#I STRONGLY BELIEVE IT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN REACH YOU TBH

[arcadiabaytornado]

SPOILERS AHEAD Episode 5 Double Exposure Rapid Fire Thoughts After I Just Finished Two Route's:

A: I'm still so conflicted about Safi. I ended up refusing to help her because A: I do think she went to far multiple times. B: I don't feel like she really learned a lesson here. C: She broke her promises to Max by shapeshifting into Max and Amanda. If she can't even keep a promise like that then she's not someone Max can trust. HOWEVER...I do like her character in the evil type of way. I'm so bummed that we were so close to getting toxic yuri and then the game ripped it away. /hj

B: So. I don't like Amanda. At all. Will not be romancing again. She's just so...I literally don't know she see's in Max?? Every time Max speaks she's gets irritated, and she straight up says that she "dodged a bullet" if Max friendzoned her. I will admit I didn't really think about the moral implications about romancing someone on one timeline after being rejecting in the other, and I do think it's interesting that the game brought it up. I've literally never seen that addressed in a time travel story.

C: I can't believe how much I like Vinh?? He grew on me a lot through the course of the story, and I ended up liking his romance more than Amanda's, which is CRAZY. Him comparing Max to tarot card's in his social media message was cute, and I liked their little "focus on what's in front of you" exchange. (Though I prefer the Vinh/Max friendship route, I think) Overall I ended up really liking Vinh and his messiness, honestly he's one of my new favorites for all his nuances and complexities.

D: My favorite new character introduced in this game is Moses. He's been a great friend to Max since the start, and I really hope we get him again some day.

More Undercut

E: They did so much Arcadia Bay/Chloe stuff in this episode, and I still feel like they didn't do enough??? They just explore any route thoroughly enough for tastes, but I did up preferring the Bae route again so, there's that. TBH I'm not holding out much hope that Max and Chloe will get back together. I would L O V E to be wrong....but IDK.

F: Diamond has powers I guess? I don't really have a lot of thoughts of her character TBH, and that's because I don't have a lot of thoughts on MOST of the characters. The only characters I ended up having any feelings toward were: Max, Gwen, Safi, Vinh, and Moses. The rest of them just faded into background noise for me, and I think a major complaint that I have is that every character feels kind of underdeveloped in a specific way that varies from character to character.

G: The end choice was...fine I guess?? For me it was the worst end choice in the franchise, and I feel like in the sequel it will only lead to a few small dialogue changes.

H: I I'd rate the game overall a 7/10, but I'd only rank this episode a 5/10. When the chapter ended my first thought was "What am I even supposed to say about this? It was underwhelming? It was slow? It made the entire game feel kind of pointless?" I'm not really finding any words it just...was a chapter I guess?? Like...I feel nothing strongly. Easily the best scenes were the ones with Max and Safi, but other than I found no substance anywhere. It was the chapter that just was....and my lingering feeling is disappointment.

If I was going to rank the episodes from how I liked them from most to least, I'd rank them: 2, 1, 3, 4, 5.

If I was going to rank the games from how I liked them from most to least, I'd rank them: LIS 1, LIS 2, Before The Storm, Double Exposure, True Colors. (It's weird because I think the high's of Double Exposure reached a high that True Colors never peaked at for me, but I also think the lows of Double Exposure reached a low that True Colors never dived to for me.)

Well. That sure a game. And I'm probably going to need a few days to be more eloquent than that.

[magicrainbowkitties]

I know the game is forever old at this point but I'm still so damn pissed that Arkham Knight still ended up being all about Joker instead of Scarecrow. Like. The fucker's DEAD. The writer that came up with that should've been absolutely MAKING OUT with themselves cause HOLY CHRIST that frees up so much to explore with the other villains!

Instead he upstages fuckin SCARECROW from beyond the grave! That's fuckin stupid! There is SO. MUCH. To do with Scarecrow, or other Batman fears! Here's just a few off the dome:

- Vulnerability, be that emotional, physical, mentally, ect. Bruce has been hurt so many times by so many people, and his inability to give and receive trust and lay down guard is one of his biggest character flaws. Bruce Wayne is a very deeply loving, caring man that FORCES HIMSELF to stop trusting people because he is afraid of what will happen if he lets too many people (or the wrong people) into his world and life. Fuckin explore that, nerd!

- Losing everyone he loves. He's got the Batfam in this timeline, and Jason Todd went through WAY more this way round than in other settings (seriously that was a little bit fucked tbh, more on that in a minute). But in this game, he's dismissive of them, cold even, when they try to reach out. THE WRITER THAT CAME UP WITH THAT SHOULD'VE KISSED THEMSELVES FOR THEIR GENIUS, and then BLATANTLY MADE THAT COLDNESS A RESULT OF HIS FEAR THAT HIS KIDS ARE GONNA GET HURT AND HE'S SCARED OF WATCHING THEM DIE LIKE HIS PARENTS, rather than having it come across as the stoic badass attitude he's had throughout the series. We're told he loves his kids, but maybe show that a little more!

- Failure. They talked about this a little with the whole Arkham Knight plotline, but it could've (should've, really) been the focus (given it's THE FUCKIN NAME OF THE GAME). In fact, that scene where he finds out what happened to Jason should've been a fear gas dream, Joker's presence relegated to these hallucinatory scenes of Jason being violently tortured, the reality of the situation being only hinted at or brushed off because Jason, surprisingly enough, doesn't wanna talk about it. This all can encapsulate Bruce's innate fear of failing in his duty as both Batman and as a father, and his fear of confronting his past failures in the form of Jason Todd. And given this is FUCKING SCARECROW'S GAME, the guy who's all about plucking on fear and setting people against each other because they're afraid, he should've figured out how to exploit the fear of failure from the very beginning.

If the whole point is that Joker needs Batman but Batman doesn't need Joker, then why is it that the fear of becoming Like Joker Batman's fear gas hallucinations here? Sure, he can tangle with the fear of killing and wanton violence, even the fear that were he to intentionally kill someone, he wouldn't be able to stop.

But let's be so fucking for real: This Batman would not enjoy it. This Batman barely enjoys beating people up for Riddler info. He certainly wouldn't take the explicitly carnal pleasure in death that this Joker did. He couldn't stomach the idea of killing random people, he could barely stomach the idea of killing fucking Edward Nygma, and even THAT is stretching it HARD. Bc this Batman believes STRONGLY in punitive justice (despite 3 gamesworth and a whole career of experience to the contrary at that point), as shown in all previous entries. Now, he'll certainly LET people die (FUCKING HELL, DUDE, TYGER IS COMMITTING A LITERAL GENOCIDE RIGHT NOW AND YOU WANNA GO AFTER JOKER!? BE FOR REAL!), and is obviously ok with life-alteringly disabling people in settings where that would kill them (looking at you "if you're done eating solid food" in City, where people talk about quite literally starving in the cold all game long), but refuses to even kill a guy HE KNOWS WILL JUST RESURRECT IN 3 HOURS.

And his big fear is becoming Joker bc he has left over Joker Juice in his system?

Be so FUCKING for real.

Let Scarecrow Scarecrow in the goddamn Scarecrow game. That shit they did in Asylum? Shoulda been a whole game of THAT. Because that was fucking awesome.

[babacontainsmultitudes]

Heya Baba! <3 I remember you mentioned Lark and Grant recently and I would love to know more!! So Lark/Grant for the ship bingo :)

😊🌸 Hiya Countless!!! Eheh y'know, I have this awful habit of putting off answering your asks specifically because I want to be especially thorough with them... And consequently not getting to answering them 😅😓. Like, I HAVE NOT forgotten about the music one LOL one day I will answer it I fucking swear!!!

Anyways, oooh, well rad of you to express interest in this one! I'll try my best!

(eheh also fair warning I'm a tad drunk eheheh but hopefully this will still be reasonably comprehensible? Just to say that I might be a bit extra all over the place but I'm trying my best ahaha. Also cheers lol 🍻💜)

(My second bingo I think? I'm too lazy to mark them lol)

Okay so the thing is, in my head I know exactly how I want this ship to play out and what it means to me... But putting that into words? Quite difficult actually!

I've been like, silently obsessing over these two for the past few months actually. I did this to myself? It was an accident?? I have this non-magical AU road trip fic for them that I've been rotating around for the longest time and have been *dying* to write, so I guess that's what a lot of my thoughts have centered around! That said, if I could explain the appeal more generally...

*Well*, as far as ships I feel strongly positive about go, this one is... Definitely one of the most unapologetically toxic ones tbh? Not as the end game for them! Rather, usually when these two play out in my head it sorta starts as two people with a lot of conflict between them (perhaps cause they're so similar in a lot of ways), who ultimately come to understand each other very well and grow as a result. Does that make sense? I think they make each other worse, and *then* they make each other better.

So what is it about them? Well... It's a bit hard to place actually! I would say that near its core, their relationship to me is very much defined by its physicality. Which I guess I mean from a number of angles (eheh including the sexual side sure but I'll spare you that dw I'll spare you from that LOL). For one there's... Something very physical about both of their most core traumas (the pyramid, the chimera) that to me separates these two from the rest of the other kid(dad)s? Similarly, and perhaps related to this, they certainly have a relationship with physical violence that is unlike the others as well, wherein it tends to be more of a pleasure or source of catharsis rather than purely being a necessary evil. Obviously in Grant's case this takes on a particularly dark tone, but still I think Lark's violent disposition is apparent and important enough.

I'll go back to all of that shortly but as a side tangent, they both have similar (albeit not identical) habits of shutting down and pushing people away as well? There's a lot of self-loathing, a lot of not believing oneself to be worthy of love, and so on and so forth.

SOOOOOO... I think at first they could be very cold and mean with each other! (Cue that scene in The Staircase when Lark body checks Grant to push past hm like ouch ooo my feelings but also *go on*). Verbal communication only goes so far with either of them, seeing oneself in the other and projecting that self-loathing onto them in the form of hate... It's a recipe for disaster tbh.

So... They fight! Especially like, physically, they fight. And... It's great? For both of them. It's an outlet, it's cathartic, and when it's just the two of them like this they can be shameless about it! <- That last part is important, for both of them but especially for Grant I think.

>> Now playing: "A Kiss With a Fist" by Florence and the Machine >>

And I think with time they learn to be more open with one another in other ways? As I mentioned earlier, their traumas bear a lot of similarities, among other things, so I think that once they reach this point there's this level of understanding between them that they haven't really been able to find elsewhere, and in that, probably some comfort. And trust!!!

So they're not really a couple sorta deal for me even if some of the feelings present might ultimately be romantic? It's more like, they let off some steam, they kiss a bit (or a bit more than a bit), and they love each other in a way that is deep and personal but doesn't require any sort of label, cause words were never what defined them in the first place.

Does any of this make sense??? Did I mention I'm drunk???

Not that this is exactly how it needs to be play out in every iteration of them, either. I guess there's also a lot of hurt/comfort for me with these two. A lot of that has to do with my own headcanons of Lark having PTSD and related symptoms that are quite similar to what Grant goes through, and the mutual understanding that comes with that (in short). And hey, for all the cuts and bruises from their training sessions (and/or consensual roughhousing), there's just as many carefully applied bandages and ice packs afterwards eheheh.

AHA okay this was long oh my goodness. And I still don't feel like I really got what I mean across!

🤔 Honestly, if this explanation turned you *off* from the ship more than anything, that's pretty fair tbh! They're really difficult for me to put into words haha, maybe in fanfiction it would be less off-putting!

Regardless, thank you very much for the ask :3 💜

[hiddenbeks]

#7 from general and #2 from story (from the tav meme) for khaless please!

yayyyyy thank you jasper!!

bg3 companion!tav asks

putting this under a cut bc it got super lengthy!! sorry abt that hgfhfg

general #7: do they have their own personal quest that spans the course of the game? can it take different branching paths depending on the choices the player character makes?

yesss tho i'm still trying to figure it out! her story is strongly tied to menzoberranzan and drow political intrigue and since you don't go anywhere near menzoberranzan and only encounter a handful of drow in-game it's been hard to figure out how to tie her into the game's plot but anyway-

some backstory first!! basically her house fell from grace several generations ago when one member (khaless' silver dragon ancestor disguised as a drow) was revealed to be an undercover servant of eilistraee. the rest of the members quickly disposed of her to avoid the whole house being destroyed. but their reputation took a hit and ever since they've been a minor noble house struggling to survive. enter khaless, an ambitious young visionary who wants to restore house dhalmar to its former glory! she was viewed with suspicion growing up because her draconic powers and scales were a nasty reminder of the house's past. but she proves herself a cunning and ruthless and kinda fanatical worshipper of lolth and advances quickly despite it all.

khaless becomes a priestess in house dhalmar and wipes several houses out of the way and grows house dhalmar's influence. she starts to believe she is unstoppable and thinks it's a great idea to accept house baenre's offer of alliance, not realizing the baenres' plan is to betray her and destroy house dhalmar before they become an actual problem. khaless survives and flees into the underdark! she is discovered injured by a group of silverhair knights and she spends some time with them after recovering and initially thinks they are stupid and weak but it's the first time she encounters drow with a different way of life and maybe it.. leaves an impression...

anyway the knights are killed by some assassins looking for khaless. rip. she flees to the surface and gets abducted by the mind flayers and this is where we finally get to her quest phew!!

when you encounter khaless she is at a crossroads; on one hand she believes she deserves vengeance and power after everything she's been through. on the other she is becoming disillusioned with lolthite society and very deep down just wants to live without having to constantly look over her shoulder, plotting to betray others before they get to betray her.

you can either convince her to return to menzoberranzan for revenge and to continue her elimination of houses until she reaches the top as she believes she should. or you can guide her down a gentler path and help her find new purpose outside of the cycles of violence she grew up in. tbh i think returning to menzoberranzan would be the sexier and more satisfying ending but maybe that's solely because i haven't come up with an equally satisfying "good" ending yet. idk. the ones i have cooked up don't have a catharsis factor similar to the menzo ending but maybe that's like the point... sometimes there is no catharsis and sometimes a happy ending is not an epic one... you just have to move on or whatev. although coming to terms with her past and choosing to leave it behind and live for herself can be cathartic i guess?

ALSO one important thing in khaless' questline is her ancestry being at odds with her upbringing and her being conflicted about having the blood of a silver dragon who served the goddess she was raised to hate and said blood also giving her the powers that have helped her survive throughout her life. so that's one more thing to deal with lol. in her non-menzo ending khaless would fully embrace her draconic ancestry! and maybe she finds out that her ancestor is only Allegedly dead and goes on a journey to try and find her to learn more about her powers and heritage from her.

story specific #2: how do they advise the player character on raphael?

she would say something like "i hope you're not foolish enough to take this cambion at his word. that being said i think we should take full advantage of his powers and knowledge. perhaps we could even trick him into serving us..." basically find out what exactly raphael wants and what exactly he is offering and use that to the party's benefit. kinda similar to gale's advice iirc? khaless is always looking for opportunities to take advantage of more powerful people in order to get ahead. unfortunately she also tends to get in way over her head and have it all backfire on her. it's almost as if she and her 10 wis learned nothing from her disastrous alliance with the baenres,

btw speaking of gale. khaless is kinda similar to him with how ambitious she is and this drives her mad. she is Not like this nerdy ass wizard he is so lame she would've shoved him into a locker in her youth she is nothing like him she is nooooooootttt (she is)

[khihi]

As a french person who read les misérables at school but has never watched the movie/musical, I'm quite curious about what has attracted many (foreign) people to it. Feel free to rant and share your thoughts, I'm genuinely curious

OH GOD OKAY LOOK HERE'S THE THING FIRST OF ALL the musical is absolutely incredible. I'm a musicals fan in general but les mis is something else. It will make you cry and laugh and somehow it will also make you proud to be French even when you're not French.

Long rant/fucking essay under cut so I'm not bombarding everyone who doesn't care about musicals or dead French dudes

I wish everyone could watch a live performance of it as their first experience of les mis because I feel like most people only see either the movie or the 25th anniversary concert. And while I adore the 25th anniversary concert and I'm a Les Mis 2012 Movie Defender 4 lyfe, I think both of those won't anchor you into enjoying les mis quite as much as an actual, professional live performance of the show will (bc the anniversary is mostly just standing and singing and the movie is.. flawed).

Also I imagine your first experience of it being the brick probably would not help you see why foreigners love this story so much because that thing is CHONKY and I've absolutely not read all of it - I've literally only read bits of it that include my faves. Sorry Hugo but I'm not here to read your rant about Paris' sewage system, I'm here to read about Grantaire bullying Enjolras and laugh at Marius for crying against a tree for hours xx

Les Amis de l'ABC are the main attraction for me and I think a lot of les mis fans tbh. Their friendships combined with their doomed narrative is just the absolute best and worst, emotionally speaking thing. Just the fact they believe so strongly in wanting to change the world that they're prepared to fight and die for it but they're also just a bunch of super young guys who drink and laugh together makes my heart hurt. They're martyrs to a hopeless cause but they're so human.

It makes you want to see them happy and victorious (I know there are a lot of mundane college kids les amis fics out there where they're "all happy and nothing hurts" because of this) but also that doomed narrative is so delicious every single time (which is why me and other les mis fans come crawling back to rewatch the musical whenever we're presented with the opportunity).

And DO NOT get me started on ExR. Grantaire and Enjolras are THE most angsty ship in the world, they make me ill. Grantaire is so in love with Enjolras even though his depression makes him a lot more aware of just how fucked they all are in this revolution, he's like a moth to a flame. Also the guy who played Grantaire in the 2012 movie shipped ExR. George Blagden if you can hear me right now I owe you my life and I hate them for cutting your Drink With Me solo.

Also the female characters in les mis are SO FUCKING GOOD HOLY SHIT like yes Cosette and Eponine are both madly stupidly in love with Marius "Just Some Guy" Pontmercy but to me it always felt like Marius was their love interest rather than the other way around. He's the chain that links Valjean to the revolution and back to the Thénardiers, but Eponine and Cosette are both so much more interesting to me personally than him.

AND FANTINE?? Fantine who had her life torn to shreds and does everything in her power (of which she has NONE) to protect her little girl and is punished, like fucking everyone in the story, for being a good person?? but who is always shown to be a sympathetic character?? written in a time when women were possessions and prostitutes were seen as scum of the earth?? Once again it's emotionally catastrophic, but it's beautiful. I for one enjoy when stories reach into my chest and squeeze my heart to pulp.

ALSO I'm such a sucker for motifs and symbology and themes and all of that Good Literature Shit, which les mis has in buckets, so there's also that.

so yeah

tl;dr the characters are my babies, i love a masterfully crafted story, and the music makes me feel shrimp emotions. PLEASE SEE THE MUSICAL.

thank you for letting me infodump this fine sunday afternoon <3

[itsmeatotalsimp]

so in short, fyodor's ability is a clone and something that makes him kill people with a single touch?

BUT HEAR ME OUT ON THIS BECAUSE I HAVE MY OWN VERSION OF THIS THEORY.

remember how his ability's name is called "Crime and Punishment"? of course you remember.

if you read the story written by irl fyodor d. then you would understand how my theory goes..

so

it goes like this:

since every living thing or human can't escape from the acts of crime (because apparently we're born in a world that is filled with crime, literally) his ability acts as a "punishment" which eliminates those who aren't free from "crime". get it? because i kinda don't tbh but bear with me.

and this is how the other part (the clone part) of his ability kicks in. in dead apple he mentions

"Crime and Punishment are close friends."

- fyodor dostoyevsky

meaning he could control whatever there is of the clone because they're close friends. so it kinda says that the clone is somewhat sentient? idunno

(excuse me for calling the manifestation of his ability a "clone". it's just easier said that way)

the whole explanation is in the blog i reblogged this from, but i strongly think the reason to why his ability's manifestation from the fog is like another version of him. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING, BUT IN SUMMARY, HIS ABILITY GIVES HIM TWO ABILITIES.

PUNISHMENT

• what i think is the true fyodor, the ability to punish those who are of sin or crime (since everyone is a product of sin, this means he can kill everyone regardless of who they are and what they've done in their lives), and yes i kinda think this ability is involuntary and automatically kills those he touches? so yea, that's how his "second" ability or "crime" kicks in.

CRIME

• the cloning part, which is unable to kill or punish those of sin with physical touch. which kinda explains how sigma didn't die after touching fyodor and that the information he's only getting is from the clone which is why "fyodor" didn't mind sigma touching him because unraveling those "secrets" are insignificant because they're only the memories or secrets of his clone ability. and how this one personally kills others since it's unable to do so from physical contact. "crime" is also the one who commits crimes (shooting katai, stabbing mori etc.) but not as an act of punishment because that's "punishment's" job ofc.

and if i remember correctly, in the cannibalism arc where akutagawa reached the supposed "hideout" only to find out fyodor wasn't there anymore.. IT WAS SHOWN THAT FYODOR WAS THERE SIPPING TEA OR COFFEE WHATEVER HE WAS SIPPING

but somehow when akutagawa arrived, he wasn't there anymore? so i believe that was the clone or "crime". and this explains how in the café where the supposed REAL fyodor was, was possible to kill the guard who touched him because he was "punishment".

so to sum things up (again)

i don't know anymore,

but i hope you

understand my point.

thank you very much.

How Fyodor will escape Meursault and how he's communicating with the outside

This is a continuation of my theory on Fyodors true ability here

Most of the evidence is in the linked post.

TL;DR Fyodors ability manifests with a face and a different outfit which no other ability does... except Elise. It also doesn't attack him and is able to merge with him without its gem being destroyed.

If Elise manifests with a face because she has one even outside of the fog, could that mean that Fyodors ability is able to manifest as a copy of him even outside of the fog as well? And if so how will that play into the current arc?

This panel is what really convinced me something was up

"...You can't kill me."

not "You can't kill me, like this" or "This won't be enough to kill me" just simply "You can't kill me"

Why? why can't Dazai kill him, even if he had a skill of immortality Dazai would only have to touch him and he'd be defenceless. So why...?

I think its because he's not even there to begin with, even if Dazai defeats this Fyodor, the real one is still out there.

It would perfectly call back to the ending of "The Cannibalism"

Imagine it. Dazai, after the long and frustrating back and forth, finally confronts Fyodor. He reaches to touch him.

"It doesn't matter if I don't know your ability, it will be useless against me"

Only for Fyodor to vanish the moment he touches him. leaving Dazai, Sigma and Chuuya shocked.

"He got me... The rat was never here to begin with."

It also explains a ton of other stuff Fyodor's been able to do in the series:

It explains how he was able to poison the Order of The Clock Tower agents in the plane.

How he's able to seemingly disappear from the roof top in TUO.

Why he personally stabbed Mori and shot Katai.

He never actually put himself in danger, he simply wanted other people to think he could be anywhere at any time.

It would also explain how he's 'Communicating' with the outside, he isn't. The Fyodor on the outside is simply acting the same the Fyodor on the inside would, so he knows how things will play out. Dazai can never figure out his method of communication if there is no communication in the first place. He simply knows himself so well he can guess exactly how things are going outside.

I also want to point out Fyodor's epithet: The Conjurer

What does a Conjurer do? They make things appear out of nowhere! it fits perfectly.

Fyodor is using that power to trick people into thinking he is omnipotent, by seemingly affecting things out of his reach he feels like a god, organising events exactly how he wants. But in reality there is another Fyodor doing the leg work.

[blurglesmurfklaine]

Picture This

Summary: Kurt takes an unflattering picture of Blaine. Fluff ensues. S2 Canon Compliant Drabble!

A/N: So, Thise BTS photos of Darren in Blaine costume that came out the other day...... thanks to @porcelainandthehobbit (HummeIAnders0n on ao3) who 100% came up with this adorable idea!!!! I am actually helpless to her cute ideas tbh

enjoyyyyyy

Read on AO3

******

“I can’t believe they rejected the Warbler’s tour at the mall,” Blaine laments. 

“Blaine.” Kurt stares at him, both of them lingering in the senior commons after the latest Warbler’s meeting. Wes had announced that one of the teachers, Mr. Haggard, had decided against chaperoning the Warblers performance at the local mall, due to concerns of it interfering with academic performance. “It was a fifteen minute setlist next to an Auntie Anne’s. I think we’ll survive.”

Blaine pouted and reached for Kurt’s hands, swinging them between their bodies. “You know I love their pretzel dogs.”

It’s been nearly two months since their Regionals competition, since Blaine boldly professed his feelings for Kurt as he was decorating Pavarott’s casket, and Kurt still wasn’t used to the way his heart skipped a beat whenever Blaine was near, or the butterflies in his stomach when they were alone together.

“It’s kind of cute watching you get this worked up over not getting your way.”

“Yes,” Blaine starts playfully. “I’m in full on tantrum mode right now, actually. In fact, I have half a mind to teepee Mr. Haggard’s office right now.”

“Please,” Kurt scoffs. “You could never be that much of a badboy. I can see you sending a strongly worded email… Maybe.”

“I can be bad,” Blaine says, half joking, half defiantly. “Like this.” He puts on a stoic face and places his hands in front of him, sticking out his thumb and middle fingers on both. 

Kurt is like lightning in pulling out his phone from his pocket and snapping a picture, not even wasting time to turn off the flash that washes out Blaine’s skin.

Instant. Regret. 

“Kurt, no! Oh my god, delete that!” He cries, swatting at Kurt’s hands.

Kurt deliberately keeps the phone out of Blaine’s reach.

“I don’t know why I did that, that was so rude of me!” He continues to cry.

“Please. This isn’t even the most embarrassing picture I have of you, Blaine Anderson. Do you remember the Titan’s championship game?” He quickly scrolls to another picture and flashes it to Blaine,

“You said you deleted that!”

Kurt rolls his eyes. “I’m a lot of things, but strong enough to delete this picture of you is not one of them.”

Blaine groans and hides his face in his palms, refusing to break the shield in his face. “That’s it, I’m never showing my face around you!” 

“Fine. You don’t have to. My Lock Screen shows it well enough.”

Blaine breaks and gapes at Kurt. “Did you just say Lock Screen?”

Kurt flashes him his phone, as well as a cocky grin. 

“Kurt!” Blaine whines. “You’ll never be able to explain that picture to anyone!”

All the playful belligerence in the world couldn’t stop the butterflies from forming in Blaine’s stomach. It was a mortifying picture, sure, but there was no stopping the rush of giddiness when Blaine realized Kurt wanted him on his screen. 

Kurt shrugs, feigning nonchalance. “I’ll just tell them it’s my boyfriend.”

Blaine has to bite the inside of his cheek so that his smile won’t break containment, and even then it’s a lost cause. 

It’s only been a few weeks since Blaine confessed his feelings for Kurt. No, they haven’t had The Talk about Labeling whatever They Were, but Blaine has been more than ready since they shared their first kiss in the senior commons.

He raises his eyebrows. “Boyfriend?” He asks coquettishly, taking a step towards Kurt.

Kurt scrunches his nose up a bit, dropping the cloak of confidence and revealing his vulnerability. “Yeah… is that okay?”

“Well, I thought that much was obvious,” Blaine says, before pulling Kurt in for a dizzying kiss. “Although,” he adds after a moment. “I hope you know this means I’m going to have to find an equally embarrassing photo of you to put as my lock screen, right?”

“Are we going to be one of those couples who have cheesy matching screensavers?”

“I’d expect nothing less from my boyfriend.”

[nemeseos-noctua]

Hey darlings! Can I request Xiao, Albedo and Diluc separately carrying reader around for a day because of a bet they lost? Love yall! <3

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: diluc, albedo, xiao (separate) x gn!reader

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: not proofread

𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒: THIS TOOK SO LONG I’M SO SORRY ANON (i was busy and didnt feel like writing anything for like a month ☹ but im back and ill try and write more, esp since my school year ends in like a month and a half)

oh you could see so much 

Diluc was so tall.... it was great 

“is this what height feels like?”

despite you enjoying every second of it, the pyro typhoon was slowly suffering

HIS REPUTATION !! WHAT HAPPENS TO HIS REPUTATION ???

the answer is nothing (except that Donna is jealous and pissed)

“How much longer are we going to have to do this for?”

“The whole day, obviously! That was the bet!” you cheered, clearly enjoying where you were currently. His suffering for your enjoyment.

The red-haired man sighed and continued walking around, eventually drifting over to the giant tree in the middle of Windrise. 

He stops next to the base of the oak tree, slightly lowering himself down. You weren’t exactly surprised that he could carry your weight, since he wields a giant claymore as a weapon, but you couldn’t feel not just the tiniest bit bad for him.

you guys were playing a guessing game as Diluc took a shift at Angel’s Share last night

“how much is venti gonna drink tonight”

you won, obviously

that damn bard drank at least 50,000 mora’s worth in dandelion wine

HE DOESNT EVEN PAY FOR IT IN MORA 

and thats how you lose money in a business, children

You lowered yourself off of the man’s back, assuming that’s what he wanted. 

“Hey, sorry about the bet...” you trail off, taking a seat on the grass and letting the wind graze your face.

“It’s fine. A bet is a bet.”

“Yeah but--” you stopped. There was absolutely no way that you would win this debate. 

The pyro user looked at you after a few seconds of silence. You usually talked a lot more than this and strongly believed in sharing your thoughts, so what was stopping you now?

“You know what? Let’s just go to the winery and take a walk there together.” You begrudgingly got up from your spot from the cool grass and started to walk in the direction of the winery.

There were a few hurried steps coming from behind you, assumingly from Diluc, but you paid no mind to him. He probably just didn’t wanna leave you behind--

“Woah-- hey! Diluc, wh--”

“A bet is a bet.”

you found yourself on his shoulders this time

dude really ran up and lifted you onto his shoulders

like dipped under you

mans said “woOOP” 

you would kill him but hes too hot for that 😉

You sighed.

A bet is a bet. 

you were taller than the alchemist

not by much, but it was enough that it was wacky as hell

(i hc that Albedo isn’t super strong so he’s struggling even tho he’s a sword user-- tbh i thought that he was a catalyst at first lmao)

it’s so funny because Albedo is literally holding you like a baby being burped while doing some sort of experiment

“Stop kicking before I spill something on the both of us, (Y/N).”

“No.”

The blond sighed and continued to work on some kind of potion. 

It was comforting to be in someone’s embrace again. How long’s it been? Years, maybe...

And soon enough, you fell asleep while the scholar cradled you in his arms. 

i can assure you that he was FREAKING OUT

he was scared that he would wake you up if he put you down on the bed that the he occasionally would sleep on (he survives on caffeine)

but he needed to do this experiment 

like... NEEDED to 

“../N)..? (Y/N), wake up.” You whined in response, not really processing anything that was coming out of Albedo’s mouth. “You won’t be able to sleep later tonight if you continue with your nap.”

“..what time is it..?” you let out a large yawn and covered your mouth. Since you had just woken up, your brain had refused to function properly. And with that, it took you a while to realize that you were laying on a bed. 

Albedo was still working on something (you weren’t sure what) but stopped to wake you up.

he’s cute

but he almost blew up

impressive how you didn’t wake up

“Only around sunset. Come, I’ll make dinner.”

the least i could say is that Xiao was not pleased.

HE WANTED TO COMPLAIN SO MUCH

but he didn’t wanna hurt your feelings 🥺

karmic debt was nothing compared to you feeling sad /j 

karmic debt is horrible :( poor xiao

also being in crowded places was not fun for him

LANTERN RITE !!  he did think that the xiao lanterns were cute 

“Ooh, ooh, look! It’s a food stand,” you excited pointed out from on the yaksha’s back, “wanna get something? There might be almond tofu!”

“Only if there’s--”

“--almond tofu. Yeah, yeah, I know. It’s the only thing you can stomach. Mr. Dream Eater...”

That must’ve struck a chord in him. The “young” man kissed his teeth, showing a hostile attitude that he had never done to you. 

“Just because I agreed to let you win doesn’t mean that I won’t go back on it.” 

secretly he didn’t 

he really enjoyed your company and hates everyone else 

funny because he desires company and love but WHATEVER !

xiao loves you in some type of way 

he adores you and all of your stupidity

and sometimes you mess up and it’s fine

it’s just a “mortal thing” 

(he also makes mistakes but shh)

You remained silent until the two of you reached the food stand, filled with savoury smells and delicious aromatics. Though there was no almond tofu.

“You wanna try somewhere else? I don’t mind going to find a different spot.”

Xiao grumbled. Not like you were the one walking and exerting energy to get from one place to another. 

“Fine.”

“Look... I promise this is gonna be the last place. If we don’t find any, we can go back to Wangshu Inn and ask Verr Goldet for some,” you reasoned. 

The adeptus remained silent, but didn’t show any signs of displeasure. You took it as a yes.

“Wanmin restaurant has some, I think! It’s the best of the best in Liyue too.”

“This better be worth it.”

“Don’t worry, it will! I’ll even pay for it and everything!” He sighed, making his way toward the restaurant. Honestly, you didn’t wanna even get anything to eat. For the most part, it was just spoiling Xiao for once since he never went anywhere and only ate the almond tofu Verr Goldet made at the Inn.

I hope that you can be happy, at least for today.

[jeongvision]

nct’s jaehyun’s perfume collection review!! (pt.2)

**for part one, please refer to here!

hello and welcome back, everyone! i’m back with another perfume review of nct’s jeong jaehyun’s perfume collection! i love smelling and collecting perfumes so this was a perfect excuse to know how he ‘smells’ like!

in this post, i will be reviewing:

tom ford fucking fabulous

byredo bal d’afrique

again, for each of the scents, i will be adding photos associated with each perfume along with my reviews/reactions and listing if it’s masculine/feminine, my recommendation, and rating!

disclaimer: again, this is NOT an advertisement but simply a fun and personal review of his perfume collection! but seriously an endorsement deal would be nice like i’ve seen so many people buying his scents after publishing my first post

before you buy!! some of the fragrances will react differently on your skin as the scents are based on your body chemistry with certain chemicals listed on their ingredients. thus, you may smell a different scent when sprayed on your body than on mine. not only that, some of the perfumes utilizes synthetic ingredients, which can be a deterrent for those with a sensitive nose. i strongly recommend sampling them out at local stores before purchasing as these brands are expensive.

warnings: heavy cursing, some vulgar language lmao (they will be listed as [**] if you would like to skip those parts, especially for minors)

TOM FORD FUCKING FABULOUS

“Tom Ford’s iconoclastic leather scent is spicy, warm and decadent. A gourmand almond and iris heart imbue textural richness to the luscious leather, intensified by floral orris accord. The effect is so exquisitely beautiful, no other name would do.” —Tom Ford

oh my god

oh my fucking gOD

WHAT THE FUCK

OH MY FUCKING GOD HE SMELLS SO FUCKING SEXY WHAT RHEBFUCUU

[**] HE LITERALLY SMELLS LIKE OFFICE SEX

[**] LIKE CEO! JAEHYUN CALLING YOU INTO HIS OFFICE AND HIM BENDING YOU OVER HIS THOUSAND DOLLAR DESK AND RAILING YOU LIKE A GOOD WHORE YOU ARE

[**] HE SMELLS LIKE A FUCKING DILF I FUCKING CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE

WHAT THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS INFORMATION NOW??!!?!

OH MY GODDDDDDDDD

so anyways

back to the program

it smells like spicy vanilla

but make it sexy LMFAO

like i said in my previous post, i’m not a big fan of vanilla scents

and i would like to add that i’m also not a big fan of spicy scents

initially, i wasn’t too hyped of the scent after spraying it on my forearm bc the spice overpowered the vanilla a little

but after it settled and the intensity of the spice faded a little

it smelled so sEXY OH MY GOD

like i’m just imagining him using it??

and i just—

i literally combust

externally and internally HAHAHA

i was having thoughts the whole time and i still can’t stop thinking about it

but yeah i’ve noticed that with the tom ford scents: it smells soooo much better once you let it settle on your skin for a bit

if you were to ask me to pick between this scent and white suede, i’d pick white suede by a close margin

they’re both very distinct but so charming in their own ways

[**] lmao i asked my friend who also smelled this if she agrees that it smells like office sex and she was like

[**] ‘i was thinking more like getting fucked by my hot professor in an empty classroom but office sex works too’

[**] so basically he smells like sex

i rest my case

[**] fuck me daddy

masculine or feminine? masculine!

recommend? only if you see yourself using this. i bought this as an atomizer (10 ml) so the only time i would be using this is when i spray it on my sweater and smell it while i type up a scenario thinking of him LMFAOO

rating: 9/10 (again, i’m not too big of a fan with vanilla and spicy scents!)

BYREDO BAL D’AFRIQUE

“With a focus on beauty and fantasy, Bal d’Afrique is Ben Gorham’s ‘love letter’ to Africa. Wanting to sum up and celebrate the reach and influence of Africa through time, particularly the way its myriad cultures have shaped dance, art and music, the idea of an imaginary event.” —Byredo

this was actually a surprise??

you would think that with all the scents i’ve reviewed so far, this one would be something leathery or musky

or at least powdery

but this one was actually sweet!

like a fruity type of sweet!

but adult version LOL

some people said it has a citrus touch to it and i kind of smell it??

i see it more fruity tbh

but like i said, different body chemistries and such

this is a scent that he said he’s been using lately during nct u’s make a wish promo era

and i believe he mentioned during an interview that he uses this perfume during the summer

with the tom ford fucking fabulous during the winter and said something like:

‘that should give you an idea of what kind of style/person i am.’

motherfucker has TASTES I CAN TELL YOU THAT

THE RANGE HE HAS???

how is he even real wtf

honestly i am so in love with this scent

i’ve been wearing it almost every time i’ve been going out omg it’s so nice

and one of my friends complimented it so you KNOW shit’s smell good

this might be my new favorite perfume it’S SO NICE WHAT THE HELL

HIS TASTES— HOW

do i want to buy the whole bottle

it’s tempting fUCK

rip my wallet :(

masculine or feminine? feminine!!

recommend? HELL FUCKING YEAH IT SMELLS SO NICE OMG I LOVE IT AND THE FACT I CAN WEAR IT TOO IS SO NICE

rating: the # of nct members now/10

tl;dr— he’s still smelling sexy as ever and i don’t think i’m okay

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS Do-S Kyuuketsu VERSUS Ⅲ Vol.5 Shuu VS Yuma [Track 6]

Original title: 届かぬ言葉

Source: Diabolik Lovers VERSUS III Vol. 5 Shuu VS Yuma [CD not owned by me]

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Toriumi Kousuke & Tatsuhisa Suzuki

Translator’s note: While the conclusion of this CD is definitely better than the Subaru VS Kou one, it still left me wanting more. I can just never get enough of the Shuu & Yuma rivalry tbh. Their interactions are always so much fun, it was really what made this CD shine. Sometimes I even forgot the MC was even there, lol. We’ve come a long way since the original set of VERSUS CDs where it was 99% blood-sucking scenes.

Track 1 ll Track 2 ll Track 3 ll Track 4 ll Track 5 ll Track 6

→  LIKE MY TRANSLATIONS? SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI!

Track 6: Words Out of Reach

Shuu: Haah...

Yuma: Look at ya pretendin’ you’re the shit...But well...Guess I’ll thank ya at least. ...Thanks mate.

Shuu: Whatever...

Yuma: Is that the kind of attitude the guy who inherited that man’s powers should have? Or maybeーー

Shuu: Who knows?

Yuma: Whatcha tryin’ to change the subject for now, huh? Just be honest with yerself for once.

Shuu nearly collapses. 

*Thud*

Yuma: ...!! You...

Shuu: ...Ugh.

Yuma: Che...So ya were just actin’ tough after all. 

Shuu: Haah...Shut up. Don’t get ahead of yourself after I’m the one who had to save you.

Yuma: Heh...I don’t know where ya suddenly found this motivation, but you’re damn late. If you’re gonna do somethin’, then do it right from the very start. When you’re like that...

Yuma tugs you towards his side. 

*Rustle*

Yuma: No way in hell I’m lettin’ ya have her.

*Rustle*

Yuma: Let’s continue where we left off earlier. I didn’t get to hear yer answer ‘cause we got interrupted midway through. If ya choose me...I’ll make ya happy.

*Rustle rustle*

Yuma: ...So, tell me where ya want them? Unlike him, I will fulfill yer desires.

You get flustered. 

Shuu: Haah...Are you trying to agitate me? Doing that is pointless though.

Yuma: Hah. Then ya better stay out. Just shut yer darn mouth and watch there in frustration. ...Come on. Right here.

Yuma bites you.

*Sluuuuuurp*

Yuma: Hah...

Shuu approaches and grasps your chin. 

Shuu: ...Haah...Look at that shameless expression. Do his fangs really feel that good?

You whimper.

Shuu: Hm...? You really are a foolish woman who has fallen victim to her own desires. But you make an even better expression when I’m the one biting you.

Shuu bites her as well.

Yuma: ...!? Oi!!

Shuu: Nnh...Shut up...It’ll ruin the blood. Keep quiet. ...I’m thirsty because I used my magic earlier. Give me more...

*Gulp gulp*

Shuu: Mmh...

Yuma: Che...Look at this guy gettin’ all cocky. ーー Oi, Sow, don’t ya dare let him take all yer attention away from me. Hahn...

*Sluuuuuurp*

Yuma: Hehe...Nice reaction. I’ll give ya even more as a reward.

Shuu: ...Can’t you suck a little more quietly? The sound’s bothering me.

Yuma: Haah!? If you’re only here to talk shit ‘bout how I do things, then get the fuck out already!

Shuu: ...I don’t have to take orders from you. ー Hey, you...Lift your face.

You hesitate. 

Shuu: Hurry up. 

*Rustle*

Shuu: A place he hasn’t bitten you yet...Right here, huh?

Shuu bites you again.

*Gulp gulp gulp*

Yuma: Heh. Then I’ll go for this spot.

*Sluuuuuurp*

Shuu: Those are quite the sounds you’re making...Haha...

Yuma: It’s better than havin’ her just lie there as if she’s dead, right? Makes me want to make her cry out even more.

Shuu: ...We’ll see about that.

Yuma: Heh. Big words comin’ from the guy who roughened her up earlier. (1) ...This is the spot you sucked from earlier, no?”

*Rustle*

Shuu: Seems like it.

Yuma: Hah? That’s all ya have to say? Isn’t there somethin’ else ya should tell her?

Shuu: Something I have to say? Hm...Ah, I see. ...My bad.

Yuma: Heeh? Seems like you’re not rotten to the core at least.

Shuu: ...Are you happy now? You’re too nosy.

Yuma: Heh. Well, can’t deny you’re stayin’ true to yer character. 

Shuu: ...?

Yuma: What? Got a problem?

Shuu: No...That’s not it. There’s just something I have to tell you as well. ...I’m sorry for the fire in the village, and the fact you were turned into a Vampiーー

Yuma: ーー Woah there!

*Rustle*

Yuma: I’m headin’ back then.

Shuu: Hah?

Yuma: Did ya not hear me? I’m goin’ home. I’m honestly exhausted, ya see. I’ll let ya escort her back to the human world.

You grab hold of Yuma’s sleeve.

*Rustle*

Yuma: Hehe...What? Ya want me to stay that badly? ...I’m not givin’ ya up or anythin’. Next time I get my hands on ya, I’m not lettin’ go again. ...So try and make up yer mind whether ya want me or him.

Shuu: Oi, waiーー

Yuma leaps away.

*Woosh* 

Shuu: Haah...Who’s the one trying to act cool now, huh? ...I can’t step forward because he left first. ...But, he better not believe that I’ll keep being stuck in place. ーー I’m sorry, Yuma.

You look over at Shuu.

Shuu: We’re heading home. ーー Hey, go pluck some of those apples over there. For some reason...I’m really in the mood for one of those.

Shuu walks ahead.

*SCENE SHIFT*

Yuma: ...Fuck. He acted all strong even though he was clearly terrified of his own powers. ...Guess that secretive side of him will never change. 

...In the end, I guess there’s some things ya can only understand once you’re actually in that position...It pisses me off. But well, guess there’s no point in rackin’ my brain over it, is it? It’s obvious we both have things only we can understand. 

...I’ll create my own place where I belong. I’ve done so in the past as well after all. I’ll show ya that it takes more than lil’ motivation to take me down, so ya better wait and see (2) ーー Shuu.

ーー THE END ーー

Translation notes

(1) Literally he says ‘the guy who plunged in his fangs (so strongly), it made the wound/skin swell’. 

(2) The expression 首洗って待っとけ or ‘kubi aratte mattoke’ literally means ‘wash your neck and wait’, but it’s a common idiom used to threaten someone that you’re coming for them, so they better brace themselves.

[comicaurora]

Honestly, massive respect to you for the amount of thought you put into working how to integrate the sexuality stuff. Tbh BEING an aro/ace person it's hard to work out what's going on ever. Even despite having the language for it, I literally had to figure it out by talking to my friends and realizing the way I felt about other people was WAY different from how THEY felt about other people, in that There Were Different Types of Feelings. It's an experience that feels really hard to communicate without having it be a Whole Thing, and I'd imagine it gets harder in a world where sexuality differences don't really MATTER to anyone (which is great and how it should be). I really appreciate the transparency about you wanting to put it in but wanting to make it organic and not uncomfortable- it feels almost refreshing and I have faith in whatever happens

Nobody thinks their own experience is abnormal until told otherwise by someone whose experience is different. In my experience, unless you're in a context that's actively conflicting with innate parts of you, you're probably not gonna be super aware of those parts.

I had a conversation about this with a friend of mine in college. I mentioned feeling kind of weird about the concept of gender, because I genuinely didn't think about it most of the time. I'd try to see if I felt like A Woman and there wouldn't be anything there. It was frankly hard for me to understand why anyone would feel so strongly about their gender - but I knew some people did, because some people felt strongly enough about it to transition.

She told me she used to feel acutely aware of that all the time, but since transitioning she'd started to feel the same way I did - not thinking about it. She didn't feel Extremely Womanly, she just felt… fine. Now that she'd reached a point where she wasn't being constantly reminded that Something Is Different About You, she wasn't acutely aware of the parts of herself that weren't fitting.

In my experience, "coming out" is a side effect of an environment that tacitly assumes certain things are universal. Someone in that environment who doesn't 100% fit that "universal" model becomes acutely aware of the parts of themself that aren't part of that model, and if they want anyone to understand that about them, they need to actively, awkwardly tell them. In a context where that isn't true, "coming out" stops making sense as a concept.

This kind of thing happened in She-Ra, where the writers created a world where gender and orientation were completely un-noteworthy. Nobody is surprised that Bow has two dads, nobody is weirded out that Angella is ruling alone without a king or that most of the warriors and guards are women, nobody thinks it's weird that Double Trouble uses "they" pronouns, nobody ever brings up that Perfuma is trans. None of these things are noteworthy, so they aren't noted. And that means the characters have to demonstrate their orientations and identities by action and context clues only. (And that means Perfuma's identity is never canonically established, because there seems to have been no organic way to bring it up in-story.)

Creating a world where a diverse range of experiences are understood as "normal" makes it a lot harder to draw direct attention to those experiences, but I strongly believe it's a better way to handle it. The alternative is like those 90's-style Girl Power narratives where the heroine would go all "oh, you think just because I'm a woman I can't kick ass!" to constantly draw attention to how weird it was that she was a woman and also kicking ass. The writers could have instead let her kick ass without acting like it was scandalously daring and tacitly implying that women being able to kick ass was incredibly unusual while dudes doing the same was completely un-noteworthy. By explicitly stating that this experience is notable it reinforces the idea that it's not normal, not expected or not broadly understood. In a real-world or real-world-adjacent setting this can work without much trouble because it's probably fairly close to our current society and we can assume a similar understanding of gender and orientation (Benson casually coming out in Kipo makes sense since the setting is near-future post-apocalyptic), but in a fantasy story it often doesn't fit at all.

It's fundamentally just another form of show-don't-tell. It's always best to show us who the character is and how they work and think. If telling works, feel free to tell too - but telling doesn't always make sense in-narrative.

[takahero]

in honour of finishing inkspell, here are some basta observations I picked up along the way. also, inkspell spoilers warning! i also have MANY MANY thoughts so i’d love to hear what you guys think to some of the questions raised

“He hadn’t changed: the same thin face, the same way of narrowing his eyes, and there was an amulet dangling around his neck to ward off the bad luck that Basta thought lurked under every ladder, behind every bush.” — pg.138

“Basta’s left hand was bandaged, Elinor noticed when he took his fingers away from her mouth.” — pg.139

“‘I’d have been here much sooner, believe you me, but they put me in jail for a while on account of something that happened years ago. No sooner was Capricorn gone than all the people who’d been too scared to open their mouths suddenly felt very brave.’” — pg.140 (see they never tell us WHY he was in prison, do they? the possibilities are endless. we know he committed atrocious things, like arson, but imagine if he got put in jail for something completely different…LOL)

“‘You wouldn’t believe how often I’ve told him there’s nothing to be ashamed of in going to jail, particularly when your prisons here are so much more comfortable than our dungeons at home.’” — pg.140 (OHHHTMGOD MEME IDEA)

“Basta flung his arm so roughly round Orpheus’ neck that his glasses slipped down his nose.” — pg.141

“‘Hold your tongue, Basta!’ Mortola interrupted him abruptly. ‘You’ve always liked the sound of your own voice.’” — pg.141

“‘Well, Silvertongue, I’m sorry it’s taken some time,’ he said in his soft, cat-like voice.” — pg.180

“‘My son always said revenge was a dish best eaten cold,’ observed Mortola.” — pg.181 (question. did basta find out about mortola’s true identity between inkheart & inkspell? do u think he realised it when mortola cried when capricorn died?)

“Basta passed a finger over his throat and winked at him.” — pg.186 (wink 2 LMAO)

“Basta bent down and picked up a rusty helmet lying at his feet. ‘What do you expect me to say?’ he growled, throwing the helmet back into the grass with a gloomy expression, and giving it a kick that sent it clattering against the wall. ‘Of course it’s our castle. Didn’t you see the figure of the goat on the wall there? Even the carved devils are still standing, though they wear ivy crowns now — and look, there’s one of the eyes that Slasher liked to paint on the stones.’” — pg.190

“‘So Basta was right after all. He’s dead, here and in the other world too.’” — pg.191 (interesting….so Basta knew Mortola’s plan wouldn’t work? he just wanted a ride home?)

“‘I’d really like to know what happened!’ he muttered. ‘I always said Capricorn wasn’t here, but what about the others?…What are we going to do if they’re all gone?’ Basta sounded like a boy afraid of the dark. ‘Do you want us to live in a cave like brownies until the wolves find us? Have you forgotten the wolves? And the Night-Mares, the fire-elves, all the other creatures crawling around the place…I for one haven’t forgotten them, but you would come back to this accursed spot where there are ghosts lurking behind every tree!’ He reached for the amulet dangling around his neck, but Mortola did not deign to look at him.

“‘Oh, be quiet!’ she said, so sharply that Basta flinched.” — pg.192

“‘You’re going to leave them here?’ That was Basta’s voice.” — pg.193 (at first I was like oh so he has a heart….but then he was mean to resa straight after this 🙄)

“‘Sorry, but he must have overlooked me, shut up in that cage as I was,’ purred Basta in his catlike voice.” — pg.377

“‘Wasn’t it Mortola who had you put in the cage to be fed to the Shadow?’ Basta just shrugged his shoulders and flung back his silver-grey cloak. Of course, he had his knife. A brand new one, it seemed, finer than any he’d ever had in the other world, and undoubtedly just as sharp.

“‘Yes, not very nice of her,’ he said as his fingers caressed the handle of the knife. ‘But she’s really sorry.’” — pg.377 (okay so it SOUNDS like he threatened/made some kind of bargain with his knife, but I strongly doubt that considering how afraid he seems of her?? i know he’s technically working for the adderhead but even by the end of the book, it seems he is far closer to mortola than adderhead. what is their relationship? or does he sincerely think she’s sorry/has deluded himself into believing such? UGH SO MANY QUESTIONS)

“Basta had always liked describing his own and other people’s abominable deeds in detail.” — pg.378

“‘But we’re not going to shoot you.’ Basta came a little closer to Fenoglio, his face as intent as that of a stalking cat.” — pg.378 …. living for all the cat references tbh

“‘He wants you to crawl on your belly to him, that’s what our noble lord and master likes. But never mind, he pays well!’” — pg.378 (yes basta all abt getting that bread LMAOOOO)

“He slowly drew the knife from his belt. Its blade was long and slightly curved.” — pg.379

“‘Hey Basta, I know you like the sound of your own voice.’” — pg.379 (AHAHAHAHA HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE CALLED OUT BASTA ON THIS NOW? IVE LOST TRACK)

“With a regretful sigh, Basta put the knife back in his belt. ‘Yes, very well, you’re right,’ he said in surly tones. ‘I need to take my time with this sort of thing. Questioning people is an art, a real art.’” — pg.380 (LMAOOOOOOO HE IS SUCH A DRAMA QUEEN)

“Basta. The same thin face, the same twisted smile. Only the clothes were different. Basta was no longer wearing his white shirt and black suit with the flower in his buttonhole. No, Basta now wore the Adderhead’s silvery grey, and he had a sword at his side. With a knife in his belt too, of course. But he was holding a dead chicken in his left hand.” — pg. 455

“‘Yes, they are!’ purred Basta. ‘The little witch, and the fire-eater into the bargain. It was well worth the wait. Even though I’ll probably never get that damned flour out of my lungs again.’” — pg.455 (ok….so who’s gonna draw basta sitting amongst the flour AAHHAHA)

“‘Servant? Who’s a servant here? Just listen to him. As bold as if he’d never felt my knife! Have you forgotten how you screamed when it cut your face?’” — pg.457 … don’t call basta a servant…..noted

“‘Oh, don’t look so disbelieving, little witch, I still can’t read and I don’t intend to learn, but there are enough fools around the place who can, even in this world.’” —pg. 457 (i wonder how much capricorn influenced basta’s views on reading. because capricorn said that he learnt how to read from a maid, right? so basta certainly wouldn’t have trash-talked reading in front of him. and even after living in OUR world for nine years, I’m still surprised that he never attempted to learn, given how dependent we are on it. anyway my headcanon is that he secretly wants to, but doesn’t want to give others the satisfaction of knowing they have something he doesn’t. also nobody he knows would be willing to teach him (unless he threatened them) bc of his obviously violent and short-tempered nature…and learning requires so much patience. still, though, would love a fic of basta being taught how to read in secret and having some kind of positive interaction)

“‘You’re even more talkative than you used to be, Basta.’ Dustfinger’s voice sounded as if he found this tedious.” — pg.458 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH IM DYING. honestly the animosity between them was just. A+++

“Basta was in an even worse state. He was sitting close to Mortola, his face so red and swollen that Meggie almost failed to recognise him. But he had escaped death once again. Perhaps the good-luck charms he always wore worked after all.” — pg.526

“The sunlight falling into the room made Basta’s face look like a boiled lobster.” — pg.575 

“Basta put his hand to the amulet hanging around his neck. It was not a rabbit’s paw, as he had worn in Capricorn’s service, but something that looked suspiciously like a human finger-bone.” — pg.581 (THIS STILL IRKS ME SO MUCH)

“The Piper straightened his back, as ready to attack as the viper on his master’s coat of arms…He was a good head taller than Basta.” — pg.582 WHY DO I KEEP FORGETTING HES NOT TALL LMFAO

“The two men were standing so close that the blade of Basta’s knife wouldn’t have fitted between them.” — pg.582 HAHAHAJAHAAJAHAHHAAHAHAHAH PKESJENE I LOVE THIS SO MUCH … IMAGINE BASTA SQUARING UP W HIS NOSE JUST SMACK BANG IN THE MIDDLE OF PIPER’S CHEST OR SOMETHING

“The Piper struck Basta in the face so hard that his head hit the door frame. Blood ran down his burned cheek in a trail of red. He wiped it away with the back of his hand. ‘Take care to avoid dark corridors, Piper!’ he whispered. ‘You don’t have a nose any more, but one can always find something else to cut off.’” — pg.582-583 THIS SCENE WAS SIMPLY……CHEF’S KISS

are you serious is he dead??? WHAT. okay I knew dustfinger’s love for farid would be the end of him and basta being the instrument to rip that away from him was totally heartrending. i WISH it had been more climactic? like dustfinger unleashing his fury and fighting basta, blind with anger and grief. THE DIALOGUE POTENTIAL BETWEEN THEM AS THEY FINALLY TALK ONE-ON-ONE, and then some revisiting of the scene where dustfinger has the opportunity to kill basta but AGAIN withholds because killing is not in his nature….THEN MO IN SHINING ARMOUR SWOOPS IN TO DO THE JOB

now, off to inkdeath!

[rinharu-purple]

(pt 1 cause word limit) I'm sad they had to replace the entire cast and had to go to some extend for that over the political tissue. I really enjoyed Joe as Gavin's voice. He deliver the lines really well and understanding how it would be portray. But I hope the VAs are doing well and we did get to experience the lovely interactions/voice lines they did for our boys with the time they had. There's always the CN voices lol! Do you know how/why the company got blacklisted?

Nonny, you need a name lol😜 thank you for your questions.

Pt. 1

Even though our hearts ache, the only thing we can all do now is to support the new VAs and hope for the best.

There is not an official announcement saying that PG/Elex is blacklisted. However the VA community is a well networked one and I believe that the company has gained a infamous name in the wake of the incident. The VAs, especially in the US, know and support each other strongly. You can take a look at the following answers to our RIP VAs tweets to get the idea:

Those are only some of the A-lister VAs who showed their support to our guys. And let's be honest, the way PG/Elex treated the former VAs was a no-no. They fired Jonah for something out of the contract's context, didn't reach out to Joe and Sean after their announcements and I don't think they've been paying much for their services either tbh. Now that the VA community witnessed such an audacity, I wouldn't be surprised if they told their managers :"No gigs from PG/Elex".

I still stand behind my word from then, that the most financially profitable, politically correct and ethically well directed solution would have been to accept Jonah's apology, amend the contract's by including political aspects (what a silly thing, but yeah) and get the guys back. Now, by this half hearted solution they are obviously losing their fan base, thus money and as a logical result, their footing in the ENG server. We're talking about the company that has already closed an abroad server before btw. (see. NIKKI Korean server). I'm not trying to spread anxiety but it's a possibility that they shut the ENG server off after the finale of S1. It's written in the stars for the moment.

--—----—---—---

I hope this can answer your question lovely nonny❓🥰

Pt. 2 and pt. 3 will come sometime around the coming days. Probably will do pt. 3 first then pt. 2 😉

For everyone else for clarification: some STF HC is on the way ☺️

[terrainofheartfelt]

Obviously have to do something from the Little Women AU:

“Whitman is a genius.”

“Ugh, you are such a boy, you only say that because you are too uncultured to have read Verlaine.”

Dan snorts in derision before forming another retort, something about how Blair is such a girl.

Vanessa checks out of the rest of the debate, she’s seen enough of these to know that they’ll be going on for some time yet.

Vanessa once witnessed them viciously argue over the fate of the characters in A Tale of Two Cities in the attic for the better part of an afternoon. She’d watched them, mystified at the fact that if they had stopped talking at each other long enough they might have realized that they were basically saying the same thing.

They are always taunting each other, antagonistic. Dan will complain to Vanessa about how he doesn’t get it, why must Blair act this way? And Vanessa will think that he’s an idiot, because she can clearly see how Blair lights up whenever he’s around, and how she blushes every time he calls her “Waldorf.” Vanessa is no fool either, she knows that Dan doesn’t strongly believe half the things he says to challenge Blair, he only says them to goad her into a discussion.

At least she does not have to bear these altercations alone. Blair’s best bosom friend is always present too, and Serena will catch Vanessa’s eye with a wry smile and a fond shake of her head, and it will set Vanessa aglow.

Even with all the arguments and colliding personalities, Vanessa is exceptionally fond of her company, and she finds herself wishing on more than one occasion that they may stay like this forever.

Fic writer’s commentary ask game

Ooooh I love that you picked this passage actually because there’s so much going on okay let’s dive in

So of course, in the Dair of it all, it was really fun to imagine how they would translate into the period of the story, because their “real connection” was built around their mutual interests in art and film and literature so like, what would these pretentious little dorks obsess/debate over if they were born in the middle of the nineteenth century?

For Dan, Whitman was an easy choice. I think Dan of any era past the mid 19th century would be drawn to Walt Whitman, and this iteration of Dan specifically, in his comeup as a writer would really connect with the transcendentalist writing. (Vanessa too to a certain extent, I mean, we even have her moving to school and out of a commune at the beginning of the fic). And, Alcott herself rubbed elbows with the writers of the movement, and if one views Jo as Alcott’s self-insert, it’s not a far leap to make that Dan, who shares the role of Jo with Vanessa in this fic, is drawn to that genre. Also, the admiration of Whitman leaves space for queerness, because I can’t not make a fic about Dan being bi. I just can’t.

For Blair, I was just reaching for a French name, tbh. I think this Blair would still be her father’s francophile daughter, and would have grown up learning French, and having stories read to her in French, and learning to read and write it as would have been expected of an upper class girl in the time period. And that’s Blair, ya know? Wanting to grow up into “what’s proper” and being raised with high educational expectations and class advantages, traits she shares with one Theodore Laurence. I myself am not that familiar with the French Romantics beyond reading Les Miserables in college and all the poetry I ingested as a classical singer. That’s really where Verlaine’s name came from, as he, along with Hugo and a couple others dominated the romantic movement when it came to French poetry, and whose work was frequently set by composers when romanticism reached French music (music always comes at the tail end of these movements, because composers were working in response to the visual and literary art that came before them).

So that’s one shade of what’s going on, it’s just a shame that Dickinson wasn’t really published until after the events of this fic, because like…she is the Dair poet.

And of course, Dickens! Dickens was the moment for these kids. The Marches all read him—they named their club after the Pickwick Papers, which I do nod to in the fic, so of course Dan and Blair have read his novels and of course they have opinions about them. The Tale of Two Cities bit specifically was also inspired by another piece of media that is dear to my heart: Cassandra Clare’s YA series The Infernal Devices. It’s set in the second half of the 19th century, and though it’s a fantasy series first and foremost, one of the central romantic pairings in the books bonds/bickers over their love of books, Tale of Two Cities being one of them.

(Quick sidebar: Clare’s Shadowhunter Chronicles saga was a pre-GG obsession for me, and I am still very fond of them, and like any piece of YA media created by a human being they are not perfect, and because I have been on tumblr a long time I know people have lots of opinions on them but here’s the thing: I started reading those books in junior high, when I moved in high school they were there (and were one of the ways I bonded with the girl who is my best friend to this DAY), and through college and grad school and beginning my adult life, those stories and characters have been there for me, and feel like home in a way, so, they hold a singular place in my story-saturated heart.)

In fact, the inscription Dan writes to Blair at the end of the fic is directly inspired by a scene in Infernal Devices, but the content is pretty different, because Dan and Blair, though they carry some similarities, are very different characters and a different couple from the ones Clare writes. But the Tale of Two Cities hook fits the period and the tastes of Dair perfectly, and as Clare rightfully shows in her novels the “You have been the last dream of my soul” is such a raw fucking line I MEAN Charlie Dickens what were you ON.

So that’s all the references going on, but now let’s talk Vanessa. I think in the show, one of the reasons the Dair friendship unfolded the way it did is that Blair, in many respects, steps into the void Vanessa leaves in Dan’s life when she departs the show, in the sense that Blair is now the one who challenges him to grow, who is his intellectually stimulating friend, who he can go to screenings and art shows with and will call him out for being a Bitch. Which is…a damn shame kind of, because it shows that Blair and Vanessa had all the right markers to be great friends if the writers weren’t COWARDS.

But the beauty of fic is that I can construct MY ideal nonjudging breakfast club and *gestures at lw au ficverse* there it is. Also, in a perfect world, where Vanessa had been around to watch the progression of Dair, she would have clocked that shit so fast. Like she does here. There’s obvious Blair Fell First/Amy “I have spent my entire life loving you” March overtones, but I also thought it was important to illustrate that Dan has Feelings too, even if they aren’t obvious (least of all to him), even if they don’t settle and mature and grow until he’s a man and until he’s had some time apart from Blair and Vanessa to see it, because Dan at this point in the story, he thinks Vanessa is all he wants, she’s the only one he’s making room in his heart for, and he cannot see past that to anyone else, even though he is fond of Waldorf. He’s just doesn’t have the emotional capacity and intelligence to process it.

In this fic, I chose to embrace the queercodedness of Jo March (and Gerwig’s Jo March) and just make Vanessa a full out lesbian, with a big damn crush on Serena, because I like to cause problems on purpose, and onesided Serenessa in how Vanessa’s story unfolds in this verse appeals to me. And it allows for Vanessa to have some introspection regarding her feelings towards Dan, in feeling two different kinds of love for two different people, and being able to tell the difference, and knowing her feelings enough (not much but enough) to respond to Dan’s proposal when he makes it. And it opens the door for her to recognize and pursue her love for Olivia when it comes forth.

That last little paragraph is just the crux of Little Women and Jo’s character ya know? Of her seeing this happy family around her, and wanting to keep it the same for forever. The most popular aria & the most prevalent leitmotif in the Little Women opera is “Things change, Jo.” It’s first sung by Meg, but it’s repeated by everyone, and Jo fights it with her whole being through the entire show, until the finale, when she accepts it and bids farewell to the ghosts following her around and embraces her life for what it is and lets a new person (Bhaer) into it. At its core Little Women is a domestic drama about the excruciating pain of growing up, and learning to keep oneself open to love despite the bruises and heartbreak that happen along the way. And maybe that’s a little too deep and sophisticated a theme for this Gossip Girl 2007 fanfiction, but if I could make that shine through even a little bit, I would be pleasantly shocked with myself.

[honey-hippie-harper]

The Day Gatlon Fell

(TW: VIOLENCE)

IT’S VALENTINE’S DAY AFSGHJAFSGHJA. I should’ve done something nice but I don’t seem to be physically capable of doing that, sO IF YOU WOULD BE SO KIND TO PLEASE FORGIVE ME AFGSHAFGHAJ. I guess from the title it’s...kinda clear what this is all about, because I like to write about my imaginary complex relationships in Renegades. Yet, I wrote it with love and I hope you like it :’)

This fic is actually a present for those who want to accept it (If you don’t, I understand tbh). But  I’m going to dedicate it for the ones who constantly pretend they tolerate me and like my writing, which are my fellow Reneweys: @healing-winston-pratt @obsidianfr3sk @alecjamesartino @nodrianbcyes @everyone-has-a-nightmare . I love you guys SO much. Thanks for being a safe space full of people who share the same mother tongue and laugh at my stupid jokes.

Also @all-weather-is-bad whom I love very much. Thank you for tolerating me to :’) <3 and @ifyouhadntbutyoudid bECAUSE FELLOW LATINA <3 (also your art for HCTTR still makes me cry and I know you like Leroy).

And idk if this matters or not, but, for the ones who understand Spanish, this fic was heavily based upon this (yes, the contemporary dance and everything don’t judge me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaaVpaE1XGA

Alec called them the Anarchists, because he called himself Ace Anarchy. And, in a world where prodigies were hurt, mistreated and killed, he also called them hope.

Hope called themselves the Anarchists, and they reunited at the outskirts of the city, and then they marched towards Gatlon when it was still dawning. There were many, many of them, creating a huge mass of people. Some of them were only wearing masks in order to protect their identity, but others, like them, the main circle of Anarchists, were in full costume, including Alec, Ace Anarchy, who was marching at the back of the crowd, for Alec Artino had faked his disappearance (and possible assassination) less than two weeks ago.

As an act of symbolism (in Alec’s own words) the Queen Bee was at the lead, while him, Leroy (Cyanide), stood two steps behind her, with Gerard Hoffman, Atomic Brain, at his right, and Lincoln Palmer, Brimstone, at his left. Behind them were Dexter Hartley, Rat, and the Thompsons. Then, everything was too much, and there were too many people to name them all, when he barely remembered his own name at the moment.

Every distance looked moderately short until you had to travel it by foot, or when you were too anxious to arrive at your destination. Leroy, personally, didn’t consider himself to be anxious per se. At least, that wasn’t the word he would’ve used to describe his situation.

For the first time in forever, Leroy’s mind was making too much noise, and he didn’t know how to make it stop, nor did he know how to decipher what it was trying to say to him. While he marched, Leroy was surrounded by sounds. There were the distant, faint movements of the awakening city, the ring of keys, the dragging of boots, the hasty breaths, the silent prayers, Honey humming to an inexistent melody, while her dress danced to her voice, hanging from her body.

Honey was easily one of the best dressed out of the bunch, which was a very typical Honey attitude from her part. The most meaningful thing in his own costume was the lab coat and the scientific pun, but it was more than enough for him, knowing that, after today, many of the people here wouldn’t be alive anyway, and he wasn’t even sure whether he would make it, either.

By the time they started reaching the city’s main entrance, the sun was covering half of their bodies, announcing they might have “nice” (hot) weather today. For a while, at least. And the heat was so extreme it made Leroy’s temple sweat, as well as the rest of his face, behind the mask. However, he resisted the urge to remove it, as his mind started making too much noise again, when it forced him to remember Alec’s words.

“And, remember, that you are the pain, you are the fire, and I am the courage.” He said, while they were sitting around the campfire, one messy night, running away from the police. “Because courage comes from the same place as fear.”

Leroy didn’t agree with some of Alec’s ways. Hell. He really didn’t. Nevertheless, he was also aware of his own position. He was aware he was a prodigy, and he was aware people were exhausting.

Even before he became…special, people were already picking on him. Leroy had been a punching bag the entirety of his life. First, for being too ordinary.

There was always a defect they could find in him.

When he admitted his father had abandoned his mother not long after he was born, he became the fatherless kid who wasn’t important enough to make his father stay (as if his father being an asshole had been his fault); when his mother met Claire, his other mother, he became the outcast who lived with two insane and sick women who dared to say they were in a serious, romantic relationship (even though they were evidently in love); when he discovered he enjoyed science, he became the weird kid who liked Thursdays, because that’s when Mr. Ruiz used to take them to the lab; when he discovered he was good at school overall and teachers offered him to move him one grade ahead, he became the ugly, creepy and fat nerd kid who lived with dykes and had no life.

And so, Leroy was murdered by his classmates in eleventh grade, in the lab. And when he came back as a prodigy, he became the burden. The fucker. The freak. The disgusting prodigy who should’ve stayed dead.

Because, when it came to people, it was never enough.

It really was never enough.

When they didn’t like you, there wasn’t a limit they wouldn’t reach in order to let you know. They hated you when you were too ordinary, but they hated you more when you were extraordinary.

Being a prodigy meant being your own fight. It meant being out there, in a minefield where everybody was chasing after you, and nobody stopped to help. People were often afraid of the things they couldn’t understand.

But courage came from the same place as fear.

And it was a dark, messed up place that, in the rare cases where it didn’t drive you crazy, it ended up killing you.

Alec’s ideas were extreme and a little twisted, even, but nobody had ever seemed to care as much as he did, and Leroy had to give him that.

He strongly defended that, if nobody did, then there would be a time where somebody would have to, and he had to give him that too. Because, one day, he just decided that person would be him. Because, if not him, then who?

“I’m my own fight. We’re all our own fight. And you should just face that and shut your ass, before you get killed.” Leroy told him the day after he personally met him, when Honey called him, saying the wound in his calf had gotten uglier and he was banned from the majority of the hospitals in the city. At first, Leroy didn’t know why that should’ve been a matter of concern to him, but he ended up showing him at the apartment anyway. When he realized Alec hadn’t learned anything from the previous experience and was already planning the next riot, he felt the burning desire to cauterize him out of spite.

So Leroy cauterized him, with no previous warning. Alec screamed so loud he thought he was going to pass out. But when he was done, Alec thanked him, because, sure, he had nearly fainted thanks to the pain, but the wound was closed and no longer bleeding.

“I won’t get killed.” Alec declared, as if he were some type of almighty god. “But if I do, it will be defending my place and my rights. You say we’re all our own fight. Correct. But, as prodigies, we have to stick together.”

“And why is that, exactly?”

“Because somebody has to fight for us.”

“You want to fight for us.”

“I want us to fight for us.”

At that moment, Honey came into the room, carrying a tray with a steaming cup and a plate with French toast with honey.

“They can’t kill us all.” She said.

“Oh, but they can.”

Before she could answer, Alec spoke again.

“Then how come we’re still here?”

As the hours, days, weeks and months went by, Leroy, beneath all his cynicism and incredulity, realized he cared. And, once he was invested in the cause, he decided he cared enough to believe them.

They couldn’t kill them all, but they could kill some of them. Yet, they would die caring and believing, and defending their legitimate right to having lived in the first place. There were some things they couldn’t take back, but there were others they could stop them from taking away.

Because somebody had to.

And, if nobody wanted to fight for them, then they had to be their own fight.

Leroy had already gone down once, and that was the reason why he was willing to do it again if necessary. There were Alecs out there, who had been born prodigies and judged, mistreated and pointed at because of it; there were Honeys out there, who had suffered from fatidic accidents that had left a mark in them forever; there were Leroys out there, who had been bullied for not being a prodigy, but also for being one.

As long as he was alive, there would be no more Leroys. No more Honeys, either. No more Alecs.

They were their own fight, but they were also each other’s fight.

So, as they marched towards the city, they were carrying tons and tons of weight, even from the pain that didn’t belong to them. Even from pain that had already been silenced.

Silenced like the inert body of a murdered prodigy.

Silenced like the city the moment they saw them come.

Needless to say, they were coming in with previous instructions to show no mercy in case anything went wrong, knowing these people had already been attacked right at the heart of their system (their mayor), but when they saw them walk, they showed no resistance to let them through.

Gatlon City met the Anarchists in a moment that remained suspended into the air, while some of them dispersed to block the entrances and exits, and others stood in the middle of the traffic, creating a human wall that prevented the cars from moving forward.

Traffic lights exploded, as well as display screens, just like the days when authorities were trying to censor a violent riot. Doors became locked, just like the days when citizens were being notified of a group of violent prodigies marching through the city, except this time citizens weren’t the ones locking themselves in. Telephone lines became cut, just like the days when they did that so agonizing prodigies wouldn’t say a last goodbye to their loved ones who lived far away.

They were many. Too many.

And they couldn’t kill them all.

When they realized that, panic started spreading among them.

Queen Bee was still taking the lead, but the lines began to become blurrier and blurrier with every second, as some of the prodigies had to leave the formation in order to silence those who dared to try to oppose.

Gatlon City was a bold, intimidating place, with huge buildings, blinding lights and overwhelmingly wide streets that could swallow you whole if you weren’t careful enough. Yet, it welcomed the Anarchists in a scene that was as surreal as it was fascinating. Out of a sudden, it seemed to shrink before them.

To the elemental prodigies’ hands, the sky started to look as if split in two, fragile and breakable like the green leaves hanging from the trees, which were swaying like Honey’s blonde curls that day at the beach.

It was a public music festival, which they had attended while the Thompsons babysat David, out of pure and classic peer pressure coming from Honey herself.

Leroy showed up late at the beach, after waking up from a seven hour nap (the result of not sleeping at night), given that, despite living together, Honey expressed she hadn’t woken him up because she thought it was only an excuse to stand them out.

Beneath the loud chattering, the live music and the crowding, their presence became as irrelevant as a single grain of sand before it was taken away by a wave, but they still managed to get a decent spot, where they could see the stage from the blanket they were using as seats.

Out of the few bucks they were carrying with them at the moment, they managed to gather enough for a bucket of fish and chips from the food trucks, so they sent Alec to go get it, which left Honey and Leroy alone (though surrounded by people) in the blanket.

It was about time she said something about it, but when she did, Leroy still felt the need to roll his eyes at her until they rolled out of his face.

“You’re the only two people I know who dress like that to come to the beach. It’s honestly embarrassing.”

She was referring to the fact Leroy was wearing jeans, sneakers and a black hoodie, while Alec was wearing jeans as well, and a black T-shirt he had gotten for free at an event in his faculty.

“What are you? A vampire or something?” Upon saying that, Honey got her hands in the cooler and took a can of lime flavored soda from it.

“I don’t like leaving the house without my hoodie.” Leroy responded above the clic and the hissing produced by the carbonation. “It hides my rolls.”

It’s not like Leroy was ashamed of his body. In fact, he didn’t give a damn about it, for he wasn’t one to take care of his physical appearance that much. Nevertheless, having people pointing out defects he already knew he had was annoying and an inconvenience he rather preferred not to go through.

“What are you trying to say to me?” Honey let out a screeching laugh, shaking her head to get her hair off her face, before taking a sip from her soda, very slowly, staring directly into Leroy’s eyes, with an arched eyebrow, not mad, but a little malicious and suggestive.

Whatever she was trying to do, it worked perfectly well, because Leroy could tell the exact part of his sentence where he had gone wrong and dug his own grave. Despite his efforts to conceal it and pretend he didn’t regret saying it, he still felt his face burn a little.

Honey was wearing a two-piece swimsuit that day. A yellow bikini top with white polka dots (“Hope you’re getting a great view because this is the only time you’ll ever see me wearing a bra” “You really are a hippie pothead” “So what?” “Honey Hippie Harper” “Great name, Lery”) and a tight, also yellow with polka dots skirt. The top had a huge white bow tie that fell all the way towards her stomach area, but it’s not like it covered much, and Honey wasn’t exactly the size of a Barbie doll herself (though everybody in Gatlon agreed that, somehow, she still managed to look like one).

Good thing her self-esteem was as high as Everest.

“You’re just jealous I’m so hot it feels like my entire body is catching flames while you look like a poor man’s Dracula.”

“Your lexicon is above the clouds today. Did you teach yourself how to read? And you read Dracula, just by chance?“

“You’re such a comedian. I’m dying. My lungs are aching from laughing so much.” Honey laughed sarcastically, in a flat tone, before taking another sip from her soda. “I had a pretty productive and nurturing self-teaching session yesterday.”

“I see.”

“I did teach myself how to read though, but, just so you know, I read Carmilla and not Dracula, because she came first.”

Being that said, she winked.

By that time, Honey didn’t attend as many feminist movements as before, nor did she lead them, but she still looked pretty invested in her cause and beliefs sometimes, and those were the moments when she looked more like herself.

“The more you know.” Leroy said, between his teeth.

Knowing she had won, Honey didn’t respond anything else on the matter, and reached for her sunglasses instead, putting them on. Then, she kept singing along to the song played by the band, about how the world was going to end soon.

Which was fitting for their current situation.

The entire world wasn’t ending today, but maybe it would, in case they succeeded. Leroy wasn’t the most positive person to have ever stepped on Earth, but, if one thing he knew, was that he was completely able to read and accept facts and get to the truth, and said truth was that Gatlon didn’t have much on its part. A bunch of regular citizens, against a bunch of prodigy citizens, whose mere existence was an advantage over them. And it’s not that Leroy thought prodigies were superior, but, objectively, prodigies could do things normal people couldn’t. That’s what made them prodigies in the first place, and it was part of the reason why they didn’t like them, too.

The terror in their faces made Leroy straighten his back. Above his head, he could already hear the helicopters and planes, both from the press and the government. Still standing in his place, he saw Honey stop. She didn’t hesitate or flinched, but she did stare directly at them. Her lips shimmered, as well as her eyes and the bee hanging from her neck, when the remaining morning sun reached and caressed them. Her expression remained serene, until it wasn’t, and her lips started arching into a sideways smile. With the whole crowd waiting behind her, Queen Bee clicked her tongue and giggled. Then, she waved at the sky, with her eyes grinning as well, behind the mask. Leroy could almost visualize the picture in a History book, in the chapter that talked about the day Gatlon fell.

When he took one step forward, he also saw himself in the frame. Honey, for sure, acknowledged his presence before she continued walking, squeezing his wrist a little, as a reassuring gesture he thought he didn’t need.

With two Anarchists at the lead, the weight of the protest became more evident, but the rest of the recruits were keeping them grounded. Flying prodigies were above their heads, keeping themselves at a prudent distance from the planes and helicopters, becoming an emergency signal for the others. They barked orders, so their companions knew where to aim.

The cocky individuals holding guns while standing in the sideway were attacked from behind and killed on spot. Some others didn’t have it that easy, for they were grabbed by extra arms or tentacles and smothered to death. Others were stabbed by flying pieces of glass or other sharp objects. And the one man who thought he was clever enough met Leroy’s palm, and while he tried not to step on his agonizing body (like Honey did) with a face now looking like a melted candle, he didn’t feel anything when he heard him wail in pain.

In fact, Leroy felt so blinded by adrenaline he couldn’t feel anything at all.

The only thing that managed to make him snap back into reality for a short while, was the warmth that later turned into almost unbearable heat and left them with a lack of oxygen for a short while.

Aracely Thompson, Dome, stepped forward and, with a stomp of her foot, translucent, golden chains rose from the ground, trapping the main Anarchists (plus Jerome and her) in a wide intangible circle, which chains melted into each other once the area was delimited, and turned into a see-through bubble. The ones from the outside could see them, but not hear or touch them, let alone harm them.

Leroy wondered why they hadn’t thought about that before, but he figured they had just thought about how Alec would manage just fine on his own at the back.

Fearless and merciless, they kept on walking the cracking pavement, through the growing chaos, trapped in their bubble with recycled air.

With the traffic suspended, the streets looked empty, as if naked. People had already gotten the message, and they were running like scared roaches, trying to get out of their way. Some were holding their children, some were holding their pets, and others were holding both.

“Where’s Ingrid?” Leroy asked in Honey’s ear, upon seeing a mother run away with her child, who looked around Ingrid’s age.

“At a daycare for single mothers…” Aracely was not a single mother (but she was only married through the eyes of religion. Jerome and her weren’t legally married, and, in theory, her name was still Aracely Brito, but she preferred to be called Thompson, and it was the only last name Ingrid had in her fake birth certificate) “In front of a lawyer firm by Trinity street. So, no matter what happens, don’t touch that building.”

They would have to warn Alec about it, or take Ingrid out before he could reach that daycare.

Some years ago, before Alec arrived to Gatlon, there had been an incident, where a daycare for prodigy children had been destroyed; it wasn’t considered legal, of course, and, through the eyes of the government, it didn’t exist. So, when they contacted the owners to ask them to close it and they refused, one of the gas tanks of the daycare conveniently exploded, resulting in a fire and the death of several prodigy children, which meant that, among a lot of other things, Alec would show no mercy for daycares for regular children. In other words, the entirety of daycares in Gatlon, including the one Ingrid was in.

Alec never forgot, nor did he forgive, and he had a wide knowledge in regards to the crimes Gatlon had committed against prodigies.

They continued on walking through the main street, which led to the main bridge, from which cars were falling like little ants. Nobody truly knew what Alec was planning to do, because he was as pragmatic as he was unpredictable, and the more you hung out with him, the looser the thread your life was hanging from became.

He just said Gatlon would fall.

And when he said something would happen, it usually happened.

Upon reaching the bridge, they were greeted by familiar faces, with familiar uniforms, who maybe thought this would be just another routine intervention. That they would be retouching a line they had already painted some time ago. That they had another chance.

There were uniformed men and women, some in cars, some in tanks, some in patrols, holding their guns and pointing at them, the ones who had made it into the bridge instead of staying in the fight below.

Leroy was starting to suspect a part of them knew it would be useless, because this time they weren’t giving them an option, but, still, in their eyes he could see they were desperate enough to try.

Due to the fact there were so many prodigies stepping on the bridge at once, the ground seemed to be buzzing, as well as the air, and the clouds, and the sky, and the life surrounding them, filled with the distant cries and the echoes of the ones they had lost in the way.

In that moment, when they had already arrived, Leroy drifted away.

He heard the bullets.

Bang, bang, bang.

It was a couple of months ago. They had just taken a government building with brute force, and they had locked it from the inside.

They stayed there for almost a week, until the police finally decided to cease fire and left the area. They had no food apart from some crackers and cheese sticks, they had no water (and no water elementals whatsoever), no electricity and no running water either. If that wasn’t bad enough on its own, some of them were injured or losing blood, and the bullets kept hitting the walls on the outside.

Bang, bang, bang.

Honey had always hated being unclean. Even when she wasn’t in the mood to take care of herself, she kept complaining about how much being dirty disgusted her. Hence, after two days, she sat in a corner and refused to move, until the day they were finally released. Everybody was at the verge of going crazy by then, and so, she decided to stand up and join Alec’s motivational speech about why they were doing this in the first place, in which Leroy was also involved.

Then, when it all went quiet, they just stayed there, with the question “Now what?” floating in the air.

One important part of Alec’s motto as a visionary, was reminding others that prodigies were people too. That they had rights. That they had feelings. That they had needs.

Honey, being herself, started singing Rivers of Babylon out of the blue, and while everybody in the room stared at her like she was crazy at first, suddenly, Alec started harmonizing with her, singing as loud as he did on Sundays, at Mass, dehydrated, hungry and everything.

Leroy just stepped aside, looking in the opposite direction, as if that would make everyone believe he didn’t know those two.

It was useless, because many people had already followed them by the second chorus.

Leroy still remembered the one line he had to drag out of his mouth when Honey placed the lipstick tube she was using as a fake microphone very close to his mouth, and everyone suddenly went silent, waiting for him.

“… When we remembered Zion…”

They went ballistic, almost as if they hadn’t been the ones to take this same building in the most violent way one could think about.

After two or three more cheesy songs that Leroy hated, there was a period of two or three minutes where nobody dared to take a turn in the invisible karaoke, and they realized there was something new there.

Absence.

There were no more bullets.

They were alone.

“I’m not very fond of Miss Harper’s taste in music.” Alec told him later that day, back at his apartment, where they had gone together to check on David and shower. “But it’s exactly what our revolution needs in its darkest times.”

“Because it’s obnoxious and loud?”

“No.” Alec told him, smiling sideways. “Because it’s vibrant. When choosing the head of a revolt, Leroy, everything’s about balance. You are serious, she is vibrant and I am versatile.”

“I thought we were talking about her music taste.”

“Are you implying that a person and their music taste aren’t deeply connected?”

That had been forever ago, compared to now, when the triggers were clicking loudly, and they were staring at their companions from sideways or from above.

Sirens screaming in the distance, along with the citizens. There was pain. There was death. There was blood. There were prodigies.

There was anarchy.

And through the confusion and anxiety, something started moving.

They started moving, at the sides, one by one, to let him through.

Now leading the crowd of Anarchists, stood Alec Artino, Ace Anarchy.

His costume was simple, with the boots, the pants, the navy blue sweater, with the golden A, the gabardine…

And the coppery helmet, made by David himself, shining on his head.

If Leroy didn’t know him well enough, he could’ve sworn he was losing his mind and that his mental health was in an extremely dark place.

Alec used to say David was one of the most powerful prodigies that had ever existed, and that this helmet would be the one thing that changed everything, once and for all. Leroy, who had never finished understanding what David could do, often doubted his words, and, to him, the helmet, if anything, only made him look ridiculous.

But he said Gatlon would fall today, and everyone believed him.

Hard as it was for him to admit it, Leroy did too.

“REMOVE THE HELMET AND IDENTIFY YOURSELF!”

If Honey had been able to speak instead of being completely frozen, she probably would’ve said the man at the front looked, plain and simple, like a cop. Light skin, brown eyes, dark brown hair combed to the side, gun in a trembling hand, afraid of the unknown.

The unknown, meaning Alec standing in front of him, with his hands laced behind his back, and his gabardine flowing with the wind.

“I SAID…!”

“I believe it was clear enough I heard you the first time.” Alec declared, tilting his head to the side. “Isn’t a person entitled to decide what questions they desire to respond to by sorting them according to their level of relevance?”

The man gulped so hard Leroy could almost hear him, and then Alec smirked.

“Can you drop your gun or is it attached to your hand? Because if it is, then I will not bother you again. But if it is not, I am going to need you to put it away so we can have a civilized conversation, like normal people do.”

“You’re… y-you’re not normal. Any of you are! YOU’RE NOT NORMAL, YOU MONSTERS! DROP YOUR WEAPONS, NOW!”

Honey’s bees were starting to present themselves at the scene, flying around her, a little uneasy. Leroy, from his part, felt calm, because this, sadly, wasn’t anything they hadn’t seen before.

“Yeah. That is exactly the problem.”

“STEP BACK!”

Alec refused to obey, and remained firm, right there where he was. Slowly, as if he were trying to mentally torture them, he lifted his right hand up. His fingers were in a very specific position, like he was about to make the sign of the cross on somebody.

It was Alec, meaning that, if he had done that, Leroy wouldn’t have been surprised.

But he didn’t.

Besides, if he had actually been planning to, they didn’t give him time for that, for the very second they saw him move, they shot, and many emergency alarms went off.

The bang was so loud Honey covered her ears, and her bees started trying to shield themselves by hiding behind her, beneath her hair or landing on her skin, never stinging her.

Leroy, from his part, felt his fingertips dripping with acid, preparing himself for the impact.

The impact never came.

Right in front of their eyes, the shower of bullets stops. The smell of gunpowder was still filling the air, and the bullets were still there, as present as ever.

However, they were suspended into the air, and one of them was almost touching Alec’s nose, who just smiled, before saying, in such a low volume Honey and him were the only ones who could hear:

“So be it, then.”

Being that said, he lifted his chin.

The bullets turned around.

Then, they were shot in the opposite direction, at full speed, to Alec’s will.

The man at the front of the formation fell first, followed by many others, with the bullets they had shot themselves, in an attempt to kill them.

They fell, one by one, and soon there were puddles of red on the floor, and other voices barking orders.

Shoot the canyons, they said.

But the canyons fell too.

Bring the bombs, they said.

And Alec waved them away as if they were some type of insignificant thing.

The planes, they said.

And they spun and flew out of control, before falling straight into the water or exploding midair.

Bullets stopped again and killed their shooters.

There was blood.

Tons of blood.

That’s when Leroy felt his heart pounding, upon coming to the maybe horrible realization that never had Alec been so strong.

His powers didn’t act like this.

His telekinesis was a hundred times more powerful.

It was…

It was the helmet

“GET THEM!” He shouted then, snapping Leroy back into reality, making him wonder how much time Alec had waited to say those words out loud.

To use those putrid words, the ones they always used before attempting against prodigies, against them.

If he wanted to be honest, hearing them felt good, but Leroy didn’t react immediately.

First he saw the chaos, when the mass of uniformed men and women melted between the prodigies in costumes, stepping on the dead and the dying, sometimes accidentally.

The massacre began in the rest of the city, as the sky became wilder, the tide started to roar and the screams became the type of symphony one would hear when entering the gates from Hell.

Gatlon City was starting to look red.

But the red wasn’t coming from the prodigies, but caused by them.

“You two stay with me.” Alec commanded, looking both at Honey and him. “I need you to clear the path.”

“Clear the bridge?!”

“Did I make myself understood, Queen Bee?”

Honey flinched the very moment she heard her own alias, and Leroy watched her as she tried to process everything.

“Clear the bridge.” She repeated. “Yes. Clear the…”

Leroy hoped that didn’t include the bodies.

He guessed it didn’t. Alec, after all, didn’t seem to care about that.

“Clear the bridge. Got it.” Leroy nodded.

“Excellent.”

Alec didn’t stare at them, and he didn’t move either, standing in the middle, with his hands into his pockets, and his face held high, feeling the movements all around him, prepared to get rid of any threat as soon as he spotted it.

Honey and Leroy rarely talked about their tactics before putting them into practice, but, just for once, Leroy wanted to do it.

And, of course, it wasn’t possible, because just as Leroy was preparing to grab her by the wrist and drag her aside, she got herself out of his reach.

“Wait! Wait!” she screamed, not because she was desperate, but because she wanted to be heard above the rest of the din.

Fortunately, in an almost surreal scene to watch, her voice caught Alec’s attention, and his green eyes caught hers, listening.

Leroy stared at Honey, both incredulous and speechless.

“A—” She stuttered. “… Acey.”

Acey.

Fucking Acey.

Leroy arched an eyebrow sharply, but Alec nodded, as if approving the nickname or acknowledging she was talking to him.

“I… “

BANG.

An explosion.

A loud, very loud explosion, followed by the smell of smoke and gunpowder. Maybe, if they were at a lower spot, they would’ve smelled the burnt flesh too.

Good thing they weren’t.

That didn’t make Alec less mad, though, for he unnecessarily adjusted his helmet and straightened his back.

“Acey, wait, I…! “

“Maybe not right now, Queen Bee.” He declared, plain and cold, but solemn.

Somehow, Leroy already knew what she wanted to say, and he also knew she would never say it after today, because he knew her well enough.

And maybe he knew him well enough too.

“Later.” He promised, empty.

Then, just like that, sitting in a cross-legged position, Alec levitated, perhaps to have a better view of the city.

Leroy took Honey by the wrist, this time for real.

Alec made the tank shoot in the opposite direction, and then came another explosion.

Back to back, Honey and him waited for the ones who came and tried to attack. Leroy started feeling his own heartbeat in his ears, and his whole body was vibrating, while Honey’s hasty breaths tormented him, trying to convince himself that they were doing fine, and that they were right.

Because they were.

They were just fighting back.

Leroy saw the scene as if he were out of his body.

The two of them, below Alec, but higher than the city, which was in flames; the body to body fights, with a considerable unbalance of power. The Anarchists were annihilating them with not a drop of mercy, nor remorse. The fights were on top of cars. On top of buildings. Through the streets. Pipes were leaking. The sky was roaring and wailing at the same time. Bullets were flying. Cables were hanging. Trees were moving as if made of paper.

Leroy could still feel Honey’s back against his’, and they only separated when they had to meet the officials who were coming into the bridge, before sending them to the top of pile of bodies.

A man came in, and he was a little taller than Leroy, with his head shaved and a bulletproof jacket. He wasn’t holding a gun, but a metallic tube instead. In posture and enraged expression, Leroy could tell he wasn’t a cop. Maybe a veteran, or some dumb fuck who enjoyed hunting season.

First, Leroy got rid of the tube, melting it with his hand, and next thing he knew, he was attacking him, trying to put his whole body weight on him. Leroy resisted and grabbed him first by the wrist and then by the cheeks, which made him wail in pain. Leroy pressed his palms harder against his skin, and it was only then that a swarm of both bees and wasps came in and started devouring the man’s face, gathering together into the burnt cheeks and wrists.

Honey grabbed Leroy by the arm and tried to pull him up, grunting and gasping, until Leroy was lucid enough to help her and got up himself.

At that very moment somebody kicked her back and made her trip forward. Fortunately, Leroy was able to catch her, but his blood started to boil, and, then, he just knew he had gone in a blind assault of rage.

Out of a sudden, he didn’t feel like himself. He could feel his pores dripping, and the acid was so strong he felt his whole body itching; getting into a fight position, he asked Honey to get behind him with a hand motion, which she obeyed, though also in defense mode.

It was a female official this time. Light brown hair tied in a small ponytail and muscular body. Leroy waved his hand, and that was enough to send the acid flying towards her, straight into her eyes and different spots of her skin.

She screamed in pain.

Honey was already fighting another man, but still, Leroy felt the bees surrounding him too, and there was a very specific group that stayed even when Honey moved towards another position, and they buzzed loudly all around him, notifying him when somebody was coming.

“They’re like an alarm.” He recalled Honey saying once, standing in the middle of the kitchen, taking the groceries out of the bags. She was covered in bees, as if they were children asking their mother what she had gotten for then. “They usually see the enemy before I do, so they buzz in their direction. From the outside it looks like I have outstanding reflexes but… Baby, you’re too close to my lashes and it’s giving me the heebie-jeebies, would you mind? Thank you.” A bumblebee flew away from Honey’s eye, to stand above her brow instead.

“What was I saying?” She tapped her chin, making the bees go away for a second. “Ah. Yes. I do have good reflexes, but yeah, it’s usually thanks to them, as well.”

Leroy remained leaned against the door frame, with his arms crossed over his chest.

“So.” She pointed at the counter, now full of groceries. “You’re gonna help me or what?”

Leroy wasn’t scared of bees. He had never been. Not particularly. But when he met Honey, he became immune to them and decided he would never be, either. Sometimes, when he was alone in the apartment and saw a swarm by the door, waiting for Honey to come back, he would even try to talk to them, which was useless and, judging for how they always stung him, they didn’t like it.

Maybe the bees didn’t like him whatsoever, but right here, in the bridge, they were pretending they did, because Honey had asked them to do so.

And yes. Hard as it was for him to admit it, they were useful.

Very useful.

On the other hand, it also made him feel dumb, because he didn’t know how desperate you had to be for your powers to respond to you through another prodigy.

Leroy was stabbed during one of the (very violent) riots. It wasn’t by a cop, but by a regular, non-prodigy civilian instead. It was a deep cut, and Alec got so mad he ordered to kill as many as they had to until they found the one who had done it. While Hell was breaking loose, Honey dragged him like a human crutch towards the park, hiding him behind the bushes.

“Don’t fall asleep or move unless you really need to, and don’t try to cauterize yourself because that shit hurts and you might pass out. Wait for Rina. I’ll send her to you.”  Rina was a healing prodigy, and by the time Honey was saying that, she had already been killed, so they ended up sending Gwen instead. “You understand? Now it’s not the time to be the stubborn piece of shit you usually are. That’s not how we’re rolling. You understand?”

Leroy understood, but he didn’t answer. Not directly. Instead, he reached for the small blade he always carried in his pocket and, before he handed it to Honey, he tried to release his power in it.

She stared before grabbing it.

“Don’t let go, Leroy.” She asked, whispering, as she placed the blade in her own pocket. “For all you care, don’t let go.”

And when Honey’s skin touched it without her screaming in pain, he thought maybe it hadn’t worked at all, but a few days later, when Alec came to the apartment and tried to remove it from the dining table (because David was there too and he liked to touch everything), it hurt his palm.

The blade had become poisoned, and it burned everyone except for Honey and himself.

She still had it to this day, and right there, fighting in the bridge, he witnessed the exact moment when she took it out, while he stood behind her, with her bees, that she had lent him.

The sudden war seemed to have gone on forever when Leroy felt the breeze at his feet, produced by Alec’s body cutting through the air. He looked like a ghost. A very tangible and imposing ghost, who stood like a stone looking at the destruction he had caused himself, with his arms behind his back and his eyes closed.

Honey and Leroy came to his encounter, with the “Now what?” floating above their heads, like that time Honey and him had harmonized to Rivers of Babylon.

With sweat rolling down his face through the helmet and mask, Alec smiled sideways, and held his hand towards them, with his eyes showing a mild fuchsia tonality. None of the two, needless to say, knew how to react to that at first, but Honey believed him enough to try, and she wrapped her hand around his’, like a shell protecting a pearl.

And Leroy believed Honey enough to try, and wrapped his hand around hers’, like he was the sand or the water protecting the shell that protected the pearl.

And there they were.

The three of them.

Like the day Leroy met them for the first time. Like the days they travelled together, hiding from the police or not. Like all the days Alec forced them to go to Mass. Like the days they had to sleep under poor conditions, in motels or abandoned buildings, and Alec and him woke up with back pain because Honey always had to have the most comfortable place they managed to get. Like the days one of them was so injured they didn’t know he or she would wake up the next morning, and so they started praying they would.

Repressed memories started coming back, and Leroy managed to dodge every single one of them, although a part of him didn’t want to.

Then Alec stared at them. They were very close together, with their foreheads touching, while the three interlocked hands remained in the middle.

“Courage comes from the same place as fear.” Alec reminded them.

“And the day we decide to burn, they will all come with us. “ Ace Anarchy said.

And then, he lifted.

Honey was the last one to let go of him.

Next, he was gone.

Ace Anarchy stood above it all, like the burning sun, with both his arms extended to his sides, towards the emptiness, and, at the same time, towards the everything.

Leroy took Honey by the arms, putting her aside, as they stared. Maybe in awe. Maybe in fear.

Ace Anarchy looked up at the sky, then at the front again.

All the guns were pointing at him. All the lives were hanging by the thread he was using to sew his way in, and also his way out.

The Earth trembled in fear, and then it shook in pain.

Honey screeched, shoving her nails into Leroy’s arm to recover her balance, though Leroy was also on the verge of falling.

They tried to hold the other up. To force each other to remain standing.

Gatlon City left the ground, light as a feather. The buildings fell, the bridge started to crack, the sea escaped from the place it belonged to, people screamed, screamed, screamed.

Everything was in flames.

The light became brighter.

The wails became louder.

Time became slower.

Time became torture.

Time became endless.

And Gatlon City remained suspended into the air, shattering into little pieces, leaving a trace of blood and flesh.

Then, just like that, it fell.

Gatlon City fell, like a sinking boat.

Like it was nothing.

Like it was made of paper.

And it fell.

And, just like Ace Anarchy prophesied, they all fell with it. And with him.

[leesh]

because i have zero self control when it comes to christmas films and, well, cheesy christmas films are #life. 

basically, i have developed a collection of favourites over the years, including both classic christmas films that are fun for the whole family and terrible, dripping with all our favourite favourite cliches hallmark christmas films, and yet i am still always on the hunt for more. so, i thought i would try a little thing to share them with everyone else as well (and actually remember them for future reference)!

check out the tag here i will try and remember to use as i live blog some of these movies or head on down below the cut to see all of the christmas films i’ve watched in 2020. thoughts and star ratings included! as expected, i will also be updating this as i watch more and more this holiday season (follow along on twitter too if you want).

note: since i LOVE terrible hallmark films, some that i give a higher rating will not actually be......critically acclaimed. i am just #obsessed and have my reasons as stated, i’m sure.

holidate (2020) 

⭐️⭐️| first time watch | someone on letterboxd compared this movie to when you watch a rom com in sims and it’s just a bunch of random scenes that make no sense and they’re absolutely right. its only saviour is an australian dude and the line “so you know me well enough to cum in my mouth, but you don’t know me well enough to get me a christmas present?”

my christmas inn (2018) 

⭐️⭐️| first time watch | i’ll be honest, this film was pretty forgetful. i watched it over a month ago and don’t really remember what happened. however, i do remember being impressed that the leading lady wasn’t a stereotypical thin white woman. so i guess at least it has that going for it.

christmas made to order (2018) 

⭐️⭐️⭐️| first time watch | i actually thought this was pretty cute. it’s not the best, but also not the worst, so a decent medium if you need to fill up those figurative christmas stockings. the concept of hiring someone to decorate your entire house with no budget sounds pretty cool, but when the guy is aaron samuels and looks far from straight, it becomes a little questionable. 

last christmas (2019) 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️| rewatch | now this is not a cheesy hallmark film. in fact, i LOVE this film a lot and think i saw it twice at the cinema. last christmas is a top tier christmas song and i remember theorising about it when the trailer first came out, but i will say tissues may be a requirement to watch this. AND henry golding is my husband thank u and goodbye.

operation christmas drop (2020) 

⭐️| first time watch | interesting concept in theory, but this is nothing more than US military propaganda and a cgi lizard. bonus: white saviourism. 

the knight before christmas (2019) 

⭐️⭐️⭐️| rewatch | a medieval knight transported into today’s world and has never seen a car before can drive better than me. that’s it. that’s the movie. also, he literally says the words “modern technology is lit af” at one point. solid christmas film if you ask me. 

the princess switch (2018) 

⭐️⭐️⭐️| rewatch | i strongly believe in the vhcncu (vanessa hudgens christmas netflix cinematic universe). i also have so many questions, like how did they afford the flights or solid conversation or was it all expenses paid? how did they finish a bulk of the cake without a mixer? why does everyone always speak english with a posh english accent even though it’s a non-english european country?

the princess switch: switched again (2020) 

⭐️⭐️| if we learnt anything from a christmas prince, it’s that sequels are generally never better than their predecessor. that being said, this was much less cute body swapping christmas fluff and a little more literal kidnapping and saving the day. either way, blonde vanessa was hot and i appreciated the amber/richard cameo that insinuates a christmas prince is actually a dramatic documentary.

midnight at the magnolia (2020) 

⭐️⭐️| now if you’re after an absolute cheesefest that ticks the boxes on best friends meets fake dating over the holidays, then this is the movie for you! albeit it takes place between christmas and new year’s, it’s still filled with their families knowing they were soulmates the whole time and two people who are a literal too comfortable on the radio. also, the dad’s totally should’ve been gay. they had more chemistry.

christmas wonderland (2018) 

⭐️⭐️⭐️| tbh, i genuinely enjoyed this one. post breakup/high school sweethearts is a personal favourite trope of mine, so throw christmas & being forced to spend time together when she goes back home into the mix and i’ll have a serotonin explosion. bonus points for the guy telling the girl to go back to nyc to follow her dreams without being a dick. OH and the scene when he points a fuck load of sugar in his hot beverage.

a wish for christmas (2016) 

⭐️⭐️| who doesn’t love a good office romance between a boss and an employee at christmastime? especially when you throw in a little christmas magic that makes her more confident that results in her finally getting what she deserves and having to travel and rekindle with his family? also, fuck them rich white dudes, but props to her for the significant job promotion.

christmas with a prince (2018) 

⭐️| this was TERRIBLE and not in the good way. it featured: an entitled prince who suddenly had growth even though he did nothing to achieve it, majority of the film set in one hospital room, and the fact that she’s the only one with a tiara at the party filled with people who actually have titles. also, thought there was a decent ending but turns out there was still another 30 mins to go. ugh.

a royal christmas engagement (2020) 

⭐️| don’t be fooled by the title. the engagement doesn’t happen til the last two minutes. it’s actually about a prince (bet you didn’t see that one coming) who travels to america, pretending to be his best friend who works for this major marketing firm because he’s tired of being the spare. this gets one star purely for the line “she’s not a commoner, patrick. she’s an american.”

christmas wedding planning (2017)

⭐️⭐️| it looked like it would be half decent, and while it’s definitely better than the last two, it was still pretty eh. i could get on board with her texting her dead mother’s number as a way to talk to her still, and i understand we all experience grief differently, but.....actively paying your mums phone bill 3 years later? girl. also, the end made me SCREAM. WHY DID THEY DO THAT!!!!

santa girl (2019)

⭐️| this was just painful to watch. evil jack frost makes memes in his free time, santa has a fancy car and doesn’t eat sweets, and there’s an odd comparison between the elves, minimum age workers, and racism. however, one star purely for the entertaining (read: bloody awful) tooth fairy cgi that gave me a right laugh.

the christmas chronicles (2018)

⭐️⭐️⭐️| this was really cute and had the makings of what could be a christmas movie staple along with the likes of elf and the santa clause (but will never reach that standard, obvs). tbh, it’s just a nice heartwarming family christmas movie about two siblings who band together to help santa and save christmas. also, santa was a #dilf.

the christmas chronicles: part two (2020)

⭐️⭐️| one of these days i would love to see a sequel that’s better, or at least on par, with its predecessor, but that day is not today. sadly, this film lacked all the heart and magic the first one was filled with and some scenes were pretty redundant. kurt russell and goldie hawn, however... one star for each of them.

forever christmas / mr. 365 (2019)

⭐️⭐️| the title varies depending where you’re from, but that’s probably the most exciting part of this movie. a guy celebrates christmas 365 days a year and a reality show wants to invade his house? ok, sure. one star for the eye candy and one star for, surprisingly enough, their chemistry and all the kissing scenes that don’t usually make the mark in the hallmark world. 

noelle (2019)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️| did i renew disney plus just so i could watch this (and a couple of others)? maybe so... this movie is so fun! and family friendly! and is actually funny! it gives me major elf vibes, but if elf was set in a more modern day setting. either way, i had a great time and have been holding out on this one after loving it a lot last year!

the nutcracker and the four realms (2018)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️| anything nutcracker related is an instant win in my book because it’s my favourite ballet of all time (except for graeme murphy’s version, we don’t talk about that). does this movie actually deserve the four stars? maybe not. am i going to give them anyway purely for my love of the nutcracker and the soundtrack? absolutely!