#but i would have to reread chapter by chapter to actually get into the details

[bright-red-sunsets]

Does your MC character change during Main Quest? Especially during Book 2?

I'm assuming you're talking about Housamo so here I go with my MC ramble hehehehe (P.S. oh god this ramble got a bit out of hand lol)

Before I get into it, two things.

1) I'm close to finishing chapter 10 so I'm not caught up to date. This also means I can't say much about Part 2 unfortunately.

2) my MC's name is Mango and I'll be using they/them, but they don't care much about pronouns.

I think they do change a lot.

The writing tries to show MC having a nearly unshakeable will and clear goal in mind in any situation, but Mango is like, a lot less sure at the start.

Initially, Mango is just going with the flow and going along with the expectations people have of them. Mango doesn't have memories, so they end up feeling like they Are all these people others claim them to be.

Ryota is one of the more important characters when it comes to Mango's growth as a person. In the Aoyama guild arc, Ryota confesses to Mango that he wants to have a special bond with someone, the way Shiro & Kengo have and Maria & Gabriel have. That makes Mango realize that their experiences with Ryota are something more tangible to care about.

From that point on, Mango develops a stronger sense of Self. While they want to honor the feelings others have, they also recognize that they aren't all their past lives – they're the person here and now. Mango allows themself to be more selfish and stop trying to be the person others want. (On a lighter note, this also means they act increasingly more sarcastic when someone starts calling them a different name, "Another one for my list...")

Throughout and after the Roponggi arc is when Mango gains some proper maturity. Toji, even though Mango extensively thinks he has a stick up his ass, does challenge them and whether they're taking this seriously enough. And hell, Mango has to admit maybe Toji does know what he's talking about.

The finale is another point that greatly affects Mango. The more they learn about the loops, the stronger their resolve is to end the Game and live their life. But when they learn about the loop(s) where they were Babalon's family... that really hits them...

PART 2: MANGO HAS DEPRESSION AND PTSD

The start of Part 2 is maybe my favorite part of the story so far, especially in terms of how MC is characterized. HELL, Mango's collapse forces them to confront all their flaws. Mango has let people die! Mango has people who put faith in them! They are confronting their own capacity to harm others and desperately grasping for ways to protect the people they're close to.

This is the peak to everything Mango has been becoming so far. They are selfish and recognize they can harm others. Mango doesn't just jump into action blindly, they plan extensively with the Summoners (and when they don't, they put their whole faith in that Shiro does). In many ways they are similar to how they started, but with the added depth of doing it all intentionally and compensating where they failed.

[youkaigakkou-tl]

(This is very minimal research into irl seimei legends I doing for something else so take this with a grain of salt)

But I think that if the white kitsune legend is true and seimei is actually half youkai this could maybe work out. In that myth, it states that not only was he showing signs of control over weak youkai at a young age(which could help explain his 'exorcism powers') but also that he was taken to another family by his mom so he wouldn't turn evil (this eventually leading him to learning divination and other things by that same clan)

but idk ~

yeah that is what i'm thinking about but i also imagine the details will be different somewhat given how sensei has been playing fast and loose with the details around Seimei and Douman specifically

(just for the record, this isn't like the time travel theory where i'm ride or die with it, i just think "Seimei not being totally human" is a fun possibility to consider, since theres a lot of weird little details but nothing concrete)

(had to reread ch90 to double check, we do get confirmation that Seimei isn't not human since Genbu says "gods shouldnt be near human remains")

there's also the fact that mamaaki has white hair, in a manga where even most youkai have normal hair colors and a lot of the ones that don't dye it. could be that she dyes it, but what reason would she have to consistently dye it for the 20-odd years we see in flashbacks? Sano dyes his hair bc he's a rebellious teen and wants to look different from Ebisu presumably, and the other students have similar reasons, what reason would a grown ass adult have? there's the possibility that it's just a cute nod to the legends, like "haha in legends Seimei's mom was a white fox, Haru's mom has white hair lol", but i'm starting to think nothing is ever "just" a "cute nod" anymore.....

[honeycreammilkshake]

OMG OMG OMG, reread 265 and Yuji says he cried because his SLIME TOY was lost, foreshadowing for him to keep slime sukuna?

omg, anon. i love the way you think <3

i just wanted to mention: one of the craziest things about this chapter is just how relaxed and indulgent sukuna is being with yuuji. i almost thought it was a dream when i first read this because sukuna is going along with all of this.

he's listening to yuuji ramble and actually paying attention to it all. he corrects yuuji, makes fun of him, even threatens him in the end - all things he usually does to yuuji, but this time the insults almost seem casual and sukuna's anger is somehow even more personal. it's like sukuna lets down his mask for a bit and is being drawn in by yuuji but he refuses to accept it, like it's a surprise attack on him that usually he wouldn't let anyone get even close enough to do it. he lashes out with all that has, screaming that he'll make yuuji suffer for pitying him. typical sukuna style.

but something that's really been on my mind is how yuuji responds to sukuna not caring about what yuuji is trying to show to him.

yuuji admits he lost this time. "just as i expected... it's no use."

if he really expected this all not to work, then why even bother? and, if he knows sukuna will just keep rejecting him, why does he keep offering for sukuna to come back to him? why does he want to offer mercy to this monster that still threatens to kill everyone yuuji cares about??

yuuji knows that sukuna is a lost cause.... but he's still not giving up. just like he never gave up on his grandfather whenever he told yuuji to stop coming and to stay at his club, or whenever wasuke pushed his own grandson away despite yuuji caring for him even on his deathbed.

yuuji also says that he's willing to fight for sukuna, to keep him alive. "even if no one accepts it/you." the fact that yuuji's fighting so hard just for sukuna's sake while sukuna is fighting against yuuji's compassion just as hard....

they drive me insane.

but honestly, i really think you're on to something here. gege loves detailed foreshadowing and twists that go against all expectations, so i have hope yuuji won't let sukuna get away from him that easily and will hold onto him.

or, better yet but even more unlikely, if sukuna comes back to yuuji on his own.

(also, it would be so cute if yuuji would keep little blobkuna in his pocket so that he won't make the mistake of losing his slime toy this time <3)

[sixosix]

END NOTE | THAWED

a little love letter to my readers

to start off, i know that the series is based off the entire reputation album, but i like to think that this whole series was written around call it what you want.

how it started LMFAOOO

This was previously titled ‘melt’ before i was like ‘nah ill make it, like, thaw” and earthtooz went, “Thawed?” little did earth know,, that name would literally take over my docs,,, my tags,,, my ENTIRE account

A message to my readers: From the bottomest bottom of my heart, if you have reached this series until the very end, thank you so, so much for reading. Read that sentence again. And again, until you realize how grateful I truly am as a writer. Thawed is such a big project that I still can’t believe I was able to even start. I genuinely never thought it would garner this much attention, and in all honestly, I was intimidated by it, because I had no idea what I was doing, and I was afraid I would disappoint.

This entire project was intimidating, and I considered so many times to just drop it and end it on chapter five. I struggled so badly to write after I introduced the characters, and I thought: “well, that’s it. I guess it was fun.” I even told my friends that I would do that; and yet 14 chapters later, look at where we are now 😭

Writing it was so exhausting. Working on a series while studying as a student really makes it difficult to remember details about my own story T__T I had to reread Thawed so many times to the point where I don’t even like it anymore.

But I know the reason why I decided to continue it! It sounds so horribly cliche, but it’s true. It’s thanks to all your overwhelming support :( Each ask, comment, reblog—they all fueled me more than you think. All those replies of even incoherent gibberish made me realize that, ‘hey, someone read it and liked it enough to send an ask about it. Maybe I am doing something right!!!!’

some thawed extras for readers who are interested

If you haven’t noticed, the chapter titles aren’t actually accurately about the chapter. Those titles were taken from the songs in the Reputation album, in order. And the chapters are loosely based around them!

reputation is, like, widely known as the edgy album from taylor, but in reality its such a big love letter and i know that other people noticed that, too! i think it’s very fitting to the story of thawed: it’s dark and messy, but at the end of the day, it’s a love story. do you get what i mean hehe. i hope that’s how the series came across…

im sorry if aether doesnt appear in the last chapter :( in my head, mc is coming home. and by then i dont think aether would be in fontaine at all! but rest assured they definitely have met up twice or thrice while in the other regions heehee. Also aether will ofc be there for their weeding. 🙏

i have nothing much else to say aside from thank you for reading! i hope u enjoyed thawed as much as i did

[bubblewrapsnek]

Phantomarine Reread: Chapter 1

For this chapter I don't have too much to elaborate on so it'll probably be mostly stuff I enjoy about it so uhh enjoy!

Let's begin:

The cover of the chapter is just very fun and good, I love how in a full page what acts as frame is the composition itself, using the rock as both a titlecard, flat space made to have Phae stand out in the centre thanks to less detail around her, and has a couple skeletons climbing on it too making it interacted with the enviorment too, it's just very good, plus lots of cute critters

Bonus, pretty lady with pretty dress

One sword lady just happy to be there, good for her!

Cheth working like a lamp, getting turned off as soon as Phae chickens out is a very good bit xD

Something I also enjoy a lot from this chapter is just how present those godly veins are

You can clearly see them flowing into everything Cheth uses, they work at being somewhat subtle to me, at a first read I just assumed they were for flare, it's a god in the sea hopping bodies, of course he has an aura, but going back they are very consistantly threads coursing through what he touches and moves, around him at all time, and it makes the reveal that those aren't something he causes, but those are HIM very fun to go back to

Also Cheth being so unserious even when angry, giving eyelashes to a t-rex HE CHOSE TO THROUGH A HISSY FIT WITH, THIS GOD CHOSE THE DINOSAUR FAMOUS FOR HAVING TENEE TINY ARMS TO PERK THEM UP AND SHOW ANNOYANCE, love that for them

Something else I want to point out is how Phae is never still, every panel she is moving, posing with dumb bravado sometimes downplaying it a bit, it keeps her expressive and alive even when the obvious main show is Cheth's flamboyance and shapeshifting circus play, and that in itself is also a very fun thing, in a revolving door of actors, the play doesn't loose itself, Cheth's emotions are readable, a character is expressed constantly and flows nicely into a variety of states, and for both of them, keeping this bravado will pay off later in the chapter VERY well

Great visual, the veins themselves working as the smoke, showing he is loosing patience, he is fuming while being underwater

Another bonus point: Extremely rare instance where I find M!Cheth looking hot in a sense of coolness instead of the usual lovely dork clown (he is hot in both ways but this is a different taste)

Plus

The facless crowd of red eyes not playing, smiling or fooling around anymore, they are finally dead set on her, she created a play for them and he provides the pressure of an audience, more than the panel before, with her literally being portrayed in front of the t-rex's mouth, this feels like the maw of the beast surrounding her, sizing her and ready to devour her, ready to have her be part of the facless crowd of observers, very spooky

And this feeling of the maw of the beast pays off, 'cause shit gets real very fast, Cheth doesn't take it lightly and goes for the throat with a question that not only he thinks she would never know, but that hurts so so much, (and also shows what is in his mind when dealing with royalty, not the attacks towards him directly, not the damage to him, but the countless children who have been deprived of a family due to all this). This works as a tone shift, the first, altho minor, payoff from the swagger set up early in the chapter, and this question hits you in the face hard and fast

Cheth's frame while asking this is almost as big as the burden of that knowledge, a question so heavy the panel under it is quite literally being smothered, Phae's face accomapanying the reader who didn't expect the shift

And this leads to another piece of characterization that will come back later, Cheth cares for children, this isn't just a question done to hurt her but it's something he cares for, and why do I say this? well it's something I read not only in what will be said later on in other chapters, but in Cheth's reaction when Phae actually can provide an answer

He is confused, but also looks genuinely worried about her, he is dumbfounded AND concerned for the woman who showed to care about something he thought she would have only superficial empathy towards, for the girl who just admitted to being herself a lost child in grief (little headcanon, the cat showing up is there to be ready to help in case it got too far)

Something else I want to make note of that I find very compelling:

The background, Phae answers and the background goes BLANK, until now it consistantly framed her in either blue or red, either in Cheth's play or taking a step back from it, but now, this is something that wasn't part of his tease, this wasn't something he thought would happen, Phae's care and grief quite literally breaks Cheth's overwhelming, presence here, it feels as if not only is he shocked, but he is giving her a brief moment to breath, letting her have some space for just a moment, I love it

And this also leads to a moment I find very interesting, and I would like to give my reading to

The way I read it as of the time of writing this, is that Cheth has a deep fondness towards humanity, the anathema comic shows a devotion to his love for the people he fares in the afterlife, for the children of man who have all but forsaken him, and here he is ANGRY, but why would he be angry that the king actually cared for said people? I can think of one reason: at this point he has been waiting for a sign for 5000 years, made to sit back and watch for ages the humanity he loves sending their man foolishly to die in a war against him in which he isn't even participating, and I think he might have internalized how the people he loves have accepted a doctrine against him so deeply that they deem the sacrifice of their lives and the suffering of their children as worth less than fighting him. But what does he learn now? that the king, the guide of this war, feels guilt over this, that the mean leading all those people to die had to find a way to cope with how terrible that weight is, that they haven't forgotten how precious the lives of his people are, AND YET HE KEEPS SENDING THEM TO DIE, EXACTLY LIKE THEY DID FOR THE PAST 5000 YEARS. This is beyond foolish, this is pure denial of knowing that what you are doing is terrible, and thinking you can offset it by being kind instead of working on the problem at the root of it, I too would be angry if the man leading those fathers and mothers to abandon their children tried to save his conscience by doing charity instead of preventing those deaths to begin with.

God this came out rant-y, and probably not perfectly worded

Moving on

Remember when I spoke about how the constant expressiveness and bravado of the characters is a great setup, well here we get to the first very big payoff in my opinion

Once again, Cheth's overwhelming red get's completely broken, stark white coral framing the object of something that deeply hits him and breaks his flow, he stops to a screeching halt for the first time, speechless and astounded. without all that overwhelming presence before, all that bravado, this loss of control would hit so much less and it doesn't stop here, no this is the first punch of a two hit combo, the proverbial quiet before the storm

And this also leads to another reversal in their constant duel present in this chapter, up to now all of this has been a back an forth, a dance where Phae responds in kind to Cheth's provocations, and here, she doesn't reflect an attack, but just like Cheth seeing her at a low before had him react with a look of pity, she responds here with the same concerned expression

Sadly, Cheth isn't in a place where vulnerabilty is something that can be helped with pity or comfort, not now

Now all he is, is a raging storm of emotions

And how does he get back control of the scene? he lashes out, he once again becomes overwhelming, the entire scene becomes a vortex of red and anguished faces, Phae's bright yellow gets tinted in a red glow, something deep within him has been touched

And MY GOD is the subsequent page a mic drop, the red slowly drifts to the bottom, her emotions are settling down, there is a moment of reflection and quiet, of many things she probably couldn't hope to think about for such a long time finally piecing together, and with those elements coming into place, here comes a new face that we will come to know along the way, not only is this a new face in the chapter, this is an expression of Cheth's state of mind in my opinion, as we will later learn that the sign he was waiting for, all he is doing and setting up, it was all in the name of a promise made to this face. at least, this is my read atm, we'll have to see how the story unfolds to see how well it fits

Have you ever seen a lady so beautiful you forgot you are dealing with Satan and decided to flirt? Phae sure has

And here we arrive at the reason I said Phae's tired reaction to the death of children was the "minor" payoff to the bravado shown

Cause damn here we get to the main show of her fall

But also, shock factor aside, I want to point out how this is the first truly mean spirited move Cheth has made thus far, the question of children came from a place of care, this is purely mean, nothing can come from being this petty and evil in action, it's almost parody of the demonic figure he gets painted as, almost...

Yeah you all probably know what I'm getting at, this is the first action she takes after learning of the bonefish, of the sign, and we later learn that she actively decided to play up the evil aspect Phae knows her as, painting herself as a disgusting villain because that was the role she thought would work, after all, would kindness and explaining have worked? she is basically programmed to hate them...

And with this Cheth has completely put the curtain back on, the second act of the play has started and they are both the director and the actors, the scene once more tinges itself in overwhelming red as they start their show

After this point the chapter is quite straightforward to me, tho it doesn't shy away from some very neat shots that end up being some of my favourites of the entire chapter

Like this one, it creates a very good feel of having Phae on the backfoot, the textbox itself works in presenting her driven in a corner, against a wall, even amidst a boundless ocean she has no escape, and Cheth taking center stage to the panel also works in establishing them once more in control

Meanwhile, I honestly can't even explain why I like this laugh so much, it's just so visceral, so played to an extreme, the sea itself is laughing, Cheth looks like he could fall over on their back from how the laugh is bending them, you the reader aren't safe from the thunderous laughter as the panel itself breaks down, becoming seafoam, you are seeing them explode over the question of Shoshanna's return and once again, Cheth is playing up a villain, we see later down the line how the argument of Shoshanna breaks them and tears them down, and here I think they are masking it, they play up their bravado to an higher degree than ever before, a villain so incredibly sure of themselves that they can stop and laugh so much they aren't even seeing you anymore, they are completely exposed, not a single shade has their eyes open to keep watch on you

What grief could ever deserve such a boisterous mask?

AND HE KEEPS GOING, HE KEEPS UPPING THE FACADE

He both becomes and rides a wave about to wash Phae away, he both is master of a distaster and the disaster itself, all this part feels like is him deciding to play the villain and putting on his best theatrics to deliver it, they become mean, deameaning, ruthless, the teases don't feel as fun anymore, Phae isn't in a place to make it a back and forth anymore

The chapter starts as an ebb and flow between our main characters, but by the end there is no more pushback, Cheth has become a flood and Phae has lost the ground she was so confidently standing on before

And she manages to get a hold for a last desperate second, she has been pushed so far back in a corner that she lashes out violently, but in the end, even this is futile, in the end...

The tidal wave has crushed her, and she can do nothing but break.

[namjoonscoffeeshop]

Beneath the Surface | Drabbles

A part of DEEP series

✧ Pairing: Yoongi x reader

✧ warning(s): explicit language, fight scene

✧ word count: 3.1k

a/n: this drabble is in yoongi's pov. we will see his pov through many scenes and I will label the scenes as they go In case anyone gets confused. I added chapter 8 incase you want to reread the chapter. Yoongi's pov has more details in certain events.

index | askme! | Chap 8

THE DAY JIHYE MENTIONED GOING ON A TRIP

"what do you want" yoongi walks out of the lecture hall to find jihye leaning against the wall on her phone, her eyes meeting his the moment he makes himself known. 

Yoongi watches as she nibbles on her inner cheek, his forehead creasing as he tilts his head as if to tell her to hurry up and speak. 

"I want to invite y/n and everyone else to go camping during the break"

"what does that have to do with me? invite her and that's it" turning around he attempts to walk away but jihye raises her voice clearly a reaction from her anxiousness "It's the camp, where we met" 

turning to face her he couldn't help but look amused at the words that came from her lips "you want to take her there, you know if it was just our group of friends fine. but you know everyone goes there"  staring at jihye as if she had grown another head he can't take the silence and says  "have you lost your mind?" 

"it happened years ago...why would it matter.." he raises a brow, nodding his head as he looks away "do what you want" he doesn't stick around to listen to her any longer, entering the lecture hall. 

AFTER THEIR FIRST NIGHT TOGETHER 

He felt conflicted. How does he tell you that he might not want this, what ever this is.

you slept soundly your small snores filling the quiet room. the light radiating from the moon seeped through the curtains as it lit the room with warmness. His head hanged back as he leaned against the headboard.

he kept repeating in his head how you painfully reminded him that it was all fake and that this was all just for the sex and for just a split second he thought to himself, if this was really all you wanted and if he was just fooling himself into thinking that you actually liked him all this time. He kept thinking back to the day you had blurting out this stupid idea but can't remember if there was ever a confession hidden in your words.

but then why would she want this if she just saw us as friends?

groaning he rubs his temple before glancing at your laying figure, you looked like a angel to him. Beautiful in every way, no flaw what so ever. But yet here he was tainting you. your hair covered your back, some strands covered your face. His shaking hand reached out to hold the strands as he gently tugged them back, staring at you for what felt like eternity till he had his fill.

Pulling the sheets off he gets out of bed slowly to avoid waking you, he needed a smoke and have a moment away from you to collect his thoughts. walking down the hall he looks around the living room for his bag where he had put away his stuff to make sure you wouldn't find and confiscate it but ended up cursing himself when he remembers it was in the bedroom.

"fuck" he curses as sits on couch his head hung low as he tried to gather his thoughts. It would be best to go ahead and leave for the trip he couldn't think and if it was just the two of you then it would just be worse. 

THE NIGHT AT CAMP

Walking to their tent he hears her laughing, another familiar laugh follows and he knew you where with jihye. it's for the best he says to himself as he turns, walking to his friends tents. He wasn't angry with you but with himself. He was like a dog in heat when he saw you, his desire for you had just gotten worse after having a single taste of you. 

He stayed away for some if not all the afternoon, sending her a brief message which said to not wait for him. The girl who sat on the floor beside him placed her hand on his thigh "yoongi, we haven't seen you around lately" she says in a soft voice, not shy with her hand as she traced circles on his thigh. taking a drink from his cup he looks at the girl, his eyes glancing to her hand. 

"he has a girlfriend now" taehyung speaks up, the girl pouts as if disregarding taehyung's comment "she's not here, did you not bring her" 

he drinks from his cup again 

"yeah where is y/n?" jimin says

placing the cup down. he leans forward, with his forearm he brushes off her hand from his thigh licking his lips "sleeping" he side-eyed the girl beside him with a stern look. "whatever" she mutters, scooting away from him.

it began to rain, maybe I should head back to make sure she's sleeping. looking at his phone he sees she never answered nor opened the message. she didn't really like the rain, and knowing how skeptical she was it was likely she'd be worried of some leak. He hides his face as he looks down, concealing his smile from everyone else. 

filling his cup once more after taehyung kept insisting on drinking more with him , He listened to the raindrops rather than paying attention to the people in front of him. He wondered if you were reading one of your books and maybe that's why you didn't answer nor read his message, when ever you read you would block out the rest of the world. 

He was lost in thought, not noticing people the two girls who had just came running into the first section of the tent. snapping out of his daze he looks up as he hears jihye's laugh, his eyes falling on you as jihye holds her arm stopping her from slipping. 

he watches as she stands there for a moment, jihye entering. After saying hello jihye slips into a empty seat, she walks in and glances at everyone who's there before meeting his eyes "I thought I told you i'd be back" he says watching her walk to him as he finishes his drink ready to take her out of there with the excuse that he was done. 

"I was bored" he could see how she was flustered, as always not comfortable when it comes to his friends gatherings. he bored his eyes into her as he waited to see where she'd sit. his eyes slowly glancing at the girl who had been beside him, she was glaring at her but y/n paid her no mind, in fact she didn't even notice. He licked his lips in attempt to not laugh but his smirk was wiped off his face when he felt her sit on his lap. 

he grinned at her boldness and wraps his arm around her waist, holding her. Taehyung was quick to offer her a drink and she accepts, lifting his empty cup to get it filled. He watched her in silence as everyone who clearly was interested in who the girl that claimed the title as his girlfriend was. 

he could sense how nervous she was as she gulped down the drink, leaning in he'd whisper into her ear to slow down and she'd nod but taehyung would fill her cup once more. His hand slipped underneath her shirt as he caressed her waist "You'll have a headache tomorrow" he says which she replied "it's the last one" nibbling on his bottom lip he'd nod, knowing she was lying. 

Maybe he was tipsy, yeah that was his excuse. his excuse as to why his senses were sharp. explaining why he subtle perfume was all he could smell, he loved her choice in perfumes they were not strong. There were a lot of people in the room but she was the only one he could hear as she would talk or laugh. His eyes stuck on her as she smiled at any stupid little thing taehyung said. trying to keep himself sane he continued to caress her waist with his fingers feeling her body getting warmer and he could tell that she was getting drunk. 

 leaning against his chest she placed her head on his shoulder. shifting on his lap, tormenting him but he kept caressing her waist. trying to keep himself calm. 

lifting the cup to her lips he catches taehyung at the corner of his eye ready to refill her cup. He knew he was being petty but he hated having all these guys seeing her especially in her current state, snatching the cup from her hand he drinks the remaining fluids, tossing the cup to the trash can which he miraculously makes it in. "we're leaving" he says which caused her to whine but he gripped her waist as he stood, taking her with him. 

"alright then, see you tomorrow gorgeous " taehyung says cheerfully which yoongi glares at him. 

the rain had settled down, and in truth he felt himself get sober as they quickly walked to their tent. the drizzle making him come to his senses. 

as the two of them enter the tent he was about to look for a towel when he feels her hand on his chest in the darkness. without thinking he looked her in the eyes and mentally cursed himself as he felt her other hand traveling from his abdomen to his chest. 

He leans in, pecking your lips as she wrap her arms around him. 

she's drunk, he repeats in his head but he was desperate for her touch. tilting her head upwards, the two of them lost in each others eyes "you seemed annoyed" she says as you kiss her once more "and?" he doesn't stop, kissing every part of her. 

"are you mad at me?" she mumbles

"did you do something to anger me" unable to resist her anymore he lifts her up, instantly she wraps her legs around his waist. 

She's drunk he says once more

pecking her lips he places her on the bed "let's sleep tonight" he looks at her wide eyes and heaving chest. cursing himself mentally he continues to kiss her. Hovering over her, but pulls away after giving her a light peck. 

THE MORNING OF THE HIKE

He laid on the bed, her frame cuddled against him. He had no sleep at all. He could hear how the people from other tents were already up. glancing down at her, she's probably gonna be hungry after all that drinking. 

before he could even think of getting up, he sees namjoon stick his head in tent. "hey" he whispers. glaring at namjoon "what"

"we're going hiking, get your ass out here" groaning he points at the girl who was deep asleep and clinging onto him. namjoon rolls his eyes "we're waiting for you" not sparing him the chance to rebut he leaves the tent without zipping the flaps. 

prying her arm and legs off him he slips into warmer clothes. covering her he brushes her hair back before exiting the tent. 

"I didn't ever think you'd date her" namjoon says, the two of them walked at their own pace as everyone else walked ahead. Yoongi didn't bother responding, he didn't need to. If there was someone who could read him it's namjoon. 

"what's bothering you" Namjoon nudges his arm. side eying namjoon he exhales "I'm a mess"

"why?" 

"she's...she's a lot" he feels bitter with his choice of words. namjoons eyes fixated on him "I didn't take y/n as a dramatic type of perso-"

"she's not...shit" he groans "I don't know" he didn't press for more information as he saw yoongi clearly frustrated. "You're dating, everything else will just fall in place" namjoons arm falls around his shoulder as he gives him a small shake "right" yoongi answers in a unsure tone. 

the two continued to talk about anything that came up, the trail ended in the opposite side of where the both of them had departed. Looking uninterested, yoongi wondered if you had already gotten up to make something to eat for yourself. thinking back to how much you had drank the night before he was sure you'd be out of it. 

from the corner of his eye he catches a familiar figure and turns to focus his eyes on the girl who was hiding behind a tent. Instantly he realized it was y/n and quietly makes his way to her. 

I'm gonna scare her, he grins. 

wrapping his arm around her waist he pulls her against his chest "what are you doing hiding?" he says, startled she drops the basket of bowels and everything she had washed. he was about to laugh but looking down at her face he followed her gaze as it landed on two people he wished would just disappear. 

AFTER FINDING OUT ABOUT THE PROJECT

After she confessed that she had school work that needed to be done he felt a brief relief, clearly he was tense since he thought she had heard something causing her to behave the way she was. 

he watched her work on her project, not letting her get in any way distracted ensuring she'd finish and then they could do something else.

He was her loyal servant, getting her meals and entertaining her during the little breaks she'd take. sitting beside her with a bowl filled with grapes that jihye kept insisting for him to give her. "come on eat one" he says, she hadn't eaten much for lunch. shaking her head he sighs. 

he watches her as she continues to type away. her forehead creasing as she looked serious. 

taking a grape to his mouth he bites it in half. he then holds her chin to look at him. "yoon-" pressing his lips against her he climbs onto the bed, tilting her head back. He slips the grape into her mouth, breaking the kiss, he sits back. her face a deep shade of red as she chews on the grape "now eat the grapes or we can do this all day" he eats the other half, raising a brow as if to challenge her to disobey him. 

reaching into the bowl she take another grape to her mouth as she bites it in half, her eyes never meeting his clearly embarrassed. Staring at her lips he shut his eyes, jealous of a fucking grape he exhales.   

THE DAY SHE LEAVES WITH JUNGKOOK

Yoongi was returning from getting sliced peaches when jihye runs up to him, a terrified look on her face. 

"what's wrong with you" ripping the plate of peaches from his hand she tosses it on the table. "they were talking about what happened that summer"

"what?"

"Those fucking minions said it" he stared at jihye not understanding anything she was saying. gripping her shoulders he stops her from moving frantically "clam down, and tell me what the fuck is going on" 

she explains how she ended up bumping into eunjus two friends and after attempting to ignore them they blurted out what had happened that summer. jihye being who she is confronted them and asked them if they had said any of that in front of her. 

there was then a heated argument between them. annoyed yoongi and jihye both found eunju and dragged her to jihye's tents discreetly. 

after arguing yoongi barges out of the tent. and made his way to their shared tent. not finding y/n inside. 

waiting for her to return he sat on the table, trying to calm himself down when namjoon walks into the tent rather fast "hey, you have to come out"

"not now"

"y/n said she's leaving. and asked to call jungkook to pick her up" confused he rushes out of the tent and goes to where y/n, taehyung and jimin were standing. 

her eyes were red, she had been crying he told himself. "y/n" he calls her name, slowly turning to him he locks eyes with her "whats wrong"

"I wanna go home"

"alright, we can go hom-"

"I don't want to go home with you" she spats

taken back he looks at his friends who were awkwardly standing to the side watching the two of them. she doesn't bother talking to him anymore and walks past him, he follows. she begins to gather her things the moment she walks into the tent, ignoring him at the process. 

"what's wrong with you!" he yells loosing his patience. "go ask jihye" she says, grabbing her packed bags and walking out of their tent. 

jungkook had arrived. 

He watches the car pull out of the parking lot keeping his composure. He was about to go to their tent and pack up but he watched as jihye ran up to the girls who were watching from the side with a smug look on their face.

and without saying anything, jihye who was already crying swings her fist punching the girl with longer hair, she crashes to the ground. she pounced at her, swinging her fists as the girl beneath her yanked at her hair. 

the girls friend who had been standing beside her comes to her senses and grabs jihye trying to pull her off. Jimin, taehyung and namjoon then run in to try and stop the fight but one of jihye's other friends gets in pulling the hair of the second friend. 

a whole fight breaking out. 

trying to pry them off each other, namjoon and taehyung succeed with one of the pair but jimin can't get jihye off the other girl. 

"yoongi!" jimin yells, but he didn't budge. Jihye was doing the one thing he wanted to do the moment she told him they had said something to y/n. 

glancing at the girl under jihye he wasn't satisfied with how beaten up she was but he felt it was enough. walking up to jimin he wraps his arm around jihye "that's enough" he says loudly and yanks her back. struggling at first since jihye had wrapped her legs around the girl and was firm.  he yells "Jihye! that's enough!" and succeeds in pulling her back. jihye was a crying mess along with the girl who jimin had helped up. 

eunju was running towards the whole commotion, her eyes falling on their friends. she yells at jihye "what the fuck is wrong with you" yoongi held onto the crying girl. "I suggest you do not, do not confront her right now" namjoon sternly tells eunju. 

not backing down she approaches jihye, yoongi stares at her and grins, she thinks I won't let go. 

letting go of jihye, she stops in place but jihye walks towards her. namjoon running to stop jihye as he glares at yoongi for wanting to escalate the situation. 

rolling his eyes he walks towards them, "jihye lets go" holding her arm he takes her with him as he walks away. "Take me home" she says, his eyes flick to her "fine, i was planning to leave anyways. hurry up" 

taglist:

@baechugff

@thetaehyungstan

@yoongibaybee

@gimeow

@pjmsneverland

@eissenheimer

@taetaechim7

@acquiescence804

@seoullove96

@waitaminswife

@keshiadeija

@gaby-93

@amarawayne

@ykkjm

@ot72025

@joonie1213

taglist still opened

[thankskenpenders]

And now for something new

So, here's something I was never planning on doing, but I just couldn't shake the idea... Thanks Ken Penders is gaining a sister blog featuring an entirely different comic franchise!

Introducing... Thanks Steve Ditko, a blog where I read the Earth-616 Spider-Man comics, starting all the way back in the '60s! It's gonna be much more casual and less thorough than how I run things here on TKP, though, which I'll explain in a sec.

If seeing me post weird bits from old Spider-Man comics sounds fun and you need no further info, then just head right on over to Thanks Steve Ditko. But for longtime TKP readers, I know you probably have questions...

Number one: Why?

Spider-Man's always been my favorite superhero, and with the Spider-Verse movies kicking ass and my excitement building for the new Insomniac game, I've been in a Spidey mood. Inevitably, a thought occurred to me: Maybe I should actually read the comics that everything else is built off of and see the wildly varying contributions of all the original creators, rather than filtering them through big budget adaptations. If I can power through One Piece and all these other manga with hundreds of chapters, it can't be that hard... right?

And, well, after a few issues I quickly realized that my options were to either clog up my other accounts with random Spider-Man panels for years, or to just make a side blog. And so the side blog was born.

Two: Will this blog replace Thanks Ken Penders?

NO!!!!!!!!!

Okay but prove it

To allow the two to exist side-by-side, Thanks Steve Ditko will have a different format than what Thanks Ken Penders developed. Rather than an in-depth guided tour that critically analyzes every story beat of every issue, TSD will just be a place for amusing panels and brief thoughts as I casually read the comics at my own pace.

If you've seen me make a few tweets about reading Spider-Man recently, I'm basically just moving that to a dedicated Tumblr. It's a place for me to dump these things so that it doesn't fill up my media tab on Twitter for the next decade. (You know, assuming Twitter is still around in a decade.) There will be many issues where I only post two panels that I thought were funny. There will be issues where I don't have anything to say at all. Maybe I'll reach a run that I just cannot get into, and I start skipping around more. Who knows!

This may sound similar to what I thought this blog would be before it blew up. Aside from the simple fact that there's already mountains of Spider-Man commentary out there and therefore less of a void for me to fill, one of the main steps I'll be taking to avoid repeating the past is not enabling an ask box on TSD. I do not need people to ask me to go into ten times more detail on everything. I do not need to write seven essay-length responses to questions about Spider-Man minutiae every day. I do not need a place for people to chide me for not covering certain scenes, issues, or ancillary series.

It also won't have any kind of update schedule. I'm trying to keep it very casual. I'm reading these comics at my own pace, and if I feel like sharing a moment or commenting on something while doing so? It goes there. That's it.

(On the subject of format changes, I'm also listing the issue, writer, and penciller in the body of every post. This is a thing I wish I'd done on TKP so that people didn't misattribute every weird Archie Sonic panel I post to Penders.)

Three: So when will TKP come back from hiatus? You said it'd come back after you finished SLARPG!

I don't know! Sorry. I have a couple things on the backburner right now for TKP, but I'm not sure when I'll get back to proper updates where I read more comics.

I wanted to bring TKP back this year, and that's still possible. The main hurdle is that I want to reread my own archive (again) as a refresher, which is, uh. A lot of posts. I've developed a high standard for myself on here, and I feel like I wouldn't be doing my job right if I forgot half the ongoing subplots and character arcs and didn't bring them up in my analysis. Especially when I'm discussing the work of an author as obsessed with continuity as Ian Flynn. Unfortunately, the nature of this blog means that every time I go on another long hiatus for Life Reasons I have even more comic continuity to catch up on than last time.

(This is a big part of why I'm making Thanks Steve Ditko an extremely casual blog instead of promising to become a Lore Expert on 60+ years of Marvel.)

Mostly I've just been very burnt out this year after having finally finished a video game that took almost eight years to make. I haven't really had the energy for any creative projects, including TKP. But I feel a little bit of a spark here with Spider-Man, so I'm chasing that feeling to try to get back into the swing of blogging about comics - no pun intended.

So, basically, bear with me on this as I start this low-energy side project. But hopefully folks will enjoy Thanks Steve Ditko as its own thing, too.

Look forward to goofy shit like this

[clairedaring]

random msi ep 7 thoughts - joe's guilt and obligations to the old owner of his new body/life

so i did my reread of the chapters last weekend in preparation for this week's episode and one part stood out to me that i missed in last few rereads was this precious bit where joe expresses his guilt about about using his new body for sex

“Mom, it’s true. I also think that I came across such a good thing. He said that I can repay him slowly, but he’ll lend me the money first for our pressing needs. This money is really nothing to him. The money we owed, we can repay a part of it first. I’ll work hard. It’ll definitely get better in the future. So Mom, you must not have any burden. You must comply with the treatments. It’s only if you live that we can have hope, okay?” [Ing]’s voice trembled, “There is really such good people? How can there be such good people?” [Joe] smiled and confirmed the matter over and over again; only for [Ing] to feel as ease. If she knew that he agreed to such a deal… he wouldn’t dare to think about the consequences. If it was his former body, he may not feel as terrible. He is not a woman, not to mention that he had slept with [Ming] before. However, this body was not his. Although they have converged for so long, [Joe] still could not fully accept this body. Using [Ing]’s son’s body to do this made his heart filled with a sense of guilt. Moreover, when he thought of [Ming] using this body as a (substitute)……he could not describe his feelings. Embarrassed, awkward, and resentful. [Joe]’s heart is full of negative emotions. - Chapter 60, Professional Body Double by Shui Qian Cheng

And obviously since these are more of Joe's inner thoughts, I thought we weren't gonna get them. But then MSI team really took me by surprise by incorporating that bit seamlessly into this scene.

gif courtesy of @pharawee

it's a tiny detail. but one i appreciate very much to the team for having joe (the soul) remains considerate to the old owner of his body, someone he owes his new life to.

and it's actually not the only bit in the novel where he is constantly reminded by the old owner of his new body. like for example, when he first learned of ing's illness, he also considered donating one of his kidneys.

[Joe] made an arrangement with the doctor to have his kidney tested for compatibility the next time he come. This he did secretly behind [Ing]’s back. Even if his kidney is a match, the first issue is that he has no money for the surgery and second is that he’s afraid [Ing] would rather die than to agree to accept his kidney. But no matter what, he has to give it a try. At least there’s more hope to save her. Although [Joe] felt a little fearful on the possibility of having a kidney removed, he had no reason to back down. This body was not his to start with, but belonged to this youngster named [Joe]. He was just a dying person fortunate enough to have his soul hosted in this body to continue on living his life. This youngster is [Ing]’s son. On this body that hosted his soul, every strand of hair, skin and even this life came from [Ing]. He is the closest relative to [Ing]. He cannot evade nor can he be selfish. - Chapter 57, Professional Body Double by Shui Qian Cheng

and i also really like that even in as early as the beginning of the novel, since joe's woken up from his coma he's already committed to being ing's son because he's indebted to the old owner of his new body for giving him a 'renewed treasured life'.

[Joe] glanced at her. Although this woman is not his mother, he thinks that he has the responsibility to take care of her for the rest of her life because he took over her son’s body, making her lose her son forever. He, on the other hand, got a renewed treasured life. He can’t just accept that. He should also take up the responsibility that this life should have taken and complete his obligations. - Chapter 3, Professional Body Double by Shui Qian Cheng

anyhow this was not really a thoughts post, more like an excuse to gush about how much i love this novel and how well the series has been able to capture nuances that i thought would be left out due to tv constraints.

[jounosparticles]

jouno’s eyelashes - a quick analysis

yes im analyzing jouno’s eyelashes. im obsessed with him what can i say.

one thing i’ve noticed throughout my many rereads of jouno’s segments of the manga is that he is actually given eyelashes in a lot of the panels he is present in! often times they’re just thin white lines but they’re definitely there. here are some examples.

now, if we recall back to what harukawa said about eyes a long time ago:

the darker ones eyes are, the more tainted or corrupted a person is. someone who is doing good and/or feeling good may have whiter eyes. to rephrase, one who’s eyes are dark are typically doing something corrupt and/or are in an emotionally bad state. we see this numerous times throughout the manga with many characters, the shade of their eyes changes with their emotion at the time usually.

now what does this have to do with jouno? well, i believe his eyelashes are used to display his intentions since he keeps his eyes closed constantly.

now, there are definitely some exceptions to this. panels where his eyelashes are small could be hard to colour this way, so im looking past a few instances for that purpose.

anyways, i believe looking at his eyelashes in this perspective also hints towards his betrayal of fukuchi, since you can see he has good intent. more on this later.

i'd also like to preface this by reminding you that jouno believed he was in the right with most things he did. he was sure the agency was in the wrong for a long time, times where his lashes were white while dealing with the agency was likely because he believed himself to be doing what is good.

now, starting with his debut in chapter 57, his eyelids are almost completely black as he arrests dazai

his eyelashes appear a bit darker as he torments people i find.

such as shortly after he slices kunikida's notebook and asks tetchou to kill yosano.

one scene i actually want to put a lot of emphasis on here is chapter 78's interaction between jouno and kunikida.

here is his face when he first walks in, he's simply making small talk over how a terrorist attack is awful

we can see his lashes pretty well.

we can also see it well when he's talking about his asian pear. maybe he just really likes them.

however, as the conversation progresses onto tormenting kunikida, his eyelids casually grow darker.

they're not completely black yet, but you can tell he is enjoying bothering kunikida despite his claim of innocence.

after this, you can see his lashes are a little brighter as he announces that yosano is going to be executed.

this makes sense remembering that he is under the belief that yosano is guilty of terrorism and is getting the punishment he believes she deserves.

after this, jouno walks away as kunikida cries out in anger.

his eyelashes are almost completely black here, likely because he is getting nothing but personal enjoyment out of kunikida's grief. he isn't doing good by this and this could definitely be seen as corrupt behaviour.

a huge contrast to what i've been saying falls in chapters 71 and 72, the cafe scenes.

you can see the white of his eyelashes in nearly every panel he's in.

what makes this different than when he was bothering kunikida is that bothering the cafe owner was moving his case forward. he believed he was pursuing justice and doing what is right by extracting important information here; as opposed to doing nothing but mentally torturing someone who isn't improving his case. from his perspective, his actions weren't tainted in anyway except possibly approach, but since he was doing what was right his eyelids were painted white.

another example of this is in chapters 60 and 61, when he is fighting the agency for the first time.

and when the agency escapes and he's surprised to find out the pursued terrorist group would have allies in chapter 62.

i found that these three chapters had a lot of small panels where you couldn't really see the detail of his eyes, but generally they were white as he caught the criminals. they were also white as they escaped, since he was likely confused that people were easily supporting the group he perceived as evil.

my last example of this is his eyes being very white as he tortures the bank robbers in the flashback scenes in chapter 92.5.

he believes that he is seeking justice here. the robber gets what they deserve, and his intentions are what he believes in just which explains his eyes being white.

anyways, to summarize this all: jouno's eyelashes colour often displays his morality. his lashes seem to be coloured more white when he is doing what is morally right from his perspective. even if what he is doing is considered brutal by most, his eyes glow white if it is in pursing of justice or good. in contrast, if what he is doing has no overall benefit and he is just distressing someone for purely his own enjoyment, his eyelids often are coloured much darker.

however, as i said above i believe this subtly hinted at jouno's betrayal of fukuchi.

in chapter 92, we can still see by his eyelashes that he has the right intentions when hunting for the agency.

and towards the end of the chapter we see his eyes still have a small white streak, implying his bluff on actually being willing to switch to the other side. at the same time, the thinness of the lash could be so small because he is lying to his superior as well, which i suppose could also be seen as tainted behaviour.

however, after fukuchi's plan is unraveled we see the brightness shine again.

as i stated above, when he isn't doing what he believes is right or is tormenting people for no reason but his own enjoyment, his eyes look black. but if you look at the image below you can see his eyes are partially coloured white, hinting that he was going to do what was right. it is subtle colouring, i assume that is partially due to the fact that his face was rather small on the page. but regardless it is still noticeable.

and what do we know? he did switch up and betray fukuchi shortly after saying this.

with that in mind, there's one scene i deliberately avoided bringing up until now; the scene i believe heavily tries to avoid hinting at jouno's betrayal of fukuchi. im referring to the scene where jouno confronts aya.

as i said, if jouno is acting corrupt towards someone for his own fun, his eyelids are dark, but if he's doing something that he believes is just his lashes remain partially white. i believe that out of context his eyes would likely be black as he torments aya, however since he secretly had good intention they would have actually been white.

however, the readers had yet to know the context of his approach until the end of chapter 93, so they needed to hide the fact that he may have had good intent here.

so harukawa kept his eyes covered (or coloured his face differently) throughout the scene.

the most we see of his face in this whole scene is his side profile, which is small enough to not need to colour his eyelashes in.

i believe this was an intentional choice to keep the readers from guessing that he was doing something he believes is right here.

anyways, to sum up this segment i believe that jouno's eyelashes in chapter 92-92.5 subtly hinted at the fact that he was indeed siding with aya and was preparing to betray fukuchi.

in conclusion, i believe jouno's eyelashes hint at his true intent a lot. they show that he is a good person hiding behind a facade. the shading of his eyelids is a lot more subtle than how most character's eyes look in the manga, which i believe helps add more to jouno's somewhat moral ambiguity. he is an incredibly well-written character and i can't wait to see more of him!

[slobber-teeth]

it's been a pretty good year for tf2, so i thought i would commemorate the end of the year by recommending some of the fanfics that have kept me company! this is a collection of largely nsfw sniperspy fics, so it'll be under the cut. merry smissmas!!

if you shoot for the moon, sometimes you hit the moon - @pinapin

teen and up, 5k

i had a passing interest in sniperspy when i first got into tf2 last december, and man, did this fic cement that for good. god, there are just so many elements of this fic that have informed how i view the sniperspy dynamic, and the world of tf2 in general! (like, mvm upgrades being manually installed and uninstalled?? fucking insane and so on brand.) pinapin balances the atmosphere of never-ending robot war with such brilliant levity.

but also, pinapin is one of the first friends i made in the tf2 fandom, and having that be such a positive experience really helped me reach out to other artists i admired!

dog days of summer - @woodsywarbler

m, 12k

this fic is chock full of so much love :") there are so many tiny, intimate details in dog days that make it worth rereading, the sort that make me have to take a walk because the yearning it inspires is so unbearable. silly codes, dressing each other, playing fetch... the dynamic between sniper and spy is so indulgent and sweet. you can't help but fall in love with them as you watch them interact. i have good word that you'll be able to read more about jeannie and mick in the future!

"good owners make good dogs," indeed <3

on top of the world from here - strangeunusual

e, 5k

it's hard to find better words than the opening notes on this fic which are, "step aside geeks, this is how you have a real shoe fetish."

i am actually obsessed. this scratched soooo many itches that it feels like it was made in a lab for me (or maybe that i was made in a lab for it.) i have no way of telling for sure, but i'm pretty certain i reread this fic the most this year, and each time i read it, i'm inspired to write more sniperspy dress shoe fetishism. the fact spy is transmasc here is just icing on the cake.

rank - @berlynn-wohl

e, 2k

i'm such a sucker for classy, refined gentlemen who are loathe to admit how much a little dirt and grime turns them on-- so you can imagine how much i fucking adore this fic. it's funny, it's sexy, and so many lines of dialogue have stuck themselves permanently in my head. namely, "they (dingoes) just looked after me for a couple of hours after school.”

little deaths - muddymoss

m, 10k

oh man, if i tried to recommend this fic, i feel like i'd have to do it chapter-by-chapter. each one manages to be so self-contained and yet you can totally see the lines of connection between them. beautiful, beautiful writing, with every chapter being a love letter to both sniperspy and the different in-game maps. my favorite chapter (so far, this fic is still updating!) is swiftwater!!

barter and thrifty - @lyricalt

e, 5k and 3k

HA i bet you guys thought i was gonna list tanyart's petplay series. nope! you get a two for one!! jesus christ, what a talented author. you can tell how much effort was put into characterization. sniper is written with more wit and rudeness than i think is usually afforded to him, and similarly spy is shown to experience his emotions often and freely, rather as some obsidian slab of indifference. (not to knock that sorta spy, ehehe.)

[gallafics]

𝙶𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚊𝚏𝚒𝚌'𝚜 𝚁𝚎𝚌𝚜

Category — My Comfort Fics (No Major Spoilers)

“The Fight For You” by WishIHadWings

Complete. 45 chapters. 328k words. Explicit Mexico AU. Slow burn. Cheating. Smutty. Angsty. Fluffy. End game but detailed Mickey/OMC. Brief Ian/Trevor.

Beautiful dynamic. Their chemistry is INSANE in this fic. The build up is phenomenal. The reunion sex is chefs kiss perfection. Say what you want but one of my fav tropes is “Mickey/Ian in a relationship and cheating to be with Ian/Mickey.” Parts of this fic are so painful to read, the angst gets ANGSTY in this one. (Full review — coming soon!)

“You can’t hurry love” by @crazynadine (Ao3)

Complete. 43 chapters. 464k words. Explicit. Graphic depictions of violence. Rape/non-con. Angsty. Smutty. Happy ending. Drug abuse. Domestic Violence. Slow burn.

This fic is one I hold so close to my heart. I relate to a lot of things in this fic. With that being said, please read the trigger warning and take care of your mental health when reading as it deals with some pretty heavy themes. Ian and Mickey are both with others but when they give in and finally come back together is literally so beautiful. Definitely a must read! (Full review — coming soon!)

“Silent Pain in Emerald Eyes” by @takeyourpillsbitchh (Ao3)

WIP. 7 chapters. 54k words. Explicit. Graphic depictions of violence. Rape/non-con. Angsty. Suicidal thoughts. PTSD. Mute!Ian Gallagher. Therapist!Mickey. Taboo relationship — therapist/patient. Happy ending. Romantic tension. Sexual tension. Mutual Pining.

This fic being incomplete doesn’t some me from rereading it over and over. This is another that I would say to definitely make sure you read the trigger warning and make sure you’re in a good mental space. It also deals with some pretty heavy themes. Mickey and Ian’s connection in this fic is unmatched for me, they just get each other so well in this one. They both have been through so many traumatizing things and Mickey uses his trauma to help Ian heal from his trauma in a healthy way. It’s quite beautiful. I literally wait with bated breath for the author to update! (Full Review — Coming soon)

“The Crimes Surrounding Ian Gallagher” by RumbleFish14

Rereleased WIP. 11 chapters. 85k words. Graphic depictions of violence. Major character death. Rape/non-con. Underage. Angsty. Smutty. Strangers to lovers. Ghosts. Detective!Mickey. Ghost!Ian. Love at first sight. Murder. Underage sex/relationship. Mystery with a twist.

This is one of the first fics I ever read when I joined the fandom, when I tell you I about peed my pants when I realized the author reuploaded this fic I’m not kidding. I actually squealed. It is a beautiful, intricate, detailed story and writes as a true mystery novel with hints of romance. I do know the ending as I have the original downloaded, and I’m confident to say it’s a happy ending, but I’m not sure if I should upload the download link? I will have to get in touch with the author somehow! Please, give this fic a chance if you feel your mental can handle it, it’s truly an amazing read. (Full review — coming soon)

[muzetrigger]

Nevermore Characters and their Poe Inspirations

It’s the winter solstice, so how about something special?

I think everyone knows by now that all* the characters in the Nevermore WEBTOON are based on one or more of Edgar Allan Poe’s works, as well as many of the plot points and items that appear in the webcomic too. (You can check out my post comparing “The Pit and the Pendulum” to Nevermore here: )

But if you don’t follow me here or on Bluesky (please do, I’m very lonely ;-;) you might not know that I’m a teacher! And since one of my walls is, let’s say damaged, I thought I’d cover it up while advertising an excellent webcomic and sharing some of that Poe goodness.

(Warning: Spectre Spoilers!)

Behold!

It’s not the first time I’ve had to make an “English Board” without an actual board, but it did take… an embarrassing amount of time to make considering the quality.

Why?

Because instead of using a magic wand tool to separate characters from their backgrounds, I manually scrubbed each image in Procreate. That’s right, I actually have a problem.

(The real reason is that I’m not a big fan of magic wand feathering and they’re fairly fussy about picking up details. Also, black uniforms on dark backgrounds make it harder for the magic wand to get an accurate selection. And Annabel’s hair. Why did I choose to use a shot with a bright background?)

Anyway, all the characters are from Red and Flynn’s Nevermore and all the QR codes take you to the work the corresponding character is inspired by! I used the Poe Museum’s versions of the short stories and poems, despite the fact that they recently redesigned their website and now it looks atrocious. Like my wordpress level of not very well designed, but they’re an actual museum in Virginia, and I’m a single person.

Here by the way if you want to visit :)

And since just giving you a broad look at the wall isn’t that helpful, here are all the actual “graphics”.

They’re all on Letter/A4 paper size dimensions since I had to print them out, so there are weird margins, but if you want something quick to print out, there you go!

I actually wanted to include backgrounds and borders too, but I was so tired after cleaning the character portraits that I just kind of slapped the elements onto the page. There was also a bit of a time crunch because I wanted to get this out before Season 2, and I’m not exactly a graphic designer :/

Actually, I wanted to print them and then cut out their outlines before laminating so that they retained their full silhouettes, but that kind of defeats the purpose of covering up my poor wall.

Still, the whole process has given me a lot more respect to Flynn for drawing Nevermore. It took me hours to get a single character portrait done. The thought of having to draw all those details dozens of times for a single chapter frightens me.

But I’m very excited for Season 2!

I “had to” reread the entirety of Season 1 looking for good portraits, and let me tell you, there really aren’t that many full body anterior shots in Nevermore. Or at least, a lot less than 108 chapters would suggest. Taking screenshots for this was awful too. A couple of these are actually stitched together from multiple photos.

Anything else?

Oh, I used Georgia as the font. I’m fairly certain it’s what’s used in the webcomic, but all those straight serif fonts really blend together… I thought about using two different fonts, one for the character names, and one for the work names, but again tired.

[pendwelling]

hiii been getting interested in twsb, planning to read after looking at ur posts. would you recommend starting it with the novel or the manhwa first?

OH ABSOLUTELY THE NOVEL!!! Like Please. I am actually begging for most people to start the novel first before reading the webtoon hahaha........

I love the webtoon dearly, but there are very obvious problems with it (especially if you read the adaptation on the official WEBTOON platform—the translation team clearly have no idea what they're doing and don't seem to have a good quality checker on the team which leads to mistakes on the most basic things such as name romanization (which has already been provided for FOR FREE by the novel author on their Munpia page 😭) and the wrong use of pronouns/titles of address for several characters)... Many readers in the comments have even expressed confusion because of the botched "official" translation, and despite having gone on for several episodes, they haven't bothered to go back and correct these errors :')))

The adaptation also skips over many details, and while some changes do a decent job in reorganizing the narrative flow into a smoother visual experience format, TWSB is actually quite a lore-heavy and emotionally compelling story driven by a lot of the subtle relationship development between characters through their many, MANY interactions, and elevated through the inner narrations of the characters themselves (which is obviously tricky to translate into a visual medium). A lot of such interactions do unfortunately end up getting cut from the webtoon (especially in Season 2, although the art definitely captures the novel's atmosphere better than the first season), so webtoon-only readers unknowingly end up missing out a LOT on the very strongly built characterization and the setting of foundations for the relationships that will be so fundamental in the long run.

All in all, the webtoon is decent. It's not the best, it's actually quite enjoyable, but as an adaptation, it very unfortunately suffers in many aspects, and since the webtoon is often the first impression of TWSB that many new readers are introduced to, it often leads to the belief that TWSB is just some simple and silly story without much depth (it is very much NOT. If you are familiar with ORV, TWSB is actually quite similar, just thrown into a RoFan, directed towards a different target audience, and with the promises of offering a lighthearted fun story. Think ORV on light mode, with its own unique spin. "Kim Dokja" and "Jung Eunseo". You'll get what I mean.)

Anyhow, Season 1 probably adapts the novel the best in terms of the story and scenes, but the atmosphere leans more towards the silliness and doesn't capture the balance between comedy, tension, and drama as well as it should, and is very simplistic, leaving out many relevant visual details. Season 2 on the other hand is near perfect when it comes to visual design, mood, and atmosphere, but is lacking when it comes to adapting the story and character interactions, with a surprising number of important scenes being left out. Both seasons are good in their own ways, but both are still ultimately lacking when you know what you're missing out on..... 🥹

Oughhh sorry I kinda went on a rant, but my point is, the TWSB novel is actually very deceivingly complex. At first glance, it seems like a comedic and lighthearted story, but the more you read the more depth you find is actually present, many of which are between the lines or very blatant, but presented in an initially unassuming light which makes you take it at face-value (making rereads a very enlightening experience). The novel manages to balance several different kinds of tones and moods in a way that the webtoon struggles to juggle the fine line of, and I should note that throughout all 920 chapters of the novel, it is clear that, from the very start, the author has always had an extremely clear vision, direction, and ending for the story. Each character you meet is important. Each of their stories is important. It is actually quite meta, but, this is something you'll only fully understand upon reading the novel haha. Everything is written in confidence and as a reader, you can actually feel this the more you read, and it's frankly impressive because there are other fantasy stories that feel like they drag from one arc to the next leaving you wondering how the story will even be able end, but with TWSB, the structure and end goals are always there. The writing of the protagonists definitely contribute to this, as TWSB is, to its core, an very character driven story.

Oh and in addition to a great main cast, the way the story treats its supporting cast is also so impressive. Most of my favourite character are actually not even part of the main cast—but even though they're only in the background, supporting the protagonists from the sidelines or even the shadows, the story treats their roles with great importance and depth, and even though they're minor characters, their presences are absolutely integral in their own ways, and it's nice to see a story treat its characters with such respect (so it's a shame that the webtoon doesn't seem to place as much importance onto all of its characters, focusing mainly on the MCs). TWSB is so well crafted and it will always pain me to see that the webtoon cannot do full justice to the amount of care put into the universe..... TvT

But yes, please read the novel first haha... 🥹 The webtoon is fine on its own, but is somewhat superficial compared to the novel. It's lovely, and the artists have definitely worked hard on their project, but the adaptation writers truly cannot live up to the full original experience presented by Sookym themselves! So yes, I would definitely recommend the novel first 🥹🥹🥹👍

[echoingbirdsofprey]

Back Forty View (On Our Piece Of Ground)

4 - Windows Down On A First Ride In A Paid Up Truck

Pairings: Tyler Owens x OFC Georgia Tennley-Owens, Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x OFC Samantha Kazansky

Rating: Explicit (MDNI!)

Warnings: SMUT, lots of pregnancy talk, unprotected!piv (wrap before you tap) argueing, angry/annoyed!Tyler, brotherly teasing and wrestling, and hopefully I didn't miss anything. Just a reminder, none of my work is beta read and I do my best to edit as best as I can so sometimes I have to go back and fix things after I reread it a million and a half times so sorry about that!

A/N: This is an interesting chapter. I had trouble writing it at first and then once it started flowing I couldn't stop. There are a lot of key moments in here between our four main characters. There's a little smut, a little angst, a little fluff and just all around a lot. The part art the end is something I have actually seen happen so I pulled from some personal experience for this one and the next one as well. The chapter after this will come with heavy warnings because as always I can't leave well enough alone. So please enjoy this chapter, the next will be heartbreaking. As always, likes, comments, reblogs, and any feedback is always always appreciated! Love y'all that keep reading along and hang with me on this journey. It's a really fun one so far and there's a SHITLOAD more to come!

Tags: @mrsevans90 @djs8891 @gpsmississippihippie @barnesboo1967 @dizzybee03 @coloraturadiva @kmc1989

Georgia had been getting many requests for lessons and training and she had tl weed out the people who just wanted to come and meet Tyler and be nosy because there were quite a few people who were exactly that. They jointly came up with a questionnaire for people to fill out, detailing exactly what people were looking for with their horses to make it easier to wade through the nonsense phone calls and texts. There had been a quiet period in between the holidays where there had been minimal inquiries except for one lady who kept calling. 

“Ugh...Tyler. It's the same lady.” Georgia said, looking at her caller ID. It was a number from a western Oklahoma area code and she knew it was the same woman because she'd leave the same text right after the call.

Unknown: Hi Georgia my names Taylor I've got a horse i need some help with. I know its the holidays but if you could call me back when you get a chance I'd appreciate it. Happy Holidays.

“Just answer. It's almost New Year’s anyway.” Tyler said. He had been sitting on the couch next to her, but decided to pause the video he was editing to engage in a cuddle session, seeing as Sam and Jake had stepped out to take the dogs for a walk around the property. Georgia giggled softly and then  cleared her throat as she answered the call. Tyler ceased his movements, his lips stationary against her neck.

“Hey, Georgia, my name’s Taylor and I was hopin’ you could help me out. I’ve got a pretty nervous horse and was told by a bunch of people that you were the person to take him to for training. I’m hopin’ you’ve got a spot open?” The woman sounded older and Georgia wondered if she realized it hasn't gone to voicemail.

“Hi, Taylor. Unfortunately I don’t have room at the moment and I’m actually pregnant so I can’t really do much more than groundwork. Maybe I can refer you to someone else for now?” Georgia said, hoping that might satisfy the woman's needs for now.

“I’d much rather wait until you were available. He’s been to too many trainers already. This is kind of the last straw.” The lady's voice grew heavy and Georgia pursed her lips. She turned to Tyler, who was listening. He shrugged his shoulders, leaving it up to Georgia to make a decision. Her lips thinned and she thought for a moment before making a suggestion.

“Oh...I’m sorry to hear that. I mean...best I could do at the moment is come take a look at him if you want?” That was the best she could come up with for now.

“Yeah, that would be great. I’ll text you my address. We’re just outside of Cleo Springs.” The woman said, hanging up immediately and sending the text with the address.

“Guess we're going to look at a horse?” Georgia asked and Tyler nodded.

“Well she'll have to wait until our make out session is done.” Tyler smirked and he took the phone from her hand and placed it on the coffee table. He hovered above Georgia before gently pressing her into the cushions. His hands were warm and inviting, much like his lips as they moved against any exposed skin he could find. Georgia’s head fell back against the couch and she let her eyes close, enjoying Tyler’s soft touch.

“Mmm, Tyler.” She purred in his ear and he chuckled as he splayed his fingers across her still growing belly. He locked her in place with his legs on either side of her hips. He shifted, kneeing her legs open. He was careful as he rested the backs of her thighs against his for support. 

“This okay? Comfortable? You’ll tell me if it isn’t?” He asked, kissing her forehead, then the tip of her nose, and then he stopped at her lips. She nodded and closed the distance between them. 

“I’m okay, Tyler.” Her voice was strained, and needy and Tyler’s cock twitched beneath the denim. He hummed and Georgia reached up to rest her hands at the back of his neck.

“Yeah, keep sayin’ my name just like that darlin’ n’ I’ll getcha there, pretty mama. ” His lids lowered, reaching for his belt buckle to undo it. He unzipped his jeans and pushed them and his boxers down his hips, then pulled her leggings and panties down. Georgia swallowed hard and her eyes met his, their mouths only inches apart.

“Ohhh, Tyler.” Georgia whimpered, as he was slow to push his length into her, stilling as he kissed her. He waited for her okay, wanting to be sure that he wasn’t hurting her. With her being pregnant, there were certain positions that had become uncomfortable for her and Tyler wanted nothing more than for her to still feel good about herself. She tugged at the hair at the back of his neck and bit her lip, signaling him to keep going. He was tentative at first but then as he saw a look of pure pleasure wash over her, he loosened up.

“Mama, yur so sexy, y'know that? Fuckin’ beautiful, gorgeous girl. Pretty Peach. ” He accentuated each compliment with a deep thrust, hitting just the right spot to bring her towards the edge of a powerful orgasm. When she crested that peak, Tyler was quick to follow, spilling inside her as his name left her lips in a satisfied moan. They soaked in their shared high for a few moments before they heard footsteps coming up the porch stairs. Tyler pulled his jeans back up, zippering them but not buckling his belt and then he pulled Georgia’s panties and leggings back up. 

The dogs came bounding in first as Tyler peeked over the top of the sofa. Jake glanced around and then saw him but not Georgia.

“Shit, sorry T. We interruptin’? He asked, stopping halfway through the door. Sam smacked him gently, trying to get in.

“No, no, you’re fine. We’re just makin’ out like teenagers.” Tyler chuckled and he helped Georgia sit up. She smiled at Jake, who let Sam through the door then.

“Nice. You doin’ the over the pants handy too?” Jake mused and Tyler grabbed a ball, strategically placed by Grits in reach and chucked it at his brother who caught it. “Ah you thought...you thought my reflexes were shit. I fly planes at supersonic speeds you ding-dong.”

“Why do you boys always use the most childish insults?” Sam asked, poking Jake in the ribs. He winced and whipped around to tickle her. Tyler smirked as she collapsed in Jake’s arms and against the front door.

“Well sayin’ ding-dong in front of kids is probably better than cocksucker.” Jake chuckled as he continued to tickle her. She swore and he captured her lips with his.

“You say that too, though.” Georgia said from the couch and Tyler raised a brow.

“Well, yeah, but Kenny used to yell at us if we swore in the house. So we reserved the really bad ones for out in the barn or on trail rides. Sometimes when we were pennin’ too.” Tyler explained and Jake had ceased his comical assault on his fiance. She was breathing heavily as she hung off of Jake. Tyler rose and Georgia grabbed for his belt, attempting and failing to hide the fact that it was still unbuckled. Jake threw his head back in a loud roar of laughter. 

“Oh my god, you were straight up fuckin’ before we came in, weren’t you! T! She’s already pregnant!” Jake cackled. 

“I’m gonna throw somethin’ else at’cha boy. We’re all adults here. I am allowed to bang my wife while she’s pregnant, thank you VERY much.” Tyler said, buckling his belt. He gazed over at Jake and his tone fell flat. “I’m sure you’ll be tryin’a do the same thing with Samantha. No offense, hun.” 

“None taken, Tyler. No, in fact, we were just discussing babies. Weren’t we Jake?” Sam said with a wide smirk. Jake’s nostrils flared and his eyes widened, surprised at Sam’s response but a little proud of her for it. This was the Sam he knew.

“Well, Jakey, if you need me to tell ya any tricks, I got a one hundred percent success rate, so.” Tyler mused and Jake's mouth fell open in a smile. Georgia couldn’t help the laughter that came from her. 

“You cocky motherfucker.” Jake scoffed and blinked a few times before crossing the room and grabbing his brother’s shirt. Tyler laughed and let Jake pull him around a little, their noses touching.

“You gonna kiss me, sweetheart?” I see why you joined the Navy.” Tyler joked and Jake pushed him back.

“That’d be the most hillbilly ass shit. We’d get hung for it.” Jake punched Tyler lightly in his chest and Tyler reached and took a hold of Jake, flipping him around and pretending to choke him out from behind. Jake fake gagged and felt to the floor and then they both laughed raucously again, all the while Sam and Georgia doing nothing but watching their significant others. Tyler helped his brother back up and then they shook hands. 

“Hey, you wanna come with us to check out a horse?” Tyler asked as their breathing returned to normal. Jake glanced at Sam and she nodded.

“Sure. Where are we headed?” Jake asked. “And should we leave the dogs here?”

“Yeah, they can all stay. Think that might be good. Sounded like this horse was kinda weird. It’s in Cleo Springs? It’s ‘bout an hour n’a half.” Tyler said. He motioned to the stairs. “We’re just gonna...change real quick.” Tyler smirked and threw his keys at Jake, who caught them and tipped his head.

“I’ll go start the truck.” Jake said and Sam made sure that the pups were all settled and happy. They’d had a nice long walk, so they’d all sleep for a while. Dustin could let them out when he came back later that evening.

🌪️ 🛩️🛻⚓

It had been a quick drive, considering there weren’t many people on the roads with it being the holidays and kids were on vacation from school. When they pulled up, Tyler scrunched his nose and glanced at Georgia.

“This place is a shithole, Gee.” He said softly, reaching for her hand. She looked around, having texted the woman, Taylor, that they were on their way about an hour ago. She said she’d be there, and she was coming from the back of the property. Georgia put her jacket on and Tyler ran to the passenger side, helping her down from the truck as it was decently tall. The woman shook Georgia and Tyler’s hands and then nodded at Jake and Sam. She was a bit awkward and she seemed very nervous, Georgia observed.

It was well into the afternoon and they didn’t want to be here terribly long with the sun getting ready to set. The horse was in a round pen at the way back of the property. The woman led them back to where she kept the horse, and they passed a few other corrals on the way with other horses in them that looked well fed and well kept. Maybe the place was just old. As they approached, Georgia noticed the woman fold her arms across her chest. 

“He’s pretty reactive. Don’t go in with him.” The woman said and Georgia stepped a little closer. He was a dark color, maybe a roan, but she couldn’t quite see all of him.

“Not a problem. Tell me a little bit about him?” Everyone stood close to the round pen and the horse stayed at the back away from them, his muscles twitching every so often. He was thin, and Georgia could count every rib, but he had muscle across his back and hind end so he wasn’t quite what she would consider neglected...yet. He needed weight though and when he turned his head, Georgia’s mouth dropped open and she grabbed for Tyler. He had a freeze brand. He was a mustang, and Georgia had always wanted one, since she was a little girl.

“Got him from the BLM holding facility at Pauls Valley. He was great for the first few months and was doin’ well and then he bucked me off and I hurt my back pretty bad. He’s never been aggressive but when he gets scared he just panics. In all honestly, miss, I really need to get rid of him...” The woman said, with tears in her eyes. “Sorry. I’ll be right back.” She said, sniffling and walking toward her house. The four of them watched her go and Georgia peered through the panels. The horse sniffed at the ground and then he jumped, hitting the panels and scaring himself.

“Tyler...” Georgia leaned against the panel, watching the horse as he trembled. 

“Gee...you’re very pregnant.” Tyler cautioned as his hand met the back of her neck. He squeezed slightly, as if to try to rub some sense into her, but he knew her decision was already made up.

“Tyler...please. He needs help.” Georgia's voice was pleading as she turned to him and looked up at him with her pretty blue eyes. Jake and Sam stepped toward the corral.

“And you cannot get injured. My kid’s in there. I can’t lose you.” Tyler said, tone flat.

“I won’t handle him. He needs to decompress anyway. I bet just takin’ him outta here would help.” Georgia reasoned. Jake glanced over at her and his eyes widened.

“That thing looks more like a bronc than a ridin’ horse...” He said softly, pulling Sam a little closer. The sun was going down quick.

“And what if he won’t go in the barn?” Tyler asked, his hands going to his hips.

“He doesn’t need to. He’s a mustang. He already lives outside by the looks of it. We’ve got panels. We can build him a small pen. He needs to be around other horses.” She suggested and Tyler shook his head.

“We? You mean me’n’Boone’n’Jake.” He said, slightly annoyed sounding as he motioned to Jake, who could see exactly where this was going. Just like Sam, Georgia would get what she wanted, one way or another.

“Yes...” Georgia said almost apologetically. Tyler sighed heavily and ran his hand over his face and scratched his beard. He stepped away from her for a moment, his heart pounding. He knew the right thing to do was to save this horse, but he was terrified that it might hurt Georgia. He would just have to be strict with her. He sighed again and then turned back to her, his hands on his hips, the classically annoyed Tyler look about him. Georgia bit her bottom lip.

“ And my bleedin’ fuckin’ heart can’t say no to you .” He said, displeased, but he stepped back toward her and pulled her into an embrace. “You’re not touchin’ that horse until Jaycen is born though. Dustin and I will feed him and muck the pen. We’ll go home and get somethin’ set up, and I’ll come back with Lennon to get him, okay? I’ve got no fuckin’ idea how I’m gettin��� him on a trailer.”

“Have I told you that you’re husband of the year?” Georgia asked with a wide smirk.

“Yup, keep tellin’ me darlin’. At this rate, I should be husband of the fuckin’ century.” Tyler said and he glanced at Jake, who just shrugged his shoulders. He pulled Sam in a little tighter as he glanced back at the horse.

The woman, Taylor, came back out of her house and she seemed in better spirits.Tyler motioned for Jake and Sam to head back to the truck. Jake took the keys and started it, letting the diesel warm up.

“Taylor, I’ve talked to my husband and if you’d like, we can take him off your hands.” Georgia said and the woman looked as if relief washed over her in that moment.

“Are you sure? You have a place for him?” She asked wearily. She probably couldn’t believe her luck.

“We can come up with somethin’ by tomorrow. We’ve got a lot of land.” Georgia said. Taylor took her hands in a thankful gesture and then hugged Georgia, careful of her belly.

“I don’t want anythin’ for him...you’d be doin’ me a mighty big favor. I..I don’t have a trailer.” Taylor said apologetically. Tyler shook his head and placed his hand back on the back of Georgia’s neck, squeezing gently. He rubbed between her shoulder blades and then pressed her toward the truck.

“We’ve got one. We can come pick him up tomorrow.” Tyler said, smiling at the woman. She thanked them and then as they were walking back to his truck the woman mentioned one last thing.

“This is great. I really appreciate your help.I’ll find his BLM paperwork so you can have it. His name is Ducati.”

🌪️ 🛩️🛻⚓

“Y'never know...maybe he'll turn into Jaycen's horse.” Georgia said as they drove home in the dark. Tyler’s knuckles were white on the wheel and Jake could tell by how hard his foot was on the gas that he was mad.

“If you can get that thing safe enough to tote around our kid and rope off it...I'll buy you ten more. You know I'd do anythin’ for you but I'd be on my fuckin’ knees like a slave if you could get that done because honestly, Gee, I don’t have any hope for that horse. He’s too fuckin’ skittish. He couldn’t even be a buckin’ horse like that. Fuckin’ Ducati...whatta name.” Tyler’s tone was clearly annoyed and Georgia knew that so she stayed quiet as Tyler continued to vent his frustration. “And for what it’s worth, I’m tryin’a not make all this harder while we got a kid on the way. You are damn near seven months pregnant, Gee! It’s a damn good thing Jake is around to take some of the load offa me because I’m gettin’ fuckin’ exhausted. God, Gee, I love you, I do...but I just want a few things to slow down.”

Everyone was silent then, Jake glancing out the back driver side window, Sam laying against him and curled up. She gazed up at Jake who gave her a small, worried smile. She saw Georgia’s eyes in the rearview and knitted her brows for her. Georgia bit her lip and glanced over at Tyler. He huffed in frustration and then he shot her a quick look. He reached across the center console and Jake observed his brother again, interested in what he was going to do next. And what he did surprised Jake.

“I’m sorry. I lost my temper. I didn’t mean to. I’m just worried bout’cha, darlin’. I love you.” Tyler’s voice became significantly softer and he took several deep breaths. This was Tyler healed and Jake was overjoyed for him. This was a much different Tyler than the one he’d been in the years that Georgia wasn’t with him. Tyler had worked on himself so much, trying to get control of his anger in that time and it had clearly worked. Georgia’s eyes were misty as she stared at him.

“I love you too. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have forced you into makin’ a decision. I just...” Georgia said and Tyler squeezed her hand.

“No, don’t you apologize. It’s another mouth to feed and muck but he needs to get outta there. You’re only thinkin’ of the animal. That’s why people ask you for help with their horses. You care more about the animals than anythin’ else. You’re such a good girl, Gee.” Tyler praised her and Georgia felt a wave of heat wash over her. His smile was warm as he glanced over at her again in between flicking on his turn signal and checking the signs for the exit. Everyone was silent again as Tyler drove through Stillwater and toward their home. When they got back it was a little past dinner, so they whipped something up quickly and ate. 

“Hey, we can clean up, you guys go rest. You got a lot to do tomorrow.” Jake offered and Tyler hugged his brother and thanked him quietly. Tyler headed upstairs, his limp evident now that he was at the end of his energy for the day. Georgia thanked Jake and Sam and then followed her husband. He had stopped at Jaycen’s room, appreciating the crib and the chair and the color scheme that had finally been finished. Everything was ready for the baby. But now, suddenly, Tyler felt crunched for time. Georgia waited for him to turn and he smiled weakly before heading into their room. He unbuckled his belt and stood for a moment, at the foot of the bed. Georgia stayed at the threshold of the room for a few minutes before she stepped closer, wrapping her arms around his waist from behind. 

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t realize how tired you were too.” Georgia whispered. Tyler turned and he sat on the edge of the bed, He pulled her between his legs and she placed her hands on his shoulders. She reached up and ran her fingers through the hair at his temples. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

“I suddenly feel fuckin’ nervous. I don’t know why. And that horse just...he reminds me’a you...before. Spooky, skittish. I just get worried...” Tyler explained, his eyes going misty as he gazed up into beautiful and sad blue.

“Oh, Tyler...” She guided his head toward her chest, wrapping her arms around his head. His arms wound around her waist. She spoke softly as she caressed the back of his head, feeling the spot where there was scar tissue from stitches that didn’t quite heal properly. “I’m so sorry...I’m sorry I put that distrust in you and...and I know..I know I’m gonna be makin’ up for it forever but please...know I’m not gonna run anymore. I’m here to stay. I promise. I promise you I will stay. No matter how hard it all gets, I’m stayin’. I wouldn’t dare take your son away from you. Not after I lost my father. I will not let this boy grow up without you...without his father.” Georgia felt tears streaming down her cheeks and Tyler could hear the trembling in her voice as she made her vows to him. They hadn’t done marriage vows, but he was counting this as hers. And he knew she'd probably count them as hers too.

🌪️ 🛩️🛻⚓

Tyler decided that Georgia should go with him to pick Ducati up. Jake and Dustin had worked in the morning setting up a pen that was close enough to the barn that they could muck it out easily and he could at least get against the barn to block some wind until he got used to the barn. The pen was also in a spot where they could just pressure him off the trailer and into it without him escaping. Lennon sat in the back with Grits, who had decided he needed to come along for the ride because he didn’t get to yesterday. Lennon could rope damn near anything and Tyler would even say he was better than him, even though Lennon wouldn’t admit that. He looked up to Tyler. So they both brought ropes in case they needed them. 

Taylor was there with the BLM paperwork for Georgia to sign, showing that she now owned the horse. Tyler backed the truck and trailer up to the pen and they opened the gate to the pen and the back door of the trailer so that they only place Ducati could go was around the pen or into the trailer. The horse snorted and Taylor decided she would go back into her house and let them do whatever they needed to do to get him on the trailer. She didn’t think she’d be very helpful with how nervous she was. 

Ducati was a beautiful bay roan and now in the morning sun, Georgia could see that. He needed some groceries and some brushing but she knew with time, he’d fill out with muscle and be a good little horse. She hoped for that at least. Ducati was rounded up from the Pryor Mountain Herd Management Area in Montana and brought down to the Pauls Valley holding Pens in Oklahoma. He was a little over fourteen hands, so the size of a large adult pony. He was seven years old and castrated when he was adopted by Taylor. The gelding sniffed the air and he stepped toward the trailer without hesitation. Tyler’s eyes widened and he held his breath, as did Lennon and Georgia as the little bay gelding jumped onto the stock trailer. It took all of five minutes from start to finish and Georgia had a feeling if Taylor had been standing there she would’ve burst out into tears, knowing that the horse she loved on for so long had decided he’d rather hop on a trailer and leave.

Lennon secured the back door and Ducati was quiet as they started up the truck. They headed back to Stillwater, mustang in tow. The entire ride, there was not a peep from Ducati. Georgia glanced over at one point, Tyler meeting her gaze.

“He knew we came to help him, Ty.” She said softly and he reached over the center console like he had last night, taking one of her hands in his. He agreed wholeheartedly.

When they arrived home, Tyler backed the trailer in and Ducati walked calmly off the trailer and into his new pen. He sniffed the air as they closed the gate and pulled the truck and trailer away. Jake and Sam had come out, as well as Dustin, and Ophelia had finished riding her horses. Georgia held her hand out, through the panel fencing and Tyler cautioned her, but he had no need to. Ducati walked over, touched her hand gently and then poked his nose toward her belly. His ears flicked back and forth and he let out a huge breath as if to say ‘okay, I’m okay now.’

“That ain’t the same horse.” Jake said, shaking his head in disbelief.

“No Jake, he just realized the same thing that we did. He’s safe here. He could feel it immediately.” Sam said softly as she hooked her arms around one of his biceps. Sam was right. Jake had felt the same feeling of comfort wash over him as soon as he’d stepped onto the property. 

Ducati inched closer to Georgia. He very carefully, very gently touched her belly with his opposable top lip and she felt Jaycen kick then. She took Tyler’s hand and placed it on her belly, as Ducati repeated his actions, as did Jaycen inside her womb. 

“That’s crazy.” Tyler said, his eyes wide as he watched the interaction between the supposedly skittish horse and his pregnant wife, or rather, his unborn son.

“I think he’s pickin’ his rider.” Georgia said, glancing up at Tyler with a smile.

“Yeah, well, he’s got a ways to go before they’re both ready for that, but...” Tyler reached out and rubbed the gelding’s nose very carefully. Ducati pricked his ears and nickered softly, though Tyler surmised it was not at him. It was definitely at Jaycen. “I guess sometimes all you need is a change of scenery, huh, bud?”

[evelhak]

Would anyone be interested in beta-/proofreading my KnB fic series?

(Spreading the word helps too. 🙏🏻)

Unfortunately I lost both of my beta-readers due to dramatic life changes a couple of years ago, and I've been doing my best to manage on my own but it's becoming a struggle.

There must be someone out there who craves for the same kind of intense longfic as I do, to get immersed in, and would like to be a part of it.

Plus there are some new/returning KnB people around recently, so who knows? Maybe one of you, who would already be interested in reading an insanely long fic for your own enjoyment, would like to devote, probably a few hours a month or so (I don't have a strict schedule), to relieving the writer's anxiety before they post a new chapter? I'm not looking for anything super in-depth. Basically just another pair of eyes to help me fix:

1. Scenes/sentences/word choices that are too confusing.

2. Factual errors.

3. Typos, grammar mistakes etc.

Low pressure, basically just anything that catches your attention as out of place or needing clarification. Definitely not asking for perfection or anything that you wouldn't catch on the first round of reading. I'm just looking to reduce mistakes I can't catch on my own.

I guess the chances of me finding anyone who is already reading the series (since to my knowledge my long-term readers never came from Tumblr in the first place) are pretty low, so

What will you get if you take a chance on me/The Other Things series?

Aside from a devoted friend (who will also always be ready for in-depth KnB talk)...

🏀 basically a lifetime supply of KagaKuro, seasoned with AoMomo, MidoTaka and other less prominent and at times rare ships (Stay tuned for Yagi Yuuta/Male OC) and also a lot of supporting OCs who exist for reasons other than shipping, including several characters' family members

🏀 one detailed and elaborate version of the main KnB characters' life journeys/basically an enormous character study

🏀 a very psychologically explicit story <- a pair of words (reader approved xD) I recently came up with to describe the emotional intensity that sometimes takes people by surprise

🏀 so much slice of life, so much dialogue, so much angst and fluff, so, so much character development that is definitely earned the hard way

🏀 snail speed slow-burn, I am not kidding, but intense love scenes and also no smut for over a million words but once we get there I promise it's worth it

🏀 so much intertextuality, myths, fairytales, analogies, symbolism that you can reread and reread if you want and I'm sure you'll keep finding new connections

🏀 a lot of fun stuff like our dorks in a group chat, disaster house parties and basketball idiots playing quadball, tons of everyday silliness

🏀 heart wrenching stuff and psychological depiction of hardship, personal growth as well as different kinds of relationships

🏀 deep-dives into topics including mental and physical health, dysfunctional family dynamics, a variety of queer experiences, neurodiversity and more, and particularly characters struggling with how complex things are

🏀 at times counterintuitive interpretations of canon but everything is in one way or another, canon-based or canon-inspired

🏀 to read seven fics before you actually get to beta-read the new stuff😇

Send me a DM if you're interested! 🩵

You can also try and decide it wasn't your thing. The series can be found here on AO3.

[mantequillamcwhoremick]

How did you come up with the plot to Chaos Plan??

YIPPPEEEEE ANOTHER ONE!!!! HEHEHEH THANKS FOR THE ASK

Omg I LOVE this question. I'll never get sick of answering that, so like warning for long post incoming 😈😈😈😈

I talk about my inspirations a lot on this post and also in the end notes on some chapters, especially chapter 10 and chapter 20, and I always pinpoint the scene from TFBW where Butters/Chaos talks to the others through the screens of U-Stor-It as "the moment where it all started," so I guess I can talk about something different now😁😁😁I might still repeat myself a lot though lmao so sorry about that.

The Premise: Butters' Disappearance and Detective Harris

Fun fact: the summary on ao3 is actually the first thing I ever wrote for the fic, and I feel like it still holds up.

I debated for a long time whether I actually wanted to write this story, because the idea of it fascinated me so much but I was scared to commit to such a big project. But then I read this pitch to my best friend and they were FASCINATED, and that was kind of the push I needed. I haven't looked back since.

The premise of Harris hiring Mysterion (despite either of their desire to work with each other) was something deeply inspired from the premise of Six of Crows, a book I reread at least once a year. I love crime and heist stories, especially when the criminals in question are sad little losers with questionable motivations and morals, and I feel like Mysterion getting HIRED to stop Chaos is a story that wrote itself. Especially since I wanted the added backstory to be that Butters disappeared after a tragic event, kickstarted by the aforementioned TFBW scene that made me immediately think of Jinx from Arcane. That's why I implemented all those visual bits and pieces of Chaos grafitti-ing the town, particularly places associated with childhood (playgrounds, the basketball court), and decorations that make you think of a kid's birthday party (like the fairy lights).

Mysterion and Chaos

In my notes on chapter 20 I talk in detail about my thought process on Chaos and Mysterion's villain and vigilante identities and their respective modi operandi, which is something that drove the development of this story a lot.

I'm a huge character psychology nerd, so I really wanted to write a story where these two characters drive the plot fueled by their fascinating canon skills, backstories and trauma in the given canon setting. A story that illustrates in great detail how they would operate in a hero/villain story while keeping the story as close to canon (or canon equivalents) as possible.

"Professor" Chaos being an entrepreneur-type scammer & hacker villain was an idea that I found baffling to not be as widely represented as I'd expect it to be (especially given the existence of Vic Chaos???), so I took it upon myself to realize my dreams lmao. This involved a lot of research on scams and cyber-crime and everything computers and crypto (I'm a tech illiterate. this was painful bro) so I watched a bunch of documentaries on a bunch of different assholes lol. (I'd be happy to share which those where if anyone's interested hghaahah) Thankfully my mom works in a cybersecurity-adjacent job so I know a bunch of fun facts like that you can actually get hacked with a QR-code! the more you know

The Plot and Shit

Whenever I have a story idea the first thing I do is pull out this bad boy

and make myself think about all the crucial plot points that could be represented by each beat sample. (I used to have the "Save The Cat" novelwriting book and it honestly changed how I think about story structure).

Even though a lot of the original first outline drafts don't really end up representing what the story looks like in the end, it does make me think about necessary beats to keep the tension up and have it flow nicely, and the vague idea of the crucial beats does usually hold up. Originally, the moment where Kenny finds out Chaos is Butters was meant to be the "midpoint" but I ended up focusing on a bunch of other stuff in the plot that I'd probably determine the moment the roof of City Hall blowing up as the "midpoint" now.

But these scenes were among those I knew I wanted in the story since the beginning:

Harris hiring Mysterion

Mysterion and Chaos talking at U-Stor-It

Kenny running into Butters

Kenny and Butters at the graveyard

City Hall roof blowing up

Mysterion talking to Chaos at a destroyed playground

some others i can't spoil teehee

And as you'll see, this represents like 5% of what happens lmao. Most of my ideas involving Kyle were super vague, and I had no fucking idea how to even involve Stan at first, even less Cartman (I actually wanted to keep Cartman away from the plot but he fought his way in anyway, as he does).

Brother, i didn't even have any scenes with Karen planned. I came up with that one spontaneously when I was struggling to figure out how to write chapter 7 (8 on ao3, when you count the prologue) and how to connect the dots between the U-Stor-It bit and what I wanted to do with Kenny figuring out the transport thing. You'll have found me like this trying to figure out all the connections and dots in Chaos' plan between Harris, the bar, Butters past (yet to be revealed) and how the motherfuckers of our main characters are actually gonna figure all that shit out.

I'm too embarrassed to say how many chapters were just kinda spontaneously rawdogged when they demanded actual detailed explanations of what happened, when I only had like the most vague idea thinking "yeah it happened somehow" (chapter 9 was most definitely one of them. That chapter description just said something like "Kenny and Kyle do detective work idk")

So yeah i guess the TLDR answer to this ask is kinda "idk man i fucked around and found out and the plot possessed me in vivid visions." I think at it's least ramble-y and most honest, that's what it all boils down to

THANKS FOR THE ASK <33333 AND KISSES IF YOU ACTUALLY READ ALL THIS LMAO