#but also can't WRITE it until I figure out at least the bare bones of the plot

[spacedace]

Been doing a plot overhaul of Ghosts of Gotham and the time line is getting wild but at least I have the general vibes of each of the four big plot lines figured out:

(shoutout to Brennan Lee Mulligan's portrayl of Tula on Burrow's End for making me realize what Dan's story was gonna be lol)

[whatudowhennooneseesyou]

𝐊𝐢𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐣𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝟏𝟖+ 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬 (𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 & 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝)

Word Count:

Disclaimer: Think about it. Write about it. Have hard thoughts. Do not take it seriously. None of this confirmation is confirmed and all theoretical. If you want to read more, check out my 'Hongjoong as your late bloomer bf' post.

Methodology: Traditional Astrology & Whole Sign

Hongjoong has dyed his hair back black and it's my favourite hair colour on him (we see it so rarely) and b/c he's my Ateez bias- I had to revamp his natal chart.

Overview:

Scorpio Sun (11th House)

Gemini Moon (6th House)

Capricorn Rising (Saturn-Ruled)

Sagittarius Mercury (12th House)

Scorpio Venus (11th House)

Virgo Mars (9th House)

Fuckboi Rating:

2/10

Out of all the members of Ateez, I'm inclined to believe that Hongjoong would least likely be a fuckboi because his Scorpio stellium and Moon in the 6th House indicates he's not a shallow man and craves soul-bonding, all-too consuming connection in relationships.

Take this next point very casually BUT as someone who has similar placements to him AND the overall energy I get from Hongjoong, I wouldn't be surprised if he identifies with being demi-sexual and he can't find pleasure in physical intimacy w/o an emotional connection.

This is emphasised with having a Virgo Mars because Earth Mars typically have a fluctuating sex drive so he can probably abstain for awhile and be okay with it.

Red & Green Flags:

Red:

Emotional and verbal dysregulation! His 12th House Mercury indicates difficulty expressing emotions in a calm and collected manner.

The Sagittarius influence heightens that trait by making his impulsive behaviour more erratic and could be seething for days before he randomly explodes over a simple issue.

PETTY! The 12th House Mercury and Scorpio placements indicate he could be the type to weaponize the silent treatment, going for hours without speaking to you until you figured out what you did wrong.

Green:

LOYAL TO THE BONE!!! You could go to hell and back and Hongjoong would hold your hand the entire time. These moments of 'difficulties' actually enhance Hongjoong's affection towards you because you trust him to see you at your most 'vulnerable'.

Committment!!! Yes, this should be a bare minimum but Hongjoong would be a faithful man and you would never have to worry about him cheating because he probably views cheating as a betrayal of trust.

Self-automony! By this I mean he values independence and wouldn't try to 'change' you as a person and would choose to accept your flaws and all.

Ideal Type...If He's Into Women:

It's interesting because his 5th House in Taurus is the complete opposite to his Scorpio Venus so his type could have polarising qualities.

Either they are boisterous and loud in public and shy and laid-back around him or vice versa. He likes a partner who shows a side of themselves that only Hongjoong can see.

Hongjoong is definitely an arse and legs man and would be attracted to the grunge but feminine archetype so lace dresses, stockings with Doc Martens etc.

I've noticed in fancalls he loves curly hair, whenever there's a fancall with an Atiny and they have curly hair, he'll always comment about how good their hair looks.

Dom, Sub Or Switch?

Hongjoong is one of the members that's more of a true 'switch' when it comes to power dynamics and yes, he is definitely more on the dominant side BUT not to far...I'd say 60% dominant, 40% submissive.

It's why whenever I scroll the ateez smut tags and see a Seongjoong fic where it's bottom!hwa...I laugh because it's actually the other way around.

Hongjoong is definitely more of a service/pleasure dom and his Gemini Moon and 11th House Venus makes him flexible in what he desires sexually in a partner.

He would enjoy having a bratty sub that he can put in place (kindly) like you see with Wooyoung.

He would also enjoy an obedient sub that completely adores and worships him.

No matter what, he needs to know that you're willing and trusting to put your entire body and soul in his hands.

Kinks...Just A Few Of Them:

Corruption!!!

Yes, I know this is very obvious BUT it's completely true because his Scorpio placements indicates he wants to OWN you as partner (consensual of course) and the thought of him being the FIRST to touch you, to mould you to his desires...it would just cause his heart to quicken and his mind to race with the most impure of thoughts.

This would also cater towards enjoying someone who might be nervous/slightly insecure around him, it would boost his ego to see your cheeks flush at him taking off your clothes or whispering something suggestive in your ear.

'You're so cute when you're nervous angel but don't worry, I'll take care of you because you're mine remember? And I always look after what's mine'.

Voyeurism...Kinda??

Hear me out and if someone knows the proper term for this...can you comment down below???

But with Hongjoong and his love for photography...he'd love to keep a personal scrapbook of all the photos he's taken of you after a steamy session of love-making.

This goes hand in hand with his corruption kink and his love for 'ruining' you- lipstick smeared, hair tousled, mascara running down your face, cheeks flushed.

I'm leaning towards voyeurism because he wouldn't show these photos to anyone, they would be for his own personal collection because he gets off on knowing that it's just HIM that can do this to you and see you this way.

'Fuck angel, spread your legs a bit more...I want to see it all drip out for me...these photos just want to make me dress you up and fuck you all over again'.

Taglist: @scuzmunkie @marievllr-abg @umbralhelwolf @starsareseen @lino-jagiyaa @mischiefsmind @mrcarrots @junieshohoho @partywithgyu @whatsk-poppinhomies @craxy-person @hologramhoneymoon @gyuhanniescarat @staytinyinmybpack @necessiteez @wooyoungmybelovedhusband @berryberrytan @laylasbunbunny @bangchanbabygirlx @i-love-ateez @anyamaris @krishastumblernow @hexheathen

@michel-angelhoe @northerngalxy @justaaveragereader @ja3hwa

@lyramundana @saintfool @wolfakira @youre-alittle-taste-of-hell @silentreaderthings @daddysspecialdollyworld @abby-grace @smilefordongil @wisejudgedragonhairdo @writhingwrecked @hongthoven

Please comment, share and thirst the hell out of this because this took WEEKS to finish!!!

May's fic will be out and published on the 31st.

[pls-hold-me-im-justa-weeb]

Zoro x Fem Reader Japanese mythology AU NSFW! S/O is a selfless and gentle shrine maiden who helps others despite never receiving payment. She’ll help any stranger out, whether it’s cooking for them, offering them a place to stay for the night, healing, etc. Demons often bring havoc to the world and one of S/O’s duties is exorcising them. Sacrifices are often given to the King of Hell to keep the demons at bay, and S/O is chosen as a sacrifice. Could you make S/O a total cinnamon roll too?

OKAY I'M SORRY THIS TOOK FOR FREAKIN EVER. I just kept writing and writing and it turned out to be multi-chapter, and I'm almost done with the whole work, so here's the first bit. I'm not the most impressed with my work in the beginning but maybe eventually I'll edit it. I love this idea so much and RESPECTFULLY on my knees for demon king Zoro 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️ I have also never written this au before so thank you for the challenge! (But I LOVE Inuyasha so I was influenced a bit from that)

🍶WC: almost 5k (4,955)

TW's: gore, blood (bleeding and drinking blood), betrayal, drugged (ish?) injuries, pain.

If you can't read the gore/betrayal but still want to read the chapters, there will be a summary at the end. Stop reading at "You dare question our decision, shrine maiden?" and continue after "Oi... up" a deep voice floated through the darkness of your unconsciousness.

Chapter 1: Betrayal and Blood

You wiped the sweat from your brow, huffing. You ran a cloth over the blade, cleaning the dark blood from the metal, shivering at the touch of it. Despite routinely exorcising demons, you could never get over having to slice and injure a living being. You knew those creatures did nothing but evil, but feeling the slice of the blade pierce their bones and flesh... you hated it. You sheathed your sword, looking around you. The demons always faded into black smoke and ash when they died, leaving you, luckily, without a mess to clean up. Well. A body to dispose of. Blood still splashed over the ground, staining it black. You sighed. You needed to purify the blood, lest it spawned into an evil spirit.

You grabbed your blessed water, dousing the blood stains with it. The dirt path turned to mud at your actions, but at least no evilness would linger here. After completing that task, you stretched up, groaning. Your wide, white and red wide sleeves tumbled down to reveal your bare arms to the dark, early morning air. You breathed deeply, satisfied with your work.

The trek back to the temple where you resided was long, but beautiful. You admired the sunrise as it occurred, tired feet stumbling over tree roots or rocks as you watched the sprouting purples, pinks, and oranges that lead to the golden light of morning.

You rounded the final corner to the temple and were surprised to find a figure standing at the front gate. Normally you didn't get visitors, if any, until the afternoon or in the evening. You lived basically in the middle of nowhere.

"Hello? May I help you with something?" you called gently. It wasn't uncommon for weary travelers to seek shelter or warmth, but it was odd it was this early in the morning. They must've been traveling all night. The figure turned at the sound of your voice. A jolt of shock clanged down your spine. A Priest of the High Order. You immediately knelt before him and lowered your forehead to the ground, cushioned by the backs of your hands. Your heart was pounding, mind spinning with surprise. What was one of the highest ranking priests doing here?

"High Priest. May I ask what brings you to this humble establishment?"

"I have heard much about you. Raise your head. Let me look at you" he spoke. You sat up slowly, tilting your head upwards but averting your eyes. Cold fingers gripped your chin, moving your head side to side. He let you go and stepped back.

"Hm. Now open the gate please. It's rather cold this morning and these old bones are aching" he said with a withered smile.

You scrambled up, fumbling in your long robes for the key to the front gate.

"Of course! I can get some tea brewed while I cook a meal. I'm sorry I don't have much, but it will be warm. I have many blankets you may use while you're here as well" you rambled, finally getting the key in the lock and opening the gate. The words came easy to you, having said it to all those who approached your doors in search of shelter. You meant it. You didn't need much at all, only the necessities. You liked living a simple life, but you purchased a variety of clothing, blankets, healing items, and extra food with your pension regularly. You even accepted such donations from the townspeople when you made the trip. All of it was for the travelers or those less well off and in need of such items.

You ushered in the High Priest, closing the gate behind you, and offered your arm for him to grab hold of. The main path lead to a large, beautiful shrine that you were tasked to take care of as a shrine maiden. You lived in the small temple nearby, but the path to the temple could be hazardous with its loose stones and other tripping hazards that lined it- especially to someone with aching bones. Sure, he was a High Priest, but he was also an old man who was aching from the cold. He wrapped a freezing hand around your arm, and you let him guide your pace.

"Please, watch out for that stone. It's a little wobbly" you said, pointing to a stone in the path. The Priest nodded, avoiding it. The two of you reached the front door. You tore off the hidden piece of paper that acted as a ward and slid open the door for your guest.

"Impressive ward" he muttered. You blushed at the praise. It was one you used whenever you had to go out to exorcise a demon. It let those who had pure intentions to look for shelter, food, water, or simply out of innocent curiosity, enter. Those who saw the empty temple as an opportunity for evil or dubious intentions could not get past the path, constantly transported back to the beginning of the walkway when they tried to open the door. Of course, only if they managed to get past the locked gate.

The Priest had entered the temple, removing his shoes and shuffling slowly towards the small hearth sunk into the floor in the middle of the room. You quickly kicked off your own shoes and scrambled to offer him pillows to sit on and multiple blankets. He accepted them graciously, and you helped him sit on the pillows. You quickly started the fire, opening the high, slotted windows to let the smoke flow out, and filled the suspended pot with water. You searched through your food.

You didn't have much, but you could make a simple, filling soup. You grimaced, wishing you had something better to offer the old man, especially since he was held in such regard. While in the closet that housed your cooking supplies and food, you spooned tea leaves into a tea pot and brought it with you to the hearth. You tucked the outer blanket on the priest tighter against his body.

"The water should heat soon for tea. I can make some rice and soup... or... well... I'm sorry, I don't have much more to offer. The demons have been coming through more often, so I haven't had the time to go into town to restock" you said regretfully. The priest studied you for a moment, looking at you with eyes dark with shadows casted by the deep crevices of wrinkles.

"Humph. So they have."

Silence fell between the two of you. You couldn't tell if the priest was thinking or sleeping, but either way, you didn't want to disrupt him. His face was tilted down, eyes on his lap. You shifted your white and red robes, waiting patiently until the water was hot enough to make tea. You gripped the pot with a towel, pouring it into the teapot, and placed it back on the hook hanging from the ceiling. You stood and gathered the ingredients for the soup and rice from the closet, making your way back to the fire rather quickly. The tea was ready, so you served it, pouring the Priest's cup first. You paused to take a sip, reveling in the warmth held in your hands. The priest loudly slurped from his cup.

"Good tea" he said. You smiled.

"Thank you."

You continued to go about preparing the meal, taking care to not let your wide sleeves get caught in the fire. It was done about a quarter of an hour later, during which the priest obviously warmed up if his snoring was any indication to go by.

"High Priest" you said quietly. He awoke with a jolt and a snort, looking at you. You smiled gently.

"The food is ready if you wish to eat"

He grunted, looking at the bowls held in your hands. He took them without comment and began to eat. You settled into your own seat and began eating as well. Hot, filling meals always hit the spot after a night full of exorcising demons. It was easy on the stomach and made you sleepy. It was perfect. The pair of you ate in silence only broken by slurping and chewing. You finished your meal first, and sat quietly as the priest finished his.

"Good food" he commented gruffly. Apparently that was his way of complimenting things. You smiled.

"I'm glad it was to your needs" you replied, taking his bowls. He grunted.

You washed the dishes, humming a small tune under your breath. Before long, you returned to the central area. You took your seat across from the hearth, eyeing the High Priest. He was staring into the fire thoughtfully.

"High Priest?" you said quietly.

"Hm?"

You hesitated a little, but you needed to know.

"It's not that I'm not honored to see you. I am... I just... Why did you come all the way out here?"

His wrinkled eyes flicked up to yours. He sighed.

"There have been reports of you, you know" he started. You cocked your head.

"Reports? Have I been unsatisfactory in any way?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. Quite the opposite in fact. Your selflessness and dedication is the reason why we kept you out here. We at the High Order know we can trust you. Lately, in cities and rural areas alike there have been reports of corrupt shrine maidens and lower ranking priests and priestesses. It's difficult for us to catch and replace the corrupted who are in rural areas, especially high traffic ones like this.

"Technically, as I'm sure you're aware, slaying and exorcising demons is not part of a shrine maiden's job. But you began doing it without being asked to. I recognize part of your training was learning how to, but that was only for emergencies.

"But getting back to the point, more and more demons have been coming through to our world. They are corrupting us slowly. We need to take drastic action before it is too late."

You sat quietly, listening. You couldn't figure out what exactly you were feeling. The priest sighed.

"We... the high order I mean... decided we need to try a sacrifice"

"A sacrifice?" you questioned, "Why? To who?"

He held a withered hand up to stem your curiosity.

"We need a sacrifice to the Demon King"

Your heart skipped a beat with fear at the name. You swallowed down your reaction, taking a beat to calm yourself as you stared into the fire.

"What will you sacrifice? It would have to be a big one to satisfy the Demon King."

"We have decided the sacrifice will be one of our greatest weapon- a powerful, legendary sword that once belonged to a great demon general. It cannot be wielded by humans, as it brings tragedy quickly to the user."

You nodded in understanding. It would be a blow to the order if the Demon King had a sword that powerful. Rumor was that the current king used more than two swords at the same time. But the sword was at headquarters, not here. You rose your confused gaze to the priest, mouth opening to form a question, but he cut you off.

"I know it's not here. I came here for the other sacrifice."

You blinked. The shrine you protected held a legendary spear, but it wasn't nearly as powerful as the sword the priest was offering to the king. Was that what this was about?

"The spear? It's not nearly as power-"

"You."

You stared at him. Your body felt far away but you felt your heart thudding in your chest.

"M-Me?"

"You."

You took in a shuddering breath. You didn't believe him, but you couldn't exactly question a High Priest's decisions. But you could ask for an explanation.

"Why me? Surely the king of demons would want someone more powerful?"

"You are powerful. You've been our secret weapon for years. You've been spreading goodness to travelers entering our nation, or those coming home. This strengthens them against corruption or possession by demons. You've single handedly been protecting a major road to our country, strengthening those who pass through against demon attacks. At least for a while.

"You also make wards that are beyond the scope of the weakest member of the High Order. We kept you in the dark about this and kept you as a shrine maiden to protect this knowledge from demons."

You stared at him in disbelieving shock. You've simply been doing your job, which you loved doing. You had no idea you were strengthening the people that passed through here against corruption and possession. Sure, you knew the link between state of mind and vulnerability to demons, but never thought that you would be the cause of it.

"So... because of that... I'm a sacrifice?"

"You're a sacrifice to show the Demon King that we're serious about making peace, or at least a truce"

You sat there quietly, a storm whipping your thoughts into a frenzy.

"When?"

"Tonight."

"That's too soon. What about the travelers? They'll come for shelter but won't have food! The town is too far away for people to come restock it with food, blankets and clothing..." You trailed off as a wave of cold power pierced your senses. Your gaze traveled fearfully towards the priest. He stared at you, glaring. His eyes were milky with age, but held the clarity of desperate anger. You flinched.

"You dare question our decision, shrine maiden?" he spat, standing suddenly. All traces of previous frailness was gone, and you even questioned if he was faking before. He took a step towards you threateningly, "You may have power but you will not be of this world soon. You dare question our commitment to those you have fought to protect? Stupid little girl. You're only a sacrifice because we have heard reports of your beauty and kindness. It would be a slap in the face to the King of Demons." Power rolled off him in waves, making you shiver with cold and fright.

Your eyes widened at his harsh words, scooting back in retreat as he approached you. An evil grin twisted his thin lips, wrinkles deepening around his eyes to shadow them.

"Y-You said..." you stuttered. You froze as you felt presences destroying your outer wards.

"I know what I said, girl. Now stand. It's time."

You couldn't move. Your body was frozen with grief, betrayal, and fear. You heard footsteps on the roof and on the porch outside. Surrounded.

"J-just let me write a letter to the townspeople" you managed to whimper. The priest snorted, then spat at your feet.

"I said get up." He started towards you, but the front door slammed open, stopping his movements with the sound.

"Now now. Let's not be hasty. This is an important road. Travelers come through all the time. With this bitch gone, we'd have more possessions on our hands, but the townspeople can take over her work. We'll make sure she won't reveal anything else" the smooth saccharine voice reasoned. You swallowed and peeked around the High Priests robes. A woman leaned against the doorway, picking at her sharp nails. You couldn't see her face with the daylight streaming in from behind her. The priest rolled his eyes and made a face.

"You have one minute" he said, dismissing you. You quickly bolted to your writing supplies stored in the corner of the room. Ink nearly spilled as you hastily unrolled parchment and used the brush to scribble a note. The priest strolled over to you with heavy footsteps.

"That'll do" he said. You stopped writing. It was a simple note, stating that you suddenly had to leave, you weren't sure if you would ever be back, and to please continue to offer weary travelers with food, shelter, clothes, and blankets. You placed the brush down.

You didn't dare look up at the priest, knowing if you did, your expression would betray your emotions. That was a mistake. You missed the priests quick movements leading to a sudden blow to your ribs sent you flying across the room. Searing pain exploded on your side, and you coughed out a groan.

"Don't damage the sacrifice, priest" the woman drawled without sparing you a glance.

"She'll be fine. She fights demons all the time" the old man dismissed. You laid on the floor in shock. Hair covered your face, hiding the tears brimming in your eyes. He walked towards you. "Get up" he spat. Your body followed his instructions, cradling your injured ribs. Your mind was numb, spinning with the betrayal. A hand gripped your hair harshly, and you cried out at the pain. Nails dug into your scalp, drawing blood.

"Let's go. It's time" the woman hissed in your ear. She reeked of tobacco. She dragged your helpless body out of the temple, down the broken path, and hauled you towards the shrine. You held onto her hand gripping her hair, futilely trying to ease the pain in your scalp. She slammed your face into the dirt once she reached the area in front of the shrine.

"Ready?" came another voice from the side of you.

"Yeah. She's bleeding already so just get some blood from her head for it" the woman said casually. You were dizzy. Something scraped through your hair and on your scalp, collecting blood.

"Perfect. Got the demon heart?"

"Right here, my lord."

"Lets start. The power of the morning sun is almost at its peak, and this blasted ceremony takes all day."

Your arms were pulled behind you, and you wriggled in defiance. The last thing you remember was the sound of someone sucking their teeth and the sound of skin on skin.

~~

"With the power of the midday sun... Demon... Shall be..." your head lolled slightly as you heard the words. You moaned a little at the throbbing pain clanging through your body. A hand pried your slack jaw apart before pouring bitter liquid down your throat. You choked, trying to spit it out, but the hand clamped your jaw shut while another massaged your throat. You had no choice but to swallow, before falling back into unconsciousness.

~~

"With the power of the evening sun the Demon King... sacrifice... unto thee". You breathed deeply, wincing as your ribs protested. A guttural moan escaped your chest.

"Damn, again? She should be asleep for two damn days with the amount she's drank" a voice hissed to your left.

"What can you do? She's powerful. It's your turn to open her jaw while I pour" another voice answered on your right. You clenched your jaw. A hand gripped your face, pushing your cheeks against your teeth roughly.

"She's resisting"

"Of course she is! She's awake. Now open her fuckin mouth"

Your jaw finally gave into the pressure, parting your lips and opening your mouth. The last thing you remember was more bitter liquid being poured into your mouth.

~~

"Oi... up" a deep voice floated through the darkness of your unconsciousness.

"OI! Wake up!" Rough hands shook your shoulder, causing shooting pain though your ribs. You let out a sharp sound at the pain.

"Shit. You hurt?"

"Ribs. hurt." you slurred. You blinked open your eyes, but your vision was swimming. You were somehow upright, and you tried to rub your eyes. Your hands were bound behind you with what felt like metal. You groaned, memories slowly coming back to you. Betrayal. Your brow scrunched and you blinked a few times, trying to steady your vision. You were tied to a stake. Hundreds of pieces of paper littered the ground around you, forming a large circle. Each paper had a swirled design on it, but you were too out of it to try to decipher it. Your gaze finally landed on the man in front of you.

Well. Man was a strong word. Green hair, horns, and fangs were all features you catalogued before a new wave of dizziness struck you, making your head fall down.

"Okay let's get you out of here. This has gone on fucking long enough"

Rough hands snapped the metal restraining your wrists, and hauled you into his arms. You at least were conscious enough to know now that this man definitely wasn't human, but he was kind to you. You were also too weak and drugged to fight. He cradled you with one arm under your shoulders and another under your knees. Your head rested against his muscled shoulder.

"Let's go. Luffy- I'm counting on you" you heard and felt the words rumble from his chest. You heard the affirmation from yet another male voice, but black clouded your vision before your eyes found him.

~~

You woke again to bright, white lights. They were floating above the bed, illuminating the small room. Your head hurt and you were groggy, but it was somewhat tolerable. You took a moment to ground yourself, reaching out with your senses. You were laying on something soft, covered with a crisp cotton. A blanket covered you, and a soft pillow supported your head and neck. The walls were made of a white stone. You felt bandages around your torso and head. You tried to sigh, but flinched and grunted at the pain ricocheting in your chest.

"Are you awake?" a child-like voice spoke from beside your bed. You turned your head, scrunching your brow in pait at the pull on the scabs on your scalp. A small, furry creature sat on a high stool. He looked at you with big, dark eyes, a snout protruded slightly from his face, ending with a blue nose. Wide horns erupted from his head, poking through his hat with a white X on it.

You thought you were hallucinating, but it would be rude to not reply.

"Yes"

"Good! How's the pain?"

"Uh. The scabs on my head kind of hurt and I have a headache, and my ribs hurt when I breathe too deep but that's it."

"Hmmm. That's to be expected. The amount of demon blood they made you drink would have put a normal person into a week-long coma. You've only been out for a day. Probably because... uh.." The horned creature trailed off, looking to the side almost bashfully. He hopped off the stool and padded over to the other side of the room, grabbing a strange medical instrument.

"Can I do a checkup?" he asked, hopping back onto the stool. You tried to nod but winced with the movement.

"Sure" you replied quietly.

He pulled back your blankets to your waist, and it was only then did you realize you were not wearing anything on your torso besides the bandages. Your face heated quickly at the immodesty of it, and you instinctively brought your arms up to cover your chest. The creature pulled back, surprised.

"S-sorry. Just. I didn't realize I wasn't wearing anything."

"Oh. It's okay. We can get you something to wear after this checkup, okay?"

You held your arms there for a second, but slowly let them fall back to the bed.

"Did you give me any medicine that would make me hallucinate? Because right now I see you as a little furry creature, kind of like a deer with a blue nose and a hat."

"No, I didn't give you any medicine that is making you hallucinate. While it isn't uncommon to hallucinate while under the effects of demon blood, you're not currently hallucinating" he clarified, holding the odd instrument to your bandaged chest. He put his ear against the small end and seemed to be listening to your heart.

I'm not hallucinating? How... what... I was... just... How can he be real? you thought. Panic was beginning to take over you.

"Hey, hey, it's okay! You're safe" the doctor tried to sooth you, obviously noticing your rapid breathing and quickening heart rate. You sat up suddenly, ignoring the searing pain from the movement in your ribs. You had to get out of here. You needed to go... where? Where am I?

The door across from the foot of your bed slammed open, a large figure filling the doorway. You squeaked in fright, shooting backwards on the bed, ignoring the burning that accompanied the movement. Green hair, claws, fangs, and rippling muscles filled your vision. Your mind screamed danger.

"Oi."

At the sound of his voice, you felt a throbbing on the junction of your neck and shoulder. You hissed at the sensation, but a wave of calm washed over you.

"You're safe. You're hurt, but Chopper is a great doctor. You're in the realm of demons, but you're not in any danger here."

You studied him. Black horns protruded from his forehead, curving only slightly over his short, wavy green hair. Long, pointed ears stuck out from the sides of his head. He was tanned. One eye had a scar over it, and he kept it closed. The other eye was a piercing silver, scanning your form as if in search of other injuries. When he spoke earlier, you caught the glint of fangs.

Your gaze traveled down to his well-muscled neck and shoulders, landing on a diagonal scar that started on his left pec and traveled towards his opposite hip. It was covered partially by a green haramaki wrapped around his waist. A long, dark green robe hung from his shoulders, closed only at his lower hips. You saw three katana scabbards hanging from the cloth belt closing the robe, and his large hand rested on the hilts. Short claws adorned his fingertips. He wore loose black trousers, but was barefoot, revealing matching claws on his toes.

"Who are you?" you asked hesitantly. The man hesitated before answering.

"Call me Zoro."

As you heard his name, you felt like something missing from your soul fell into place. You furrowed your brow at the feeling, skeptical.

"Zoro... you saved me."

He froze at the words, gaze shifting into a questioning one as he found the furry doctor.

"I didn't tell her! She's talking about when you were at the shrine"

"Tell me what?"

This was the second time the doctor mentioned something he obviously wasn't supposed to talk about.

The demon in front of you sighed, running a hand over his hair.

"Can I sit?" he asked, nodding towards your bed. You nodded, but suddenly realized you were still dressed rather immodestly. You snatched the blankets up to your chin. The furry doctor took this as his cue to leave the room, and he closed the door behind him. Zoro sat on the end of the bed, facing you and bringing one leg up to the mattress while letting the other dangle off the side.

"Look. There's no easy way to say this. You're my mate. Temporarily at least."

You stared at him. Mate? What did that even mean? Were you two friends now?

"Mate? Like... friends?"

"No, being a mate means being like a couple. But in this case, you don't have to do anything like that. I've claimed you as mine to keep you safe from other demons - You're not the first sacrifice to me, ya know. Its temporary until you heal and decide what you want to do."

You sat silently, absorbing the information and how it fit into your memories of what happened.

"I was sacrificed to you?"

"Yep"

"... but I was a sacrifice to the Demon King."

"Yep"

"...you're the Demon King?!" your shout of revelation made your head hurt and rib twinge, and you grimaced in pain.

"I'm the Demon King that humans know about, yes"

You blinked at him, shocked. He fiddled with the handles of his swords.

"But... but you're protecting me. You saved me and helped me."

He looked at you, crossing his arms. His cheeks looked pink. Cute.

"I did. You were betrayed by your own kind. You're powerful, so you managed to live after drinking so much demon blood, or at least live without turning fully into a demon."

The reminder shot ice through your veins and you froze. You looked down, tears brimming your eyes.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"To all of it. Why are the demons showing up more? Why was I sacrificed? Why did they say I was powerful? Why did you save me? Why do you need to mark me to keep me safe from other demons? What do you mean by turned fully demon? Why-" you broke off as your throat closed with a sob.

"Oi Oi. I can only answer some of those questions, but only when you're ready. For now you need rest." He stood from the bed, walking closer to you. Tears dripped down your face, staining the blanket beneath you with dark splotches. He made a show of moving to touch you, and when you didn't move away, he finally placed a hand on your shoulder. Your body reacted before your mind. You gripped his arm and moved it so you were gently hugging it to your chest. You let your face fall into the warm tan skin of his muscled arm and cried. You felt the bed dip and the arm shift out of your grip as he wrapped you in a gentle hug. He stayed silent, letting you sob and scream as you gripped his jacket.

You stayed like that for maybe a half hour, waves of sobs wracking your body. It was only when your head was pounding with stabbing pain and it hurt to breathe did you lay back down on the mattress. The last thing you remember is Zoro helping you lay down before unconsciousness welcomed you back gracefully.

~~

Summary of gore/betrayal- so you were chosen as a sacrifice basically as a slap in the face to the King of Demons, being kind and strong (spoiler: it didn't work). You were basically beat up and drugged with demon blood that made you unconscious. You were strong and resistant to the drug though so they kept having to make you drink it, and honestly you should've been unconscious for days with the amount they forced you to drink. The ceremony took all day/evening and at night Zoro eventually came through to your world and you passed out in his arms when he saved you. He left Luffy to take care of the 'bad guys'.

[velnna]

This might sound like an odd question but I’m planning on making my own comic at some point and I was wondering if you had any advice? Specifically in making the plot, deciding what each character does and maybe panel/page composition and how to make harmonious colour palettes?

Also one more question but when you were at the beginning of developing Stray Souls did you post little lore/plot snippets and character doodles/info or did you mainly wait until the comic was out?

(Sorry I know this is a lot but I was just wondering sort of what your process is because everything seems so seamless and well-put-together :> )

Ehh first of all the seamless and put-togetherness is an illusion 🫠

A lot of my work is built organically (fancy way of saying I just sorta wing it) and very dependent on what makes me excited at each given point. Generally, I come up with an idea for a character or a plot point and from there start branching out.

Say, I create character A. A needs a story so I create some beats for them, a beginning-middle-end type thing. While thinking of this, characters B, C, etc pop up as placeholders/devices for A's story, and the world gets shaped around it as well. Then suddenly something in the world gets decided that in turn changes A's story a little, and so on. Then I go into B, C, etc and do the same thing (build a story, let it bleed into the world and let the world bleed into it).

There's pros and cons to this sort of thing of course. Most of the time I over-develop characters or world bits that are completely unnecessary and clutter the narrative (especially when it's something like a comic, where things need to be explained visually and economically), and because of this sort of chaotic process I also tend to get entangled in my own concepts and lose track of my main threads. I don't dislike it entirely so it's just a matter of figuring out what works best for your own goals and processes.

Some general advice for comics that I've learned from trial and error: try stripping your story down to its bare bones and see what you absolutely need VS what's there for flavour or added context. Only add flavour once you're sure you can tackle the minimum, both in writing and artwise. Keep your character designs simple if you value your hands lol. It's fun to design complicated details but you WILL get tired of drawing them after a while. Sometimes it's ok to tell and not show 🤷‍♂️ if you're a one-man team sometimes you just gotta bite the bullet. Bear in mind that long stories will take YEARS to complete in comic format. Not an end all be all, but you do need to think about that. Also just go for it once you've got a structure you feel good about. I personally don't like over planning and don't even script things, so I don't think you need to have everything on paper before getting some chapters rolling. Most of what I've learned about comics has been making them, not thinking about making them. Oh, and readers tend to be more lenient than we give them credit for - if you're passionate enough about your world or characters, chances are at least some people will be interested regardless of whether you think art or writing are up to par

As for the other question, I spoiled the shit out of stray souls before launching it and still kinda do it for fun LMAO. Nothing too serious ofc but I've always loved giving people an insight into characters and world outside of the comic since the comic itself is a little peek into the whole thing. It also kinda serves to keep people interested imo

And I just can't keep my mouth shut about my stories lol

[versaphile]

The Dandelion

Okay, so I said I had a Trigun plot bunny coming on? Well this past weekend, Vash just walked over and slammed a novel idea into my brain like the typhoon he is. So I guess that's my new project, which I'm now doing in parallel to finishing the last few chapters of When My Fist Clenches, Crack It Open. And uhhh holy crap, it's one hell of a novel.

Working title for now is The Dandelion, inspired by someone calling Vash a dandelion in the desert. Apologies for the source of that being lost in the depths of tumblr's Trigun tag, if you know it please tell me.

It's going to be about everything we didn't see in Stampede: Vash's early life on Ship 3, his explorations of No Man's Land, his itinerant wanderings as a "plant engineer" among humanity, and even Vash's interactions with the Plant Cult/Eye of Michael and brief, painful confrontations with Nai himself. I'm already planning to cover a ton of stuff, I finally got a sub for the Ulysses novel writing software to organize it all, this will not be small and I have a massive amount of planning to do.

This thing is probably gonna be uhhhh minimum 100k and probably at least twice that if my track record is any indication. You can laugh at me in three years when it's 500k, nothing that hasn't happened to me before ha ha. *cries* I just have MANY feelings about Stampede Vash in particular, many many many, and about his relationship with the entire complicated world Nai has made for him. Vash keeps telling me ideas and I keep writing them down in rough form for now. I can't start writing properly until WMFCCIO is complete, but I'm so close so my hope is to finish that by the end of the year, and then have enough material planned out to start writing The Dandelion as soon as that's done.

Currently I have to go uhh research desert biomes, desert travel, all the NML maps I can scrounge, emu husbandry, insect lifecycles, come up with roughly 5,000 names for every goddamn human, plant, and toma on NML, why do you love knowing everyone's names Vash, why are you torturing me like this? And I still have to figure out the back half of the fic and a million other things but I am VERY excited, it's been freaking ages since I had a new giant novel idea and this is SO different from anything I've ever written.

Also, having previously made an atlas for Merlin fandom in support of my giant novels for that, I've already started putting together an entire website for all the Trigun resources I'm gonna need in order to write The Dandelion, including all the episode transcripts (important references!!) and various timelines and visual references and such. It's still kinda bare bones as I'm very much still amassing info and Trigun fandom is such an absolute firehose and that was even before Vash commandeered my brain for this new novel. And I have to try to do all the RL things while I'm juggling all this. But I will share when it's further along.

But I already have the first line for my AO3 summary:

Before the bounty, before the Stampede, a young independent plant struggles to find himself on an unforgiving desert planet.

[pawfulofwaffles]

Can I vent?

Like in Among Us?

Ok sorry. But like seriously. How do neurotypicals fucking survive. I worry so much about my adult life, because NT adults complain about it so frequently and I don't even got my shit together at 15-- how am I going to survive in adulthood? I've been reassured multiple times that I'm going to be fine, but these reassurances are coming from people who don't have the same issues as me.

They don't regularly experience the shame I feel once I finally snap out of zoning out, or the numb realization that I've barely gotten anything done in 3 hours of working. When I try to explain it, it feels like trying to explain flavors to a person without tastebuds. And they probably feel the same about me, because I can't fathom the idea of being able to just... focus. Today my mom frustratedly told me something along the lines of "I don't get it, when I was a kid, I just got it done. Why can't you do the same?" I don't want to get distracted, I don't want to disappoint my mother, I don't want to feel so hopeless about my future. I just want to feel in control for once.

Along with constantly worrying about whether I'll make it or not, I often wonder what makes everything worth it. Silly question. It's the small moments that count, right? Like the good times hanging out with your friends, that's what makes it all worth it. But in adulthood, time off seems far and few between. From the looks of it, my mother is always working. How does she find joy in anything anymore? I already feel like I'm constantly working on week days since it takes me until 9 PM to actually finish at least 94% of my school work(though, probably more around 71% if I bothered to thoroughly check what I should be working on, and that's not even accounting for non-school work I should do, like hygiene, laundry, cleaning, and other domestic tasks that I can easily forget about). And then either I get good rest but have an "all work no play" day, or use 10-11 PM as free time, but end up half asleep the next day thanks to my revenge bedtime procrastination? Jokes on me, I'm gonna be exhausted physically and mentally the next day no matter what my sleep schedule is!

I don't even know what my job is gonna be in the future, but if it takes me from 4 PM to 9 PM to do like 20 fucking math problems... just, what's the point of it all if I'm just going to feel drained every day for the next 60 years? The only time that I feel somewhat ok is the weekends, and sometimes during my RBP nights, but those are usually also filled with guilt and dread for the coming day.

I don't know. I just don't know anymore. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually. I'll find a balance and be able to work while also finding time for fun. I'm just tired and sick and my bones hurt. I should go to bed. I wish it wasn't so hard to figure out what will work for me. And it's not helping that when I try to explain it, I feel like I'm just perceived as some lazy inconsiderate fuckup. As if I want this. Maybe they're right. I don't know.

Don't feel obligated to interact with this post, just being able to write it was stress relief.

To leave this off on a lighter note? meme

[goddess-evelle]

We are here for you

Someone requested this:

Yoo thought of a idea hear me out

Poly dream team x fm y/n

Okay so y/n is having a really bad week like really really bad, and when she gets home to the boys she has like the biggest mental breakdown, she throws things, she shouts a whole load of crap, once she is done shouting and breaking things she hudles in a ball and starts crying.

The boys try to calm her down while also dogging all the things she is throwing they try yelling her name but she can't hear them since she in like her 'own little world'. They leave her for a bit and they have a little talk to try and figure out what happened to her.

By the time she has calmed down she talks to the boys and it turn into a really heartwarming cute ass fluff.

Please can you do this pleaseeee😖

Warnings: Just fluffy

Dream team x fem reader

Okay, so I am not the best at writing fluff, but I gave it a try. <3

Your head banged on the table in front of you. You just got home from college. Your professor had given yet another essay. You were so tired of written essays. You had 5 essays to do, and while you had 2 of them started; they were so much trouble to write. You just wanted to lay in bed for 5 minutes minimum; you just needed to close your eyes for 5 minutes. You had been working so much; barely sleeping so that you could take advantage of the few hours the night provided. Your mind had been too busy thinking of themes to write about. The professor really thought that having a book helped; that only mad you want to slap him. Of course, it’s easier with a book; if he hadn’t given 3 books for 3 of the essays. The problem was that your other 2 professors thought the same thing giving you 2 more books to do the other two essays. You rolled your eyes as you tried to think of how to start the essay. Your eyes lighted up as a thought ran through your mind. Your hands moved quickly on the keyboard as you chased the idea squeezing the juice, and writing as much as you could. Your mind flowed as you wrote for what felt like hours. Your hands becoming numb by the time you finished.

You let out a sigh as you stretched limbs separating as your bones cracked. You looked at the hour 5:45 am you hadn’t even realized it was that early; you started at 11:13 pm working on the essay, so naturally you were a little tired, but you knew better than going to sleep. Thanks to those extra hours you were able to complete two essays which meant you only needed to finish two more, and you would be free to do whatever you wanted. You headed to the kitchen to make yourself some coffee. However, when you reached the kitchen; the boys were standing right next to the coffee maker. You try to breathe as a you try to relax; spending many hours in front of the computer had given you a migraine. You close your eyes tightly as you gulped making your way to the coffee maker. Before you could even touch it; George’s hand came to stop you.

“You can’t just drink coffee all day; you have to sleep” George starts, and you can only roll your eyes. You didn’t have time for this; you just wanted to finish your essays you already had 3 done. You just needed an extra cup of coffee to finish the other 2 essays. You did not have time to be talking right now you had to finish your essays.

“I just want a cup of coffee; it’s no big deal. I just need to finish two of my essays” You say trying to keep your voice low; even though your mind rushed with angry thoughts. Why did they have to interfere in your life? It annoyed you; they didn’t even know how it felt to be surrounded by essays and projects.

“You took three cups of coffee yesterday; I saw you. You have to sleep; you’ve been drinking coffee none stop, and you are not even eating properly” Dream spoke up this time only making you angrier.

“I can’t sleep yet!” You yelled out before being able to stop yourself. “I have two more essays to finish; I just need to keep going, and I will be fine. I will eat after I finish them. I just really need to finish it.” You say voice desperate for some coffee your eyes could barely stay opened. The boys knew what a lack of sleep could do to a person that is why they tried to let you be, but it had gone too far. They had tried to make you eat something, but you refused saying that you didn’t have time. They were scared that you would get sick for not taking care of yourself properly.

“Y/n just please take a break. Your other two essays are due Friday, right? It’s Tuesday; I’m sure you have enough time to finish them.” Sapnap tried to help, but you only saw red.

“I have to finish them now! My mind is just working so fast; I finished three essays already. My mind is just flowing with ideas. I need to finish them now.” You said voice getting louder and louder as they didn’t give you what you wanted.

“We will not let you go back to writing unless you sleep for at least 8 hours” Dream started.

“And- you have to eat at least three meals during the day” Sapnap added trying to persuade you into giving in. You didn’t have any of it; eyes seeing red as you throw your coffee mug to the ground. The ceramic breaking instantly.

“I will not go to sleep! I just need coffee, and I will be good to go! Just get out of my fucking way!” You were completely yelling, and you could only think of the coffee. You pushed pass George as you got to the coffee maker only for Dream to snap it from your hold. Strong arm holding the coffee maker so that you couldn’t use it.

“The fuck are you doing?! Give it! I need the coffee” You said as you yanked the coffee maker towards you; Dream however, did not let go. A few seconds passed as you tried to get the coffee maker; only for Dream’s hand to slip as the coffee maker came crashing to the ground. You stared angrily at the shattered coffee maker that was pretty much useless now. Your body had taken too much as you slide to the ground looking at the coffee maker. Your mind rushed with thoughts as you began crying; the stress from college being too much. You cried to your heart’s content; you looked at Dream before standing from your spot on the floor saying:

“Why the fuck would you do that? Are you fucking stupid?” The words leaving your lips without a second thought as you confronted Dream; now coming chest to chest with him as you looked up at him rage taking over your actions. Your mind being too caught up on the stress to even think. Dream talked to you, but you didn’t even hear what he said.

“I’ve had enough of this. You will go to the bedroom, and you will sleep! I do not care what you want you have to sleep” Dream spoke to you his words being rough as he talked to you. He was done with this he could not let you treat yourself this way; you were hurting yourself for some stupid essays. You moved closer to him as your mind is blank; not even a single thought of what he just said. You knew he was talking, but your mind was too tired to pay attention.

“Y/n please, we don’t want you to get hurt. You could get sick” Sapnap tried, but before he could finish George moved towards you putting a hand on your cheek finally gaining your attention as he said “Exactly, what good are you if you get sick now? You won’t even be able to finish the essays. Just take a break; go sleep, and eat something.” Your eyes widened as you realized what they were saying; they were right; you could get sick, and then you wouldn’t be able to finish the essays. You gave George a small nod as he took you to the bedroom to get you to sleep.

“I swear to god. She always does what George tells her to.” Sapnap grunted being slightly jealous of George’s ability to make you obey him. Dream laughed at Sapnap’s words knowing it was true. George knew how to get you to follow his words.

You opened your eyes to find the boys looking at you. Sapnap had a bowl of food in his hand. While Dream had a water bottle. You sat up as Sapnap handed you the food.

“Thank you” you said, but your mind rushed with what happened earlier. “I am sorry about earlier; I didn’t mean to be rude. I just- I’m just stressed” You said trying to explain yourself.

“We know; it’s okay. We are not mad at you; we just want you to take care of yourself. We love you so much; we don’t want anything bad happening to you.” George said while he engulfed you in a hug.

“We are here to help. You can talk to us about whatever you want. We love you so much; we are here for you” Sapnap said holding your hand. Dream bent down to give you a kiss, and the three of you laid in bed as the boys watched you eat some much-needed food. The night ended with you finishing your two essays as the boys cuddled, and kissed you until you all fell asleep.

[shtern-and-art]

"Skeppy will probably cry" "Bad will probably cry". Bish, screw, that I am crying!!!

This whole thing was bloody gorgeous and I wasn't expecting that ending. I had no clue what ending to expect but that was definitely better than any I could have hoped for. Forest spirit to soulmate your honour!

I was terrified that you were gonna leave it at the point where he loses the spirit and becomes mortal again. If you had I would be actively sobbing!!!! And oh my god, the art!!! I still can't get over how wonderful your style is.

Imma ask fun things because if I don't I'll sit in a puddle of emotion all night:

What's the first tech thing Bad will buy and how annoying will he be about it? Poor Skeppy trying to answer 101 questions about something he doesn't really use XD.

Is no one concerned that the odd couple from a town they never name has a pet wolf??

Do they immediately go over to a different town or do they wander for a while. Find hidden creeks and befriend bears?

Does Bad still have a connection to nature and animals, like are creatures naturally more trusting of him?

Do they ever visit the og town again?

Does Skeppy still cause absolute chaos in other towns or has he learnt his lesson and only causes minor trouble now?

Does Bad ever try and study again? If he did what would he study and would Skeppy try to study as well?

Does Skeppy steal? I dunno, he just give off the vibe of a naughty lil trickster who'll pocket something if the owner refuses to sell it him.

Immediately after leaving the forest what the first 'argument' they have (not including the car one)?

Would they ever ride horse? If yes, how terrified would Skeppy be?

Skeppy falls outta tree. I don't know why but my mind keeps telling me that this man has great balance until he climbs trees. They are his mortal enemy and Bad finds this both hilarious and terrifying because he is going to hurt himself.

I had waaaaay more questions than I intended to have. My bad '^_^ but this story was way too much fun to read and you are entirely to blame for making it so engaging!

Make sure to take care of yourself and do stretches after and during drawing. You don't wanna hurt yourself <3

AaaaI’m so glad you liked it! :D And, dang, man, I cried while writing that part too :D

And I promised a nice ending for the main story, I did, and this one also makes the most sense narratively! For the story I wanted to tell, at least. Bad can’t really become human again, he’s changed to much. He can only move on, and do something with what he is, and has. And he did! :D That’s really nice and inspiring, this story will always have a place in my heart, heheh <3

Being a guardian spirit connected to a person and all, Bad may be not as strong as before, but he can’t die unless Skeppy dies first. And Skeppy can do that, but he’s pretty sturdy, and his lifespan operates on a whole other scale than human ones. And Bad knowing Skeppy’s real name balances it all out, makes them equal in the power and influence they have over each other.

So hellyeah, soulmates for the win :DDD

I’ll answer all questions under the cut, and this close up from one of the pages!

1) What's the first tech thing Bad will buy and how annoying will he be about it?

Probably a pager! Because it’s a more feasible thing to get than a wholeass computer Bad actually wanted :D An it means Skeppy will have to get one too, and that Bad will be having the time of his life texting him and everyone he can get a number from, even if they’re still in the room with him.

Poor Skeppy indeed, he can learn to appreciate the pagers, and later phones, too, and computers, but he really has 0 idea on how it all works and why Bad is so fascinated by it all.

2) Rat and regular people

Oh, she can shapeshift, just like Bad! If they’re out with people around, she takes form of a puppy, and Bad can pass her off as a weird mix breed rescue doggo.

3) Do they immediately go over to a different town or do they wander for a while?

Oh, since they have no end destination in mind, they can ride around for a bit, go visit some cool places and roadside attractions. Sadly, Skeppy is probably not spiritually or morally ready to full on befriend wild bears yet, and they do need money for gas and snacks. So, at some point they will have to stop somewhere and find work – at least for a bit, to save up. Life’s gonna be a bit complicated with all that, until Skeppy figures out his treasure-finding abilities :DD

4) Bad and nature and animals

He is definitely still in tune with all wildlife! Even more – Bad could become a proper guardian spirit for Skeppy in part because, in a way, Skeppy himself is part of the nature.

So yeah, Bad can understand animals (and plants) and communicate with them; they’re just more free to not take his shit, and Bad’s emotions do not “possess” them unless he makes an effort to do so.

He doesn’t like doing it, tho.

5) Do they ever visit the og town again?

Hm, I think they will completely forget about it for a while, until, like, 30+ years later they will be going somewhere, and find themselves around those parts. And they try to not appear too often in the areas they’ve spent a lot of time in already (they can be pretty recognizable, and also barely show signs of aging). But it’s been a long time, and the town’s really different now… So they make a stop, and spend a day there. They walk the unfamiliar streets between the new buildings, check out the popular hiking trail, the advertisements for hot springs and winter activities. The old cinema is still there, and is hosting an all-night marathon of classic horror movies of the last century.

Bad and Skeppy leave the town after sunset – the day was nice, but they have nothing more to do there. They ride through the forest on a well paved road, with radio playing something barely above the whisper. And in the dark of hot summer night, Bad can see the white stag running between the trees alongside their car. Shadows dance over the shimmering light of it’s fur.

Somewhere after the towns border, the stag disappears back in the forest. But the air in the car stays light and fresh, saving the smell of old pines and dry leaves all though the night.

6) Skeppy and chaos

Well, after the whole mess in the main story, Skeppy definitely learned some lessons, especially about not being a dick :D

But the thing is – he can’t really help the fact that things tend to stir up around him a lot. He naturally brings in chaos into everything, because he is, in part, a personification, or an outlet for it in the world. And so, to feel, well and good, and himself Skeppy gotta do stuff that disrupts balance, and creates some mayhem. And in gave him a lot of trouble in early life, but in the course of the main story he learned that he can chose were he lets that chaos to take hold, learned what can come of that chaos, apart from utter misery.

Like, where it can help dismantle something destructive, and where – bring in the more positive change, that was already brewing, possible, but is stagnant for some reason.

Soooo, I can’t say Skeppy causes only minor chaos in his life, but he sure learns even more about not being a dick :DDDD

7) The studying

I think Bad will want to get a higher education at some point, because he wanted to, and because it’s already new millennia and all that. Bet he’ll go for something very technical and/or literature. Maybe he’ll start by piking up some classes in small time colleges, when they stop in one place for a while, and later get into an online program, because why not.

Skeppy is not a college guy at all. He’ll listen to Bad talk about it, read textbooks if he wants to, can research stuff, buuut going to classes and doing homework is definitely not his thing.

8) Stealing

Well, you’re right, Skeppy can and will steal stuff out of spite! And will be scolded by Bad for it, and will not feel (that) sorry about it. But real stealer between them will be Bad himself :D

It’s just… he has the corvid tendencies, and a hoard (a box) of sentimental mementos from different people and events, and the thrill of stealing something small and harmless is very exciting. Bad is very proud of his little collection. Skeppy finds it very adorable, a bit hypocritical, and kinda creepy. Like, that pretty box he gifted Bad at some point is now full of stuff like:

- pressed flower from the clearing they had a picnic at on their anniversary

- the button the waitress lost that one day the storm caused a black out in the whole town

- some small animal bones

- couple pretty rocks Bad stole from Skeppy’s pockets

- penny that was once glued to the ground

- a handful of teeth people (and not people) lost in fights with Bad

- pen from some fancy hotel

- rainbow dash keychain that belonged to a child

- the list goes on

9) Argument

Oh, that same day they’ll fight over whether they should stay at the really crappy and suspicious looking motel, or go sleep in a perfectly fine forest near the road. Ironically, Bad wanted to try out the motel (because, yay, first time spending the night back in civilization), and Skeppy was the one insisting on sleeping in nature (because the motel looks like it could give you 10 diseases if you even stand near it, and sleeping in the forest is kind of nice, and means they can cuddle).

10) Horses

The guys will probably ride them at some point. Well, Bad will ride, and Skeppy will sit on his horse and hope it knows what to do and where to go, because trying to make this giant thing do something seems dangerous. If they’ll have to actually go somewhere fast, Skeppy will not survive that day, his butt (and legs) will be dead for days to come.

And riding with Bad on one horse may sound romantic and nice, but all romance dies when the gallop starts.

F.

11) Skeppy and climbing

Skeppy is more down to earth kind of guy, more of a “rocks and caves” kind of creature, real-life lizard person or something. Up on the trees and in the air – not really his element, yeah. But it doesn’t mean that Skeppy will accept this fact easy. The embarrassment of never managing to safely make it down a tree is too strong, he just has to do it all over again, and again. And again. Because, clearly, he was distracted this time. And the time before that Bad was teasing him, and it “disrupted his flow”. And, really, maybe these trees here just do not like Skeppy much, and make him slip a lot. Yeah.

So, more often than not, if Skeppy climbs a tree, he will not stop climbing it until he falls, or the tree ends. Bad had to take him off high branches couple times, forcefully, because, of course, Skeppy was sitting there for 2 hours just to properly enjoy the sunset. He can climb down at any point, he just Choses not to. The view is amazing. The bark is literally part of his skin now, not because he holds on tight, no, he’s just Than Much one with the nature )<

---

Don’t apologize for the questions! It’s always so fun to answer them, and it makes me think more about stuff I may have skipped, or didn’t think about before. It’s really nice :3c

Again, thank you for the ask, and for being here for this story! <3

(And I’ll try setting timers for rest breaks while I draw, mb that will help)

---

In The Dark - masterpost

[cr4yolaas]

— ouch. // chishiya + gn ! reader

tw / cw . blood , death , guns , angst

a / n . very small thing . it kinda clicked in my head for a moment b4 i was gonna write another chishiya one shot . also chishiya + rdr have known each other b4 the borderlands , which can be interpreted as romantic or platonic

HE DIDN'T remember any of it.

scratch that, he remembered all of it. otherwise, he wouldn't have been begging himself to catch a blink of sleep just to drown away the tangled and knotted and mishapen thoughts that engraved his weary skull. it was simply blurred — by the saline tears that ( he didn't want to admit ) were collecting in his eyes or by the fatigue that riddled its way into his bones, he'd never know. he raked a cold hand through the distraught strands of dyed hair, a heavy sigh slipping from his raspberry lips and into the static air of the pitch black around him.

chishiya was one to act on impulse — of course, that is, if it'd benefit him in some way shape or form. but that, he couldn't place why he did it then. there was the one second he tried to convince himself that it wasn't his fault, but that thought was washed out by the red that burned his line of sight.

so much red.

it didn't scare nor sicken him, not really. he had grown achingly accustomed to the maroon liquid that would seep into his hands every other night. however, there was that tinge of disgusting guilt bubbling up in his throat. he wanted to puke it out already.

he gave himself a moment to calm down from the flurry of overwhelming and unfamiliar emotions that clung onto his blemished skin oh so tight. now he could imagine it vividly — but he didn't want to.

the bullets dancing about the room, the lack of light sinking into their bones, and of course, the inevitable doom placed right under his toes.

he still doesn't know why he did it, no matter how much he recalls or looks back on it.

a stiff hand tugs at a shoulder that, in that moment, feels all too familiar. he doesn't realize it until his arm finally moves and his feet race back. he can't see it at first, his hair is everywhere and he's breathing too heavily to even lift a finger to clear it away from his eyes.

but lord, when he does finally see the air in front of him he stops breathing altogether.

it dawns on him that he hadn't moved far enough. crimson taints his white jacket, but alas, he has no time to care for that now. there's no round of shots that follow after, only momentary, impure silence after the horse - masked figure collapses to the ground.

then the mockingly high - pitched voice that resonates around the building and rings in his blood - stained ears. he can't tell what stops him from smashing the phone to the ground out of raw irritation.

he ignores the cries coming out from the room beside him. instead, he pulls himself over to the figure before him, the same one he used as a fucking shield. it's now that the familiarity hits him. he can't even see an inch of their bare skin under the blanket of disgustingly wet blood that's slowly starting to stick to their limbs.

he doesn't cry, absolutely not. but his ribcage feels like exploding and he swears he feels every other bone in his body shatter.

the puke finally came. aching feet dragged along the carpet, trudging towards where chishiya hoped was the bathroom. he just barely opened the toilet cover in time before he practically emptied out his guts.

even after he finished, he couldn't find it in himself to get up again. his legs had gone numb, blistered fingertips twitching every now and then.

in that moment, he kind of missed them. he slightly wished he had listened to them, wished he had at least snuck a few glances before, however, he's rather content with not being able to remember them as much, for he knew it would be better for them to simply dissolve from his head.

and at the same time, he found himself hating you.

despising you for leaving him so foolishly vulnerable.

[popatochisssp]

Hello! I know you're doing skele and right now but I just wanted to ask how you outline your fics, personally, I can't outline my stuff if my life depended on it and I was wondering if you had any tips or advice on how beginners should outline their stories. Love your stuff <3

Disclaimer, I don’t know how useful any of this will be, for a beginner or otherwise, because every creative brain works a little differently and there’s always at least some trial and error while you figure out what works for you, specifically...

But that said!

My outlining process boils down to throwing everything on the page and refine from there until it’s polished.

I start by writing down everything, all the ideas and concepts and daydream fodder that was previously just floating around in my brain needs to go down somewhere, usually in a word doc but in a pinch, I’ve definitely used the Notes app on my phone--because let’s face it, in the middle of the night when you’re supposed to be sleeping is one of those times that inspiration and cool ideas sometimes run rampant and I’m not gonna get all the way up to get my laptop but the phone is right here and this needs to get written out.

Obviously, if I just left it all like that, I’d have a very messy list of Random Stuff and no idea what to do with any of it, so from there I try to organize. Move things around into an order that kinda makes sense, like Thing X happens before Thing Y, and Thing Z actually can’t happen until at least Thing Y has happened, stuff like that.

I find that step also helps for figuring out the bits you might be lacking in the early stages. You can see all the points laid out in some approximate order and if it looks something like ‘Point A, Point B, Point D,’ your brain will often be able pick out that there’s a gap there that doesn’t work, and that you need to come up with a Point C to bridge it.

“I’ve connected the two dots.” “You didn’t connect shit.” “I’ve connected them.”

But once you’ve got that, you’ve got at least a bare bones outline, and that’s really the framework for everything!

At that point, for me, it’s just a matter of coming back to it a few times and expanding it, so in the super-basic outline, you might just have something like ‘first date, bonding & flirting.’ When you come back to it to add more, you might decide what kind of date they’ll be having, what they might talk about or how they might flirt with each other, maybe a few actual lines of dialogue if you happen to think of anything good.

I do this with every chapter I think a fic is going to have before I post any of it, because by then I feel like I have a solid enough basis to follow through on the whole idea with, and there’s only two steps left for the outline after that: pre-writing and writing.

The pre-writing step, I try to tackle within a week of when I know (or hope to know) that I’ll have time to write, so everything’s fresh. Basically, though, pre-writing is just taking one of the already semi-fleshed out chunks of outline and making it even more detailed. You’re more or less making an outline of this one bullet point on your outline, taking the basic concept (‘first date, bonding & flirting’) and all the extra details you added on (where they’re going, what they’re saying, etc) and arranging them/filling in any blanks you can find until it’s pretty much a rough cut of what the chapter will look like.

I think about a lot of framing stuff in this step, like how the chapter is going to open and how to segue it into the stuff that’s supposed to happen, body language and facial expressions, more dialogue/banter, setting up so that you’re on track for flowing into what the next chapter is supposed to be.

Right around here is also sometimes where you might realize you can’t do that effectively and there might’ve been a transition chapter left out of your original outline because you hadn’t yet realized you need it-- not a big deal, it’s happened for both of my longer fics at least once (FGTC was supposed to be 10 chapters, DL was supposed to be 20, oops)--but you can sort that out with a brainstorming session or two at some point and just doing what you did for all the other chapter outlines to add one or a few more.

But then, once you’ve done all that, the only thing left is the writing step! Which is to find a time (or a few times) that work for you in terms of energy and other RL obligations to just sit down and write it. By then, you probably have a very detailed outline going on, so it’s just a matter of refining all those notes you made about how everything happens, in what order, who says what, etc, etc into actual sentences in your narrative.

Read over it again once you’re finished, maybe run it by a beta if that’s how you roll (I’m the worst combination of impatient and sensitive, so I just read it over twice instead! XD), and then it should be ready to post wherever you so happen to post.

...But like I said, that’s just my method and General Process, it’s totally possible that you might find a different way that works for you better.

I hope some of that rambling mess was helpful to you, and good luck with any future projects! <3

[shippedwithmonsters]

Okay, so I'll start with Sophie.

(The actual gushing starts after a hearty bit of expository infodumping; read at your discretion)

I call her "Sophie" because her name is Sophia in the set of characters she was previously grouped with —

(Here's the complicated origin bit: She was originally based on a similar character in my current 'verse, but I imported her design into what amounts to a highly customizable girlfriend-themed paper doll/dress-up app, and I've been steadily creating new characters based on my now 7 designs there over the past 6 years, but I wasn't sure how to re-integrate Sophie into the 'verse she originally came from because out of all of them she was the only one who started there. Actually, if I'm gonna get really meta, I made an avatar for her on the app because she's always been the character I was most attracted to, but I felt weird thinking of her that way because I already designed a canon love interest for her, and even though he's technically also an S/I, he's like an idealized version of me that I have trouble relating to... ...but after exploring self-shipping in the past few months, I figured out how to incorporate her back into my main 'verse as a new character, and while I've had a version of her on the app for a while now, I'm so happy to have her back in-universe in a form my current, more-relatable S/I can interact with.)

—in this 'verse I haven't fully decided on her name, but she's probably "Galatea" (because out of all the designs that in-universe are creations loved so much by their creator that they were given life, she's the one who the name's literal translation best applies to i.e. "milk-white").

She's pretty much my ideal person, if I had to pick only one person. (I may or may not be considered polyamorous; it's more that I've long doubted I'll ever find one person who is simultaneously all the personality types I'm into. Irl I've only loved once and... ...it didn't work out.)

She's a lot like me, personality-wise (devoted, meticulous, and simultaneously hard-wired for logic and overwhelmed by feelings, et al) because on some level that's really the only kind of person that would work for me, so I designed her that way.

Visually, she's slightly taller than me (although about the same height as my S/I) She's pale white like bone or marble with at least waist length black hair and deep indigo eyes (again several of these traits she shares with my S/I, reflecting the above "like me" aspect.

Oh, and she's kind of a vampire? It's more accurate to say she was modeled with all the same traits as my 'verse's vampires (claw nails included) but like all of my other F/O's she's a mineral construct themed after a sea creature, in her case a Vampire Squid. Because of course. Mineral-wise I'm toying with making her diamond because Twilight was a big thing for me back in the day, but she's less sparky vampire and more cold dense statue physiology vampire.

Ok so ^this is why I asked for time 🙃

Now to actually gush about her 😳

-I could stare into her eyes for hours. Days even.

-She knows this, and stares at me when she wants attention.

-In one particular instance, she was ready to go to bed, but I was staying up to work on something, so she basically said "don't mind me, I'll just be sitting here enjoying the view until you're ready"

-The reason for this is because she can't sleep without me. Sometimes she just stays up because "vampires watching their partner sleep" tendencies run deep, but when she feels tired, she likes to lay on top of me and listen to my heartbeat, gaze into my eyes, let me hold her tight and stroke her hair, etc, until she feels safe enough to drift off, and with the weight of her body pressing me into the bed it doesn't take long for me to follow.

-You might be asking, "wait, didn't you say she was cold and stone-like?" Yep!

-Because of this, before bed, we get to engage in a couple of my other favorite rituals- bathing and massages touch-starvation.

-Here's the fun part: because she's like me, she simultaneously prefers giving to receiving affection (like your vampire boy if I recall correctly) and willing consents to receiving said affection because she knows I feel the same way, and vice versa. So we take turns.

-Bathing together so she's warm and slippery, and washing each other's hair because it drives us both wild...

-Exploring each other's bodies (I love her shoulder blades) and leaving the other barely coherent from the sensuality, then carrying them bridal-style off to bed... (I feel so safe cradled in her arms 😳 and then she straddles me...)

-So since her physiology is stone-like, while she's initially cold, she retains heat. So when it's cold, after a hot bath, she keeps me warm all night... (and of course she can be a more traditional cold-to-the-touch vampire during warmer weather etc)

-Ok ok one more thing, and then I'll gush about someone else. Since we both love giving affection, one of our shared passions is taking care of my (/our) other F/O Nettie. I'll get back to her, but regardless of the fact that this version of her is wildly different than her original concept, either way she's an athletic/tomboy type who overexerts herself, and Sophie and I take one look at our tired and sweaty girlfriend, nod at each other, then scoop her off her feet and carry her off to be pampered senseless in many of the same activities mentioned above.

...yeah I really went overboard I just love her so much. Small endnote: a lot of the imagines I write are about Sophie, and part of the reason I described her above interacting with me rather than my S/I is because those imagines are set somewhere between the 'verse I'm currently writing and the app I designed her on. Because I love imagining soft domestic stuff with her but there's slightly less room for that in my canon, so in a sense I really do self-ship with her out-of-context as if she was a more traditional F/O rather than the OC F/O she is. Sorry if any if this is too dense or complicated but feel free to ask for clarifications and stay tuned for more gushing 😊

Definitely no way I can completely comprehend all this tonight, but thank you for telling me about Sophie! I am curious, what dress up app do you use? All the ones I used to use to make my characters died when Flash died. :(

Okay, actually I did read the whole thing and umm I loves? Sophie sounds amazing! And goodness, what is it about falling asleep with vampires that's so darn appealing? rofl.

Thank you for all this! It honestly made me really happy to read!

[books--andt]

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas Review and Spoiler Discussion!!!

Hey everyone!! Raise your hand if you read and devoured ACOWAR and loved every stinking minute of it! *raises hand 1231434241 times*

Ahh the long awaited ACOWAR, the third and final book in this trilogy. But have no fear! SJM has announced that she will be writing more books set in this world, just not from Feyre's perspective. I CANNOT WAIT YOU GUYS.

To give some thoughts for my non spoiler readers... Sarah J Maas is a queen. Her writing is liquid gold. The way she describes courts, weather, clothing--everything was just beautiful. The character development, for not only Feyre and Rhys, but for other characters as well was through the roof and truly, honestly, makes you wish these characters were real because they FEEl real. They feel like they are your own friends and family and I ended up caring deeply for every one of them. And don't even get me started on Velaris. I WISH I LIVED THERE!

Read this book. This series. Read EVERYTHING by the queen- SARAH J MAAS!

***SPOILER TALK AHEAD***

Hey spoiler peeps! SO! Where do I even begin?? Feyre begins her story trapped yet again in the Spring court. I have to say, I really, really despised Tamlin all throughout this book. The fact that he didn't understand that he wasn't making Feyre happy, that he was trapping her, and that she left on her own FREE WILL made me so angry. It wasn't until the end of the book when I actually was like, ok, he's learned, he sort of redeemed himself. We'll get more into this later.

Once Feyre and Rhys were back together my heart grew three sizes. They are just perfect together. They spoke a lot more with their minds, being Daemati, and I thought this showed just how close the two of them are.

I freaking love Nesta. I feel like if you were to tell someone this who has only read ACOTAR they'd be pretty confused, but her character development, and Elain's too was just stunning. I love how Nesta has this tough attitude about her. She's the kind of person who would say, "you can say mean things about me. But insult my family and friends? You're dead."

And don't even get me started on her and Cassian!!!!!!!!!!! I SHIP!!!!! SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!! I was dying at the end of ACOMAF when she was being forced into that cauldron and Cassian was crawling for her, and calling her name. And then I was bawling YET AGAIN when the same thing was happening at the end of ACOWAR, when Nesta is about to kill the king of Hybern, having summoned the cauldrons powers, but is stopped short when the king breaks her fathers neck, killing him, and her powers are snuffed out. Meanwhile, Cassian is laying at her side, crawling towards her, his wings snapped and broken, telling her to leave him, to run, and she tells him that she CAN'T leave him. Oh my heart. When Nesta positioned herself in front of Cassian and he held her back, I was CERTAIN that Hybern was going to kill them and I was NOT ready. I was nearly bawling at this point. But thank the Mother!!! Elain!!!! She is exactly as SJM describes her as; a flower child, with flora in her mind and a hobby for gardening. But then she comes up behind Hybern and BOOM! Stabs him in the throat-- with the blade Azriel gave her nonetheless! This just proves how she isn't just a bystander, how she has faced trivialities, and hardships, and losses, and it has shaped her into who she is. I'm not trying to say that you need to kill someone to prove your strength, god no, but it was just SO SATISFYING when she stabbed the king and then hisses into his ear, "Don't you dare touch my sister." I DIED. And of course, Nesta gives the final twist of the blade that severs the kings head from his body. Just fulfilling that death promise that she made with her vulgar gesture before being fully submerged in the cauldron in ACMOAF. Loved it.

When Amren betrayed Feyre I was pissed, but only because I didn't understand what Amren intended to do. For a second I thought Amren was going to completely turn on her, and say she was fighting with Hybern, and had been this whole time. But then we realize that she just figured out the only way to stop him and his army is if she is transformed into her original body, the one that would make her forget who Feyre, Rhys, and the others are. It was a sad reality, but one they couldn't risk not having.

AND RHYS. OH. MY. GOD. When he died.... I think all of us readers died a little inside too. But it didn't actually hit me as hard as when I thought Cassian and Nesta were going to die. And that is simply because I didn't believe that SJM would kill Rhys off like that. She's a dreamer, and a lover, and I just couldn't accept that she would leave Feyre to live her immortal life without her mate! Where as for Cassian and Nesta... It just seemed like that could actually happen. Thank the Mother it did not!

The part that really killed me was when Feyre realizes Rhys is dead and is shouting, begging, for the other High Lords to do something to, "BRING HIM BACK." I was a blubbery mess. Until Tarquin, the youngest of the High Lords, steps forward and says to him, "For what he gave. Today and for many years before." And he is the first to give him an ounce of his power. This was so touching to me because Tarquin had sent them blood rubies, had thought them to be liars and thieves. But he then sees that it is not who they are, that they want peace just as he does. When all the other High Lords gave their powers I was really holding my hopes high, that Rhys would indeed survive. But then Tamlin... I was afraid he wouldn't give up his powers to Rhys, and poor Feyre Darling was begging him saying she would give him anything. And then my heart just broke further when he said to her, "Just be happy, Feyre." This is where he redeemed himself for me. That he FINALLY sees that Feyre is indeed happy with Rhys, as High Lady of the Night Court. And while he is still bitter about it probably, and is a real man-bitch to Lucien, I'm happy he at least accepts what Feyre desires now, and helped her to continue her happiness. I also thought it was neat to see the High lords give their powers to Rhys, gently pouring a bit of their magical light onto his bare throat. We didn't see this in ACMOAF since Feyre was dead so it was neat. But one thing that I'm questioning is just the whole process...If the seven High Lords can bring back the dead, why don't they do it all the time? I understand for a mortal they would be giving away their powers as they did to Feyre and they don't want that, but for a High Lord... Well, Rhys didn't steal any of their powers. So basically, if they can do this, the High Lords can never die and will always be able to come back to life, so long as they all agree upon it...Interesting. Unless there are some rules about this that we do not know of yet.

When Rhys awoke and Amren too was returned to them- that shocked me! I was-and still am- surprised that not a single one of the inner circle died or was sent back to where they came from. I'm not saying I wanted any of them too, but it all just seemed so... perfect to have them all end up back together. While Amren no longer has her abilities she had before, she is now High Fae and can maybe learn to train and fight as they would- if she even needs it. I also have to admit, that while I adore the little romances, I kind of prefer Amren on her own. She is just so independent and bad ass, so while I liked her with Varian, I'm not sure I want them to be mates.

AND MOR!!! Tell me that scene where she comes out to Feyre didn't kill you on the inside, splitting your heart into 1000 tiny pieces???? It all makes sense. Why she did what she did with Cassian to avoid being married to Eris, why she could never let herself be with Azriel because while it would mean close to nothing for her, as it had with previous men she'd been with, it would mean a lot to him. It just made my heart grow. And what made it grow even more was Feyre's reaction. She let Mor speak, and gave her the absolute most respect, understanding, and acceptance. I especially loved that she told Mor she wouldn't tell anyone, not even Rhys, which is SO important, because a gay or lesbian person should have the full right to declare the time and manner of when and to who they come out. I love that SJM incorporates this kind of diversity in her books. We also have Thesan, High Lord of the Dawn court who is gay and mated to his captain. Then there's Helion, High Lord of the Day court, who is bisexual. I adored these characters and loooooved learning about the courts more and meeting their High Lords. I really loved the descriptions of the Winter Court; the white foxes wearing little vests, the white bears, the long blue overcoats with white rabbit fur at the trims. And of course, Kallias and his wife Vivianne. I really adored them too.

And then we have those three beautiful monsters. The Bone Carver, the Weaver, and Bryaxis. I was SHOOK when Feyre realized that the Bone Carver was being seen to her as her and Rhys' possible future son. SHOOK I TELL YOU! And when Rhys quietly asked what he looked like and Feyre showed him with her mind... *heart breaks 1213344123 more times*

I was sad when he died, surprisingly. I was never attached to the Bone Carver but... Just when Feyre said that she wishes that he goes to wherever it is he imagined, since he was so fascinated by death, and she sent a prayer to him... That part got me.

When Stryga, the Weaver died... Well I was sad but only because she was fighting for the good side. I think that character is so fascinating and creepy and just... That scene in the Weavers cottage in ACOMAF is one I'll never forget for sure. And when Feyre goes back there in ACOWAR, luring Ianthe and that other guy with her, omg SHOOK AGAIN!! Feyre knew not to close the door, knowing well it would lock, and pinned Ianthe inside while telling the Weaver she brought her dinner. What a vicious, deserving death for Ianthe. Good riddance.

And that poor Suriel... I wonder what it's name was. Feyre is honestly like a disney princess, having all the woodland animals like her and get along with her. She was so respectful to ask for Helion's cape and lay it overtop the Suriel. I feel like it is a debt that no other Suriel will ever not know of or forget. And their father!!! When he came with those ships, three of which were named after his daughters my heart was aching. It just bound their bond a bit tighter, since well, there wasn't really a bond between the four of them at all before. It showed that he is sorry for not being the father he wished he could be, but that he loved them dearly, and was now trying to make things right. He was not away on merchant business as they had thought, but had heard of the betrayal of the mortal queens and sought to find Vassa and Drakon and Myriam who Lucien then brought to the battle. When he died... I mean, I wasn't super connected to him, nor were his three daughters I have to say, but it was indeed sad, just because he was there, fighting for them, loving them even as they were Fae.

And Jurian?? Thank goodness he was on the good side. I'd like to learn more about him as well as Drakon and Myriam. Their stories weren't the most interesting to me, but still I'd like to know more!

While this book surely closed some ties- more so with Rhys and Feyre. I am SO happy they live happily together, laying over Velaris. Although I'm sure they will be facing a little more turmoil in the books to come. What with the mortal queens never showing up to war and all.

Gawd I wonder what's in store for us next??? I'm hoping we see more from the inner circle. I want to see Mor happy with a girlfriend, to have her father either accept it or just be completely thrown out of the picture (good riddance again) and to have Azriel know so that he doesn't think anything is wrong with him. MAN I loved him in this book. He's so shy and mysterious and just... *heart eyes* I also hope he finds a lover-not that you need a lover to be happy but... you know. I kind of like him and Elain together... Anyone else?? I mean, he gave her his SWORD!!!! TRUTH TELLER!!! I know that Elain and Lucien are mates and all, but I said in my review of ACOMAF that it seemed to come out of now where, and it certainly didn't seem to click into place in this book. Elain did not accept the mating bond, nor did she make him food, and she hardly ever spoke to him. If anything, I think they could be friends. Perhaps this will be an example of how the mating bond is not always right, since it's somewhat connected to bearing the strongest offspring, but there's waaaaaay more to a relationship than that of course. Maybe Lucien will find some other lover/mate? I've heard others thoughts of him possibly being with Vassa?? I wonder if Feyre will free her of her firebird curse; Firebird by day, normal female by night.

I also want to see what happens with Nesta and Cassian. Because I SHIP IT SO HARD, MAN. I also want to see if Amren and Varian do end up together or not. It did indeed break my heart when Varian was pleading with Feyre and Amren saying no to her going into the cauldron. But still... Amren is so strong and sassy she can be a bad ass High Fae all on her own without any man.

AND UMMM Lucien is related to Helion!!!!!!!!!!! It all makes sense... He doesn't look like any of his brothers or his father, and this would explain why his fathers and brothers hate him so much. His mother had an affair with Helion, who doesn't even know that Lucien is his son!! How will this play out??? Will Lucien find out somehow? Will he be told? Will Helion discover it?? ORRRR!!!!! Will Helion die, and then boom the new High lord of the Day Court is Lucien and he didn't even know.... THAT would be a shock for him to say the very least.

Also can we talk about the glorious fan art???? It's basically exactly as I picture the Inner Circle to look. Charlie Bowater is seriously talented. Her recent work has Cassian in a man bun-- Like Guys COME ON!!! *heart eyes x 1000* I seriously need the colouring books now, both ACOTAR and ToG. I neeeeeed themmmmmm.

And speculation on an ACOTAR movie??? I mean HELL TO THE YES but the casting would need to be spot on AND it would have to be really, really true to the books. Not holding anything back just to make it suitable for all audiences. War is bloody. War is brutal. It can't be toned down. And for the sexy time scenes well... Maybe it would be sort of like an HBO show ;)

WELL. That was a long one. I love Sarah J MAAS' books. I always thought I loved Throne Of Glass so much more... but now they are pretty even. I can't wait for the next instalments, although it is going to be VERY difficult to wait all the way until 2018 for them. In the meantime... Guess I'll just be rereading them and reading up on some theories for the latter books! What are yours??? I've read some theories for connections between the ToG and ACOTAR universe and it's mind blowing guys, mind blowing.

1000/5 Stars on glorious Star Fall in Velaris. *sighs* Now on to bingeing all the ACOWAR reviews, and perhaps buying an ACOTAR universe themed candle, while I remain in what may just be my largest book hangover yet.... although EoS did give me a huge one too.

What are your thoughts on ACOWAR? I'd LOOOOOVEEE to know and talk all about it! Send me a message or reply to this chat!

As always, thanks for reading.

- T