting as he hurriedly chased after him.

“Who is the weak one?”

The fight against monsters is only a defensive battle.

The flame wielded by Blaze does indeed hit the monster, but it only scrapes the surface of the monster's body...Then, the fragments are immediately pulled together by a mysterious force, coalescing and returning to their original state. It is.

"First of all, I came here with the intention of doing an undercover investigation as a maid, but I didn't expect to be suddenly involved in a battle..."

Blaze, who can't move as much as she wants in her maid uniform, can't help but click her tongue.

``I was also asked to be a bodyguard at this coffee shop, and I became a waiter waiting for a monster, but I didn't find him as good as this.''

Silver agrees that he is an unexpectedly strong enemy.

"I mean, this store provides uniforms, right? Why did you bring your maid uniform?" "I-is that so? Emmy told me to wear this..."

Blaze flinched at the unexpected remark and blushed as he pinched the frills on his shoulders...but in the meantime Blaze turned around and said this to Silver.

"Hey, don't move around in front of me! You're getting in the way and I can't concentrate my firepower!" "Attack isn't working, right? First, find the weak point that triggers recovery!"

In the end, an argument begins instead of a battle. And the monster didn't miss that chance...

<< Zugon! Dogogo...! >>

The monster slowly...gathered its strength deeply, raised both of its fists, and fired a powerful blow toward the ceiling. The impact pierced the ceiling on the coffee shop floor and the ceiling on the floor above, all the way to the roof of the hotel, causing a major collapse.

A huge waterfall of frighteningly heavy rubble attacks Blaze and the others, increasing its muddy flow as it falls. When they both looked up, it seemed like it was too late...

The next moment!

"Huh!"

Silver instantly jumps over Blaze's head, spreads his arms out as if to protect her, and deploys a psychic barrier...! After deflecting the incoming collapse, Blaze uses it as a counterattack to repel the attack of the monster that attacked Silver from within the dust, and at the same time blows away the surrounding dust with explosive flames.

...This is a moment of perfect cooperation with no compromises. After catching their breath in a close call, the two finally opened their mouths.

"My body moved on its own...I don't feel like I'm meeting you for the first time." "...Ah."

Then, as he regained his stance and restored his body, Blaze continued with a serious look on his face as he looked at the monster approaching the two of them.

"I made two mistakes. The first was that I underestimated the enemy and came here without being fully prepared."

Still in the same position, this time I continued to look into Silver's eyes.

"Waiter. Please give me 20 seconds..." "I don't mind...but before that, can I ask you the second question?"

After a moment's hesitation, Blaze answered with a resolute look on his face.

"Secondly, I was disrespectful and disrespectful to my comrades who I should be relying on. That..."

Blaze interrupts him by saying he's sorry, and Silver agrees to Blaze's request.

"It's okay Blaze, we're both good friends! It's okay. I'll hold out for 20 seconds or 200 years! ...So, would you like one for me too?" "...?"

"My name is Silver."

The next moment, Blaze is immediately engulfed in scorching flames. With her eyes closed and her mind concentrating...Silver senses that she is trying to control some great power.

"Silver, thank you......Haaaaaaaaa!"

Blaze is about to unleash a blow that will change the situation, knowing the risk of exposing his defenseless side. That expectation and trust inspired Silver.

"I'll do it! Ha!"

Silver deploys full power of psychic energy in all directions. Hold the rubble all over this floor and prevent the monster from restoring, while at the same time hitting everything with psychic attacks to keep it in check...! I will protect Blaze.

However, fighting for a long time while protecting immovable objects is disadvantageous. Since you have to endure every attack that comes your way without avoiding it, you end up in a very poor situation.

Silver's plan was to survive the attack by not allowing it to attack, but the monster also seems to have noticed the plan and intensifies its attack.

What a long time 20 seconds is! How long can we hold out? Just when Silver's knees are about to fall due to repeated bullets...!

＜＜Doooooooo! ! >>

As the explosion of loud flames spread, Blaze, enveloped in such dazzling flames that it was impossible to keep his eyes open, finally released his power... and blew away the monster. It's ready.

"Aaah...! Mysterious sun, respond to the power of my flame...!"

The seven jewels on Blaze's pochette begin to contain flames and grow brighter one by one as her power grows.

Just when the monster was about to make a desperate attack with all its might, all of its power imploded on her...Blaze declared the execution of great power.

"Magical Princess Blaze! Burning Unlimited Mode! Haaaaa!"

Blaze wears multiple layers of flame in seven colors and transforms into a pillar of scorching heat. For a moment, huge wings of flame spread across her back, but they immediately dispersed and condensed into her outstretched arms...! It becomes a tremendous torrent of flame and pours out towards the monster.

"Haaaaaa!" "Haaaaaa!"

The monster also tries to resist by taking a defensive stance, but Silver supports Blaze from behind as he is pushed by the recoil of the flames, increasing its power, and he can no longer withstand it.

Everything that formed the monster was blown away, and the energy body at its center caused a huge explosion.

<< Zudoooon! >>

A huge roaring explosion that could be heard all the way to an island in the sky. The monster finally disappeared.

"Ciao, chao!"

After the dust from the explosion finally dissipated... In the remains of the monster's explosion, there was a small Chao of light crying.

The true nature of the monster was Chao's residual thoughts.

As Blaze and the others watch, the Chao of Light eventually finds a hole in the dilapidated floor, and as if realizing something, it happily steps inside.

"......?" "this is!?"

When the two of them follow Chao, they discover that they are in the basement of a coffee shop...and beneath the floor is a lush green garden with a clear stream.

The Chao of Light then stepped inside, looked around, and with a satisfied smile, disappeared into a pale light. I see...the two of them said.

"When building this coffee shop, you blocked the Chao's home..." "That monster was a mass of grudges from the Chao's who wanted to return to their hometown."

The two of them, who have come to understand the circumstances of the incident, look relieved, but sigh at the devastation surrounding them. The area has been completely destroyed, and there is no trace of that wonderful interior.

"Well, the incident has been resolved for the time being...but the store was destroyed in a spectacular manner, so we have to clean it up."

Blaze responded in a calm manner while smiling bitterly at Silver's suggestive tone.

"Okay. What should I do?"

When the two of them looked up at the light shining in from above, what they saw through the hole in the collapsed ceiling was a dazzling blue sky cut out beautifully like a painting. It was filled with clear light, as if reflecting the brightness of their hearts.

"One month later..."

After major renovations, this shop, which connected the mysterious Chao garden as an open cafe area, has been renovated as ``Chao Garden,'' a maid-style cafe that combines formality with a Chao-friendly warmth, and has gained a great reputation. Ta.

While Silver and Blaze are busy helping rebuild the store, an unexpected visitor appears. As soon as they saw each other, they stiffened without even serving customers...

"S-Sonic...!? Are you Sonic!?" "Why are you dressed like that...and us too!? What the heck is going on!?"

The moment they saw Sonic, Blaze and Silver regained their memories.

"Hey! You guys...!"

Sonic was also surprised by this, but Tails noticed that at this time, the chaos emeralds that Sonic and his friends were holding, the jewelry of Blaze's tail, and the silver pendant all glowed faintly at the same time. I didn't miss it. While Tails was deep in thought, the two of them searched through their memories before and after the incident.

"The moment I came to this world under the guidance of the Sol Emerald, I was caught up in that light."

Blaze said while stroking the seven jewels on her pochette. Marin, who came with him, wonders what to do.

"I was fighting at Eggman's base just moments ago. I was trying to prevent some kind of weapon from activating..."

Silver worries that he can't remember properly.

"In any case, how did the two of you manage to regain your memories?"

Tails took out his proud ``energy sensor'' and explained it to Sonic.

＜＜Beep beep...＞＞

"I knew it! Blaze's tail jewelry and silver pendant are mutated Chaos Emeralds! Just like ours."

Tails explains that from the wavelength of the energy emitted, they are definitely Chaos Emeralds, which is why they definitely glowed when the two regained their memories.

“As a phenomenon, the Chaos Emeralds have the power to resist this strange phenomenon.Although one is not enough, there are several nearby, and one of them has the original memory... I think that's the condition for resurrection.'' ``There certainly doesn't seem to be any problem thinking that way. As expected, Tails!''

Tails gets shy after being praised by Sonic, and Blaze and Silver also respond.

“I hear that emeralds sometimes attract each other with a mysterious power in times of crisis.I was forced to have this one from Emmy because it was the guidance of the stars...This is also one of those powers. Maybe it's Tsuna.' ' ``Certainly. It's so easy to gather four of them like this...? Huh? Isn't it strange? If that's the case, how come Sonic and Tails, who only have one each, are safe?'' Did you?”

At the obvious question, the three people's eyes focused on Tails.

"That's... At the moment the incident occurred, Sonic and I were together, each holding a Chaos Emerald. I think that's why it didn't work from the beginning... , I guess. Sorry, I can't be sure..."

Tails was starting to lose confidence as he continued to make deductions, but Sonic assured him with a smile.

"In other words, it's because of Tails that I'm safe, and vice versa, right? Isn't it great that we're the same? This is it!"

Blaze and Silver agree while looking at Tails, who is confused and extremely shy.

"Hmm. At this point, it would be best to have a better interpretation of the details of truth or falsehood. The most important thing is..." "It means that we have found a way to restore our friends!"

"YES! That's right!" "That's right!"

Tails finally regains his composure and starts proposing strategies to his friends.

``...I'll give the detector to Blaze and Silver as well. Now let's divide up and find the friends who have Chaos Emeralds and revive them! And in the end, we'll collect 7 Chaos Emeralds. I’m sure it will be your trump card.”

"I understand. I agree with your strategy. I'll leave the rest behind." "I understand. My Sol Emerald also says we should do the same."

Blaze agrees as he strokes the Sol Emerald, which trembles as it emits a pale flame.

"It's getting interesting," Sonic said in his usual tone as he stood up, and the remaining three got ready to leave with fearless smiles on their faces.

"That Eggman guy. I don't know what he did, but we'll definitely hunt him down with our hands!"

Sonic and his friends took another step forward, and with a new hope in their hands, they took another step forward...!

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hi Nalyra!

Not sure if we've thought further around this at all, but I thought it could be fun to imagine the circumstances of the "Armand told the truth" tattoo.

Of course, it might be just a fun Easter Egg for the trailer!

Or, for example, has Daniel (or The Talamasca? As *would* Daniel? He clearly didn't believe Armand...?!) printed Armand's fairytale about eighteenth century Lestat word for word (including Nicolas, Armand and Lestat's relationship and lack-of-Gabrielle), and one of Lestat's songs will be an ANGRY one, all about what a dastardly LIAR Armand is. (Feel free to use the word "dastardly" in it Rolin, Daniel or whoever is writing those lyrics!!!!!!.... I BEG!)

And, as such, it could well also lead to interviews where Lestat doubles down on what a liar Armand is as he's asked about the song, and mortals take sides as to whether they believe Armand's story in the book they read, or Lestat's... from the mortal point of view, all as a bit of fun, as it'll all just be a fun game of stories and they won't really be thinking anything is true! It's all just made-up silly vampire tales! Right?!.... RIGHT...?!

Or, do we think there's something else underlying of interest we might guess from this.

:))

I think they're trying to bring us semi real "fan wars" within the show universe as well. And they're hinting at that with the tattoo. I mean... the book exists already. Armand is an iPad kid.

Armand likely has his own forum somewhere, dissecting the novel. Commenting on it.

I ... am not sure what Daniel actually printed into the book - I mean, we don't know. We only know the Talamasca edited... but did they restrict knowledge to be printed, or did they shift something around? Did they change? Editing can be many things after all.

But if the tattoo is not just a joke, then the tattoo hints at something being disputed - by Armand. Or, maybe... maybe Armand has a blog, where he tells his version of events :) Or maybe he publishes his book on it :)

Something like that I could easily see. :) I mean, Armand has a big tech-affinity... oh, and should they bring that into semi-reality????? Like Daniel's web page?! THAT would be awesome^^

[memelordz]

@shylyobscene Hi, so I wanted to share my fanfic with you and any other Rocket lovers. It is more slow paced n more lore/world building. I hope you enjoy. P.S It’s still in the works and is just a part of the chapter🌸

Story takes place after Guardians of the galaxy 2. Sorry if it’s inaccurate of some stuff.

In the vast darkness, pierced by countless shimmering stars. Their shine flickered like scattered diamonds, casting faint, ethereal light into the cockpit of the Benatar. The ship hummed softly, a steady, mechanical heartbeat in the void, but inside, the usual banter and bickering of the Guardians of the Galaxy were absent. It’s been a few cycles since their last mission. Not a ‘save the galaxy’ type of mission though, as of not yet.

Each member sat in their usual spots. Drax sat emotionless in his seat, his massive arms crossed as he stared blankly ahead. A soft memory paced in Drax’s mind, of him and his late wife and daughter looking up at the vast stars together. Rocket slumped in the co-pilot’s chair, his ears twitching occasionally but his usual snark silenced for once. Like always his expression was one hard to decipher. Not much was going on with him anyways. Groot, now slightly taller than before, swayed gently in his pot, his wooden fingers tapping a quiet rhythm against the armrest. Have been beaten every boss from his video game, he stargazed at the glimmering stars. Soothing the Flora Colossus. On the other hand Mantis was gently rotating in her seat, knowing better to go faster n getting headaches. Her soft smile and giggles showed her content in her own amusement.

The only sound came from Quill’s headphones, the faint pulse of his beloved ‘Awesome Mix’ leaking through one earbud as he bobbed his head slightly, lost in the music. Beside him, Gamora leaned in just close enough to share the other earbud, her sharp green features softened by the dim starlight. Her lips were pressed together in that familiar, almost-smile—the one she only ever wore when she thought no one was watching. It was peaceful. And that was the problem. Because, with the Guardians silence never lasted long.

Beep Beep Beep-

The flashing red code appeared on the screen, forcing Quill to pause his music. In response Gamora removed her part of the earbud allowing for the captain to have more mobility. Quill simply shoved his headset n pod into his pocket, can’t waste time when duty calls. “Is it a distress call?”, Quill asked looking down at the control panels, he pushed down buttons to locate the trace of the message. Just a safety protocol in case they were legit, and not some set up.

“Doesn’t seem like it”, Mantis replied unsure of the code of the call, flipping through the buttons unsure of the code. She has been fairly new to the whole cockpit and is still adjusting to the whole system. Not sure what every button did. Considering Quill told her she’ll learn as she goes. “Careful you might blow us up”, Rocket remarked before a sly smirk formed on his lips. Turning his head to the insectoid-Celestial hybrid, wanting to see the look of Mantis. Mantis began to start sweating profusely, immediately frozen in fear not wanting to blow up her friends. “I was kiddin’ sweetheart”, Rocket laughed pushing the correct buttons to put up the screen in full view. His smirk growing arguably even more now. Mantis melted in her seat, thankful that despite her lack of knowledge her actions wouldn’t blow up the ship.

Before any of the crew was able to jump in, the screen glitched repeatedly.

“Quill, I think this ship is already failing apart”, Drax gave a dry laugh pointing out to the screen, ironic considering this is their new ship. Drax looked around hoping someone to jump in the fun but all he got was eye rolls along with sighs. “H-hel-hello?”. A barely audible voice came from the screen, the static illuminated a hue of blue, lightening up the cockpit in a illuminos light. Quill called back leaning to the larger screen, “Hello?!”. Quill undoubtedly was feeling not happy about this eerie vibe. Yes calls have been cut off or often not the best signal, but nothing as bad as this. To the point it was indistinguishable, this call was hitting all the bad vibes.

“I need the help of the guardians—our——ship——people— low on supplies——“.

Quill’s brows frowned becoming bewildered at this scene. At least now he knows as to what the call was for. “Find——Eros——Reward 1 mil-million uni—“. Upon hearing the last few parts, multiple heads perked up, not to mention the devilish grins. A million units was more than enough for the group to get something nice. Yet their smirks lessen as the transmission continued, “Please——Ship—-Pri———not enough—“, transmission ended abruptly. A shiver creeped onto Quill, this was a scene from a horror movie he remembered from his childhood. A heavy atmosphere filled the cockpit, the team looked at each other. Quietly trying to reassure to one of the other of what happened. Quill broke from the glances to look back at the location of the call.

Planet - Eros

[sundogsandrainbows]

Of Elves And Humans: Redux, Chapter 60: Dying To Live

QUICK LINK TO THE CHAPTER UPDATE

STORY SUMMARY: Trust is a delicate flower that needs to get nurtured and time to grow. Even more so love. A tale of two disparate Wardens forced together, of finding a way to overcome the distrust, and their own painful past in the time of the Blight. Very in-depth, character-focused exploration of the Dalish origin/warden, of all DA:O companions, and their relationship dynamics during the Fifth Blight. Follows and expands on canon events; AU in some ways. Multiple POV's and pairings. Slow burn af.

CHAPTER SUMMARY: Morrigan returns to a home that no longer is one and has to face what this means for her, as well as her struggle with her own emotions she derides as weakness. Zevran might be able to help… (Also catch up on the prior chapter Heal My Wounds, Part II , if you missed it.)

READ IT HERE || [OR READ FROM THE BEGINNING]

Chapter-excerpt under the cut:

[...] Morrigan used her body to shield the book from the elf's overly curious view. “Have you been following me?” 

“Hmm, not as much following you as to stretch my legs after a much needed clean, my dear.” He pointed to his head. Pfft, as if his vanity wasn’t his most prolific trait. “And to get to know every nook and cranny of our new, exciting camping spot, of course.” His gaze lingered straight ahead, the nonchalant shrug only betrayed by the twitch of his lips. “Though I confess, I didn’t expect to walk into a funeral.”

“Funeral?” Morrigan scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Flemeth was your mother, was she not?” He gave her a sidelong glance. “Are you planning to leave her there like that, to rot? A bit callous, tsk. Not to mention unsanitary, with us around here, no?”

“I didn’t even know she—” Halting, she bit her tongue before giving away more than intended. Finding her here while searching for a quiet spot to read, had been an unwanted revelation. No one told her! “And why shouldn’t I just leave her there?” Morrigan settled for instead. Anger was… easier, safer to express. “Since my mother tried to take over my body!”

“Ah, family! Either the joy or the bane of your existence, no? In some cases even… literally.” The elf chuckled, and he kept his tone light, but there was much he left unsaid. There often was, unnervingly so. To decipher all the hidden meanings behind his words and flourish was more a headache than it was worth to solve. Of course he didn’t cease his theatrics but added to them with a sweep of his hand over the unperturbed greenery of the swamp here. “The destruction didn’t reach this part, I see. Rather a serene view, is it not? Perhaps this is why Sten brought your mother’s corpse back here. Aw, old softie.”

“So you knew that—ugh, maddening.” The nerves of this damn Crow.

“As smart as you are beautiful, I see. Indeed, the perfect mixture.” This damn elf only laughed at her glare and prolonged groan. “But perhaps I can help you here? I do have a bit of an expertise in dealing with death, after all.” 

“Help with what exactly?” She scoffed. Again. How easily he elicited annoyance out of her was nearly on par with Alistair. “You are—”

“Handsome? Kind? Ridiculously awesome? Hmm, all of these?” 

“...a fool who spends far too much time on his hair.”

He bunched strands of his hair and grinned anew, or rather hadn’t stopped yet. Ugh. “Ah, but look, the mud made it even shinier! What’s not to love about it?” Letting go of it and his humor, both, he cleared his throat. “Though to answer your actual question: building a pyre, maybe? Sadly, one does not often get the chance to say goodbye, so you should use it, no?”

Or to ascertain her mother would not rise again and claim her after all. Fire was good for that. “Fine.” Resigning with a sigh, she stowed her tome in a safe corner at the back of the building. Unfortunately, it seemed its study had to wait. “Let’s get this over with.”[...]

[honoringthehorrific]

Is Late Night with The Devil worth tuning in for?

Don't adjust those sets...spoilers in 5..4..3..2...

First off sorry for not being able to find a gif from the movie! Tumblr gave me a real hard time with that one.

Second off I would like to say I do not support the use of AI art. I think it is abysmal. I watched this movie with my partner after saving up points at our local theater for free tickets. If this still supports the movies we see in some way please let me know and I will be sure to find another way to better watch these movies without supporting their actions...🏴‍☠️🦜 It just may mean you get your reviews a touch later!

Onto the movie. The aesthetics were very enjoyable I could appreciate the ties back to satanic panic and the fascination with the occult. The costuming, the filming of the movie, it all felt right and very few times did I feel my immersion in it break. I feel like maybe there were one or two shots where the actors looked too well made up if that makes sense.

One fun fact my partner pointed out was that you can see the twin towers in the opening shots and the city cut aways because they were built 4 years prior! I really liked that this movie didn't shy away from showing us the towers mostly because I feel like that's something that would have broken the idea we are in the 70s.

While the filming was fitting and awesome the effects were....I would say B tier at points. I think it adds to the charm of course I can always appreciate a homemade effect but it does slightly pull me out of this being something that really happened. Don't get me wrong I know it's not trying to be the next Blair witch "true story" but i feel like there is some level to this that wants the audience to feel that this is real.

My partner notes too that cutting it from a television camera view to the audience view might have helped as well!

Onto the fun stuff, we get hints throughout...sorry no, not hints...we get TOLD throughout the movie that our star of tonight's show, jack delroy, is in a fraternal organization...sorry, i mean cult. He is in the Bohemian Grove cult. We get told there are rumors of this in the opening almost documentary style retelling of Jack's fame and struggles with being as good as Johnny Carson. We'll come back to that.

Tonight is 1977. Halloween night. Sweep week. A night where Jack really needs to scrape in the views. He has no idea that the plans he has this evening will go awry...recently his wife madeline who will be reffered to by her "special nickname" mini has passed away from lung cancer. Tonight's show is also jacks first one back and man is it a doozy. We get to see how he banters with his co-host and honestly kind of berates him. I had this struggle with jack where I wanted to like him but every time I tried I just got these kicks and hints that he was kind of an asshole? But it's show biz, who isn't? His first guest is a medium who intends to commune with the dead. He seems like other shoddy Vegas types until he accurately assess a family who lost their son and brother to suicide. It's later revealed to be a bunch of hooey when the next guest a renowned skeptic chats with the family and realizes they were questioned prior to the show.

The first chilling moment we get that isn't the use of AI art is the medium seemingly becoming possessed by the grieving spirit of mini however no one claims the name and only later does jack reveal he thinks the message was for him.

I'm not gonna foot around it. The use of AI art while not overly used and egregious it's present. Personally it being present feels like an issue. It bugs me and it should bug you. I know many people want to cut it a break for being an indie film but it doesn't take much to put some money towards what was it? 5-6 pieces of art? Yeah some people will have higher rates for working on this but I'm sure they could have found someone to do the art if they felt theirs wasn't up to par. I don't think they're fully evil or anything for it. I don't support AI art but I can understand the other side of the argument. However when you turn a blind eye to one film and it does well it doesn't matter if it's an indie project or not. It makes the big guys think hey we like this. Give the devil an inch and he'll take a mile right?...

That all being said I could ignore the cut aways kind of??...I paid attention for mistakes the first few times before the sight of them just elicited an annoyed eyeroll from me.

As the movie progresses we meet the skeptic. He's offering checks to people who can prove without a doubt that they're the real deal and he says hes not lost a nickel yet. The medium claims he doesn't want the money and when Jack vouches for him and says the last message was meant for him the medium's behavior gets more and more erratic before he finally spews black vomit all over the studio including onto the skeptic.

Little do we know on the way to the hospital our medium turns up dead. This starts to brew panic in the crew and our co-host as our next guests are brought on. June and Lily. Lily was found as a 10 year old by the authorities as the only surviving member of a satanic cult that kind of parodies the satanic church and Anton lavey. Lily is possessed by a demon she calls mr.wriggles. mr.wriggles is an interesting one alright! Wether it's trauma, the demonic possession or my boyfriend's theory- autism. Lily exhibits off behaviors like staring directly into the cameras and seeming very monotone at times. It isn't until Jack pushes for and honestly...kind of corners June on live TV that June and Lily decide to showcase Lily's ability. Man does this demon have something to say.

The demon begins by noting that him and Jack know each other hinting at a tie between the Grove cult again. Before intent focuses again on June. Calling her out for her and jacks relationship and telling her to remember what happened to his last whore. Possession doesn't cease until June slaps the girl. Let me tell you I didn't trust this at all. June goes to undo the straps after some crazy electrical issues and levitation and I just felt uneasy the whole time. That typical feeling while watching these movies of "are you stupid??" Lily in my eyes had a very sinister look to her still that later gets touched on again. We then get the skeptics explanation and recreation with hypnosis. Making our co-host believe his phobia of worms is suddenly real life with them wriggling from his neck stomach and lastly eyeball. Only for us to cut back to reality with his activation phrase and see that none of it was true. They watch the tape back and realize that the whole audience was hypnotized because none of that truly happened on their TV sets. However when watching back what happened with Lily it triggers the girl.

She levitates and glows while her head splits open. She immolates the skeptic when he offers the hefty check in exchange for his life and hangs her guardian/doctor by the necklace meant to keep the demon at bay. And unfortunately our chunky loveable co-host gets his neck snapped when trying to "the power of Christ compels you" the demon away. It isn't until we get this gorgeous dream like sequence after Jack seemingly gets away. Him going through the routine of the show only to try and escape. Him telling us to turn off our sets and stop watching before we get a sequence with the cult and him drinking from a chalice as he meets his wife. She reveals that he sacrificed her health for fame. He didn't know. And this is where I felt sympathetic for him....the entire time he was unaware...he murdered her unintentionally. And so she asks him to murder her in the physical. Take the ritual knife from Lily's old home and finish her off before the cancer can take her....only for him to plunge the knife into her and reveal that the dream was fake. And he has stabbed Lily to death. He stands and we get a heart wrenching scene of him trying to say the skeptics activation phrase to wake up while surrounded by the carnage he somewhat unknowingly caused...

Overall I give this 3 worms out of 5.

The AI made my eyes roll and the effects were corny but the premise and scenery and aesthetics were beautiful. I sort of reccomend it if you can watch it in a non supporting way.

[fenimores-book-nook]

Beliefs, thoughts, and whatever else comes to mind.

~ November 4th, 2024, Monday ~

Good day to you all and welcome back to the Book Nook! (I gotta come up with a less-used greeting..) I hope your Monday is going great and you're allowing yourself to rest when you need to! Today's blog-if you couldn't tell by the title and the photo-is mainly going to be about my beliefs and just my recent thoughts and struggles with them. So, it might get deep. Before I start, I want to make sure I say that this is all from my own experiences and how I feel. :)

So, first off: I hope October was a great month for you and that you're excited to see what November has in store for you! For me...it was a lot of things. There were good, even great parts, but October was a bit of a struggle for me this year. Honestly, the past couple months have been a struggle for me. But, healing isn't linear, right?

A big part of my struggles have included religion and all the things that surround it. Religious trauma, essentially. (I told ya we'd be getting deep.) I won't get too detailed with it, but what I was taught to believe growing up looks different to what I believe now. Not completely, but a large portion. I was raised Christian and while my beliefs still fall under that label, they aren't anything close to what a lot of people see as "Christian." And honestly? I prefer just, "I Am A Person Who Follows Jesus."

Getting more into this, beliefs themselves are super personal. There's a reason as to why there's the whole question of "what's the point of life" hovering over humankind. Because NO ONE KNOWS. It's impossible to. Now, I'm going to say something that kind of contradicts that, though. Because you can feel like you know what the point of life is, or at least, to your life.

To be more specific, faith is very personal. Growing up, I thought that faith had to look like a certain thing. That being a Christian meant you had to follow all these rules, look and talk a certain way, dislike and like certain things, and on and on and on. But when I started questioning things like my sexuality, I felt as though all these people around me had a list to follow that I didn't. Even more so when I realized that I am Aromantic Asexual. (Which can be felt in a way completely disconnected from faith.)

A lot of what I struggle with is being able to follow Jesus in the way that I feel He is telling me to without worrying about how other people are. Not feeling as though I have to justify myself for identifying as a part of the LGBTQ+ community and a follower of Christ. Because...what? Why should I? That makes no sense, like I said, faith is personal. So is having a relationship with God! That's what it's all about! Being 100% yourself, open to letting Him in your life, in your heart. And let me tell you, it is hard to be vulnerable for me. Even with God. Yeah. That's how much the world's toxic views on things can get to you if you let it. Because like in John 17:14, "I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world." (ESV) When Jesus came to Earth, let's just say He was not the most popular. People hated Him. Of course, not everyone, He did have 12 disciples and there were people who believed that even touching the hem of His clothing would heal them. That amazing story can be found in Luke 8:43-48. Which is ALSO the first event that happens in which Jesus refers to someone as "daughter."

"Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace." And I think that is very beautiful. :,)

Before I return to my original point...You ever have those moments where you've watched or read or heard something several times so it seems to lose its 'magic' when you hear about it again? But then there's that moment that happens where you feel the magic envelop you again. Well, I just had that moment and it was awesome. Rediscovering the magic of Jesus is really something special and honestly, it's my beacon of light right now.

Returning to what I was saying before...listening to the world more than God-in my instance-can really mess you up. No one can tell you what God is telling you other than God. Like, obviously, but when you get sucked into the lies, it really doesn't feel that obvious.

There are a lot of stories out there that run with the theme, "it feels like God abandoned me," but for me, right now, it feels almost the opposite. It feels as though I left Him. Which is really what straying from God is. It's not God that's floating further away, it's me. Because, what? It says it right there in the Good Book: Deuteronomy 31:8, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." (NIV)

So, to try to wrap that up and tie a sort-of bow, it is very easy to lose yourself in what people have to say about how you carry out your beliefs. But it's possible to not lose yourself in that, of course. I can't promise you that I know how but I'm learning. <3

More Jesus art I found on Pinterest because 1: I love when people make a different kind of art of Jesus or the Bible in general. And 2: I relate a lot to this drawing right now.

It is very hard to be a human. That's something I never heard growing up. Being, just, human is difficult. Let alone finding what you believe and trying your best to follow the right path.

But we are not ending on that note. The whole reason why I felt the need to write a post about this is because, like I wrote in my first posts, writing about my faith and identity is something I love to do. But also because sharing your struggles somewhere helps you to not feel so alone in them, I've found. Even if no one likes this post, it's out there. It is somewhere. And someone that needs to see it will see it. Something I learned as an aspiring author: there is always someone who will enjoy reading the things you write. Even if it's just one person. That person matters.

Talking about Jesus is also something I really love doing. I used to not really know how to, I felt like I needed to tiptoe around the subject because I was afraid of saying something that would come off wrong. And honestly, I still feel like that sometimes, but now I find joy when I can have a good and open conversation about Jesus.

So, to bring this lengthy post to a close, I hope you got at least one helpful thing out of it! Reading about the same struggles you go through, through someone else's perspective really helps, I think. :)

Remember: your beliefs are your own, and if they differ from what you thought you knew, that's okay! Changing is a part of being human; you got this. <3

Until the next one you lovely person,

Thalia <3

[theviruseye]

Anthony Chea

The Bared Psyches

TA: Rose Padilla

Extra Credit: 16 November, 2023

The Medium Matters

In his public lecture, Kids at War: Jack Kirby’s Mythology of Boyness, Charles Hatfield discusses how Jack Kirby’s boyhood is reflected in his comics during the 1940s. One thing in particular that stood out to me during his lecture is when Dr. Hatfield mentions other media. I believe that the most important thesis he presented is that “a lot of comic strips about neighborhood kids not only echoed other comic strips, but they echoed other media”. Depending on what medium is used, or what method of communication is used, the message that is interpreted can vary in the eyes of different people. In the words of Dr. Hatfield, “[comics from the 1940s] depicted violent kid gangs who fought either gangsters or the wartime enemies in frantic life or death battles”. Depending on the medium that a story is told from, the message conveyed can change drastically. In Dr. Hatfield’s depiction, these types of comics testified to social anxiety about gang culture and violence among boys. However, a child reading this comic would think that the kids are having an adventure or a mystery that they have to solve, doing so with their best friends. After investigating and analyzing McLuhan’s The Medium is the Massage earlier this semester, McLuhan states that “when you consider television’s awesome power to educate, aren’t you thankful it doesn’t” (128). The difference in how information is delivered by television compared to print can drastically change how it is perceived and understood by the receiver. Emotion, visual cues, and tonality alterations can persuade a viewer to think one way instead of another.

Along with interpreting different types of literature through different mediums, one thing that intrigued me was that Dr. Hatfield only focused on comics and not television series. Although his work mainly focuses on comics during the 1940s, I believe that interpreting the film series based on comics can unveil new discoveries that couldn’t have been seen through reading. After doing research on comics that he pointed out, comics like Superman have been adapted into films. I ponder that Dr. Hatfield might have discovered more about Jack Kirby and his life if he looked into films. One big takeaway that I got from Dr. Hatfield’s lecture is that the meaning of a piece of literature can change based on the medium that it is presented in and how we view it matters. Relating this idea to this class, the term “naked souls” is a big motif. It encapsulates what needs to be done in order to learn, understand, and interpret what different authors from different mediums want us to take away from their work. In the graphic novel, Everything is an Emergency, Jason Adam Katzenstein takes us on a rollercoaster through his mind. Having OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) throughout his life made it hard for him to live and perceive things as “normal” people would. This autobiography demonstrates that the audience has to become a black slate and allow their mind to change in order to truly understand what  Katzenstein’s life is like. He uses different mediums like pictures along with words to better describe what his life is like. Overall, Dr. Hatfield explains that comics are reflected in other mediums and that this class is about how to understand and interpret different mediums in order to learn more about what the author is trying to get the audience to understand.

[thepositivescientist]

( In reply to this post )

( Well then. Uh...It looks like people are actually interested. Now I have to think of something to say without spoiling it too much! xD )

( I guess I can show this. This is the design for OC Swap. It will probably be changed in the future and the colors aren’t final but here we go. )

( My sister @heather-draws-things drew him for me! Sorry for the ugly watermark but I don’t want anyone stealing it. Also I did the coloring and I regret everything )

( He’s a modern wizard and as you might have noticed he looks to have skeletal features. Normally those are hidden using glamours. A short explanation is that, he’s literally a walking talking skeleton and he uses his magic to hide that. He’s a salty lil funker on a quest to find his mother and keep his life together without people finding out he’s been turned into a skeleton. How and why this happened? That’s a spoiler! Also as you can see his fashion sense is....interesting. It’s so hard trying to design a character that’s suppose to have a shitty fashion sense when you want it to be perfect, let me tell ya. and the colors! thg4ugwtg I really need to fix the colors, also he’s gonna have several outfits. Like a hoodie and jeans. He lazy sometimes )

( His story is still in the very basics of being made. I have no idea what it will be about in the end and everything is subject to change at this point. But at the moment I do have characters. Saul has a mother and father based off of Swap’s parents, as well as a sister based off of Serif.  )

( Fun facts! Saul and his family have Hawaiian genetics! Saul is a dork that loves edgy things like MCR. He’s always trying too hard to be “cool.” He has a girlfriend but no one believes him when he tells them that because they think he’s too much of a dick to ever get one. )

( So yeah. This is a bit of what I have. I’m still developing things but I have enough to write the set up of the story or the start of a webcomic, which I’d love to do. Too bad I can’t draw. But maybe I can find someone to help me bring Saul’s story to full glory. I have so many ideas for this and I’m really excited about it. There are a lot more characters that are still being developed as well.  ) 

[mareenavee]

Fanfic q&a - 12 and 13!

Hello!! :D Thank you for these!!! 🤩 This whole set is awesome.

The ask game itself is here.

Fanfic asks regarding my fic, The World on Our Shoulders!

12. What do you hope readers will take away from this work?

First and foremost, my hope is that anyone who reads this fic gets some enjoyment out of it, even if the themes miss them or they don't have the spoons to read super closely. I just want people to be invested in the stakes of the story, and to be invested in what happens to the characters.

Outside of that, I really love when people read closely, too and see the work I'm trying to put into the story beyond the surface level -- picking up on threads as they go through it and saying so makes my day, really :D

I do also like to write hope into stories, especially in fairly bleak settings like TES/Tamriel. For instance, even though the hero of the story makes mistakes, it doesn't mean she can't redeem them. Also it shows that being a hero isn't always cut and dry, that there is nuance to the kind of upheaval destiny might bring onto someone who just wanted to live a normal life. And perhaps maybe most of all, no matter what has happened, no matter what one's path looked like before, no matter how much one had been through -- people have the ability to move forward with the support of people who love them.

13. Are there any cut lines/scenes from this work? Why did you cut them? 

Ohhh man. SO many cut scenes and fragments. This thing has gone through so many revisions at this point, even to the point of ground-up editing what I had originally posted. There's ideas that I had cut out of the first posting that have since made it back in, and original draft ideas that I decided not to include. I was actually just talking to someone about a whole POV character I decided to cut because it took away from the close character dynamic I was building with the three I already do have.

To close this post, I do have a fragment to share, which would have occurred between chapters 5 and 6, during the funeral up at the Skyforge:

If not for the crowds, he wouldn't have dared come to Whiterun. Tragedy, in this case, allowed for some kind of anonymity; a blending with the crowd. It was his fault she'd stopped here, though. He'd been too weak at the time to restrain those he traveled with. He'd been stuck in his own mind, hunger replacing every sense. That he'd come to at all was a miracle, and that he'd managed to regain any semblance of control so quickly was another gift from...something, anyway. He dared not think of it.

He pulled the hood of his travel cloak closer over his face, and stared up at the Skyforge. She sat there, entwined with some unfamiliar Dunmer. A Companion. A Warrior. Someone else who could keep her safe, though for how long was unclear. His sources had told him already of her strength, and that she'd been excelling at magic. There was a hint of fear under his skin about this. There was too much at stake. As far as he knew, she sat on a precipice, one foot in the flames. Either she'd quench them or become them, and nobody knew exactly when the tipping point would be reached. Something about her blood. Part of him railed against all of it, and wished she could have a normal life.

But he had to trust the visions. Never once had her path been normal. There was a melancholy there, because if anyone deserved peace, it would be Nyenna. If he could grant anyone in the world reprieve from the coming darkness, it would be her. She didn't deserve chaos. Not for the last time, he wished things hadn't gone so far awry.

(: Mysterious, eh? But yes, this view had been cut. He's an important voice, but not in the dynamic that is at the front of World, unfortunately. So we'll have to see when he makes he grand debut later as a side character.

[touyasdoll]

Dumb Luck

From anon: Hi, I've had a shitty few days with terrible luck and I hoping a request for you could make things better. Just a simple Shoto x reader story where the reader regards Shoto as her/their lucky charm, because he makes them feel less cursed and actually valuable. (I'm really venting here, but I hope this gets your inspiration flowing, it doesn't have to be very long.)

Word count: 2.3k

A/n: I’m so sorry that it took so long to get to, but I hope you enjoy and I hope things are going well for you, anon 🖤

———————————

“All right, class, we have a new student. I trust that you will all make her feel welcome.”

Your new home room teacher was addressing the entirety of Class 1A, but he kept his intimidating gaze squarely fixed on a shorter looking boy with purple balls atop his head, who was clearly squirming under Aizawa’s stare.

Making a mental note to avoid whoever that boy was, you scanned the room to peer out at the faces of your new classmates. They all looked nice, save for one blonde boy who’s face seemed to be permanently transfixed in a scowl.

Maybe you should avoid him too? And that’s when you saw the most handsome face you had ever laid eyes on for the very first time. His hair was two-toned, red and white. His eyes were also heterochromatic and one was framed with a large scar, but both seemed to gleam as he offered a gentle smile toward you.

“Go ahead and introduce yourself and then feel free to take your seat at the back of the class next to Todoroki."

That’s when you noticed the empty seat next to him. You cleared your throat, trying to fight off the blush that was creeping across your cheeks.

"Hi, my name is Y/n. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all."

You smiled as you took in some more of your new classmates faces, feeling reassured by the bright smile on the face of a green haired boy who just might have been an actual cinnamon roll in disguise.

"What's your quirk?"

Your attention was called to a girl with horns and pink skin, who also offered a reaffirming smile in your direction.

"Oh, uhm, I have a telekinesis quirk."

Tucking some hair behind your ear, you shifted on your feet as you were about to take a step toward your assigned seat when another male student with bright red hair called out.

"What? That's so manly! I mean--not that you're--that's not what i meant, you're really pretty actually I--," he scratched at the back of his neck, his face flushing the same shade as his crimson hair. "I mean can we see your quirk? If that's okay with you?"

Aizawa sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he took a seat at his desk, shaking his head at the awkward exchange that he would rather just not acknowledge.

You laughed it off and blushed in response to the red head's compliment.

"Uh, yeah, if that's okay?"

Looking over at your teacher, he exhaled and nodded, his stoic expression returning to his persistently tired features.

"Oh, and uh pick a number between 1 and 10,000"

Setting your bag down, you nodded toward the boy and watched him bare his sharp teeth as he momentarily paused to think and then nodded in response to your request.

"Okay, I got it."

Maintaining eye contact with him, you focused on his thoughts while activating your quirk to lift his backpack off of his seat, guiding it toward the front of the room with your hands, before returning it to it's rightful place.

"Whoa! That's so cool!"

He grinned in awe as he watched his backpack settle behind him once again.

"Y/n?" The green haired boy had his hand up, looking perplexed, but also so polite as he waited for your attention. "Why did you have him pick a number?"

You smiled as you physically picked up your bag, slinging it back over your shoulder.

"Oh, because there's kinda two parts to my quirk, but actually, could you pick a number? I don't know if I wanna repeat the one he picked."

You watched the red head blush as he shrunk back in his desk, before glancing back at Todoroki, who eyes were still intent on your frame.

"You can tell Todoroki for confirmation, so you know I'm not faking."

He perked up a bit at the sound of you saying his name, the corners of his lips turning up in a shy smile before he leaned over, so that the boy could whisper his number in his ear.

"Got it?"

You smiled at Todoroki, his small smile making your stomach do flips before you found the will to look away from him and back and the other boy.

After a moment of concentration, you announced your guess.

"4,389. Right?"

His green eyes went wide and an excited smile broke across his freckled cheeks.

"Whoa, are you psychic? Telekinesis AND telepathy? That's so awesome! Oh my gosh, can I ask you some questions after class, so I can write some not--

You nodded, blushing a bit at his enthusiasm. You've always enjoyed your quirk, but no one had ever reacted quite as energetically to it and the rest of the class seemed almost as amazed as him.

"Wait, what was Kirishima's number?"

The perpetually angry looking blonde boy's face twisted in curiosity as you moved to take your seat.

"It was uh, six thousand, nine hundred sixty-nine. Right?"

Your voice was barely above a whisper as your quickly scurried toward your desk, not missing the deep shade of red Kirishima had turned before the blonde boy smacked his arm with the back of his hand.

"Is there some significance to that number?"

Todoroki's gaze followed you as you took your seat beside him, ignoring the laughter that had erupted throughout the classroom, much to Aizawa's chagrin.

"Oh, uh, yeah it's uh--I don't quite know how to explain it though. Uhm," fidgeting in your seat, you slung your bag over your chair before turning somewhat sideways, angling yourself in your seat to face him, keeping your voice low. "Do you not know why the number 69 is significant?"

His expression seemed to only grow more puzzled as he cocked his head further to one side.

"No. I can understand why 6,969 would be significant, seeing as it's 69 repeated, but I don't see why that number i--"

A boy with yellow hair, striped in the front with a bit of black leaned over, interrupting Todoroki's query.

Suddenly, his eyes grew a bit wider and he nodded slightly, the faintest hint of a blush creeping up on his cheeks.

"Oh, I see. Okay. I can see why that would be funny.”

His smile was small and somewhat reserved, but it was adorable and the sight of it made you giggle.

"Yeah, that's why I didn't wanna go with his number. Didn't want anyone to think that I was a perv or playing a gross joke or something. I'm not trying to start off on the wrong foot here."

He cocked his head slightly to the side again, turning somewhat in his desk the way you had to better face you.

"Well, I think you have made a good first impression. I like you."

Your cheeks may as well have gone up in flames, you could tell they were beet red.

"Oh, uhm, thank you, Todoroki."

Clearing your throat again, you hoped the excess color would drain from your cheeks in the time you took to stare at the floor beneath your desk.

"You can call me Shoto."

His hand awkwardly extended toward you after a brief pause, flashing in front of the view you had of your feet beneath your desk.

You reached out and shook it carefully, feeling an icy coolness in your palms that you were grateful for as you felt your hands clam up.

"It's really nice to meet you, Shoto. You're uhm, you're so much nicer than anyone I ever interacted with at my last school, so uh, thank you for that."

His brow furrowed in confusion as you both retracted your hands.

"What do you mean? They weren't nice to you? Why?"

You shrugged shifting your weight to rest your elbow on the desk, accidentally knocking your unprotected cell phone straight off the desk, which mercifully landed on top of Shoto's bag, which had fallen to the floor, no doubt saving your phone from what would have been a thoroughly cracked screen.

"Oh--! Oh, wow, I thought that was going to end up broken for sure. That would have been my just my luck."

"Maybe your luck is changing. I hope your experience here at UA is different than it was at your previous school. I'll do my best to make your time here more positive."

His smile was somewhat sheepish, but genuine and for the first time in a long time, you felt comfortable around your peers. Maybe transferring schools was a good idea after all.

//Two Weeks Later//

"Dang it!" You huffed as your hurriedly threw your books into your backpack, scrambling to get up from the desk in the library.

Shoto calmly looked up at you in your frenzied state and stood, beginning to pack up his things as well.

"Where are we going?"

Throwing your bag over your shoulders, you nabbed the last of your books off the desk and made a move to start toward the door, but stopped when you realized Shoto was getting up to follow you.

"I completely lost track of time. I have to catch the last bus to go and pick something up downtown and I think I'm about to miss it."

He nodded and stepped toward you, following you out the library doors.

"Sometimes the buses run a little late. Maybe if you're lucky, it won't have come yet."

You scoffed and rolled your eyes at his suggestion.

"Yeah, sure. Look, I will give you fair warning now; I'm one of the unluckiest people in the planet. The odds are super slim of even something small going wrong? My luck dictates that absolutely EVERYTHING will go wrong. At this point, I'm nearly convinced that a witch cursed me as a baby or something."

He shrugged, coming to a halt at the curb as a bus slowly began to pull up.

"I told you."

Your mouth gaped slightly as you shook your head.

"Okay, wow, well I'm glad you were right about the buses running late."

"I meant about what I said about your luck changing. I hope you've been having a better time here than at your last school. You deserve to, Y/n."

He stepped back and gestured for you to enter the bus ahead of him, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Oh, uhm, I--uh, I hope so."

You climbed up the steps and nearly tripped up the small flight of stairs, but his strong hands steadied your hips from behind before anyone could notice your falter, keeping you from making a fool out of yourself in front of a nearly packed bus.

"Thank you, Shoto."

You scurried toward the first set of open seats that you could find, letting your hair dangle in your face to try and conceal the heat on your face.

"Sorry, I, uh--," Shoto took a seat beside you, actively trying not to let his muscular thigh brush against yours, which was virtually impossible on a crowded bus, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable with the way I touched you, I--I just didn't--didn't want you to fall or anything."

Feeling a bit more brave in sensing how nervous he was over the interaction, you relaxed and let the arm and leg that were already pressed up against him in the tight quarters press against him a little more intentionally.

"It's okay, I appreciate you not letting me make an absolute fool of myself. Seems like you're always around to help me in that regard."

Giggling, you began searching for the nerve to look up and make eye contact with him.

Hearing him mumble something, you decided to dig deep and look up at him with a curious smile.

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

His left side was giving off more heat than usual as you noticed he was blushing too, scratching the back of his neck nervously with his right hand.

"Dumb luck, I guess. That I'm always around when you need it. I'm glad I can be, I hope I can, uh, continue to be. If you, i-if you would let me be around you more often lik--"

He was rambling, clearly nervous, and it was an adorable sight to see. Further emboldened by his demeanor, you shifted your weight to lean against him, brushing the back of his hand with yours.

"Are you trying to ask me out, Shoto?"

His expression went blank as he nodded, save for the adorable flush on his cheeks.

"I am. Did I do it right? Or---wait, did you read my mind?"

You shook your head as your giggled, knitting your fingers together with his.

"No, I didn't need to."

He smiled, shifting his weight to lean against you as he rubbed the back of your hand with his thumb.

"How did you know then?"

You shrugged playfully before resting your head against his shoulder.

"Dumb luck."

[yourmcu]

Mesmerized

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader

Request:

@lostaurorax​ said:

hii!! i love ur writing i was wondering if u could write a natasha x reader fic were reader is part of the guardians of the galaxy and they come to the compound and natasha is just starstruck but reader plays kinda hard to get and then just a bunch of fluff !

Word count: 1,388

A/n: sorry it took a while! I really hope this turned out ok I’m so nervous lmfaosdkdk

Warnings: none

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

gif not mine! credits to the owner^^

Natasha’s outside the compound by the landing zone, taking light sips on her beer occasionally. The Avengers are having some sort of gathering or low-key party inside to celebrate their victory against Thanos a while back.

They never really had time to gather everybody just after the battle, but Tony contacted everybody for this special night. Natasha just wants to take a break from the games and conversations for a minute.

Speaking of conversations, she rolls her eyes at the thought about something Steve said. Because the tables have turned; if she was the one bugging Steve to date a few years back, he's now bombarding her with names of single people they knew, one of them being Bucky.

“He wouldn’t mind going out to dinner with you sometime.” Steve suggested. But Natasha knows the Winter Soldier and herself are better off as friends.

Natasha gets up when after the guardian’s ship lands smoothly against the grass meters away from her. She moves a few strands of her hair from her face to get a clear view of Thor striding out of the ship as soon as the door opens, along with the other guardians.

“Ah, Romanoff!” The god of thunder grins, patting her on the back. She’s never seen him this happy. Probably because it's all thanks to him the whole universe was free from mad titans – at least for now. “How’s life? Oh, yes, I’d like to introduce you to my friends here… of course you already know rabbit, and tree…”

Greetings and hand shaking fills the friendly atmosphere for a moment. Then you finally catch up with them, nudging Thor’s side and thrusting the large barrel of Asgardian ale into his arms.

“You must be the Black Widow,” you breathe out and offer a warm smile to the redhead, your hand outstretches. “Thor’s told me awesome stories about you guys. Y/N, by the way.”

Natasha nods, slightly breathless like you are but because of... well, you. She returns a smile and introduces herself as well.

“Everything’s pretty tech-y now, s’mazing.” You muse, entering the compound side by side with Natasha. The rest are walking in front of you, chatting among themselves. “I missed this planet.”

She glances sideways at you, “when’s your last visit?”

You chuckle. “I honestly don’t remember when but, it was a brief visit to my hometown and everything looked old fashioned, I think these huge compact disks were all the rage that time, vines- no, not vines-“

“Vinyl records?” Natasha raises an eyebrow, smiling. You laugh, which she finds adorable, and nod. “You and Quill are related, then?” She proceeds to ask since you look like a normal human, no antennas or any odd space stuff you could’ve inherited.

“Oh, no, we’re both half human though,” you shrug. “What about you? Tell me about yourself.”

She hesitates to tell a bit of her story at first but you seem nice and - accepting, like you’d never judge her. But she does leave out a few parts for another conversation.

Natasha retreats over to Steve who is behind the bar counter when you receive a big hug from Peter and Tony greets you with a “How’s it going, fireball?” and a pat on the back. She figures you want to meet the others, so she sits down across the super soldier to steal glances at you from afar. 

“Finally, I was starting to think he wasn’t gonna show - hey!” Steve raises his champagne at Thor and he does the same gesture before hurrying after Bruce. “Is it just me or did Groot get taller?”

You're still joking around with Tony, pretending to hit the still-bandaged wound on his chest, Rhodey laughs along, then Wanda offers you a cocktail and you accept it, thanking her.

Steve’s now going on about Wakanda, also sharing the stories from T’Challa. Natasha’s barely listening but occasionally hum and nod.

“Nat, if you don’t close your mouth you’re going to drool.” He laughs lightheartedly, averting his gaze from her to you. “I guess we have a winner, then?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Natasha gets up to grab another beer from the cooler. Steve continues to laugh, having a stupid grin on his face. “Oh c’mon, what’s her name?”

Even saying your name she feels out of breath. There's no point in pretending she isn’t into you now. “This isn’t normal. I just met her tonight and I shouldn’t be feeling this way.”

“You’re infatuated, it’s-”

“Hi,” you sit on a stool across from the two avengers, holding an open pack of marshmallows. Natasha lamely excuses herself to fetch a bottle opener. Steve straightens up and extends a hand which you take. “Nice to finally meet you, I’m-”

“Y/N.” Steve says. “Natasha’s been telling me about you.”

“I just thought you seemed nice,” she quickly recovers but her heart is still pounding.

You raise an eyebrow at her and giggle. “I’m flattered. You’re not so bad yourself, Natasha.” It’s true, you think she ‘seemed nice’ too. Sure she sounded so badass when Thor tells you stories but tonight she looks so cozy with her sweater and her hair braided to one side.

“Being surrounded with people like you guys is great but now I just feel like a party trick.” You take out a marshmallow while scanning the room (Steve is now playing pool with Sam, you notice, and you're alone with the redhead).

“What do you mean?”

You hold the marshmallow between your fingertips, igniting it out of nowhere for a second so it roasts just right, then pop it in your mouth. “Pretty useless, right?”

“Maybe if you only used it for something like that, but no,” Natasha smiles softly. “Fire conjuring, bit scary if you ask me. What if you randomly lit something up?”

“I was born with it. I remember having to wear gloves all the time as a child when I first set a houseplant to flames,” you both laugh. “I’m in full control of it now though.”

“S’that why Tony calls you ‘fireball’?”

You let out a laugh again. “Yeah. Or he might’ve forgot my actual name.”

“Y/N! I took the liberty of putting your stuff in the room you’ll be sleeping at.” Thor butts in, grinning from ear to ear, patting you on the head.

“Oh, right. Thanks buddy.”

“You’re welcome!”

Natasha turns to you, “you’re staying?” In her head she's coming up with ways on how to talk to you again once the party’s over and you return to space with the guardians. This just makes it a whole lot easier to get to know you even better.

“Yup, Thor is too. We both agreed on staying for a few weeks to catch up on stuff.” You reply. “I might actually turn in now, ‘think those cocktails are kicking in...”

“I’ll walk with you.” She says without giving it much thought but you nod and smile appreciatively.

“Perfect. It’s the guestroom beside your room.” Thor claps his hands together and walks away.

-----

“Can I ask you a question?”

You zip your bag and hum before looking up at her.

Natasha's leaning on your doorframe, hesitating. Is she going to fast? Is it too soon to ask? She fiddles with her hands, “do you have any plans tomorrow?”

This is fine. If you say yes or say no then decline her next question, she’ll just forget any of this happened.

“I don’t - well, I think Thor wanted to go out for breakfast but that’s it. Why?”

“Do you... maybe wanna go out?” Natasha asks silently, looking at anywhere but you. “To, you know, catch you up on some of the things you missed. Only if you want to, no pressure.”

But your eyes light up at her words. You kind of expected it, she was showing signs that she likes you all night. And you actually made the Black Widow nervous. “Natasha, I’d love to.”

“Oh,” she sighs in relief, feeling the beat of her heart return to a normal pace. “Well I’ll - I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You walk over to her and place a hand on her arm, then lean over to plant a kiss on her cheek. “Good night.”

[ialwaysgobacktoit]

idk how you'd write a one shot for this cause idk how to properly word it, but gwynriel being soft but in a way that almost domestic? reading books together all scrunched up together and then debating those books and their conflicting views because what's a good couple if not banter? and then agreeing to disagree, but not really because neither of their competitive asses can actually let it go

For Gwynriel Appreciation Week: Reading together

AAAAAhhhh!!! It's being some rough couple weeks, therefore I'm not as active as I wanted in terms of writing, but I'm loooving to read all your content. Gwynriel Week is awesome!

I know this is AU day, so I tried to make this as "freely" as possible, and it can (if you squint, I guess) be fitted in AU! I originally wanted to post this on day 3 (Identity) but life had other plans... Anyways, this is just a snippet, a little scene I loved to write and think about, and aaah what do l care, it's Gwynriel after all!!!!!

Hope you like my contribution to Gwynriel Week and remember, my ask is always open for prompts and ideas! <3 keep on rocking, keep on going :)

---------------

"This is absolutely ridiculous."

"What?"

Gwyn closed the book with a thud, shutting her eyes and massaging her temples in frustration: "There's no way this could actually happen. Not like this."

"Which page are you on?"

She opened her eyes and stared at him from across the couch. They were a confusion of tangled legs, sharing a blanket, lying comfortably in a C-shaped love-seat in Azriel's bedroom.

"One hundred and forty."

Azriel snorted and shook his head:

"There's still a lot of ground to cover." He said casually, returning to his copy of the novel, but that smirk on his face told Gwyn there was more.

"What do you mean?" It was her turn to ask, and she ignored how high her pitch was at the statement. "On which page are you?"

They started doing that the last couple of months, eventually borrowing two copies of the same book and reading it together. An amusing experience, especially considering how competitive both of them were. Not that they minded, anyway.

"Keep on reading." He answered, eyes darting from the page to her.

But his smirk only grew wider:

"And..." He paused, pretending to check. Gwyn saw right through him. He knew all too well in which page he was; they had the habit of tracking each other's progress: "Two hundred and thirty two."

"What?! That's impossible!" Her eyes widened "We started it yesterday, and got to the same page."

Azriel shrugged irreverently. "I'm a fast reader. And since we're on that... You should keep on reading."

Gwyn scoffed, feigning irritation. How was it possible he read so quickly already? They spent the day busy and that was only the second night both sat down to read. Unless...

"What did you do?" Her tone was accusatory. "You kept on reading after I fell asleep, was it? Or..."

He had shut down his copy now, but said nothing. Gwyn sat up straight, retreating her legs and crossing them, and ignoring the strange sensation of not having the weight of his legs against hers:

"You have read this already, haven't you?"

As he didn't respond immediately, she pressed: "Shadowsinger."

He straightened, features changing slightly as he blinked, looking at the ground.

"I knew it!" She leaned over to tap on his shoulder playfully. "I can't believe it! Why didn't you say so?"

"To be fair, Gwyn" He raised his hands in surrender "I only remembered I've already read this in the last hour. It's not like I don't have five hundred years on my back. "

She shook her head, but couldn't hide her smile.

As he watched her schooling her expression into a serious one once again, Azriel realized he didn't plan to tell her about it for two reasons. The first was that he really couldn't remember almost anything from the plot, so it wasn't that big of a deal. And the second, and that one was hidden deep within him, he didn't want the precious expression from the moment she first read the synopsis out loud to fade if he told her the truth. That excitement and pure joy only Gwyneth Berdara could express.

Besides, he was more than content in casually sitting beside her, feeling the smooth touch of her legs against his or her feet atop his knees, in comfortable silence as they both read; it almost didn't matter which book they were reading. Not that he would admit that.

Not just yet.

"Anyways" Gwyn's face was dead serious now, as she returned to the subject in question. "Since you read it, we might as well discuss it already. For Mother's sake, why did Aliana lie to Milfred?"

Azriel frowned in confusion, waving his hand for her to remind him, trying to retrieve the scene of a book he'd read over two centuries ago. "Again, Gwyn. Five hundred years on my back."

She sighed, and unconsciously fell back against the cushions, extending her legs to their previous spot. She didn't let herself dwell on how Azriel's expression softened at that, as if he'd also been missing their touch:

"They are best friends, and Aliana chose not to tell Milfred she knew about what she truly was, even if it could change the entire plot; and their entire friendship was based on trust! Cauldron, why do authors keep on doing that? She should have told her from the first time Milfred saw the Oracle."

"I can see your point" Azriel murmured after he drew on a breath, cocking his head.

"But?" Her eyes narrowed.

His expression was cautious for a moment, but when he spoke, he was assertive: "Sometimes we have to lie to the ones we love, even if it hurt us to do so."

"I'm aware of that, but that's beyond the point. It's controversial to Aliana's character. Not to say it would've probably reduced a lot of the drama and angst. They are stronger together, and this should be obvious to both of them."

They were in a dangerous territory, Azriel could feel.

Truth is a delicate matter, Shadowsinger.

His shadows coiled around his ear, whispering. He ignored them and studied Gwyn. Her copper hair in a messy braid, clad in her usual robes. The priestess he have come to call a friend. Best friend, even.

"Is it?" The corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily as she crossed her arms against her chest, and he kept on "Controversial to her character? I mean, I know that they value trust above everything, but sometimes feelings may come in the way. And that doesn't necessarily mean they are controversial, just... Flawed."

Gwyn huffed, and something about the way the Shadowsinger averted his gaze at the last word, hazel eyes flashing a glimpse of pain, urged her to talk. Or hug him. Which she wouldn't do.

Not now, at least.

She opted for the former:

"If well written, yes. It does show complexity in a character. But I haven't advanced enough so far to determine that, so... To me, right now it only screams inconsistency." She shrugged, trying to lighten the mood.

To make the brooding Spymaster smile again.

"Ah, and lack of originality, of course."

It worked.

He chuckled and grabbed his book, that frown going away and almost making Gwyn sigh with relief:

"So you should keep on reading." He nodded to her copy, that crooked smile still on his face. "To confirm your opinions, that is. Not because I've said it three times already."

It was like Azriel couldn't control himself when he actually winked at her. But he enjoyed it, almost too much.

"I guess I should. Meanwhile, let's settle on agreeing to disagree." She opened her book once again. Her eyes glinted with mischief, but her blushing cheeks gave her away.

And damn him if the thought of making her flush didn't spread his smile even further.

"Besides" She added, brows high, eyes never leaving the page "It's obvious I'm reading for this sole purpose."

"Of course you are." His answer matched the tone of her statement, and they fell into comfortable silence once again. Effortless, like they could just be around each other, without second thoughts.

But the words she said before still ringed in Azriel's ears. Were echoed by his shadows.

They are stronger together, and this should be obvious to both of them.

And as he kept his gaze on her for a moment longer, who now was absorbed by the story, he realized maybe he should start admitting some things.

[sup-hoes-its-me]

To Be So Lonely (Gaara x Reader)

A/N: my first ever attempt at a gaara one shot. Essentially, you are permanently disabled due to an accident involving evil jinchuriki gaara, but you never gave up on him. friends to lovers. dramatic confessions. gaara is just so pure and sweet, he deserves all the love and more. perfect baby boy. precious.

ps. this was a very quick write. there may be mistakes, idk. just hopefully someone enjoys.

Word count: 3600 (soo short lmao)

The pair of them walked the aisles of the bakery. He adored how her eyes grew wide when they landed on a particularly shiny loaf of bread or a decadent chocolate cake that she couldn’t help but gush over. Today, after work since it seemed he had a break, he decided he would go with her to the dessert shop she’d been begging him to go visit.

He watched as she hobbled forward on her crutches, leaning some of her weight on walls or tables when she got the chance. He felt genuinely awful. It was his fault she was in that position after all. Nearly ten years ago when she enveloped her in his sand and crushed her leg brutally. He was so lost and hopeless back then, and a mere sparring match was enough to set him off and permanently injure the woman.

He felt like the worst man alive as he watched her walk around, and he followed on soft feet behind her. They were friends. It seemed that even after all he had done, she still cared about him. She walked up to his office the day he became Kazekage, and asked to be his assistant. He couldn’t say no, not with the way she smiled so beautifully at him with those soft lips and sparkling eyes.

Admittedly, he wanted her to be at his side.

She often sat with him in his office when there wasn’t anything too urgent going on, her legs tucked under her and her crutches leant against his desk. She would tell him stories about her day or things that she found funny, and he would listen intently to each word. He adored her voice. It was perfect, the perfect pitch and tone, just enough enthusiasm to blow him away. How she could be so positive when so many things had gone wrong, he wasn’t sure.

He knew that if he asked Naruto, the boy would have the answer for sure. He was so wise with people in that way. After all, Naruto was the reason Gaara was able to change into the man he was today, the man that had Y/N laughing and giggling in the evenings before she went home.

Y/N’s smile was so bright. It practically glowed when she entered the room. He wanted to bottle it up and keep it forever, that is how much he admired her enthusiasm. He couldn’t imagine the pain she went through, and the struggle she goes through daily. He couldn’t imagine the strength she must have to work for him and maintain that attitude that he admired so deeply.

She was so beautiful. He found himself waking up multiple times in the morning with her still on his mind, her eyes and her smile and the way her hair fell around her face. He found himself so lost in the mere thought of the woman, he thought he might be going crazy.

He’d asked his siblings about the situation, on separate occasions, just gauging what two more adjusted people thought of the situation. Each time, they laughed, and told him he simply had a crush on his closest assistant. His sister told him to act on his feelings before she was swept away by some other man from the village. His brother told him she was quite a catch, and he would be lucky if she liked him back. He thought she was only kind to him because he was her boss, essentially. Needless to say, that was a bit rough for Gaara to hear.

He wasn’t sure what he would do if Y/N shared his feelings. She certainly was kind, and the woman he wanted to be with, but he just couldn’t be with her, not after everything he had done. He couldn’t imagine her ever caring for him like that after he took away a huge portion of her mobility. He stole away from her the ability to become a shinobi like she always wanted. He felt like a monster.

There was no way in good conscience, he could accept her affections and burden her with his own. She was too perfect. He wouldn’t ruin her in that way. He couldn’t.

And so he was content just following her around, buying her little goodies here and there to make her happy just one more time before he had to see her off for the night. No doubt, he would dream about her once again tonight, after spending so much time staring into her eyes and hearing her melodic laugh. Sometimes, he found himself looking forward to those nights where she would plague his mind. He could truly be himself in those dreams without any constraint, without an ounce of guilt. He could love her during those nights, and he found himself longing for more and more each day.

She spun around in front of the final glass case in the near empty bakery, and she pointed to some fruit tarts in a little box.

“You want those?”

“Yes, please.”

He pointed them out to the staff, and they bagged them up and slid them across the counter. He got a discount as the Kazekage, and he was more than willing to buy a few things for her. It was the least he could do. Even though he paid her a decent amount for her work, he still felt generous. He liked seeing the way her eyes lit up and her ears perked up with happiness each time he bought her a simple cake or tart. It was so cheap and simple, he felt like he was robbing her. He got so much enjoyment out of seeing her beauty over and over again and all she got was a little dollar dessert.

They walked out of the store, and she sighed, reaching into the bag and taking out the little box. She pulled out the cake and took a quick bite, sighing loudly at the flavor. “Wow, Gaara, this is one of the best ones yet. Try it,” she held out the other side to him.

“No, I’m okay. I’m sure it’s great.”

“Oh, come on.”

He sighed, and took the tart from her hands, taking the tiniest bite from the side opposite of hers. She was right. It was really good. He nodded, his lips curving into a tiny smile as she grinned, giving him a thumbs up. “See, I told you it was really good. I don’t go around picking out crappy sweets.”

“Here, eat the rest. You haven’t had a chance to eat today, have you?” he asked, urging her to take the tart back. She did, and nodded. “You really can’t be doing that, Y/N. It’s not healthy to skip meals like that.”

“I know. I normally don’t but during my lunch break today, I was busy talking to your brother and I lost track of time.”

“So it was Kankuro’s doing? Of course.”

“Oh, jeez. It’s not a big deal. My parents are going to the market today so they’ll no doubt be home with some food for me to eat for dinner. Plus, you got me these awesome tarts for dessert.”

He nodded, a hum leaving his lips. “Still, I’d like if maybe you started eating lunch with me, just so I can make sure you’re getting proper nutrition.”

Her eyes widened, and she began to smile once again. She felt her cheeks begin to heat up from his offer. How could he so casually say something like that? He was never one to really think through the things he said, just saying exactly what was on his mind. “Are you asking me on a lunch date?”

“What?! No-that’s not what I meant,” he blurted out, his own cheeks turning red under her stare. “I just meant it as a friend thing.”

She averted her eyes back down to her dessert, and she took another bite. After giving him a moment of time to cool down, and after she’d swallowed, she replied giddily, knowing it would stir him up once again, “Alright, well, I wouldn’t mind if it was a date thing, just saying.”

He was now nearly as red as his hair, and she burst out laughing. “What?! Y/N, don’t laugh at me!”

“Okay, Kazekage-sama.”

He huffed as he tried to calm down, following as she started off once again to her home. On days like this one, he would walk her home from wherever they had gone, and in turn, he said it was a way for him to see the village. In reality, he had seen the village more than enough time to count, he really just wanted to walk with her home, to feel like he was doing something for her by providing company on the short journey through the streets.

As they approached her home, he knew that this was going to be the end of their outing and he would have to leave her once again. He really enjoyed their time together. It was the only part of the day he looked forward to most of the time, and to see her go always filled his heart with a bit of sadness. It was unreasonable to want anymore time out of her day to himself, but he couldn’t help but want it.

She opened her front door and stepped inside, holding the door open so she could see him standing at the edge of the walkway to her family home. He shifted awkwardly under her stare, one that was absent of a smile and that familiar glimmer in her eye. Things felt serious all the sudden, and it made him nervous.

What had changed all of the sudden? He never expected her next words. They hit him in the chest like a stone, and knocked the air from his chest.

“Gaara, I think I’m in love with you,” Y/N called to the boy standing in her doorway. One outing after another, she found it harder and harder to maintain a neutral guise around him. Y/N really liked him. He was strong. He was a hero. He was a beautifully kind creature whom everyone came to adore.

He stood there in shock, his eyes wide and lips just agape. He wanted her to take back what she’d just proclaimed. He couldn’t accept it. Not when her crutches were right in his view, and her leg was missing right below the knee. He couldn’t handle that confession. Not now, not ever.

It was all his fault.

He turned his head away to the street and sighed, shutting his eyes tightly. “Y/N, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” she asked, fiddling with the bag of groceries in her hands. It took a lot of nerve to confess to him. It takes a lot to go out and profess your love to the Kazekage and the famous Gaara of the sand. He was a celebrity, practically. He wasn’t simply a childhood friend. She was rightfully nervous.

“I’m sorry you feel that way about someone like me.”

“Gaara, stop. Please. What happened, it’s over now. You’ll never be that same person again.”

He grit his teeth, another sigh coming from behind his teeth. “I cannot accept your confession. I’m sorry, but I have to go now. Please, keep this between us, alright?”

It seemed that the end of their rope was near. He had said what he wanted to say, or what he felt needed to be said. He cared for her, he’d cared for her since he could really remember. She was always kind to him, so beautiful and sweet and generous. Y/N was forever forgiving, and he knew that. He was fully aware that she’d forgiven him for what he’d done to her when he was lost in violence all those years ago. He just couldn’t forgive himself. He was forgiving of those who had wronged him, but to give mercy to the person who brutalized the one woman who’d shown him kindness from the beginning, he just couldn’t bear it.

Gaara was a lonely man. He would always be a lonely man, surrounded by people but always just far enough to protect them. He couldn’t let someone like her become close again and risk something else happening. Even if he was non violent now, what’s to say someone else wouldn’t have a grudge against him and target her?

It was all too overwhelming.

“You can’t deny it, Gaara, you love me too,” she called back to him, quiet enough not to disturb the neighbors but loud enough that it rang out in his chest like a gong, echoing there for a minute. She continued softly, “You can’t just pretend there’s nothing between us just because something happened almost a decade ago. You can’t abandon me, not after everything we’ve been through.”

“Y/N, it’s not that easy.”

“It really is that easy. If you care about me, and I care about you, then that’s all that matters. Forget about my leg, please. I’m over it. I’ve grown used to it, so much it’s not a problem,” she explained, “In fact, you treating me like I’m some injured lamb is the real problem. I’m a strong woman. This injury is nothing when it comes to my sheer force of will.”

He felt terrible, really, he felt like every move he made was the wrong one. He felt like he’d travelled down all the wrong paths with this woman, and she still loved him. Despite everything, she loved him without fault. He was her best friend. The friend who stole her leg from her so young. He was beyond conflicted.

His eyes flickered around the street, and she could feel his paranoia. It would be quite scandalous if someone caught them out here talking about something as personal as this. He was the Kazekage after all, whether he was experiencing normal 22 year old emotions or not.

Y/N grabbed his hand and tugged him quickly into her home. Her parents were gone for the day to the shops, so they weren’t there to intervene, not that they would be too pleased to see their daughter with the red haired boy. Yes, they were proud to have him as their Kazekage, standing strong and tall for the nation. But the injuries he had inflicted on their daughter were a bit too severe to ever completely forgive him. They could never give Gaara their blessing, nor did they truly approve of their friendship. Y/N and Gaara knew this. It only caused his guilt to hang heavier in his chest.

She shut the door behind him, and sighed as she leant her shoulder against the wall, a bit of pressure taken off her sole leg and her arms propped up on the sticks.

“Gaara, how do you feel about me? Really?” she asked.

He wanted to say nothing, to just turn away and pretend he hadn’t heard the question. But he knew that wasn’t an option. He would tell her everything. “I enjoy your company, more than I care to admit. You are so beautiful and kind, I always want you around, especially when work gets rough.”

Y/n stood silent as she let him keep going, to get what he was feeling off his chest. There wasn’t really an outlet in his life to get out all these pent up emotions. He could use a shoulder to lean on sometimes, just as much as anyone else.

“You’re right,” he groaned, “I love you.”

A soft breath caught in her chest at his words. It was true that she had a feeling he felt that way for her, but it was a different thing to hear his words reach her ears. His breathy, raspy voice and the exasperation carried in his tone. The way his eyes refused to meet hers he was so afraid. She felt a shiver run up her spine, and she had to take a deep breath to calm herself down. “Then what’s the point in fighting it?”

“It’s wrong. What I did to you, you’ll never be the same again and it’s all my fault. I don’t know if I could bring myself to look at you everyday knowing that I hurt you so badly. Back then, I didn’t even have remorse. I-I…”

“It’s okay! You’ve changed, time and time again, you’ve shown me that you’re not the same man you used to be. You are so brave and caring and considerate. You care about me and all the other villagers. You changed, and I love the man you’ve become.”

“Does that mean you can forgive me for what I’ve done?”

“I would forgive you a thousand times over.”

“Y/N…”

“You’re the man of my dreams. Please, don’t deprive me of that.”

When his eyes met hers, he wanted to melt away in her arms. She really didn’t care about what he had done, she just wanted him for who he worked so hard to become, the man that Naruto pushed him to be. She raised his arms, and found himself walking right into them. Her head hit his shoulder, and he let out a long shaky breath. “I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you, too, Gaara. I truly do.”

And when she pressed her lips to his, he found himself falling deeper in love with her. She was so soft and gentle in his arms, against his skin, flush and warm like he’d always imagined. He never really expected himself to find someone, not after all he’d done and the man he made himself out to be. He never imagined the kiss of a person on his lips, or the feeling of someone’s arms wound around his body. He only imagined pain.

Yet, here she was. The most forgiving angel in the entire world.

“Y/N L/N, what the hell is this? Dammit, can’t you do this somewhere else, you foolish girl?” a voice called through the door, and when they peered between the curtains, the sight of her mother and father walking up the path to the front door, grocery bags piled in their arms. Her mother’s face was quite red, a small smile gracing her mouth, while her father was another story. Completely exhausted with everything.

Gaara pulled away quickly, his head ducking down so his eyes only met the floorboards. He was Kazekage, why was he so afraid of some old man and his paper sack full of rice? He wasn’t completely sure. All he knew was that Y/N stood there with that beautiful smile, her cheeks puffing out from embarrassment. “It’s okay. They aren’t angry. You might want to head on back home, though.”

The elderly couple opened the door, and he found himself face to face with her mother who smiled, corners of her eyes crinkling. “It’s about time, you sweet boy.”

Her father roared, feeling himself growing hotter with every second that passed. “About time for what, Rise? This man to come in here and violate our daughter-”

“Shush, dad. It was all me this time,” Y/N piped up from the back, which only fueled the fire.

“Of course! You’ve always been so promiscuous, Y/N. How could I expect any less?” he rolled his eyes. “And about you, Kazekage boy.”

“Be gentle, Tanaka.”

“Instead of hurting my daughter, I expect you to protect her as if your life depended on it, you hear me? I won’t have someone coming into my house and hurting my children,” he demanded, and Gaara could only nod. He had never been in a situation quite as terrifying as this one, he had to admit. He felt like he had been caught in the middle of some heinous act, even if it was only kissing the object of his affections. He was more than embarrassed, he thought he might crumble into a million tiny pieces.

He replied, “Of course. I’d never let anything hurt Y/N, sir.”

“That’s what I thought. Now get out of here. You can see your little girlfriend some other time, she has chores.”

“Dad!”

“Enough.”

Gaara nodded to the family of three before opening the door and walking through the threshold. “Goodbye, Gaara!” As he peered back over his shoulder, he was once again stunned by her smiling face, her small hand waving to him as he shut the door behind him. He felt his heart beating faster as he walked down the street back to the Kazekage’s mansion.

Has life always felt this good? He wasn’t too sure. He felt high, like he was floating above the ground with each footstep. Maybe giving the good life, giving Y/N, a chance, was going to work out in his favor. He could feel happiness creeping up his chest and rumbling through his stomach. His cheeks turned red at the thought of his now girlfriend in her home getting scolded by her father, and he couldn’t help but imagine the next day when she would report to his office to pick up paperwork and maybe he could swipe another kiss.

When he walked into his home, he brushed by his brother whose brows perked up upon seeing his expression. “What’s got you looking so whipped, Gaara?”

“It’s nothing, Kankuro.”

“Y/N, right?”

“Maybe.”

His brother's loud laughter rung out in the empty hall. He patted his brother's back with a firm hand, practically congratulating him for getting a girlfriend. It was strange in that way, thinking about it like that. He now had a girlfriend to hug and hold, to keep tightly clasped in his heart for as long as she would allow.

Life was too good. He slept better that night than he had in a long while. All because of this one person who’d wormed their way so easily into his heart.

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed, Episode 23, second part

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff)

Warning: Spoilers for All 50 Episodes!

Nature Abhors a (Power) Vacuum

Jin Guangshan, Nie Mingjue, and Lan Xichen have gathered to decide what to do about the remaining Wen people and also what to do about the Yin metal. They have not invited Jiang Cheng to this discussion, or blowhard Clan Leader Yao, despite those clans having been hit particularly hard by the Wens in the course of the war. 

The three of them have a conversation about what to do with the Wen captives, showing their different attitudes towards killing.

Jin Guangshan: Killing is awesome, particularly in project management. It's just so efficient. Nie Mingjue: Killing is necessary, and a little bit fun, too. Lan Xichen: Killing is necessary, sadly, but we can randomly spare some women or old people, as a token sign that we’re not monsters. Kind of like when you have a fancy dinner and include a tofu dish for the vegetarians. Nie Mingjue: Nobody likes tofu, Xichen.

Jin Guangshan says he's looking for the Yin Iron and that they can't let any Wens or "ambitious people" get a hold of it. By ambitious people he means Wei Wuxian, not himself and his murder kid. Lan Xichen realizes this right away but doesn't, you know, do anything to contradict him.  Jin Guangshan says he's asked "A-Yao" to look into it. Which is smart, because A-Yao is already in cahoots with Xue Yang, who actually has the piece of Yin Iron they're looking for.

Getting Jiggy With It

Then Jin Guangshan introduces Meng Yao, now renamed Jin Guangyao, in a weird twist on generation names. He has given him the name of a sibling or cousin of his own generation (starting with Guang), rather than a name of the next generation (starting with Zi). JGS says that JGY just recently learned about about being related to him, although we know perfectly well that's not true. 

And they both talk like he appreciates JGY's efficiency and helpfulness, but that's not why JGS has him at his side. He has taken him in because he is a steel-eyed murder bot, not in spite of it. 

(OP does not believe that Jin Guangyao could have been a good person if only his dad had let him hold Jin Ling that one time, as some have argued. Dude killed his own child because there was a chance he might be disabled in a way that could lead to gossip. Dude is a stone cold killer.)

(more after the cut)

In the language of CDrama costume (which is not, precisely, the language of actual historical clothing), Jin Guangyao has chosen to dress as a minister instead of as a chevalier. This is partly an artifact of his mother's ideas about a gentleman. It also suggests that he’s content with the sort of career that's available to a bastard of a noble house--not inheriting the noble title, but having enough favor to rise in power. 

It may also be a ruse to make him seem like he's not a strong cultivator and not a strong fighter, when in fact he is both, at least by the time he’s throwing death chords at Jiang Cheng, much later in the show. 

Mingjue makes all kinds of grumpy faces and snarky remarks to let everyone know that he fucking hates Jin Guangyao.  Xichen agrees to his “nice refugee camp with only a little death” plan, with no qualifications.

Now we get to see Jin Guangyao's manipulation of Lan Xichen. Lan Xichen says that Nie Mingjue wants a plan that’s more killy, because he believes in punishing evil. JGY deliberately misunderstands this, pretending that Lan Xichen said he, JGY, is evil, kind of forcing LXC to reassure him and take his side in an argument that isn’t actually happening. 

They have a little handholding while bowing, and then after Lan Xichen leaves, Jin Guangyao puts on his evil face and has all the prisoners killed behind the big closed door.  

This is done in such a violent fashion that the blood apparently flows up several stairs to the door, and over the tall raised threshold, before flowing downward toward the camera. Some evil is so extreme that even traditional Chinese doorway architecture can’t stop it.

Run To the Rock

Then we go outside to where Wei Wuxian is standing on a rocky outcropping, thinking it would be a good strategic spot to choose if he's ever in a battle where he wants to commit suicide right quick.

Lan Wangji comes to join him and admire the view, not knowing yet that this view, or one a whole lot like it, is going to be seared into his memory for most of his life.

Lan Wangji is becoming more and more committed to Wei Wuxian, more and more inexorably joined to him, but he still doesn't agree with him. So they each have this comfort in each others' presence at the same time as being massively in conflict.

Wei Wuxian asks him what he thinks of all the politicking and murdering. Who is good and who is evil? LWJ doesn't answer because WWX is leaking black smoke, so he grabs him and tells him to concentrate.  Lan Wangji is, incidentally, wearing Princess-Leia quantities of lip gloss.

Lan Wangji asks if Wei Wuxian would like to learn a new tune, "Absterge" according to Netflix. The fuck? [op looks it up in the dictionary]. "To cleanse, especially by wiping." Also known as aftercare. Netflix. Honey. This word is MIDDLE FRENCH. Will you knock it the fuck off?

So anyway, instead of answering his question about who is good and who is evil, LWJ asks if he wants to learn a song called "Cleansing." Wei Wuxian says “hey babe, are you fucking kidding me?” 

His actual words are "you doubt me too?" meaning "you think I also took the missing 4th chunk of Yin iron to make my ugly tiger amulet, rather than obviously having used that giant sword I pulled out of the turtle?"  

Lan Wangji mentally replays Wen Ruohan's questions in his head--the questions he barked at Wei Wuxian right before choking him unconscious--which Lan Wangji also feels entitled to know the answers to. Fuck you, Lan Wangji. He answers WWX with "when did you forge your amulet?" Which is his way of saying "yes, I doubt you."

Wei Wuxian kindly refrains from saying "while we were on a break, bitch" and instead tells him the exact truth--I found a yin iron sword in the turtle--but says it in his patented "make it sound like a lie" way. 

LWJ keeps grilling him, eventually coming out and saying dude, you knew the sword was Yin iron, why did you need to use it?

This is the crucial question--why WWX broke his first promise, to Lan Yi, which was to try to get rid of the Yin Iron. He won’t tell anyone the answer, which is that he needs to use it because he can't cultivate normally, because he lost his golden core. He made a lot of promises before that happened, and he probably expected to keep them. But without his core, everything changed; without his core, he’s a different person, so it’s maybe not fair to expect him to honor his previous promises. 

I’m reminded of my grandfather, who was the oldest son of an old southern US family, with lots of expectations as the firstborn. He went off to WWI as a soldier, expecting to die. He didn’t die, and so from that point on, he regarded his life as a gift. He felt could do whatever he wanted with it, and let go of expectations from before the war. He moved to Paris and took up with a glamorous divorcee 7 years older than him (my Grandma, eventually). 

The actual point of that story, other than OP having cool grandparents, is that when you think you’re going to die, and then you don’t die, your ideas about what you owe to people can change quite a bit. Wei Wuxian expected to die in the Burial Mounds; he expected to die at Nightless City; he expects it, over and over, and each time he doesn’t die, he gets further and further from being what everyone else wants him to be. And--a lot like soldiers returning from a war-- NOBODY in his life knows how to talk to him about it. 

Wei Wuxian tells Lan Wangji to back off, Lan Wangji says why aren't you letting me help you, and they are once again on the edge of the same fight they keep having. Lan Wangji does some impassioned arm holding while Wei Wuxian says he's not like Wen Ruohan. 

Romantic Duet #1

The argument is interrupted by screams and killing, so they go to check it out, and find the Jins hunting down some prisoners for sport. They arrive in time to save two people. Yay?

Jin ZIxun acts like a jerk, as always. The new element is that per Jin Guangshan, anyone concerned with Yin Iron shouldn't be alive.  He says that the Lan and Nie clans agreed, and challenges Wei Wuxian. Lan Wangji stops him from responding, grabbing his wrist.

The Jins leave and Wei Wuxian refers back to their earlier conversation, saying there will be more resentful spirits now and that "Rest" is the music to play, not "Cleansing."

He gives Lan Wangji a long look and then pointedly removes Lan Wangji’s hand from his wrist, by holding his hand, which is some next-level mixed signaling. Lan Wangji totally deserves it at this point, though. He keeps pushing and pushing WWX about his cultivation method, but he refuses to discuss the underlying morality of it, or the morality of the killing going on right in front of them. 

WWX walks off, leaving LWJ to stew in his own juices surrounded by a bunch of fresh corpses. 

Lan Wangji fails his saving throw against the guilt trip, and sits his ass down to play Rest, just like Wei Ying told him to. So switchy!  Wei Wuxian, out of sight but not out of earshot, hears him and accompanies him on Chenqing.

This scene is slightly ridiculous and a whole lot sublime. Ridiculous because it's their first time playing music together, so it's a super slow, romantic, extended scene, but they're surrounded by corpses. And not the helpful, friendly, third-wheel-on-a-date type of corpses.

It's sublime because the occasion of their first beautiful, literally magical duet is an argument. And they are joining together to play beautiful romantic music - as a service for the dead. And they are doing it while they are on literally opposite sides of a literal killing field. And Lan Wangji is sitting literally in the middle of a wide open road; the sort of road that they will both reject, metaphorically, later in the show. There is so much about their conflict and their journey that is encapsulated in this one musical moment.

Lan Wangji, by playing the song Wei Wuxian said was needed, is telling WWX that he took his words to heart, that he is listening, even though they're at odds.

WWX, by stopping and playing with him, is acknowledging this. And by settling the dead souls together, they are both reinforcing their dedication to doing what's right even as they both struggle with knowing what that is.

When Other Friendships Have Been Forgot, Ours Will Still Be Hot

Now we have the sworn brothers thing. I understand, plot wise, why this has to happen, but why would Nie Mingjue ever agree to this? Lan Xichen's puppy eyes are just that persuasive?

If they ever crack your spine, drop a line If they ever cut your throat, write a note If you’re ever in a mill and get sawed in half, I won’t laugh (HA HA HA HA)

Tedious Party Time

Now there's a cultivation party, which is about as excruciating to watch as it would be to attend.

Everyone is lining up to praise Jin Guangshan. To be fair, he did provide shelter for most of the smaller clans while the war was going on. So being grateful is appropriate, but Clan Leader Yao practically breaks his own neck kissing Jin ass. Yao says JGY’s contribution was the greatest of the war, adding, "fuck Wei Wuxian; everything is his fault."

The Jiangs show up wearing mourning belts that show off their itty bitty waists, and Jin Guangshan makes shifty eyes like a cartoon landlord when he sees them arrive.

JGS praises Jiang Cheng, and asks when his fancy clan-leader ceremony is going to happen. Jiang Cheng says he's still in mourning so it's not appropriate. JGS is like “Oh...yeah," as if he totally forgot about all the Yunmeng slaughter, and talks up his friendship with Jiang Fengmian. He acts comforting while WWX manages not to barf.

Then the Lan clan shows up and there is nice encouraging chit chat between LXC and JC...

...and just, SO MUCH mournful staring between Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian.

Then the Nies arrive.  Jin Guangshan tells Nie Mingjue he's late, and that everyone's waiting for him. That might be true in the script but it’s clearly bullshit on the screen, where the Lans and the Jiangs are still milling around looking for the coat room.

Nie Mingjue--who, let's remember, JUST swore to be brothers with Jin Guangyao--looks at him like he's something that fell off a garbage truck.  Lan Xichen jumps in to maximize the discomfort by pointing out that Jin Guangyao should address Nie Mingjue as Big Daddy Da-ge from now on.

Then the Jins offer Nie Mingjue the giant fire throne because...he's the leader of the Sunshot campaign, I guess? Of course it's all a manipulation tactic, designed to make him say he won't sit there, so that JGS can elevate himself to head cultivator, or something? And sit in front of the throne but not on it? Cultivator succession seems kinda arbitrary. 

I swear to god, it wasn't until I was clipping this episode that I realized Wen Ruohan had two thrones and they're in different rooms from each other.

Finally everyone goes to sit down, but because there hasn't been enough fucking awkwardness, JGY stops WWX to ask him what's on his mind. WWX asks him why he's not carrying his sword, which made me laugh and laugh. Wei Wuxian must have been just waiting for a chance to ask someone else that question for a change. 

Jin Guangyao says he threw it away, because it was just a random sword, but he really means he had it made into a sneaky murder belt, that he will be using again in 13 to 16 years. They both fake-laugh and trade Mean Girls insults pretend to like each other. 

Everyone wanders around toasting each other. Lan Wangji goes to find Wei Wuxian, after first making sure that his hair looks good.  

Wei Wuxian is lying around on the steps, sprawling and drinking wine, and not, incidentally, looking for Lan Wangji. He continues to not seek him out and Lan Wangji continues to chase after him.

Wei Wuxian says "how about playing Cleansing?" but Lan Wangji says he's learning a new score. It looks like it's going to be another argument, but then Wei Wuxian smiles and kind of praises Lan Wangji for being stubborn. 

Awkward Marriage Proposal

Just then everyone inside starts cheering for Jin Guangshan to give a speech. Jin Guangshan is making a move to marry Jiang Yanli to his son, which is a big time power grab, given that the Jiang Clan is 1. vulnerable and depleted 2. has control of the Yin tiger amulet.

We get a very rare glimpse into Jiang Cheng’s inner mind, where he thinks that saying yes isn’t a great idea, but isn’t sure what to do. This marriage would make his sister happy, but could destroy the Jiang Clan's independence.

Fortunately, Wei Wuxian joins the party just in time to fuck up Jin Guanshan’s plans. Will this teach Jin Guangshan not to invite Wei Wuxian to parties? It will not.  

Soundtrack: Friendship, by Cole Porter (from “Anything Goes”)

Bonus: