#as you could probably guess. it's about cat characters lol

[skylar-jay]

Throughout all these years, one thing has remained the same:

My obsession with cat based media

[arolesbianism]

I have obtained a new oc and in the process I've already signed myself up for needing to make at least 3 new ocs for his story which he now has despite me initially Intending for him to be a side character for a different side character to hang out with. My townhouse has over 200 characters on it.

[floxtingdrm]

𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚

"𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍, 𝚍𝚒𝚐𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚝? 𝙽𝚘𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢 𝚊𝚜𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 ��𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗."

𝙼𝚘𝚍𝚎: FLUFF (kind of?) 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚜: Sakura Haruka, Suo Hayato, Kiryuu Mitsuki 𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢: WB boys with a reader who likes to take photos. 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: OOC characters, reader being kind of a creep? (lol this was better in my head until I started writing)

You liked capturing people’s best moments, the unexpected moment that just somehow clicked, the expressions that you probably never knew they could make, those moments are precious because it might be a while before you could see them again. 

So then, how did it go from you taking pictures of people who smile, flowers dancing in the wind and Ume-san’s plants to a boy who does nothing but make you question your feelings every two minutes?

Is it the boy who stands out from the crowd and always has your back in every situation you might encounter? Hearing his name brings a smile to your face and an indescribable feeling of warmth envelopes you, seeing his smile freezes you like a deer in headlights staring in awe, what was he doing to someone who doesn’t know how to react around him?

You picked up the photo cards you took with your portable camera and sighed disappointedly at yourself, why were you acting like a creep taking photos of him like this? Maybe it was his fault for being so pretty in the first place, making your heart speed up ever so often when he looked in your direction at the right time.

Click

There goes your hands as another photo of him was taken once more, more often than not these photos of him would never have had him looking directly at the camera, no, these were usually secretly taken just like almost every other photo you’ve taken so far. 

“ Can I have a look?”

You yelped at his sudden approach seeing as the boy rarely ever got close to you or even talked to you, most of the time he would just be a head of the group with Nirei and Suou following behind, talking to each other and you at the back of the group quietly observing them. So then how come he’s right next to you, staring at your hands which hid the photo of him?

“If you’re gonna take pictures of me, at least be sneaky about it.”

You’re weird if you think he wouldn’t notice you snapping those shots ever so often, he knows, he just doesn’t know how to bring it up.

The first few times you did it he was pretty annoyed, and you can’t blame him knowing how people treated him before he moved into town.

He still hasn’t warmed up to it just yet, expect him to jump like a cat if you happen to turn on the flash.

Don’t expect him to let you even be close enough to take a photo of him when he fights, it’s “not that he’s clumsy or that he wants to protect you” but that “you might get hurt getting too close, stay next to Nirei”.

Do expect him to subtly show off a bit once he learns that most of your photos are of him (don’t ask how he knows, no don’t ask Nirei either-).

Probably gets super red, like unnaturally tomato Ume-san planted grade red, because he doesn’t get this many flattering photos of himself and is actually loved.

“Oh, I guess they’re not too bad…”

Bless his soul because my boy never thought he would have someone love him inside out, swear that you’ll never leave as well.

Will try to get used to being photographed by you at the most unexpected moment.

If he ever comes across that one album you dedicated to him only, I pray you have ear plugs and can run faster than him (you probably won’t) because not only will you hear screaming but he will ask questions as well (unless you can answer why).

Does he take you out on photogenic dates? Probably not, will he try to? Yes he will, love this boy.

He loves it if you try to share your interest with him, even if he might be clumsy and deny that he’s interested, do share it with him because he wants to learn more about you.

“ Focus on someone else other than me won’t ya!?” (Don’t do it, he’s just flustered)

Despite hiding in one of the remote places of town and rarely ever meeting him, somehow this strange boy caught you at the worst time ever while you were organizing your end of the day picture hauls. The boy who goes to Furin, your neighbor who saved your ass from those idiot bullies, the strangely open yet unreadable Suo Hayato. So how are you gonna explain why you have his photos plastered all over your albums?

“You’re not very good at making it hard for me to notice.”

One thing everyone doesn’t seem to say out loud is how good his reflexes are and how he seems to pay attention to his surroundings super well, he just pretends he doesn’t notice you and your camera clicking at him 70mph-

You could have sworn he left the area before organizing your photos, but it seems Suo was just a lot more careful than you thought.

Doesn’t entirely have a problem with you taking photos of him, just don’t be creepy about it.

You taking a photo of him in secret suddenly became his new pastime when he can spot you from your hiding spot, like where’s Waldo but a version you really don’t like.

He doesn’t mind if you take pictures of him while he’s in a fight, but do be careful and keep a safe distance.

“Somehow, you always seem to catch my good sides..” 

Boy before dating if he knew you were into him he’s a tease, but make it official and you might never hear the end of it when you’re both alone.

Always prepared when you plan to take a picture of him when he’s looking goofy or just dumb in general, like him being forced to eat nato by his classmates.

Kinda unfair that you can’t take stupid photos of him but he can take stupid photos of you, and loving makes an album for it as well.

Took you out on a few restock hauls for your polaroids and other things, but other than that unlike Sakura who probably can’t tell much of a difference between flowers, he does take you out on photogenic dates.

Likes to help you organize your pictures at the end of the day, which also usually means lots of teasing when he skims over the pictures you took of him.

“Awww, I didn’t mean to tease so much, honestly, but I have to admit seeing you like this is so cute.”

He knew you as the freelancing photographer, since your social media posts kind of suggest you were one, lots of people including his classmates seemed to have been given photo cards of themselves by you, everyone but him. But it wasn’t as though you never took photos of him, because you did ask for his permission a couple of times already. 

“How mean of you, don’t keep letting me get my hopes up.”

Unlike the other boys this one will bombard your dms asking for his photocard, and in turn your response was ‘I’ll give you it soon!!’ while freaking out because you haven’t found the perfect picture of him yet or he was just so pretty in all of them you don’t know what to choose.

You two probably have this celebrity and paparazzi relationship where he starts wearing more drip and you’re taking so many photos of him, though he does kind of get disappointed when he doesn’t see the photos.

Had jokingly asked if you would become his personal photographer and take pictures of him only, you had to hold yourself back with all the fiber in your body from saying “yes”- (why hold yourself back tho-)

Tries to not get into fights whenever you’re around, like you can’t get any of his fighting photos just because of how good he became at avoiding fights whenever you’re around.

“How come you show everyone but me?”

The first thing he did when become yours was stealing that album full of his pictures, and then pointing out what he was doing when you took it.

Takes your camera and makes YOU become his model, your clothes? His clothes? It don’t matter, you are posing and he is taking those pictures, won’t post them without your consent, don't worry.

Does use the fact you won’t show him his photos as teasing material or playful counter arguments.

So many photo and shopping dates, he’s probably the one who takes you out on the most dates, and honestly it brings a smile to his face if you’re enjoying the dates.

“Psst, just like that… got it! Look how pretty you are!!”

𝙊𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙢!

[missinconsistent]

I find it so funny how during their childhood, Kuroo would just barge into Kenma's house whenever he pleased. You see Kuroo peeking through Kenma's door when Kenma is lying sick.

But also, when he catches Kenma up at 5AM playing video games?

Like boy just has the keys to the house cus I guess he can waltz in to see what Kenma is doing before the sun is even up.

And now the movie adapting this panel, but having it as a sequence of Kuroo barging into Kenma's room over time, and one of them when Kenma was still in the middle of changing (I wish I could get a screenshot)

Like, it's so funny and cute that Kuroo just invites himself into his friend's house unannounced, and no one questions it. Kenma's parents are probably just like "oh you're here again :)" and they just go about their day like seeing a stray cat that drops by from time to time.

The two were most definitely still like that throughout high school, too. During the little sequence of young Kuroo coming into Kenma's room in the movie, I thought you'd see him growing up every time the door opened (which would've been so sweet but sadly no).

I could be remembering wrong, but I vaguely remember hearing about tidbits of the Haikyuu characters grown up, and apparently Kenma's friends will just crash at his place when they like. So, it seems Kenma is pretty used to it now, thanks to Kuroo lol

[cheapshrimpysheep]

Hello OP! Hope u don’t mind this request for the demon bros

So just earlier i saw the “raising a pet together” game on tiktok, and i was on a freenzy, IT’S JUST TOO CUTE 🥹 and i’m too single to have anybody to do it with me lol.

What would be their reaction when the MC got them to downloaded the app and raise the virtual pet together?

COMMENTS: Well, I didn't know about this game, so I asked Gemini (Bard) about it to find out a little more about this type of game. Long story short: I told some of my friends about this game and now we are taking care of a virtual kitten together 😊 Thank you so much for the request 😉

What I wrote is based on my little experience playing the game called Pokipet. I hope you and all enjoy 🐶🐱

CHARACTERS: Demon Brothers (Lucifer; Mammon; Leviathan; Satan; Asmodeus; Beelzebub & Belphegor)

TAGS: Fluff; GN Reader; Bullet Points

WORD COUNT: An average of 390 words per character.

CONTEXT - According to Gemini (formerly "Bard"): The "Raising a Pet Together" game is a concept where you and someone else, like a friend, family member, or significant other, work together to raise a virtual pet.

The core idea is to work together to raise a virtual pet, which can be a fun way to: Simulate pet ownership and its responsibilities. Test your teamwork and communication skills. Have a cute and engaging way to interact with someone else.

“Why would we take care of a virtual pet together if we can already do it with Cerberus?” He will ask you.

Well, maybe you just want to try it out and see how it goes.

“Of course everything would be fine. The two of us would be its caretakers. How could anything go if not perfectly?” he sighs and chuckles “Fine. If you really want to do this, then I can accommodate your whims.”

According to Lucifer's traditional Devildom profile, when asked "Cats or Dogs" he answers "Cerberus". So he would choose to take care of a dog and name it Cerberus.

Whenever you open the app to take care of the little virtual Cerberus, Lucifer has already taken care of everything. Feed it? He already did. Give it a bath? He already did it. Pet it? The happiness bar is already maxed out, but you can still do it.

You would probably do more of the decorating of the room and give it clothes and accessories. He'll probably be stupidly good at the minigames and earn a lot of money so you can spend it freely on those things.

Whenever he has a lot of work and opens the app as if it were another of his responsibilities and sees that the virtual Cerebrus is fed and well taken care of by you, he will smile in relief. It's so wonderful to have another person he can rely on and share responsibilities with. You're so good at taking the weight off his shoulders and making him feel at ease.

He will definitely try to use this game to convince you to take care of the real Cerebrus with him instead of a virtual pet.

If the app has a chat and, at night, you both open the app at the same time to put your pet to bed:

Lucifer: Good evening (Y/N)

Lucifer: Are you here to put Cerberus to bed too?

Lucifer: What a pleasant coincidence.

The two of you cuddle your pet until it falls asleep.

Lucifer: Now, you should go to sleep too.

Lucifer: The same applies to me.

Lucifer: But now I want to fall asleep with you by my side.

Lucifer: Come to my room.

Lucifer: I can cuddle you until you fall asleep too.

Lucifer: If what you want is to sleep, of course.

“Raising a pet together?! Do you think I have money to support a pet? I can barely stay out of debt!” Mammon panics and speaks as if you were talking about a child.

But then you explain that it's a virtual pet, on your D.D.D.s.

“Oh...” He blushes a lot. “W-why didn't you say that from the beginning, you dummy?” He thinks for a second and then smiles widely. “Well, if it's free, I guess we can try it.”

According to Mammon's traditional Devildom profile, when asked "Cats or Dogs"  he answers "Cats". If you were surprised, so was I. For a name? Maybe Goldie, like his credit card. A yellow kitten named Goldie.

He'll blush a little when he thinks that you're taking care of a pet together, like a real close couple.

You are the one who will take care of Goldie the most. Giving it food and bath. And there will be many times when you almost don't have the money for it because Mammon will spend it all on toys, clothes and decoration. Even though it's a virtual pet, he will spoil it.

In terms of the pet's needs, he will probably just play with it. And give it treats. He will try to do the minigames to earn more money, but regardless of whether he is good at these minigames or not, he will continue to spend more money than he can earn.

But despite everything, he will try to be as helpful as possible and genuinely try to take care of Goldie so you don't have to do all the work. Sometimes he will even surprise you by taking really ood care of it.

If the app has a chat and, at night, you both open the app at the same time to put your pet to bed:

Mammoney: Oi! What are ya doin' here?

Mammoney: Oh. Ya here to put Goldie to bed too?

Mammoney: Ok. You can do it tonight

You cuddle your pet until it falls asleep.

Mammoney: Aww look at our baby~

Mammoney: PET! I MEAN PET!

Mammoney: hey... if you're still not sleepy either

Mammoney: why don't ya come to my room?

Mammoney: I always feel more relaxed with you by my side

Mammoney: Maybe we can help each other sleep?

Mammoney: Or... do something else if ya want...

“A VIRTUAL PET TO TAKE CARE OF TOGETHER?!?!” Levi is overjoyed with the idea! His eyes were sparkling! You don't need to say anything else, he's already downloading the app. Could this be a test to find out if you would be good parents to a real pet? Or maybe... No! NO LEVI! TOO EARLY!! One step at a time.

According to Levi's traditional Devildom profile, when asked "Cats or Dogs"  he answers "Henry". But since he could only choose between dog and cat, he would probably choose dog, because cats are known to eat fish.

For a name? “Maybe Henry 3.0?” He starts to suggest “Hum... no... Ah! Can I try something?” he writes a name that is accepted and shows it to you so you can confirm or deny the suggestion, with his cheeks slightly flushed. Henry <3 When he sees you smile in confirmation, his smile and enthusiasm only increase.

He's a dedicated gamer, so you don't have to worry about anything at all! He will get so many coins that you will practically be rich in that game. And he will buy everything. EVERYTHING! Decoration, food, toys, clothes, accessories, literally everything that is possible to buy in the game. And you can do whatever you want.

If you show that you would like to contribute more to your pet's care, he will apologize and promise to play less so you can have the opportunity to take care of Henry <3 too. But of course he will continue to open the app almost constantly, even if it's just to see you taking care of Henry <3.

Don't be surprised if he one day shows up with a Henry <3 plush so that the two of you can cuddle your baby whenever you want.

If the app has a chat and, at night, you both open the app at the same time to put your pet to bed:

L3V1: HEYYYYY ^.^

L3V1: Are you here to put Henry <3 to bed too?

L3V1: Let’s do it together!

The two of you cuddle your pet until it falls asleep.

L3V1: Hey... um... are you sleepy?

L3V1: The thing is I'm not sleepy yet

L3V1: Actually I'm now wide awake

L3V1: Could you keep me company for a little while?

L3V1: You know, I always feel sleepier when I'm with you

L3V1: I feel safe and calm

L3V1: If by chance you also feel this way about me

L3V1: Would you like to keep each other company in my room?

L3V1: But it could also be in yours

L3V1: Or not. It's okay if you don't want to

Take care of a virtual pet together? Where one of the options is a cat? Sign him up! And since he can't have a real pet cat, this is the best thing you could have propose to him! (*cough* besides marriage *cough*)

We don't even need the Devildom profile for this one, do we?

For a name? Probably the name of one of his favorite writers. Or... how about the name of one of your (you two) favorite writers? Christopher from Christopher Peugeot ;)

He's not that much into games, but since we're talking about taking care of a kitten, he can reach your level of experience. Or at least he will try. And to do this, he will do two things: 1st - Ask you for help. Which will make you two learn together how the game works. And 2nd - Do a lot of research on the internet about the best ways to play and the best strategies to get lots of coins so that your cat doesn't lack any care.

That game will be one of the main apps on his D.D.D. In addition to apps about books and the chat where he talks to you and the others.

Maybe he'll even find a way to change the background on his phone to a screen shot of your virtual pet.

If the app has a chat and, at night, you both open the app at the same time to put your pet to bed:

stn: Hello.

stn: I see you're here to put Christopher to bed as well.

stn: Why don't we do the honors together?

The two of you cuddle your pet until it falls asleep.

stn: Now we both should go to sleep too.

stn: If you are having trouble falling asleep, you can come to my room.

stn: I will be happy to read with you until you fall asleep.

stn: Your company will also help me rest.

stn: So feel free to come see me.

“Take care of a virtual pet together? That sounds so cute! Oh, but it's not as demanding as taking care of a real pet, is it? I'm not ready for that kind of commitment. I still need my ME time.~”

According to Asmo's traditional Devildom profile, when asked "Cats or Dogs" he answers "Me <3". But you need to choose between a dog and a cat. So you suggest a cat.In real life, cats are generally not as dependent as dogs. And, lets say that they are more likely to take "beauty more seriously" than a dog.

For a name? “OH! Can it be Asmodeus II? Pretty pleeeeease~”

You will be Asmodeus II's main caretaker. Since Asmo will be more interested in spoiling it with toys, clothes and affection. And if he wants to buy something and doesn't have coins for it, he'll try to convince you to play more mini-games to get more coins for him to spend. “Ow, don't be mad at me hon. It's for our little baby. What if I spoil you in real life as a thanks~?”

When he tells his followers about this new virtual pet, eventually, more and more fans will ask him to tell them more and more about how it's going. Which mean that your pet will end up becoming part of his content. But it also ends up making Asmo pay more attention and care for it more.

And don't be surprised if, for a person who didn't want to commit to a pet, he ends up being the one trying to convince you to get a real pet. After all, if a virtual pet is already so good, imagine how much better a real pet would be! How cute would that be! And how much more engagement and new followers his social media would have! But despite this last one, what he really wants is to share a new love with you.

If the app has a chat and, at night, you both open the app at the same time to put your pet to bed:

AsmoBaby: Hey hon~ <3

AsmoBaby: I just wanted to come put our baby to bed~

AsmoBaby: Sorry for always being you the one to do this

AsmoBaby: What if you let me do this tonight? ;)

He cuddles your pet until it falls asleep.

AsmoBaby: Awwww! IT’S SO CUTE!

AsmoBaby: I have to take a screenshot to show my followers!

AsmoBaby: Give me a second~

AsmoBaby: I could see this cute little thing sleeping for hours~

AsmoBaby: But we both need our beauty sleep

AsmoBaby: Oh, that gives me an idea!

AsmoBaby: Why don't you come to my room?

AsmoBaby: We can do our nighttime beauty routines together

AsmoBaby: And we can sleep together if you want to stay with me

AsmoBaby: You deserve some spoiling for taking such good care of our baby <3

“A virtual pet?” Beel wouldn't understand the proposal well at first. “Isn't the point of having a pet to have a true companion by your side? You know, to take care of each other and play together?”

You tell him yes, but that it's just a little experience for you to share. Seeing how much you really want to do that with him, he will smile. “Okay, if you really want it that much, I'll take care of a pet with you. It'll be fun. Anything with you is.”

According to Beel's traditional Devildom profile, when asked "Cats or Dogs" he answers "Dogs". So, a dog will be.

For a name? You're asking a lot of him. Could you choose one for him? But try to keep it from being a food-related name, this will make Beel hungry. (And in the worst possible scenario, he wanting to bite your virtual pet. This is before he becomes attached to it)

He won't care much about aesthetics, you can take care of that if you want. You are free to dress your pet and get it as many toys as you want. Beel will be more interested in feeding it well and exercising.

In terms of playing mini-games to get coins, it would be very balanced, none of you would get many more coins than the other. Unless you're crazy about those mini-games. In that case, you would get more coins than Beel.

You also shouldn't be surprised when he starts talking about the two of you getting a real dog as a pet. Yes, it's true that Lucifer has Cerberus and that he would let you take care of him from time to time, but Beel wants a puppy of both of you. He wants to have a little furry baby with you.

If the app has a chat and, at night, you both open the app at the same time to put your pet to bed:

Beelzeburger: Hey

Beelzeburger: You're also here to put our dog to bed?

Beelzeburger: Being here with you makes me very happy

Beelzeburger: We can do this together

The two of you cuddle your pet until it falls asleep.

Beelzeburger: I'm going to get a snack before going to bed

Beelzeburger: Do you want one too?

Beelzeburger: We can have a midnight snack together

Beelzeburger: I'm going to the kitchen now

Beelzeburger: Do you want to meet me there?

Beelzeburger: Or do you want me to bring a snack to your room?

Beelzeburger: Oh wait!

Beelzeburger: I can eat your snack on the way

Beelzeburger: Sorry, it would be better if you come meet me in the kitchen

“A virtual pet? Well, it's not as demanding as having a real pet. And it would be fun to take care of a pet with you. Okay, we can do it.”

According to Belphie's traditional Devildom profile, when asked "Cats or Dogs" he answers "Dogs". So, a dog will be.

For a name? Well, Belphie would have a little idea. “You know, Beel has always reminded me of a happy dog, especially when he smiles. Ha ha. What do you think about calling it Beel?” That and when you two talk about your pet without giving context, the reactions of the brothers would be fun to watch.

You'll probably realize that taking care of that pet with Belphie is a rollercoaster. One moment he takes care of all the pet's needs and even buys one or two little things for it. And the next, the pet has all its needs at a minimum and needs a lot of care. Those last one usually happens because Belphie has fallen asleep and has been sleeping for a long time. But apart from those times, your care would be quite balanced.

You would probably be more in charge of playing the mini-games to earn coins. That's because Belphie doesn't really like to have that much work, although he tries to do it from time to time so it doesn't always have to be you.

He wouldn't start trying to convince you to get a real pet. Especially a dog. Because he knows it would be a responsibility he's not prepared for and he knows it would end up giving you more work and he doesn't want that. That virtual pet is perfect. At least for now.

If the app has a chat and, at night, you both open the app at the same time to put your pet to bed:

Belphie: Hi

Belphie: You're here too

Belphie: Do you want to put it to sleep?

Belphie: Be my guest :)

You cuddle your pet until it falls asleep.

Belphie: Thanks <3

Belphie: Hey, since you're still awake too

Belphie: Come join me

Belphie: Let's cuddle until we fall asleep

Belphie: I always sleep better when I'm with you

Belphie: I also have the best dreams

Belphie: Come sleep with me~

If you dropped in here out of the blue and want to read more from me, you can find it in my pinned post: INDEX

[lewmagoo]

we own the sky | rhett abbott

part four: running towards a place

read the previous part here

series info: the fourth and final installment of the storm chaser rhett universe. want more? read the synopsis here. listen to the playlist here. see the series masterlist here.

description: in which you begin a new chapter

warnings: 18+ only, mentions of character death, grief, angst with a positive ending, mentions of sex, near-death experiences, blood and injury, inaccurate weather terms, please do not check my science lol, this story requires some suspension of disbelief. i usually try not to say anything about reader's family in fics but i do mention them having an unnamed great-aunt, as it was necessary to the plot

pairing: rhett abbott x f!reader

word count: 8,960

notes: i can't believe we've finally come to the end of this series. when i started it, i didn't know if i would even be able to finish it. i poured everything into this story, and i am so thankful for all the love y'all have shown to it. i cherish every single comment. thank you.

The next morning, you were the first one to wake. Although it was still early, it was late by Rhett’s usual standards. Royal was likely already finishing up the morning chores, and probably irritated that his son hadn’t come out to help. 

But Rhett deserved some extra rest. 

And how beautiful he looked while resting. His lashes fanned beneath his eyes, and his face was so relaxed. He looked so boyish when he slept, as if all the stressors of the world were gone, if only for a moment. 

But reality had to hit at some point. He woke not long after you, eyes fluttering open to find you staring at him. He hummed sleepily, hiding his face in the pillow. “You’re starin’.”

“Can’t help it. You’re beautiful when you sleep.”

His face was half concealed by the pillow, leaving one eye exposed. It popped open to look at you. “I ain’t beautiful.”

You beamed at him as you reached out to tuck a curl of hair behind his ear. “Oh, but you are.” Then you leaned down to kiss his cheek. He moved his head at the last second so you’d catch his lips instead. 

“I don’t even wanna know what time it is. Dad’s probably fit to be tied.”

“So what? You’ve earned the rest,” you told him.

His face scrunched adorably. “Doubt he’d agree with ya.”

Another kiss upon his lips. “Doesn’t matter what he thinks.”

You watched as Rhett stretched, much like a cat after a long nap. A beat passed before he spoke again. “Can’t believe I get to wake up next to ya. Feels like a dream.”

“I promise I’m real. Definitely no dream.”

“Mm.” He reluctantly sat upright, rolling his head from side to side. You watched the way his muscles rippled beneath his skin. “Guess we should go downstairs.”

“Guess so.” 

He looked at you, and his eyes flickered down to your lips. “I’m sorry, but I jus’ can’t stop kissin’ you,” he said as he brought his lips to yours, enacting a third kiss. 

“I don’t mind,” you assured him as you returned the favor, mouth soft against his own. 

For a few moments, you remained like that, kissing languidly. But both of you knew it would lead to something more, and while that sounded rather appealing, it was time to get the day started. There would be plenty of time for more escapades later. 

So you climbed out of bed and hurriedly got ready. When you made your way downstairs, you found Amy at the kitchen table, munching on a bowl of cereal. 

She lit up at the sight of the two of you. “You’re up!” She exclaimed. “Gramma was just about to ask you if you could drive me to school, Uncle Rhett.”

Rhett nodded as he stepped over to the cupboard to retrieve a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. “Sure. Somethin’ wrong?”

“The storm blew the barn door off the hinges and she’s helping Grampa with it.”

He winced slightly, knowing helping with that door was his responsibility, not his mother’s. “Go ‘head and get ready, Ames. I’ll be back in a minute, I’m gon’ go talk to Gramma.”

Quickly, he sauntered across the kitchen and went to shove his feet into his boots. However, as he did so, Cecilia came back into the house. 

“Ma, I’m sorry, I shoulda been the one helpin’ Dad,” he called to her. 

The woman shook her head as she pulled her work gloves off. “Don’t matter. We got it done. ‘sides, I didn’t want to disturb you two. Figured you needed your rest.”

Across the room, you shared a sheepish look with Rhett. Obviously, she would put two and two together when she saw that her son wasn’t asleep on the couch that morning. It was clear that he was in his room, with you. 

“Oh, uh, yeah,” he said, scratching the back of his neck as he ducked his head, slightly embarrassed. You didn’t miss the humorous glint in Cecilia’s eye. “Well, next time, just knock on the door. I’ll hear it.”

“Okay,” she said. “Can ya take Amy to school, by the way? I got a bit behind this mornin’, since the door took longer to fix than I thought it would.”

“Yep, she just mentioned it. We’ll take ‘er,” Rhett agreed. 

We. Those plans included you, apparently. Not that you minded, of course. You were more than happy to tag along. So, with Rhett’s cereal forgotten, the three of you made your way out the door, Amy bounding ahead so that she could climb into the middle of the bench seat between you and Rhett.

“Might as well just grab breakfast at the diner,” he told you as he fell into step beside you. “If ya don’t mind.”

Your face broke into a pleased smile. “I’d like that.”

Off to Amelia Elementary you went, with Amy talking up a storm, far too awake for the early morning hour. You simply listened to her, amused, as she asked Rhett question after question. He answered them all with patience, happy to entertain her curiosity. 

When he pulled into the carpool line, he threw the truck into park and slid out of his seat, boots scraping against pavement. He reached out and took Amy’s small hand in his, guiding her out of the truck. You watched fondly as the girl wrapped her arms around his middle, and he leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

“Have a good day, Ames,” he told her. 

“I will. Bye! Love you!” She waved at you before she scurried off toward the entrance of the school. 

Quickly, Rhett climbed back into his seat and pulled out of the line so as not to hold up traffic. He made the fifteen-minute drive to the diner that was situated in downtown Wabang, and soon, you were both settled into one side of a booth, shoulders touching, cozy against one another. 

You shared a breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes, with extra whipped cream, and plenty of black coffee for Rhett. It all felt so domestic, and you were filled with contentment. 

As you walked back out to the truck after your intimate little breakfast, Rhett slipped his hand into yours, and you let him, fingers intertwining. He opened the truck door for you, and guided you inside, and you felt like royalty.

“We headin’ to your aunt’s house to finish cleanin’?” He asked, once he’d climbed into his own side of the cab.

You smiled softly and said, “Yes.”

And that was where you remained for the rest of the morning, sorting through things, packing up donation boxes, scrubbing each room down from top to bottom. And much to your amazement, by the time you called it quits for the day, everything was finished, for the most part. All that was left was to tote all the donation boxes to local thrift stores, and the homeless shelters that were in the bigger, surrounding cities. 

The entire reason you had come back to Wabang was now fulfilled.

“I can’t believe it’s done already. Thanks for your help,” you told Rhett, as you sat cross-legged on the porch swing of your aunt’s house, a box of pizza open between you both. It was well past dinner time, and you were ravenously hungry after a day of hard work.

“No trouble ‘t all,” came his response as he tore into the remaining crust of his pizza. 

“Feels so good to have that out of the way.”

“Y’gonna be the one to sell the house?” He asked.

You pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed. “Honestly, I have no idea. I have tons of paperwork to go through, trying to figure everything out. We’ll see what happens.”

“Maybe my mom can help y’out, she’s the one who took care of everythin’ with my great grandma’s house when she died,” came his suggestion.

“Maybe I’ll take her up on that,” you agreed before you downed the rest of your pizza.

You were sitting with your legs over his lap, and once again, you were filled with that comforting sense of contentment. It felt so right, being with him. There was no doubt in your mind that this was the way it was meant to be. 

For just a little while, you were able to gradually dip your toes into the waters of your new relationship, and get to know each other all over again. With the rest of the storm chasing team busy figuring things out, subsequently putting any future chases on hold, it gave you ample time to spend with each other. 

You were grateful for the brief, intimate moments you were able to share with Rhett. Moments spent getting to know him all over again. You allowed yourself to be soothed by the lull in time. A few days where you could simply just be. 

But that was just the calm before the storm. Little did you know what was coming your way in the not so distant future. 

A week had passed since the last chase you’d gone on. A few storms had passed through during that time, but any twisters produced were far away, and weak at best. 

During that slow storm period, you busied yourself with dropping off donations from your aunt’s house to thrift stores and shelters, as well as enjoying time with Rhett’s family. You’d missed them more than you realized after all these years. It was clear that his parents were thrilled that you were back in their son’s life. It made your heart sing. 

You’d called into work to take the rest of your vacation time. You wouldn’t have any left for the rest of the year, but you’d cross that bridge when you came to it. You weren’t quite ready to leave Rhett and face reality yet. And, besides, you’d begun questioning if you even wanted to return. 

Could you really move back to Wabang? A few weeks ago, you would have said no. But now, you were conflicted. Your life was in Maryland, but your heart was with Rhett. 

Soon, you would make your choice. 

Just when you thought the team had forgotten about you and Rhett, he received a call from Zara one Friday morning. She explained that the combined CO₂ and nitrogen tests had brought promising results, and that they were ready to take the experiment out on a chase to see how it fared. 

The team had been monitoring a potential storm that was building not far from Wabang. It looked promising, and they wanted you and Rhett to tag along. So that was how you found yourself preparing for yet another storm, anxiety roiling in your belly as you stood in the front yard of the Abbott property, watching everyone pull into the driveway. 

You closed your eyes and breathed in deep, the scent of rain blowing in with the wind, and you were transported back to the last time you ever got to go chasing with Perry, Rebecca, and Lydia. 

Oh, how far you’d come since then. If you focused hard enough, you could almost hear Lydia’s musical voice as she told you how proud she was of you for conquering your fear. 

“Y’alright?” Rhett asked as he sauntered up to stand beside you. His hand rested upon the small of your back, and immediately, your body relaxed. 

“I’m fine. Just thinking about…” You trailed off, suddenly overcome with emotion. 

He already knew who you were talking about. “Yeah, me too,” he replied. 

You looked at him, watching as his eyes glimmered with melancholy. “They’d be proud of us,” you said. 

“I know it.” His lips brushed against your temple and you leaned into him, allowing him to hold you. A moment of peace before you set off right toward the face of danger. 

“We’re gonna be okay,” you whispered. 

He nuzzled his nose against yours. “Yeah, honeybee. We are.”

Thunder rumbled overhead, and you looked to the heavens, eyeing the sky. Something shifted within you. A strange pull in your gut, as if an invisible force was tugging at you. The air felt different. Thick, as if the walls of nature were closing in around you. 

The hair at the back of your neck stood on end. The storm was much closer than you realized. 

The sound of Zara’s truck pulling in stole your attention away from the sky, but you were met with a wave of dread when she climbed out of the vehicle. Her face was bleak. So was Jeslyn’s. Something was wrong. 

Danny pulled the RV to a stop directly behind the truck, and as he and Finn climbed out, they were as eager as ever, clearly unaware of whatever had happened with Zara. But their jovial attitude soon quieted when they saw the grim expression on their friend’s face.

“What’s wrong?” You were the one to ask the question, stepping forward, uncertain.

Zara sighed softly, dark lashes fluttering. She looked to be on the verge of tears. “On the way here, I got a call that my mom’s in the hospital. I don’t know all the details but, uh, my dad wants me and Jes to go see her, so it’s gotta be serious.” Her voice trembled as she spoke, thick with emotion.

“I’m so sorry,” you told her, instinctively reaching out to hug her. As soon as your arms wrapped around her, a soft sob escaped her throat, and she hugged you back tightly. 

“Thank you,” she whispered after a moment, pulling away to wipe her tears away with the back of her hand. The rest of the group rallied around her, with all three boys stepping in to give her hugs. She leaned back against Jeslyn, who then wrapped her arm around her wife’s shoulders.

“What d’ya need us to do? We’ll take care of everythin’. You’d better get on the road quick so you don’t caught in the storm,” Rhett piped up, ready to help with whatever the two women needed.

Zara was too overcome with emotion to speak, so Jeslyn spoke for her. “Somebody’s gonna need to man the remote for opening the tanks, since Danny and Finn are gonna be busy with the radar.”

You stood there for a moment, realization washing over you. With Rhett busy driving, and Danny and Finn running the radar, the responsibility to open the tanks fell on you. A shock of anxiety ran through your chest. Did you have the courage to do this? You’d already guided Rhett on where to drop the tanks, but now, you would also be responsible for opening the tanks at the exact second. No sooner, no later. 

Suddenly, it felt so overwhelming. If you estimated right, you could potentially be the first person in history to stop a tornado. If you didn’t, everything Zara and the guys had worked so hard for could all be for naught. 

But you could feel everyone’s eyes on you, awaiting your answer with bated breath. Lightning cracked across the distant sky. Thunder rolled.

“I’ll do it,” you said.

“Thank you so much,” Jeslyn breathed, already turning to open the passenger side door of her truck. She rifled inside for a moment before she turned toward you again, thrusting the remote into your hand. “I know you won’t let us down.”

The pressure was on.

“Alright then, you two go on to the hospital, be with your mom. We can handle everything else,” Finn said, shooting a reassuring smile at the girls. 

“Thanks, guys,” Zara finally managed to say, deep brown eyes still swimming with tears. “Really.”

“We got you,” Danny said as he pulled her in for another hug. The rest of you followed suit. 

As she guided Zara into the truck, Jeslyn spoke over her shoulder, “Be safe, guys. Let us know how it goes.”

“We will. Drive careful, alright?” Rhett was the one to answer her. 

The four of you watched for a moment as the girls drove down the driveway, but you couldn’t afford to remain there for long. The clock was ticking, and it was time to spring into action. With hearts heavy for the sudden grief Zara and Jeslyn were dealing with, all of you set to work preparing for the chase.

The wind picked up as you headed to the barn, where Rhett’s truck was parked, to load all the cans onto the trailer. Danny pulled the RV up and Finn proceeded to open the storage hatch, revealing the cans of CO₂ and nitrogen.

As you scrambled like a bunch of worker ants, the atmosphere grew even darker around you. Eerily so, as if God Himself had turned off the sun. While the guys strapped the tanks down, you paused, stepping out into the open to look at the sky once again.

Goosebumps creeped along your arms, and a pit of dread formed in your belly, heavy like a rock. You took a few steadying breaths. The clouds looked angry. Black and foreboding, churning with unkempt energy. 

And then, as if the veil between heaven and earth had been torn asunder, an alarmingly large bolt of lightning struck the earth in the not so distant west pasture. The crash of thunder that followed was so violent it reverberated through the very marrow of your bones. 

You jumped back in fright, eyes wide as saucers. “Oh my god.”

“Damn, that was close,” Rhett called out, voice trembling slightly. 

You turned to him, and when he saw the look on your face, his brow furrowed in concern. You were speaking before you even realized you’d formed a thought. “It’s…it’s going to hit the farm. The twister, it’s–it’s gonna touch down here.”

The three men stared at you.

“How do you know that? Storm hasn’t even started yet,” Danny interjected, running a hand through his windswept salt and pepper hair. 

“I-I don’t…” You trailed off, your heart leaping in your throat as your phone began to vibrate wildly in your pocket. You slipped it from the confines of your jeans and stared at the screen. Tornado Warning. Seek Shelter Immediately.

There was no way of being absolutely certain that the twister would touch down on this exact property, but something in your gut was screaming at you. Danger, danger, danger. After what you had lost six years ago, you weren’t going to take any chances by dismissing the warning you’d just received. 

You locked eyes with Rhett. 

“Alright boys, let’s get movin’!” He shouted at Danny and Finn. 

Finn nodded. “Okay! We’ll fire up the radar and get out a little further from you guys so we can monitor it. We’ll be on the walkies with ya the whole time!”

The two were already scrambling to climb into the RV. As they sped off, you joined Rhett at the front of the Sierra. “‘Fore we go, I’m gon’ check on Mom and Dad, make sure they know to get in the shelter.” They were likely already aware, but Rhett wanted to make doubly sure they were okay.

It was late afternoon, and chores were mostly done for the day. Cecilia was likely starting on dinner preparations, while Amy did her homework at the kitchen table. A scene you had witnessed many times. 

But when Rhett came to a screeching halt just outside the house, his parents were already making their way outside, Cecilia clutching a bag of emergency supplies. Her face was full of fear, and your heart leapt in your chest, because somehow, you knew her fear wasn’t because of the approaching storm. 

“Oh, thank god!” The woman called out, rushing down the porch steps, her husband hot on her heels. “I thought you’d left already!”

“Wanted to make sure y’ got to the shelter safely!” Rhett responded over the rumble of the engine and the rush of the wind.

But his mother shook her head. “Amy went out for a walk an hour ago and she hasn’t made it back!” The terror in her voice sent a chill down your spine.

Rhett tensed beside you, but remained calm. “We’ll look for ‘er.”

“You be careful, y’hear?” Royal spoke up, “and you find our girl.”

“Please,” Cecilia echoed, reaching out to touch her son’s arm. She couldn’t utter another word, for her trepidation had rendered her speechless. 

“We’ll bring her home, Momma.” No more loss would be suffered in this family. Rhett would make sure of it. 

As his parents quickly made their way to the storm shelter, Rhett stepped on the accelerator, turning the wheel sharply. Your heart leapt into your throat, and you reached up, grasping the ceiling handle to hold yourself steady. 

“Where would she have gone?” You asked, shivering from the fright and mounting adrenaline you felt. Your chest went tight. 

“She usually takes the trail behind th’ house. She knows not to stay out there alone when it’s stormin’. She might’ve just gotten spooked and found a hiding spot. She’s smart, she knows to hunker down during a twister.” But it sounded as if Rhett was trying to convince himself. Truthfully, he was terrified, praying silently that Amy was okay.

As he sped toward the property at the back of the house, he said, “Get on the walkie and let the guys know what’s goin’ on.”

With trembling hands, you grasped the handheld device and quickly spoke into it, explaining the situation. 

“We’ll be in our place. If you can’t get in position soon enough, just let us know and we’ll scrap the chase altogether. Over.”

“Okay! Over and out!” You replied, tossing the walkie down onto the truck seat, swallowing down the bitter taste of dread that had risen in your throat as you settled back against your seat.

Obviously, finding Amy took precedence over trying to catch a twister. Nothing else mattered in the moment. Your mind was clouded with urgency and desperation. Both of you were quite literally stricken, unable to form words as Rhett frantically drove, his eyes searching, his mouth moving silently around the syllables of his niece’s name. 

For a terrifying second, he was transported back to that terrible, awful day six years ago. It was an image that was branded into the folds of his brain forever, like the Abbott brand that his father imprinted onto all their cattle. 

If he happened upon the very same scene with his niece, it would break him irreparably. 

But he wouldn’t let his mind go there. Not now. Not when she needed him to find her, to save her, to protect her. “You see anythin’?!” He called to you, knuckles white around the steering wheel, shoulders pulled toward his ears. 

“No!” You exclaimed, not daring to take your eyes off of the surrounding plains, looking for a flash of golden hair, or the bright purple shirt you’d seen the girl wearing earlier. C’mon, baby girl. Give us a sign that you’re out there.

Rain had begun to pelt against the windshield of the truck. Around you, the wind picked up. Trees swayed in a haunting fashion, their leaves shivering, undersides turned toward the sky. A warning. Danger is coming.

“Goddammit, where is she?!” Rhett growled, slamming his palm against the dash in frustration. 

Nausea roiled in your gut. Your extremities felt numb, your body vibrating with unease. When had it gotten so hard to breathe? It felt as if someone was squeezing your lungs, inhibiting you from taking in oxygen. You were suffocating. Choking. Strangled by your anxiety. 

And then you saw it. Just over the ridge, where the earth dipped into a valley. Purple.

“There!” You cried, jamming your finger against the window, pointing into the distance. 

“What?!” Rhett couldn’t see anything. Whatever it was, was now hidden from view. But you knew you’d seen it. 

“Just turn right! Head for the valley! I swear I saw her!”

He yanked the wheel to the right, and the truck veered sideways, jostling you both. His foot was heavy on the accelerator, picking up speed, the uneven earth sending your heart straight down to your stomach.

Your gaze was locked straight ahead, afraid that if you looked away, you would miss it. Miss her. 

Closer, closer, closer to the valley you got. Just up ahead, you could see that the earth gave way, sloping down into a dropoff. “Stop!”

Rhett slammed on the brakes, and the very second he threw the truck into park, you were leaping out, feet landing against grassy earth before you sprinted forward. He followed suit, running alongside you toward the drop.

Just as you came down into the edge of the valley, you saw her. Huddled down against the cleft of earth, arms over her head, frightened and alone. Rhett dashed ahead of you, calling out the girl’s name, dropping to his knees beside her.

She lifted her head, large eyes growing wider still. “Uncle Rhett!” She wept, instantly surging forward to throw her arms around his neck. 

“I’ve got ya, honey! Let’s get y’outta here!” He scooped her up with ease, cradling her close as he stood to his feet. He nodded toward you, and you both ran back up to the truck. 

You threw yourself into the passenger seat and turned, allowing him to guide Amy up into your lap. You hooked your arm around her waist and pulled her toward you so he could slam the door shut. 

“Are you okay?!” You asked her, searching her over for any injuries. 

“I am!” She answered, bottom lip quivering, eyes filled with tears. 

“You scared us so bad, darlin’!” Rhett exclaimed as he hurriedly climbed into his own seat, slamming the door shut. 

“I’m sorry!” She cried. “I was trying to get back but got really scared that I wouldn’t make it to the shelter in time, so I got into that ditch!”

“You did the right thing,” you assured her, tucking her windswept hair behind her ear. She nodded, throwing herself forward, face buried against your neck as she cried. 

But the moment of relief was soon stolen from you as the sound of hail began to strike the roof of the Sierra. Rhett grabbed the walkie-talkie and called into it, “We found ‘er! We’re on the move again, y’got a read on what we’re dealin’ with?! Over!”

There was no time to waste. Either you got moving, or you were sitting ducks. 

But Finn’s reply came through the receiver as an unintelligible, garbled mess. Rhett tried to raise him again, but once again, all he was met with was static. “Shit,” he cursed, tossing the walkie down onto the seat. He turned to you, and his eyes were alight with worry. “We’re goin’ in blind.” 

At that very moment, the hail stopped. With a trembling hand, you opened the window, holding your arm outside. The air felt thick and humid, but an odd sort of coolness came along the edge of the wind. 

And then you looked up. 

“Oh my god.”

There it was. Enormous and foreboding, a wicked twister breaking forth from the sky, touching down in the pasture adjacent to you.

“It’s going toward the house!” Came your despaired shout. 

Eyes wide, Rhett sprung into action, slamming the gearshift into drive and wedging his boot against the gas pedal. “Jesus!” He shouted. “Hold on, y’hear?!” The truck lurched forward, gradually picking up speed, faster and faster, staying parallel to the quickly developing tornado. 

You couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t speak. With Amy huddled against you, you blindly reached out, grabbing for the remote to open the tanks, knowing you needed to be ready, lest you miss your opportunity. 

It was close. Too close. Gaining traction by the minute, swallowing up the surrounding earth, kicking up debris along with it. If you didn’t get out of its path, you knew that the three of you likely would not survive. 

Rhett brought the truck to the highest possible speed, fighting to keep control, body rigid against the seat. “Tell me when to drop the tanks!” Came his desperate plea. 

But your voice wouldn’t come. Your throat felt as if it had closed up, forcing you to remain silent. It wasn’t time, not yet. You were too close. If he slowed down, it would steal precious time. Time that you didn’t have. 

You found yourself in a precarious position, trying to comfort the scared girl beside you, while also counting down the seconds in your head, hoping Rhett would find a safe distance. Part of you wondered if this was it, if you’d end up like your three friends once had.

Somehow, your voice returned, and you yelled, “Take a left!” 

He did, veering in the direction you told him to. Amy shrieked in fear as the truck shook violently. You tugged her closer, bringing her head to your chest, free hand covering her ear to muffle the sounds happening around her. 

Your eyes, wild and alert, stayed glued to the churning column of air, now behind you. The size of it made your blood run cold. Could you really stop one this big? Was this even possible? Were you simply speed-running your own demise? 

“Talk to me!” Came Rhett’s voice in your ears. 

“Not yet!”

He kept his speed, pushing the old Sierra as fast as it would go, faster than he’d ever driven in his life. His ears were ringing. His breathing was ragged. Everything in his body told him that he needed to get you and Amy out of this situation. 

But he pressed on, waiting for the exact moment you told him to drop the trailer.

And then, “Now!”

He brought the truck to a screeching halt, arm darting out to keep you and Amy from flying forward. As soon as he knew he was in position, he jammed his fingers into the button in the center console, securing the trailer into the ground.

Then, he flipped the switch to release the hitch. 

But nothing happened. 

“What the hell?” He flipped it again, but it simply wouldn’t work. 

“Rhett, what–” 

He was already unbuckling his belt. “Stay put! I’ve gotta unhitch it!”

He wrenched his door open and jumped out of the truck, to your utter horror. Amy sat up, frantically calling his name, fearful of her uncle’s fate. You watched him like a hawk, breath bated, hackles raised. 

And then, all at once, a large piece of flying debris sailed through the air, and before he could react, it clipped him right in the head, and he went down.

Your world tilted on its axis.

“No!” You shrieked. You threw your door open and told Amy to stay in the truck as you hurdled yourself into the storm, wind pulling at your clothes, a powerful, uncontrollable force that could very well rip you right out of existence if it chose to do so.

“Rhett!” His name came out as a broken wail. Your mind only allowed you to think one thing: oh my god, he’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead.

But then, hope.

“Here!” He was scrambling to his feet, knees almost buckling under his weight as he fought to pull himself uptight along the side of the truck. His head was bleeding, crimson flowing down the side of his face. But he was alive. 

“Baby!” You threw yourself at him, grasping his face, searching his eyes. “I thought–”

“I know! I’m fine! Get back in the truck!”

But you weren’t leaving him out here. You shook your head in refusal and, instead, aided him in unhitching the trailer from the truck. It took both of you giving it your full strength before it finally gave way.

Hair flying every which way, face bloodied, he locked eyes with you and said, “We got it! Let’s go!”

Fighting against the roaring, screaming, howling tempest, you ran like hell to the passenger side, hoisting yourself into the Sierra. Rhett made it into the driver’s seat and slammed the door shut before he frantically threw the gear in drive and peeled off, leaving the trailer behind. 

With one hand holding Amy’s, and the other clutching the remote, you turned in your seat, waiting for the exact moment to press the release button. Closer and closer, the twister raged on, devouring space and time, threatening to consume Rhett’s childhood home. 

You’re not taking anything or anyone else away from me.

You jammed your thumb into the button as hard as you could, praying silently that the tanks would open without issue. Five, four, three, two, one…

The twister concealed the tanks, inhibiting your view. You had no idea if what you’d just done was even working. Even so, you called out, “I opened the tanks!”

Rhett’s knuckles were white as snow as he clutched the steering wheel, and in a split second decision, probably the most foolish one he’d ever made, he turned at the last possible moment, swinging the truck so that it was parallel to the twister. And then, he thrust his foot onto the brake pedal, and the vehicle came to a shuddering halt.

Both of you turned, eyes on the tornado. You reached out, grabbing for Rhett’s hand, fingers intertwining, holding on for dear life. He moved quickly, his body shielding yours and Amy’s. If things went south, he could not protect you, not from this, but he’d be damned if he didn’t try.

Together, you watched, not daring to breathe, move, or speak. 

Seconds passed, but they might as well have been hours. Then, all at once, the sky swallowed the twister whole, pulling it right back from whence it came, and the earth was silent.

You let out the breath you’d been holding. So did Rhett. Amy tentatively lifted her head from where it had been hidden against your chest. You turned your head, face full of disbelief, meeting Rhett’s gaze.

You saw that, right?

“Did we just…”

His mouth broke into a grin, though his lips were stained red from the blood that had been running down the side of his face. “Yeah, we fuckin’ did!”

You slapped your hand over your mouth, unable to hold in the laugh of utter disbelief that tore from your throat. Amy asked a question, but you barely heard her, for you were too overwhelmed. Once again, you opened the truck door, sliding from the seat, feet on stable ground.

You walked past the truck. Into the field. Toward the trailer that still remained in the place you had dropped it. And there were the tanks of CO₂ and nitrogen, valves open. It had really worked, hadn’t it?

You felt like a firework exploding in the sky, so full of color and light. Tears welled in your eyes, and you found yourself turning around, searching for Rhett. He was there, just like he always was, watching you in awe, his gaze as warm as the sun.

“We did it,” you whispered, legs already moving, body drawn to him by an invisible force, unable to be apart from him for a second longer. You were free-falling, trusting him to catch you. And he did, arms pulling you into him, holding you close, hand cradling the back of your head.  

It all came pouring out of you then. The elation at what you’d just accomplished. The realization that your fear had been well and truly conquered. The thought of just how proud Perry, Rebecca, and Lydia would be. If it was possible to feel joy, disbelief, and sorrow all at once, you felt every bit of it. 

It was raw and painful and beautiful. 

You sobbed into Rhett’s chest, body trembling, knees almost buckling. He gently rocked you back and forth, arms secured tightly around you, holding you as if you were the most precious thing in the entire world. 

“We’re okay, honeybee. We did it. You did it.” He, too, could not hold his tears back. They poured down his face, onto the top of your head, as the two of you stood there, holding one another, weeping openly.

Moments later, Amy’s voice could be heard, calling out to you. You parted from Rhett, turning to see the girl approaching, holding the walkie-talkie in her hand. “This keeps going off!” She exclaimed, waving the device around.

Rhett stepped forward, reaching for the walkie. As he tried to raise Danny and Finn on the channel, you opened your arms, and Amy surged forward into your embrace. 

“You okay, sweetheart?” You asked her.

“Y-yeah,” she said with a nod. “That was so scary! But you stopped it, didn’t you? It worked?”

You managed a smile, despite your tear-dampened cheeks. “Yes. It worked!”

She grinned widely, her eyes sparkling. “Oh, that’s so cool! You stopped a tornado! I bet you’re the first person in the world to do it!”

Though, you couldn’t entirely take credit for it. After all, you’d only pressed the button. It was Zara’s brainchild. However, you were elated that you had been given the opportunity to put it into action, and see the results up close and personal. 

“We did it, boys!” Rhett shouted into the walkie, his voice drawing your attention back to him. “We stopped our first twister!”

The sound of hooping and hollering could be heard on the other end, and you found yourself beaming, a sense of all-consuming joy washing over you. The look of pure, unadulterated glee on Rhett’s face made your heart sing, threatening to soar right out of your chest and into the clouds above.

“We’re comin’ to you, so stay put!��� Finn shouted over the receiver.

“Over and out!” Rhett responded. Carelessly, he tossed the walkie-talkie aside, letting it thud against the soft earth. Then he was running at Amy, lifting her into his arms and spinning her around as she squealed with delight. “We did it, honey!”

“Yeah!” She laughed musically, throwing her head back, hair flying behind her. 

As he slowed to a stop, he gently put her down, but he swayed a little, unsteady on his feet. Instinctively, you reached out to steady him.

“Whoa there, cowboy.” You tilted his chin up, inspecting the gash on his head. It was right above his temple, and it looked rather deep. “You need stitches.”

“Naw, I’ll be fine,” he protested with the wave of his hand. 

“You’re bleeding from a gash in your head. You’re getting stitches.” Your tone left no room for discussion. 

Rhett simply shut his mouth and nodded. In the moment, hopped up on adrenaline, he couldn’t feel it. But now, it was beginning to throb, and he felt a little woozy on his feet. Even so, he simply couldn’t wipe the smile off his face.

It felt as if he was living in a dream. He was afraid to pinch himself, for fear that he would actually wake up. However, the warmth of your body against his as you wrapped your arm around his waist was real. Your sweet voice, full of concern as you fussed over his bloodied face, was real. You were real. 

“Here they come!” Amy called out, motioning to the approaching RV. Danny was driving at full speed, clearly eager to reach the two of you. 

Still pressed against Rhett’s side, you turned your head, raising a hand in greeting. As soon as the vehicle came to a halt, both men jumped out, hooping and hollering. 

“We thought for sure you guys were goners!” Finn exclaimed as the two jogged toward you. “We lost your signal and couldn’t see you anywhere!”

“Honestly, we thought we were goners, too,” Rhett replied with honesty as he exchanged a knowing look with you. You placed your hand over his heart. You were both here. Alive and safe. The Fates had smiled down on you today.

“Damn, look at your head,” Danny spoke up, eyeing the wound. “Y’alright, man?”

“Yeah. The trailer jammed and I had to jump out and get it unhooked. Got clipped in the head while I was doin’ it.”

“Hey, what matters is you survived. And you stopped a fuckin’ twister, baby!” Finn shouted. Then, upon noticing Amy’s presence, he winced. “Whoops, sorry kiddo. Guess I should watch my potty mouth.”

Amy grinned as she came up beside you, lovingly taking hold of your arm. “It’s okay, just don’t let Gramma hear you talk that way,” she said with a giggle.

You smiled down at her, but very quickly sobered up when you thought of her grandparents. “We’d better go check on your parents,” you told Rhett. However, just as you spoked, the sound of an approaching truck grabbed your attention. 

All of you looked across the pasture to see Royal’s old truck approaching. As soon as he came to a stop, Cecilia was all but leaping out of the cab, Amy’s name on her lips as she rushed toward the group.

“Gramma! I’m okay!” Amy called out, rushing to her grandmother. 

You watched, verklempt, as the woman dropped to her knees in front of her granddaughter. Her entire world. “Oh! You had us scared half to death, you hear me?! Don’t you ever do that again!” She scolded, though there was no malice in her tone. She pulled the child to her bosom and hugged her tightly. Amy hugged her right back.

Moments later, Royal joined his wife, and Amy pulled away to hug her grandfather, arms wrapping around his middle. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, never one for dramatic shows of emotion. 

Cecilia rose to her feet again, and finally took in the sight of the four of you. Her eyes fell upon her son, and she stepped forward, concern clouding her face. “Goodness, Rhett. Your head!” She approached, gripping his chin and turning his face so she could get a closer look. “You need stitches!”

His mouth curved into a soft smile, though his eyes shone with tears. “I’ll get ‘em, Mom. Don’t worry ‘bout me.”

She patted his cheek, her bottom lip quivering. “I’m your mother. I’ll always worry about you.” Without a word, Rhett broke away from you so that he could embrace her, strong arms wrapping around the woman who had given him life.

He thought of all she’d lost. She had endured the worst loss that anyone could suffer, and yet, she was the picture of strength and grace. He was so grateful for the mother he had. He knew that he put her through a lot by choosing to chase, after that very same thing had been what took her oldest son from her. And yet, she never once told Rhett to give up what he loved, even if it scared her to no end. 

“I love you,” he heard himself whisper. 

As she pulled away, she patted his chest and nodded, unable to voice her reply. But he already knew what she’d say. I love you too. 

And then he lifted his head to see his father approaching. Royal eyed the gash on his son’s head, and proceeded to clasp his shoulder. “You did it, boy. You fin’lly did it.”

Rhett grinned. “Nah. She did it.” He pointed to you, pride evident on his face. 

You came up beside him, and he tucked you against his side once again. “We did it,” you corrected. There was no you without him.

“Well, because of you, the farm’s safe, and so’s Amy. And I just know that Perry and the girls would be so proud of what you two did today,” Cecilia spoke out, smiling tearfully. She pulled you in for a hug, which you gratefully accepted. 

You cherished the significance of the moment, body warm with pride and disbelief at the accomplishment you had just witnessed. 

“Can we get ice cream to celebrate?” Amy’s voice suddenly rang out over the low chatter of the group. Her eagerness pulled an amused laugh out of everyone.

“First, Uncle Rhett needs to get his head sewn shut. But yes, we can get ice cream,” Cecilia promised. The girl excitedly pumped her fist in satisfaction.

“I’m taking you to the hospital,” you told Rhett, slipping out from beneath his arm.

“So that means I ain’t drivin’?” He asked.

“Are you kidding me? Absolutely not.” Then you turned to Danny and Finn. “You two want to get ice cream with us after I get this guy put back together again?”

“Yeah, sure,” Danny said, nodding his head. “First we’re gonna check on the tanks and see if Zara’s up for a talk so we can let her know what happened.”

“Just give us a call once you head to the ice cream place and we’ll meet you there,” Finn echoed. “We’ve got so much to do. We…we really stopped a twister. We’ve got phone calls to make. We need to get a grant from OU. We need to see if we can start testing this out on a wider scale. I mean, holy shit, this is, like, history making stuff here!”

Danny clapped him on the back. “Hey now, don’t get ahead of yourself. We’ll figure all that out.” He looked at you and Rhett and smiled. “You focus on gettin’ our cowboy stitched up. We’ll talk everything else over later.”

You hummed, shooting him a smile. “Sure thing. See you guys in a bit.”

As the two men ambled off toward the trailer to inspect the tanks, you turned to guide Rhett to the truck. Cecilia and Royal were already guiding Amy into their own vehicle to depart, which left the two of you alone.

“C’mon now, let’s get you fixed up.”

Rhett smiled as you led him toward the passenger side, and as you opened the door, he leaned toward you. “Can you believe it?” He asked. 

It was your turn to smile, and you shook your head. “No. I really can’t.” It was truly unfathomable, the thing that you had done that day. Stopping a weather phenomenon in its tracks. It was impossible. Improbable. And yet, with Zara’s genius invention, and the rest of the team’s help, you’d made it happen. 

“You’re fuckin’ amazing, you know that?”

You rolled your eyes as you nudged him to climb into the truck. “Far from it. I just pressed a button.”

Once the door was shut, he leaned out the open window, arms resting atop the door. “No. You did so much more than that. You go from bein’ fuckin’ terrified of twisters, to conquering one of ‘em. Pretty amazing if y’ask me.”

Ducking your head shyly, your lashes fluttered before you looked up at him again. When he lowered down to kiss you, you let him. “I’m proud of you, girl.”

His praise was all you needed to hear.

With a soft sigh, you rounded the truck and climbed into the driver’s seat. You started the engine and then moved to buckle your seatbelt, making sure Rhett’s was also buckled, before you set off across the property, toward the main road.

For the entire ride to the hospital, his hand rested comfortingly upon your thigh. You let it stay there.

Once you arrived at the emergency room, it did not take long at all for them to call him back, his head wound making him a priority. Around you, people chatted about the storm, and how they’d seen a twister touch down nearby. Little did they know that the reason it stopped was because of what you had done. 

Rhett was given a total of four stitches in his head. Though he was entirely fine with needles, you still held his hand during the procedure. He didn’t push you away. In fact, he was grateful for your presence. It made him feel at ease. 

Afterward, once he was all stitched up and ready to go, you walked out of the hospital, with his arm around your shoulder, and yours around his waist. “Let’s get you some ice cream, cowboy,” you said.

“I like the sound of that.” He replied.

If only for a short time, you let go of everything. The stress and the fright that you had endured that day. The worry, the uncertainty, and everything else. You let yourselves celebrate an astonishing victory with the people you loved, enjoying ice cream cones, reliving happy memories, and telling stories of storm chases gone by.

And you realized, as you sat around the table at the very same ice cream parlor you had gone to after Rhett’s extraordinary ride at the rodeo, that you were entering into a brand-new chapter. Everything was going to change after this, and you welcomed that change with open arms.

It was time to start living your life.

Epilogue

One Year Later

“S’that the last box, honeybee?” Rhett’s voice rang out through the house, reaching your ears from where you stood in the hallway.

“Yeah, that’s everything!” You called back.

His footsteps were heavy on the rickety old staircase, taking the steps two at a time. He found you standing in the doorway of what was now your shared bedroom. He couldn’t hide the smile that tugged at his mouth at the sight of you, so effortlessly beautiful, and all his.

“Hey there,” he murmured, hooking an arm around your waist and pulling you close. You melted into him, body warm and familiar. 

“You’re sweaty,” you stated, and he hummed in amusement. 

“Yeah, well, draggin’ eight hundred boxes into the house will do that to a body,” he replied.

“You’re exaggerating.”

“Me? Exaggerate? Never,” came his faux shocked reply.

You turned in his arms then, placing your hands against his solid chest. Sweat glimmered on his brow, which you reached up to wipe away, letting your fingers wander to the faint scar just above his temple. A reminder of the day you had made history. “Can you believe we’re finally here?”

He shook his head, ducking his head to kiss your nose. “Been waitin’ for this moment for so long. A place t’ call our own.”

What a journey it had been. After the success of stopping the twister the year prior, you had made the decision to leave your job in Silver Spring and move back to Wabang. You didn’t want to endure a long distance relationship with Rhett. If you were going to invite him back into your life, there would be no miles between you ever again.

You decided to buy your great-aunt’s house after you’d cleaned it out. But the place had been in need of many repairs. After many months of hard work, the house was finally ready for you to move in. And what a joyous occasion it was. You were filled with hope, and excitement for the future.

Things were looking very promising for you both. Your background in weather analyzation had landed you a job at the University of Oklahoma, overseeing the field-testing of various weather related devices. The university had bestowed a grant to Zara’s team, funding any further research into the use of CO₂ and nitrogen used to slow and stop tornadoes. 

Unfortunately, Zara had been unable to be as involved as she wanted to be with the project. After the initial health scare that had taken her and Jeslyn away from the chase you’d gone on a year ago, Zara’s mother had been diagnosed with cancer, leaving Zara and Jeslyn to move into her parents home to help her father care for the woman. 

In her absence, she asked you to supervise any and all chases involving her method of tornado taming, and you gladly accepted the responsibility, willing to help her in any way possible as she endured this difficult time.

As for Rhett, he was recruited by the university to test storm chasing vehicles that might be used in future weather projects. He was able to take each of them into the field to see how they performed under acute weather conditions. No vehicle passed inspection without his stamp of approval. 

Both of you had been through so much. Loss, grief, fear and uncertainty. There would always be a void in your hearts, a permanent ache whenever you remembered the three people that had been ripped from your lives so many years ago. You would never forget them, and you would honor the memory of Perry, Rebecca, and Lydia in everything you did. 

But now, it seemed that there was a light shining at the end of the long, dark tunnel. You were moving into your very first home together. You were truly, deeply content, and you were able to do what you loved, side by side. 

What more could you have ever asked for?

The vibration of Rhett’s phone in the pocket of his jeans cut through the air at that very moment, interrupting your peaceful exchange. Quickly, he slipped the phone out of his pocket, glancing at the screen.

As if on cue, thunder rumbled in the distance.

“Let me guess, it’s Danny,” you said.

Rhett grinned, turning the screen so you could read the text. Storm’s moving in! Y’all ready to wrangle some twisters?

“Well then, I guess we should get a move on, huh cowboy?”

He stole another kiss from your lips before he grasped your hand. “Guess so, cowgirl.” Then you were off, hand in hand, rushing down the steps. 

As you scrambled out the door, the feeling of heavy, humid air immediately engulfed you, and you breathed in deeply, relishing in the scent. A storm’s a brewin’.

But you weren’t afraid. Far from it. You were eager, heart pounding against your rib cage in anticipation. Oh, how far you’d come. What had once terrified you now exhilarated you. 

“Ready, honeybee?” Rhett asked you as you climbed into the truck. 

With a confident nod, you replied, “As I’ll ever be. Let’s go own the sky, baby!”

Fin.

[jamiesshelves]

Parts of TSC I can't stop thinking about (after my first read)

Jean having a few minutes before Riko got to him and using it to text Renee a warning. NOT asking her to help him. But warning her. Probably to protect Kevin and Neil more than himself.

Jean viewing himself as a captive with Wymack and Abby

Jean calling Neil Nathaniel until that sudden switch (just like when Neil thought of himself as Nathaniel)

Jean being the same age as Neil, so one of the youngest characters we know

Jean worshipping Thea and her calling him Paris

Jean throwing out Andrew's candy

Jean roasting Aaron for being unimportant even with a murder investigation going on

Renee giving Jean forehead kisses

"Right person, wrong time"

Jean taking Renee's picture and it being the only picture he has

The way the world perceives Riko as a martyr after his death

The way the world brushes aside that he almost killed Neil on live TV

"The only one close enough was andrew"

Jean reaching towards the TV as if he could save Neil and wanting him and Andrew to run

Jeremy being brunette through the events of TFC

The Trojans being okay with their plan for the foxes game because they knew they'd lose to the ravens eventually anyway

Jeremy living at home and having an estranged family situation

Jeremy having a butler he loves and trusts more than his family

BarkBark

Jean's promise to Kevin

Jean calling Kevin a "beautiful boy"

Both Jean and Jeremy trusting Kevin whole heartedly

Kevin giving truths about the nest to Jeremy

Kevin admitting to sticking to Andrew like glue because he didn't know how to be by himself after the nest

The coaches concern as they realize the way raven coaches treated Jean

The rumors about Jean and that Neil never thought of them

Jean being confirmed a bi king and simping over everyone except canon beautiful Neil

Jean probably not simping after Neil because he's the partner that could've been, aka a brother/safe space he never got

Jean not realizing why top surgery scars, and his abuse scars, would be seen differently

Jean not understanding why Trojans can pick their own clothes, food, majors, etc

Andrew letting Neil go to the FBI in California without him because he trusts his runaway to come back

Neil's immediate response to hearing about Greyson is hiring a hitman

Neil sassing the FBI

"I guess Drake wasn't a biter"

Neil telling Jean he can lock his door if it makes him feel safe but he doesn't have to worry anymore

Cat wanting to teach Jean to ride a motorcycle

"Kevin has earned the right to be"

Jean being afraid to ever teach anyone French again

Jeremy hiding from the police

Elodie

"That's putting it mildly." WHAT THE FUCK STUART.

Jean's list.

Jean still texting Renee

The reason the Trojans stay so positive

"I'm not safe with you anymore"

The parallels between Jean and Neil

Jean thinking he never got anything he didn't deserve

Jean only having a carry on bag like Neil

Wymack giving Jean money and his note

The Trojans giving Jean forehead kisses

Jeremy being into Jean but wanting to allow Jean to be able to heal first

Honestly more but this is enough for now lol

[ryuichirou]

Replies

Catching up! So today we’re mostly having replies related to all the stuff we posted recently.

Starting with the most important question.

Anonymous asked:

Wait, Idia got called a brocon? When?

He did! Grim called him a brocon in 5-13 right after we saw Ortho for the first time :3 (timestamp on 5:42 just in case)

Anonymous asked:

How does that smoke beer donut taste?

(this is about this drawing)

Very smoky! And like something Gidel isn’t supposed to eat…

Anonymous asked:

I wanna see some of your traditional art

Actually, Anon, you’re looking at it…

The majority of things that we post daily was originally drawn traditionally, and then coloured digitally. I really want to do more art that is 100% traditional, but never get a chance to for a bunch of reasons :(

Anonymous asked:

I love your analysis holy cow! see its because of Book 5 that i cant stop seeing Vil and Rook as mom and dad. i love this ship mind you, (they are my comfort ship and it gives me life whenever you draw them you beautiful soul) but even if some didnt see them as a romantic couple--in my opinion they still have that VIBE you know? Like whenever they're there you just cant help but feel like BRO THEY WOULD BEAT UP YOUR BULLIES AND THEN GROUND YOU AND SEND YOU TO YOUR ROOM FOR FIGHTING IN THE FIRST PLACE LOL is it just a me feeling?

(this is related to this post)

Thank you for your kind words, Anon! I am very happy you enjoyed the analysis and that you like my RookVil art <3

Yeah, I think these two being very parental is pretty obvious and pretty intentional! All jokes aside, Pomefiore trio really feels like it was written in a way that they would read as a family. We don’t usually like this trope because characters playing house could get pretty boring, and a lot of family-related tropes don’t resonate with us at all. So I am surprised to this day that we love Pomefiore’s vibes so much. I’m guessing that it’s because of how unusual of a family they are, how Epel actually fights with Vil a lot, and how he grows from being a little brat to being a little brat that is eager to grow and excited to show his senpais his new cool magic tricks, while they tease him but still are very proud and excited for him. Like, they’re strict and would smack him (well, Vil would) but they also want him to grow. Woah, that sounds way too wholesome ew lol

Anyways! Even if we exclude Epel, and this is another thing I’ve talked about a lot, I genuinely feel like Rook and Vil were intentionally written as a couple that has been together for quite some time, at least coding-wise. There are just too many tropes and situations that they have that are usually used for couples… Alright I’ll stop myself or I’ll rant about them again even though I just did a couple of weeks ago.

blackbutlerfandomnerddomain asked:

I just love baby Vil so much, makes me wonder what happened

(this is about this drawing)

Adults with shitty opinions + kids that can’t separate reality from fiction happened… truly, two of the worst things that could happen to a possible friendship between actors.

A couple of asks about this drawing:

Anonymous asked:

Oh oh! I saw! Che'nya art! We (smiley kitty fans) are starving! Thank you for the food! It is delicious! May we have another plate, please?

Poor smiley kitty fans! :( I am so sorry you’re starving! Please enjoy your food.

Unfortunately I don’t have any more smiley catfood for you…….. yet.

Anonymous asked:

*see Chenya *

*starts biting at the bars of my containment*

Better question for him..... What that tongue do??? ����👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

What that tongue doesn’t do, Anon? Wink

Anonymous asked:

Question. How much of Riddle's body do you think Che'nya would lick to clean him?

In theory, he’d probably get bored pretty quickly, but I kind of want him to just keep licking… Riddle thought it would be over 15 minutes ago, but Che’nya’s still licking… The moment he would be done with his face, ears and head (cat saliva in Riddle’s hair…), Riddle would realise that Che’nya is determined to lick him all over. Time to call Trey…

blackbutlerfandomnerddomain asked:

Riddle gets licked my Chenya often in my lil delulu ass world

Sometimes Che’nya randomly appears, licks his cheek and disappears again.

Anonymous asked:

Bro I gotta know, what do the tweel's dick(s) look like on their merform? I was scrolling on ur bluesky and saw this one with jade and idia and something between idia's legs and I was like "is that his dick?" If so DAYUM! May that bussy rest in peace

Love your art and speedpaints btw💗

Thank you for enjoying my art and especially my speedpaints! I am very happy to hear that <3

Hehe I’m glad you liked that one! I had a lot of fun with that piece.

I feel like I draw merpeen differently every single time lol but I love the design we came up with for that Jade/Idia drawing, and in fact I do have a post in which I talk about how it probably works! There aren’t any pictures there, but there are some interesting thoughts…

[luna-rainbow]

Thanks for your answer for the last ask.

What is wrong with the writers of the new MCU material? Do they just hate Bucky, especially the writer of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier (he's NOT the Winter Soldier anymore!)? Did Bucky kick their cat or something? This hatred and victim blaming is not justified! "Oh Bucky's just a cray-cray psycho killing machine with cool metal arm but probably belongs in a padded cell. Lol he says he had no choice such a lame excuse..."

Soo…I don’t know if people still remember the rumours from back in 2021 and I don’t know how much of it is true, but my guess at it is this: there were supposed to be two main writers on the series. Spellman was supposed to take Sam’s story, while the other guy wrote Bucky’s story. For whatever reason, the other guy quit before he finished, and didn’t give the writing team enough time to put things together.

From a story craft point of view, Bucky’s story in TFATWS reeks of first-draft-ism. It’s a scattered plot of events that don’t quite string together, and a self-contradictory characterisation that hasn’t yet been smoothed over (but was made a little more believable by Sebastian’s efforts). You can tell some central character themes had been planted in the first draft — the PTSD, the guilt, the messy way he’s trying to relearn how to interact with people (Yori, Sam and later the Wakandans), the struggle with breaking free of his past. These were all strong, interesting character beats for Bucky to work through, and it honestly could have been a good story. And I think that’s when the original writer bailed.

When Spellman picked up this draft, he was pressed for time, he hadn’t watched CATWS and he never thought he’d needed to know about Bucky’s story, so he reads TheMovieSpoiler summary of the movie and tries to piece the rest of the story together. But Bucky’s not his priority nor his interest. There’s already beats of the story that were planned and have to be there for IP reasons. So beyond what was already in the first draft as mentioned above, Bucky is made to be the fall guy to make the rest of the plot happen. Zemo’s release — well we can’t make Sam help break out the criminal that killed an African king so we’ll make Bucky do it, who cares if it makes no sense for his character. The counselling session — the show’s few moments of levity, doesn’t matter that it makes no sense but hey, forced homoeroticism is hilarious, isn’t it? The Wakandan three-way fight — I may be remembering this wrong but I think Skogland said it was one of the first scenes that she had planned for. That fight had to happen, and again Bucky was made to provoke the Wakandans to the point Seb had to step in and say, almost literally, “he would not fucking say that” to make them wind back the animosity between Bucky and Ayo. Sam’s suit — oh no we can’t have Sam asking for it himself that would be too egocentric, we also can’t have Wakandans offering because well, not like the plot actually made Sam a strong ally for Wakanda, so we get Bucky asking for Sam’s suit to be made minutes after he fixes his mistake of releasing Zemo. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t make sense if it’s Bucky doing it, cos I really think by this stage Spellman didn’t give a shit about a character that wasn’t supposed to be his responsibility in the first place. It’s like when you’re doing group project and your teammate bails on you, you’re gonna do just enough to get that pass but you ain’t putting in the effort for a distinction cos just looking at the unfinished work is pissing you off. So then Bucky also becomes the token white male who pushes all the wrong buttons during the few token racism scenes cos we gotta make Walker have some redeemable qualities and he’s already a dick so we can’t make him racist too.

So instead of having a thoughtful story about a veteran trying to grapple with his guilt and PTSD and lack of agency and making some mistakes along the way, you get a weird disjointed plot of some guy…with some bad dreams…who randomly does things for no good personal reason…who gets made the butt of the joke for the stuff he’s experienced cos he’s got a metal arm and super soldier serum how hard could it have been he just needs to go and apologise for killing people while simultaneously having multiple poignant scenes portraying his lack of agency.

Every writer who tells you “a hero is only as interesting as the villain” just secretly wants to write a simpable villain. And when that writer isn’t very skilled, you get the disaster of TFATWS where a lot of effort is spent on making Zemo funny and personable, and Walker nuanced and sympathetic, instead of making either of the titular heroes funny or personable or nuanced or sympathetic. And yeah, I really don’t think Spellman ever cared enough about Bucky to want to make him sympathetic…or a hero. Remember when he said Bucky pulling open the van door was the first time Bucky has ever been a hero? Fuck right off with that.

[melverie]

⸺ LESSON 10 ⸺

Solomon

Lucifer

Solomon & "Nightbringer"

MC's magic

strange feelings & soup

the 'MC is human' situation

records of a banshee

misc

- lesson 9 || lesson 11 || all posts so far -

I'm going to reveal my crack theory on Nightbringer's identity soon since the brainrot is getting out of hand, but then again, it shouldn't be hard to guess based on the points I bring up for this lesson :) I'm still preparing a sideblog for that tho, so it might take a bit Also if someone wants to get tagged for these recaps, do let me know! General spoiler warning for all of Obey Me Nightbringer, as well as for the original Obey Me

⸺ SOLOMON ⸺

Solomon suddenly shows up at HoL uninvited and claims he and Simeon have plans for drinking tea together. Simeon doesn't remember ever making such plans [10-4] -> while we're not told what they are talking about, I'm guessing it has to do with 10-A -> love how he just was at Nightbringer's tea party, and now his immediate response when asked why he's here is just "......Simeon and I are having a tea party" lol

by the time Solomon arrived at HoL, Satan was already outside, yet he didn't realize Solomon came over [10-18] -> while you can argue that Satan was just so caught up in watching the cat, he does notice MC coming over, the brothers leaving to the Demon Lord's Castle, AND this is the same demon that could later tell on that MC was standing in front of his bedroom door based on the intervall of their footsteps

⸺ LUCIFER ⸺

Belphegor talks about Lucifer trying (+ failing) to hold in his laughter [10-1]. Demon!Lucifer would never :(

Lucifer seems overly reluctant to take MC with him and Belphegor at first [10-4]. When asked why, he deflects -> he was kind of quick to entertain the idea of taking Solomon with him as the 'uninvolved third party' though

Lucifer seems surprised that Belphegor was denied entry to a shop back when they first arrived in the Devildom [10-6; pic below] -> since this treatment from the denizens was part of the reason Mammon wanted to gain the title of 'Rulers of the Underworld', you'd think that Lucifer would be aware of this kind of treatment happening in the first place...

it's raining, which reminds the brothers of the day before the Great Celestial War + according to Lucifer, it was unusally quiet [10-9]. The brothers talk about what everyone was doing that day:

Belphegor was napping in a tree and was all alone that day [10-11] Beelzebub was off in the human world to run an errand on Michael's behave [10-11] Asmodeus was taking a bath, and thinking of ways to get out of Raphael scolding him later on [lesson 10 hard mode] we don't get any comment on Satan, but he was obviously still part of Lucifer, so uh... Would have been interesting to know if he has any fragments of Lucifer's memories of that time tho Leviathan and Michael were taking a walk and talking [lesson 10 hard mode] Mammon was tasked with covering Beelzebub's gatekeeping duty, but he ended up skipping out of it [lesson 10 hard mode] and then there's Lucifer who was......somewhere. The game doesn't tell us what he was up to, but instead points out that no one knows where he was [lesson 10 hard mode; pic below]

Lucifer hogging the family braincell as usual and immediately realizes that, yep, MC has the Ring of Light [10-16] -> btw kind of unrelated but I do find it funny that out of all the characters to (originally) head to the Demon Lord's Castle to free Beel, it was MC and Luci & Belphie. You know. The only two brothers that wanted to attack MC once they found out that they are a human. Imagine what would have happened if Mammon, Levi and Asmo hadn't shown up lol

⸺ SOLOMON & "NIGHTBRINGER" ⸺

[hi, this is probably the only time I'm bringing the Japanese version into this recap simply because I already translated this specific scene here]

illusion!Diavolo and illusion!Simeon pressure Solomon into choosing either demons or angels. Solomon chooses the secret third option :) [10-A] -> since this illusion was most likely created by Nightbringer, we can assume that he wants Solomon to either choose his side (whichever that may be), OR to simply abandon humanity altogether -> a little later on Solomon implies that Nightbringer should know by now that Solomon won't ever waver on his convictions -> Nightbringer knows Solomon well enough to know that threatening MC's safety might get him to change his mind. Solomon does stop smiling at this threat, so he does seem to take the threat seriously

during the illusion tea party, Solomon says that he just wants to be free, and that that's part of his agreement with "him" [10-A] -> while we don't know for certain, I'm guessing his agreement is with Nightbringer since it would make sense narrative-wise

Solomon also tells Nightbrignger that he sounds like a demon [10-A] -> sounds like something you'd either say to someone who isn't a demon, or someone who only recently became a demon

Nightbringer says that Solomon is acting more like a demon than he is because of his arrogance [10-A] -> Solomon then says that it is inevitable that he behaves like a demon since Nightbringer made him to the person he is today

Two fun facts about the Japanese version! 1. Nightbringer uses 「傲慢」 for 'arrogant', which also happens to be the word used in the game for the deadly sin 'pride' 2. instead of saying "you're the one who made me who I am today", Solomon says that Nightbringer is the one who reduced him to what he is now

when Solomon calls Nightbringer......'Nightbringer' (lol), he actually puts his name in quotation marks in the Japanese version [10-A; pic below]. Makes you wonder if he actually is the historic Nightbringer we learn a little of later on, or if it's just someone using that name...

「」 are the Japanese quotation marks

⸺ MC'S MAGIC ⸺

MC one again absorbs the brother's magic in order to calm down Beelzebub [10-16]

⸺ STRANGE FEELINGS & SOUP ⸺

beast mode Beelzebub is heading to the colosseum, and Lucifer points out that it was build on the exact spot the brothers first landed in the Devildom [10-13]. That was a year ago. Why is it built already??

Leviathan points out that the Great Celestial War feels like a really long time ago [lesson 10 hard mode]

⸺ THE 'MC IS HUMAN' SITUATION ⸺

[hey, we finally reached the reason I wanted to make this its own category, whuu!]

so here's the thing:

1. back in lesson 8, Diavolo said that while he is now fairly confident that MC is indeed a human, he still can't be 100% sure because there is "something else" within MC [8-1; first pic below] 2. back in OG season 3, fairy illusion!Lucifer asks MC what they are. If MC answers that they are an angel, illusion!Lucifer says this that he knows when he is in the presence of an angel, but also admits that there is something else within them and that he can't say so for certain [OG 52-5; second pic below]

THE REASON I'M BRINGING ALL THIS UP is because now in lesson 10, Lucifer once again mentions being able to tell when he's in the presence of an angel. This time, however, he indirectly claims that he can tell that MC isn't one [10-16; third pic below]

⸺ RECORDS OF A BANSHEE ⸺

Beelzebub managed to escape from his prison cell and we learn about the state he is in [10-9; pic below]. Once again, it seems like too big a reaction for just hearing the word 'banshee'

we also learn that Beelzebub's rampage started right after the brothers left earlier [10-9; pic below]

Barbatos actually blames the brothers for Beelzebub's escape [10-9] and I am inclinded to believe him because:

1. Solomon was (supposedly) with him earlier, meaning Barbatos would have known had Solomon tried to pull something. And yet he is blaming the brothers 2. while Solomon could have just been sneaky & teleported away right after putting some kind of spell/curse on Beelzebub, the other characters mentioned last lesson that Beelzebub was already acting beside himself during the dinner party, meaning it must have been someone who was also at the dinner party. From what we know, Solomon was with MC at the time 3. while it could have been both Solomon AND Barbatos, I seriously doubt that Barbatos was involved in this situation in any way. Diavolo is already in a lot of distress because of suddenly having to govern the Devildom, MC's situation, Lucifer's comment last lesson and so. much. more. The Beel situation right now just causes Diavolo even more stress, and doing something like that just feels COMPLETELY out of character for Barbatos 4. speaking of seeming out of character, it's not like Barbatos to just baselessly accuse others like that, meaning he probably had a solid reason to blame the brothers 5. I am reaching with this one, but I like the idea lol--Diavolo still has the ability to tell lie from truth, and while Belphegor vehemently denies having played any part in Beelzebub's escape, Lucifer never outright says so

they suddenly start arguing that Beelzebub is acting like this because he's hungry [10-13] -> thing is, we later learn that he's lacking his "demonic disposition" and that the hunger he feels is all No. 6's doing. So unless No. 6 suddenly decided to go all in that can't be true

⸺ MISC ⸺

Belphegor tells MC a little more about Lilith + we get Michael lore (he looks like a jellyfish :] ) [10-1]

Belphegor also tells us that the Celestial Realm forbids angels from intervering with a human's life [10-1]

Belphegor's line from the website [10-1; pic below]

the sibling bickering <3 [10-6; pic below]

Simeon reassures Satan that they will one day be known as "the seven brothers" [10-18]

[kerubimcrepin]

LIVEREAD: WAKFU, THE GREAT WAVE [TOME 1, Chapters 4-7]

Always some weird shit happening in this country.

I really wish they didn't make Grougalorasalar so fine because now putting him next to Joris feels like one of those "trying to give my cat body dysmorphia" memes.

EXCEPT JORIS ALMOST DEFINITELY ALREADY HAS THAT 😭

Some thought that it's quite cheap, to resurrect a character this way — however, killing 1k people is already established as a type of resurrection that works, within canon. And there is dramatic irony, considering at the end of the movie she kinda began to understand the error of her ways... It's like the universe is saying lol, no peaceful death for you, keep suffering, y'know? It's compelling.

SHUT THE FUCK UP. I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR FEE-FEES. YOU ALWAYS CRY WHILE COMMITTING WARCRIMES. COME UP WITH A NEW GIMMICK!

Like literally — this guy will cry over his dead son, and act scared about being forced to commit more warcrimes w/ Joris in the movie... and then go on to commit more warcrimes for centuries. Is he for real?

I think that, of all the people he could have picked, Julith is the most befitting candidate to try and fight Yugo.

She hated holier-than-thou types. She was aligned with Brakmar. She was willing to commit mass murder and abuse her son to reach her goals. For the right reasons, she will be willing to do more mass murder and son abuse once more. It literally makes so much sense to me.

(ANKAMA PLEASE CHANGE HER MOTIVATION FROM REVOLVING AROUND THE MAN SHE WAS IN LOVE WITH. DO KEEP THE CHILD ABUSE, THO. IF YOU DON'T DO THESE 2 THINGS, THIS MANGA WILL BE UNREADABLE AND UNBEARABLE. THANK YOU.)

Once again, I really appreciate the irony. I hope she feels bad about this — I hope it's clicking for her that this is what she was going to do. (I love torturing characters I love torturing characters I love—-)

I really wish we got some more of a conversation here — like "it's been approximately 600ish years since you died" or "the world almost ended like 4 times since you died, and there was a huge flood and stuff".

I really wish to see the reaction of some random mortal character from Dofus era to all the bullshit that has happened since then.

(God, I hope her first thought after learning how long it has been is, "oh, I guess I won't know what happened to my son. It has been a long time. He died a long time ago, I guess. That's probably a good thing." It would be so funny so so funny sooooo funny to me. hehe)

Due to Atcham being an owner of one of these thins in the past, I sadly have an affinity for them.

(I like to think Atcham wishes he could get another one, but being able to own an animal like this was like, one of the things he had to sacrifice to become a Bontarian.)

Something wrong with her, for real.

Loving their resurrection of Julith not just physically, but in spirit too <3

Welcome back, Irredeemably Evil Female Character Driven To Kill Torture And Abuse Innocents (Including Children) By "My Husband, Who Is The Only Person The Writers Have Me Care About, Died"-Disorder And No Other Character Traits Besides Motherhood/Desire To Be A Mother (Despite Being Abusive To All Children Around Her) Given To Her. You truly are a classic, in Ankama media!

I wonder if Julith is being forced into this, or if the only lesson she got from dying is "Jahash wouldn't have wanted me to kill 1k Bontarians" and she is still as weird and horrible of a person.

I guess it's hard to judge what is happening, without knowing what 'Salar told her.

By the way, if she still has a grudge against Bonta for planning the perfect series of events to kill her and Jahash, it will be so funny. Lady you literally tried to killed a woman's husband <3 you have no moral high ground anymore <3 and she never Had a moral high ground to stand on, but now there's like, hypocrisy to it too, if she uses the "my husband and I were plotted against" card.

[giggles cutely] You see, , this is why I often bring up Joris while analysing child-parent relationships and immortality. Ankama loves reiterating on ideas and concepts.

For example, the most recent motif is poisonings and belladonna, especially when love and royalty is involved...

I know I roasted the hell out of Eliatrope for her bad ruling skills, but I don't think that calling a ruling queen "kiddo" and "the girl" is helpful in this situation.

Then again, Aurora said that her father spent most of his time holled up in a cave, in season 4. Maybe he usually doesn't do politics. Maybe he's more of a military leader, while others do all the work.

...Yeah, I know, I know. Ankama just didn't give a shit and I'm just making stuff up to make it make sense.

[lxmelle]

Gojo Satoru Q&A thoughts.

So these leaked early on X/formerly Twitter, but some of the Japanese are sensitive to spoilers (it’s rather frowned upon) so I didn’t have anywhere to dump my thoughts but here 😅

Spoilers for the GIGA special Gojo Satoru book ahead. (Only a few I wanted to comment on - I’m sure someone would’ve posted all 33 questions and the answers already 😆)

Apparently Gojo looks like he is a cat person but he probably likes dogs. Gege uses a lot of vague/uncertain language here. (I guess he’s making it as if Gojo is a character of his own right and not that he, as the creator, knows everything about.)

My HC: to me it seems, like on the surface, he may appreciate an aloof character, but he probably likes someone loyal and won’t leave him.

Maybe that’s what he is like as well; he as a “dog personality” would be doggedly loyal to one person and, uh, he has a good nose too. Y’knowww… Good nose … for sniffing out the specific cursed energy of his friend Geto Suguru, lol. 😂

Honestly, I’d like to think that after this life, they both learned how to be more sensibly and healthily codependent for their next life / in the afterlife.

So: Don’t let Geto run away again Gojo… Geto isn’t the kind of person you can just leave alone. 🥺

And Geto, don’t leave Gojo behind again, he doesn’t think you’re replaceable, so don’t think you’re unwanted or that you need to save Gojo & leave on your own again.

Gojo was born special and was both feared and revered in equal measure. Separated from his parents from a young age he likely didn’t know of friendship and companionship or unconditional love until Geto came along. He didn’t interact with friends because of his status / background. He was brought on missions and his education was pretty strict. Because he was clever, it was probably dull pretty quickly.

He was likely treated like there was always a barrier around him and that he needed to be nurtured as a talent/resource/figurehead without much love as a human being.

Geto was probably one of the first people to see him as Gojo Satoru as well as who he was as a sorcerer. This was probably new to him, and he experienced / felt it enough to feel very attached to Geto. His ease was shown in his carefree, happy attitude and smiling expressions throughout HI.

Gojo probably got away with many things in his childhood as he tried to rebel and have fun. Didn’t have anyone he could stand head to head / toe to toe with until he met Geto.

Gojo was wealthy. Had a salary too. And, very likely didn’t know of loss or poverty. The former, until Geto left. The latter, never did. My HC is that it made it difficult for him to sympathise with strife / struggling to achieve something... seeing as he never knew what insecurity could feel like? It made things more challenging for him to develop empathy. Further, as a talented genius who grasped things easily, it’s true that Gege described him as a talent from birth and Geto was more of a talent through hard work. Gojo could not relate to others until he experienced suffering and loss himself. 😢

His only complex was probably being unable to stop Geto. For the first time he wanted something but he couldn’t have it. To be given everything but being able to do nothing. Realised people have pride and wills of their own and their lives ought to be respected.

After Geto left, Gojo became more aware of his responsibility for the next generation of sorcerers. This was thanks to the wound... I guess.

“To be given everything, but be unable to do anything.” comes to mind - this is in reference to his DE unlimited void. Doesn’t it encapsulate what Gojo was? He, on the surface, had everything... and yet, it also bound him. Trapped to be this person that fulfilled a role. The latest chapter with Yuji and Sukuna touches on that. Riko’s life paralleled this to some degree too - treated as special from birth to fulfil some purpose.

Gojo probably only ever really wanted one thing and it was his friendship with Geto, but he couldn’t have it. He could not save his best friend. He was supposed to be strong - but it wasn’t enough just to be strong. Alone.

It is no wonder he had a complex. He hung onto remnants of his best friend for years. I’ve read some Japanese twitter users lamenting on how it’s strange to change their first-person pronoun just because a friend mentioned it. Gojo became a teacher because of what happened. So it really cut him deep to have witnessed Geto leaving and him being so helpless.

That’s all I had to say. Sorry for the abrupt end. 🫡

[mushroomcrepe]

It's time to make that one obvious critic about dr stone : the biology part of science wasn't exploited enough.

Disclaimer : i'm not a biologist

Firstly, plants are the exact same. I don't expect trees and the general look of plants to change, but would the domesticated for thousands of years whead stay perfectly the way it was and not need any adaptation once humans stopped harvesting it ?

It's also a shame that there were no discovery, like Senku discovering new mushrooms/plants and learning from Chrome which ones are poisonous, Senku trying to get a use from them and experimentating...

The author's choice was to use geology to display how the world changed in 3000 years (ex : Mount Fuji changing the ground aspect) and how mother nature doesn't have feelings and science can make us adapt to her dangers (the discovery and collect of sulfuric acid). I agree it fits Senku knowledge of minerals and with how important they are to the story.

However, i think it would have been an interesting way of showing the mother nature thing by using poisonous plants/mushrooms as meds or something therapeutic (Paracelsus my beloved lol). For the massive change 3000 years makes, simply showing plants that modern characters knows nothing about because they didn't exist before would be enough. It wouldn't be as grandiose as the volcano or sulfuric acid lake sure, but it would show the very daily life of the characters is altered. How they aren't adapted to their world anymore without science, they are stranger on these lands they used to walk on and consider known.

Yeah there is a big waterfall and big acid lake ok but watch out you have to eat and there's only berries and you have no idea if they will be good or your last meal because they didn't exist before.

On another note the Ishigami village people knowledge of their environment would be more important in the story and furthermore show their undeniable contribution to the Kingdom of science.

As for the animals, it's the exact same thing. New fishes, insects, mammals, and you don't know if they are dangerous, venenous, hosts of illnesses of parasites... Which is primordial to know, because in 3000 years difference, the immune system isn't adapted to the new environment anymore.

i think the adaptation aspect of nature was also put aside. Let's take as an exemple the tiny dog we see when their owner got petrificated while on a walk. It's typically the tiny white dog that have difficulty breathing and gets cold easily. It's shown his breed survived all this time, but it always baffled me. How could he hunt and survive for millenias ? Some of the species domesticated by humans would logically go extinct because unable to survive on the long run in the wild.

The reasons for the tiny dog breed would be the many predators bigger than them, rival species for hunt like cats (i guess they both would eat rodents considering their size), and their absolute lack of predisposition for a successful hunting despite their survival instinct (claws, jaw and teeth aren't fit for killing preys). It's logical, because this breed was bred by humans for their "cute" look. Not for security, hunt, defense, or anything like that.

And the most obvious weird biology thing of all : the astronauts descendants. It's a population starting with only 6 people that ends up after 3000+ years with the population of the ishigami village + treasure island people. I am not saying Kohaku, Suika and Chrome were born from millenias of very probable consanguinity, but i just think that with only three couples, it would be difficult for that to not happen. Especially knowing there is like 40 villagers in Ishigami village.

It shouldn't work as easily as the story made it look since consanguinity reduce the survival chances, pneumonia and other illness was also running, there were many deads from hunger... But they still could have enough descendants to survive 3000 years. I guess they would need to be very lucky to not have any problem with the genetic factor.

Anyway i understand the new biodiversity wasn't revelent for Senku's crazy ideas and that the plot needed to focus on the minerals and such. It's just that i find the "it's a whole stone age world since 3000 years passed" under exploited.

[rileys-battlecats]

If you haven’t already answered this yet, can I ask why MicaClan chose the territory they currently live in? It seems like an interesting decision to choose such a different area to try to survive in. Although the more lush area probably means less droughts and higher elevation could possibly mean less flood risks, avoiding the two major issues that caused them to move in the first place. They still have to relearn everything though in such a different area. Or was there less thought behind it and it was more just get to higher ground to avoid the water and then they got tired of traveling and decided to stop once they were sufficiently high up?

Also can I ask what kind of border threats they faced when establishing their new territory? Were there other groups of cats? Was it mostly predators and dangerous animals? Did dogs or twolegs pose a challenge to their borders?

Sorry I kinda have a lot of questions haha I just really like your story and characters and settings and everything and wanna know all I can about them and get a deeper knowledge of everything

I AM SO HAPPY TO RECEIVE THIS QUESTION

You're right that there were material aspects as to why they chose to settle where they did; the mountain seemed like a good place to avoid any more catastrophic floods with the high elevation, the spring-fed stream that runs through the territory also seemed like a guarantee against any future droughts, and the area had plenty of prey to feed the clan. But the real deciding factor was the soil!

The idea was basically that they found a place where the very ground seemed to be blessed by Starclan. I've written about this on the blog before, but it was wayyy way back and I haven't mentioned it again since then HAHA, but I based Micaclan's territory on a place I used to hike every now and again. The area used to be the location of a mica mine, and the ground there still sparkles with all the tiny shards of minerals in the ground (which is actually why they're called Micaclan; I gave them the name before I'd fully decided on the clan not being from the area originally lol). So they basically were like "if this isn't a sign from Starclan then I don't know what is" and set up camp! It ended up being the right choice in the end, because they found the Moonmirror in the abandoned mine on their territory, which gave them much needed access to Starclan (even if they can't use it outside of emergencies).

For border threats, I imagine them dealing with all sorts of things, especially in the beginning when they were just establishing their borders. I think of micaclan's territory being far enough from human civilization that they don't have to worry about construction or cars or anything, but close enough that they have a human hiking trail acting as one of their borders, or at least having a hiking trail close enough that they have to deal with the occasional stray dog or human. In addition to this, predators like black bears or coyotes would make trouble for the clan, and maybe a mountain lion drifted through the territory at one point (which would have been a harrowing time indeed).

As for rogues or other groups of cats, I think they might've brought that trouble with them! It's hard to conceal a big group of cats traveling in search of a new territory, and I think they drew some unwanted attention on their way up to the mountain. Maybe other groups noted them, and decided to let the strangers do the hard work of staking out a good territory before swooping in to take their place? I don't think there were any other cats living where Micaclan ends up, so they wouldn't be contesting land with any other resident cats. Those that threatened their new borders were usually looking to try to take their place. Basically they were like "so the weirdos you pegged as 'death within the month' 5 moons ago are actually now thriving and looking well-fed and healthy living on the mountain? I guess it can't be THAT dangerous, why don't we live up there instead? they can find somewhere else again, they're obviously good at finding nice territories."

the general gossip on micaclan as a group through the years basically goes like this: I heard there was a big group (a clan?) passing through looking to set up a new territory, hope they don't settle here -> apparently that big clan that passed through a few moons back is living further up the mountain? wonder how long it'll be before they're eaten by bears -> there's a big group of cats living further up the mountain, maybe the mountain makes for a good territory after all... -> there's a weird cat cult up the mountain and if you step on their turf they will Kick Your Ass

[chuckeroo777]

Dungeon Meshi Volume 9 Part 1

Welcome back! I hear you loud and clear. Cover images are fine, as long as they aren't actively spoilery. Now, join me for a very interesting volume!

Today, we go on an ADVENTURE!

It's a good thing you're both so naturally good looking, cause neither of you can style for shit.

As much as I love their relationship, Marcille is definitely pretty controlling, especially early on here. She does improve a lot by the end of the manga though.

Can't really blame them. Between the Asivia disaster, and just, elves in general (Seriously, name a single elf in this story who isn't problematic in some way.), they are right to be wary. I like how each of them has a particular hangup with her. Chilchuck is particularly worried about another Asivia, Shuro doesn't want a total noob, and Namari is a dwarf about it.

They're just such good friends guys.

Thank you random background NPC for agreeing with me.

An important image.

God, I love my two idiot children.

Gosh dang it Dandan, so it was your fault? Also, I have to wonder how medical fraud works in a world with healing magic. Like, what could be possibly be pretending to have that Falin couldn't heal?

You were only mostly dead. And mostly dead, means a little alive.

Lol

Seriously, of all our main characters, she's the only one whose relative age I can't really figure out. Honestly, at this point, I'm starting to suspect she is reletively younger than Falin. Half-elves sure are confusing! While most of the other races have maturity rates proportional to their average lifespan, Half-elves age quicker than elves, but have a much longer lifespan. So who knows.

Three guesses what he does literally two seconds later. The last two don't count.

You know, with how precisely shapeshifters and succubi can extract this sort of information, makes me wonder how easy mindreading would be for a mage. Like, these are scrub-tier monsters wielding some seriously potent telepathy.

It's really sad, isn't it? She's been treated poorly for so long, she's had it drilled into her that she is a freak of a human, when in fact she is a very talented cat.

Izutsumi: Screw you guys. I don't need no one.

Izutsumi two seconds later: Gotta go save my friends!

Moral of the story: Chilchuck thinks the whole party is pretty.

Izutsumi has had just about enough of this nonsense.

Pro tip for all my succubus readers. If you're just mimicking someone's type, like Chilchuck, hordes work great. But if you're mimicking a specific person, the trick stops working if there are multiples. Makes it kinda obvious that it's a trick.

There is something darkly humorous about the fake mothers being defeated by killing their babies.

That's altogether, truly, enough of this nonsense. Actually, the fact that they stayed the same, can succubi only transform once? Or maybe there is just a long cooldown on switching forms?

:3

Presented without comment.

Probably because Kui the dungeon lords are inspired by those old myths. Pity demons aren't real.

Things are getting juicy! Stay tuned for part two.

[coulsonlives]

Y'all. There has officially been "furry" drama on the neopets subreddit, and I'm crying. It's such a trainwreck.

Someone posted anthro artwork of their neopets OCs, which looked like this:

And I guess it was reported as NSFW by multiple people, because these neopets were really um, well. I'm not gonna lie, they look like naked people with super short fur, and they even have pretty big mons pubis (genital area) which for anthro characters, especially super humanoid ones, is normally covered by clothes and/or thick fur.

Plus the poses seem a little playful (tongue sticking out? toesies?) and could easily be interpreted in a sexy way, especially once you factor in the more realistic anatomy, which again, there are shapes there in the genital area that aren't even really hidden. So I'm not surprised a lot of people were uncomfortable.

My opinion? It shouldn't have been taken down (and it wasn't!), but people had the right to be confused about why it wasn't marked as NSFW.

My thinking was, you wouldn't want to open something like this at work and show it to your coworkers. Or leave it around the break room table.

But of course, the artist got snarky. Apparently this happened to one of their older posts too, so they were really annoyed and acted like the mods were spineless (literally, they said multiple times that the mods should "grow a spine"), and there was some weird implication that the mods were censoring women's bodies, or fatter bodies, or something. They also compared their OC artwork, which is of the above very-humanoid neopets, to the Fontaine Sisters (who ofc, are always fully clothed sigh), and said if the Fontaine Sisters would be allowed to be posted, their naked humanoid neopets should be, too. Uh?

Then, they made a totally separate rant post on the subreddit, titled "yes, neopets is a furry website", which was promptly removed (I didn't even get a chance to see it, rip).

But I'm scrolling through the comments, and oh my god.

Someone replied with this comment:

The <image> link goes to this picture, with a few comments:

This person also seemed to agree on the general interpretation that it was a very "sexy" rendition:

And someone else on the original post with that character:

So hrmm, okay. Nothing wrong with drawing what you think is sexy, but. Own up to it and accept it might get marked as NSFW.

Someone made the following comment...

And the third reply checks out tbh. If I was still working with kids, I'd probably get written up too lol. And no, not everyone has a hip with the kids, totally down to hang boss, so that's a weird argument. If you couldn't leave this in an office break room, like I said before, it's not okay.

This person explains why the NSFW tag actually is appropriate, even though the artist claims it isn't:

Another comment that points out the mons pubis:

To which the artist replies:

To give them credit, they're not wrong that humanoid animals and humans in general do have a shape in that region! And it looks weird to just have a totally flat silhouette there, especially if the rest of the character is super curvy. But. again. There is almost no fur. So it comes off as nakey + features too humanoid for some peoples' routine, at-work browsing.

Someone else comments:

When... the artist could've just dropped the subject as soon as their post was labelled NSFW, but instead they had a tantrum and made a totally new post to whine about the mods' decision and peoples' reactions? Um.

Here's someone else trying to explain peoples' reactions, and the artist's reply is just silly:

Those are dogs and cats and fish. They're. not. extremely. humanoid. anthro characters. Now I'm getting annoyed reading all of this stuff lol. Is this really the hill you've chosen to die on? This has happened twice now. Mods are gonna mod. Get over it or leave. Your art isn't the same as say, King Coltzan even if people do thirst over him too. He's fully dressed.

Another commenter who missed the point about how most neopets characters have clothes and aren't very, very humanoid:

But thankfully the mods came in and locked some of the comment chains:

So um. That was wild lol.